"Marquis Benedict, I don't know what you're planning to do. However, this is my parlor. I didn't give you permission to enter." The Empress said with forethought, her glare focused on the one and only representative of the Royal High Court.
Lamentably for the Empress, her relationship with the Marquis was ill-fated.
Ever since the Marquis became the Emperor's direct representative, he had placed the Empress under surveillance. If not for her status, Marquis Benedict would have already indicted her of every crime there was.
The Marquis scoffed at the Empress' words, knowing that she wouldn't be able to do anything to him. The Imperial Palace was for the Emperor to control after all. And that very Emperor was laggardly retracting his support for the Empress.
"I was invited by a member. Why would I not come? It will be rude to do so, Your Highness."
"Did it not occur to you that the barging in my private space is ruder than anything else?!" The Empress raised her voice, forgetting the fact that she should not throw a fit of temper in front of the Marquis.
Having had enough of talking with the Empress, the Marquis walked straight towards the Countess. He stood beside the couch she was sitting on. The man then gave a small nod to the noblewomen looking at him.
"Countess Harol, Countess Parsen, Countess Holand, Viscountess Bradford, Viscountess Ter, Baroness Merlin, Baroness Enrietta, it's a pleasure to join your little conversation."
He put a smile on his face, but his attempt at cordiality didn't reach his eyes. The noblewomen all stood up and paid their respects to the Marquis. If the Empress had to be courteous to the man, then so should they.
Since the Marquis had yet to take a seat, the women, even though they're much older than him, had to remain standing. Their gazes were on the ground, fidgety at the tensed atmosphere being brewed inside the room.
"Your Highness, why don't you take a seat so we can start talking? As you can see, I'm not the freest person at the moment."
The only reply that the Empress was willing to give was the clacking of her heels. She quickly sat back down and lifted her cup, emptying it in one go. Instead of lowering the cup carefully, she threw it towards the side.
The glass shattered in an instant, making the noblewomen flinch. Without a delay, the maids cleaned up the mess.
"If you are busy, then you should not have come here. You sound like a hypocrite."
Marquis Benedict just shrugged at the Empress, responding with, "Not as hypocritical as you, Your Highness."
"I might not have that much influence, but I am still the Empress! How dare you talk to me like that!"
"An Empress who can't give birth to an heir is no better than a beggar, Your Highness. Along with that, you're more rotten than the drug lords who are in prison."
The Empress bared her gritted teeth at the Marquis while her hands were tightly clutching her shirt. However, Marquis Benedict was not done. He slowly made his way towards her, stopping just beside her couch. He then placed his hands on the armrest ahead of speaking.
"His Highness, the Crown Prince, isn't exactly pleased with your behavior these past few years, Empress. You know what that means, don't you?"
At the very mention of the Crown Prince, the coldest of shivers ran down the Empress' spine. Her clutch loosened, feeling like all of her strength was starting to leave her body.
"The reason you're not imprisoned yet was that His Highness still has use for you. So don't act all high and mighty, dear Empress. Be obedient while we're being lenient to you."
Once he was finished saying his piece, the Marquis returned to Countess Orelia's side. He grabbed the woman's arm and forced her to stand up.
"What- what are you doing, Marquis Benedict?"
"Come with me. Lady Gertrude is asking for you."
The Marquis caused a few raised eyebrows amongst the noblewomen. Ilya's name had spread far and wide, not only in the capital but also in the entire Empire. Her appearance even made it as a piece of news to the neighboring nations.
Meanwhile, the Countess tried to pull her arm away from the Marquis. But her strength did not win against him. Hence, she just pooled her hatred in her eyes and tossed them at the Marquis.
"Why is that woman looking for me?! I have no business with her, nor has she! I have something to talk about with the Empress, so let go of me this instant!" The Countess flew off the handle, assaying to flee from the Marquis.
Marquis Benedict leaned closer to the Countess' ears, much to the woman's surprise. He glanced at the woman's shaky eyes as he began whispering, "Do you know what Lady Gertrude stored in the Memory Sphere? It's the conversation that you had with Sorsiana Hamlin -- the murderer of Hevelia von Bismarck. Including the stash of funds in the basement of the Hamlin Estate, that memory can result in your incarceration."
Countess Hamlin's eyes widened, almost as if they're going to jump out of their sockets, and her bottom lip started to tremble. Her expression caused the Empress and the noblewomen to be curious about what the Marquis had said.
Because of his words, the Countess couldn't resist when he dragged her outside of the room. At their departure, silence prevailed among the group of noblewomen. They couldn't utter a single word after all the castigation that the Empress received from the Marquis.
They were cautious of angering the Empress any further. It would cost them all the authority they had gathered through Her Highness' power. In the end, they had nothing if the Empress decided to expel them from her circle.
The Empress sighed deeply as she leaned back on her seat.
"For now, go back to your mansions. I want some time alone. There's no way for us to resolve this. We just have to wait for a miracle to happen."