It was difficult to imagine what kind of state Zerkan's heart would be in now.
Perhaps he's living each day with a high level of anxiety.
'Besides, that filthy emperor is extremely cold to Zerkan.'
The emperor was tall. He said he had to grow strong, and he always had to quit Zerkan. Just like the previous emperor did to him.
'Zerkan's glass mentality... I must keep it.'
In fact, in this novel, Zerkan was nothing more than a time bomb.
After making the time bomb undetonated, Raphine was thinking of passing it on to someone else.
'Even if it's a bomb that doesn't explode, I don't need to embrace it, right?'
Anyway, the important thing is to mediate between the emperor and the empress.
To do that…
'Now I have to go in and out of Imperial Palace.'
Since she had already thought of a specific method, it was important to open the door.
Raphine immediately opened the door and went out to find her mother.
Her mother was doing library repairs and was looking around with the servants. As soon as Raphine found her mother, she ran and said:
“Mom, I want to go to that imperial castle!”
“Is it because you want to see the Crown Prince? But Raffine, Your Majesty the Crown Prince is very busy. If you disturb him....”
“No, I want to see Her Majesty the Empress!”
“Her Majesty?”
“Yes, I made a promise to the Empress last time. I will come to play again.”
“Raphine, that’s….”
Not long ago, when she visited the Empress, she said so. “See you again, Raphine.”
Sophia, who was about to say that it was a polite act, nodded her head.
The empress's checks on the empress were getting more serious day by day.
So Sophia was reducing her visit to the Imperial Palace as much as possible. It was because of the last duke's will to remain politically neutral.
However, unable to do anything about the child's pure heart, Sophia sent a letter to the Empress asking for a visit.
* * *
After a while.
'Because the Imperial Palace is splendid whenever it comes.'
Raphine thought as she looked out the carriage window and looked at the garden full of flowering trees.
The carriage stopped in front of the Empress Palace, and Raphine took her mother's hand and got off the carriage.
'I'm a lot taller now.'
Gone are the days of six, when she was much smaller than her peers and looked only four years old.
Although she was still smaller than her peers, she was still a proud 8-year-old who had grown to a similar level.
'Of course it's a little embarrassing to be carrying a bag...'
There was a pretty cloth bag on Raphine's back. It was a precious bag made by her maid, Sylane, embroidered with her own hands.
And in that bag...
「Baby, don’t run around too much. It shakes.」
'Okay...'
To her shame, a pink baby teddy bear was kept. Because Ruby couldn't leave the house alone, this was the only way.
Raphine walked calmly without running around so that Ruby would not be shaken.
“Unwavering comfort. Very good.”
Seeing this, Sophia and the royal castle servants praised Raffine for being very gentle and modest.
As soon as they entered the Empress's drawing room, the Empress entered.
“I’m glad you came here. Come on, let's take a seat. Raphine, it's been a while."
She welcomed them both with great joy.
“Hello, Your Majesty.”
As Raphine greeted her bravely, the empress's smile deepened.
Still, it was nice to see the Duchess, who could be of help, to come first to the situation in which the confrontation with the Empress was severe.
'The battle for the power of the ladies walking the tightrope between the Empress and the Queen is not easy...'
In fact, based on the circumstances, the power of the empress had to be superior.
Her son, Zerkan, was the Crown Prince who was in charge of the future of the empire.
However, the nobles who received money from the queen's family began to take sides with the queen one by one, and as the number gradually increased, they became a force that could never be ignored.
'Besides, the emperor seems to hate Zerkan...'
A prince who is hated by the emperor and whose foreign power is weakening.
The aristocrats sensitively sensed the atmosphere.
Therefore, as the Empress, the visit of the Duchess is inevitable.
In the first place, she was quite fond of Raffine because she had prevented Lord Lorelian from doing hukou in the past.
“Come on, sit down. You said you were coming, so I bought some precious tea leaves.”
“Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty.”
