STE 06

Chapter 06

“Your Majesty…”

Dalia watched the situation anxiously, shifting her feet as she looked at Tethys helplessly.

From the very first day Tethys had returned to the Empress’s Palace, they had addressed Dalia—not Tethys—as “Your Majesty” and shown her respect.

Although their hair color and builds were somewhat similar, there was no way that ladies-in-waiting who had spent years in the palace could genuinely mistake one for the other.

Dalia had known from that moment that they looked down on Tethys, but she had never imagined they would resort to something this blatant.

‘All this over something so petty.’

Despite how unpleasant the situation was, Tethys’s expression remained perfectly calm.

After all, losing her temper in a situation like this was exactly what they wanted.

The priests of Armus regarded frugality as a virtue, but that did not mean they deliberately ate poor-quality food.

Yet on the table, the barley bread—which had long since been baked and had hardened—had something white and dried stuck to its surface.

Whether it was some foreign substance or mold, it was impossible to tell.

If food this wretched had been placed on Tethys’s table without anyone, including Baroness Aegis and the head lady-in-waiting, raising an objection, then it was clearly intentional.

An icy chill rose in Tethys’s eyes.

“Baroness, what is this?”

Perhaps because her voice was excessively calm, the meaning behind the question took a moment to register.

Baroness Aegis, oblivious to the warning, smiled brightly and answered in a gentle voice.

“Breakfast for Your Majesty. Is it unfamiliar to you?”

It was utterly absurd, but her tone was so refined that anyone listening might have mistaken her for being sincere.

Familiar food.

The intention behind Baroness Aegis’s audacious words was so obvious that Tethys immediately understood what she meant by “familiar.”

“……”

Live quietly, as though you were still in that barren Armus. Live without making a sound, like a mouse.

The meager meal that looked fit for a prisoner was a reflection of exactly how they viewed Tethys.

“You only recently returned from the monastery, after all. If you suddenly eat rich food, it might upset your stomach, so I prepared this especially for you. Besides…”

Baroness Aegis added in a whisper, furrowing her brow as though she were genuinely concerned.

“His Majesty has drastically reduced the budget for the Empress’s Palace, Your Highness. I’m afraid you’ll have to eat like this for a while.”

“……”

“You understand, don’t you?”

The corners of the woman’s eyes curved with a distinctly malicious smile.

If Tethys reprimanded the ladies-in-waiting for serving such poor food, rumors would spread that she was trying to indulge in luxury despite having an inadequate budget.

With so many eyes already fixed on Tethys since the oracle had been revealed, she could not afford to lose her temper over something so trivial.

She could more or less guess who had ordered this childish harassment, but for now, Tethys decided to obediently endure it.

A brief period of hardship would spare her greater trouble later.

“As you say.”

It isn’t time yet.

Having made up her mind, Tethys rose from her seat.

“I don’t feel well, so I think I’ll skip breakfast.”

“Oh, how unfortunate! Your stomach is upset? What a waste of the meal I went to such trouble to prepare.”

Although she said that, Baroness Aegis had never expected Tethys to actually eat the meal, so she casually waved her hand.

“Then, I’ll be going.”

Having accomplished her goal of humiliating Tethys, Baroness Aegis exaggeratedly bowed at the waist as though to make a show of it, then turned and swept out.

Before the door closed, the ladies-in-waiting’s cackling laughter lingered inside Tethys’s room like an afterimage.

“Y-Your Highness…”

Dalia hurried over with a sorrowful expression.

“Are you all right? I’ll bring you something edible from the kitchen later. How dare they do something so awful…”

Dalia was practically the only ally Tethys might have in this palace.

However—

“Something awful, Dalia?”

“…Yes?”

“Didn’t you hear me? I simply don’t feel well.”

There’s no need to make this into a bigger issue.

Tethys warned her with her eyes and answered in an ordinary tone as though nothing had happened.

Then she walked over to the bookshelf and pulled out a book.

The only thing that remained unchanged as the day began was Dalia’s worried gaze lingering stubbornly on Tethys as she quietly immersed herself in her reading.

For three days, Baroness Aegis continued to use the inadequate budget as an excuse to serve Tethys pitiful meals.

This was not something an ordinary baroness could accomplish alone.

It was already obvious who was pulling the strings behind her.

‘Countess Penelope Troia.’

After pushing away her meal, Tethys shuffled through the piles of papers scattered across her desk, recalling the unmistakable hostility that had crossed the beautiful woman’s face.

If she did not endure it until she became sick of even receiving reports about it, there was no telling whether poison might be added to her next meal.

Penelope hated Tethys viciously, after all.

But…

‘Perhaps it won’t work.’

Tethys indifferently read through the weekly magazines Dalia had obtained for her.

[Aria’s Oracle Turns Toward the Imperial Family!]

[Will the Imperial Family’s Divine Power Return to Carnes?]

The articles were all so similar that they seemed to have been written by the same person.

There was no need to read any further.

Tethys tossed the magazines into the fireplace, saving them as kindling for the day it rained and she eventually needed to light a fire.

“Um, Your Highness…”

Dalia called out to her in a trembling voice as she watched Tethys poke around inside the fireplace with a poker.

