The Sub Male Lead is Burning with Jealousy - Chapter 4 Part 12
‘Ladies faint countless times just from tightening their corsets too much… And now, she’s skipping meals just a few days after their wedding.’
Even if it was a marriage of convenience, a wedding was still a wedding. It wasn’t uncommon for brides to adjust their meals before the ceremony. When Sion discreetly asked Mary through a maid, he found out that Anais had done the same.
He would have broken down the door if there was no response when knocking and talking. Knowing somewhat the workings of the palace, she didn’t ignore responses.
Rahil was pacing behind the maids begging at the door. He wanted to talk to Anais, but he felt that if he spoke, Anais would respond with silence.
“…Empress, you haven’t eaten anything today. If something happens to you, I will die too. Please, at least let me in.”
“It’s okay, go back. People…”
Her cold voice sounded weak. Anais sighed and continued.
“People don’t die from skipping a few meals. I’m resting, so you don’t need to worry. I’m going to sleep now, so don’t talk to me anymore.”
Mary was witnessing for the first time her kind mistress acting so inconsiderately towards the staff. It was a situation devoid of any leisure.
Although she dared not glare at the Emperor, Mary felt like she could die of hatred towards him.
Since she was very young, Mary had served as Anais’s maid, rarely seeing her in disarray. It was the norm for a personal maid to witness all of their master’s flaws.
However, Mary could count on one hand the times her mistress had been disheveled. Such times included when the lady had been ill and sent a letter to the marquis, who couldn’t return, and when the lady’s mother passed away, and when her brother, Francis, finally became a knight.
She knew her lady would feel ashamed for locking the door and not letting the maid in.
‘What has our dignified lady gone through!’
It was said that there had been a loud noise before the Emperor left the room. It must have been the Emperor’s fault. It couldn’t have been the Empress’s doing.
Mary involuntarily widened her eyes and didn’t even turn her head towards where the Emperor was. She clenched her teeth to stop the tears.
‘My Lady doesn’t deserve this treatment.’
Moreover, it was their honeymoon period. It wasn’t a time to wet the pillow with tears. It had already been an unwelcome marriage, starting under the shadow of a formidable rival, the Duchess of Calix.
Thinking of the tears her mistress would shed in the future, Mary felt a tightness in her chest, as if this was just the beginning.
At least it was fortunate that the Emperor seemed restless, as if he knew his fault. Unlike other noblemen who might be displeased with Anais for locking her door, he genuinely seemed sorry. At least, that’s how it appeared.
* * *
Anais was sitting by the window, looking outside. She felt ashamed and wondered why she had acted the way she did. As if it’s okay to kiss if you’re in love. In truth, she hadn’t placed much importance on her first kiss.
It was just spite towards Rahil. Because she disliked him.
‘Now the Emperor will probably think I’m a joke.’
She thought he might believe she liked him. Even if it was a misunderstanding, Anais couldn’t stand the thought and was furious.
She couldn’t remember ever hating someone this much. The thought of being toyed with by a man who liked another woman was incessant.
Intent? She didn’t know and didn’t want to know. Reading the perpetrator’s intent felt like a struggle to give him absolution.
‘How embarrassing.’
She had never felt so ashamed in her life. She was afraid of having harbored any expectations or meanings towards Rahil unknowingly. She dreaded the thought of hating him so much that she might end up liking him. Her heart, which she thought was strong, turned out to be incredibly soft.
‘Can I really live as the Empress?’
After accepting her unavoidable marriage to Rahil, Anais had resolved to be a proper Empress. She hadn’t planned to devote her entire life to it but had intended to try her best to not be a bad Empress.
With great positions come great responsibilities. But now, she felt unsure. Her heart was so easily swayed; how could she fulfill such a role?
‘It feels like I’ve regressed to a three-year-old.’
There were few instances in her life when she felt this miserable. She had lived keeping a distance from the original characters to avoid getting caught in the novel’s chaos, and she had been relieved when the novel and its side stories concluded.
As unforeseen events not written in the novel unfolded, and her slight negligence proved to be fatal.
‘If I had known, I would’ve never left my territory for the rest of my life.’
The splendor of the capital or the beautiful nobility didn’t necessarily have to be witnessed. Born into high nobility with beautiful features, Anais inevitably stood out, but she desperately tried to hide herself.
Anais Ruol was a character not seen in the original story. There might have been a mention of the Ruol family somewhere in the novel, but it didn’t stick in her memory.
In fact, she kept her distance because she couldn’t remember the novel perfectly.
The novel’s antagonist, the crown prince, was cruel, and if the Ruol family caught his eye and was used by him, it would be difficult to avoid disaster. The Ruol family’s position seemed like prey that anyone with power would want to exploit.
That’s why she declined numerous proposals and kept to herself. She avoided formal gatherings and only attended women’s meetings for that reason.
‘I dislike Rahil. I never want to see him again.’
But as an empress, it was impossible for her to forever ignore the emperor. If the previous encounter hadn’t resulted in pregnancy, she would have to choose another day for them to share a bed.
Wrapped in an endlessly gloomy mood and ignoring the presence at the door, a light flickered in front of the window like a firefly.
