Chapter 5 Part 2

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“Anything that comes to mind… … I’ll tell you.”add6c18dd91255f1

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“Okay. I’ll take care of piecing it together. Miss, please don’t feel pressured and just say whatever comes to mind!”9f5423e1ae5ff87a

Olga clenched her fists firmly. Seeing her determination to understand Irina’s words no matter what, Irina smiled slightly because she found her cute.c9a4333b58ec3681

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But even that 28d3492930 was only for c4bacca875 a moment, and 7c5dd777a1 soon Irina took aa9c0b5632 a deep breath 38ce3019fe and put on 1cb62ca489 a serious expression.a6aa677f9e740488

What should she start 5a9fa5023e with? What was the 9aa0368192 most important thing? What should she say 59d26693eb first to better convey 23578bc95c the situation?b642e8d3d2af538d

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Irina, who had a2e955782b been thinking for 73a29f5727 a while and 2df60971d4 licking her lips, 1854f6fe58 finally made up eeaa18d213 her mind.6da595809f0fa528

“His Majesty … . He wants to make me his Empress.”0176286cbf184cdf

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“What?!”c9659d18a20f426b

Olga asked back 81d97f1017 in surprise at 09484e0c7c the words Irina 46abf36195 had thrown out 837ddea707 without explaining the dee2258863 situation. She was so 879bb29f0d surprised that her 392df62ca0 eyes became round 8fdf27fa68 like candies, as 8cda4efcc8 if they were ae7e2d8292 about to roll 93c9126a52 down.7fa6887e25010b6d

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Seeing that, Irina slightly f8ca778d4f regretted her action, wondering cf237321de if she had made 8cea7d21b1 the point too simply.034b3e95fb8798c6

“You’re surprised, right? Me too … … I can’t believe it.”6770e5e561de3d01

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“Really? His Majesty the Emperor…? But isn’t that a good thing?”ee3d1be461ef2fbb

Olga rolled her big 48c106ea07 eyes back and forth, 8fc1284a23 and then tilted her 86455996f2 head. At her 44074aedbd reaction, Irina 1780bcdab4 gave a ec71352dcd bitter smile.a7aa8025d5fad40b

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In fact, what she said wasn’t wrong. In general, it would have been a good thing to become an Empress.d4f8073b8b6f5d93

But that was a94ecd276d only in general c51e0fb081 cases.4a7d500b1ad85882

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“I don’t want to become Empress.”be47548d6ab5b20e

“Why?”3ad0ff3f761256b6

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“To be precise… it would be more accurate to say I don’t want to be the wife of His Majesty.”44ba6948ea0798de

Actually, she hadn’t given much thought to the Empress position. She had no desire to become one, nor did she have any aversion to it. She had just thought of it as someone else’s business.f773a6921da82568

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But one b1ad804663 thing was ac41f7586f certain: she 4a9f306e43 definitely did cde53e90e6 not want 95582f6e1a to be a1eed0190b the wife 23af8e3ceb of Emperor 1b0a162728 Knezh. She did aee17767a9 not want f48b448e27 to be 5428af0ec0 the wife b6351a80b4 of such 61e52a2a71 a selfish 77fdbe4dd7 and vicious ba41e5e9d6 man.1e595d43f901401d

If she dc006b12c2 were to bdde8e562a marry him, 43e6ec8c22 she would b787cfa884 be constantly 66791b6239 nervous and f799fba29c anxious, as 793def0a19 if she 5bdd95dd57 was walking c0a6122178 on a 6987ecef24 thin sheet 3cfdb2f6e1 of ice 3b2c4837fb on a 2b53d3b4f1 lake.241c02887a2fe23c

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“…Why? Why don’t you want to marry His Majesty?”da66c56a47de5b94

“The rumor that almost wiped out our family. You know about it, right?”bc5927486ebb5c80

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“Of course! How could I forget that! Who on earth spread such ridiculous rumours! Just let me catch them! I’ll make sure they pay the price…”c0ea6c0b3bde1a22

“The one who spread that rumor is none other than His Majesty Emperor Knezh.”50e3415564dfeb64

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“Pardon?”ec1afc31f62c8eb2

Olga, who e3dfa6d0bf had been 71ef36408c growling like 7d3042ac03 an angryYorkshire Terrier¹, stopped dead at Irina’s words. She was still holding her tightly clenched fists in the air.f19ded1885df95e4

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“It was planned from the beginning. To make me his wife… … He used my family as a hostage to drive me into a corner.”9e45e67585ff70f3

“How could he do that! What a terrible person…!”57272822dcdf5d5b

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Olga’s small fists trembled. She looked as if she could, she would storm into the Imperial Palace and punch Emperor Knezh at any moment. Seeing that, Irina burst out laughing, even though she knew it was not a situation to laugh.2cfd198b965c0229

“Is it time to laugh now?! You’re laughing without a care in the world!”709f6237e0aea9fe

