Chapter 14
The commoner girl named Iris had always had something peculiar about her from the start.
A beautiful woman who married wealthy nobles was both a representative beauty of high society and a symbol of social climbing.
Because of this image, unfavorable rumors always followed Iris.
Among them, the story that she was empty-headed and had nothing to offer but her face was one of the cheapest pieces of gossip.
Iris. At least before her divorce, she had the surname Verdandi, but now, divorced and without a surname, she was ambiguously called Lady Iris.
Yet, she greeted them with surprisingly flawless etiquette.
“What does this mean?”
So, instead of immediately getting angry at the cheap crystal Iris offered, the Empress asked about her intentions.
She thought there must be a reason why Iris, despite having little, could shamelessly hold her head high while presenting such a gift to royalty.
“Oh, was my explanation lacking?”
Despite the unkind gazes of the maids and the Empress, Iris smiled gracefully and placed the cheap crystal, which shimmered faintly with blue light, on her palm.
“It’s a crystal from Beberia, the land of fairies.”
“From Beberia?”
“Yes. I believe Your Majesty the Empress knows much more about Beberia than I do.”
At Iris’s gentle tone, the Empress fell into thought for a moment.
The Kingdom of Beberia. Known as the land of fairies, it was a bountiful and beautiful place.
And a country where only a handful of rare magicians still remained.
“This crystal contains magic.”
“Magic?”
“Good heavens, magic?”
The maids briefly covered their mouths in surprise.
If this were true, it would not be a cheap crystal but a gift more valuable than anything else.
But how could a commoner girl like her possess an item imbued with magic, something even a king would struggle to obtain?
“If that’s true, it’s truly remarkable.”
“Yes. It was a gift from an acquaintance long ago, but I never had a chance to use it, so I brought it here.”
“An acquaintance?”
“Someone I met through my second husband, who was in the trading business. But aren’t you curious about the magic contained within it?”
Smiling, Iris placed the crystal on the table between her and the Empress. It was a natural way of steering the conversation.
The Empress’s eyes scanned the crystal with interest.
“What kind of magic makes Lady Iris look so delighted?”
Iris softly curved her eyes.
“In the east of Beberia, there’s said to be a magician who blesses the children born to royalty. And this crystal…”
Her next words made the Empress’s eyes widen.
“It’s a crystal imbued with a wish to bear a healthy child.”
Iris was well aware that the current Empress was troubled by her inability to have a child with the Emperor.
“If you’re spouting nonsense in front of Her Majesty the Empress, you’ll face severe consequences, Lady Iris.”
“Oh my, did it sound like nonsense? That’s rather disappointing.”
Iris leaned back comfortably against the chair, slowly closing and opening her eyes.
“In the summer, when the power of the fairies is at its strongest, if you keep this crystal close to you, good news will surely come.”
Iris clasped her hands, her beautiful and innocent face sparkling with bright eyes. Her actions seemed so naive, like a flowerbed, that it was hard to suspect her.
“You must know the consequences if this turns out to be false.”
The Empress spoke then.
Magic was now so rare that even the Empress of the empire had no sure way to discern whether this was true or false.
“Oh my, I don’t think the person who gave it to me would have lied.”
As Iris continued to speak innocently with sparkling eyes, the Empress extended her hand.
One of the maids picked up the crystal from the table and respectfully placed it in the Empress’s hand.
The Empress held the crystal between her fingers, examining it in silence for a while before speaking.
“We’ll find out in time. But…”
The Empress set the crystal aside and smiled.
“You, the Crown Prince’s companion, are giving this to me?”
If you knew how the current power dynamics worked, you would never have offered me such a thing.
“If I truly conceive a child with this crystal, don’t you realize that child could one day threaten the Crown Prince’s position?”
The Empress smiled leisurely, asking sincerely. This was a remark that could only come from looking down on Iris.
Nobles typically didn’t engage in such direct conversations.
