Chapter 2: She must be crazy! A stalker?!
Every time I read romance fantasy novels, there was always something I wondered about.
How does the villainess manage to appear at every critical moment?
Whenever the male lead and female lead meet, the villainess always shows up as if she had been waiting for it.
Today, I discovered that trade secret.
Reports monitoring and documenting every single move of the emperor…
Helena, you must be crazy! Are you a stalker?!
“Sigh.”
I let out a deep sigh.
I had clearly underestimated things.
This wasn’t a problem I could solve just by deciding not to commit any more misdeeds.
After all, there were things the real Helena had already set in motion.
The reports were one thing—I could simply order them to stop.
But…
“Your Majesty, we’ve been waiting so long!”
“Sniff! Please be happy. We’ve finally completed the task you so fervently wished for!”
The problem was that Helena had issued more than just a couple of orders.
Out of nowhere, maids popped up, beaming as they reported their accomplishments.
“We’ve swapped out the ingredients being delivered to the Imperial Consort’s Palace. By now, they’re probably all running to the bathroom!”
“We replaced the Imperial Consort’s cosmetics with cheap knockoffs. When she uses them up and moves on to the new products…”
“We slashed the soles of the Imperial Consort’s shoes. If she takes a stroll with His Majesty, they’re bound to fall apart, and she’ll suffer.”
These were people who had faithfully carried out the real Helena’s instructions.
Wait a minute.
Come to think of it, these incidents sound familiar.
Like when the female lead got food poisoning, and the male lead nursed her all night.
Or when the female lead’s face swelled unexpectedly, and the male lead comforted her.
Or when her shoes broke during a garden walk, and the male lead had to support her.
Right, these were all romantic scenes from the original story.
I had thought the heroine’s frail constitution caused these events.
So that’s what it was?
Now I realized they were all connected to my maids’ covert activities.
What should I do?
I massaged my throbbing temples.
“Your Majesty.”
At that moment, I heard someone call me.
“Is something the matter?” the maids asked in worried tones.
They seemed concerned that something had gone wrong with their work.
There is definitely a problem…
But I couldn’t bring myself to scold the maids recklessly.
If they were guilty of anything, it was faithfully following Helena’s orders.
Right. It wasn’t their fault.
It was entirely my fault.
To be precise, it was the fault of the villainess Helena, who had manipulated these innocent maids into loyalty.
How had she managed to make them so devoted?
“If there’s anything you’re dissatisfied with, please tell us. We’ll fix it immediately.”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“I just have something to think about. Could you all leave me alone for a while?”
“Yes.”
“Understood.”
The maids bowed deeply before leaving.
Seeing their gloomy expressions, I couldn’t help but add a few words.
“You’ve all worked hard.”
“Thank you!”
“We’re honored by your praise!”
Their bright smiles made it even harder to reprimand them.
Fine. I’ll acknowledge their efforts and gradually let them know they don’t need to do these things anymore.
It’s okay.
Things were messier than I had thought, but I could solve them one step at a time.
***
“I heard all of the Imperial Consort’s dresses were shredded to rags.”
“Cough, cough!”
It was during dinner with my husband, Jerome.
Out of nowhere, he brought up the topic of the dresses.
Oh, that hit hard.
I gulped down some water to calm my nerves.
Then, feigning surprise, I looked at Jerome, who was seated across from me.
“The Imperial Consort’s dresses were ruined? Oh my goodness.”
“…”
“That’s awful. Who would do such a terrible thing?”
“…”
Haha, there’s no need to stare at me like that.
Yes, I know I’m being shameless right now.
“So… have you caught the culprit?”
I kept up the act, pretending to know nothing.
“Not yet.”
Jerome rested his chin on his hand, shooting me another sharp glare.
“They were very thorough in covering their tracks.”
“My word.”
“Don’t you have any suspects, Empress?”
“Unfortunately, I have no idea.”
The problem was that I knew too well.
The image of Marie holding those scissors and smiling brightly flashed before my eyes.
But I couldn’t confess the truth outright.
Lady Marie of the Debon Barony was a girl with a complicated story.
Although she was a noble, she was practically a single guardian, taking care of her younger siblings after her parents fled in the night, leaving behind gambling debts.
Punishing someone like her would be too harsh.