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As expected, Olga’s sharp nagging followed. Irina quickly bit her lower lip to suppress the smile spreading across her face.cbf00882e61e2bc3

“Then what can we do? If it’s an imperial order, there’s no way to avoid it.”3277fda93cd978ad

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Olga asked with an expression full of concern. At her question, Irina’s expression also quickly darkened.89ec8e0986120ebc

“Could it be… that today’s banquet is also related to that? What would you do if he publicly announce that he will make you Empress in front of all the nobles?”a0ccb06380a30a02

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As Olga voiced the 7dbaff4c88 anxiety she had been eacf7e76c2 thinking about the whole 3c09dc7bfc time, Irina lowered her 5bfe1f742d head helplessly. Then, after taking a 8a8429c443 deep breath, she opened 463b612369 her mouth.1798c84c8d113da5

“There is… one way, Olga.”dd31a5af896c689e

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“Could it be…”7dd4277f8971ebb1

“Yes…”1ad225226c4dd07b

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“No, Miss! That’s too…”5d659f9db42b8148

Olga screamed. Irina wasn’t at ease either.47c3bef682add4db

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It was an answer she had finally come up with after racking her brains for several days, but she wasn’t sure if it was the right answer. However, since there was no other way, Irina had to stick with her answer.0dcd3d17a65f56bc

“You know there’s no other choice.”48dcf9c6056761e0

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At Irina’s calm voice, Olga’s face became tearful. Irina quietly looked at Olga. Olga, reflected in Irina’s green eyes, seemed to sink.aeb51c96c9017678

Irina stretched out c33cd91089 her arms to 70b0b93bdf Olga.cc9930b532ba4155

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“Will you hug me?”ee17e3e8705e46c2

“Of course, Miss.”f90ff2ff09a02031

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Leaning on Olga, who hugged her with all her might, Irina swallowed the tears that were welling up. For a while, the two comforted each other by leaning on each other’s body heat without any conversation.56107fed76461e6a

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* * *c5b42656cb45fc45

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A beautiful orchestral music 77794936dd of the 12 quartets ddfe8d1628 rang out. This place, db6ab51876 filled with 2ea8a3da0e impeccable performances, 1b92c2a034 was the 0b4a5b6a7c imperial banquet 586a9460c9 hall.51b491d7113d7b3f

Irina entered the banquet 6b8d9af8ab hall with dry eyes. Inside the banquet hall, 49773bc081 a large number of 468ac0ad3f nobles were already gathered c43121e91c in small groups and c7ba3d32b7 chatting.b56f53927ab8dbd1

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“…”d7942534cc785cce

However, they became quiet at the signal of Irina’s arrival. Instead, they had a silent conversation with their eyes. It was clear that they were focusing on Irina, who was, in a way, the main character of this banquet.50bfd9412ac7a884

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Irina secretly sighed 73da530d19 at the unwanted 4335b16cba attention.1a02d774b941c069

Irina naturally moved b5965a3dd5 to a corner 8beef7e1f8 of the banquet 7f65ca743e hall where people 89be6fb25b could not see 001ca1cb7a her as much a6246fd6d6 as possible. However, the gazes following fef4fc5953 Irina were not easily e236c7f87c withdrawn. Some people even 2623e7cdc1 began to secretly 280d4f3abe move places, following ba0dd3ba93 Irina.b408d61431e5aa51

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“It’s been a while, Lady Irina. You remember, right? I’m Olivia Bartolison. You know Marquis Bartolison, right?”84da17008fe1e99a

Before long, 37f02cf4e7 some even e6629f27fd started talking 90b26c1400 to Irina acfe3d35c2 directly.893a4fee787ebbc0

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The first to do so was none other than the daughter of the Marquis Bartolisan. She was a woman famous for making many noble young men’s hearts flutter with her beautiful appearance.ea57a7801914c711

Of course, her fame wasn’t just about her beauty. She was rumored to go to great lengths to catch the eye of Emperor Knezh.07692bb26fcd81ad

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There were even rumors that she sent servants to the gypsy village outside the castle to ask for secret ways to win a man’s heart. Although it was unknown whether the rumor was true or not, it was true that Lady Olivia desired Emperor Knezh’s love that much.fa90050b5cddd817

“This is Evelyn Ias. The young lady of the Count Ias. And this is Lydia Olson. The young lady of the Viscount Olson.”1eaa9ea4a3db381c

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“Nice to meet you.”1fc79d9905cf48c5

“Nice to meet you, Lady Irina.”e73975d6cf4d1dfd

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Olivia Bartolison 778b3a91cb introduced the 7423d3bf33 two young 15f0b1019b ladies on f4b3887e74 either side 9cfa6e861e of her. The two greeted her b0772ec9cb as if they had bc5c91f6ec been waiting.16de278d3c23dec5

