It Turned Out She Wasn't a Favored Concubine - Episode 23

“Ugh…”

I nearly retched. It took everything I had to suppress the nausea rising up my throat.

The condition of Louie and the other maids was horrific. Their bodies were bruised black and red, and their once slender limbs were grotesquely swollen.

Crude bandages were haphazardly wrapped around them, and dark red blood still seeped through.

How could a human—how could anyone—end up like this?

It was impossible to believe the horror before my eyes.

This was intentional. Someone had deliberately inflicted this violence.

Without a shred of mercy.

“Who? Who did this?”

My head spun with rage.

In my original world, I’d seen all kinds of incidents on the news. And in this world, Arne’s diary had shown me how her outrageous behavior led to people getting hurt or cast out over trivial matters.

But those were always indirect experiences.

Never had I witnessed someone beaten and broken right before my eyes.

As a human being, fury surged through me.

“I said, who?!”

My scream echoed like a cry of desperation. Seril and the maids waiting in the hallway all dropped to their knees again.

But no one answered.

I turned my bloodshot eyes to Seril. Her shoulders trembled.

“This is your last chance. Who did this?”

The maids sobbed quietly. Seril’s lips quivered.

“It was His Majesty’s order.”

“…”

Honestly, I already knew the answer.

The Emperor.

The one who stood at the pinnacle of the Empire.

Who else could wield such brutal authority over the palace maids?

I bit my lip.

I tasted blood, but felt no pain.

If the Emperor had punished the maids of Arlin Palace, it was because of me.

Yes, because of the political situation, he had no choice but to pretend to favor the concubine Arne—someone he probably couldn’t stand.

And then that concubine stirred up trouble. She vanished, despite still being useful to him. How infuriating and inconvenient that must’ve been.

So he took out his anger on the maids. Blaming them for failing to serve their mistress properly and allowing her to go missing.

It was just an excuse.

The one he truly wanted to punish was Arne.

But since he couldn’t touch the favored concubine, he vented his wrath on her maids.

If it had been the real Arne, she wouldn’t have noticed a thing.

She wouldn’t have cared about her imprisoned maids. She’d simply enjoy her newly appointed ones and work them hard.

But I wasn’t her.

Erich had come running, his cloak muddied and his hair soaked with sweat.

He’d called my name like a lover reunited after decades.

He’d cared for me, smiled gently—and I’d let my guard down.

Even though I knew it was an act, a deception, a facade.

I’d foolishly relaxed under his beautiful, tender gaze.

And the price was steep.

Once again, I realized—

This world was not mine.

Never.

I paced anxiously inside the archive. The sound of my footsteps grated on my nerves, but I couldn’t sit still.

Time crawled. Though the appointed hour was far off, I began to resent the person I was waiting for.

Why was Perlo taking so long?

I bit my lip and stared out the foggy window, as if Perlo might descend from the sky.

But all I saw was the towering spire of the Berna Palace at the heart of the imperial grounds.

The moment I laid eyes on that sharp spire, I turned away as if stabbed.

I was afraid.

Not of the spire itself, but of its master. Though I’d been furious at the Emperor for what he’d done to Louie and the others, I was also terrified.

Louie’s bruised body reminded me of my own bloodied state.

I wanted to storm into Berna Palace and confront the Emperor, but I feared he’d forget my usefulness and strike me down.

Trembling, I barely managed to issue an order.

Bring the imperial physician. Treat the maids immediately. I couldn’t confront the Emperor directly, but I wouldn’t leave the maids in that state.

Thankfully, their lives weren’t in danger. Louie’s bruises were severe, but with a month or two of rest, she’d recover.

Relief washed over me, but the long recovery time left me stunned.

Especially when Louie cried with joy upon seeing me safe.

The absurd incident with the Motus hadn’t ended as a mere mishap.

Too many people had been hurt. Even the librarians were injured.

Because I’d gone missing, the head librarian was dismissed, and the staff were imprisoned in the underground cells.

