#13. On a Night Like This, When the Stars Twinkle (13)

Since time immemorial, Imperial events had essentially been the empress’s responsibility.

More precisely, of course, “Imperial events were the responsibility of the eldest woman in the Imperial family.” By that standard, Empress Anneliese was the eldest woman in the Galatea Imperial family.

Had the emperor remained unmarried instead of taking Anneliese as his wife, those events would probably have fallen to Dominique.

But that was only a hypothetical.

As things stood, it all belonged to the empress. The debutante presentation. The banquets for the Founding and Harvest Festivals. The Hunting Festival and New Year’s parties. Every Imperial event was in Empress Anneliese’s hands.

“If it weren’t for that redheaded bitch, I wouldn’t have to run away like this.”

Her wheat-colored hair swayed with the carriage’s rocking. Resting her head against the window, Dominique watched the lively streets rush past and muttered to herself.

Because of that, whenever an Imperial event was held, Dominique would show her face briefly before slipping away.

Of course, when she was young and still full of innocence, she had been fooled by the empress’s feigned words and smiles, stubbornly staying by her side as the empress played the part of a loving mother.

Dominique shook her head, thinking that even by her own standards, that had been quite pathetic...