“Why are you not at His Majesty the Emperor’s side… Ah, forgive me.
Now, Her Majesty Empress Runelia is with him, right?”
“Young lady, how can you speak so carelessly, knowing that such words might hurt Her Majesty?”
“I was reckless.
Today’s ceremony left a deep impression on me.
What a perfect couple.
I can understand why Her Majesty the Empress might feel neglected.”
Do they really think that such words will hurt me?
Isaris stifled a sigh as she faced the laughing women.
She clearly turned the door handle in the opposite direction to indicate that someone was inside, but she did not expect any noble to ignore this and follow her to start a fight.
They were all familiar faces.
From the moment she first appeared in Ozevia's social circles, these were the ones who constantly revealed their malevolence, so it was impossible not to recognize them.
A small group formed around the Marquis's high-nosed daughter.
Most of them behaved emotionally rather than logically, which makes dealing with them not very difficult.
“Mrs.
Bilan, if you are so drunk that you cannot distinguish the direction of the doorknob, then you should go back to your room and rest, instead of staying on the balcony.”
“Are you treating me like a drunk now?”
“Then you should commit such impudence sober.
If you do not realize that it is inappropriate, you should be re-educated, if only to avoid bringing shame to your family.”
“You...!”
Yasiris calmly watched the woman, who held her fan tightly, without a hint of disturbance.
Even though she was not fully recognized as an empress, she was still not someone that the children of nobles, who had not yet inherited their family titles, could treat with such disdain.
Even Ronelia didn't confront her directly until her position as wife was guaranteed.
It seemed that the woman in front of her had failed to realize this and had overstepped her bounds.
“People can make mistakes.
Your words are harsh for something so trivial.
Can someone so narrow-minded really call themselves a great empire?”
The problem was that her companions were of the same type.
“Mrs.
Jurens, can you take responsibility for what you just said?”
"Good …!"
“I asked if you could personally bear responsibility for the crime of insulting the Empress of the Empire.”
“When have I offended Her Majesty the Empress?”
Seeing her immediately step back after sternly stepping forward to her friend was amusing.
Young and foolish suits them perfectly.
These are people not worth sharing with.
This was evident in Yasiris's look.
That's why Bilan couldn't help but clench her teeth.
“And even if that were the case, what punishment would you impose on us?”
Her words were not baseless.
In reality, Isaris was empress in name only, devoid of any real power.
A woman whom the Emperor had left unprotected, no matter the insult, and who was therefore an easy target for gossip and slander.
After being sold as a slave from a small border kingdom, she should just keep her head down.
Belan despised Yasiris's aloof behavior.
The fact that she occupied the Emperor's side with just her appearance, yet showed constant disdain, grated on her nerves.
Who was Kazan Tinilath?
A man who appeared like a comet and seized control of the empire in an instant.
Even though he walked the path of blood as a tyrant, many nobles offered their daughters to this young and capable emperor.
The same was true of the Belan family, Marquis Belan.
They went to great lengths to make their youngest daughter a candidate for the position of Empress.
But the Emperor showed no interest in women at all
...But one day he suddenly got married.
He kidnapped the princess of the Kingdom of Beren, Yasaris Chernian, and made her empress.
No nobleman in Ozevia would agree to this.
“The time for empty threats has long passed, and yet you demand accountability when you can't do anything.”
“Hmm?”
“Now that His Majesty the Emperor has another wife, perhaps you should be more careful with your actions?
Unless you want to feel embarrassed.”
“Bilan, ma’am...”
“Leave it as it is.
Did I say something wrong?”
One of her stunned colleagues tried to restrain Belan as her increasingly bold remarks reached a crescendo, but she proudly stood her ground.
Currently, Ozevia's empire was organized in a strange way with all the power concentrated solely in the Emperor rather than the nobles themselves.
This was due to Kazan significantly reviving the weakened imperial authority.
It was the result of the awakening of the Old Testament magic flowing in the veins of the Tenilath Dynasty after several generations.
