DEDLB | Ch 02

2.

“Once you finish breakfast, please head to the main palace.”

Yvonne nodded, still looking dazed, though she wasn’t really eager about it.

The thought of having to repeat her pitiful life again wasn’t something she welcomed.

Living a life of constantly trying to please the Emperor and fading away… That kind of miserable existence felt like a punishment in itself.

The coronation of the Empress would be delayed again, and the Emperor would turn his attention to a new woman.

Then, she’d be framed for treason and pushed to the brink of death, ending with… a tragic end.

No one would be left by her side.

In her past life, Yvonne had dreamed of changing this miserable fate by starting a rebellion.

She wanted to overthrow the Emperor, who had continuously ignored her, and build a new world.

But that plan failed miserably, too.

‘What if this life isn’t a punishment, but my final chance…’

She had only recently been given the opportunity to relive her life again, but she knew she had to pull herself together quickly. Continuing her pitiful life in the same way would be like a prisoner awaiting execution.

‘Maybe the one who made this reincarnation possible is hoping I’ll change my destiny, that I’ll completely break free and be reborn…’

Yvonne stood up in her nightgown and walked over to the window.

The beautiful landscape of the Sildron Empire’s palace filled her view.

It was the country she loved. It was certainly that.

But her country constantly held a knife to her throat, calling her an unworthy and insufficient Empress-in-name, someone unfit to be the true Empress.

No matter how great Sildron was, or how high her honor was, it didn’t matter. She would die by December.

As she closed her eyes, a chilly early spring breeze swept over her and pushed her hair aside.

The lesson she had learned from her miserable death was that love was fleeting, just a temporary feeling.

“Your Highness, shall we go?”

Yvonne gave a small nod and followed Lucy to the dressing room to change clothes.

She picked a dark teal dress from the similar ones hanging there.

“Do you have to wear that one?” Lucy asked.

Yvonne raised an eyebrow, as if to ask what she meant.

“Huh?”

“That dress. It’s so plain. Even the daughters of lower-ranking nobles wear fancier ones than that…”

Yvonne, though holding the second-highest rank in the Empire as the Empress-in-name, insisted on wearing simple clothes that a merchant’s wife might wear.

She hardly wore any jewelry either.

The only accessory she had was an emerald ring given to her by the Emperor.

It was a gift from the late Empress, and although it was worn and faded, she never took it off.

“The Emperor didn’t give me much money for clothes. The budget for jewelry is nearly all leftover from last year. No one would scold you for wearing a couple of trendy dresses.”

“Lucy.”

“The Emperor’s frugality is well-known among the people. To uphold the honor of the Empress of Sildron, you should…”

Yvonne smiled and shook her head.

“Clothes are just for covering the body.”

Lucy opened her mouth to protest, but Yvonne’s gentle voice stopped her.

“The Empire is growing. That means there are more places where the budget is needed.”

“Your Highness…”

“Money can be needed anywhere, anytime. The first thing we can cut is the budget for clothes.”

Because she still clearly remembered her past life, Yvonne knew exactly what to say to comfort Lucy.

The words flowed easily, as if she had memorized them.

“There’s no need to be too sad, Lucy. I accept all of this as natural…”

But now, Yvonne knew clearly that her sacrifice wasn’t something that should be taken for granted.

Her husband, Frederick, was the Emperor, but she was not the Empress.

That was where the problem started.

The Emperor’s coronation had already been held, but her coronation had been repeatedly delayed due to constant wars.

Even now, with the war easing, the people were suffering from its aftereffects, and that became another excuse.

Holding grand events like the Empress’s coronation would create a sense of discomfort, they said.

In her first life, Yvonne nodded along to the Emperor’s excuses. She thought some sacrifice was expected to live as the Empress.

A queen was meant to be like that.

But after going through several near-deaths, she couldn’t ignore the growing sense of disillusionment.

Whether living as a wise Empress or plotting a rebellion, she couldn’t escape the cycle of death. That was her fate, her destiny.

She would never become the Empress.

“…But if you really want it.”

This time, she said something she had never said before, and a smile spread across her face.

Lucy, who had been staring at the floor with a gloomy expression, suddenly lifted her head, her eyes wide in surprise.

“Really? You mean you’ll have new clothes made?”

“Yeah. Have a tailor you like come. Wearing a dress that’s trendy and pays attention to people’s tastes isn’t a bad idea.”

“Yes! I’ll contact them this morning!”

Lucy clapped her hands, overjoyed, even though she wasn’t the one getting the new clothes.

“Now that it’s decided, will you let me help you get dressed?”

“Of course, no problem!”

Lucy hummed happily as she helped Yvonne put on the dress.

The dark teal dress fit her perfectly, simple but elegant.

Stepping back, Lucy clasped her hands together and whispered.

“Your Highness, it’s not the clothes that give you wings—your beauty is your wings.”

“What’s this talk from you? I already raised your salary last month.”

Yvonne, a little embarrassed by Lucy’s praise, turned her head, and Lucy raised her chin proudly, saying,

“It’s true! Everyone praises your intellect, Your Highness, both the commoners and the nobles, but I know that’s not all. You’re so beautiful and dazzling… Why doesn’t the Emperor see it?”

Lucy’s voice trailed off when she mentioned the Emperor.

There was a reason Lucy, the head maid to the second-most powerful woman in Sildron, couldn’t walk with her head held high.

The Emperor’s attention never stayed on Yvonne.

If only Frederick had shown even a little more affection to Yvonne, she wouldn’t have been stuck as the Empress-in-name, or so the palace rumors went.

Yvonne smiled bitterly and shook her head.

“No, I’m fine.”

…She wasn’t fine. Not at all.

The truth was, she wanted to say it out loud.

She had always been stuck as the Empress-in-name, and Frederick never looked her way.

Even when she was facing death, he never stood by her.

‘You… you’re nothing without me.’

Knock. Knock.

“Your Highness, it’s Tristan.”

A polite knock sounded, and Lucy quickly opened the door to reveal Tristan, the Prime Minister, who was essentially Frederick’s right-hand man.

“The Emperor requests to see you.”

“He said after breakfast, he would like to meet with you…”

“He says it’s urgent, Your Highness. Please go to him right away.”

Tristan lifted his chin and looked at Yvonne.

Frederick, known for his gentle nature, was admired for his benevolence.

The people praised his reign and hoped it would continue. But he wasn’t perfect.

‘Indecisive man.’

Yvonne thought of her husband in this way.

He didn’t want to upset anyone, not the nobles, not the commoners.

He always stayed neutral, never making bold reforms.

Yvonne, instead, lived as the ‘scapegoat,’ taking on the roles that the Emperor couldn’t handle.

She carried out the tasks Frederick dared not, even though it brought her opposition, and she was scorned for it.

In her innocent days, it was sad to realize everyone hated her, but she accepted it as part of the deal.

“The Emperor urgently needs to see you, Your Highness.”

Tristan looked directly at Yvonne, delivering the message.

Yvonne quietly listened and then spoke slowly.

“…If it’s not urgent, I can’t go.”