CHAPTER 110
Wherever and whenever the person who instantly seized everyone’s attention was the emperor.
Beyond mere handsomeness, his very presence changed the atmosphere of the room.
However, today, he was not the main character.
A myriad of emotions were reflected in the gazes that followed the woman stepping onto the stage in the grand outdoor auditorium.
Most people who had witnessed Arabelle's abilities during the Empress selection looked at her with affection and anticipation.
However, there were also envious and hostile eyes directed at the Empress, who occupied the seat next to the emperor without any background.
Although the imperial wedding still had five days left, no one was unaware that the emperor was already married.
The future Empress was supposed to be seated with her family, waiting for the emperor’s entrance as per tradition.
But Arabelle was already the Empress.
The new Empress entered the stage with her hand resting on the back of the emperor's hand, escorted by him.
Following her were four maids belonging to the Empress and young noblewomen who would begin their duties as ladies-in-waiting concurrently with the wedding.
“It’s remarkable how they managed to make a country bumpkin look so presentable. Truly, the craftsmanship of the imperial experts is impressive.”
“What does it matter if she looks like an Empress on the outside? You can see she’s flustered and embarrassed. How can she manage the Imperial Household with such timidity...?”
Expecting her to move awkwardly like a marionette in ill-fitting clothes, those with twisted intentions scrutinized Arabelle’s every step, looking for any fault.
Though beads of sweat formed on Arabelle’s forehead from the multitude of gazes directed at her, her cheeks turned rosy as if she had stepped from the cold into a warm room, and the hand placed on the emperor’s back trembled slightly.
Her large eyes darted around, unsure where to focus.
Her heart, which had been pounding rapidly even before entering the auditorium, now felt like it was about to burst.
Though the emperor’s hand grasped hers firmly, lending warmth, her body grew increasingly cold.
Baroness Rosalind had emphasized the importance of this moment during her lessons.
‘This is not a joyous occasion where Your Majesty receives gifts. It is a moment where your qualifications are being evaluated. Every step will be scrutinized and commented upon.’
She had practiced her steps countless times, yet suddenly her mind became a mess, and her steps faltered in her lavender velvet dress.
Just as her upper body began to pitch forward, a strong arm encircled her waist, pulling her upright.
The emperor’s firm support prevented even her ladies-in-waiting from noticing her near stumble.
Lifting her head, she saw the emperor’s gentle smile in her large hazel eyes.
Warmth returned to her cold fingers, and her anxious heart began to calm.
Arabelle straightened her posture a bit more and walked towards the imperial throne with the emperor.
As the emperor and empress took their seats at the center of the stage, fanfare announced the beginning of the event.
After several performances prepared by the imperial household, including falconry displays and plays, gifts from various noble houses and kingdoms were brought into the auditorium.
The exotic aroma of rare gifts from across the continent mingled in the air.
As the Chief Steward called names, first the nobles from the capital and regional lords approached the emperor and empress.
Next came the envoys from various kingdoms, who had arrived earlier than their kings for the wedding.
Each family presented their loyalty and congratulations to the imperial couple through their gifts.
Honoring the Empress Dowager’s homeland, the Crown Prince and Princess of the Kingdom of Sevilles were the first to pay homage to the imperial couple.
The crown prince and princess offered rare herbs, spices, tea leaves, and perfumes from the soils of the Sevilles Islands, strengthening their alliance.
Additionally, the crown prince presented twenty white horses to the emperor, while the crown princess gave the empress a set of silk bedding embroidered with gold thread.
As each gift was presented, Arabelle tried hard to maintain her expression.
The array of rare gifts, which she had never seen or touched before, made her head spin.
‘Do not show any surprise. Do not widen your big eyes at anything you see. And stop parting your lips in astonishment.’
Baroness Rosalind had instructed her to maintain a barely perceptible smile with her eyes and mouth, making Arabelle’s facial muscles twitch.
She couldn't understand why expressing gratitude for the gifts would be considered improper.
‘Those presenting the gifts should feel honored. Just lower your gaze by 45 degrees and nod your head.’
