Bluebell checked the gifts that came in as wedding gifts. It’s been more than a month since the wedding, she still could not finish looking through all of them. Even now, things were constantly coming into the castle under the pretext of wedding gifts.
Whatever the intentions of the senders, Bluebell never got tired of opening gift boxes every day.
“Wow, this is a Persian sapphire! What do you think? Does it suit me?”
“Yes, but I feel the light is fading in front of your beauty.”
“Ay, nanny. You’re doing that again.”
She twisted her body, pretending to be embarrassed by her nanny’s words, but her cheeks turned pink.
“Enough jewelry, are there any new dresses?”
As soon as her maids heard Bluebell, they rushed around and unfolded the gift box containing the dress. As if it were a frequent occurrence, the maids stood in front of her each with a pair of dresses. Bluebell clapped her hands at the sight.
“Oh, I’m glad I became an empress. I’ve never dreamed of doing this in our castle.”
It was true that Bluebell, a daughter of a Count, had a well-off life compared to others. But it was no match for the imperial treasury.
Even though she was a rich Count’s only daughter, she could not buy dozens of dresses for parties that cost a wagon for a pair. However, after the wedding ceremony and ascending to the throne of the empress, many gifts poured in every day that could not even be opened. A few castles could have been built just by selling the present that had come to her now.
After the wedding, she felt like running away hundreds of times a day while receiving etiquette education, but she felt much relieved when she spread out jewelry and dresses on her bed or on the floor every night. Then she was glad to have gotten married.
Moreover, the boring etiquette education was now almost over. She was struggling every day to choose clothes for her upcoming debut banquet. The nanny looked at her uneasily.
“But can we just accept all these presents?”
The nanny asked anxiously. Bluebell grumbled irritably at her words.
“Oh, what’s so bad about getting a present? We’re not taking bribes.”
“But…”
The nanny had no choice but to be anxious. Bluebell said they were gifts, but it occurred to her that most of the people who sent the gift would not have given it without a reason.
She didn’t know the details, but some names were familiar to her. The names of aristocrats who frequently came to the imperial palace, saying they wanted to take charge of state projects, and the names of aristocrats who run the business association were also seen. Even though it was clear what they were up to, Bluebell said it doesn’t matter because they were gifts.
“It’s all right. It must be true when they say you get worried when you get old…”
Bluebell grabbed the nanny’s wrist and sat her in the chair in front of the mirror. Then she wore a necklace around her neck with a red gem adorned with splendor.
“This color suits you, nanny. I’ll give you this.”
“No, I’m fine.”
The nanny refused in embarrassment. Bluebell replied, pouting her lips.
“Just keep it. Nanny’s a woman, and you should have at least one gem like this. It’s okay because I have so many.”
“This old woman doesn’t need jewelry like this.”
When the nanny refused, Bluebell hugged her back and said, “Take it even if you don’t need it. I want the nanny to be happy without worrying.”
“My happiness is that the Empress is happy. This old woman has no other greed.”
Bluebell’s mother was a woman who spent more days lying in her bedroom than to leave the room because she was so ill. She did not attend Bluebell’s wedding because of her illness. Bluebell did not hate her mother, but it was true that she was more inclined to the nanny who raised her than to her fragile mother.
“I think nanny is more like my mother than my mother.”
“Oh, don’t say such a thing.”
The nanny said, “That’s a scary thing to say,” shaking with fear that she would be hit by a firestorm right away. Bluebell kissed the frightened nanny on the cheek. Since childhood, she has been acting cute to the nanny.
“Oh, what’s wrong with this grown-up lady?”
“Hehehe.”
“If the married person does this, others will be talking bad.”
“Who cares? By the way, you got more wrinkles on your face. That’s not good.”
“So don’t make me worry. I’m getting older and my heart is racing at the slightest thing.”
“What are you worried about? I’m the empress of this country. And my husband is the Emperor in the highest position in the country! Nothing to worry about!”
The nanny nodded at Bluebell with tearful eyes. A young baby girl who was just learning to walk properly in her memory became an adult and became the wife of the emperor, the country’s number one man. Complex emotions surged in.
