I Became the Wife of the Hero Who Killed Me - Chapter 99

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#Episode 99

 

“Stop the dedication ceremony? What are you suddenly talking about?!”

 

“It is His Majesty the Emperor’s command.”

 

The chapel was originally designed for sound to carry well.

 

Thanks to this, the argument between the Empress and the Protocol Minister could be heard even more clearly.

 

A gradually confused atmosphere began to spread among the nobles who had grasped the situation.

 

Isabella and Caterina were no exception.

 

“Oh my, what could be happening? On such an important day as today…”

 

“I have a bad feeling about this.”

 

The two gazed toward the direction of the commotion with anxious expressions.

 

And I… to be honest, I couldn’t care less.

 

Of course, like most citizens, I wasn’t entirely without faith, but with Marquise Ferang before me, nothing else could catch my attention.

 

I could only see her noble countenance.

 

“I will ask His Majesty the Emperor directly, so step aside.”

 

“I apologize, but His Majesty the Emperor does not wish to see Her Majesty the Empress.”

 

The minister blocked the path of the Empress and her ladies-in-waiting, who seemed ready to rush to the Solar Palace immediately.

 

The Empress’s anger, which she had been trying to keep in check, finally exploded.

 

“Do you truly not know what day this is? I should at least know the reason for this sudden behavior!”

 

“His Majesty has determined that there are problems with the procedures of the dedication ceremony.”

 

“What problems when we proceeded exactly as we have every year?!”

 

Instead of answering, the minister boldly presented an official document stamped with the Emperor’s seal.

 

The murmuring of those who had been watching with bated breath grew even louder.

 

The Holy Mother’s feast day was as important an event as the festival commemorating Prophet Vincent receiving the first revelation from the sun god Leto.

 

Moreover, the Holy Mother dedication ceremony was entirely under the Empress’s jurisdiction, so even the Emperor could not interfere with it carelessly.

 

Empress Mariana’s face was colored with bewilderment at this treatment that clearly disrespected her.

 

Meanwhile, Caterina’s expression, who had been watching all of this, hardened coldly.

 

“I can only hope it’s my unfounded worry that this situation feels familiar.”

 

“Surely not…”

 

Her words were brief but their meaning was clear.

 

But the Emperor in my previous life had not converted. I don’t know about after my death, but at least while I was alive, there weren’t even signs of such a thing.

 

If the Emperor were to convert, Lombard, where religious forces were strong, would immediately become a battlefield.

 

Isabella also shared similar concerns as Caterina.

 

“This is worrying. The Empress’s dignity being undermined is one problem, but the ministers from the Holy Capital are already here in the Imperial Capital.”

 

“…”

 

“If the dedication ceremony ends like this, very troublesome matters might arise.”

 

I, who had been confused by the unexpected situation, suddenly came to my senses.

 

Isabella, whom I love, respect, and admire most in the world, was expressing serious concern about this situation. She was also a very devout believer.

 

The moment I realized this, the thin thread of reason in my head snapped cleanly.

 

“What is this commotion in front of the statue of the Holy Mother?”

 

I cut through the nobles who were murmuring with anxiety and stepped forward.

 

The entire chapel’s attention focused on me. The Empress and ladies-in-waiting who had been arguing, and even the Protocol Minister all turned to look at me in unison.

 

Regardless of their reactions, I was already accustomed to such gazes and let out a leisurely sneer.

 

“The Holy Mother dedication ceremony is entirely under Her Majesty the Empress’s jurisdiction, so if there’s a problem with today’s ceremony, isn’t your barging in like this a bigger issue?”

 

“Duchess Lombard, this is His Majesty’s command!”

 

“His Majesty is a wise ruler, so there must be a clear reason for such a command. But if you don’t explain it in detail, not only I but everyone here will be unable to accept it.”

 

“Duchess Lombard is right!”

 

The ladies-in-waiting surrounding the Empress nodded vigorously.

 

Also, several devout noble ladies of high standing didn’t hide their displeasure at this situation and sided with me.

 

Looking at their faces, there was Grand Duchess Heidelberg, a political heavyweight, Count Belford who owned vast territories in the Central Empire, and Marquise Ferang who was highly respected both within and outside the country.

