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Chapter 34 – Scandal With You
‘I finished my work in the main palace.’ Gloria sat on the sofa, teasing her red hair with her fingers and smiling faintly. Seeing such a refreshing and eerie expression of satisfaction on her face, Diana couldn’t contain her curiosity and asked her.
[tl/n: funny thing, the word used here to describe her expression is a word used to describe something really tasty like freshly baked bread lol but is also an idiom meaning you’re happy about someone’s misfortune]
“Your Majesty. What are you enjoying so much?”
“Ah, I was thinking about how upset the stomach will be.”
“Pardon?”
Gloria looked out the window at the setting sun and answered leisurely. Diana frowned as she couldn’t understand her.
‘What the hell is she thinking?’ Diana muttered to herself as she stared at Gloria, who looked refreshed.
The Great Chamberlain asked Gloria in a voice filled with concern.
“You will be marrying the Marquis shortly, will it be okay, Your Majesty?”
“Of course.”
At the man’s question, Gloria replied without a second of hesitation. Seeing that, the Great Chamberlain kept his mouth shut, and Gloria asked him.
“You have been with Royal Father for a long time, haven’t you?”
“It is so, Your Majesty.” The chamberlain bowed deeply and answered.
Even before the late Emperor was married, he dedicated everything to the Imperial Palace. Although he was driven away by Erun and buried by Gloria who didn’t care,
She lifted her chin and asked again.
“Do you know why Royal Father chose Erun?”
“The reason why he chose Marquis?”
“Yes.”
At her question, the chamberlain widened his eyes. Gloria had not asked the reason at all when her fiancé was appointed or even when the royal marriage was decided. ‘But why are you asking now?’
Noticing the man’s face, Gloria smiled bitterly.
‘Yeah, coming up with that question now– is rather amusing.’
Eyes full of anticipation and the gazes of those around. It was she who couldn’t even say a word to Erun, who was smiling broadly. It was rather funny that her attitude changed only after she died at Erun’s hands, but the pain of dying once was enough.
Of course the chamberlain did not know Gloria’s circumstances and answered slowly, fumbling through his memory.
“I had the impression he was trying to protect yourself… He might have said this before.”
“…”
Gloria’s face wrinkled at the chamberlain’s words. It was so fierce that Diana in front of her was startled, but Gloria asked in a voice holding back her anger.
“Is that all?”
“He said that such a will would help Her Majesty.”
The chamberlain bowed his head in acknowledgement of Gloria’s unexpected anger. He couldn’t say any more because she didn’t ask anything more.
It was a disastrous answer.
‘This was the reason I was murdered by such a greedy man!’ Her anger grew when she remembered Erun’s happy smile while holding her hand until the end. Feeling a headache growing, Gloria pressed her forehead with one hand.
“Your Majesty.”
Diana, seeing Gloria in distress, hurried to her side. She bit her lip as the Emperor looked at her painfully.
‘Why is my older brother or Her Majesty looking at me like this?’ It wasn’t an angry face or a happy expression. Only a pang of great guilt and hatred toward someone showed in that expression. And whenever she saw them with such anguished expressions, she wanted to hold onto them and ask them what the hell happened. But she couldn’t.
‘If I ask, I think you’ll cry at any moment, how can I ask…!’ Diana looked pitifully at Gloria, who took a deep breath and found stability. The chamberlain hurriedly called for the physician, but Gloria refused. She gently stroked Diana’s cheek. The Duke’s princess was startled by her cold body temperature, but she did not avoid it. Rather, she held Gloria with both hands in case she would miss it.
Gloria said with a grim face at Diana’s actions.
“My precious princess. My dear friend, Diana. Losing you once is enough.”
“Your Majesty…”
“So I will kill anything that tries to harm you.”
“…!”
Diana was startled by Gloria’s words so full of murderous intent. Seeing her incomprehension, the Emperor held her hand tighter without saying a word.
‘Removing Erun and– I will protect you by eliminating those who follow Erun.’
Gloria did not let go of the hand and spoke to the restless chamberlain.
“By the way, the Palodan-Maroon road area hasn’t been opened yet, has it?”
“Yes. For some reason, Lord Palodan wouldn’t allow it.”
“It is so.”
Gloria nodded in response to the chamberlain’s answer. She rested her head on Diana’s shoulder next to her and continued speaking.
“If you dig a road, the construction cost will be huge, and if it’s money, there’s no way the lord of Palodan would like it.”
“But if it connects with Maroon, exchanges between the territories would become more active, so won’t they benefit from each other?” Diana said as she didn’t understand. Gloria patted Diana’s hand and nodded.
“That’s right. However, the Lord of Palodan is stupid. Will a dayfly who doesn’t know about the future really spend money on repairing the road?”
[tl/n: idiom meaning a person who spends money to the point of barely managing to support oneself]
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“Do you plan to privately support Palodan, Your Majesty?”
Hearing Gloria’s words, the chamberlain asked with round eyes. Although it was an absolute monarchy, the power of feudal lords was even stronger in the territory. It was clear that other nobles would object to the issue of fairness if she supported Palodan, who was known for their strong influence in the provinces. Gloria grinned at the chamberlain’s anxious expression. It was clear what he was worried about.
Gloria stood up from the sofa and said to the chamberlain, who looked at her anxiously.
“The lord of Palodan holds strong power there. And since he persistently squeezed out the young people, not to mention property.”
