Ste kept gazing enthusiastically in the mirror and fixed her beauty. Monica just waited quietly for her, biting her long pipe, while chatting with her maid.


    No one expected that the Emperor would take his time to visit the Empress Dowager. After hearing the news, Ste was so excited and fussed about her dress all day long.


    “The youngdy is looking very excited.” Sarah, the Empress’s maid, read Monica’s distress and said.


    “It’s better than crying and shouting.” Monica, who puffed out smoke, looked so tired, “I guess, it will be noisy tonight.”


    Fabian’s intention to meet her was obvious. He was determined to ept her offer and totally cut off Ste’s hopes.


    “But it would be better if this matter sorts out quickly.”


    Monica nodded when Sarah said. Ste herself was the only one who had not yet realized, that maybe everyone would wake up tonight because of her crying.


    “Your Majesty ising!”


    As the sound of royal pce protocol rang outside the door, Ste’s heart was thumping fast as if it were about to explode and quickly stood beside her aunt. Monica also stood up, gracefully with Sarah’s help.


    Soon, Fabian stepped in and greeted the Empress with a gesture of his head.


    “Wee.”


    Fabian nodded only to his mother and sat down first, ignoring Ste beside her, as if she didn’t exist.


    “Ste Metis is seeing Your Majesty.”


    Ste bent her body, giving an example with her flushed cheeks. Her fingertips, which lifted the hem of the dress slightly trembled. But nobody looked at her or answered her greeting.


    “I have thought about what you said”, said Fabian in a cold voice.


    “Really?”


    Ste, who had beenpletely alienated since the beginning of the conversation only could bite her lips and sat down, waiting for the right moment. Yet Fabian’s cold face stared only at the Empress without even looking at her.


    “Your n isn’t too bad.”


    Monica’s red lips smiled faintly. At least it meant that Fabian believed in her as his mother. This new fact was very awkward, but amazingly, she felt a little happy as well.


    “We will hold the wedding ceremony and Crown Prince coronation together. You can go back to the Southern Pce after seeing it, so you don’t have to spend the cold winter in this Pce.”


    “Yes, I don’t like winter”, Monica said.


    Ste’s eyes were shaken at the unknown content of the conversation. Even her aunt gave the Emperor’s wedding ns a good opinion now.


    “I’m busy, so I have to go now.” Fabian immediately got up from his seat. He was busy because Adrian had stolen his afternoon time.


    “Go ahead.”


    Monica didn’t get up, she only watched Fabian go out of the room. Only Ste rolled her eyes back and forth in that absurd situation when Fabian turned his back coldly.


    “Your Majesty, wait a minute….!” Ste suddenly ran after him. “I……Please look at me, Ste Metis.”


    Ste’s stubbornness was like a mountain that needed to be conquered. And Monica could only sigh at the painful sight. She was sad and frustrated, seeing her foolish niece.


    How could she stop Fabian just to say those pitiful words?


    “What did you just say to the Empress? That, I mean….”


    Ste stuttered at her vocabry stumbling. At the moment, Monica turned away her face, couldn’t bear to see her niece.


    “Your Majesty, I’m also a candidate for the Empress… … .” Ste desperately spanned her hand to Fabian, who didn’t look back.


    But Fabian unfeelingly pushed her hand.


    Ste faltered, falling to the floor, but no one was helping her to get up.


    “Your Majesty…..the Empress…I mean, my father…….”


    Fabian finally turned to her. His icy eyes stared at Ste, who had fallen to the floor in disgust.


    “Ste Metis. I’ll tell you just once, so if you want to spare your life, listen to me.”


    Ste’s hand shook after hearing a voice that was colder than a block of ice.


    Fabian was really meant it. Ste, who grew up as the Duke’s daughter, felt an instinctive threat for the first time in her life.


    “Never say the word ‘Empress’ with your mouth again. Be it yours or your father, I won’t forgive it.”


    Ste’s lips quivered. She couldn’t even dare to look up at Fabian.


    The Empress Dowager who didn’t help her was also cold-hearted. That terrifying moment felt like a long eternity. Ste had never experienced such humiliation like this in her life.


    “I only have one Empress, Evelyn.”


    Fabian kept spitting out his cruel words. This was the first time Ste was so jealous of someone that it felt like she wanted to kill her.


    “That’s my will as an Emperor. But if you still don’t want to give up, I will take your life on the charge of treason.”


    Ste could no longer feel her tears dropping. She caught a glimpse of the hem of the Empress Dowager’s dress, but it was clear her aunt wasn’t by her side.


    “Do you still want to be an Empress?”


    Fabian’s icy voice pierced Ste’s ears.


    “Decide now. If bing Empress is your purpose in life, I will kill you here right now.”


    Fabian’s cruelty was an intolerable shock. As he stared at her, his disgust and mean eyes made Ste so sad that she wanted to go insane.


    But more than that, she instinctively still wanted to live.


    “Ah… … No… …Your Majesty.”


    “So, do you mean that you no longer want the Empress’ seat? I’ll spare your life, then.”


    “Yes… yes…”


    Fabian was already thinking about pulling the sword from his waist and shing her head without hesitation if Ste still persisted.


    “Empress, have you heard it?”


    “Yeah.”


    “Then I’ll consider this matter is over.”


    No one looked back at Ste, who had copsed on the floor.


    “See you again next time.” Fabian walked out with a nonchnt face as if nothing had happened.


    “Take care, Your Majesty.”


    Ste lifted her wobbly head and looked around after Fabian’s figure vanished behind the door. Even the maids didn’t dare to approach Ste because they now had a feeling of superiority.


