Chapter 57

Herg stood shrinking at the words of the high-born ladies. He must have realized that he had indeed made a faux pas.

"Of course, no one can match the beauty of Her Majesty the Empress. I have said something very presumptuous."

"But... but to me, she was the most precious and beloved lover!"

...Why is it? Before he knew it, she had become his lover. Via’s heart had already lost the will to argue, and she merely nodded with a strained smile.

However, the maids, upon hearing this tragic love story, leaned forward in awe, exclaiming, "Oh my!"

Women are weak for such romantic tales. The maids’ eyes sparkled, and Herg, as if urged on, began to speak in a hesitant manner.

"She was a governess in a minor noble’s household. The moment I saw her, I fell in love. She also seemed to have a favorable opinion of me, and things progressed smoothly. However, ten days after our engagement, she left the house, leaving only a note for me."

Via frowned slightly. "She didn’t leave me a note... She only left a message for the lady of the house."

"...What did the note say?" Lady Renal, leaning forward, asked. Herg clenched his fists with a pained expression.

"That she loved me deeply... However, she had been engaged twice before, and both times, something tragic happened. Her first fiancé died in a carriage accident a month after the engagement, and her second fiancé was murdered by a thug five days before the wedding. She believed that she was cursed with a bad fate. After accepting my proposal, she became increasingly afraid as time passed. She feared that I might die next, and if something happened, she wouldn’t be able to go on living. Because she loved me, she decided to leave me."

"Such a thing..."

Via whispered to herself, "It was written there..." This was a shocking revelation to her.

It was probably written by Lady Agashi. Unable to convey the cruel truth that the woman Via loved had fled from marriage, she must have fabricated the story. Although it seemed like an impromptu creation, the quality was surprisingly high.

Herg’s lips trembled, as if the memories of the past were welling up inside him. "She must have been truly tormented. The letter was stained with tears in several places."

...He even added such fine details.

The Empress, who usually would have been swept up in such a story, was unusually silent, and the maids began to realize something was amiss. They exchanged glances, suspecting that something had happened to this man during his disappearance.

Unaware of the maids’ suspicions, Herg wiped away his tears with his fist and continued his story.

"She was a truly wonderful woman. Cultured, with perfect manners, a good personality, and beautiful... but she was tone-deaf."

The room froze, and Via silently screamed, "No!"

The incident began when the gardener gave Via a cup of apple cider, saying, "It’s cold, so please have this." Via was very weak against alcohol, so just one cup was enough to get her drunk.

She had heard that some people strip or cry when they drink, but in Via’s case, she became more cheerful. Feeling incredibly good, she opened the window wide in the middle of winter and started singing off-key. It was so much fun that she didn’t stop, and unfortunately, Herg heard her and labeled her as tone-deaf!

The maids averted their gaze from the pale Empress, showing their genuine concern for her.

Unable to defend herself because she was playing a different character, Via shuddered with humiliation.

Even the eyes of her guard knights seemed strangely lukewarm.

Empress Via cleared her throat to break the silence. Trying to think of something to divert attention, she finally managed to say:

"That woman might have been a poor rider as well."

"Of course, she couldn’t ride a horse at all!"

Via, already hurt, glared resentfully at her guard knight for adding more damage.

It had been a truly terrible day. The glass art pieces were excellent, and she had ordered seven delicate glass flower ornaments, but the sense of defeat was stronger than any sense of accomplishment. Via decided to move on, thinking, "Well, it’s fine." She wouldn’t have to see Herg again, so she would forget about today’s events.

However, someone brought up the topic again that night. Her husband.

The incident had been reported to the Emperor as quickly as possible. The Emperor, in a good mood after a ride, rushed to Via upon hearing the news.

"A man who proposed to you has come to the Palace of Stefania!"

Just as Via was trying to forget the incident, she made a slightly displeased face.

"It’s an old story. It happened four or five years ago."

Trying to end the conversation, but Alek didn’t back down.

"I heard he believes you were in love with each other."

"He’s just deluding himself."

Via decided to set the record straight. She was the one surprised by the claims of engagement and love.

