CH 59

Amelia winced as she saw the dress delivered by the maids. The 3rd Empress gave Amelia a dress for today.

Of course, she didn’t trust the Third Empress’s maids, so she drove them away while grunting in the dress.

When she came out in her dress, her maids were waiting. Again, those who had to accompany the Duke of Cardian were the maids of the 3rd Empress.

“Princess, the carriage is ready.”

They respected Amelia, but they saw her as their subordinate.

With her pale face, Amelia followed them.

Amelia wasn’t confident that she would win the Duchess of Cardian’s favor, knowing that if she didn’t, Lucy would be in danger.

The maids, on the other hand, were looking at her nervously and with a worried look on their faces.

“Ye-yes……”

Amelia walked away from her place with a sad expression on her face. She was afraid that no matter the outcome she chose, she would not be able to escape the abyss.

✦ ✦ ✦

The carriage, which carried the imperial crest, was magnificent. Even servant carriages given to the imperial family had to be better than those delivered to the nobles. This time, the goal is the Duke of Cardian, thus the carriage should be something special.

Amelia, who had climbed into the carriage with the maids, cast a sidelong glance at them. Two maids followed, but with their prim expressions, they warned Amelia.

“……The Duchess of Cardian is a descendant of the prestigious Montague family.”

“Among the high-ranking nobles, she was far from exceptional. You have to be careful with your words and actions.”

At first glance, the Duchess of Cardian didn’t seem to like glamorous or prominent roles. What exactly do you mean by a person who stands out? When she was still a young lady of Montague, she was known as someone who rarely attended balls or parties.

The only thing that stood out was that she had decided to marry the Duke of Cardian and had gone to ask the women of a powerful family for favor.

The ladies were also being gracious at the time because she was in a different party than the ladies. Perhaps it’s because she eventually won the heart of the Duke of Cardian.

The carriage arrived at the Duke of Cardian’s mansion, and the maids gave her a harsh gaze.

It took a long time to get to the main building because it was surrounded by a big garden, much like a high-ranking aristocratic mansion.

‘This is awesome.’

Amelia ignored the servants’ advice and glanced out the window. She was safe from being nagged because the maids were already observing.

Amelia came to her senses when her carriage finally came to a halt in front of the grand mansion.

It was not the right time to take a look around. Lucy’s life was on the line.

When the servant opened the carriage door, he found the entrance to the duke’s residence was wide open. The servants of the Duchess and Duchess Celia were seen in front of the mansion’s front door.

“Princess.”

Celia greeted Amelia as she got off the carriage holding the escort knight’s hand. He seemed to stare strangely at Amelia’s face, which was wearing heavy makeup.

‘Is-Is there something strange on my face?’

“The Duchess of Cardian welcomes you. Please go inside.”

Amelia was thrilled to meet the Duchess of Cardian in person. She was aware that she was being treated differently than the other princes and princesses.

Why is she so nice to me when everyone else treats me like I’m nothing?

‘You shouldn’t be a good person…… ‘

She meant to make friends with her only for Lucy’s sake. She was also the one who had to get herself into trouble on Philip’s orders someday.

‘Please don’t be nice to me.’

AAmelia followed Celia into the duchy, hiding her desire to cry. The ladies and young women who had already been invited were seated in the duke’s residence’s inner chamber.

She greeted them, but Amelia didn’t even know whether or not they returned her greeting.

Celia stepped in at the right time to make Amelia’s position less uncomfortable. The awkwardness between the unfamiliar madam and the young lady passed quickly.

Amelia was soon able to join the conversation and was served sweet tea and dessert. Amelia felt relieved since she had unconsciously melted into the situation.

Amelia thought she was wrong when she noticed Celia’s friendly face staring back at her.

She was a good person.

‘What shall I do now?’

Amelia was giddy at the feeling of committing a sin she could not bear.

✦ ✦ ✦

Amelia was always trembling in fear after returning to the Imperial Palace. It was like this even if there was nothing.

Amelia had been experiencing nightmares for several days at this time.

Celia appeared in her dream in a dreadful state, stained with blood, and blamed Amelia, or the Duke of Cardian appeared in her dream and choked her, saying it was her fault.

What made Amelia frightened the most was that she hadn’t heard from Phil or the Third Empress for several days.

‘Can I no longer meet the Duchess of Cardian?’

