"Are you satisfied?" Vellian asked, standing there with a dissatisfied expression.
Astelle turned to see him. After finishing her audience, she remained in the drawing room of the emperor's palace. She had said all she needed and wanted to return to the empress's palace, but she was instructed to wait here.
Had she been alone with Kaizen, she would have simply said she was leaving. But with so many nobles watching, she couldn't disobey the emperor's orders.
While Astelle waited, Kaizen was discussing the matter with the ministers in his office. Maids hurriedly served tea and desserts to the empress. Now, even Vellian, the emperor's aide, had come to see her.
"What do you mean?" Astelle asked, narrowing her gaze at Vellian.
Glancing briefly at the distant maids, Vellian lowered his voice and spoke sarcastically, "I asked if you are satisfied with the fact that the Marchioness and her family will soon be destroyed."
Astelle stared at him intently. It was evident that Vellian, the emperor's aide, didn't approve of the downfall of the Croychen family.
Nevertheless, Astelle had no choice but to proceed with the course of action.
"Should I remain silent when the Marchioness and her daughter attempted to kill me and spy on me?" she retorted.
"Is that why you allowed her to take the fake secret letter?"
"I didn't give it to her," Astelle stated firmly. It wasn't a lie; she had been unaware of the existence of such a secret letter until Florin mentioned it.
Vellian remained skeptical. "Even the emperor, who is infatuated with the empress, will not believe that," he remarked.
Astelle raised an eyebrow at his impertinent tone. "Are you suggesting that I set a trap and ensnared Lady Florin?" she questioned.
"Isn't that the case?"
"It is not. Why would I do such a thing to Lady Florin?" Astelle rebutted.
"Did you forget you also set a trap for the Marchioness at the tea party?" Vellian countered.
"It was because the Marchioness tried to kidnap Theor," Astelle replied firmly. She clarified that had the Marchioness not harmed Theor, she would have let her go despite her rudeness.
"Even if that's the case in the past, but..." Vellian began, unconvinced.
Astelle didn't want to entertain Vellian's objections any longer. She had no intention of enduring his rudeness.
With resolve in her voice, Astelle interjected, "I fail to understand why you, the emperor's aide, doubt me, the empress."
Vellian appeared slightly taken aback, perhaps surprised to realize he had reverted to speaking impolitely with her after previously showing respect.
Astelle addressed him calmly yet assertively, "How can you be so disrespectful in the presence of the empress of the empire and defend a baseless accusation? Shouldn't someone serving the emperor adhere to proper imperial etiquette?"
"Oh, it's not..." Vellian started, looking bewildered, with a hint of betrayal in his eyes. "You speak without hesitation. Why are you suddenly doing this?"
Astelle considered his question. Was he genuinely unaware?
It was because she wasn't an empress back then. She was a powerless duke's daughter, abandoned by her own family.
"If I, as the empress, allow baseless nitpicking from the emperor's aide, wouldn't that tarnish His Majesty's honor?" Astelle questioned pointedly.
Vellian struggled to find a response, rendered speechless. Just then, there was a knock on the door, and it opened to admit the nobles who had participated in the political meeting.
