Chapter 11 – Enemies Everywhere
“As soon as we get married, I’m going to lock her inside her Palace.”
Erun got up from his seat and left the room muttering low. Gloria canceled their appointment under the pretext of being sick, but there was no news about cancelling him, her fiancé, therefore he wasn’t that bothered.
He was bothered by her strange behavior the previous day, but Gloria wouldn’t be able to abandon her fiance.
“You’re not a cold-hearted person.”
Erun had a servant prepare his horse and stood in front of the mirror, tidying up his messy hair.
He raised the corners of his mouth with two fingers and looked at himself in the mirror.
Tall stature. Shiny, soft blonde hair, and good physique wrapped in a suit. Although his eyes were shining coldly, it was only for a moment.
“The horse is ready.”
“Okay.”
Erun smiled kindly as if he had done so at the servant’s notification and moved quickly.
‘She’s sick, so I’ll have to bring her a present.’
Thinking of Gloria lying sick in bed, Erun climbed on the horse, humming in a good mood.
Gloria had read almost half the newspapers that the court ladies brought her.
“Your Majesty, don’t overdo it.”
Diana sighed inwardly, showing concern as she quietly sat on the floor watching Gloria read through the news.
Baroness Berne, who always had her back straight, looked exhausted, and the court ladies were also nervous. Diana called one of the court ladies to ask what had happened, and the answer was quite surprising.
“Her Majesty was quite angry today. A court lady didn’t follow Her Majesty’s order but looked at Baroness Berne instead so she threw a teacup… ‘Are you saying the Baroness has more authority than me, the Emperor?! Is she the Emperor of this country?!’ She shouted like that… And suddenly she asked to bring all the newspapers from the time she ascended to the throne to the present.”
“Newspaper? Why?
“I don’t know about that either, Princess.”
The court lady looked around and bowed her head after answering with a confused face.
No one knew what to do with Her Majesty, whose senses became sharp overnight. Her purple eyes full of concern, Diana looked at Gloria’s pale face.
‘You probably want to do it right.’
Diana clenched her hands as she watched Gloria’s eyes move over the page. Even though she was the Emperor, she was very worried that the Council was gradually leaning toward Erun. Kaien was also concerned about that, but she knew that he chose to endure too much because it was ultimately helpful to the country.
‘They’ll wed soon, and Erun will be Gloria’s husband… you went too far!’
Diana thought to herself as she walked over to Gloria’s side. ‘He will hold the title of Grand Duke, but the Emperor’s business should not be touched.’
That was the role of the Empress, and it was a way to protect the Emperor’s power.
It was common for the Emperor to take charge of state affairs and the Empress to manage the internal affairs of the Imperial Palace. However, Erun frequently participated in state affairs, weakening Gloria’s position bit by bit.
“Your Majesty?”
“Uh?”
Diana was sitting next to her, combing her messy red hair and tying it back in a ponytail, and called to Gloria carefully.
At her call, Gloria took her eyes off the newspaper article and looked up with deep blue eyes. Diana smiled warmly.
“I’m always on your side.”
Diana supported Gloria with all her heart. Diana couldn’t begin to judge how difficult it was for Gloria to suddenly became Emperor, so unlike herself living a flat life at the age of twenty-four.
“…ngh…”
Diana’s words were unexpected. However, Gloria’s deep blue eyes began to well up when she said, “I’m always on your side.”
Her eyes got wet. Diana’s sincere support left Gloria heartbroken. A greater pain than when she sent her own father to the Goddess’ side began to twist her soul.
‘You’re the only one who supports me, Diana.’
Gloria tried hard to swallow her tears and hurriedly turned her head, biting her lips hard. Diana smiled awkwardly, but Gloria could no longer face Diana.
It was because she realized how incompetent and foolish she was, and at the same time, her anger and desire for revenge toward Erun were even more intense.
‘A filthy man who not only killed the late Emperor but also murdered Diana and friends.’
Gloria’s dark blue eyes sank coldly with the sadness and rage that burned her heart even more.
‘You will never have a comfortable death. After the shame and humiliation I received, I have decided to become such a person myself. I’ll get rid of you in the most shameful and cruel way.’
After making such a vow, Gloria decided to continue reading the newspaper. From an article about rusty water coming out of a fountain in the square to an article about finding missing people in the provinces as well as the economy section, she did not miss a single piece of information.
Information gathering continued until Erun suddenly visited her Palace. Having tea and sandwiches with Diana, Gloria grimaced at the sudden news of an uninvited visitor.
