Petronilla looked at Rosemond with a rare emotionless expression. Patrizia felt awkward seeing the unfamiliar face on her sister.
“No one here wants to know about the private life between you and His Majesty.”
“It seems they were wondering about it, everybody.”
Rosemond smiled and replied, but Petronilla’s impassive face did not change.
“That’s where you must be mistaken. And it seems you don’t know about this, but the Empress has a body that can only accept His Majesty on the agreed upon dates for copulation. She can’t serve His Majesty at any time. It is work for those that are less noble than Her Majesty.”
“…”
At those words, Rosemond stiffened her face. She seemed offended by the nuance of equating her to that of a prostitute. However, Rosemond soon revealed her distinctive, pitying expression, and rebuffed Petronilla’s words.
“It would not be a big deal if you could actually bring His Majesty to those appointed meetings, don’t you think?”
“Lady Phelps.”
Patrizia had been sitting still until she quietly called out to Rosemond. She had to end this before the tea party’s atmosphere blurred over even more. The longer this dragged on, the more Patrizia herself would lose.
“Even so, you are nothing but a Baroness, and I cannot allow you to continue to freely discuss the Empress’s private life.”
“…”
“Don’t you think so?”
“Well. To consider this as Her Majesty’s private life…the issue of an heir is on the line, right?”
“That also is not something that Baroness Phelps should worry about. I understand that your interest in the Imperial Court has increased from serving His Majesty, but do not cross the line. This country’s Empress is me, and that means the Emperor’s official wife is me. Is there any household in which the side passes judgment on the main?”
“…”
After cleaning the words from “shut your mouth when you’re a mere concubine,” Rosemond released a bitter laugh. She said nothing more and- she wasn’t sure if she could not, or would not- Patrizia sighed internally and barely managed to organize for facial expression.
She was preferably trying to stay quiet but got carried away from the excitement.
She lifted the teacup placed in front of her, drank from the teacup a few times, and pulled out a calmer voice to turn the topic around.
“Right, come to think of it, the young lady of the Earl of Eiland got married recently?”
The women’s chatter lasted considerably longer than Patrizia had expected. She had worried that the early atmosphere would affect how smooth the atmosphere would be, but it wasn’t bad if the earlier part was excluded. Surprisingly, Rosemond returned to her seat and stayed until the end, and seemed to try to speak to the other wives, but all of them had ignored her.
Patrizia knew better than anyone that for the moment that her position was more powerful than that of the intimate favor, but the situation would reverse if this persisted in the long run.
In the absence of the Emperor’s intimate favor, she had to make her authority and power more solid.
That was the only way the Empress that didn’t receive favor could survive the plot.
After the tea party was over, Petronilla quietly found Patrizia. Patrizia asked with a worried face at her sister who looked darker than the last time she saw her.
“Sister, your face is dark. Is something wrong?”
“Is something wrong?”
Petronilla’s body shook as if she was really asking if she didn’t know. Patrizia intuitively realized that what she was referring to was about Rosemond, and soon laughed carelessly.
“I’m fine, Sister.”
“I’m not okay, my little Sister Majesty. Ah, Lizzy, is this something you’re doing constantly? Is that mistress treating you this wrong at other times?”
“No, it was only today.”
Actually, it was only recently a similar thing had happened, but she decided not to say it. It didn’t seem like a good decision to divulge that as well.
And if she said that, she had to stop and discuss the Emperor’s attitude as well. And when she heard that, Petronilla, with her weak heart, was surely going to be sad. Patrizia looked at her smiling as if nothing was wrong, and reassured her sister.
“I’m doing well. Lady Phelps is not picking fights with me, and we’re just remaining as strangers every day.”
“…She mocked you at a spot where all the noblewomen had gathered, Lizzy.”
When she thought about it again, she shivered a little as if the thought was unpleasant. Patrizia, who looked at her with a complicated gaze, tried to tell her anything, but Petronilla was faster.
“I … did I do wrong, Lizzy? Should I not have sent you?”
“Nilla, as I said, the situations don’t change. At this time, you are standing in your position and it has just flipped so that now I am standing in this position.”
Patrizia hugged Petronilla and whispered, “I’d rather it be like this now, Sister.”
“Ah…”
With those words, Petronilla finally shed the tears she had been holding in. She didn’t know the reason why, but she just burst into tears. My little sister, my other half is so pitiful. I feel sorry for you taking on all this hardship instead. Patrizia held Petronilla harder with her hands as if she understood her mind.
“This is my choice. I volunteered.”
“Lizzy…”
“Nil, you’ll respect me, won’t you?”
“…yeah.”
Petronilla then wiped away her tears. Her heart ached when she saw her eyes were red. But she tried to smile without giving it away. Petronilla would obviously want to see her smiling.
“Send my well wishes to Mother. That I am doing well.”
The Marquess of Grochester had a slight cold and couldn’t come out to the tea party today. Petronilla nodded as if she was saying she understood. She gave her little sister’s forehead a small kiss and finally hugged him once more.
Patrizia was very sad that she had been with her sister for a short time after not meeting for a long time, and the thought that they should be separated again was very saddening, but nothing could be done about it. Looking forward to the next time was all that could be done.