The Male Lead Is Trying To Tame Me With Money - 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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99.

I hurriedly stepped back and hid behind a corridor pillar.

It was the perfect angle to see into the drawing room, which had its door left partially open.

Through the gap in the door, I could see the Fourth Consort letting out a short breath and straightening her head, which she had turned away moments before.

‘Wow, someone who was always perfectly put together.’

No, even now her expression management was so perfect it was even more frightening.

Blood was beading in a straight line across the Fourth Consort’s reddened cheek, as if she had been scratched by a ring worn by one of the First Consort’s maids.

“I never expected such words to come from your mouth, First Consort.”

“Your legs don’t hurt anymore, I see? You’ve forgotten all manners toward your superiors.”

“Ha!”

The Fourth Consort openly scoffed at the First Consort’s words.

“It seems you have much weighing on your mind, not giving a proper rebuttal to my words but immediately resorting to violence and talk of manners.”

Rather than being intimidated, she looked as if she had forgotten she was the lowest-ranking among the imperial concubines.

The First Consort looked at the Fourth Consort with apparent disbelief, resting her chin on her hand and speaking in a dismissive tone.

“Do you think I’d be frightened by such talk, Fourth Consort?”

The First Consort smiled while casually examining her fingernails, as if bored.

“As expected from someone from a family with no foundation or history, who only stole from others.”

“First Consort!”

It was Fourth Consort Scaletti who flared up first.

At that reaction, the First Consort let out an even sharper sneer than Scaletti had moments before and rose from her seat.

“How can you feel ashamed over such a trivial thing? There’s still so much more to account for regarding what you’ve done to the other concubines.”

“Our Zamoti Duchy, even before the Empire was founded—!”

“Don’t you know, being from a family that crawled up through theft and scheming? Usually when explaining one’s family history…”

The First Consort cut off Scaletti’s words and approached her with graceful steps, stopping directly in front of her.

Golden eyes filled with humiliation glared at the First Consort like a curse.

But the First Consort merely smiled with noble composure.

That artificial smile was very similar to when Scaletti had been Empress, pretending to care for the concubines while subtly undermining them from beside the Emperor.

“Don’t you start from at least receiving a baronetcy? Though I suppose you wouldn’t know when it became a ‘real’ title?”

“First Consort, shut your mouth right—!”

Smack—!

The First Consort struck the uninjured side of her face with an indifferent expression.

“How dare you give me orders? If you’re the Fourth Consort, you should know your place!”

“Since when has the status difference between consorts been so severe!”

“Ha, hahaha!”

At Scaletti’s words, the First Consort laughed loudly as if it were utterly ridiculous.

“You’re saying that?”

The First Consort bent down to meet the Fourth Consort’s eyes and spoke clearly.

“You, who just three months ago humiliated Empress Trisha, asking how the Second Empress could dare be equal to the First Empress?”

“That was when she was Empress…!”

“Don’t be mistaken, Scaletti Zamotti. Have you forgotten? It was His Majesty the Emperor who clearly specified you as the lowest-ranking among the consorts and placed you in that position.”

The Fourth Consort pressed her lips tightly together.

“Now face reality. Without His Majesty’s favor, you can’t threaten anyone with mere words.”

The First Consort gestured to her maids.

Then the Fourth Consort’s body, which had been forced to kneel until then, was pulled upright.

“Because you’re merely the Fourth Consort, you must show me proper respect. All according to His Majesty’s command, which you so proudly wielded as if it were your own authority.”

As the First Consort waved her hand with those words, the maids holding Scaletti dragged her away.

“First Consort! After trying to kill someone, you think you can just dismiss me like this! Are you trying to intimidate me to bury the truth!”

Of course, Scaletti didn’t go quietly either, screaming at the top of her lungs as if determined to cause damage.

But the First Consort merely snorted,

“It seems the Fourth Consort has developed some kind of madness, believing delusions to be reality and acting like that.”

She casually dismissed Scaletti’s words.

The First Consort fanned herself near her ear as if tired from the commotion, and gave additional orders to one of her maids.

“The Fourth Consort seems to need recuperation, so you should regularly visit Rose Palace to check on her. Make sure she doesn’t act recklessly.”

“Yes, Your Highness the First Consort.”

“His Majesty dislikes when the Imperial Palace is noisy, so we must keep watch, mustn’t we.”

The First Consort laughed melodiously, her voice ringing clear.

Scaletti tried to shout at her, but was immediately gagged by another maid.

