All she showed was how much she loved her older sister.
There was no sign that she intended to demand anything from her or force her to do something.
Meanwhile, a letter arrived from the Emperor, whom Rachel had almost forgotten about.
「Are you ready to make your decision?」
The message was short, but seeing the date and time written below it gave her a headache.
It was an order to appear at the Imperial Palace.
After thinking about it for a while, Rachel dressed as plainly as possible on the day she was to enter the palace. She let her platinum-blonde hair, which fell to her waist, hang naturally and applied just enough makeup to look neat, as though she were wearing none at all.
She kept her jewelry to a minimum and even chose a light-colored dress without any fancy patterns. As she wrapped a fur cloak around herself and looked in the mirror, Becky and the other maids looked a little worried.
“Miss, are you sure you’ll be all right? You’re going to meet His Majesty the Emperor, after all……”
“I’m fine.”
Perhaps she was being too cautious.
Even so, Rachel had to be careful, just in case.
As a precaution against any possible problems, a bloodline test was also carried out during the process of appointing an Empress.
During that process, the Empress’s manifested supernatural ability would inevitably be revealed.
In fact, this was a much bigger problem than becoming Empress.
What if her <Regression> ability was exposed?
Then she might have to run away. If the Emperor and even Nathan Valencia learned what had happened before her regression, she couldn’t predict how either of them would react.
“I’ll be back.”
“Have a safe trip, Miss.”
With the maids seeing her off, Rachel climbed into the carriage bearing the Ingrave family crest. Since the Easton estate was some distance from the Imperial Palace, the unfamiliar yet familiar scenery continued for quite a while.
When she passed through the Imperial Palace gates and arrived at the Sun Palace, Pablek, the Emperor’s chief attendant, was already waiting to greet her.
“You have arrived, Acting Marquis.”
“Hello, Chief Attendant.”
He glanced at her appearance for a moment, then smoothly and naturally looked away before leading her inside.
The chief attendant took her to the First Garden. Golden roses bloomed brilliantly throughout the flower garden, and the Emperor was sitting in a pavilion at its center.
The Emperor had been quietly lost in thought, but when he heard the soft sound of footsteps, he turned to look at her.
“I greet His Majesty the Emperor.”
“You’re here. Sit down.”
When she sat across from him, various desserts and tea were brought to the table. The Emperor had been staring at Rachel for a while before he suddenly spoke.
“You look beautiful like that, too. I suppose you’re simply beautiful by nature.”
“…….”
She couldn’t tell whether he meant it sincerely or was making fun of her because he knew what she was up to.
The Emperor quietly lifted his teacup. Rachel didn’t know how to respond, so she silently picked up her own teacup as well.
As time passed, she grew accustomed to the suffocating silence. Rachel turned her gaze toward the golden roses filling the garden.
Their color was like pure gold or a field of wheat, and they shone so brightly beneath the sun that they almost dazzled her.
Hadn’t Aisha Labelyn said that golden roses were her favorite flowers?
It was easy to understand why. Besides, the golden roses really did remind her of the Emperor’s hair at a glance.
“I’m angry at your rudeness.”
“……!”
Startled, Rachel turned to look at the Emperor. He had set down his teacup and was staring at her with an expressionless face.
“Your—”
“If I’d known things would turn out like this, I should have proposed to you instead of trying to court you. I was careless because I was excited over my first love. I should have arranged a marriage between our families and snatched you up that way.”
“…….”
Rachel barely managed to steady her trembling hands and set down her teacup. Of course, if he had done that, she would have immediately asked Nathan Valencia for help and stood against the Emperor, or simply run away.
When she looked at him with tense eyes, the Emperor gazed at her for a moment before suddenly speaking again.
“What angers me even more is that I can’t force you to be mine anymore. Even if we are married now, I’ve already realized that you dislike me. Isn’t that right?”
“…….”
Rachel looked up at the Emperor with a slightly complicated expression. Now she understood why he had endured so many acts of disrespect from her.