“The reason you want to provide aid is…”
“I will use that as an excuse to diminish Lord Palodan’s power.”
“…!”
Diana and the chamberlain, who were following Gloria’s words, opened their eyes wide. It meant she would use the excuse of giving off the money to weaken Lord Palodan.
As she walked down the hallway, Gloria thought.
‘Even with the money, I’m not sure that Palodan will be completely attached to Kaien. It is necessary to support the territory with Imperial funds and send the Imperial army by edict to discourage any useless moves.’
For the sake of the poor residents and purely for the safety of the Empire, she was planning to wear the mask of an emotional Emperor supported with money and soldiers.
Her original intention was to reduce Erun’s power as he was giving instructions to Palodan, but only Kaien would notice. Even if Erun doubted her, she would look like her old self, with the foolishness, softness, and sensibility she had built up so far.
Before Erun could use his hands, she had to issue a decree and deal with it quickly.
Gloria gave an order to the chamberlain who followed behind.
“I’ll write a letter right away, so deliver it to the Lord of Palodan without being noticed.”
“Yes, I understand.”
At the Emperor’s command, the great chamberlain bowed deeply and took her orders.
The scandal of the Emperor of the Erant Empire!
The scandal that erupted from Emperor Gloria, who used to have no incidents or accidents, was a big topic of discussion. The scandal that broke out with the wedding just around the corner became a hope for those men who had given up. The royals of other countries, who thought they had no chance, began to look with flashy eyes, quickly writing desperate love letters to Gloria.
‘If you win the heart of an Empress who has only been able to live in the Palace her whole life, the Empire will also be in your hands!’
Being in a scandal with Kaien, Gloria put the newspaper she was holding down on the table slowly. Then, what appeared in her sight was Erun’s gloomy expression. Gloria pretended to drink tea and hid her crumpled face.
‘You f*cking bastard. Anyone who sees it would think you’re a dog kicked by its owner.’
As in the past, he did not rush into her Palace on the pretext of being her fiancé. However this time, she suppressed a sigh at Erun’s action of requesting a private meeting for a cause she couldn’t refuse.
Erun’s depressed eyes rolled toward the newspaper on the table. The silhouettes of himself and Kaien were painted black in it, and large letters were written on them.
[Who will be chosen by Her Majesty, the Emperor who will shine forever?] It was a title like a third-rate play.
Erun had been furious since early morning and swore to find the reporter who published such articles and drag that person before him.
‘I will find that reporter and get rid of him without even the rats knowing.’ He threw newspapers at his incompetent subordinates and cursed.
On the other hand, Gloria’s desire to curse out loud rose at the sight of Erun, who looked like he was about to burst into tears at any moment.
‘This bastard!’ She wanted to throw the teacup she was holding, but Gloria swallowed her emotions and opened her mouth.
“There are rumors like this.”
“Like this… It’s a pretty big scandal, Your Majesty.”
At Gloria’s statement, Erun looked at her and replied.
‘Ha!’ Gloria was ecstatic to see Erun giving her a fierce gaze as if he was about to slap her on the cheek at any moment.
‘You played all along with Countess Adlen but when I’m in a scandal you glare at me with such bloody eyes.’ Gloria suddenly recalled a particular night before her return.
While sleeping, she felt thirsty, and when she opened her eyes, her husband was nowhere to be found. There was only a cold seat, and even looking around, Erun wasn’t there. She wondered where he had gone, so she put off looking for water and rose from the bed and moved. All servants were sent away, so she put on her gown and walked out of the room and down the hallway. At the end of the hallway lit only by faint moonlight, she noticed a bright light coming through the gap in a distant door.
‘I remember my feet moving as if drawn to something.’
Without thinking, as if someone was pulling her, she started to walk into the lit room, and then she stopped at the sound she heard through the cracks in the door.
…!
With their backs against the wall, as if worried someone might see them, the rustling sound of clothes reached her ears. Then she heard rough breathing. Soon, her head went blank, and she covered her mouth with both hands and ran to her room.
‘Because I wasn’t so young as to not know what that sound was.’
Gloria’s gaze gradually became more and more fierce as her anger grew more intense.
‘I still remember that smell.’
She clenched her fists, biting hard on the insides of her mouth.
She was so surprised that she went into the bedroom and lay down again. She quickly took off the gown she was wearing and tucked it under the bed to hide it. She curled up and tried to ignore her husband’s cold space. She covered her ears to forget the beast-like panting. If she didn’t, she thought that sound would remain in her mind forever.
How much time passed.
Erun, who had been away, returned with a faint click of the door, lay down, and casually pulled her waist. When her back touched his wide chest, startled, she crouched even more. At that action, Erun patted her head with a small giggle and said, ‘Cute Emperor,’ but she didn’t feel happy. His body,
‘It smelled like perfume.’
It smelled like a perfume she didn’t use.
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‘The more I think about it, the more ridiculous it is!’
Looking back on the memories she tried so hard to forget; even after marrying, Erun couldn’t always play with Countess Adlen in her Palace, so he even touched Gloria’s court ladies! She could even recall the faces of the girls blushing whenever Erun passed by!
‘Now you’re angry at me for playing like an animal? How dare you. You’re a filthy beast that not even humankind can recognize you as its peer.’
Gloria struggled to suppress her emotions and took a deep breath.
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