Chapter 313 – Do You Like It?
Many people gathered to celebrate Elena’s pregnancy. After the war with Paveluc, the Ruford Empire had become the most powerful country on the continent. The number of envoys from various countries and Ruford nobles was staggering, and the hall was abuzz with people laughing and talking.
“Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress of the Ruford Empire.”
A loud voice announced the presence, and the towering door opened. Carlisle and Elena appeared together. The Emperor stood tall in an elegant black tuxedo, and beside him, the Empress showed off her beautiful figure, which, were it not for her rounded stomach, was unbelievable for a pregnant woman. At their appearance, the people in the hall spoke with one chorus.
“Hail to His Majesty the Emperor and Her Majesty the Empress. Eternal glory to the Ruford Empire.”
As the royal couple strode into the hall, everyone bowed their heads in respect. The two sat at the head of the table and looked upon the party with pride. Carlisle addressed the hall in a loud voice.
“Today is a joyous occasion to celebrate the Empress’s pregnancy, so please enjoy yourself.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Carlisle’s devotion to Elena had once been the widespread topic of rumors, but now there was no one on the continent that didn’t know how beloved his wife was to him. As soon as Carlisle sat down, he immediately studied Elena next to him.
“Let me know if you feel too crowded.”
“I’m fine. You must already be tired walking a few steps here.”
Elena smiled at him in reassurance, and he stroked her cheek with his fingers and smiled back. Because she hadn’t been in public for some time, many people in the party had never seen such a smile from Carlisle before. The warmth in it caught several people’s breaths.
Despite Carlisle’s doting concern, Elena felt very excited about the lavish party, as it had been quite some time since she attended one. The chief butler approached Carlisle and Elena and spoke quietly.
“Your Majesty, many people have brought gifts to celebrate their pregnancy. May I start the gift ceremony now?”
“Of course.”
Elena replied with a happy nod. Under the direction of the chief butler, the names of those who brought gifts were called in order. The first to stand before Elena and Carlisle were the envoys from the Kelt Kingdom.
“My sincere congratulations on your pregnancy, Your Majesty. This is a wild ginseng from our Kelt Kingdom. I hope you will have a healthy delivery.”
Since the death of Paveluc, the Kelt Kingdom had been the most wary of the Ruford Empire, and rightly so. Elena received the rare gift with a polite expression.
“This is a precious gift. I accept it.”
Elena’s manner was polite, but she didn’t treat them warmly. It was subtle, but there was a sense of distance between them.
The Kelt envoy gave a servile smile and tried to offer a few more words to Elena, but then he hurriedly left after seeing the expression on Carlisle, who was sitting next to her.
Marchioness Marissa Holland came up to see Elena next. She was the noblewoman that had often been kind to Elena in the Southern provinces.
“It’s been a while, Your Majesty. I’m so happy to hear that you’re pregnant. I have prepared a gift of lemons, a special produce from the south. Just in case you want to eat some fresh fruit…”
Although the Imperial Palace had lemons, the lemons grown in the south were especially juicy and sour. Elena, who had grown up in the south, thought that other lemons didn’t taste as good. Elena answered with a bright expression.
“Thank you. I’ve been wanting to eat lemons from the south. I love your gift, Marchioness Holland.”
Marissa’s face colored at Elena’s praise.
“I’m glad to hear that you like it, Your Majesty.”
” Come to think of it, the dress that you are wearing today is made from the fabric I gave you at the wedding reception.”
“Oh, I am honored you recognized it. I believe today is a good day to show off the gift I received from you, Your Majesty.”
“It suits you very well.”
After exchanging a few friendly words from each other, Marissa returned to her position. She was not the only one waiting. There were countless nobles who wanted to give her expensive presents and make an impression. After Elena had received a dozen gifts, Lady Margaret approached.
“Congratulations on your pregnancy, Your Majesty.”
For the first time, Elena stood up and held out her hand towards her friend.
“I heard that you were busy with your marriage preparations to Marquis Coleman. Congratulations to you, too. After seeing you every once in a while at just the Empress’ palace, it’s nice to see you here too.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty. I’m also glad to see.”
“I’ll be sure to attend your wedding, too.”
