The Tyrant Couldn’t Fall Asleep

"What?"

Suddenly, she was dumbfounded by the attitude pointed out.

Even when she became an empress, Izaya was always a good daughter of her father, and she tried not to clash with her and her mother.

"I don’t think you knew the manners of the imperial palace, so I'll move on, but be careful next time."

But Izaya not only spoke of Louisa’s position, but also made her a fool who didn't even know basic manners.

"I..."

The angry Louisa tried to refute it, but Izaya ignored it and continued.

"And next time, I hope you can give me a notice before you visit. It is not polite to notify a visit a day in advance."

Louisa clenched her fist tightly.

‘What is this? If you say it like that, it seems like I begged you recklessly!’

Louisa seemed to be upset.

However, she tried hard to hold back and smiled as she would not show her true colors in front of the ladies.

"I'm sorry, but I'm a little disappointed. I visited the Imperial Palace because I wanted to be of help to Your Majesty."

"Help?”

"I wondered if I could be of any help because Her Majesty said she would hold a coming-of-age banquet since you don't know much about banquets."

Izaya has not been able to attend a proper banquet so far due to the education of successor as a child, and due to the political marriage with the emperor.

And she said that the failure to attend one banquet meant the indifference of her father, the Duke of Lauchen.

‘If you understand, you'll be hurt, right? That silly girl craves for her father's affection.’

So Louisa pretended to understand the situation and pushed the malice wrapped in good faith.

However, Izaya, who Louisa thought would be hurt, smiled.

"Okay, then give me some advice. I'll listen and see if it helps."

Louisa grinned at Izaya's permission.

‘What a fool. Since you laid the groundwork on your own, there's nothing to say even if you’re humiliated publicly, right?’

Soon Louisa opened her mouth with an awkward face.

"First of all, I think you used too little money on decorations. It was good to try to combine the trend with lace, but even a small part of it looks poor."

Izaya spoke with a hardened expression.

"In my eyes, it looks more elegant than having it be excessive."

"Your Majesty is not interested in this kind of thing, so it's not too much not to know."

"I took advice from those who know well about trends. I think it's your side that you don't know well."

Louisa grinned.

‘It’s okay to be ostentatious by taking advice from the maids.’

Usually, the empress' maid is said to be an honorable position, but as Louisa knew, there was no such great woman among Izaya's maidens.

In particular, the Empress's head maid Melanie Walder, who ignored her words, and was even a defeated girl kicked out by her uncle.

"There are people who sometimes consider refraining from excessive decorations as a virtue, but they seem to make such an excuse because they don't have the money to buy decorations."

Izaya hardened her face and said coldly.

"Stop it. I don't want to hear your advice anymore. Go back right away."

It was an order.

‘Izaya kicked me out, and those noble women will be witnesses.’

"Your Majesty, how could you say that to me? For your Majesty...”

At that moment, an annoying tone intervened.

"The empress just told you to go back. Didn't you hear that?”

The status of ladies usually follows the power of their husbands. And her husband was Marquis Camellia, a subordinate of the Duke of Lauchen.

In addition, Marquis Camellia was from a fallen aristocrat, so Louisa looked down on her as if it were natural.

‘You met a man and got along well, but how dare you...’

However, the Duchess of Hollis and the Duchess of Tares are clearly above her.

Attacking Marquis Camellia, who is close to her, will gain antipathy.

'Rather than that, it's better to be sarcastic Izaya.’

Soon, Louisa said with tears.

"I was just saying this because I thought you wanted honest advice… Did I do something wrong enough to get kicked out?”

Obviously, it was directed to Izaya. But the answer came from the marquis' wife.

"You deserve an order. That was a rude thing to say that goes beyond being honest."

‘Did you just say I was rude? You're just a fallen aristocrat who's trying to please others!’

Louisa stared at the marquis' wife and soon opened her mouth.

"How does the Marquis know how Her Majesty feels so well? Her Majesty didn't say she was offended."

The marquis' face heated up red, but Louisa ignored it.

‘Hmph, how dare you intervene?’

Louisa spoke to Izaya again.

"Are you upset that I pointed out the interior of the imperial palace? Please be honest."

She wouldn't say she was offended openly. There were too many eyes on the empress.

Then, someone stepped in.

"What do you mean by poor? It must look like that as the princess said.”

The calm voice came from the Duchess of Hollis.

‘Are you siding with me?’

She was the wife of a wealthy duke, one of the top three in the empire. And she was also Adrian's mother, whom Louisa liked.

"Oh? Does the Duchess think so too?”

When Luiza asked naturally, Duchess Hollis smiled and replied.

"Yes, the princess was the one who insulted me for having no money to buy decorations.”

Louisa was embarrassed when the unexpected words came out of the duchess' mouth.

‘I can't believe it. The interior decorations were the opinion of the duchess?’

Normally, she would have managed to deal with it somehow, but now Louisa had insulted the duchess.

"That's not what I meant..."

"Even though Her Majesty dissuaded you several times, you did not back down your will. Are you trying to change the subject?”

"I... I didn't know because I am still young. Please forgive me."

Louisa cried like an innocent girl.

She thought Duchess Hollis would feel sympathetic because she had children of her age.

However, when she heard that, the duchess' face became colder.

"Are you not 17 years old? At that age, you would have made your debut long ago, but I didn't know you would say that you were young."

Louisa's face was reddened by the obvious sarcasm, but the duchess did not care.

"And even if you're young, the fact that you insulted me will not change.”

"Ah, but what I really tried to do was..."

Luiza tried to make excuses, but the duchess ignored the words.

"I don't know how on earth you received home education from your parents. If my child had done the same thing to another noblewoman, I would have slapped her immediately."

No one has rebuked Louisa since she became Princess Lauchen.

However, Louisa felt insulted and ashamed at the same time at the duchess' attitude of pushing her hard.

‘What should I do? Should I persuade Izaya to intervene?’

The duchess then smiled.

"However, you are not my child, so discipline is not my responsibility."

It was regrettable, but she said she would not scold her.

When Louisa looked puzzled, the duchess asked.

"Did you say you often interacted with Adrian and Cornelia?"

"Yes, yes!"

"I can't help it.”

Luiza was convinced by the words.

'As expected, you’re trying to move on like this. You don't want to go too far because of our relationships.

Then, the duchess opened her mouth.

"In the future, they, of course, will never interact with Princess Lauchen."

Louisa felt her head blanking out in shock.

‘Not going to interact with me?’

Adrian was the first young man Louisa liked.

He was also kind to Louisa, so she thought of getting married, but she didn't know she would be rejected by his mother like this.

Louisa held the duchess' hand with tears hanging.

"Duchess, I'm...!”

Slap!

It was then that her hands roughly rejected her.

"Don't get close to my daughter and son as well as me in the future."

Suddenly, the duchess' eyes were full of hostility.

Louisa went out crying and running away from the drawing room. Duchess Hollis also raised herself to the point of leaving the imperial palace.

"Duchess of Hollis."

The duchess sighed and stared at Izaya, who called her.

Her beautiful face was full of sorrow.

'You must have been upset. Well, since she is your step sister and I even talked about family education... You might have thought I also insulted you.’

The duchess thought, but she had no regrets about her action just now.

With bad feelings, the duchess answered, staring straight at Izaya.

"Yes, Empress?”

She was the Duchess of Hollis, also known as a viper in society. She was confident of responding to whatever the empress said.

‘Let's take a look.’