𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐈𝐀 ╾╾ THE REMARRIED EMPRESS

XIV

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Ji-yoon had stopped trying to refute the rumors that she was a slave. Lying about it would cause more problems in her eyes. However, that made her begin to think. What would happen if she fell out of Sovieshu's favor before the wedding?

'Sovieshu fell for Rashta for her innocent and vulnerable aura, but I haven't been acting quite like that. What if he sends me away, back to the viscount?' She bit her nail, randomly doubting herself. 'I wouldn't be able to run away, without any money-'

Suddenly, she got an idea.

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Ji-yoon bowed to the empress, who seemed to be in an icy mood after walking out of Sovieshu's room. "Your majesty! I have a question."

"Ask away." Navier said.

"As a mistress, will I be receiving an allowance?" She asked nervously, not wanting to come off as greedy. 'I need my own set of money . This way, if the emperor begins to get bored of me, I'll be able to at least buy a house or food.'

"Yes. About 30,000 crans per year." Navier stated. Ji-yoon smiled, nodding even though she wasn't sure if that was a lot or not. "Wow! I've never received that much money before." She admitted.

"Why are you asking me this though?" Navier inquired. Ji-yoon paused for a moment. "I didn't want to get carried away by imagining the amount of money I get. 30,000 crans definitely put my dreams into perspective." She lied easily, her guilt slowly fading away.

"Then, I guess I should tell you it starts next month. Make sure to spend your money wisely." The empress warned her, walking away. "Wait!" Ji-yoon exclaimed, making the empress start.

"I-uh, is it possible I could get 10,000 crans right now?" She asked nervously. Navier raised an eyebrow. "And would it be okay if it was off the record?"

The empress seemed to be staring into Ji-yoon's soul, wondering how to respond, like a robot evaluating it's surroundings. "His majesty is the one in charge of your welfare, so you should ask him instead of me." She said, and then took her leave. "Goodbye."

"Ahh..." Ji-yoon sighed, walking away.

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Ji-yoon sat with Duke Ergi, eating some cake while sulking. "The empress said told me I should ask the emperor to take the crans off record, and I know his majesty will be too interested in why I need the money."

Duke Ergi took a sip of his tea. "The empess can be quite cold."

Ji-yoon made a 'hm' sound. "I wouldn't call her cold, just very professional, you know?"

Duke Ergi grinned. "True. She's very strict about setting boundaries, and she acts like an empress, thinks like an empress, and speaks like an empress." He explained, as if he had known her for a while.

She raised an eyebrow. "Haven't you only known her for a short time?"

The duke laughed, ignoring the question. "Anyways, if you really need money, I'll lend you some."

"Oh wow!" Her eyes lit up. "Would you really do that?"

"We can put together an IOU and write down the exact amount I'll lend to you." The duke explained to her. "You don't even have to pay me back until you're in charge of your own finances- alright, I won't ask for money for about five years. What do you think?"

Ji-yoon felt her cheeks flush. Duke Ergi had been so good to her, despite how much she avoided him at the beginning. However, those thoughts got pushed away when she remembered that Duke Ergi was only manipulating her for his own benefit.

She smiled. "I think... that sounds amazing! Thank you!" She exclaimed.

"However," He said, making Ji-yoon's smile falter. "There's a catch."

"You need to tell me why you need the money." He said.

Ji-yoon silently scoffed. Despite how nice he was, Duke Ergi was using her and she couldn't give him sensitive information. "There are some perfumes I want to buy, but the emperor is worried I'm spending my money irresponsibly."

"Ah. I should've known someone like you would need something girly like that." He smiled. Ji-yoon looked down. "He would probably tell the emperor about my plans, anyway."

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Ji-yoon stared at the dress Valerie had chosen for her. It was blue, adorned with sapphires and pearls. "I was able to get this for you, since you were so adamant on getting any color other than red."

"Even though red would look gorgeous on you." Odessa added. Ji-yoon smiled. "You'll figure out why I don't want that color soon enough." She said, leaving Odessa confused.

Odessa picked a pink dress and a matching mask, and Valerie wore a purple dress. Ji-yoon wore a white mask adorned with lace and fake flowers. As the trio walked in to the ballroom, some people came to greet Ji-yoon and socialize with her.

Ji-yoon exhaled, not expecting so many people to come- it was almost double the size of the new year's party. 'Just 1 hour, and then you can leave.' She reminded herself.

"Oh wow!"

The crowd marveled as the empress entered, wearing a stunning red dress and white mask with feathers and flowers. Her ladies-in-waiting followed in simpler dresses.

"That's why I didn't want a red dress." Ji-yoon said to her surprised ladies-in-waiting. Odessa clapped. "She does look pretty though!" She pointed out. Valerie looked confused.

"I apologize for being nosy, but how did you know she was going to wear a red dress?" She inquired. Ji-yoon paused for a moment. "Red... red is, like her signature color! She usually wears red, so I assumed she was going to wear red today as well."

"Oh, that's very considerate of you!" Valerie exclaimed. Ji-yoon laughed nervously. "I just don't want any drama, especially since the last parties I attended seemed to be filled with gossip." She admitted.

'I wonder what Duke Ergi is doing.' She thought. 'And Viscount Lottesheu... has he found anything worth noting at all?'

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