“I definitely canceled my appointment because I was not feeling well… Didn’t you deliver it properly, Berne?”
“I definitely passed the message to the Marquis, Your Majesty.”
Berne replied quickly, as Gloria did not hide her displeasure. Not only the Baroness but also the court ladies who stood around began to feel nervous about Her Majesty’s mood toppling further, given it had not been in good shape since the morning.
Diana hurriedly began to appease Gloria in the darkening atmosphere.
“Because he’s your fiancé! You canceled the appointment, but he came because he’s worried about you as his fancé, Your Majesty.”
As Diana spoke, Gloria put down the cup of water she was holding roughly enough to make a sound.
“It was an Imperial Order. If you ignore that and come to me, I can see how much you look down on me.”
“Your Majesty!”
Baroness Berne paled at the Emperor’s words and urgently called her, but Gloria only stared with cold eyes.
“Do you have anything to say, Baroness?”
Berne wasn’t the only one who was surprised by that attitude. Diana was also surprised by Gloria’s sharpness. She hurriedly told Gloria.
“Your Majesty, if it’s okay with you, I’ll meet the Marquis and tell him. Please relieve your anger. The Baroness is worried about Your Majesty’s relationship with your fiancé.”
“It would be nice if it was that.”
Gloria glared at Baroness Berne and averted her gaze at Diana’s words but replied sarcastically. The two women, seeing such behavior for the first time, looked at each other with puzzled expressions.
“…”
“…”
As Gloria was checking every action of Baroness with a squint, she became troubled. Having been placed in her position at Erun’s recommendation, Baroness Berne was very likely to convey the Emperor’s movements to him. And the court ladies looking to the Baroness was the same as responding to Erun. Gloria rubbed her forehead with her hand and muttered to herself.
‘Berne will continue to report my condition to Erun.’
Before the return, Baroness Berne reported every move to Erun rather than Gloria herself.
‘Is there anything that will change merely because I returned?’
Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to ignore the irritability and impatience that had built up. Gloria spoke to the Baroness more calmly.
“I became impatient because I am nothing compared to the achievements of the previous emperors. I’m fine, so don’t worry.”
“No, Your Majesty. I apologize for not taking care of you properly.”
At Gloria’s words, Baroness Berne bowed deeply. Berne had entered the Imperial Palace and become a servant, but she also knew Gloria’s capabilities. A person who was overprotected as a child, and overprotected by her fiancé in adulthood, she was someone who cannot do anything.
‘I thought she was just a little girl.’ Baroness Berne thought as she glanced at Gloria, who didn’t put the newspaper down.
A girl turned Emperor. A puppet Emperor who held more of a seal than a fan, only stamping and approving the documents that Erun first reviewed and handed to her.
‘You finally have the will to do something.’
Baroness Berne did not show it on her face, but she was pleased. In an Empire where the standard was that a woman, no matter how talented, should attend from behind, Gloria was the first Imperial Princess to become Emperor. It felt very good to see her bothered by being buried under Erun’s light.
However, if Berne was pleased, she was also doubtful. Why did Gloria choose the newspaper?
“May I ask why you chose to read the newspaper and not official documents, Your Majesty?”
Just as Baroness Berne was about to open her mouth to ask, Diana struck first. The two women thought it would be quicker to ask for documentation or bureaucrats than to read the newspapers, especially, Kaien or Erun would be more helpful.
Tak. Gloria put the newspaper she was holding on the table in response to Diana’s question and smiled at the two of them.
“The documents that reach me must have been filtered many times, and the smaller news items are not even included.”
“Ah-!”
“Big flows are important, but small things are very important to me right now. Starting with the disappearance of people in the Empire or the manufactured artifacts for the Wizard Tower. Even knowing the village where a sheep with two heads was born!”
“Goodness!”
The two women were taken by surprise at Gloria’s explanation as she touched on interesting stories with her index finger raised.
‘Of course, none of those newspapers are biased, but that’s something to think about later.’
Gloria smirked as Berne and Diana were busy covering their mouths with their hands in amazement. The reason why she didn’t have to look through the documents or call advisors was simple.
‘Because he has eyes and ears everywhere.’
She believed in Berne, but returning now, she was quite sure the Baroness was Erun’s informant.
‘Even if not, she would have conveyed all of my movements to Erun.’
The Marquis was her fiancé, and it was only natural that his kind face would have deceived everyone.