“Heug, Your Majesty…”
Margaret’s wedding was close to Elena’s last month of pregnancy, but she couldn’t help but thank Elena’s willingness to attend. Margaret’s eyes were wet with emotion as she looked at Elena.
Two more women stepped up behind Margaret. It was Stella, a popular socialite in the capital, and Yulia, the flower of society. Margaret, Stella and Yulia, gathered together, were Elena’s ladies-in-waiting. Stella spoke as if she were secretly envious.
“Your Majesty, isn’t Lady Lawrence so beautiful?”
“Yes, I know.”
From the side, Yulia nodded mischievously. The bright expression on her face was much different from her previous cold, cynical look. These three women were the Empress’ closest aides, and were the ones Elena opened her mind to at the palace. Elena smiled brightly and welcomed Stella and Yulia.
“You’re all here too.”
“Yes. How can we miss the celebration?”
Stella presented a jewelry box to Elena.
“This is a precious jewel that I received from my parents when I was married. I hope it will please Your Majesty.”
Yulia, standing next to her, held out a beautifully wrapped hat.
“I’ve made a hat for you to wear when you go out. I’m worried that the sun will burn your white skin, so please use it when you go outside.”
A hat made by Yulia, a fashion leader in the capital area, was incomparable to anything sold in an ordinary dressing room. Elena smiled cheerfully as she accepted their gifts.
“Thank you. I’ll cherish it all.”
Margaret, who had missed out on giving her gift because of the other two’s arrival, hurriedly glanced next to her.
“Your Majesty, this is what I’ve prepared…”
At her words, a servant stepped forward, bearing a heavy fur coat in a child’s size. Elena’s child would be born in the winter, and it was made in advance. Margaret’s thoughtful gift brought a smile to Elena’s face.
“I couldn’t ever imagine a gift like this. Thank you again.”
“Not at all, I’m very happy that Her Majesty is pleased.”
Margaret scratched her nose and smiled innocently. As Elena lingered for a while with her ladies-in-waiting, the chief butler stepped forward to interrupt carefully.
“Your Majesty, shall I ask the others to delay?”
“Ah…”
Elena was about to reply, but Carlisle, who had been quietly watching, spoke first.
“That’s enough. Let’s take a break. Leave the gifts that haven’t been received today.”
The butler nodded at Carlisle’s order.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The number of gifts was far too many to accept for a pregnant woman to accept one-by-one anyway.
“It’s been a long time since you and you ladies-in-waiting have gathered in one place, so please talk more comfortably.”
Margaret, Yulia and Stella seemed to envy Elena for her husband’s careful consideration. The three ladies-in-waiting answered at the same time.
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
But Carlisle’s eyes were still focused on Elena. He lightly stroked her cheek and spoke in a soft voice.
“But don’t leave me alone, my wife.”
“I know.”
The three ladies-in-waiting watched the sweet atmosphere between Carlisle and Elena. Finally, Elena and the other women moved to a place where they could talk quietly among themselves. Margaret blinked as if she suddenly remembered something.
“Your Majesty, did you hear the news?”
“What news?”
“Ah, come to think of it, it’s not a good story for a pregnant empress to hear, but…”
“Tell me, it’s alright.”
“Do you remember Lady Jenner?”
Elena gave a slight nod. There was no way she could have forgotten how Sarah Jenner had tried to harass her. Still, Elena released Sarah without any punishment as a reward for testifying of Helen’s misdeeds.
“I heard that the Jenner family was completely ruined.”
“What happened?”
Because the Jenner family was particularly wealthy, Sarah spent time around the more famous children of high society. However, her family wasn’t poor enough to be ruined overnight.
“I heard that Lady Jenner was scammed under the pretext of marriage.”
“Scammed?”
Elena looked at Margaret in disbelief. In Elena’s memory, Sarah was one to quickly calculate profit and loss. It was hard to believe that she had been cheated. Margaret also seemed to agree with the idea.
“Rumors suggested that a prince of a kingdom lied about his identity and proposed to Lady Jenner. The Jenner family didn’t know he was a swindler, and poured all their money for the marriage… Now they’re nobles only by name.”
” I see…”
Elena remembered Sarah to be the cunning type. She thought that she might fall for a trick someday, but she didn’t expect that she would be frauded this way. Elena fell silent for a moment as she remembered the last time she saw Sarah. As maids came in with food, Yulia spoke.
