Queen of The Scalpel - Chapter 70
‘The media is already talking like I’m the Crown Prince’s fiancee.;
The Emperor’s announcement at the anniversary ball was the hottest issue. All the newspapers had reported on it like they had been waiting to do so.
[Crown Prince’s Fiancee, Announced to be Lady Clarence!]
[Lady Clarence, the Lady of the Ball.]
And these were the better articles.
[Lady Elise of the Clarence Family! The New First Lady of the Empire!]
There were articles that reported on the subject like she was already married to the Crown Prince. It wasn’t too different from her past life. Now, everyone in the empire knew her name.
“Sigh. You can do well, Elise.”
If this went on, her place as the Crown Prince’s fiancee would be set in stone. She needed to switch the situation before that happened. She strengthened her resolve and left for the ball.
When she arrived, countless gazes landed on her. It was like the main character of the ball had arrived.
“Oh. Lady Clarence, congratulations.”
“I knew the Emperor would choose you.”
People crowded around Elise. She wasn’t announced as the fiancee, but they thought she would be engaged after her adult ceremony. The next Crown Princess, and the Empress. Everyone crowded around her to meet her.
“No. The Emperor hasn’t officially announced it. His opinion could change in the future. So it’s too early for congratulations.”
Elise softly denied their congratulations. She was denying it because she really didn’t want it, but they accepted it differently.
‘I heard a lot of bad things but they were just rumors.’
‘She’s basically going to be his fiancee, but she’s humble. It’s different from the gossip I heard before.’
‘She’s a perfect fit for the next Crown Princess.’
They all thought she was being polite and looked at her with awe. And that wasn’t the end of it. Her beautiful face, calm attitude, and mannerisms. Unlike the rumors they had heard about her, she seemed perfect for the Crown Princess position.
“This is why you shouldn’t believe rumors.”
“You can only tell if you see for yourself.”
People whispered amongst themselves.
“The Emperor chose well. A lady from the greatest family in the empire, the Clarence family.”
“I agree. I think she’s perfect for the Crown Prince.”
Elise felt frustrated listening to them.
-It’s not. I’m really not!
Was what she wanted to say, but it wouldn’t matter right now. ‘I have to solve it with the Emperor.’ Yes, everything depended on the Emperor. Saying such things to these people didn’t matter. She smiled like a doll among the people and waited for the Emperor to arrive. Being around this many people, her head started to hurt. And after some time passed.
“His Majesty the Emperor is entering!”
With the sound of trumpets, the Emperor entered the ballroom. With a mild smile like always.
“…!”
She bit her lips. The Emperor was with a lot of emissaries. And she couldn’t see the 1st Empress, who was the lady of the current Imperial Palace.
‘I can’t now. Let’s wait a bit.’ She looked for the chance to speak to the Emperor alone. It was then. A soft voice called her name.
“Oh my. Lady Clarence. Nice to see you.”
A kind-looking noblewoman. Duchess Harver approached Elise. Her gold eyes softly crinkled.
“Greetings to the Duchess.”
“Did you rest well yesterday?”
“Yes, Duchess.”
The Duchess was being supported by a maid with her. The admission of personal servants in the Imperial Palace’s ball wasn’t allowed, but she was a part of the Imperial Family and she had Parkinson’s, so it seemed like she was able to bring a maid.
“I’m glad we’ll be family soon. Please take care of the Crown Prince well. He looks cold, but he’s actually quite cute.”
“…”
Elise awkwardly smiled. Cute? The Crown Prince? The two words didn’t belong in the same sentence. She smiled, and continued speaking like she really considered him cute.
“Although he looks a bit indifferent now, he was so kind and lovable when he was young. It only seems like yesterday when he crawled over to me and played tricks on me.”
She sipped a drink. But it was when she was trying to swallow it.
“Cough, cough!”
Like something was caught in her throat, she suddenly started to cough.
“Duchess!”
Elise’s face hardened. It might look simply like the drink went down the wrong way, but it wasn’t. It’s aspiration, a symptom of Parkinson’s.’ As Parkinson’s progressed, the movements of the arm and legs decreased, and it was hard to swallow things. Food was supposed to go down into the organ for food, but in the worse case scenario, it would block the path for breathing and cause asphyxiation.
‘We can’t make the illness itself better, but her death by suffocation should be stopped.’ In her past life, she had died from suffocation. Seeing the severity of the symptoms, a method to prevent suffocation was needed. ‘I should tell her the method when I get the chance.’ She didn’t know when and where it would happen. So Elise needed to tell her before it was too late. The Duchess managed to stop coughing and speak.
“Haa, this is tough.”
“Be careful, Duchess.”
“Yes, I should. Ah, lady. I have something to say to you.”
“Yes?”
“The Emperor wants to speak with you, could you go?”
“…!”
Elise’s face hardened. It was finally time. Her fate depended on this.