A Guide to Raising a Villainess-Chapter 113: Invitation to the Palace

All the time Ruby was sick, I stayed by her side.

For her sake, I put off all my business, meetings, and even those tasks that usually could not be postponed. All of this lost its significance in the face of a single desire — to be there if she suddenly got worse, if something needed to be done, said, or if she just needed someone to hold her hand.

I knew that in such moments, the presence of a loved one has a special power. It does not heal, reduce fever, or replace medicine, but it provides support that no one else can give. That is why I did not entrust Ruby’s care to Edison or Nura, even though I knew they would gladly take on the responsibility.

Nevertheless, the thought of her lying there alone, with someone else — even the most reliable person — bringing her medicine or monitoring her condition, seemed wrong to me.

I had to be there. It was almost instinctive — as natural as breathing.

Although Rubiella was no longer a child, I still couldn’t shake the feeling that she needed me just as much as she had when she was little. Perhaps she didn’t need such close supervision, and it all seemed excessive. But I couldn’t help myself.

The passing years had not changed the way I saw her. To me, she was still the same girl I had first met on the doorstep of my estate and comforted after her nightmares. And if Ruby needed my care again now, I was ready to give it to her completely, without reserve.

After all, no matter how much time had passed, to me she was still a child I had to protect.

So that’s what I devoted the next few days to.

And perhaps the illness really wasn’t too serious, or maybe it was because I took such good care of her, but soon Ruby began to feel noticeably better. Her cheeks regained their slight blush, and her eyes regained their former sparkle.

I felt a huge sense of relief when her fever finally broke. The heaviness that had been weighing on my chest for several days disappeared, and with it went the endless tension that had kept me on guard every minute. For the first time in all this time, I allowed myself to breathe freely.

It was at that moment that I decided to listen to Edison for the first time in all this time.

"Madam, I beg your pardon. But you really have too much work piled up..."

His voice was restrained, as always, but I detected a hint of concern in it. The butler rarely allowed himself to remind me of my duties directly unless it was absolutely necessary.

I just looked at him wearily.

Yes, Edison was definitely right. Over the past few days, the papers, reports, letters, and requests requiring my decision had surely piled up into a mountain. Everything I had put off was now waiting for my return.

So his grumpy tone was all too obvious to me.

"All right, all right, I get it."

The butler sighed, as if doubting that I had really heard him, but fortunately said nothing more.

Eventually, after Ruby got better, I gradually started returning to work. However, I still spent a lot of time with Ruby, especially in the mornings when she had to stay in bed as prescribed by the doctor.

Meanwhile, it was at this time that I unexpectedly received a letter from the imperial palace.

A thick envelope with gold embossing lay on my desk, and as soon as I glanced at the seal, I knew where it came from. Inside was a short, extremely formal message: I was asked to appear at the palace on a specified date and time to participate in an interrogation arranged in connection with what had happened on the hunt.

In fact, it was quite expected. It was only natural that they would want to question me as a direct eyewitness to the events.

Last time, I allowed myself to postpone my visit to the palace, citing my niece’s illness. But now that Ruby was on the mend, there was no reason to delay the trip.

Fortunately, since Ruby was feeling much better now, I could finally allow myself to leave her for a while — under the supervision of the servants, of course.

"Ruby, I need to go on a short errand. I’ll be back soon."

The girl nodded, looking at me with her clear amethyst eyes.

"Of course, Auntie. I’ll wait for you."

On the appointed day, I said goodbye to Ruby with a smile on my face and left her room.

When I went downstairs and headed for the exit, the butler bowed slightly to me.

"Have a safe journey, ma’am," he said, holding the door open for me.

"Yes, thank you," I replied, nodding to him.

A carriage was already waiting for me in the courtyard.

It was a clear morning, the sky was bright and clear.

Then I finally approached the carriage and got inside.

When the doors closed and the carriage smoothly pulled away, the mansion was left behind.

All that remained now was to focus on the upcoming trip to the palace.

The trip to the imperial palace, as usual, turned out to be quite long.

I looked down at my hands resting on my knees and allowed myself to relax. My thoughts flowed lazily, jumping from one to another, until, at some point, my eyelids began to droop heavily. After all, half a sleepless night had taken its toll.

I was nodding off slightly, sinking deeper and deeper into the blurry line between sleep and slumber. This continued until a slight jolt of the wheels brought me out of my stupor.

I sat up and looked out the window — before me was a view that could not be confused with anything else. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

The majestic towers of the imperial palace rose above the horizon, their spires touching the sky, and the sun, breaking through the clouds, reflected off the gilded decorations on the roofs.

The grandeur of this place always made the same impression — a calm but overwhelming sense of distance between those inside these walls and everyone else.

When the carriage stopped at the main gate, guards in dark uniforms with silver emblems were already waiting for me. One of them stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

"Lady Weinstein, His Highness is already waiting for you," he said in an even, emotionless voice.

I frowned slightly.

"What? His Highness?" I asked, unable to hide my slight surprise.

"Yes," confirmed the guard, his expression unchanged.

"His Highness will personally conduct the interrogation with you."

I froze for a moment, digesting what I had heard.

This was unexpected. Usually, such matters were entrusted to court advisors or investigators from the Imperial Chancellery. Therefore, the news that the prince himself would conduct the interrogation really astonished me.

Oh well. After all, who am I to decide who is fit to conduct an interrogation and who is not?

The imperial court always had its own rules and reasons that outsiders were better off not trying to understand.

I took a deep breath, regaining my usual composure, and replied quietly:

"Understood. Lead me there."

"I will show you the way, my lady."

One of the court servants emerged from a side entrance, his posture impeccable and his expression coldly polite. He bowed his head slightly in a sign of respect and pointed the way forward.

I just nodded briefly in acceptance and followed him without saying a word.

However, I soon began to notice something strange. The direction we were moving in caused me a vague uneasiness.

At first, I didn’t think much of it — after all, the palace was huge, with many passageways and courtyards. However, after a few minutes, I realized that this path was unfamiliar to me.

The servant, without slowing down, confidently turned further and further away. And instead of the elegant corridors of the palace, I saw the green crowns of trees.

I frowned involuntarily.

"Wait," I finally said, stopping, "are you sure we’re going the right way? Shouldn’t we be heading to the palace?"

I was surprised because the servant was leading me down a path that led to the gardens of the imperial palace, but not to the palace itself.

The servant turned around, his expression still calm.

"No, everything is correct," he replied calmly, as if reading my thoughts. "His Highness wishes to speak with you outside the palace walls."

"Outside the walls?" I asked, unable to hide my surprise.

"Yes. We are heading to the lake right now. His Highness is already waiting for you there."

I was even more confused when I heard this. Wait, the interrogation will take place at the lake?!

Despite my outward calm, I felt a strange turmoil inside about this. I looked closely at the servant, but he didn’t even seem to blink. His eyes remained as serene as ever.

In the end, I had no choice but to continue following him. The servant continued walking without slowing down, as if everything that was happening was completely natural.

We continued on our way. Gradually, more and more picturesque views spread out around us, as if they had come down from the canvases of court painters.

Looking at all this, I couldn’t help but be lost in doubt.

No, no matter how you look at it... isn’t a place like this more suitable for a walk or... a date? How can you conduct an interrogation in a place like this...?!