“Your Majesty, did you eat yet?”
“No, not yet…”
“I thought so. I’ll tell the maids to bring you food that you can eat, so please wait here.”
“No, you don’t have to.”
Elena declined, but Yulia stood up smiling.
“Don’t worry. Just chat with the others for a while.”
“Ah! I’ll help you too.”
Margaret hurried after Julia, and they disappeared among the crowds of esteemed guests. Elena and Stella were left alone, and Stella opened her mouth to speak.
“Actually, I’ve been meaning to say something to you…and I think I’d better take this opportunity.”
“Is something wrong?”
Stella’s expression turned serious, and Elena looked at her questioningly. Stella continued in a low voice.
“After this party, I plan to be honest with my husband about my hidden child.”
“…!”
Elena’s eyes widened at Stella’s unexpected confession. So far, the Countess had been extremely reluctant to reveal her deep secret. However, her face was set as if she had already made her decision.
“I’ve been thinking a lot since I spoke with you the other day. Although I’m still afraid… I think this would be the best.”
Having experienced the future, Elena knew that the choice Stella made now was more welcome than any other choice. Elena nodded sympathetically.
“That’s a good plan. I’m sure Count Viviana will understand.”
“Is that so?”
“Of course. You two are known as lovebirds in the social circles.”
A warm smile broke through Stella’s cool facade.
“Your Majesty, what are you talking about? Are you saying you don’t know who the true lovebirds of the Ruford Empire are?”
“…!”
It wasn’t until Elena heard her words that she realized that the most recent popular couple were herself and Carlisle. As Elena turned red, Stella’s laughter grew.
Yulia and Margaret, who had left to get food, came back with two servants carrying two full trays. Elena’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.
“Why did you bring so much food?”
“Of course the Empress should have this much food. Please, help yourself. That way, you’ll be healthy.”
Elena gave a grateful smile. She looked at the three people near her: Stella, Yulia and Margaret. In her last life, she couldn’t particularly call them friends, but not anymore. Unlike the days when she felt lonely even when always at a fancy party, she now had people with whom she could open her heart. Feeling a different kind of warmth from the last life, Elena beamed.
“Thank you. I’ll eat well.”
***
Elena spent her time joyfully with her friends, before returning to the emperor’s and empress’ seats. Carlisle had a look of slight boredom on his face, and she returned to him worriedly.
“Were you waiting for me?”
“Not at all. I’m not cut out for parties.”
As he spoke, a vague smile spread on Carlisle’s face after seeing Elena. He was a man with extreme temperature differences in the absence of his wife.
“Shall I wrap up as soon as possible and get back to you?”
“No. Now that you’ve seen many other people’s gifts, it’s time to see what I’ve prepared.”
Elena had briefly forgotten about Carlisle’s promised gift. She worried what kind of gift he had prepared.
“What did you prepare…?”
“What did I prepare? It is a gift given with sincere congratulations on your pregnancy.”
As Carlisle smiled and raised his hand into the air, Zenard, who was waiting nearby, approached from the side. Elena looked on in half-curiosity, half-worry. After a moment, Zenard shouted out loud.
“Attention, everyone!”
The noisy hall fell silent. The people’s attention turned towards Zenard, and he slowly spoke.
“This is an official declaration. As of today, the name of the state of Lunen will disappear completely from the continent. It’s new name is…the state of Elena.”
Murmuring broke out at the unexpected announcement. Of course, Elena was the most surprised. She turned her head towards Carlisle and spoke in a trembling voice.
“C-Caril, this is…”
“This is my gift to you, The state of Elena is yours.”
Elena’s mouth fell open in surprise. He always liked to give grandiose gifts, but this was truly beyond her imagination. To reorganize the state of Lunen into Elena meant more than just money or power—her presence would long be recorded in Ruford history. Carlisle leaned over and kissed his stunned wife’s cheek.
“Do you like it?”
“Really…I can’t stop you.”
Elena pulled Carlisle’s shoulder towards him in a hug. It was an enormous gift, and she couldn’t be happier. The state of Elena. It erased Paveluc and Lunen from history, and a new future was born in their hands.