“No words between us. Come on, bring it in.”
When the Empress gestured as if to hurry, the maids brought a tea.
Rafine looked at the colorful teacup.
A rare teacup that is not sold even in the recently opened tea house!
It was a studded limited edition teacup made by a pottery craftsman who supplied teacups to Rafine.
'I started to deliver to the Imperial Palace a while ago.'
Fees were kept as low as possible. To make the work of the teacup craftsman more enjoyable.
In addition, the tea leaves were of the highest quality supplied by the tea house to Imperial Palacd.
'Well, it's really precious tea leaves.'
The Imperial Palace, especially the Empress's Palace, was paying attention and delivering only good products.
'It's very childish to not sell to the empress.'
So premium prices were on the rise.
The maid started making tea, and soon the scent of roses permeated the room. It was a flavored tea with rose scent added.
'Under… smells so good the best.'
Raphine savored the scent and looked around while the Empress was talking to her mother.
'It must be there somewhere.'
Haven't you hung it in the drawing room because it's still unfinished?
As if she had no choice in the end, Raphine shouted, aiming for a break in the conversation between the grown-ups.
“By the way. It smells like paint!”
"Yes?"
When she spoke innocently, the empress and mother looked at Raphine with their eyes wide open.
Then the Empress laughed out loud and said,
“Raphine has a very sensitive sense of smell. I can't help but smell the paint. I am learning to draw.”
“Oh, I heard the story, your majesty."
At Sophia's words, the Empress nodded and explained.
“I want to create a new hobby. There was a great painter in the Imperial Palacr, so I started learning. It’s a skill that hasn’t changed yet, though.”
"Wow!"
When Raphine cried out innocently, the Empress smiled cutely and gave an order to the maid.
"Raphine, if you want, I'll show you. Instead, there is nothing to hate. Do you understand?”
“Yes, your Majesty the Empress!”
Raphine answered with a bright smile.
In fact, it was because of the emperor that the Empress began to learn painting.
The emperor was very dissatisfied with the empress's deep obsession with spirit divination, so he suggested creating another productive hobby.
'If I put it into words, it would be like this... In fact, he must have said it in a very cold, sarcastic way. Because he's not a pretty person.'
Anyway, it was a time when art was considered very valuable, so the Empress began to take an interest in painting.
Her interest in it deepened, and at first, she only admired it, but now she has come to draw.
When the empress began to learn painting herself, the aristocrats on her side criticized it.
<The royal family made the painting, so the dignity is low.>
It was because the nobles thought that it was a position to appreciate and enjoy art and to support artists, not to create it by themselves.
However, the art world welcomed her, saying that the empress was supporting them.
So, recently, artists have been pouring out artworks with the empress as their muse.
It was a good thing for the Empress.
Before long, the empress's maid came in with a small picture frame.
Raphine was amazed as soon as she saw the painting.
'I was trying to compliment you while exaggerating, but you're really good at drawing!'
Sophia admired the painting as well.
The empress even added an explanation as if proud of the two people's reactions.
“It is an autumn field landscape at sunset. I drew it while recalling the scenery I saw in my hometown estate where I lived as a child.”
“Wow, that’s great!”
Raphine clapped her hands and said. It was really sincere. She must have the skills to draw such a wonderful picture.
'It's going to go well as planned.'
But that's it...
Raphine stared at the picture and worked hard to manage her expression. Because if she did, her expression would have been distorted.
'The picture looks so lonely and lonely.'
It was enough to feel the emotions of the person who drew it.
The little girl looking at the sunset scenery is probably the Empress's own childhood.
'It seems that the life of the Empress is very lonely.'
Her relationship with the emperor was bad, and she had no choice but to rely on heself
Even in order to protect Zerkan, the Empress will be whipping herself even more.
Raphine quietly looked at the painting further and opened her mouth.
“I want to learn to draw too!”
To create a reason to constantly visit the Imperial Palace.
It was Raphine's first plan.