Swallowing the “Thank you” that wanted to burst out, Arabelle’s throat felt like it was being pricked by thorns.
A quick side glance at the emperor showed him embodying the epitome of ‘grace and dignity’ as described by Baroness Rosalind.
Even in front of a ruby the size of an adult’s fist, or a grand tapestry depicting the emperor’s great battle at the Bazar River, his expression remained unchanged.
He looked slightly languid and slightly cool, only nodding his head as if this was the natural order of things.
This regal demeanor filled those presenting the gifts with awe and reverence.
However, there was one fact Arabelle did not know.
The emperor was currently in a very bad mood.
Though he managed his expression for the sake of his doe-eyed wife, who kept glancing at him nervously.
The emperor had to admit his absurd miscalculation.
Before meeting Arabelle, he had been indifferent to the Empress selection competition and the subsequent wedding preparations.
To him, marriage was nothing more than a political alliance, neither more nor less.
That was until he met his wife, who looked startled and embarrassed every time she said “Thank you” to the gift presenters.
The emperor had not interfered with the five-day wedding festivities, a longstanding imperial tradition, because they brought economic benefits to the empire.
The influx of visitors stimulated market economies, and it provided a good opportunity to reaffirm the loyalty of vassal states, satellite nations, and allied kingdoms.
But... he had completely forgotten about the Empress’s gift to the emperor on the first day of the wedding period.
As he beheld the extravagant gifts befitting his reputation, his gaze subtly darkened.
Thinking about how Arabelle’s meticulously prepared gift would be compared to these, his mouth tasted bitter.
It was clear that people who didn’t know the true value of her gift would gossip.
He wanted to cancel today’s event but knew how hard Arabelle had worked on her gift.
If he canceled, the gossips would interpret it however they pleased.
He didn’t mind what others thought, but he worried Arabelle might believe he canceled because her gift was too insignificant.
So, he allowed the event to proceed.
For once, the emperor’s extraordinary intellect failed to come up with a solution.
He recalled the moment he received the report on the first event’s preparation.
***
Four days ago. The emperor’s office.
‘Hasn’t the budget been approved? Proceed as you see fit. Be cautious of the Empress Dowager and the Grand Duchess’s interference.’
It was unreasonable for the Empress to prepare her own wedding. Especially since Arabelle was still learning her responsibilities in the Imperial Household. Taking on such a massive task without being prepared would increase the likelihood of failure.
For the first three years after marriage, traditionally, the elders of the imperial family helped the new empress, but the situation was different now. The elders of the Imperial Household Department were Empress Dowager Natalia and Grand Duchess Le’sang.
There was no expectation that they would properly guide Arabelle. They were waiting for her to fail at every turn.
The Emperor entrusted the preparations and execution of his wedding to Chamberlain Sebastian and Sir Ted Chamberlain. He persuaded Baroness Rosalind, who had planned to retire after the empress lessons, to assist until the wedding. It would have been ideal if Bridgette, the maid who had long been responsible for the royal family, were by Arabelle’s side. However, Bridgette had committed an unforgivable sin by trying to trap Arabelle with Grace’s help.
The emperor’s brow furrowed momentarily as he recalled Bridgette, whom he had once trusted as one of the few loyal subjects.
In the emperor’s office, after Sir Sebastian and Sir Ted had left, Baroness Rosalind and Head Maid Vera remained.
After a brief exchange of glances with Vera, Baroness Rosalind spoke up.
‘Her Majesty the Empress is diligently preparing a gift for His Majesty.’
The corners of the emperor’s mouth slightly curled up at the thought of Arabelle preparing a gift for him.
The emperor’s mind, which was always several steps ahead, seemed not to understand the meaning of her words.
The Baroness, flustered, cleared her throat and spoke again.
‘It’s a gift Her Majesty is preparing for the first event of the wedding period.’
The corners of the emperor’s mouth, which had been pleasantly upturned, straightened.
At that moment, he remembered the blasted imperial wedding tradition.
His voice, though seemingly nonchalant, was slightly hoarse.
‘I see. What is the empress preparing?’