Her subtle expectations were gradually increasing.

Amelia was concerned about Lucy but was unable to visit her. Lucy had been more assaulted by him for no reason, she couldn’t shake that feeling.

‘Lucy is being held captive because of me.’

She had no significant power to do anything.

Rather, if she had no power, His Majesty would have forgotten her. One of the princes may have been crowned emperor one day, and she will be driven out of the Imperial Palace.

If that was the case, she might have been able to live a normal life.

She knows that it’s naive thoughts, but Amelia had an idea. She ran away from the Imperial Palace and thought of living with Lucy.

If that could be the case, it seemed that she could endure any hardship.

‘But it’s not like this.’

She couldn’t imagine how she could be happy doing something like that, putting someone in such a bad situation.

Even if she saved Lucy, she seemed to be unhappy if things continued to be this way.

‘But still……I’m not sure how, but Lucy has to be rescued.’

How, though? She was only being used by Phil at this point, and it seemed like she and Lucy would die at Phil’s hands.

Amelia’s mind rushed back to Celia’s soft face. Maybe she’ll…… She had a thought, but she immediately shook her head.

There was no way she could help her. From one side to the other, the dominant person will only change.

She also reasoned that it would be better for the Duchess of Cardian to take advantage of her than Phil.

Because she would not threaten him in such a cruel way if she were her. Lucy is, at the very least, safely imprisoned.

‘But the Duchess of Cardian won’t help me. If I told her, wouldn’t she try to distance themselves from me? They don’t want to get themselves into any trouble……’

Many nobles did not want to be associated with princes whose political position was yet unclear. Only local nobles who were unfamiliar with the workings of the capital were willing to risk their lives to seize power at this time.

Although the emperor seemed to favor Michael, he had revealed that it was unreasonable for him to be crowned as the Crown Prince because there was one important thing, and he did not favor Phil.

He seemed to think that Prince Giel was pathetic, so it was understandable for the nobles to go back and forth.

Most of them want to see what happens in order to protect what they have. The Duke of Cardian had the most supporters among the nobles, so they thought he would have a strong tendency to do so.

“Princess?”

Amelia, who had been lost in her thoughts, was startled by the call. Her maid gave her a pitying look and held up a letter from her.

It was also a letter from the Duke of Cardian.

Amelia took out the letter, aware of the maid’s gaze. Nonetheless, there appeared to be enough decency not to intercept Amelia’s letter.

Or maybe the third empress already knows the details.

‘It is most likely the latter.’

This meant that the Duke of Cardian was also not safe, as there was someone having an affair with the Third Empress in the Duke’s residence.

When Amelia saw the letter, she relinquished it. She explained that she couldn’t afford to speak gently with Amelia at the last tea party she attended, so she wanted to invite her back.

“Shall I send her a reply?”

It seemed that she was going to write and send her letter instead of Amelia. Amelia shook her head, her anger visible in her eyes.

She was certain she didn’t know what she appreciated about herself. That is not to imply that nothing worthwhile exists……

Amelia sighed deeply as she examined the cold shoulder of the maid.

✦ ✦ ✦

The Emperor’s throne was indeed elegant rather than majestic. The throne, which was made of white marble with a bluish tint, had a cushion, but it looked uncomfortable.

Helion stared at it, silent. On the high back of the chair was engraved the crest of the sky god, Nedesmer.

As the Emperor sat in his chair, he could see the sentence above his head. It seemed as if God was always watching over them.

Without the servant’s notice, the Emperor appeared with a low-ranking priest. Hellion bowed quickly and looked the Emperor in the eyes.

Unlike the Emperor, the emperor was not angry to that extent. His old face was still filled with agony and deep thoughts.

“Did you receive a divine revelation in a dream?”

“Yes, Your Holiness.”

Helion had already explained part of his dream through communication using mana tools.

It was said that a pink-haired saint had awoken a divine beast. He said she was holding the egg of a divine beast, which had a divine beast in the shape of a tiger emerged from it.

“…..The revelations for a new divine beast is not unusual. Are you sure about the dream?”

It was a long and complex dream, but Hellion remembered the details of the dream vividly. It was a phenomenon that could only be seen by someone who had received a divine revelation. Even if he remembered the details, he had only a few mundane dreams.

“I am certain of it. Please prepare to welcome the saintess, Your Majesty.”