Chapter 37
I Heard Kardin… Heard Everything
“Your Majesty, have you come out?”
“I pay my respects to Her Majesty the Empress Dowager…”
Unlike Kardin, who greeted the Empress Dowager warmly, Anette stiffly bowed and greeted her. Then, cautiously, she lifted her head as if checking the Empress Dowager’s reaction.
Yesterday, the Empress Dowager had not attended the dinner.
Anette assumed it was because the Empress Dowager was upset.
Whether it was disappointment or anger, she wasn’t sure, but it was clear.
Kardin had probably already informed them that she would be leaving with him for the Grand Duchy, because Lucius and Charlotte had been extremely gloomy at that day’s meal.
Anette had been very conscious of the somber mood of those around her, especially the Empress Dowager, whose favor she wanted to earn.
Perhaps she did not want to see the Empress Dowager’s face today either, but she had come to send off the Grand Duke…
“Clear some people out; I want to speak to the princess alone.”
Anette thought she understood immediately.
As expected, Kardin nodded and moved away with the knights.
In the blink of an eye, the knights had left a distance, and Anette was left alone with the Empress Dowager, swallowing nervously.
The Empress Dowager, still frowning, spoke with a displeased tone.
“Kardin told you not to show disappointment, but one cannot help feeling a bit regretful, can one?”
“Ah…?”
“I didn’t expect you to leave so soon, so I hurriedly had a few more outfits tailored. I had them loaded onto your carriage, so wear them comfortably even when you arrive there.”
Anette, confused, suddenly realized and widened her eyes.
“So that’s why at dinner last night…?”
“Were you waiting?”
“…Yes.”
Anette didn’t know what to do, and finally lowered her head.
“I thought you were angry with me.”
“What wrong have you done?”
At first, the voice sounded blunt and cold, but instinctively, Anette could tell that the Empress Dowager had no intention of scolding her.
Perhaps this was the Empress Dowager’s way of hiding disappointment while expressing regret—by gifting clothes she had made herself.
“Thank… you.”
Anette parted her trembling lips and bowed her head.
Her heart felt dry with longing and gratitude.
It was all a matter of learning and experience, but today, the feeling was overwhelming.
She felt thankful, affectionate, and as if her chest would burst from the swell of emotions.
And yet, all she could say was “thank you.”
She wished she could have said she would wear the dresses well at the Grand Duchy.
In just a few days, she had grown accustomed to the dresses—unlike the heavy and cumbersome gowns of the Hayworth royal court, these were clearly made thoughtfully by the Empress Dowager.
But Anette’s lips quivered without forming a sound.
Frustrated by her inability to express herself, she bit her lip tightly.
“Ah, this one couldn’t fit in the carriage, so I brought it personally. Take it.”
She hadn’t even conveyed a tenth of the gratitude swelling in her heart.
“This is…?”
“It’s something from my own family.”
“Excuse me?”
Anette opened the small velvet box in her hands to reveal dazzling emerald earrings, alternating her gaze between the earrings and the Empress Dowager in surprise.
The Empress Dowager closed the lid and pressed the box into Anette’s hands.
The soft velvet felt unusually warm, and Anette hesitated before asking,
“Why are you giving this to me…?”
“It’s an engagement gift.”
“But I already received a dowry.”
“That dowry was given by the country, not by you.”
The Empress Dowager’s face showed a trace of worry as she said this.
“Do you not like it?”
“No! I love it.”
Anette shook her head repeatedly to avoid any misunderstanding.
It was her first time receiving such precious jewelry, and it came from the Empress Dowager herself—how could she not love it?
Seeing Anette’s genuine delight, the Empress Dowager finally relaxed into a faint smile, though it looked slightly fierce to others.
“Originally, the necklace and earrings were a set. I gave the necklace to the Empress, and I intended the earrings for my younger daughter-in-law. Ah, but…”
The Empress Dowager paused mid-sentence.
Anette’s earlobes were smooth, unpierced.
Of course, having spent her life in the palace or on expeditions, she likely had little experience with accessories.
“I can pierce my ears!”
Sensing the Empress Dowager’s discomfort, Anette spoke resolutely.
The Empress Dowager couldn’t help but laugh.
Seeing that smile, Anette, who had been despairing over her inability to express herself, suddenly realized something: she just needed to speak honestly from her heart.
“When I go to the Grand Duchy, I’ll tell him I want my ears pierced first.”
She would tell Kardin, who had asked what she wanted to do besides reading and etiquette lessons, and he would listen.
And if he asked why, she would proudly show off the earrings she received.
“Hmm…”
The Empress Dowager, her smile gone, hesitated, as if struggling to say something difficult.
Finally, she began.
“I heard from Kardin… that he heard everything.”
The sentence lacked a clear object, but Anette immediately understood what the Empress Dowager meant: it was about Kardin’s birth.
Anette nodded, embarrassed, and the Empress Dowager’s breath faltered slightly.
Seeing her, once seemingly unshakable, momentarily shaken, Anette instinctively stepped closer and clasped her hands.
Surprised at first, the Empress Dowager soon held Anette’s hands in return.
Her breathing steadied, and her gaze toward Anette now shone with warmth.
Sometimes, a single action conveys more than many words—a truth an unspoken child had grasped on her own.
“Anette.”
Hearing her name, Anette flinched noticeably.
“There was something I intended to say in the audience hall. I cannot speak as freely as there, but…”
The Empress Dowager lowered her voice almost to a whisper, carefully glancing at the knights nearby.
Understanding the delicacy of the matter, Anette leaned forward, tense.
“As Kardin is my son, you are now my daughter too.”
“…!”
Hearing this whispered in her ear, Anette could hardly believe it.
But when the Empress Dowager added softly,
“Thank you, for coming as my daughter.”
Transparent tears streamed down Anette’s cheeks.
Unable to hold back her bursting sobs, she wept openly. Seeing this, the Empress Dowager said nothing, letting her shoulder shake gently in her embrace.
She held Anette like a newborn, stroking her back carefully, conveying gratitude and affection for this new child who had endured a long, lonely path.
“Cough.”
“Princess, have you finished crying now?”
Even after climbing into the carriage, Anette cried for a while, finally sleeping, only to awaken and shed tears again.
Pretending she had stopped, she sniffled and looked up at Kardin.
“Don’t tease me.”
“I didn’t.”
“Liar.”
“I’m telling the truth.”
Kardin slumped his shoulders in mock defeat, but Anette’s suspicious gaze remained.
Seeing her expression, he couldn’t help laughing.
“Sorry.”
Anette glared and turned her head sharply.
Meanwhile, Kardin naturally took the handkerchief she had been holding, but Anette didn’t notice.
She was too flustered and embarrassed by her childlike weeping.
Even now, recalling the Empress Dowager’s words made her feel tears welling again.
Biting her lips, Anette remembered the chaotic moment she left the palace hours ago.
When she had suddenly broken into tears while speaking with the Empress Dowager, Kardin had rushed over, and the Emperor and Empress, who had just comforted their son, had come out as well.
She had wanted to show only her best side to Mikhail.
Even thinking that, she could not easily stop her tears. Seeing her cry again, Mikhail, who had just finished crying, started again, and the scene grew even more chaotic.
Finally, Kardin lifted Anette from the Empress Dowager and placed her in the carriage, ending the commotion.
“Ugh.”
Anette felt regretful that she could not properly say farewell.
She especially wished she could have expressed gratitude to the Empress and Charlotte, starting from the very first meeting.
“Princess.”
Pressing her face against the cold glass like stretched dough, suppressing regret and longing, Anette turned at Kardin’s call.
