Published at 21st of November 2020 06:14:26 PM
Chapter 3: 3
Fortunately, Felice’s kingdom was not far from the imperial family . Evelyn’s carriage ran smoothly and finally arrived in her long-cherished homeland, full of nostalgia .
However, the atmosphere of the royal family was heavy as they welcomed their divorced daughter . Evelyn calmly accepted the not-so-welcome reality .
“King father, Queen mother . I’m back . ”
The King and his wife welcomed their daughter, the princess, who had abandoned the Empress’s throne with sorrow and sighing . King Arthur continued to express deep sighs with a frown on his forehead, and the Queen could say nothing, holding only her daughter’s hand .
“Forgive me . ”
Evelyn was unable to say anything else . King Arthur shook his hand because he could not see-through his daughter .
“You have eyes to see, so be careful for a while . ”
“Yes······ . ”
Evelyn turned around with courtesy to her parents . Miriam, the Queen’s mother, had already groomed her residence for Evelyn . However, she didn’t ask for a conversation first, perhaps because she thought of her daughter, who would be upset .
And Evelyn wasn’t ready to talk, either .
“Princess, I’ve prepared your old rooms . ”
“Yes, that’s good . ”
Evelyn looked around at her place, which never changed before she got married . She finally felt like she was coming back home . There was a lot of room to look at, and Evelyn wanted to spend quiet time with her nanny, Nora, and Lily, on their side for the time being .
***
“Princess, this is your favorite milk tea . ”
Evelyn nodded at Nora’s consideration . The sweet and savory taste of tea was still the same in her memory .
“My father didn’t yell at me . ”
Evelyn said, a little lonely . The only thing that changed was herself .
“Because he was very lonely after the princess went to the imperial family . He was very worried about you . ”
His majesty, the King, though stern, was not a bad father . Her parents were always concerned about their only daughter . Evelyn, who had been raised too naively, would not be able to cope with the imperial family’s strict formalities .
“When I was young, I always bothered by what he said . I was supposed to listen to him more . ”
As a result, their fears had come true .
The relatively-free-kingdom of Felice and the Imperial Family had a completely different culture . Evelyn had to follow various palace laws since her first day of marriage, and she had not even seen her husband’s face .
“The queen wanted to meet the princess, but she’s still unable to come because of King’s order to be careful . ”
Evelyn nodded at Nora’s words .
“I know . The Queen Mother is a wise person . ”
Evelyn proceeded the divorce through Vatican mediation, and it gave herself a reason . In other words, Evelyn was now a sinner .
“It’s better to stay quiet for the time being . ”
However, Evelyn’s fault was that she made herself a defendant to the imperial family . All her rights as the Empress had disappeared, making it difficult for Felice’s kingdom to raise their head to the Empire for the time being . Evelyn, who was involved in the case, naturally needed to show self-reflection by apologizing to the imperial family and the Vatican .
“At least I feel at ease . ”
Evelyn laughed round her familiar place . When Lily saw Evelyn smiling after a long time, she decided not to talk about her choice anymore .
“This is what it is . ”
Evelyn came back to life when she escaped from imperial slavery . From the beginning, the Imperial Family had been a heavy burden on her .
“You don’t regret a little bit?” asked Nora . She looked cautious as if she wanted to make sure for the last time .
“Nora, how do I look right now?”
Nora had been a nanny-maid since Evelyn was born . So she couldn’t fool Nora even though other people didn’t know about it .
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“You look happy …”
Nora could dare to lie . Evelyn saw Nora’s helpless expression and held her hand . It was always warm .
“From the beginning, I wasn’t fit to be an Empress . And now, I’ve returned to my original place, so that’s enough . ”
Evelyn had settled down . The memory of such a lonely life would no longer be repeated . At least Evelyn went back to her own country where her family was .
No husband made her suffocating by making eye contact, nor a ladies who had been prying at the Empress’s every move .
“Look at this . ”
Evelyn pointed to the comfortable dress she had changed as soon as she arrived at the castle . It was impossible to dream of wearing a dress like this in the Empire . There, Evelyn was the Empress, so she had to wear a heavier, more colorful clothing than anyone else .
“I think I can breathe now . ”
It was said to protect the dignity of the imperial family . Every day, Evelyn’s waist was tightened by a thick dress, and a heavy tube pressed her head . She ‘d rather be real on her own .