A penniless girl, trying to curry favor with me to secure the position of Crown Princess, brought such a thing.
If it’s fake, I can punish her; if it’s real, I can keep it.
This item might win my favor in the short term, but in the long run, it could threaten the Crown Prince’s position, so it would have been better not to offer it.
But Iris let out a light laugh at the Empress’s words, as if it were no issue at all.
“That’s not something for Your Majesty to worry about.”
“Not something for me to worry about?”
“I may not fully understand what you’re thinking, but…”
She took a sip of tea, then carefully set the cup down with a *clink*.
“The threat you’re thinking of doesn’t mean much to me.”
“…”
It would take years for that child to grow enough to threaten the Crown Prince’s position.
Iris, who would be cast aside and sent abroad as soon as the original heroine appeared, thought to herself:
‘What do I care about the Crown Prince’s rivals?’
But her attitude only made the Empress feel more uncertain.
“…How bold.”
“Please see it as charming.”
“For now, I’ll gladly accept the gift. I hope it turns out as you say.”
Iris lifted her teacup, leisurely enjoying the unique fragrance of the tea. A pleasant curve formed at the corners of her mouth.
“It will indeed.”
There was no trace of deceit or unease in Iris’s demeanor. The Empress, seasoned by years in high society, was half-convinced that her words were not false.
“If I truly receive your help, I should offer something in return. Is there anything you desire?”
Iris tilted her head slightly, as if lost in thought for a moment, before speaking.
“I didn’t give it with expectations, but if Your Majesty wishes to give me something…”
She whispered something softly, and the Empress looked at her with a very surprised expression.
* * *
*Click.*
Iris safely emerged from the Empress’s audience chamber. But the moment the door opened, she came face-to-face with an unexpected figure. Or perhaps, no longer unexpected.
“Your Highness the Crown Prince?”
“Well, well.”
The Crown Prince seemed to have just arrived. His attendant was about to knock on the door when it opened from the inside.
“Prince, no matter how worried you are, it’s not a good look to chase after your lady so soon.”
“Haha. If it came across that way, I apologize, Your Majesty the Empress.”
The Crown Prince didn’t even glance at the Empress, and she did the same.
It wasn’t until the door shut with a *thud* behind her that Iris asked the Crown Prince.
“What brings you here?”
“Why, I missed you, of course.”
At his slick words, Iris smiled faintly.
‘He must have rushed over, worried I’d make a mistake since the Empress summoned me.’
Even sending Vivi wasn’t enough to ease his mind.
She began walking forward with a *click-clack*. The Crown Prince naturally matched her pace beside her.
“Have you eaten?”
“My, it’s long past lunchtime.”
“Dinner, then?”
“It’s too early for dinner.”
“Oh dear, then all I can do is escort you.”
“I can’t take up the busy Crown Prince’s time.”
She and the Crown Prince walked side by side, conversing comfortably.
To the palace attendants, the two, with their similar hues, looked like a picturesque painting.
The Crown Prince took her hand and personally escorted her to the carriage she had arrived in.
As Iris held his hand and stepped into the carriage, she suddenly turned to look at his face, as if remembering something.
“Oh, there’s something I should apologize for.”
“Apologize for?”
“Yes.”
“What for?”
“There’s something. You’ll find out naturally…”
Iris rolled her eyes as if lost in thought, then shook her head and muttered indifferently.
“On second thought, it’s not something to apologize for.”
“What?”
“It’s something that was bound to happen, so it’s not really my fault.”
“What does that mean…”
*Thud.*
Instead of answering, Iris gave a smile and climbed into the carriage, and the door closed coldly in front of the Crown Prince.
The coachman took the sound as a signal and drove the carriage forward with vigor.
*Whoosh-*
The breeze left by the departing carriage brushed past the Crown Prince’s hair.
“…She’s really hard to figure out.”
It was the Crown Prince’s sincere remark.
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By Anna 💓
