"
Marguerite sits in a corner awkwardly. No one bothers to acknowledge her presence and so she doesn't get the opportunity to talk to the grand dowager empress like the others. She can only watch on as the consorts continuously flatter the old woman.
Sometimes she sneaks peeks at the appearance of the empress. It shocks her even now how the woman looks so young and beautiful even though she is well over her 50s. She almost thought people didn't age here, but she then recalled all the elderly people she has seen ever since arriving.
She notices that Rin is being ostracised as well, which surprises her greatly. Could it be that the dowager empress also dislikes her? But why?
