It Turned Out She Wasn't a Favored Concubine - Episode 62

Unlike the warm breeze of the banquet hall, the dark corridor without a single light carried a chilly air. When I coughed, Giscal took off the black cloak hanging behind his black uniform and wrapped it around me. I hesitated for a moment before pulling it tight around myself.

“Thanks.”

“I didn’t expect it to be this cold. Should we find a room to go into?”

“No, this is fine.”

I sat on a long marble bench along the corridor. Thanks to the thick hem of my dress, the cold didn’t seep up from below.

“Sorry.”

“For what?”

“For making a fuss earlier and causing you to rush over.”

Giscal let out a low sigh.

“It was the fault of the second concubine who made a scene at the banquet. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“But everyone probably thinks I’m the problem. Did you… see it?”

Though I didn’t specify, Giscal understood immediately.

“His Majesty was a bit excessive, but he’ll calm down soon. Don’t worry about it.”

Giscal spoke firmly, almost dismissively, but I already knew why he was saying it that way.

“You promised not to do that anymore.”

“…”

Giscal lowered his head. His shoulder leaning against the wall shrank slightly. After a long silence, he admitted it.

“Yeah, I did.”

“Then tell me. What exactly happened just now?”

Giscal let out a faint sigh.

“His Majesty essentially declared war on the high nobles.”

“What? Declared war?”

To think a single bracelet could carry such meaning—this palace was more terrifying the more I learned about it.

“When did you give it to His Majesty?”

“Right after returning from the estate.”

“…So when you were making mine, you were also making one for His Majesty?”

Feeling a bit hurt, I mumbled.

“They said all concubines had to make a bracelet for His Majesty. He’ll wear the one offered at the temple anyway, so I just followed the formalities.”

“Hah, so by the book…”

Giscal’s low voice was barely audible. I asked again, but he only shook his head. Instead, he swept his hair back and explained the reality that hadn’t appeared in Arne’s diary.

“These days, noble ladies don’t make bracelets themselves. They hire professional artisans. It’s less trouble and looks better. The same goes for concubines.”

“R-Really?”

The contents of Arne’s diary didn’t reflect reality. I suspected the parts about traditional rituals were copied straight from old etiquette books rather than personal experience. I felt a sudden betrayal from the diary that had always been my guide.

“So the fact that you made the bracelet yourself probably didn’t sit well with the nobles.”

It wasn’t just because the craftsmanship was crude. That alone wouldn’t have provoked Marquis Parmati.

“Some of the more suspicious ones might have seen it as the Edelheit family pledging complete loyalty to the Emperor.”

I covered my face with both hands.

“Ah… I did something foolish…”

“That’s not it. If it were just that, it would’ve ended with some timid suspicions. But His Majesty crossed the line.”

Erich broke tradition by wearing the bracelet I gave him—and even gave me an identical one.

Considering the role of bracelets at the autumn banquet, the meaning was clear: a complete alliance between the Imperial family and the Edelheit family. Naturally, the high noble faction would be alarmed.

Now that I thought about it, Erich’s reaction when I handed him the bracelet was excessive. Didn’t he even shed tears?

Could it be that he was delighted by the illusion that he had completely placed the Edelheit family—and Giscal von Edelheit—into the palm of his hand?

“Is he planning to completely crush the high nobles this time?”

I exclaimed in shock, but Giscal slowly shook his head.

“I don’t think so. Of course, eliminating the high nobles is His Majesty’s wish, but a direct declaration like this only gives them a chance to defend themselves. I think His Majesty is trying to divide the high noble faction.”

“Divide them?”

“Yes. He mentioned admiring Emperor Renoua earlier, right? And both Marquis Parmati and Count Leten were present. Emperor Renoua split the noble factions into several groups, rewarded those loyal to him, and thoroughly excluded the rest.”

“So he’s choosing between Marquis Parmati and Count Leten?”

Giscal covered his mouth with his hand, deeply contemplating. I held back my many questions.