‘She is making Your Majesty’s robe, following the 1,500-year-old tradition.’
‘I see… That would indeed be a fitting gift to uphold tradition.’
The emperor, stroking his sharp chin with long fingers, asked softly.
‘I trust the imperial tailors and embroiderers are assisting her well? I believe they’ve selected the finest fabrics and threads for her.’
‘Well… Her Majesty refused any help. She even declined our assistance. It seems she took to heart every detail of the meaning behind the gift from the empress to the emperor as taught in my lessons.’
Vera and Baroness Rosalind explained, watching the emperor’s expression harden.
Arabelle, with her sincere and earnest nature, was following the tradition to the letter, preparing the gift with her own hands.
A wife’s gift to her husband.
Arabelle was making the robe for her husband stitch by stitch, without anyone’s help.
‘Why didn’t I know about this? Had I known, I could have offered assistance.’
‘Her Majesty wanted to surprise Your Majesty…’
In response to the emperor’s question, Vera lowered her head.
The emperor’s nape grew warm as he imagined Arabelle sweating over the needlework.
‘There are many rare jewels in the royal treasure trove that the world has never seen.’
Baroness Rosalind, instantly understanding the emperor’s intent, cautiously spoke.
‘I presumptuously suggested to Her Majesty that she might consider giving a jewel instead of the robe. I told her that if she wished, we could procure and craft the world’s most precious jewel.’
If the empress wished, the emperor would gladly provide priceless jewels from the royal treasure trove.
It wasn’t just jewels. Vera and the baroness subtly suggested other valuable gifts to Arabelle.
The Baroness, a principled woman who valued tradition and honor as her life, even said, ‘Tradition can be broken.’
But…
‘That wouldn’t be a gift from me to His Majesty,’ she firmly refused.
The baroness replied quietly, giving up.
***
The honored guests who had presented their congratulations and gifts to the imperial couple returned to their seats.
It was finally time to unveil the gift the empress had prepared for the emperor.
The hall, which had been buzzing with anticipation, fell silent.
The three maids and Milly carried a large velvet box onto the stage.
Hiding her nervous expression, Vera went to Arabelle’s side to help her open the box.
Blushing, Arabelle carefully took the emperor’s gift from the box.
From the day she took the lesson on ‘The Empress’s Gift’ from Baroness Rosalind after the abolition of the empress selection contest, she had been preparing it.
The excitement and happiness she felt while making it scattered into the air, replaced by regret.
Holding the long robe in both hands, Arabelle hung her head.
Compared to the gifts just presented, her gift was utterly shabby.
Now that she saw it, the dark green, rough fabric seemed unworthy of touching the emperor’s body.
It was a crude, clumsy robe unfit for the radiant and noble emperor.
She regretted not listening to Baroness Rosalind and Vera, who suggested preparing a different gift.
Thinking of the emperor being embarrassed by her poor gift, her eyes welled up.
Her heart ached, feeling that he was paying the price for her unworthy ambition.
Everyone in the hall felt the same.
Bringing a dark, shabby robe that would be scorned even as a commoner’s wedding gift.
Even the nobles who had a favorable view of her shook their heads slightly.
Then, the robe was lifted from her hands.
Looking up, Arabelle saw the emperor, having already removed his red satin robe, standing with her gift draped over his shoulders.
His face filled with a broad smile entered her tear-filled eyes.
His red eyes sparkled with genuine pride.
“Thank you. I will cherish it.”
The emperor stroked the robe carefully as if it were the most precious thing in the world.
The Empress Dowager and Grand Duchess Le’sang knew the emperor’s words were not empty when it came to Arabelle. Thus, they felt even more vindicated.
Thinking of the emperor walking around the palace in the shabby robe, which was fit for the battlefield, felt liberating.
Suddenly, a dark shadow loomed overhead.
The clear sky was quickly covered with dark clouds.
With a thunderous roar, the massive clouds began to unleash a cold downpour.
People, unable to avoid the sudden rain, stood still.
Hundreds of astonished and awestruck eyes focused on the emperor and his shabby robe.
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