CHAPTER~18
Marriage Congratulation Delegation (2)
“Focus.”
“Yes?”
Kallio, who had the delegation under his command, spoke to me while leaning over beside me.
“About what I mentioned at the meal.”
He leaned closer and whispered into my ear.
“Even so, the others believe I cherish you dearly. Shouldn’t you at least show them a bit of what they expect, as thanks for the wedding gift?”
“Couldn’t I just use the ‘Your Majesty secretly likes me’ setting?”
“That setting would disappoint me, wouldn’t it?”
It was a rather annoying demand. To summarize, he wanted me to act affectionate, to pretend I cared for Kallio.
He impatiently grabbed my hand and intertwined our fingers. The firm yet warm sensation was strangely peculiar.
I had no intention of maintaining facial expressions at the meal, but after some thought, I decided to change my approach.
If rumors spread that the emperor and empress were distant, it wouldn’t do me any favors. I should wait until I had collected the funds to escape and was fully prepared to leave.
If rumors of a strained relationship arose beforehand, people might suspect my escape prematurely.
‘Until then, I can play along as much as needed.’
I released Kallio’s hand and instead pulled him closer.
With one hand, I linked our arms as if embracing him, and with the other, I rested my hand on his shoulder.
From the delegates’ perspective, it would probably look like a very affectionate scene.
Leaning my chin on Kallio’s shoulder, I narrowed my eyes slightly and smiled.
“Focus.”
“……Huh?”
“People are watching.”
I whispered, moving my lips slightly.
Kallio, uncharacteristically, looked a bit dazed for a moment.
Seeing that unfamiliar expression, I stared at him, and Kallio suddenly burst into laughter.
While slightly flustered, he wore a face of contentment, like a well-fed lion.
“Yes, everyone is watching.”
‘Somehow, this Kallio feels like he’s doing a good deed…?’
Even so, the meetings with the wedding congratulatory delegates continued.
Delegates from across the strait, and even those from near the polar regions, gradually delivered their gifts.
It was when we finally reached the last delegate.
A woman with hair and eyes similar to mine approached, accompanied by one delegate.
“Congratulations to Your Majesty the Emperor and Your Majesty the Empress on becoming companions. With your marriage, we too are now one family with the Amir Empire, so we came to present our congratulatory gifts.”
Hearing the congratulatory words, Kallio asked,
“One family, you say. And who might you be?”
Even before hearing her answer, I could tell who the woman was.
Even in a fantasy world, someone with blue-toned hair and eyes similar to mine was rare.
If she was a girl around my age…
‘Actually, it was your older sister who was supposed to marry me, not you.’
“I am Adania Lanie, the elder sister of the Empress, princess of the Ranie Kingdom.”
As expected, she was the older sister of the body I had possessed.
Kallio had already told me, but it seemed her family had joined the delegation.
Given how messy the family of the body I had possessed was, I doubted meeting them would be all pleasant.
My prediction was correct.
Rivie’s sister, Adania, couldn’t take her eyes off the emperor.
The Ranie Kingdom was lower in rank than the Amir Empire.
By etiquette, after the congratulatory greeting, she should have bowed to avoid looking at the emperor’s face.
‘Did she get captivated by Kallio’s face right from the start?’
Her face and ears were flushed with excitement.
Anyone watching might think they were on a blind date…
But leaving it unchecked might provoke the mad emperor into action under the pretext of rudeness.
Just as I prepared to intervene for my sister’s sake, Kallio crossed his legs nonchalantly.
“Seems your sister likes my face, does she?”
Ugh!
Who can make this guy shut up!
What obscene thing is he planning to say now?
Worried, I quickly grabbed Kallio’s hand.
“Yet, Your Majesty the Empress isn’t swayed by this face, no matter how much I try.”
“…….”
“What a shame.”
Kallio’s eyes narrowed slightly with a teasing glint. The look was more sly than beautiful.
Meanwhile, the gathered delegates kept glancing back and forth between Kallio and me, blatantly observing us.
It was mortifying.
Trying to cool the heat rising on my face with a fan,
“Ahem, hmm!”
The delegate standing next to Rivie’s sister gave a subtle signal.
Startled, the sister finally regained her composure.
Kallio lowered the hand from his head and uncrossed his legs.
“By the way, you haven’t properly met your family after the wedding, have you? Rivie, if you wish, you may meet your sister separately.”
No… there’s really no need.
I wasn’t her biological younger sibling, so the reunion didn’t spark any strong emotion.
Even if I were the original body, the older sister had surely hated being forced to marry a mad emperor who killed his wife in one night.
The sister seemed aware of this. She appeared composed, but every time our eyes met, her shoulders flinched.
I quickly scanned the gifts around her.
The gifts from my homeland, the Ranie Kingdom, were smooth fabrics.
At first glance, the colors were bright, but some areas had pilling.
I slightly suppressed a smirk.
Then, feigning being moved, I made a wistful expression and said,
“Thank you for Your Majesty’s thoughtful consideration……”
I could guess why the sister came, but I decided to confirm.
***
After the wedding congratulatory delegation had delivered almost all gifts,
some delegates returned to accommodations outside the palace to rest.
However, the one introduced as my sister remained in the palace.
By a straight stream cutting across the garden,
we sat facing each other.
After glancing at the luxurious palace and me from head to toe, she spoke with a suspicious expression.
“…Seems your circumstances are better than I thought.”
Her tone was tinged with jealousy for a sister she hadn’t seen in a long time.
Yet, it seemed more like she was assessing me rather than openly hostile.
It was clear that the relationship between this sister and the original owner of my body was not very close.
“Well, your mother was low-born but had a decent face. That blood doesn’t go to waste… hmm. Forget what I just said, I’m a bit tired and my words slipped.”
Ah, I see.
After all, she was a princess, yet forced to marry a psychopath emperor. It seemed the mother of the possessed body had low status.
Historically and in stories, illegitimate children were often disguised as royalty for arranged marriages, so my case fits that pattern.
But this sister has been subtly looking down on me from the start.
Normally, I’d want to skip this power struggle and get straight to business, but I kept my social smile and said gently,
“But, sister, you didn’t come all this way just to quarrel with me, did you?”
I doubted Adania came only to mock me.
“If you have a request, please speak freely. That way I can help you, can’t I?”
“…What request could I have for you?”
Adania feigned ignorance.
If she responded this way, I had no choice but to set a trap.
“Still, to bring cheap fabric as a congratulatory gift… I had to put in some effort to prevent the pilling from showing to Your Majesty.”
It wasn’t much effort, but I told her to hand it over to me since it came from my homeland.
It was absurd to bring such quality to present a gift to ‘him’ Kallio.
If I claimed the gift was unsatisfactory and punished the delegate, or started a war, what then?
There was only one plausible reason.
‘They didn’t have the means to buy something worthy as a wedding gift for the emperor.’
So, I decided to probe my family’s financial situation.
“Did you come to borrow money?”
