From head to toe.
Only after confirming that there wasn’t a single thing wrong with her did the man let out a rough breath. He released the carriage door and stepped back.
“My apologies, my lady.”
“……Pardon?”
Rachel stared blankly at the door as it closed, then belatedly rose from her seat.
When she stepped out of the carriage, she saw that the man had already left, taking his attendants with him.
She was completely bewildered. What was that all about?
“……I’m sorry, my lady. The Duke suddenly rushed over, and I wasn’t able to stop him in time.”
“No, it’s fine, Sir Hoffman.”
Rachel shook her head at Sir Hoffman’s instinctive apology and climbed back into the carriage.
Immediately after arriving at the Violet Palace, Rachel received a visit from the chief attendant instead of the emperor.
“Are you all right, my lady? I heard that you were with Lady Aisha Labelyn at the dress shop today when you experienced the early signs of a magical outburst.”
“……I’m fine. They were only warning signs, so I wasn’t hurt.”
“That’s a relief. His Majesty was very worried. He deeply regretted being unable to leave the meeting hall because of his talks with the King of Borza, and asked me to convey his apologies to you.”
“…….”
Only then did Rachel begin to understand why Nathan Valencia had acted that way.
Could it be that he had come because he was worried about her, too?
“My lady?”
“Ah.”
Coming back to her senses, Rachel shook her head at the chief attendant.
“I’m truly fine, so please tell His Majesty that I hope he achieves the results he desires from the talks. Also, please tell him that, as a noble of the Empire, I sincerely wish for the Empire’s peace and glory.”
“……Understood.”
After seeing off the chief attendant, who now wore a somewhat uneasy expression, Rachel decided to clear her mind.
It was only a guess, after all.
And there were other things that mattered more right now.
The ceremony to reward those who had contributed to the Empire was only two days away. Rachel had never imagined that the emperor, who had even sent his chief attendant to check on her, would come to see her before then. She looked at him with a strange expression.
“Have you been well?”
“……I greet His Majesty the Emperor.”
As always, they were in the garden.
Rachel rose from her seat and bowed respectfully. The emperor, sitting across from her, watched her for a moment before dismissing everyone around them.
“You may sit.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
She sat obediently and lowered her gaze. He rested his chin on his hand and sighed.
“I’m glad you’re safe, my lady. I wanted to come see you right away, but I had to set aside a day for the King of Borza.”
“It’s all right. That’s only natural.”
“Is that so?”
The emperor frowned slightly, looking a little displeased. Then he smiled warmly.
“If that’s what you say, then I suppose that’s how it is. Oh, and don’t worry about Marquis Ingrave. I summoned him and gave him a piece of my mind.”
“……You did, Your Majesty?”
When Rachel raised her eyes, the emperor immediately met her gaze and smiled cheerfully.
“Yes. I told him to congratulate you on your independence. I also warned him about daring to cause a disturbance in the Imperial Palace. So don’t worry. From now on, no one will dare to torment you.”
“…….”
Would that really be the case?
Rachel looked at his beautiful, sparkling violet eyes before lowering her gaze again. The emperor might not know it, but the Marquis and Marchioness Ingrave were not the sort of people to back down so easily.
If anything, having been scolded by the emperor would only make them grind their teeth at her even more.
Just then, a long, elegant yet firm hand reached toward her.
“What did you think of the necklace?”
The emperor gently took Rachel’s hand. A soft kiss landed on the back of it.
“……It’s beautiful.”
“Then why haven’t you worn it? I was looking forward to seeing you in it.”
A cold sweat seemed to run down her back. She tried to gently pull her hand away, but his firm fingers held on to it, intertwining with hers.
“To be honest, I don’t understand. You keep avoiding me, my lady. As far as I remember, I haven’t done anything that would make you hate me. Have I ever done something to you?”
“…….”
He had.
But that had been in her previous life. In this life, the emperor had done nothing to her.
“Honestly, I think it’s unfair. If that’s not the case, at least tell me why. Otherwise, I won’t give up. You’re my first love. I don’t want to let you go just like this.”
His lips settled on the back of her hand once more. The emperor smiled, the corners of his mouth curling upward.
“I should go. I’d like to stay longer, but my business with the Borza Kingdom isn’t over yet. May I look forward to seeing you wear the necklace next time?”
“…….”