Without Helena’s orders in the first place, Marie wouldn’t have had any reason to commit such acts.
‘I’m sorry, heroine.’
I thought I should send the Imperial Consort a dress from a famous salon someday.
“Do you really not know anything?”
Jerome asked again.
He even put down his fork and knife.
His red eyes flickered dangerously as he stared at me.
The look in his eyes already condemned me as the culprit.
At this point, it was truly unfair.
Why do I have to endure such an accusatory gaze?
It’s not my fault I possessed the body of a villainess!
Feeling unjustly accused, I lashed out in return.
“Are you seriously suspecting me right now?”
“…”
“Why on earth would I tear up the Imperial Consort’s dresses? I haven’t even stepped outside the Empress’ Palace.”
I pleaded my case indignantly.
It wasn’t a lie.
Except for coming here to dine with him, I really hadn’t left the Empress’ Palace.
Why bother wandering around when I had such a cozy palace?
Despite my strong defense, Jerome didn’t seem convinced.
“Then who else could have orchestrated such a thing?”
“I wouldn’t know. Maybe someone else who holds a grudge against the Imperial Consort? Or perhaps… a rat did it?”
Of course, that was an absurd excuse.
Who in the world would dare harbor such malice toward the Imperial Consort to the extent of ruining her dresses?
If you searched the entire imperial family, there would only be one person.
Helena.
The heroine, the Imperial Consort, had a pure and pitiful image.
She was kind-hearted and always showed kindness to everyone.
Naturally, everyone adored her.
It made sense for Jerome to suspect me, the Empress.
But I couldn’t admit it so easily.
It had only been a day since I declared I wouldn’t commit any more misdeeds.
In situations like this, the best approach was to act even more confidently.
“So, do you have any proof that I did it?”
“Your past actions are proof enough. Do we need more?”
“Well…”
I was at a loss for words because of my guilty conscience.
Helena had indeed committed many wrongs.
But that was all before I possessed her body.
“What you’re saying is that there’s no concrete evidence that I did it.”
I spoke as nonchalantly as I could.
“Once again, it wasn’t me.”
“…How shameless.”
His expression turned icy.
“If you can’t trust me, why not consider a divorce? I’d rather not deal with these pointless accusations any longer.”
It wasn’t just a joke—it was how I genuinely felt.
Helena may have committed numerous wrongs, but not all the blame could rest solely on her.
Even if it was a political marriage, still.
If your husband only had eyes for another woman before the marriage even began, what woman would stay calm?
Even if he chose the Empress as a way to bring the Imperial Consort into the palace.
Whatever the reason, this was a flawed relationship.
Now that the Imperial Consort was here, I could leave without regret.
“Divorce?”
Jerome’s demeanor shifted entirely at my bold statement.
The cold and indifferent look in his eyes was replaced with a chilling intensity.
Was it because of the sudden tension?
The chefs and guards waiting in the dining room silently left.
An argument between the Emperor and Empress.
It was only natural for them to clear the area.
When even the attendants had gone, only Jerome and I remained in the vast dining room.
The realization that we were alone in such a large space made me nervous.
Screech.
Jerome pushed back his chair and stood up.
Then, step by step, he approached me.
Though his face was expressionless, his presence was as imposing as a masterpiece sculpture.
A work of art created with painstaking care by a skilled artist.
I could see why Helena had been so obsessed with him.
But no matter how handsome the sculpture, if it approached with murderous intent, it was a completely different story.
I gulped instinctively.
Before I knew it, Jerome was standing close beside me.
He raised his hand.
Was he going to slap me?
I shut my eyes tightly.
But his hand didn’t touch my cheek—it landed on my shoulder instead.
“I was worried because of the strange things you said last time. But it seems I didn’t need to be.”
A low voice whispered into my ear.
“……!”
Startled, my eyes flew open.
Jerome withdrew his hand from my shoulder and was already walking out of the dining room.
“…What the?”
Why is he acting like this all of a sudden?
I was left staring at his retreating back, utterly bewildered.
—
Read More at – GENZNOVEL.COM!!
PLEASE JOIN OUR DISCORD AND SUBSCRIBE THE ROLE TO RECEIVE LATEST NOTIFICATIONS!!
Click here -> https://discord.gg/S8c2kGVr2g
Comment