Chapter 7

When someone from the imperial family recited the long and uselessly splendid greeting, the empress had to give precise answers in the middle. It was the first test as an empress and bears the same significance as giving an oath.

The women who were crowned as empress spent considerable time memorizing the book. If her answers were incorrect, she would not be properly recognized.

“So what the princess is doing now…”

“Yes. It is literally the formal standard to greet the empress.”

Catherine touched her forehead. Such a rigid person! Did I ask you to hold a ceremony? just say your greeting normally! She didn’t even know that there was “The Empress’s Book’, let alone memorize it. But if she made a mistake now, she wouldn’t be able to face others again.

“The best of those virtues…”

Apollonia muttered for a long time in a polite manner and then gazed at Catherine, blurring the end of her words. This indicated that Catherine was to finish the sentence.

“The best….the- I mean, the best of those virtues is…”

Catherine stuttered and looked around, but none of the other nobles memorized such an impractical greeting. She had to rely on her common sense to answer the question.

“Uh, elegance and modesty?”

At her unconfident answer, Apollonia looked down again.

“It’s toughness.”

Maya, who remained still, stealthily stepped in and gave the answer, causing Cathrine’s face to wrinkle even more. Apollonia began to mutter again, pretending to have heard nothing.

“The only one who can face the sun,  they both look at each other and pledge..”

Apollonia once again raised her head and looked at the woman.

“They both ple, pledged…to love each other?”

“It was to respect each other.”

This time Maya intercepted again. She could see that some people were struggling to hold back laughter. Although Catherine was so angry that her head almost exploded, the girl wouldn’t stop talking.

Until when are you going to stop chanting that damned book!

“Like the servants who serve the Lord, the children who serve the father…”

“To serve your husband, isn’t it?!”

This time, Catherine, who got the hang of it, cut off Apollonia’s words and shouted. It was done so urgently that she didn’t realize that she was speaking informally.

“So you know.”

Apollonia replied with a look of admiration. The figure straightened her knees, marking the end of the greeting.

“How could I not know ‘The Book of Empress’? I was just a little confused in the middle!”

“Your Highness.”

This time, Maya, who was initially stern, spoke without hiding her feelings of absurdity. Catherine glared at her while putting up an expression as if she stepped on poop, but Maya opened her mouth again.

“The Book of Empress was finished a while ago. What the Princess recited just now was ‘The Maxim of the East’.”

“Wh-what?”, Catherine shouted in embarrassment.

“It is customary to put words of blessing at the end of the formal greetings you requested for…”

A rumble of laughter erupted around her, and Catherine’s face turned bright red. At that time Catherine noticed Apollonia’s expression who looked at her among all the other laughing people.

It was a fleeting moment when a small smile ran over Apollonia’s mouth. Catherine’s entire body trembled.

“Maya, don’t speak rashly.”

What really upset Catherine was the fact that it was only Apollonia who didn’t laugh openly at her on the spot. She was clearly using her maid’s mouth to humiliate her while putting on a gentle mask. Catherine’s body trembled.

“Well then, I’m tired, so I’ll take my leave first.”

As Apollonia turned around with a smile, a murmur erupted among the spectators, every word undermining Catherine’s pride.

“Geez, in the end, she lost everything.”

“The Princess just did what she was told to do.”

“Hah, she deserves it. I knew it since she was so rowdy.”

Catherine gnawed her teeth. She couldn’t believe they were listening to this rude kid. She didn’t want to end the situation like this. The thought of how to get back on that girl dominated her mind.

Clatter-!

“Goodbye Prin-…..Oh no, my bad.”