The Circumstances of Being Chosen as the Villainess’s Favorite - Chapter 154

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

Chapter 154

‘What?’

Seraphina hesitated and stopped in place.

It was because her legs suddenly felt tingly and numb.

“That’s strange, did I sleep wrong…?”

Seraphina crouched on the bed and massaged her legs.

From her ankles to her calves, after rubbing for a while, the symptoms somewhat disappeared.

But Seraphina’s expression remained troubled.

‘Yesterday… I wonder how that dinner the Crown Prince attended went?’

It was because thoughts she had been trying to forget resurfaced.

Her deep green eyes stared blankly up at the ceiling.

‘It’s always like this.’

She had gained quite a bit of popularity in high society, and there were quite a few gentlemen who admired her.

But that was all.

She was never once invited to any substantial gatherings.

How should I put it, it always felt like she couldn’t move forward from important boundaries…

‘Forget it, let’s stop thinking about it.’

Continuing to think about it would only make her depressed.

Seraphina got up and took a few steps around.

The tingling sensation had now completely disappeared.

With a satisfied expression, Seraphina strode toward the door.

Creak!

The door opened.

Ladies gathered closely together in the corridor were looking down at a newspaper with their heads together.

‘What?’

Seraphina blinked in bewilderment.

At the sound of the door opening, at least one of them should have turned around, but none of them acknowledged Seraphina.

‘Are they pretending not to know me?’

Seraphina’s face contorted.

“Why are you making such a commotion so early in the morning?”

Seraphina snapped sharply at the ladies who wouldn’t look at her.

“There might still be people sleeping. You should be a bit quieter…”

“No, look at this!”

One Lady with a completely flustered face thrust a newspaper right in front of Seraphina’s nose.

“Last night, Her Majesty the Empress collapsed!”

“What?!”

Seraphina’s eyes widened in shock.

“The newspaper, let me see it for a moment.”

Seraphina snatched the newspaper from the Lady’s grasp.

As she spread the newspaper wide, a shocking article filled her vision.

[At dawn today, the Imperial Court officially announced that Her Majesty the Empress is unwell.

The Empress collapsed due to a fever of unknown cause and has not yet regained consciousness.

Lord Schultz, the Imperial Court’s physician, was reserved in his words, saying he is doing his best to treat her…]

At that moment.

For some unknown reason, someone’s voice randomly surfaced in Seraphina’s mind.

“Are you still exchanging letters with Her Majesty the Empress these days?”

“Then… is the ink I gave you as a gift being put to good use?”

Seraphina felt a chill run down her spine.

‘High Priest Evans.’

Why had he always asked her about the letters and ink?

Why was contact with Her Majesty the Empress so important to him?

Those moments she had brushed off as trivial matters…

Why were they bothering her so much now?

“Thanks for letting me read it.”

Seraphina tossed the newspaper back to the Lady and turned around sharply.

Her beautiful face was frighteningly hardened.

‘I need to meet High Priest Evans.’

Once suspicion arose, it didn’t easily disappear.

The anxiety that gripped her ankles like a sticky swamp was overwhelming.

Seraphina fled from the scene as if escaping.

* * *

“Will Her Majesty the Empress be alright?”

Lady Claudius asked me with a dejected expression.

After all, Her Majesty the Empress was one of the few people Lady Claudius could rely on.

After losing her mother at a young age.

She was an ‘adult’ who had filled, even if just a little, the gaping void that was left.

I comforted Lady Claudius.

“Of course. She’ll recover quickly.”

“But lately, her complexion hasn’t looked good… I’m worried.”

“That’s…”

I unconsciously trailed off.

Though I had comforted Lady Claudius, I was equally anxious inside.

Because it was honestly true.

Excluding this dinner, the last time I saw Her Majesty the Empress was at tea time two weeks ago.

Even then, there were faint shadows under her eyes.

“Your Majesty, is something troubling you?”

Lady Claudius had asked worriedly, unable to bear watching any longer.

“You look a bit tired.”

“I’m fine.”

Nevertheless, Her Majesty the Empress smiled brightly.

“The Crown Prince will be returning soon, you know? I’ve been getting tired from preparing the dinner and other things.”

“In that case, you could leave the minor details to your subordinates and rest a bit…”

“Thank you. But since I’m meeting my son after so long, I want to take care of things personally.”

Her Majesty the Empress looked truly happy when she said that.

It seemed like she could easily overcome mere fatigue…

‘Hm?’

While feeling troubled inside, I belatedly noticed that Lord Claudius had been keeping his mouth shut the whole time.

I glanced at Lord Claudius from the corner of my eye.

‘What is he thinking about so deeply?’

His face looked extremely serious as he was lost in thought.

I unconsciously called out to Lord Claudius.

“Lord Claudius.”

“…”

“Lord Claudius?”

“Ah.”

Lord Claudius, who had been blinking slowly, looked directly at me.

Only then did light return to his blue eyes.

I tilted my head.

“What’s wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Lord Claudius shook his head and stood up.

“For now, I think I need to continue monitoring the situation at the Imperial Palace.”

“Ah, yes.”

I nodded with a worried expression.

Lord Claudius smiled gently.

“Don’t worry too much. The Imperial physicians are attending to Her Majesty the Empress’s condition.”

Indeed, the Imperial physicians were the most skilled elites in the Empire.

Such people were caring for Her Majesty the Empress day and night.

‘It’ll probably be fine.’

I tried to reassure myself.

“I’ll contact you when Her Majesty the Empress shows signs of improvement.”

“You must, brother.”

Lady Claudius earnestly pleaded with Lord Claudius.

Lord Claudius patted Lady Claudius’s shoulder and headed straight outside.

Click.

The sound of the door closing strangely grated on my ears.

…My heart felt very uneasy.

Gone was the smile from when he had comforted the anxious Larite and Evangeline.

Dietrich’s face as he boarded the carriage was frighteningly hardened.

‘Fever, delirium, and hallucinations.’

Dietrich mulled over the Empress’s symptoms once more.

Before the symptoms appeared, she had experienced mild fever and fatigue for several weeks.

After that, she suddenly developed a high fever and lost consciousness.

‘Damn it.’

Dietrich clenched his molars tightly.

Of course, he might be being overly sensitive.

However, those symptoms.

…were exactly like his late parents’ symptoms.

* * *

Seraphina desperately clung to the priest guarding the main building.

“I want to meet High Priest Evans.”

“I’m sorry, Lady Lopez, but the High Priest hasn’t come to the main building yet.”

The priest couldn’t hide his troubled expression at Seraphina’s insistence.

The current time was just before 10 AM.

High-ranking priests of Deputy High Priest level and above usually came to the main building to start work after finishing lunch.

“Since it’s too early, if you could come back a little later…”

“Then I’ll wait!”

Seraphina raised her voice desperately.

“I absolutely must meet the High Priest today. Please?”

But then.

“What’s the matter?”

Seraphina quickly turned her head.

At the end of her trembling green gaze stood Isaac.

Their eyes met.

And.

“…”

Seraphina even forgot to breathe.

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