Chapter 1
“Why?”
“Shouldn’t you say sorry first? Even if it was a mistake, that should come first.”
At those words, spoken with resentment, Elzer scoffed and nodded.
“Sorry.”
She said the words, but Cecenia knew all too well that her sister didn’t truly mean them.
“……”
“Right…… But this isn’t something that can be resolved with just an apology.”
“I said sorry, but now you say that’s not enough. You’re really stubborn.”
As if she were some modern, enlightened woman, Elzer clicked her tongue while looking at her younger sister. But Cecenia did not stop speaking.
“Do you think this is normal? If you had even a shred of common sense, you wouldn’t have had an affair with your sister’s husband in the first place.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“I was foolish to endure it all this time, but not anymore. Unfortunately for you. No matter how hard you try, you’re nothing but a woman who spreads her legs for any man and a piece of trash who stole her sister’s husband. Do you understand? Trash that can’t even be recycled.”
“Hey!”
“Don’t ‘hey’ me. The person standing before you is the Empress of this country. And no matter how hard you try, you will never become Empress. Unless, of course, you can turn back time and change who the Crown Prince was engaged to. But I am already Empress, and I plan to punish you. Unlike before. Take her away.”
Elzer’s face turned pale at the completely unexpected situation.
“W-wait. You weren’t like this before. You just kicked me out.”
“Yes, I did. But I can’t do that anymore. I let you off too many times…… and you still haven’t learned.”
“Wait. Empress. No, Cecenia. This isn’t right.”
“What do you mean, ‘not right’? I may not be able to do anything about the Emperor, but I certainly won’t let my sister off the hook…… This will be made public.”
At that moment, the Emperor, who had been lying leisurely in bed, sprang up.
“Cecenia. Make it public?!”
“Until now, I kept quiet because you are my husband, and I didn’t want to tarnish your name. But this time, I will make everything public and ensure that Elzer receives proper punishment.”
“W-wait. There’s no need for that, is there? Huh? Cecenia, why go this far? Besides, you know this won’t do you any good either. Women should just stay quiet and obedient. Why are you making such a fuss?”
Maybe, for her own sake, she had tolerated her husband’s affairs.
Because she was the Empress, because she didn’t want people gossiping about her. Maybe that was why she let the Emperor off the hook. But not anymore. Cecenia was firm.
“Empress. Listen to me……”
The Emperor naturally got out of bed and reached for Cecenia’s shoulder. But as he moved, the blanket covering him slipped off, revealing his naked body. Perhaps because of this, Cecenia’s expression hardened even more.
“Don’t touch me. It’s disgusting.”
Brushing off the part of her clothes he had touched, Cecenia’s face was colder than ever.
“Cecenia! How dare you speak to your Emperor like that?!”
“An Emperor should act like one.”
‘You have no idea what I endured all this time, do you?’
Ignoring his outburst, Cecenia turned to the knights standing by the door.
“Take that woman and imprison her in the underground dungeon.”
“What……? B-but……”
“What are you afraid of? Because she is the Emperor’s mistress? Or because she is the Empress’s sister?”
“……Are you sure about this?”
“I will handle it. Just get rid of that filth.”
“Yes.”
Without further argument, the knights took Elzer away. In that moment, her gaze turned toward the Emperor.
Perhaps realizing that he, too, was in danger, the Emperor remained silent as Elzer was dragged out, too busy watching Cecenia for her reaction.
‘But…… I don’t want to endure anymore.’
As she looked at him, the Emperor grinned shamelessly and reached out to touch her lightly.
“Cecenia. This was just…… just a momentary lapse. I love you so much.”
She had once believed that.
That they loved each other. That his affairs were just meaningless indulgences. That was why she had protected him. That was why she had kept everything hidden, so he wouldn’t be harmed. But now, Cecenia no longer felt the need to protect this position or him.
“I’m leaving.”
“Wait…… Just listen to me, Cecenia. Cecenia……?!”
But that was it.
She did not listen to him. She simply walked back to her own chambers.
Time passed. Though this had been a storm in her life, the days flowed by dully.
The only thing Cecenia could do was abandon all her responsibilities as Empress and as head of her noble house, remaining shut in her room.
Even when the Emperor committed his shameful acts, she had never neglected her duties. But now, she had.
She was simply exhausted. When she first caught her sister with her husband, she had been so furious she wanted to kill her sister and expose everything. But as time passed, only emptiness remained.
“I heard the rumors.”
Until the day her only friend, Ian, came to visit, she had not met with anyone, even skipping meals.
Lying limply on the sofa, Cecenia slowly sat up like a lifeless corpse and looked at him. Having not eaten for days, her vision wavered, and she swayed unsteadily.
A friend would normally support her, but Prince Ian only observed in silence.
As her vision darkened and then cleared, Cecenia forced a weak smile.
“……Rumors spread so easily.”
“So, what will you do?”
“……I don’t know. At the time, I was so angry…… I wanted to have my sister executed…… But she’s my only sister.”
“That’s right. If you did that…… your aging father might collapse.”
Ian spoke as if he had been waiting for this moment. Even when she swayed or moved, he barely reacted. His response was oddly unnatural, but Cecenia didn’t question him.
“What should I do……?”
Ian was the only person she could confide in. She had lost another friend recently, leaving only Ian by her side. Prince Ian—her husband’s younger brother, but also her only childhood friend.
After thinking for a moment, he spoke.
“Don’t kill her. Send her far away.”
“Far away?”
“My mother has a villa in the north. No one lives there, and it’s freezing. It’s practically uninhabitable. Send her there.”
“Ah.”
“She’s family, so you can’t do much else. And you don’t really want to execute her, do you?”
For a moment, Ian seemed to be worried about Elzer, but Cecenia dismissed it as her own overthinking and nodded.
“You’re right……”
“Do as I say. That way, you’ll feel the least guilty while still punishing her.”