Rachel didn’t answer. The emperor gazed at her for a while, then rose with a smile.
“Or you can wear it to the title-granting ceremony. Purple jewelry would go well with your white formal dress.”
Traditionally, people wore white formal attire to debutante balls and title-granting ceremonies. The colors would go together nicely.
‘What will happen if I refuse this, too?’
At the thought, Rachel clasped her hands together. To be honest, the emperor was being very patient with her right now.
She had dared to leave his confession unanswered.
She had also left the jewelry he had given her untouched, yet he had been holding back.
“Then I’ll see you at the ceremony.”
“……Please take care, Your Majesty.”
She stood and bowed, biting her lip discreetly. Still, all Rachel could do was wait for the emperor to give up his feelings for her.
If she rejected him, there was no guarantee that he would leave her alone.
And the nobles would certainly not stand by and do nothing while she dared to reject the emperor’s feelings.
In the end, Aisha Labelyn was her only hope. But if that didn’t solve the problem—
“…….”
Should she prepare for that possibility, too?
The mansion that the previous Duke Valencia had given her came to mind.
A splendid two-story mansion on a seaside cliff in the southeastern corner of the Empire.
Back then, it had seemed nothing but unsettling. But not anymore.
She wasn’t moving into the Valencia residence itself.
More importantly, Nathan Valencia’s suspicions had faded, so there shouldn’t be any problems now.
—The message is that you may use it if you ever need to hide yourself. In that case, just leave word with the merchant guild.
……What was wrong with accepting help from the Valencias at this point?
She had already received so much help from Nathan Valencia. He had saved her life, helped her find evidence, and even helped her obtain her title.
She might still have reservations about the Valencia residence, but for some reason, her discomfort around Nathan Valencia had also begun to fade.
No, it would be more accurate to say she had gotten used to him. In any case, unless she wanted to go through Regression all over again—
‘……It would be wise to consider that option, too.’
The problem was Nathan Valencia. He had been subtly avoiding her for some time. Of course, he had come to see her briefly when she had nearly been hurt yesterday.
“…….”
Why had he come yesterday, anyway? Had he wanted to make sure she was safe?
……The thought felt somehow awkward. It seemed he was more serious about repaying his debt than she had expected, but had he really needed to rush over so desperately?
In any case, if she truly intended to accept help from the Valencias, she needed to resolve things with him first.
“…….”
Rachel thought about the title-granting ceremony. More precisely, the ceremony to reward those who had served the Empire.
Nathan Valencia would certainly attend.
This time, she would have to approach him first. If he refused to help her any further—
She would have to find another way.
***
The day of the title-granting ceremony dawned. Rachel requested permission from the Imperial Household Department to use a moving carriage.
Since no one had objected even though she had announced her intention to leave the palace, it seemed the emperor had no particular intention of stopping her from leaving.
Thanks to that, she had sent almost all her belongings to her new mansion, keeping only what she needed for today.
Rachel looked around the Violet Palace’s somewhat empty inner chambers, then closed her eyes. Becky and the palace servants would take care of her appearance today.
Despite the tight deadline of just one week, Madam had sent over a perfectly finished dress, shoes, and a cloak bearing the crest of Rachel’s new family.
When Rachel tried them on, she couldn’t have been more pleased.
The soft white satin dress had been tailored to follow her figure, then flared elegantly from the waist. Over it, she wore a silver-thread belt woven with diamonds.
Around her neck, she fastened the diamond choker she had chosen in advance. For a moment, the necklace sent by the emperor came to mind, but—
“…….”
She had already made her choice. Still, she couldn’t help wavering whenever this happened.
“……I wonder if I’m doing the right thing.”
The palace servants, who had been finishing her makeup, turned to stare at Rachel in surprise.
“Is something bothering you, my lady?”
“No, I was just talking to myself. Please bring me my cloak and shoes.”
“Here you are, my lady.”
Becky was the only one who didn’t react to her mistress’s occasional muttering. She quickly set down the shoes and draped the cloak over Rachel’s shoulders.
The white cloak, embroidered with the crest of House Baron Easton, was fastened with a gold cord woven with diamonds.
In the mirror, Rachel looked like someone standing in a field of white snow.
It was winter already. When she had first returned through Regression, it had only been early autumn.
After gazing quietly at her reflection for a moment, she turned away.
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