As soon as he ascended the throne, the emperor, tightly tightening the noose around the necks of the nobles, instilled fear in everyone.
However, there was no need for her to submit her head even to Lisaris, who was nothing more than a puppet in his hand.
Unless the Emperor actively protects her.
Belan looked at Yasiris with a victorious face.
She had hoped to see a hint of distortion in Yasiris's always indifferent expression, but instead, she received a dry, frightened response.
“Really...”
“…Is this true?”
“Indeed, it is true that I personally find it difficult to punish you, and I doubt that the Emperor would do so as well.”
This wasn't true.
Bellan narrowed her eyes at the unexpected response.
Yasiris continued quietly, unfazed.
“However, there are laws that apply even to someone like me.”
I have endured countless insults so far.
Sometimes from the emperor, sometimes from nobles, sometimes from maids.
Directly or indirectly, the experience of unfair treatment taught her where the boundaries lie.
When will it be possible to protect it?
How can she use that?
“Even if I can't be accused of treason against the nobles, what about the charges of murdering the nobles?”
“Such a ridiculous accusation...!”
“Let's think about that for a moment.”
Isaris Bellan interrupted and paused for a moment.
She reached back, grabbed the balcony railing, and met Bilan's brown gaze steadily without a hint of hesitation.
“Unable to bear the insult of the Marquis’s daughter, the Empress succumbed to despair.”
“What…?”
“However, due to the balcony’s low height, it only resulted in minor injuries, and yet, those who dared to injure the Empress faced the Emperor’s wrath.”
“This is outrageous!”
“Do you really think so?”
Bilan opened her mouth to respond, but the threatening sight left her speechless for a moment.
The Emperor did not pay attention to the way the nobles mocked the Empress.
Even if their gossip was circulated openly in everyone's ears, and even if the Empress showed her anger, he had sided with the nobles.
Regardless of the reason, any request to punish her fell on deaf ears.
However, there was one incident where the line that the Emperor would not tolerate was unequivocally revealed.
Blood dripping from the arm.
Hand lying on the ground.
A man writhes and groans on the ground, unable to handle the amputated limb.
Suddenly, Bilan was thrown into chaos.
Her dress that day was stained with blood at the hem, and she hurriedly left the banquet hall upon hearing the commotion, only to later learn what had happened.
A drunken Marquis, unable to control himself, groped the Empress's bare shoulder and had his hand cut off.
By the Emperor himself.
His family collapsed within days.
He was accused of sexually harassing the Empress.
Mocking the Empress was fair game.
But touching her under any circumstances was forbidden.
From that day on, it became an unwritten rule among Ozevia's nobles.
"...So what, are you expecting an apology then?
Threatening to jump otherwise?"
Bellan made an effort to keep her voice steady against the pointed glances of her colleagues behind her.
She acknowledged the shift in dynamics but now, here and now, she refused to bow to the Puppet Empress with anything less than a challenge.
“I am not asking for an insincere apology.”
“So what is the reason for threatening us like this?”
"to threaten? …"
Yasiris looked calmly at Belan, subtly directing the conversation to subtly position her as the aggressor.
She met her slightly trembling brown eyes for a moment, tightened her grip on the railing and lifted herself up.
“Your Majesty!”
“It seems that I am considered the Empress here.
I even call ‘Your Majesty’ in moments of emergency.”
Yasiris was sitting precariously on the railing, quietly responding to their annoyed cries.
While she had no intention of actually jumping, she maintained her composure, even though onlookers interpreted her behavior differently.
“I… I was wrong.
Please forgive me!”
“Me too!
I was wrong too, Empress.
Please come down and let us talk…!”
Amidst the desperate screaming.
They were interrupted by a man's voice, a voice that should not be heard.
"What are you doing now?"
“His Majesty the Emperor?!”
The nobles, including Bilan and her attendants, panicked and called for Kazan, but he paid no attention to them.
Since entering the balcony, his gaze had been fixed only on Yasiris.
“Empress”