Yesterday was a tumultuous day for the Empire in many ways. From Riley's announcement, the media's reversal, to the Emperor's allies' shift in stance, it would not be an exaggeration to say it was the most tumultuous day since the Empire was founded.
The protagonist of that most tumultuous day, Riley, woke up late after the sun was high in the sky, perhaps because she had fallen asleep late due to the many events that had happened yesterday.
If she had woken up at this hour, the maids would have been nagging her, but they seemed to know Riley's strength and just brought her tea.
As Riley sat on the edge of the bed, taking a sip of tea and looking out the window, there was a knock on the door.
Knock knock_
"Your Majesty, have you risen?"
Tom, the butler, was one of the few people Riley could trust in the palace. He had been watching over Riley since she was a child, and even when everyone else turned their backs on her, he remained by her side and protected her. He was like Riley's only friend.
"Okay, come in."
As soon as Riley finished speaking, Tom opened the door and entered the room. He was carrying a large stack of paper bags in his hands.
Among them, the envelope that shone golden in the light stood out the most.
"What happened?"
"I have come here to deliver the invitation and congratulatory letters from Her Majesty the Empress."
Riley took the letters from Tom as if she had expected them and began reading them one by one, starting with the golden envelope that had caught her eye earlier.
Almost all of them were party invitations from noble families. As Riley was flipping through the letters with a bored look, a familiar word caught her eye.
"Jeon Jungkook" Riley's mastermind and rival,
"What did you mean when you wrote the letter? It's so out of place."
Riley was puzzled, knowing that Jungkook wasn't the type of person to write to her normally, but she scoffed at the thought of what interesting things might be in the letter, and carefully opened the envelope to read the contents.
"this...."
Riley crumpled the letter she was holding, and everyone watching could tell she was incredibly upset. One of the maids, watching, spoke to Riley in a worried voice.
"Your Majesty the Empress..."
"Enamel, prepare paper and pen."
Riley interrupted Enamel and ordered him to bring her paper and pen. Riley, speaking in a whisper, thought to herself, but her words were filled with her anger.
While Enamel was getting the paper, Riley began reading the rest of the letters, and one of them caught her eye.
"That's funny-"
What Riley was looking at was a party invitation from the Lucett family. The reason Riley was smiling like this was because the Lucett family was the one she hated and reviled the most.
It seemed like a funny sight to Riley to see the family trying to invite her to a party with such a friendly tone, as if they respected her enough to give her the world.
"Well, you're working so hard, shouldn't I be the one to go?"
"Isn't that so?"
Riley smiled as she looked at the invitation, then suddenly asked a question to the maids in front of her.
"Hey, why are you doing that to the maids-"
A man's voice came from the window. Everyone turned their heads toward the sound, and there was a man sitting on the windowsill, staring at Riley.
"You're really too much, sister. That's why people hate you."
"Kim Taehyung, I'm going to kill you."
Riley slowly approached Taehyung with a faint smile.
"No matter how many years you've been watching, you still can't tell."
Taehyung left those words behind and disappeared back through the window. To be precise, he jumped out.
"Someone tell him to go to the door."
Riley said in a pitiful voice, looking out the window Taehyung had jumped out of.
Knock knock_
"Your Majesty, the paper and pen are ready."
Enamel opened the door and came in, saying:
"Leave it here."
Riley picked up her pen and began to write. Even the way she wrote was oozing with elegance. It was a quality that no one could replicate, born from the upbringing and education of a crown princess.
After holding the pen for about 30 minutes, Riley put the pen down and finished writing.
"Please pass these on to me."
Riley handed the maid two letters. The letters, stamped in red with the family seal, looked exquisite, but she had no idea what they contained.
-
"Is it your hobby, Prince, to walk through windows?"
At the quiet dinner table, Jungkook broke the silence and spoke to Riley.
"I guess so."
Jungkook wanted to call him a "lost prince," but Riley only responded indifferently. Perhaps it was Riley's reaction, or perhaps it was the fact that they were sitting at opposite ends of the long table, that made the atmosphere feel even more tense.
"Shouldn't the prince get married now?"
"Well, I'm sure he'll figure it out."
Today, Jungkook kept talking about nothing but Prince Taehyung. It seemed as if he was trying to get on Riley's nerves. Jungkook knew he was subtly hinting at his intentions, but his tone was aggressive enough for everyone to see.
“Come to think of it, the prince didn’t attend dinner.”
"I thought you knew. Isn't that why you cursed like that?"
A meaningless war of nerves ensued. Perhaps out of frustration at having his place taken away, Jungkook continued to pick on Riley, and Riley, unwilling to back down, continued to fight back. It was a never-ending battle.
In the midst of such a war of nerves, Jeong-guk said something meaningful for the first time.
"How is the trade agreement with the Western Kingdom going?"
"We are planning to proceed with the agreement tomorrow anyway."
Another major issue of the era was the trade agreement with the Western Kingdom..