At this point, you can imagine how beautiful Empress Onisia looked.
She was as famous for her picky choice of acquaintances as for her beauty.
She only built relationships with a few noble ladies in the mainstream of politics, and thanks to this, it became normal for any lady with a connection to the Empress to be considered of the privileged class.
So, an invitation to dinner from an empress like this carried value beyond money.
In fact, no single woman in the empire had ever been invited to dine with the Empress, no matter how much she was the daughter of an ancient and high-ranking aristocratic family.
However, she was the first single woman to receive such an invitation from the Empress.
It's Atha.
"Miss Atha!
Look at this, an invitation has arrived from the Empress's Palace!"
In pure legal terms, Atha was considered married because she had finished writing the marriage contract (of course, Atha did not know that).
But since her final signature had not yet been put in place, and the papers had not been officially delivered, she was officially in 'single' status.
"What?
For me?
And why?"
If she were the daughter of an ordinary noble family, she would have jumped for joy, but her facial expression was strangely distorted.
'Finally, is that corny drama going to start...!'
An encounter between the mother of a high-ranking man and a poor woman.
Where the man's mother sprinkles water in the poor woman's face with an evil expression and says coldly:
[“Do you think I would accept a worthless woman like you as my daughter-in-law?
Separate from my son immediately!”]
The woman's eyes will redden as her face gets wet with water.
[“Mom, I really love him.
I can’t break up with him”]
[“What?!
You insolent!”]
And in the end you will get a slap.
[“Ah!”]
And then the hero will emerge, right?
[“Mom, what in God’s name are you doing?!”]
[“What?!
How…how are you yelling at me!
All because of that witch—”]
Atha suddenly stopped imagining when Alisto and the Empress started quarreling in her head.
'This path is annoying.
Moreover, she is the Empress of the Empire, right?
'You will be more elegant'
If it's not a slap of water, it must be...the path of a money envelope?
[“This will be enough to live the rest of your life, so go to a quiet countryside where my son cannot find you and live there like a dead person”]
Atha sighed deeply.
If she had been in Korea before she moved into the book, she would have completely bowed down to the envelope of money offered by a mother from a wealthy family and answered obediently.
[“Sure, sure.
I will live without saying a word”]
But she wasn't going to do that here.
Because she cannot abandon the 'imperial prison' provided by the most handsome man in the world, with a wonderful body, great wealth, and great power.
'But what if the money envelope trail really happened?'
She didn't know why, but even though the Empress had not yet become her mother-in-law, she felt something similar towards her.
It felt heavy and uncomfortable, and if the money envelope trail really happened—
'I will escape just as you wish'
She summons her son's girlfriend to force her to separate, even before she proposes marriage?
Oh.
No matter how good the Imperial Prison was, how could it withstand this pressure?
Just a moment—
But what would happen if the Crown Prince caught me running away?
"……"
so what?
I'll say it was because of your mother, only.
'Not bad, right?'
After several assumptions, the slight worry disappeared and Atha's heart became much lighter.
***
The Empress's Rose Palace—
Today's dinner was specially prepared for Atha alone.
Atha entered the back garden under the guidance of the maid since she arrived at the entrance to the Rose Palace.
Among the hundreds of lamps lined up on both sides, I entered the depths of the garden, until the distance between the lamps widened and a vast space appeared.
Round tables decorated with flowers and crystal artifacts were scattered everywhere, and judging by the statues and fountains spread out, it seemed like the place where the Empress usually held her social gatherings.
A short distance away, stringed instrument players were playing sweet melodies.
The atmosphere was bright and elegant, completely different from Crown Prince Blossom's palace, but she had no time to reconnoiter.
In the interior of the garden, there was a table covered with a lace-like silk canopy, and she could see the silhouette of someone actually sitting there.
'It must be the Empress, right?'
The maid who was walking in front of her quickly stopped completely.
“Your Majesty, Miss Atha of the Hermann Family has arrived.”
“Get in quickly.”
When the reply was heard in a sweet voice, the maid opened one side of the umbrella.
The Empress's first impression was truly amazing.
Clear golden eyes and pale eyelashes that perfectly suit them, a delicate and high bridge of the nose, and lips that can only be described as luscious...
No, how can a person even have a 'nose flap' (the depression above the lip) of this sophistication?
And what about her skin?
It was so smooth that it didn't have a single pore or blemish.
She thought Alisto was very handsome when she saw him, but he was nothing compared to the beauty of Her Majesty the Empress.
She had a beauty that transcended gender, so much so that she could charm humans, animals... and even plants.
Atha pressed her chest, which was beating hard for some reason, and then bent her knees.
“I am Atha of the Hermann family.
It is an honor to meet someone as noble as Your Majesty.”
Maybe because of the stress...
Her voice was trembling just like a goat's, which was probably why the Empress let out a short laugh and spoke in an affectionate voice.
“You must have been surprised by the sudden invitation.
Thank you for accepting it so graciously.
When my eldest son suddenly tells me that he is in a love relationship, how can I be patient without knowing what kind of miss she is?
Please have a seat.”
Atha sat in confusion, feeling ashamed, while her heart was tightening, waiting for when the path [“Separate from My Son”] would begin.
***
When Alisto walked out of his office with Gerold after the meeting ended, his assistant Caster approached him and whispered in a low voice.
“They say that the saint attended the dinner of Her Majesty the Empress today.”
Upon hearing this, Alisto furrowed his eyebrows slightly, while Gerold's face completely paled.
Gerold asked in an urgent, screaming voice: “When?!”
“Two hours ago”
“What?!”
Gerold, almost flying from shock, grabbed Caster's shoulders and shook him forcefully, wondering why he was only telling him now.
In return, Alisto maintained his calm despite the slight frown on his face.
The reason he wasn't so worried wasn't because he thought his mother had a particularly compassionate personality.
Rather, he trusted that she would not do anything that would directly upset him.
Since he clearly stated that Saint was the woman he loved, she would not act rashly.
But the second son, Gerold Prince, who was accustomed to receiving blows as soon as his mother laid eyes on him due to his tragic birth...
His thinking was different.
“Brother!
This is no time for calm!
Go to the Rose Palace quickly!”
“I'm already going, boy.”
Alisto was already leaving Blossom with quick steps, but Gerold was not satisfied with his brother's speed and kept urging him.
“Wasn’t our mother discussing the issue of you marrying into the Ert family just a few days ago?
But you suddenly canceled it!
Think about it.
Our mother intended to have a daughter-in-law from the most prominent noble families in the empire, and then suddenly the daughter of the Herman family appeared.
Would she look beautiful?”
Alisto knew why Gerold was worried and upset, and he understood it.
His mother had never been kind to Gerold.
“Don’t expect our mother to treat others kindly just because she treats you like that.
Especially my sister-in-law, isn’t she a daughter-in-law?
Historically, there has been no mother-in-law in the imperial family who loves her daughter-in-law.”
“I’m already ‘your sister-in-law’?”
Gerold, who had preceded Alisto and forcefully opened the carriage door, pushed his brother from his back to quickly get him into the carriage.
“Why are you so quiet?
Go quickly.
At least when you are around, our mother’s mood softens a lot.”
The big brother closed the carriage door so hard that it almost broke, and shouted to the coachman: “Tin!
Go!
Take His Highness to the Rose Palace quickly!”