The chair was light and backless, but the maid swung it with all her might, so Rashta could be seriously injured if she was struck.
Rashta instinctively shielded her belly, and Viscountess Verdi hastily pushed the maid from the side.
The chair brushed past Rashtaâs forehead. Then the maid, who swung the chair with her whole body, lost her balance and fell to the floor along with the chair.
âArgh!â
Rashta covered her belly, curled up, and screamed. When the maids who witnessed this scene became terrified and made a fuss, guards outside the door rushed into the bedroom.
âYour Majesty!â
Seeing the empress in pain, the broken chair on the floor and the maid furious, they rushed to lift Rashta in alarm.
The maid who swung the chair tried to lunge at Rashta again, but the guards hurriedly restrained her and pressed her to the floor.
The maid struggled and her eyes blazed. Her anger was greater than her fear. At this point, she wanted to finish off Rashta at any cost.
However, she was no match for the rough and robust guards.
Rashta touched her forehead as she stared at the maid. She felt dizzy and her belly throbbed, but above all else, her forehead hurt a lot.
Viscountess Verdi put her handkerchief over Rashtaâs wound and ordered one of the guards.
âGet the palace doctor!â
When the guard rushed out, Rashta asked, âThe palace doctor?â She seemed not to know that she was bleeding from her forehead.
âI think you suffered a cut on your forehead.â
Rashta did not realize that her hand was stained with blood until she heard Viscountess Verdiâs words.
Seeing her red hand, Rashta paled.
About fifteen minutes later, the palace doctor appeared, and another fifteen minutes later Sovieshu appeared.
âYour MajestyâŠâ
Rashta, who was being attended to by the palace doctor, stood up as soon as Sovieshu entered and spoke on the verge of tears,
âIt hurts Rashta so muchâŠâ
Rashta was relieved to see his face, but at the same time, frightened. The maid should be punished severely for attempting to assassinate a member of the imperial family, but Rashta was worried that she would talk about her fatherâs execution.
In the Delise incident, Rashta ordered her tongue cut out as soon as it happened to prevent her from speaking.
This time, the guards suddenly entered the bedroom and blood was flowing from her forehead, so she forgot to close the maidâs mouth.
âWhat happened?â
Seeing Rashtaâs forehead, Sovieshu asked in surprise,
âA maid attacked Her Majesty.â
âIs the injury serious?â
âFortunately not, butâŠâ
As the end of the palace doctorâs words trailed off, Sovieshu approached the bed and brushed the hair away from Rashtaâs forehead. The injury could not be seen because of the bandage.
âShe has a cut on her forehead.â
âIs the cut deep?â
âIâll do my best, but⊠Iâm afraid sheâll be left with a scar.â
Rashta looked at the palace doctor in surprise. He hadnât mentioned this to Rashta, so she had just found out about it too.
âA scar?â
Sovieshu put his hands on the surprised Rashtaâs trembling shoulders.
âA scar can fade with time. Itâs a relief that itâs just a small scar.â
Rashta was about to yell at him that having a scar on her face was no relief, but Sovieshu was already asking the palace doctor another question.
âAnd the baby?â
âAll right, but I think itâs better to be careful.â
Sovieshu nodded in relief and left the bedroom to enter a small room where the maid was locked in.
The maid was on her knees, with both hands tied tightly behind her back by the guards.
The maid was clever. As soon as Sovieshu entered, she quickly shouted instead of apologizing or complaining.
âYour Majesty, the Empress executed my father!â
Hearing her words, Sovieshu immediately raised his eyebrows.
âWhat are you talking about?â
âThe Empress executed my father as punishment! I made a mistake, but it absolutely wasnât serious enough for her to kill my father, Your Majesty.â
Sovieshu frowned.
âWhat are you talking about? No prisoner has been executed recently.â
To execute a person required Sovieshuâs final approval. If someone had been executed, it was impossible for Sovieshu not to know. Even more so if the execution was to be carried out by order of the Empress.
âBut Her Majesty saidâŠâ
Just then Rashta appeared and hurriedly intervened,
âThat maid is scared because she spread a strange rumor about Rashta, Your Majesty. Rashta didnât kill anyone. Rashta wouldnât do such a dreadful thing.â
The maidâs face paled at those words.
Sighing, Sovieshu signaled a guard to investigate and prepare a report on what happened.
While he wanted an accurate report on what happened, he knew roughly what was going on.
He understood the maidâs indignation upon hearing of her fatherâs supposed death, but that doesnât mean she could attack the empress with a chair, who was pregnant with the next emperor. She even cut her forehead.
This had been a crime serious enough to be punishable by death, even if it was committed by a high-status noble.
âItâs a pity, but a crime is a crime. First imprison that maid.â
After giving that order, Sovieshu took Rashta back to her bedroom and advised her.
âRashta, you canât execute a person hastily unless itâs related to the murder of a member of the royal family.â
âEven if itâs the Empress?â
âEven if it is the Empress.â
âBut Your Majesty, the maid started the rumor that Rashta is a strange person. She wanted to ruin the Empressâs imageâŠâ
âStill, one cannot hastily execute a person.â
âAlthough Rashta was not the Empress when Viscount Langdelââ
âHe stabbed you with a knife and was caught in the act.â
Rashta burst into tears and put her hands on her sore head.
âYour Majesty is too cold. All you do is scold Rashta, you donât care in the least.â
Sovieshu sighed again and patted the top of Rashtaâs head.
âNeither that maid nor her father can be hastily executed.â
âI didnât order her father executed!â
âEmpty words or not, you said it. For those who consider you to have the power to carry it out, it would never sound like empty words.â
â!â
âI figured as much⊠thereâs too much you donât know to handle this position.â
Rashta was surprised at Sovieshuâs harsh remark.
âYour Majesty?â
Sovieshu shook his head and went out to summon Viscountess Verdi and her guards. Moments later, he came back in and instructed them in front of Rashta.
âFrom now on, if Rashta decides to harm anyone by relying on her position as âEmpressâ, I must be informed before carrying out her orders. Whoever breaches this, will have to take full responsibility.â
Rashta felt deeply insulted. She couldnât believe he had brought them here to say this. Now the employees of the Empressâs Palace will assume that the Empress had no power!
âHis Majesty put honor before love.â
Depressed, Rashta was left crying alone in her bedroom.
Did his love fade or had he always been like that? She considered it absurd for Sovieshu to scold and insult her when she was the victim.
âNo. He hadnât always been like this. Evely? Probably because of that girl named Evely.â
No, Rashta was sure. After falling in love with that girl, Sovieshu had changed.
Rashta sobbed for a while, but due to the throbbing pain in her forehead she quickly recovered. The pain, in turn, allowed her to realize the reality of the situation.