A few weeks later—
"No."
"My lady—"
"No."
Belle stood stiffly at the foot of the bed, clutching a stack of neatly sealed invitations, while Esmeralda lay sprawled across the mattress like a noblewoman who had long since given up on society.
"I refuse," Esmeralda continued, voice muffled against the pillow.
"Reject them all. Tell them I'm still recovering from my wounds or something." Her wounds were not very deep and she only suffered from infection.
"My lady, you cannot simply reject every tea party invitation—"
"I can," Esmeralda said firmly. "And I will."
Belle inhaled slowly, the patience of a saint being tested.
"These are from prominent noble families."
"Then they should understand the value of absence."
"They will interpret it as arrogance."
"Good."
"My lady!"
Esmeralda flipped over dramatically, staring at the ceiling.
"I have already fulfilled my social obligations for the year."
"It has been a month."
"Exactly."
Belle pinched the bridge of her nose.
"...Fine," she said, flipping through the stack. "Then I will choose one for you—"
"No."
"I haven't even said which—"
"No."
Belle's eye twitched.
"...Very well."
She reached the last envelope.
Paused.
Then froze.
"My lady."
Esmeralda didn't move. "No."
"My lady."
"...No."
"It's from the palace."
Silence.
Then—
"...Show me."
Belle handed it over.
Esmeralda sat up, squinting at the seal.
The imperial crest.
Elegant.
Unmistakable.
"...The Empress," she muttered.
Belle nodded. "You cannot refuse this one."
"...I know."
Esmeralda stared at the invitation for a long moment.
Then sighed.
"...This is going to be troublesome."
Because the last tea party—
Had been anything but pleasant.
The palace garden was as pristine as ever.
Elegant tables.
Delicate porcelain.
Nobles gathered in quiet conversation.
Esmeralda stepped into the scene with practiced composure—
Expecting whispers.
Judgment.
Thinly veiled hostility.
Instead—
"...Lady Esmeralda, it's good to see you."
She blinked.
"...Likewise," she replied automatically.
Another noblewoman smiled politely.
"...I heard you've been recovering well."
"...Yes."
No sharp undertones.
No mockery.
Just... conversation.
Normal conversation.
Esmeralda narrowed her eyes slightly.
Suspicious.
She took her seat, accepting the offered tea.
The discussion flowed easily—fashion, weather, minor court events.
Nothing significant.
Nothing cruel.
"...Strange," she muttered under her breath.
And then—
She felt it.
A gaze.
She looked up.
The Empress.
Watching her.
Not cold.
Not displeased.
But... hesitant.
As if there was something she wanted to say—
And couldn't.
Esmeralda held her gaze for a brief moment before looking away.
"...What now," she murmured quietly.
The tea party ended without incident.
Which, in itself, was unusual.
"My lady," A servant said softly, approaching her. "Her Majesty has requested your presence."
"...Of course she has."
Esmeralda exhaled quietly.
"...Lead the way."
The Empress's private chamber was quiet.
Refined.
Still.
"Leave us," the Empress said gently.
The attendants withdrew.
Silence followed.
For a moment—
Neither spoke.
Then—
"...Thank you."
Esmeralda blinked.
"...I beg your pardon?"
The Empress smiled faintly.
"For what you said at the last tea party."
Ah.
That.
Esmeralda leaned back slightly.
"I don't recall saying anything particularly flattering."
"It wasn't," the Empress said softly.
A pause.
"But it was honest."
Silence settled between them.
Then the Empress continued—
"...There was a time when I believed I understood my place."
Her gaze lowered slightly, fingers resting lightly against the table.
"I was brought here for political reasons," she said. "A marriage to strengthen alliances."
Esmeralda listened quietly.
"I told myself that was enough," the Empress continued. "That I did not need more."
A faint smile touched her lips.
"But I was lying to myself."
A pause.
"...I wanted his love."
The words were soft.
Careful.
But heavy.
"I knew about his past," she said. "His first love. The one he could not be with."
Her fingers tightened slightly.
"And I thought... I had taken something from him."
Esmeralda's gaze softened—just slightly.
"I thought that no matter what I did," the Empress continued, "his heart would never truly belong to me."
Silence.
Then—
"...So I never asked for it."
A quiet confession.
One that lingered in the air.
"But what you said that day..."
The Empress looked at her again.
"...made me realize something."
A pause.
"I had already decided the answer for him."
Esmeralda didn't interrupt.
Didn't comment.
She simply listened.
"...So I spoke to him."
Her voice softened further.
"We were discussing matters of the court, as we always do."
A faint, almost amused exhale.
"And then I said it."
A pause.
"I told him... that I wanted his love."
The room fell still.
Esmeralda's eyes widened just slightly.
"...That must have been..."
"Terrifying?" the Empress finished gently.
"...Yes."
A small smile formed.
"It was."
Another pause.
"Then he said something I did not expect."
Esmeralda leaned forward slightly.
"...What did he say?"
The Empress's expression softened completely.
"He said..."
A brief hesitation.
Then—
"'My heart has always been open to you, my Empress.'"
Silence.
Esmeralda blinked.
"...That's..."
Unexpected.
The Empress nodded faintly.
"I realized then... that I had misunderstood."
Her gaze lowered slightly.
"I believed I had taken something from him."
A quiet exhale.
"But in truth—"
A pause.
"He had already let it go."
The words were simple.
But they carried years of quiet distance.
"I kept my distance because I thought it was what he wanted," she said softly.
"And he kept his distance because he thought I would push him away."
A faint, almost bittersweet smile.
"...How foolish we were."
Silence lingered between them.
But this time—
It wasn't heavy.
It was... light.
Esmeralda leaned back slightly, studying the Empress.
"...So things are better now?" she asked.
The Empress nodded.
"Yes."
A small pause.
"...Not perfect."
"But better."
Esmeralda hummed softly.
"...That's good enough."
The Empress smiled.
"...Yes."
Another quiet moment passed.
Then—
"...Lady Esmeralda."
"Yes?"
"People do change."
A pause.
"...Thank you for reminding me of that."
Esmeralda blinked.
Then looked away slightly.
"...It wasn't intentional."
"I know," the Empress said gently.
And somehow—
That made it more meaningful.
When Esmeralda left the palace—
The sky was clear.
The air lighter than before.
"...That was unexpectedly pleasant," she muttered.
Belle glanced at her. "My lady?"
"...Nothing."
But as the carriage moved forward—
Esmeralda found herself thinking.
Not about the Empress.
Not about the Emperor.
But about something else entirely.
People change.
She exhaled softly.
"...Let's hope that applies to me too."