“Your health may have been affected. Wouldn’t it be better to call the palace physician?”

“I’m fine.”

Recently, Dalia had been unable to properly protect Tethys because she had been pushed aside by the other ladies-in-waiting and their tight-knit solidarity.

Moreover, although Dalia was Tethys’s personal maid, in terms of rank she was little more than a commoner elevated to a minor noble position.

She was in no position to even properly speak to the ladies-in-waiting from prestigious noble families.

The resulting helplessness, combined with her concern for Tethys, left Dalia increasingly anxious.

“But…!”

“After what happened.”

Tethys answered calmly.

“I went without eating for more than a week, didn’t I? And nothing happened then either.”

Dalia’s face crumpled.

When the usurpation of the throne had taken place, Tethys might have starved to death if Dalia had not forcibly made her eat something.

Hearing Tethys stubbornly invoke even that unfortunate incident, Dalia could do nothing more than sigh and give up on persuading her.

In truth, the situation was better than it had been then.

Dalia secretly brought bread and soup from the kitchen maids, so Tethys was not completely starving.

But Baroness Aegis tolerated a few dishes of food disappearing, even if they had gone cold, while making no effort to stop the mistreatment.

“I know what you’re worried about. So now…”

Tethys paused.

“I don’t intend to put up with it any longer.”

“…What?”

Dalia looked bewildered, unable to understand what Tethys meant.

But Tethys pretended not to notice and walked toward the window.

She noticed that far more people than usual were moving around outside the Empress’s Palace.

The Emperor’s birthday celebration would officially end at midnight nine days from now.

Therefore, guests could continue staying in Tesbe Palace and Creta Palace within the Imperial Palace under the pretext of attending the birthday celebration.

However—

There had been more than usual.

For three days, ever since the day after the banquet.

Tethys had helped the former Empress prepare banquets from a young age.

Because of that, she knew that from the day after a banquet, more than thirty percent of the guests usually left, and the western gate of the Imperial Palace became terribly crowded with carriages departing from Tesbe Palace and Creta Palace.

Yet for three days, only a handful of carriages had passed through the western gate.

The reason was obvious.

‘Aria’s oracle.’

Those who did not leave lingered around the Empress’s Palace for days.

The gardens around the Empress’s Palace were beautiful, but neither their scale nor their landscaping could compare to the central garden directly in front of the banquet hall.

So the purpose of those lingering around was obvious.

And yet, something is strange.

Strangely enough, not a single guest had requested an audience with her.

“Your Highness, it is time for lunch.”

Just then, Baroness Aegis opened the door without knocking, as usual, and entered.

But Tethys did not even look at her as she spoke.

“Dalia.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“It sounds noisy downstairs. Go and find out what’s happening.”

“Ah…! Your Highness!”

Before Dalia could even finish acknowledging the order, Baroness Aegis hurriedly interrupted.

“There’s no need to do that, Your Highness. It’s nothing serious.”

“If it isn’t serious, then what is it?”

“Um, well…”

Baroness Aegis hesitated, apparently unable to come up with a suitable explanation.

Tethys called Dalia once more.

“Dalia.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“There seem to be many guests outside the window. We should check whether they have come to visit the Empress’s Palace, don’t you think?”

Although she was speaking to Dalia, her shining golden eyes were fixed on Baroness Aegis.

In truth, there was no need to confirm the contents of the weekly magazines.

Even without the magazines Dalia had brought her, Tethys could easily have predicted it from the atmosphere in the banquet hall on the first day.

It was easy to guess, then, that many people would come to visit her.

But the fact that not a single person had requested an audience by noon…

The reason was almost painfully obvious, wasn’t it?

“Ah, so you were curious about the commotion outside, Your Highness. Allow me to explain.”

Perhaps worried that the situation might become complicated, Baroness Aegis quickly cut into the conversation between Tethys and Dalia.

Tethys simply stared at her as if to say, Go on.

Baroness Aegis smiled sweetly and continued.

“It seems that Your Highness only recently returned to the Imperial Palace, and lately your health has not been good, so you have barely been able to eat properly. It would hardly do for you to meet guests in such poor condition and contract some troublesome illness.”

Her voice had regained its smooth confidence.

Baroness Aegis seemed to believe that she had already intimidated Tethys enough that, even if the Empress was dissatisfied, she would not dare to speak up recklessly.

Tethys silently observed her extraordinarily brazen attitude for someone who had handed out food unfit to eat as though she were bestowing charity.

Perhaps interpreting Tethys’s silence in her own way, the Baroness reported with an even more self-assured expression,

“So, since Your Highness’s condition is not good, I sent the guests away and told them to make an appointment before coming.”

“I see.”

At Tethys’s gentle answer, no different from usual, obvious relief appeared on Baroness Aegis’s face.

But only for a moment.

“That is rather strange, though.”

“Yes?”

With a kind smile, Tethys pointed out,

“I don’t remember ever giving you such an order.”

The smile was as warm as spring sunshine.

Yet Baroness Aegis’s body trembled as though she had been struck by a sharply honed chill.

For some reason, the Empress’s gentle expression sent goosebumps crawling across her entire body.