To the One Who's Only Cold to Me - Chapter 86

Jared told William everything about the evidence I had shown him. As he repeated the details word for word, William crossed his legs, tapped his chin, and asked,

“Was there a seal? Did you see it?”

The Emperor’s seal of the Caesar Empire looked like a fancy stamp, but when pressed with ink, it gave off a strange, glowing light. It was a mysterious object. The royal inventor who created it was drunk at the time, and because of that, no one ever figured out which metals and what proportions were used. So, it became the only seal in the world impossible to replicate.

Because of that, the risk of forgery was almost zero, and the emperors of the Caesar Empire had used it for generations. William knew this, so he asked about the seal.

“Yes. Unlike handwriting, the seal can’t be faked. That’s why I had no choice but to believe it.”

“There was a seal, huh”

William frowned slightly at Jared’s words, but quickly returned to a calm face and shrugged.

“It doesn’t matter.”

Jared lowered the hand he’d been holding his head with and looked up at William, confused by how unconcerned his brother was. William reached out and flicked Jared’s forehead with a loud snap.

“Even if Father really wrote that decree and stamped it, it was never made public. And Jared, do you think Mother would ever do something like that?”

“But it had Father’s handwriting and the seal”

Jared muttered while rubbing his sore forehead. William hit him again and ordered sternly,

“Answer with just ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ Do you think Mother is someone who would do something improper?”

“No.”

Jared shook his head without hesitation. Seeing that, William’s stern expression instantly turned into a grin.

“Then what’s the problem? Whether that piece of paper exists or not, Catherine is still Father’s daughter.”

“They say the imperial seal can’t be faked, but who knows? Maybe it was possible and no one found out. Or maybe there was a misunderstanding that got cleared up later. That’s why Mother is still the Empress, and Catherine is still a Princess.”

William’s voice was firm, showing no doubt toward their mother. Jared, seeing his brother like that, felt ashamed and lowered his head.

“You’re a prince, yet you let yourself be swayed by some dirty illegitimate girl’s scrap of paper and got into trouble like this. Tsk! You should apologize to Mother sincerely. No matter the reason, you did doubt her.”

William scolded Jared, who looked sulky. But Jared wasn’t so dull that he couldn’t feel the comfort hidden in his brother’s words. He ran a hand over his flushed face and nodded.

“Once this is over, go on a trip or something and broaden your view. Honestly, you really are high-maintenance.”

William patted his younger brother’s shoulder a few more times and then spoke thoughtfully. At the word “over,” Jared looked at him with worry and asked,

“What are you going to do? If this goes wrong, it could become a big mess.”

“Because of that filthy illegitimate girl, our parents are fighting at their age, our sister is being misunderstood, and now even you’re getting dragged into it”

William’s face darkened. He narrowed his eyes and tilted a red liquor bottle, the same color as his hair. He drank the dark red alcohol in one go and muttered,

“As the eldest son of this family and Crown Prince of this country, I can’t just sit back and watch.”

‘Finally!’

Helen was thrilled. Even though she had sent a long letter through Jared, she hadn’t been sure the Emperor would actually summon her.

“His Majesty wishes to see you, miss. A carriage is ready. Please come.”

And now, not even two days after sending the letter, the Emperor had called for her. Helen barely held back a smile, believing he must have missed her too.

“Please step down.”

After some time, the carriage stopped. The servant who delivered the Emperor’s message opened the carriage door and held out his hand. Helen, who had been grinning, quickly composed her face and placed her hand elegantly on his.

When the servant took her hand, his face twitched slightly. It was such a quick reaction that most people wouldn’t have noticed but Helen did. Her eyes widened sharply.

‘How dare you…!’

Still, she didn’t have the courage to say anything yet. Helen burned a hole into his face with her glare, thinking she would have him fired the moment she was recognized as a princess.

The servant noticed Helen’s sharp gaze. But instead of being intimidated, he calmly let go of her hand and gestured forward. That attitude annoyed Helen even more, and she bit her lip. Then she quickly fixed her lipstick and let out a scoffing laugh to show her displeasure.

“This way, please.”