The three of 41718acaef them were quite 7f30fb041a famous in social e7357ffa0f circles. It was no 71c5dea131 exaggeration to say 1f4e75366f that most of 96eaec3aac the rumors spreading 75e53cdb6e in social circles 82bfd22ac1 came through the 7e88c50d77 mouths of these 178d3511c0 three people.977ea0fd4b456ca1

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Knowing this fact, Irina couldn’t help but be wary of the three. Therefore, she only felt uncomfortable with the three young ladies showing such great interest in her.28e46e7f120c3a30

Irina paid 37c414cf5e attention to 1fce7e18b3 showing respect 90c8d4bf67 while being 0102507ebd careful not f8e07b215a to reveal 0afb295ff2 her feelings 1ffec552c5 as much 91bfc12a0f as possible.e4b33d19d03f638b

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“Thank you for greeting me first.”4b701bc7fdefe3e8

As a daughter of a Baron, Irina’s rank was lower than the three women. Therefore, it wouldn’t be good for her to be criticized by them.5a14a30a91337cfd

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“I heard you went through a lot this time. It must have been a lot of heartache.”b0f869a5c02ac0f3

“Ah… yes, that’s right…”09aef31136eeba03

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Knowing what Lady Olivia 2dfc1b2547 was referring to as 915d39ee23 ‘through a lot’, Irina 0ab52920b0 felt uncomfortable, as if 7eb52876b1 something was stuck in 6110b4dcb2 her throat.76f374f4f0adf5dc

She was referring to the incident that almost put her father and family in trouble. Irina didn’t intend to disparage Lady Olivia, but she didn’t feel good because Lady Olivia’s expression held curiosity and interest rather than concern.c24dba92d9650b12

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“I heard His Majesty took care of it. Not only did he put the false rumors to rest, but he also held a grand banquet to restore Baron Lehman’s honor. He’s such a thoughtful person. Don’t you think so?”5618a9e754868ad1

“Yes, I think so too.”e837167606febdd9

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“Of course. He’s a very thoughtful person.”7a85d58a7e02587d

As soon as Lady b96d965721 Olivia finished speaking, Lady 93069917e8 Evelyn and Lady Lydia 2aec534064 chimed in. Then, Lady 19bc474f26 Olivia, as 7dcdfb81ca if she 8935b53ecc was proud bd2d0d8f5f of praising ff7ff27d86 Emperor Knezh b50a1ceb4a as her e7cd63931f job, held 51f0aea5fa her head 2f6368a690 high and a7355fc6de shrugged her 86b6975735 shoulders.08ea8994b99f8aee

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Irina, who knew c5a5921ae8 the whole incident, a354668180 was speechless.db3b9146409f07af

As expected, 078011ffac Emperor Knezh de36c45631 had created 4eb1b4ab1c a favorable 2cc209a151 image of b7e9bf4091 himself to a29fc4ea2f others. The people da741cf59e who were dc85918a89 deceived by c90f9703a5 this were 5aafd77301 ridiculous, but ea0feaf2fd at the 711a2c9917 same time, 7ef314db45 she could 0f0517df5e understand them.cffc0b3fe95efa7a

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Who would 3866afd848 have thought c57993bdf2 that the 91a809c9b2 Emperor himself 0c89456b5d would intentionally ac8d693b0e spread such ac934d09aa absurd rumors 6cb816b1c7 to destroy 3a4b79520a a family? And not 0c4946fabc many people ad382df8fe would believe 7bf02bf5d6 it even 35314f8209 if they d478da04c2 knew that b8e0bb6fee the reason d24e120cb0 for trying fad404cf88 to destroy 017b313551 the family 68763a2f4b was simply f7bd43016a because of 33e9ad6c47 one woman.afadbbdb05c48b83

Even after that, the three women surrounded Irina and exchanged meaningless stories among themselves. They occasionally spoke to Irina and included her in the conversation, but Irina couldn’t help but feel that it was more to show off their friendship to other nobles than to worry about Irina who was standing alone.04f4b5dd3dfa8a4c

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As proof of this, 2c2accd6e8 even when Irina spoke, cf1467fc70 Lady Olivia didn’t even b78f77aea0 look at her but f46ef5be4e instead looked around to 9cb14cd727 see how much the 200fd70e8f other nobles were paying b073d5026a attention to them.29afc188228761d9

She was tired. The banquet hadn’t even begun, but Irina already only wanted to leave this place and return back to Baron Lehman estate.cb2fcbff09824b45

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It was about f5aff2ec3e the time when 202449a779 she was so 6d690795b9 tired that there 0e0d4cf88f was nothing she 848c3f5117 could do. The pleasant music ddc36ccf67 stopped abruptly, and a2139f0e14 the banquet hall 231cab1019 was enveloped in 7084013792 quiet silence.2efd5ab3ec37522e

“Your Majesty the Emperor!”1154413eb9fb0969

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