It had been five days since the Emperor collapsed.
The Empress came by every day. I would be in the vicinity, watching over Royal Father while she sat by his side.
Whenever the Empress was around, the Emperor would be sound asleep.
It didn't make sense to me why the Empress would bother coming to visit.
While it was untrue that one must be in tears by one's sickbed, the nonchalance the Empress had towards the Emperor was undeniable.
The head of the Inner Court would only sit and watch the Emperor breathe.
She would not react to any sound of discomfort, and would tilt her body away for the few moments I exchanged the wet cloth on the Emperor's forehead with a fresh one.
Whether I was sick or not, I believed I would feel uncomfortable with such a gaze upon me for two hours at a time.
Yet, she came anyway, seeming to be there for the sake of being there.
Finally, on the sixth day since the Emperor's collapse in the Royal Gardens, the Empress opened her mouth.