"But that man treasures the love letter you wrote to him."

"I never wrote such a letter."

"What?"

"It was a masterpiece written by the old lady who employed me."

Isn’t it wrong to give someone a fake letter? Via thought, but since it helped Herg recover and his business was going well, it must have been for the best.

"I wouldn’t have thought about him again if I hadn’t met him today. He’s not someone for you to worry about."

With a sigh, Via tried to dispel the Emperor’s concerns and continued:

"Besides, he wasn’t the only one who proposed to me."

Via just wanted to say that Herg wasn’t special, but Alek was shocked.

"Who else?"

His voice dropped an octave. Via wondered if she had mentioned this before and thought about it, placing her finger on her chin.

"When I was attacked in the canyon, a soldier who took care of me also proposed. So I had to run away again."

"I won’t forgive that man," Alek clenched his fists at the unknown soldier.

"Who else?"

"While traveling, a young man from a stall I frequented proposed. And a famous actor from a traveling troupe also asked me to be his wife."

Another proposal came from a nine-year-old boy in the troupe, which was incredibly cute. "If you still feel the same when you grow up, come and tell me again," she patted his head and left. She wondered if the boy was doing well.

Alek was irritated by Via’s nostalgic smile.

"Men who pursue you are a hundred years too early."

With that, he pulled Via into his arms, and she laughed, a bit embarrassed.

"My heart remains with you, my lord."

Via couldn’t understand why Alek was so fixated on this. She had rejected all the proposals, and most were from the past. As Empress, she would never meet them again.

Thinking about it, Alek sometimes got jealous over trivial things. If a minister praised her beauty, he would give off a strange cold aura. If she had a lively conversation with a male royal from another country, he would find an excuse to talk to that royal.

Two months ago, he had shown his jealousy openly over a peacock. ...It wasn’t a person nicknamed "peacock."

The ambassador from the southern country presented a pair of peacocks to Via, and she went to see them with Alek and the children, led by Myra. Suddenly, the male peacock spread its feathers and started to vibrate them at Via, as if showing off its beauty. The children were delighted, and Via, admiring the beauty, watched with narrowed eyes. But Alek, standing beside her, was clearly irritated.

"The peacock is performing a courtship dance for Her Majesty, not the female peacock. This peacock has good taste," the ambassador said, trying to flatter.

Alek’s "hmpf" was unmistakable. The ambassador turned pale and started to panic, and when he looked at Celta, she was turning away, trying hard not to laugh.

Unaware of Via’s reminiscence, Alek was thinking hard about how to regain his wife’s attention.

In Retania, he often reverted to his days as a squire, enjoying early morning rides and hunting with Amon and the others, neglecting Via. But learning that many men had proposed to Via before she became his wife made him feel uneasy. He couldn’t imagine Via changing her heart, but as a man, he needed to earn points and remind her of what a wonderful husband he was.

"I heard you said you wanted to ride a horse."

Via nodded, "Yes, I did."

Thinking she might start lecturing, Alek continued casually, "I didn’t know you wanted to ride so much. I can’t let you ride alone, but I can take you on my horse."

"Really?"

"Let’s go for a ride together. How about it?"

Via’s face lit up, and Alek made a big fist pump in his heart, feeling like he had one up on her past suitors.

"Is it really okay?"

"Of course!"

For Via, who had always been left behind by her husband when they came to Retania, this was a long-awaited invitation.

She buried her face in Alek’s chest, feeling happy and whispering to herself, "I’ve always felt inferior because I can’t ride, but if Alek can hold me while we ride through Retania’s fields, maybe it’s not so bad after all."

The next day, the Emperor was seen riding with the beautiful Empress in front of him, both enjoying the ride with broad smiles.

Seeing her sister so happy, Celta sighed in relief, thinking, "She won’t make any strange wishes again." The Emperor’s aides felt the same way. They even joked about issuing a decree in Ancheize to discourage noblewomen from riding if the Empress insisted on it.

It was that much of a concern.

Incidentally, after this day, it became a secret trend among the ladies in Retania to ride with their husbands.

It was a rather unfortunate trend for the horses.