Then, a maid announced a guest’s visit.
“Her Majesty the Empress has visited.”
“Dear Arya? What am I supposed to do…?”
Bluebell looked at the guest room with a perplexed face. Both the bedroom and guest room had no room to step in with gift boxes, dresses, and accessories. Bluebell didn’t even let the maids clean up the rooms with a desire to fill the room with gifts.
It was embarrassing, but she couldn’t leave the empress alone.
“First of all, let her come in…”
“Ask her to go back…”
Bluebell and the nanny were at odds. Bluebell looked at the nanny. The nanny shook her head and said, “How about telling the Empress that you are sorry and can’t make it today, and she should come visit next time…”
Bluebell thought she should do as the nanny said, but she was too late. The maid, who heard what Bluebell said, quickly drove Arya into the guest room.
Arya looked around the guest room looking offended, then slightly made a crooked smile.
Whenever the nanny saw such a smile, she felt the chills. Arya wasn’t really mean to Bluebell, but the nanny didn’t feel like she would be a helpful person to Bluebell. But it could not be explained logically because it was something like an instinct that came to someone who lived for a long time.
“Dear Arya!”
The only thing the nanny could do was to make an anxious face looking at Bluebell who was greeting Arya as a close friend.
Arya greeted Bluebell and said, looking around the room.
“Amazing. You’ve got a lot of gifts.”
“I was surprised to see so many gifts coming in. I haven’t even unpacked all the presents, but the next day, they pile up like mountains.”
Bluebell shrugged and continued.
“So I didn’t have time to clean up. It’s messy right?”
“…it’s okay. It’s proof that many people think that Empress Bluebell is the true empress. Congratulations.”
Arya emphasized the word “true empress.” The nanny felt something off in her tone. But Bluebell thought it was just a compliment and liked it with a bright smile.
“I’m glad you said so.”
“By the way, I’ve been trying to tell you something…I’m afraid it would be hard to say here.”
She looked through the guest-room and said. There was no floor area, sofa, or place where things were not piled up. The maids walked carefully so that they wouldn’t step on things, but it was too much to stand there and talk to each other.
The two moved to the garden. This year, the sun’s rays were still hot and it was noisy with the sound of grass bugs, even with autumn just around the corner.
“I heard etiquette classes are almost over.”
“Yes, now all I have to do is dance in the ballroom. It was hard to memorize various laws and birthdays of previous emperors. But I’m confident in social dancing. It’ll probably be over next week.”
“Congratulations. Then I’ll have to hurry up and prepare for the debut party.”
“Yes, I’m looking forward to it. I was choosing a dress for the party again today. Oh! I should have asked Empress Arya. I’m really worried about what to wear. The maids say all of them are pretty. Empress Arya has a good eye, so I can trust you will pick a really pretty dress.”
“It’s an honor that you say that. But I don’t think I can easily choose either. Empress Bluebell is so beautiful that she’ll look good in any dress.”
Bluebell blushed at Arya’s praise and couldn’t raise her head.
“I don’t know what to do when the beautiful Arya tells me I’m beautiful.”
“I’m a withered flower now. I feel shabby next to the bright-blooming Empress Bluebell.”
At Arya’s words, Bluebell raised her head, gestured her hand and said, “No.”
“How beautiful you are, Arya!”
As Bluebell said, Arya was the beauty that overwhelmed her age. Even when she was young, her beauty was renown throughout the empire, but as she grew older, it became more fascinating.
Now she had an atmosphere that went beyond just pretty and beautiful expressions. Because of this, no one could easily guess her age. Bluebell was inwardly admiring Arya.
“Thank you for saying that.”
“It’s not empty words, but Arya is so beautiful. Enough for a woman to fall in love with!”
At Bluebell’s frank praise, Arya smiled a gentle smile as if she was in a good mood. The atmosphere of conversation between the two became softer as they praised each other’s looks. A cool breeze blew through the hot sun.
“But are you preparing for the Empress Bluebell’s debut banquet?”
Bluebell tilted her head at Arya’s question. The debut banquet was usually held by the empress in Arya’s position. But she couldn’t understand why Arya was asking about the party preparation.