The Woman Who Hated Her (3)

A warm ray of sunlight streamed into the room. Enjoying the sunlight, Kilianerisa sipped her tea leisurely. She appeared extremely relaxed. On the other hand, Lerian couldn’t do the same. Because of this, she couldn’t bring herself to taste any of the tea or cookies Kilianerisa had provided.

How would she know what was in them, let alone eat them?

Lerian had no idea what the hell she was up to.

‘Is she trying to throw a glass or something while pretending to have tea?’

Considering her usual behavior, it was a hypothesis with a reasonable possibility. The tea wasn’t very hot, but it was warm enough to scald sensitive skin. Lerian, thinking about her own clumsiness with hot tea in the past, unconsciously swallowed hard. Kilianerisa, who had been looking at her meaningfully, brought her hand towards the teacup she had set down.

Lerian flinched.

As the teacup was raised along with her hand, Lerian trembled involuntarily. She clenched both hands tightly under the table, prepared for any unexpected situation, and tightly closed her eyes. However, there was no sign of an attack with the hot tea or anything of the sort she had anticipated.

When she cautiously opened her eyes, she could feel Kilianerisa’s gaze fixedly watching her. Lerian, feeling somewhat embarrassed, nervously fiddled with the handle of the teacup. She realized that she had overthought things, and this time, it truly seemed like a genuine invitation for teatime.

‘Perhaps she’s trying to apologize?’

Despite knowing her personality well enough to understand that it was unlikely, Lerian couldn’t help but feel a bit hopeful at this unusual invitation for teatime. She pondered various reasons why Kilianerisa had summoned her, and her curiosity was piqued. As Lerian thought about the purpose of calling her, Kilianerisa then opened her mouth.

“Would you like to make a bet with me?”

It was an unexpected proposal. Lerian, still fiddling with the teacup’s handle, raised her head and widened her eyes.

“What?”

Kilianerisa’s face displayed a determination that Lerian had never seen before. At that, Lerian instinctively felt frightened.

“How about a high-stakes game of life?”

‘A game?’

Lerian murmured Kilianerisa’s words under her breath. However, the sudden statement left her utterly bewildered, making it impossible to grasp the meaning behind what she was saying.

“The winner of the bet will have the Emperor.”

Lerian’s eyes narrowed. Leonard was not some object to be won. Was she really suggesting making a bet among themselves to determine who would possess him? This idea seemed utterly absurd to her. She had no desire to participate in such a nonsensical bet.

However, if she refused, she might face unforeseen consequences. She cautiously asked,

“…What happens if I lose?”

“Well, what do you think?”

Kilianerisa responded with a cryptic smile, her voice tinged with a mischievous tone, making Lerian even more uneasy.

“How about it, will you do it? Or not?”

Did she even have a choice? No, probably not. Lerian could only bite her lip without saying a word. Since it was Kilianerisa who suggested the bet, it was evident that it would be disadvantageous for her. In a short amount of time, many thoughts raced through her mind.

‘What if… What if I win?’

Would that mean Kilianerisa would no longer interfere in her and Leonard’s relationship?

Could Lerian finally love Leonard wholly, like any other wife loves her husband?

Gulp.

Lerian swallowed her dry saliva. It was what she had wished for all her life.

‘But…’

Previously, she couldn’t fathom it, but now, Leonard was her life, her reason for being. She couldn’t even imagine a life without him.

However, Lerian knew her chances of winning the bet against Kilianerisa were slim to none. Putting her entire life on that one small possibility was too frightening for her.

Despite the uncertainty of her current situation, she could live relatively content with her life as it was. Lerian was well aware of her limits.

Kilianerisa added with a sardonic tone, seeing that Lerian showed no sign of giving a definite answer.

“If you don’t agree, it’ll be your loss. I’ll do whatever it takes to get the Emperor, and you will never set foot in the palace again.”

Her words sent shivers down Lerian’s spine. It was chilling, and it also made her angry. Why did she have to listen to this? She clenched the teacup tightly, trying to contain her growing anger. However, the cup was too fragile to absorb her resentment, and as a result, her hand trembled.

No, it was not anger. It was fear. Kilianerisa was fully capable of carrying out her threat. Plus, Lerian didn’t trust Leonard. Therefore, her fear only intensified.

“By any chance, can I hear about it before deciding?”

Despite her attempts to appear fearless, her frightened and shaking voice couldn’t be concealed. Kilianerisa responded to her words with a relaxed smile.

“Sure, take your time. You’ll probably find it hard to refuse once you hear it.”

Why wouldn’t she be able to refuse? Did she mean she won’t be able to refuse? Uncertain of what would follow, Lerian was hunched over, tense, and waiting. In contrast, Kilianerisa looked genuinely at ease. She leisurely took a sip of her tea before she started talking.

“You probably know this, but I’m not the kind of person who is generous enough to share what’s mine with someone else. So, as things stand, there won’t be any significant changes in our relationship. I’ll remain the Emperor’s consort forever. However, I have no intention of sharing my man with anyone. I assume you feel the same way?”

It was a straightforward statement, but Lerian refrained from responding. Kilianerisa didn’t seem to be waiting for her answer as she continued.

“Spread a rumor that you’re expecting a child in the palace.”

“What?”

A child?

“To the point where everyone knows… Ah, don’t worry. I’ll take care of that. You just have to tell the Emperor that you’re expecting a child.”

“……Isn’t that a crime?”

If she were a commoner, lying might have been the end of it, but falsely claiming to be pregnant with a royal heir was no ordinary lie. It was undoubtedly a crime against the laws of the land.

“A crime?”

Kilianerisa, who had been staring at Lerian’s tensed face, suddenly burst into laughter. Then, she whispered discreetly.

“It’s not a crime if no one finds out.”

“But…”

“Shh. I’m not finished yet. Once the rumor spreads, eventually, news of it will reach my ears, right? When that happens, in my blind jealousy, I’ll hand you a poisoned cup of tea.”

She narrated her story as if recounting an old tale, as if it were not her own story. However, the content concealed within was ruthlessly grim.

“Drinking the poisoned tea will result in you miscarrying the child. If that happens, I can’t avoid the punishment for harming the royal heir.”

Lerian couldn’t say a word. She couldn’t understand why Kilianerisa was telling her this story. She couldn’t even comprehend it.