“Didn’t you hear, Your Highness the Fourth Consort? His Majesty said to remain quiet.”

“These are His Majesty’s words that Your Highness held in such high regard. Though your rank may be low, you’ve been in the palace ‘long enough’ to show some trace of that.”

The maids dragging her out of the drawing room spoke to the Fourth Consort in truly elegant yet mocking tones, as if giving advice.

“Mmph, mmph…!”

The Fourth Consort tried desperately to open her mouth, but the experienced maids’ skills were far superior.

I watched them emerge into the corridor and casually stepped away from the pillar, standing as if I had stopped walking due to the commotion.

Scaletti, seeing me, leaned forward as if to rush at me, but the maids held her arms firmly without letting go.

They bowed lightly to me and spoke as if for the Fourth Consort to hear.

“Her madness seems quite severe, trying to attack anyone at any time like this.”

“We must safely escort Her Highness back, so Advisor Salice, please go inside. The First Consort has been waiting for someone from the Winter Palace.”

Their speech was so calm it seemed they couldn’t feel the Fourth Consort thrashing in their arms.

‘Truly the First Consort’s close maids.’

They were fitting for people who had followed from the Grand Duchy, married imperial nobles, and served as the First Consort’s maids throughout.

And I thought their composure was evidence of having weathered all sorts of incidents in this imperial harem alongside the First Consort.

“Bring a thick veil.”

As they passed by me, they instructed a servant in calm voices to hide Scaletti’s appearance.

All to maintain an imperial harem that appeared peaceful and undisturbed on the surface.

*

“I apologize for having you witness such a disturbing scene, Advisor Salice.”

Unlike when dealing with the Fourth Consort moments before, the First Consort gestured gracefully for me to sit on the drawing room sofa.

The drawing room had been quickly tidied to the point where it was hard to believe such commotion had just occurred.

Following the First Consort’s invitation to sit, a maid soon brought tea and desserts before us.

The First Consort stopped the maid’s gesture to pour and personally lifted the teapot to serve my portion of tea.

She opened her mouth while drinking her own tea with a benevolent smile.

“This is our first time having a conversation like this, isn’t it?”

“Yes, Your Highness the First Consort.”

We had exchanged greetings at dinner gatherings I attended as Casian’s fiancée, but there hadn’t been many opportunities for conversation.

“We’ll be family someday, so don’t be so formal. Though I know Advisor Salice is a well-mannered person.”

She sent a leisurely smile like a ripe spring afternoon, then opened her mouth with apparent bashfulness and hesitation.

“I also know you’re always helping our daughter. I’m aware that you and Prince Casian have many hardships in various ways.”

I should respond modestly to these words, saying it wasn’t so, but I couldn’t bring myself to speak.

During settlement periods, her daughter the Second Princess’s palace was one of the places we relied on as much as the Summer Palace.

I could only smile broadly.

I couldn’t ask her to take some responsibility if her daughter knew about such things, nor could I increase our palace’s workload by saying it was nothing here.

That wouldn’t be proper toward my Winter Palace colleagues who trusted and worked with me.

But the First Consort didn’t show displeasure at my attitude and simply nodded as if she understood.

“She was such a precious child to obtain, I raised her very indulgently. So she lacks maturity and honestly has many shortcomings as a princess.”

The First Consort let out a short sigh.

“Actually, that’s why when she was assigned her own palace and became independent two years ago, I pleaded with His Majesty several times. I said she was still too young to be responsible for an entire palace.”

The Second Princess, who was sixteen this year, was indeed somewhat innocent (?) as the First Consort said.

To put it nicely, she was exactly like someone her age, and to put it badly, well…

Well… she was in a state where one particular characteristic of adolescence that typically passes through at this age was manifesting rather strongly.

“So this is embarrassing, but I have a favor to ask of Advisor Salice.”

“…A request?”

I felt slightly tense.

It wasn’t particularly because the First Consort seemed scary after witnessing that scene earlier, but rather because I was worried this request might increase my workload.

Early in my employment, I had already been pushed around by the Second Princess’s request and unfairly worked overtime without compensation.

I quickly listed the Winter Palace’s recent work assignments in my head so I could defend against whatever request might come.

However, making all my preparations and worries seem pointless, the First Consort’s request was.

“Could you send Ashwood, the Second Assistant of the Winter Palace, to the Second Princess’s Palace?”

Really, it was absolutely.

Ab. So. Lutely.

An absurd request.

So much so that I regretted thinking she was somewhat impressive while watching her deal with the Fourth Consort.

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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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