They could have done better with the plaster statue . Evelyn smiled bitterly, recalling the follies of the past .
“Well, the Imperial Family’s laws were really harsh . ”
“Lily, you shouldn’t say that . ”
“It’s all right, Nora . It’s only between us and that’s true . The Imperial Family wants a perfect Empress . ”
Indeed, was there such a perfect person in the world?
Evelyn had always pursued perfection, but she had never been acknowledged .
In society, the noblewoman whispered that Evelyn, a native of another kingdom, wouldn’t be able to keep up with the imperial formality .
“Huh! do they think they’re perfect? Their private lives are more disgusting . ”
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Evelyn nodded unknowingly at Lily’s angry voice . The Empire’s society was a stage of pretense and hypocrisy that concealed their ugly nature . Evelyn couldn’t get used to it until the end, but it was common to laugh at each other and stab each other with a knife .
“Now that I don’t have to see such people, that alone is satisfied me . ”
Evelyn remembered the ladies’ eye that blazed behind their elegant hand-fan . It was a pleasure for them to laugh loudly and play games while mocking the opponent with their eyes . The Empress was no exception to them .
They called it an aristocratic style, and Evelyn, who couldn’t get along, had always been ridiculed for her origin .
“People who live in the imperial household are locked up in the prison they created . They ‘re poor people who get so used to it that they think it’s a whole world . ”
That was Evelyn’s conclusion . If they didn’t repeat the folly of gossiping each other and dividing factions, they would all have gone mad . There was no point in who the law was for and who the court was for .
“It’s not your fault . Who can live perfectly in such a desolate place?”
“There’s one person···· . ”
Evelyn recalled her husband, Fabian .
He showed no emotion even when he was crowned at the age of 16 and defeated the nobles . He ruled over the nobles of the imperial family .
In fact, Fabian’s image after marriage was perfect .
“So he deserves a perfect mate . ”
Fabian, with his sturdy physique and handsome face, once made Evelyn’s heart beat fast . His black eyes and sharp jawline, which always kept a calm eye on the front, both trembled Evelyn’s heart .
When his big hand came into contact with Evelyn, the place he touched was burned like fire .
“Yes … there will be a place, somewhere . For a perfect person like him . ”
Evelyn was able to release Fabian from her mind after she woke up from her death . Vaguely predicted the future and witnessed it personally were different . Evelyn ‘s heart had cooled like Fabian’s, and she could barely breathe .
Evelyn could only choose freedom over hope for her husband, who was so perfect .
“Princess . ”
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“I’m really fine . It’s my choice . I said I’d quit first . ”
Fabian didn’t pursue Evelyn . That’s also what she expected . Now that Vatican’s interference had gotten severe, the dignity of the imperial family had fallen as the Empress requested mediation .
Fabian would have taken it as a betrayal . On the contrary, it was fortunate that he didn’t punish her .
“Yes, everything’s fine now . ”
Nora stepped forward in a soft voice . Then she took out her handkerchief and wiped Evelyn’s cheek . Only then did Evelyn realize that she was crying .
Nora hugged Evelyn without saying anything .
“How difficult it had to be to decide, but it was the princess who chose this difficult path . I think that’s what she had to do, right?”
“Yes, ······ . I couldn’t be happy as an Empress . No matter how hard I tried”
The tears she had endured burst sadly . Apart from that, Lily came to her side without a word and kept her body temperature close to Evelyn . It was Lily who watched her days in the imperial family from her side, so she knew her sorrow very well .
“His Majesty sees no one . He’s the perfect Emperor who shows no emotion . ”
A perfect emperor, and the worst husband .
If only he had given her a warm consolation, if he gave it to her, at least, Evelyn wanted to keep her vow to live as his wife .
“But he never, not once, he never looked at me . ”
Evelyn tried not to think of Fabian again after this last cry . After all, Fabian had no place for Evelyn . So Evelyn had to forget him, too . That was for Evelyn herself . It was herself that not given by anyone .
“······· I don’t regret it . ”
“That’s enough . Our princess is still young and beautiful . ”
“Yes, all you have to do is be happy . ”
Evelyn swept away the remaining drops of tears after the warm embrace of her people . There were also lingering feelings about Fabian and memories of the Empress .