“Yes, that’s the only possible meaning.”

“Will it work? Can decades of ties be severed with just a few words? Either way?”

“That’s the question. The Parmati and Leten families aren’t just close—they’re politically and economically entangled. But His Majesty wouldn’t act without purpose.”

Giscal spoke with a strangely confident tone, as if he believed Erich would never make a mistake.

“We need to watch how the high nobles respond.”

As the cold wind blew again, I clutched Giscal’s cloak tightly. The confrontation between the Emperor and the high nobles was frightening, but regardless of who won, the Edelheit family’s future looked grim.

If the high nobles won, they’d crush our family for being enemies. If the Emperor won, he wouldn’t keep a useless pawn around. Sensing my anxiety, Giscal placed a hand on my shoulder. His large, warm hand chased away the chill.

“His Majesty must have a plan behind such a bold declaration. He’s cold, but never foolish. So you won’t be harmed.”

Suddenly, I remembered Jiskal’s retreating figure as he fled my room at the estate. Even Giscal hadn’t noticed. His misunderstanding hurt more than anyone else’s.

“That’s not certain.”

I twisted my shoulder and looked back at Giscal. His hand slipped off my shoulder.

“His Majesty might actually want me to fall.”

Giscal’s eyebrows shot up. A cowardly sense of satisfaction welled up inside me.

“Who knows if His Majesty truly cherishes me?”

“What do you mean? Everyone knows how much His Majesty favors you.”

“Maybe everyone’s been fooled.”

Giscal’s red eyes gleamed sharply. He grabbed my arms with both hands.

“Did something happen? Did His Majesty say something to you?”

His voice was flustered. His hands trembled slightly. Only then did I realize my mistake.

“Has His Majesty been treating you differently lately?”

His grip hurt my arms. When I let out a weak groan, Giscal reflexively let go and gasped.

He wasn’t his usual calm and composed self. He was far more desperate and worried than when I’d mentioned being discarded at the estate.

“No, nothing’s changed.”

Erich’s behavior hadn’t changed. Pretending to cherish me while pushing me into traps—that would continue. So I wasn’t lying to Giscal. I answered shamelessly.

“I just said it because unconditional love doesn’t exist.”

“But something must’ve changed for you to say that.”

I had told Giscal he couldn’t be at ease not knowing anything, yet I was doing the same to him. Only now did I fully understand Giscal from a few days ago. He must’ve had the same heart as I did now.

Jiskal quietly stared into my eyes. He saw through my attempt to be shameless. So I added,

“No. If anything, it’s my feelings toward His Majesty that have changed.”

Giscal’s neck moved noticeably. He didn’t respond immediately, just stared at me. His shoulders looked slightly tense.

“How… have they changed?”

“Any passion fades with time, right? After I went missing in the library, I think we’ve grown more distant.”

After realizing Erich’s act, the false passion had already cooled completely. But the incident in the library made me truly wake up. Giscal nodded with a hint of relief.

“Yeah, feelings can change. For anyone. Me too.”

“Really? I thought once you made up your mind, you’d never change.”

“I’m no different. Unexpected emotions can suddenly arise.”

Giscal, now free of his earlier stiffness, agreed with me. Then I suddenly remembered what Jenia had said—that Giscal avoided me and wandered battlefields. Completely opposite to what Louis had testified.

“Does that apply to me too?”

Giscal froze. His deep red eyes widened. He suddenly coughed.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Jenia said earlier that you go from battlefield to battlefield because you don’t want to see me. That’s not true, right?”

“You don’t need to pay attention to the second concubine’s words. There was a time we were a bit distant. But it was very brief. In high society, trivial things get exaggerated.”

“Right?”

Giscal’s strong denial reassured me. Jenia’s words didn’t seem worth worrying about.

Knowing her personality, she was the type to fabricate things just to mock others. Her words should be ignored. Jenia’s claim was false, and Giscal’s was true.

Giscal’s care and affection for me couldn’t be a lie. Just like he had shown to Arne in the past.

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