Chapter 43: A Good Way to Get Rid of Leneve

The afternoon sunlight streamed warmly into the bedroom.

Having woken up late, Esica ate the lunch prepared by her maid and dozed off in the rocking chair.

Staring blankly at the fire burning in the hearth, her eyelids grew heavy.

“Maybe I’ll sleep a little longer.”

Her gaze fell on the bed, soft and plush with inviting bedding.

Since the tea party, Esica had been keeping to herself, carefully observing the reactions of the nobles.

It was because of the brawl between Icar and Viscount Belkein over Leneve—right next to the location of her tea party, of all places.

She feared losing the favor of the Bashker nobles because of that incident.

The Duchess of Durenburg had also advised that it would be wise to refrain from attending social gatherings for a while.

Fortunately, no foolish people had been gossiping about the incident over the past few days.

It seemed safe now to slowly resume her social activities.

If there was any minor problem, it was that she had grown too accustomed to her lazy lifestyle.

She would rise around midday, eat slowly, stroll near the guest rooms, and the day would pass.

“This kind of life isn’t bad.”

For a fleeting moment, Esica allowed herself that thought—but she quickly steeled her mind.

It was not yet time to rest.

Esica knew the rules of the social ecosystem very well.

If you don’t strike first, you get eaten.

Since Leneve’s side had already launched a preemptive attack, she could not remain in hiding forever.

Thinking back to the tea party, a flush of heat ran from the top of her head to her toes.

Her tightly clenched fists trembled.

If she hadn’t noticed in time and responded quickly, what would have become of her?

“I would have been utterly humiliated.”

Even now, the memory made her shudder.

She dug her nails into the armrest of the chair hard enough to leave marks.

“How should I get my revenge…?”

As Esica narrowed her eyes, continuing to ponder, a maid entered carrying a basket of red fruit.

“What’s that?”

“It’s fruit sent as a gift for Your Highness.”

Esica let out a laugh of disbelief.

“You could have given something like jewelry that could be resold, at least.”

Fruit as a gift—whoever had sent it clearly lacked any sense.

“Wait… fruit?”

Suddenly, a vivid memory from the original timeline flashed through Esica’s mind. Her eyes widened.

“…!”

She twisted her red lips into a determined smile.

“Found it. A good way to get rid of Leneve.”

Keernen handed over a piece of parchment.

“Lady, I’ve organized the list of gifts that have arrived.”

Leneve had tasked Keernen with sorting and reporting the incoming presents.

After scanning the list, Leneve pointed to a section of the parchment.

“Keernen, we should return these.”

“Send back the gifts from Count Grail…”

Keernen marked Count Grail’s name separately.

When the sorting was finished, Keernen asked with a slightly disappointed look:

“Lady, why do you return the valuable gifts and only keep the less significant ones?”

“If I accept expensive gifts outright, there could be problems later.”

“What kind of problems?”

Keernen tilted his head in confusion.

“Nobles don’t spend gold without reason. They likely sent those valuable gifts as a form of investment.”

“Excuse me? Gifts as an investment?”

Keernen asked again, puzzled.

“This happened once in Paradium,” Leneve explained, adapting Esica’s past experience slightly.

“There was a favored consort of the emperor. Nobles sent her lavish gifts without hesitation.”

“……”

“The consort may have been happy for a while, surrounded by the admiration of high-ranking nobles and expensive gifts.”

“Even as a consort, she must have received truly precious gifts,” Keernen said, smiling faintly as if imagining her feelings.

“But her happiness didn’t last long.”

“Why not?”

“Soon, all sorts of requests started pouring in to her.”

“Requests?”

“From monopolies on trade to buying land cheaply and demanding its development… the types of requests varied widely.”

“I see.”

Though he looked like he didn’t fully understand, Keernen nodded.

“Such requests were beyond the consort’s authority and required the emperor’s approval.”

“I’m not very familiar, but isn’t there such a thing as pillow litigation?”

“Even if one or two requests are fine, no emperor would appreciate a consort who constantly asks for more than is proper,” Keernen said.

Finally understanding, he nodded.

“The consort, unable to constantly petition the emperor, faced difficulties. Someone had to handle the aftermath.”

Recalling that time left a bitter taste in Leneve’s mouth.

Which noble would use such vast sums purely out of goodwill?

Esica seemed to have believed that the nobles’ generous gifts were given entirely out of goodwill.

But the nobles thought the emperor’s consort had accepted bribes.

