Chapter 04

“What?!”

I stared straight at the Emperor, my jaw hanging open in speechless disbelief.

Wearing a faint smile upon his icy features, he met my gaze without flinching.

“None of the previous candidates for Empress lasted more than two days. You’d do well to prepare yourself.”

A ripple swept through the banquet hall.

A far greater storm churned inside me.

Just moments ago, I had been wondering whether the Emperor intended to have me beheaded or hanged. Empress? What in the world was he talking about?

What kind of insane plot twist is this…?

I was so stunned that his comment about the previous candidates failing to survive beyond two days never fully registered.

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one in shock. The guests stood frozen with foolish expressions, mouths agape, before finally snapping back to reality and sucking in sharp breaths.

“Your Majesty!”

An elderly minister strode forward from one side of the hall, raising his voice.

“This decision is far too hasty!”

“Indeed, Your Majesty!”

“The selection of an Empress demands the utmost care. One must consider her family background, education, and political influence!”

“And above all, you must take into account the dignity of the noble houses that sent their precious daughters here today—”

The other ministers quickly joined the old man’s protest, their objections echoing throughout the hall.

The Emperor listened in silence. Only after the commotion subsided did he speak again.

“Because you said House Falkenstein was too powerful.”

His already low voice sank even colder.

“So I chose someone from a family so insignificant that your concerns are unnecessary.”

Silence.

“No matter how loudly you protest, you will not bend my will. Have you still not learned that?”

“Your Majesty…”

“Rather than wasting your breath on me, I suggest you spend your time currying favor with the woman who will become your new Empress.”

He tilted his chin toward me.

In the perfect stillness that followed, every eye in the hall turned my way.

The crushing weight of that attention felt almost physical, squeezing the air from my lungs.

“The banquet is over. Those who wish to continue enjoying themselves may do so. As for you, my future Empress, return at once and write to your family head.”

After leaving behind those utterly absurd words, the Emperor turned on his heel as though he had nothing more to discuss.

“Oh, and for safety’s sake, I’ll return with only a small portion of the Imperial Guard. Since this is an open banquet, I trust everyone can relax and enjoy themselves.”

The captain of the guard, who had been staring blankly at the Emperor’s billowing cloak, hurried after him.

“Your Majesty! You can’t simply leave like this—”

“This banquet was held to choose an Empress. The Empress has been chosen. Is there any reason for me to stay?”

“But—”

“We have no time to waste if the imperial wedding is to be prepared. Besides, your failure in today’s little performance has already cost you ten opportunities to offer me advice.”

The captain fell silent.

Leaving me standing there, staring after him in a daze, the Emperor walked out of the hall.

The moment he disappeared, the atmosphere changed completely.

“What on earth just happened?”

“House Evergreen? I’ve never even heard of them.”

“I heard she’s the third daughter of some baron from the frontier.”

“That girl is going to be Empress? Just because she helped with that little incident?”

Hidden behind their fans, the guests began whispering among themselves.

The eyes roaming over me without restraint held no warmth.

Curiosity.

Suspicion.

Jealousy.

And… hostility.

It wasn’t only the young ladies who had hoped to become Empress. Even the ministers who had failed to dissuade the Emperor were glaring at me with poorly concealed resentment.

The ministers exchanged dark looks and muttered among themselves.

Amid the whirlwind of voices, I sat alone like a statue, staring at the place where the Emperor had stood.

Then—

“You truly are remarkable.”

A cold voice came from behind me.

I turned to find a beautiful blonde woman standing there.

“Ah. You’re Lady Falkenstein…”

“That’s right. I’m Adeline of House Falkenstein. I heard you even gave me your dress to help me, so I came to thank you personally.”

She smiled as she spoke, but there wasn’t a trace of warmth in her expression.

Gracefully lowering herself, she crouched in front of me.

Just as I was about to ask whether she was feeling better, Adeline snapped open her fan and lowered her voice.

“You ruined things for me last time, and now you’re standing in my way again.”

“Last time? I don’t understand what you mean…”

Meeting my confused gaze head-on, she lowered her voice even further.

“You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this opportunity.”

“Pardon?”

“I studied every single day. I refined myself. I endured every ridiculous test they threw at me.”