 

The weight class difference was too great for a mere official to handle.

 

Having confirmed the atmosphere, I continued speaking.

 

“So now will you tell us the reason?”

 

“Yes, please read it yourself.”

 

The Protocol Minister held out an official document from the Emperor densely filled with writing, with a triumphant expression.

 

It was a strangely familiar situation.

 

According to Edwin, the Emperor had deliberately not taught Elisia to read, and had used that as an excuse to publicly humiliate her several times.

 

In other words, the minister’s suggestion to ‘read it yourself’ was tremendously rude.

 

Before the oblivious Caterina could step forward in anger, I had already read the official document from beginning to end and memorized all its contents.

 

“Do you understand now?”

 

“Yes, now I understand.”

 

“Then—”

 

“I understand that there’s no reason for today’s dedication ceremony to be halted.”

 

The power of an imperial decree was strong enough to be equivalent to imperial law.

 

But that didn’t mean it could always override the law.

 

First, there had to be correspondingly urgent reasons.

 

Also, the Emperor’s official stamp and seal were required, and the date of the imperial decree’s implementation had to be accurately recorded.

 

These were the minimum principles for maintaining the Empire’s legal system, and without these three elements, even an imperial decree would have no effect.

 

“The official document you brought only has His Majesty’s official stamp. There was no seal from the beginning, and even the author and implementation date are blank.”

 

“Th-that’s because it was such an urgent matter…!”

 

“Enough.”

 

Then, the Empress who had been silent behind finally stepped forward.

 

Mariana took the official document from my hand and carefully examined it from beginning to end.

 

“I was too surprised and flustered earlier to think properly, but as my dear niece says, this official document doesn’t follow any proper procedures.”

 

The form of address suddenly became ‘my dear niece,’ but I decided to stay quiet and read the situation for now.

 

“I believe His Majesty the Emperor is someone who keeps his word.”

 

“Your Majesty the Empress, however…”

 

“Now what is the problem? The dedication ceremony, or you barging into the chapel as a man?”

 

Having gained justification, Mariana’s voice was cold, unlike before.

 

This was another reason why the noble ladies found the Protocol Minister displeasing.

 

On the Feast of the Holy Mother, only women and children could enter the chapel, and even if they were priests, it was customary for males to quietly spend time in the prayer room.

 

But having ruined the ceremony without providing a single proper reason, the justification clearly belonged to Empress Mariana.

 

Finally, the minister who was cornered muttered in a low voice.

 

“If His Majesty the Emperor knew of this matter, he would be greatly disappointed in Your Majesty the Empress.”

 

“His Majesty is not one to be swayed by petty emotions, so do not disgrace his honor with your personal remarks.”

 

It was clearly Mariana’s perfect victory by anyone’s standards.

 

The Protocol Minister and knights, defeated in the battle of justification, had to reluctantly withdraw from the chapel.

 

The Empress, who had received everyone’s attention, settled the situation with a calm attitude without any disturbance, then began conversing with the Bishop who would officiate today’s dedication ceremony.

 

Everyone admired the dignity, grace, and composed attitude that Mariana had shown.

 

Subsequently, people’s attention turned to me… as I was about to return to the seat next to Isabella La Perang, the soul’s designated spot.

 

“You’re truly amazing, Duchess Lombard!”

 

“How dare a man bring knights and intrude on the Feast of the Holy Mother! I was trembling with anger earlier, but when it came to stepping forward, I was too scared to move even one step.”

 

“How did you muster such courage?”

 

Well, because my idol was worried about this situation!

 

While thinking that, I hurriedly answered with whatever came to mind in order to return to the seat next to Isabella.

 

“It’s not difficult. You just have to do what you normally do.”

 

“Ah…”

 

The noble ladies who recalled what “doing what you normally do” meant paused for a moment.

 

They were probably recalling ‘Elisia’s’ spectacular dark history one by one.

 

After a somewhat awkward and uncomfortable silence, someone among the women carefully continued speaking.

 

“I just realized that living by just enduring everything might not be the answer.”

 

“Actually, me too. Rather than dying from suppressed anger, it might be better to just say everything you want to say and live refreshingly…”

 

For some reason, the conclusion began to veer in a strange direction.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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