Eventually, the Emperor relaxed, rested his chin on his hand, and let out a long sigh.
“Regardless, I can’t tolerate you not even trying. So make an effort to distinguish me from that man, my lady. If you still dislike me after you’ve learned to tell us apart, I’ll let you go. But—”
A sharp glint flashed through his violet eyes.
“I won’t accept you saying you dislike me without even trying. If you do that, I’ll act as I please, so keep that in mind.”
It wasn’t a bad outcome. If all she had to do was try to distinguish the Emperor of this life from the Emperor of her previous life, then she could accept that much.
Even if I learn to tell them apart, I’ll never accept his proposal.
Rachel bowed her head, trying not to smile too brightly.
“Yes. I understand, Your Majesty.”
“Good. Now tell me how that man and I are different. You’ve been looking at me for an hour. Surely you’ve found at least one difference.”
“…….”
Rachel raised her eyes to look at the Emperor. The differences between the Emperor of this life and the one from her previous life.
“You’re kind to me.”
“……And?”
“You don’t get angry with me.”
“……What kind of trash did you meet?”
Rachel laughed without realizing it. The Emperor was insulting the man he had been in her previous life. What an amusing situation.
“What about our appearances?”
The Emperor pulled his chair closer to the table and leaned toward her. To be honest, they looked exactly the same. If she had to find one difference—
“Your Majesty is about four years younger.”
“What? Don’t tell me he even looked like me?”
The Emperor frowned and snapped irritably. Then, after staring at her sulkily, he asked,
“If I invite you again, will you come?”
“……Gladly.”
What the Emperor needed was time. Even if she eventually learned to distinguish the Emperor of her previous life from the Emperor of this life, she still wouldn’t accept him.
He needed time to understand and accept that.
So there was no reason for her to refuse the Emperor’s invitations anymore. The Emperor smiled with a slight frown.
After returning to the Easton estate,
just as she was beginning to feel unafraid of receiving letters from the Emperor, another letter arrived.
From Aisha Labelyn.
The princess had been keeping to herself lately without sending any news. Now that she thought about it, she had also stopped submitting requests for an audience with His Majesty.
Truthfully, Rachel had long since given up on expecting anything from Aisha Labelyn.
Still, she couldn’t ignore a letter from the princess, so she broke the seal. What was inside took her by surprise.
「Dear Acting Marquis Rachel Ingrave,
Hello, Acting Marquis. How have you been?
I lost track of time this winter while training in magic with my master. Before I knew it, early spring was almost here.
But I did make some progress. I’ve reached the highest tier of magic this time.」
That was an incredible achievement. In the past, Aisha Labelyn hadn’t reached the highest tier until at least two or three years later, if Rachel remembered correctly.
「The celebration of my return has been postponed a few times, so I’d like to hold a party this time to celebrate both my progress and my return.
You remember the promise you made to me at the special Imperial Ball, don’t you?
I’ll send you an invitation, so please make sure to attend.
I look forward to seeing you again.
Aisha Labelyn」
“…….”
Rachel set down the letter and looked a little troubled. Of course, she thought she had made that promise back then.
—Once this Imperial Ball is over, I’m planning to hold a small party to celebrate my return. Would you be willing to attend, my lady?
—……Of course I’ll attend. Please send me an invitation.
Do I really have to go?
Besides, Sein Marcus was still staying at the Labelyn residence. She didn’t want to go there and attract the Archmage’s attention for no reason.
“Becky, a pen.”
“Yes, Miss.”
After thinking about it for a moment, Rachel sent a polite refusal as planned. But the reply she received in return was rather unsettling.
「If you’re not uncomfortable with the Labelyn family or my master, please attend. Or is the conflict caused by the barrier still unresolved? Also, I believe there are things we need to discuss with each other.」
“…….”
Rachel lowered her gaze.
Do I have any reason to meet Aisha Labelyn?
She had already been given a chance to settle her relationship with the Emperor. That meant it no longer mattered whether Aisha Labelyn won the Emperor’s heart or not.
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