Regardless of her behavior, the servant began walking. Helen finally looked around. In the distance, she saw the magnificent Central Palace she had only heard about.

‘It’s even more splendid than I imagined. Well, it should be, since it’s where royalty lives.’

Overwhelmed by the grand palace, Helen’s mouth fell open. But her admiration didn’t last long. She soon frowned and asked the servant ahead of her,

“We’re walking all the way there?”

The servant turned to check where she was looking. Then he replied in a cold voice, not hiding his smirk,

“You’re not going to the Central Palace, miss. His Majesty has invited you to the Sanseveria Palace.”

At those words, Helen clenched her fists. Even if she was born illegitimate, she was still the Emperor’s child. So why invite her to a separate palace far away instead of the Central Palace?

‘Why? Someone must have meddled! Otherwise, why would his own daughter be sent to some remote villa and to Sanseveria Palace, of all places, where royal mistresses usually live…’

The Emperor didn’t stay in the Central Palace alone, so it was only natural Helen wasn’t invited there. Still, she believed someone must have plotted this and held her anger in.

“Let’s go now. We shouldn’t delay any longer.”

Ignoring Helen’s red face, the servant picked up the pace. Helen, wearing a heavy, decorative dress to impress the Emperor, grabbed her skirts and struggled to keep up.

After walking for a while, they finally neared Sanseveria Palace a small white palace surrounded by tall shrubs. At a glance, it looked charming and pretty, but a closer look showed it was closed-off and humble for a royal residence.

“How much farther?”

“Just past this garden.”

“Couldn’t we have taken a carriage here?”

“Sorry, miss, but only royalty and a few approved nobles may use carriages in this area.”

Even though they were getting closer, it was still far. Helen grumbled, and the servant answered blandly without slowing down. She felt both furious at him and bitter about her own status as an unrecognized royal, biting her lip again.

“Ah?”

They were halfway through the garden when the servant suddenly stopped and bowed deeply. Then he greeted someone in a respectful tone Helen had never heard from him.

“Greetings, Princess.”

At the words “Princess,” Helen looked ahead. A graceful woman with long platinum-blonde hair and bright green eyes was gazing at them.

“It’s the Princess. Greet her quickly.”

As Helen stood frozen, the servant urged her. Realizing who the woman was, Helen hesitated and avoided looking directly at her.

“Now!”

The servant raised his voice slightly. Only then did Helen give a shallow bow and quick nod. Seeing the poor greeting, the red-haired maid behind the Princess was about to step forward with a cold face, but the Princess calmly stopped her and said,

“This is the first time I’ve received such a difficult greeting.”

“I-I’m sorry, Your Highness.”

“It’s not your fault. Rise.”

The servant looked flustered, but Catherine shook her head. She glanced at Helen once, then signaled to her maid with a blank face. The maid, scowling at Helen, said,

“Step aside. Her Highness is passing.”

The servant moved aside, and Helen followed a moment later. Catherine walked straight ahead without glancing sideways. Her face wasn’t delicately beautiful like Prince Jared’s, but her elegance was unmatched. Her smooth forehead and eyes framed by fine hair only added to her dignity.

Helen could feel it. That’s why, the moment Catherine passed her, she glared hard at the back of her head.

‘That one!’

Helen had always underestimated Catherine. She’d never met her in person, but since Catherine was rarely mentioned compared to her two older brothers, Helen assumed she wasn’t anything special. And with the Emperor’s handwritten decree her mother gave her… Helen thought she would shine brighter than Catherine.

‘Just a lucky fake, pretending to be a princess!’

But now that they had met, Helen found herself intimidated. No matter her looks, Catherine had an aura that made her seem unmistakably royal. That struck Helen’s pride.

‘Hold it in. Once His Majesty recognizes me, she’s finished. I’ll make sure she and her mother are ruined.’

As Catherine disappeared into the distance, Helen ground her teeth. The servant beside her looked at her in disbelief and said stiffly,

“Miss, please walk faster.”

“I’m going, don’t rush me!”

Annoyed by the servant’s tone, Helen snapped. But with no choice but to meet the Emperor, she marched ahead, fuming.

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