    As the fear passed, she was overwhelmed with shame and sorrow.


    “How….” Ste’s voice trembled.


    Her gaze turned to Monica, who satfortably on the long sofa. Ste was very disappointed. Fabian could have been rude. But the Empress should have sided with her.


    “Your Majesty, Empress…… are you throwing me away like this?”


    Ste rose and stood in front of her when Monica didn’t respond.


    “You’re my aunt! What about my father? Why did you bring me here in the first ce?”


    Ste’s mouth that had been frozen when she faced Fabian was finally able to move again.


    “You can’t humiliate me like this, I’m Metis……!”


    <em>SLAP!</em>


    Monica pped her cheek with an expressionless face before she could finish speaking.


    Ste turned her head, realizingte what was going on.


    “W-what….”


    <em>SLAP!</em>


    Another p flew in as soon as Ste opened her mouth. Soon, her cheeks turned red, and the tingling pain awakened the reality.


    “Raise your head and look at me.”


    She felt a different kind of fear from Fabian.


    “If you haven’te to your senses yet, do you want me to p you again?”


    Ste quickly shook her head. Monica’s fiery gaze now looked like the Emperor.


    “I have a lot to teach you, but I don’t think you can understand just by speaking.”


    She wanted to awaken the naive Ste, who still didn’t know how terrifying the Imperial family was.


    “You’re not destined to be an Empress. You can’t, not because of Princess Evelyn, but for the safety of you and your family.”


    Monica, who once became an Empress, saw it clearly. And it frustrated her that Ste didn’t notice it.


    If a woman with a temperament like Ste entered the Imperial pce, she would definitely incite the Emperor’s wrath.


    But sadly, Duke Metis was already blinded by his ambition.


    “If I were an impatient and immature person like you, I would definitely have died more than ten times after bing the Empress!”


    Fabian’s father, the former Emperor, was also a cold-hearted person. It was no different from Fabian’s treatment to Ste now.


    “Ste, you don’t know because you’re still young. Being an Empress isn’t the only happiness in this world. Rather, living in the Imperial family itself could be a misfortune for a child like you. Don’t be swayed by your father’s ambition, you have to live your own life.”


    Monica only thought about the safety of her little niece. Because both of them were fellow women, and she had a better perspective than her biological parents, who showed no good intentions.


    “Ste.” Monica, who was looking at Ste’s swollen face, said in a voice offort.


    “I know you will resent His Majesty and me. No matter what I say, you won’t understand.”


    It was true, even now, Ste was shedding bitter tears.


    “Butter, if you look back..… you’ll certainly be grateful for my decision now.”


    Still, Ste shut her mouth and said no word at all.


    “Neither your father nor you know that this is the best way … But you will find out sooner orter. So listen to me now, even if you feel like you are being mistreated and don’t understand. Only then can you live a happy life.”


    Monica heaved a deep sigh. Duke Metis should have been satisfied after she became Empress, but his brother was too greedy.


    Everything had ended here. As Fabian refrained from punishing Ste just to save the Empress Dowager’s face.


    While Monica despised her a bit, Stemitted no crime at all. Her unpleasant conduct was her dad’s fault.


    “Your marriage partner has been decided.”


    “…Pardon?”


    “Tomorrow I will meet your dad in person and tell him about it. So, until then, you just have to remain calm and take a bridal lesson.”


    “But, I don’t know who I’m getting married to…….”


    “That’s a matter for adults to take care of it. Just don’t forget what happened today and never talk about the Emperor’s family again. And as time goes by, you will realize everything and will be grateful.”


    Monica said calmly and called the maid with a gesture, “Take and calm her down. And get ready to go out tomorrow.”


    “Yes”, Sarah answered faithfully.


    “Wait, wait…….” Ste still mumbled in confusion, but Monica left without looking back.


    “Let’s go, Lady.”


    “Hey! Let me go!” Ste’s face immediately burned from the anger that was overflowing like a storm, and she sprang into a rage when Sarah violently took her hand.


    “My father…Does my father know this?”


    Her useless rage sshed on Sarah.


    “You’re originally the maid of the Duke Metis! Does my father know about this too?”


    “There’s nothing I can tell you”, Sarah said. “You don’t need to worry, tomorrow Her Majesty will meet your father in person. And then the Lady can ask whatever you want to know.”


    “Ha, are you giving me advice? Are you making fun of me being treated this way?”


    “I’m not…….”


    Ste kicked Sarah in the leg when she couldn’t hold back her anger anymore. Sarah endured the pain silently, remaining calm in the manner of the Empress’s maid.


    “Lady, you have to control your emotions now. This is the Imperial Pce, and the Empress is the honourable woman of the Empire recognized by His Majesty.”


    Sarah’s words were difficult to understand, sounding like advice and threat.


    What was irritating was that Ste could not refute those words.


    Only a little while ago, the Empress easily pped her. A smooth cheek that her father never even pped.


    <span> Only


    “If only my father were here…….” Ste clenched her teeth.


    “Yes, I’ll go to my father tomorrow.”


    As Ste turned around, Sarah looked at the immaturedy’s back with her cold eyes.


    “My father will tell me which one is right. I will tell him everything that happened today. You’ve seen it, so if you need to testify, you must be honest!”


    “I will.”


    As Sarah responded in a calm voice, Ste left the room with a thudding, loud step.


    Sarah then quietly prepared a headache medicine for the Empress Dowager as crying sounds began toe out from Ste’s locked room.