The only silver lining was that the maids were tortured first, so the librarians were spared—for now.

Except for Lean, who had guided me to the underground.

Lean was bloodied and locked in a cell. I couldn’t say a word to him.

The next morning, Erich came to Arlin Palace.

I greeted him stiffly, clenching my trembling hands.

“Why did you treat my maids that way?”

Erich tilted his head slightly, as if confused.

“Arne’s maids? They’re right here.”

He gestured to Seril and the new maids. I swallowed my anger and spoke slowly.

“No, I mean the ones in prison. I saw them myself—covered in blood.”

“You went there yourself? I didn’t expect Arne to visit such a filthy place for mere servants.”

Of course. I wasn’t Arne. Erich assumed she wouldn’t care about lowly maids, so he punished them mercilessly.

This situation had defied his expectations. Yet Erich remained unchanged.

Whether I knew or not—it didn’t matter to him.

I asked again.

“Why were my maids beaten so badly?”

Erich, shockingly, smiled.

“Isn’t it obvious? Those who fail to serve their mistress deserve harsh punishment. Especially if that mistress is Arne.”

His answer was cheerful and unapologetic.

“I considered executing them, but Arne seems satisfied with her maids lately, so I spared their lives.”

He narrowed his eyes, as if expecting praise.

“I’m satisfied with making an example. The rest is up to Arne.”

An example…

That word echoed in my ears. A warning.

I want to destroy you—but I’m holding back.

I was so angry, I couldn’t speak.

No—fear overtook my rage.

I said nothing.

After that, I froze and responded to the Emperor’s words with short replies. He even asked why I was acting that way, but I simply shook my head.

I just wanted him to leave Arlin Palace.

Terrified, I fell ill again. My head throbbed like it would split open, but I never told Erich. I clenched my teeth and endured, waiting only for the day I’d meet Perlo at the imperial library.

And when that day came, I rushed to the library.

Seril and the maids protested, but I wouldn’t be stopped.

Upon arrival, the librarians stiffened.

Most had been imprisoned because of me. Erich had truly left the rest to my discretion.

He accepted my request to treat the maids and reinstate the librarians.

As if his only goal had been to show me a warning…

The librarians looked at me with fear and hostility.

Though they hadn’t been tortured directly, they’d witnessed the suffering of the maids and Lean.

I bit my lip and endured their stares.

None of them approached me. Lean’s absence was especially painful.

He remained unconscious in bed. His wounds had healed, but he hadn’t awakened.

The imperial physician said it was a matter of the soul, and that only time could help.

He trembled under my pressure but insisted there was nothing more to be done.

Lean was the heaviest burden in my heart.

What if he never woke up—because of me?

Could I bear that guilt?

Seeing the librarians’ scarred faces only reminded me of Lean, and my heart burned.

Eventually, I summoned the head librarian and demanded the key to the restricted archive.

No one dared stop me. I passed the librarians quickly and ordered everyone to stay out of the underground archive.

Seril tried to stop me, but I told her to guard the entrance if she was worried, and descended the stairs.

I felt sorry, but today—I had to meet him.

Perlo Shanaire.

Thankfully, the archive was untouched.

Except for the iron bars embedded in the foggy window.

Erich’s orders?

I suppressed the tightness in my chest and entered the archive. I feared the soldiers might’ve found the Motus, but thankfully, no such news had reached me.

The Motus lay hidden in the shadows beneath the shelf. Without the idea of teleportation, no one would’ve found it.

I instinctively reached for it, then slowly withdrew my hand.

Touching that shard had changed everything.

It had given me a once-in-a-lifetime chance—and filled my heart with fear.

I waited anxiously for the floor beneath the shelf to glow red.

How many times did I circle the narrow archive?

A soft red light shimmered beneath the shelf.

And beside it stood a man with red hair, leaning casually.

I cried out in joy before I could stop myself:

“Perlo Shanaire!”

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