“She seems to have forgotten that managing the consort’s affairs is also part of the empress’s duty.”

Lucius had said as much.

All the consequences of Esica’s thoughtless actions had fallen on Leneve.

Undoubtedly, Esica had caused the initial problem.

But Esica’s sole responsibility was to please Lucius, while Leneve had to manage the internal affairs of the imperial palace as empress.

For this reason, most emperors had kept their consorts’ existence strictly hidden.

Though hiding them couldn’t be perfect, at least previous emperors had made the effort.

“Lady, I hesitate to say this, but it seems to be the emperor’s fault.”

Keernen pouted, and Leneve only replied silently:

“I couldn’t agree more.”

Even when the situation had worsened enough for Lucius to be aware, he never scolded Esica.

“Your Majesty, shouldn’t we warn the emperor’s consort not to accept gifts so freely?”

Unable to hold back, Leneve had suggested this, and Lucius had responded:

“Empress, Esica is the woman who will bear my child—the next emperor of Paradium.”

So the one who couldn’t bear children was expected to handle the consequences of Esica’s reckless behavior.

Recalling those memories, Leneve gulped down her now-cold tea to calm her heart.

“Lady, should we serve the fruit as dessert?”

Noticing Leneve’s discomfort, Keernen tried to lighten the mood.

“Fruit?”

“Yes.”

Fresh fruit in Bashker was expensive.

But returning it could cause it to spoil, so it was better to eat it.

“I was just in the mood for something refreshing. Perfect.”

“I’ll prepare it right away.”

After Keernen left, Leneve scanned the gift list again.

Some of the items were unusual even for Paradium, so Keernen had cleverly added notes alongside them.

“Pesh: fruit”

Leneve confirmed there were no other notable items.

As she tried to calm the sting of old memories, Amber entered the sitting room.

“I’m back, Miss.”

Amber looked exhausted, likely from gathering information throughout the palace since morning.

“Amber, good work. Keernen said he’d peel the fruit, so you can rest a bit while eating.”

Amber’s face immediately brightened.

“It’s been so long since I’ve had fresh fruit!”

At that moment, Keernen returned, carrying a beautifully plated dish of fruit.

“Lady, please try this. It’s called Pesh, very sweet and refreshing.”

Setting it on the table, Keernen watched Leneve closely.

The fruit had already been peeled, but it resembled a soft peach at first glance.

Seeing Leneve stare seriously at the fruit, Keernen asked,

“Lady, is something wrong?”

“I need to check who sent this fruit.”

Leneve examined the parchment listing the gifts.

Keernen pointed to a name.

“It’s from Baron Shavan.”

“Keernen, have you ever tried Pesh before?”

Keernen looked puzzled.

“Yes, just a small taste.”

“Didn’t you eat a little while peeling it?”

Amber teased, and Keernen shook his head.

“I only tasted a little after the emperor’s coronation ceremony. And just now, I really only tasted a bit.”

“Ah.”

Amber giggled, and Keernen blushed.

Without stopping their playful banter, Leneve focused on her thoughts.

“Could he have known?”

Baron Shavan.

A name Leneve had never heard before, even in the original timeline.

Moreover, as a Bashker noble, there was no way he would have known…

“Lady, aren’t you going to eat?”

Keernen’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

“Sorry, I have a reason not to eat it, even though you went to the trouble.”

Leneve stood without touching the fruit.

“Is this fruit called Pesh in Paradium?”

“Yes.”

“Then it’s best if Amber and I share it.”

Amber, looking puzzled, picked up a piece of Pesh and popped it into her mouth.

Her eyes widened as she chewed.

“Oh? Miss, this is…”

Amber finally looked at Leneve in shock.

Leneve nodded lightly to Amber.

“I need to find out something. I’m going to the library.”

Keernen followed quickly behind her.

“I’ll come with you then.”

“You can go alone. Eat the fruit.”

Leneve left the room and headed straight for the palace library, intending to check the list of nobles.

“Why is the lady acting like this all of a sudden?”

Keernen asked Amber, watching Leneve’s retreating figure.

“She’s allergic to this fruit. If she eats it, it could be serious.”

“……What?”

“The name is different from Paradium, and just looking at the peeled fruit made me unsure, but tasting it confirmed it. It’s fortunate she didn’t eat it.”

Only then did Keernen take a piece of Pesh for himself.

Since it could harm the lady, it was better to eat it quickly and clear it away.

Seeing Keernen eat aggressively, Amber hurriedly joined in, clearing the plate as well.