A deep, simmering anger colored her words.

“Try having some conscience. How can you act as though only you know what’s right? As if your actions alone are justice?”

Her eyes narrowed.

“You barge into people’s lives, create chaos, and destroy everything they’ve worked for.”

Her voice sharpened to a blade.

“Don’t you feel guilty?”

Her words pierced straight through my chest.

“I already know exactly what you’re going to say.”

She mimicked me with bitter precision.

‘I didn’t mean it that way. I only wanted to help. I just hoped everything would work out for everyone.’

“Isn’t that right?”

I couldn’t answer.

Because that was exactly what I had been about to say.

“Remember this.”

Adeline cupped my cheek and whispered her final warning.

“Simply by existing, you ruin other people’s lives.”

My breath caught.

“And pretending not to notice—pretending you’re always in the right—that’s the most cowardly thing about you.”

“…”

“I’m done sitting back and letting it happen.”

Her eyes burned into mine.

“So be prepared.”

After leaving those harsh words behind, Adeline walked away.

For the first time that evening, I was truly alone.

Her words struck me with the force of a slap.

And after the shock came a realization that hurt even more.

That strange man—the chairman of whatever absurd committee he belonged to—had sent me here for this exact moment.

So I’d understand that doing my best could become someone else’s misfortune.

How many people had my efforts trampled over?

How many dreams had I stolen?

How many lives had I ruined?

A wave of guilt swelled inside my chest until I could barely breathe.

“I hope the arrogant hero who took my head is reborn into a world where nothing ever goes his way. May he live an endlessly frustrating life filled with petty, relentless disappointments.”

The Silver Dragon’s curse echoed through my mind.

At last, I understood why Perenustus had thrown me into this place without explanation.

He wanted me to realize it for myself… and suffer this shock firsthand.

The resentment curled deep inside my heart reared its head again.

Then what was I supposed to do? Let everyone breathe in poisonous smoke until they collapsed vomiting?

Am I just an easy target? Is that why everyone keeps grabbing me by the hair and blaming me for everything?

Honestly, that explanation felt far more convincing.

Determined not to dwell on Adeline’s words, I jumped to my feet and brushed off my skirt.

The dress, already plain to begin with, was in terrible shape after I had ripped the hem without a second thought to help Adeline.

Honestly, nobles are the worst. The moment something goes wrong, they blame everyone else and never show an ounce of gratitude.

Lifting my chin defiantly, I stomped all the way back to my room, trying to drown out my frustration and guilt beneath the sound of my own footsteps.

The maid who had timidly followed behind me mumbled a quick good night before fleeing.

Alone once more, I stared out the window and let out a long sigh.

The curse was right.

Nothing ever goes the way I want.

Perhaps my mind and heart were simply too tangled.

As I sat watching the leaves outside sway in the darkness, time slipped away without meaning.

The sky beyond the window faded from dusky blue to the black of midnight, yet sleep refused to come.

I had thought I could simply drift along with the current and die when the time felt right.

But somehow, everything had gone terribly, horribly wrong.

One thing’s for sure—that committee chairman and Adeline are both absolutely insufferable.

When your thoughts grow too loud, blaming someone else works wonders.

I nodded to myself, immediately putting Adeline’s lesson into practice.

Oddly enough, it helped calm me down.

And if I looked at things from another angle, my situation was actually quite favorable.

That’s right. If the daughter of an insignificant family—so insignificant that even her assigned maid couldn’t remember her name—suddenly became the future Empress, then that would be a tremendous…

My mind went blank.

Future Empress.

Those two words caught in my throat and squeezed the breath from my lungs.

Compared to the log cabin in the mountain village where I had once lived, this bedroom was unimaginably luxurious.

Yet now it felt as though the ornate patterns on the ceiling were collapsing down on top of me.

No.

It wasn’t my imagination.

The designs on the ceiling were moving.

They twisted and intertwined, forming a long sentence of silver light.

Dies after becoming entangled in an assassination attempt targeting the heroine destined to become Empress.

Then the sentence condensed into a single radiant word.

Heroine

Heroine?

Me?

“No—no way! This can’t be right!”

I shot upright from the bed, running my hands through my hair.

Tap. Tap.

A soft sound came from the window.