Chapter 179: Empress Rosalie

Sitting side by side on a marble bench beneath an ivy-draped pavilion were two figures.

Seraphina was there, having shed her usual icy, unapproachable aura. Her silver hair fell in loose, relaxed waves, and though the faint shadow of a slap mark still lingered on her cheek, her blood-red eyes held a soft, radiant peace Eren had never seen in her character sprite.

Yet the woman beside her completely stole his attention.

Empress Rosalie.

She looked impossibly young to be the mother —possessing an ethereal, heart-stopping beauty that defied mortal aging. She had cascading black hair draped over her flawless shoulders. Her eyes were red, carrying centuries of aristocratic elegance and hidden grief. Dressed in a flowing, midnight-velvet gown that gracefully accentuated every royal curve.

’The genetic lottery of the imperial throne is genuinely terrifying. Wonder if that emperor has poor eyesight,’ Eren murmured inside in awe.

Beside him, Aria stood frozen, her golden eyes wide in utter disbelief at the sight of the famously detached empress showing such warmth to the daughter she had supposedly despised.

Emily stepped towards them and gave a bow.

"Pardon the interruption, Your Majesty, Your Highness. The guests you were expecting have arrived."

The gentle, fragile intimacy between the two royal women shattered in an instant.

Seraphina’s posture snapped straight as a drawn bowstring. Rising to her feet, the serene warmth vanished behind her default, icy fortress. Her striking blood-red eyes narrowed, jaw tightening to erase any trace of the affectionate daughter who had just been leaning into her mother’s palm.

She cleared her throat with an aristocratic cough, looking over with guarded composure. "So. You two finally decided to grace us with your presence."

Turning gracefully to her mother, Seraphina gestured toward the blue-haired heiress. "Mother, this is Lady Aria of House Reedings. My... closest confidante."

Empress Rosalie’s red gaze shifted to Aria.

Truthfully, the Empress required zero introductions. For fifteen long years of self-imposed exile, every scrap of reports delivered by her covert had detailed Seraphina’s life—and Aria Reedings’ name had appeared on nearly every single line as the girl’s solitary life and closest friend.

A soft, genuinely fond smile graced Rosalie’s pale lips as she stepped down from the pavilion, her velvet skirts trailing the marble like liquid.

"I have heard endless wonders about you, Lady Aria," Rosalie murmured, her velvety voice carrying the weight of a decade’s worth of unspoken gratitude. "It is truly a profound pleasure to finally speak with you."

The villainess of House Reedings completely short-circuited.

Aria’s golden eyes flickered in disbelief, her hands gripping the folds of her gown. In fifteen years of friendship with Seraphina, the Empress had never so much as acknowledged her existence. Now, faced with this sudden surge of warmth, Aria stammered, dipping into the most flustered, hasty curtsy of her life.

"Y-Your Imperial Majesty... the honor is entirely mine. Long live the Empress."

Then, Rosalie’s evaluating eyes landed on the dark-haired youth standing casually beside the trembling heiress with an infuriating smile plastered across his face.

Before the Empress could inquire, Seraphina interjected in a rush, her tone bordering on defensive panic:

"And this is Lord Eren Volsver. Aria’s fiancé."

Rosalie’s gaze raked over Eren with the cold, unvarnished disdain reserved for garden pests. Having dedicated her existence to despising the Emperor and the endless parade of deceitful, swaggering noblemen infesting the imperial court, her maternal instincts instantly flagged this easygoing boy as a predator.

But Eren?

Naturally, he chose to lean directly into the danger zone.

Instead of offering a standard, trembling bow, Eren offered a deep, theatrical courtly sweep, his dark blue eyes twinkling with unhinged mischief as he held the Empress’s icy crimson glare.

"A pleasure to finally gaze upon the true jewel of the imperial court," Eren greeted,. "If I had known the Empress possessed such breathtaking, youthful radiance that easily eclipses her daughter, I would have petitioned House Volsver for a court appointment years ago."

Seraphina’s blood-red eyes bulged out in sheer horror.

Aria’s jaw dropped so hard it nearly cracked the floor.

Rosalie’s brows arched in profound, offended shock, her lips parting as if completely unaccustomed to being casually hit on by a teenage noble in broad daylight.

"Mother, you should return to the inner parlor!" Seraphina practically barked, stepping directly into Eren’s line of sight and frantically ushering the bewildered Empress toward the doors of the annex. "The morning chill is bad for your constitution! Emily, escort Her Majesty inside this instant!"

"A-Ah, yes, Your Highness!" Emily stammered, hastily guiding the Empress.

Once they left, the heavy, suffocating silence fell over the garden.

THUD.

Aria slammed squarely into the center of his chest.

"Are you completely out of your mind?!" Aria hissed as she violently jabbed his shoulder. "You’re supposed to help in investigating, not to seduce the Empress five seconds after meeting her?!"

"You absolute, unrepentant, shameless monkey!" Seraphina snarled, her pale cheeks burning beet-red.

Eren caught Aria’s slender wrists mid-swing, laughing openly as he pulled her slightly closer to absorb the harmless flurry of her punches.

"I’m kidding, I’m kidding."

Aria ripped her hands from his grip with an exaggerated scoff, crossing her arms and turning her face away in a pout. "You are an irredeemable playboy. The next time you flirt, I’m slipping a silent hex into your drink."

"Noted, my lovely fiancée," Eren chuckled, turning his blue gaze toward Seraphina.

The silver-haired princess was still practically burning with indignation. Eren tilted his head, giving her a knowing smirk that practically radiated smug satisfaction.

"So, Princess. It seems my humble advice to actually talk to your mother paid off considerably better than you anticipated."

Seraphina snapped her gaze away toward the roses, refusing to meet his eyes.

"Don’t flatter yourself, Volsver," Seraphina muttered, her cold, haughty tone doing a job of masking the tremor in her voice. "I would have initiated that conversation eventually, with or without your reckless suggestions."

’Damn tsundere,’ Eren mused internally. ’The girl was five minutes away from becoming a demonic commander in the original timeline, but sure, you had it all calculated, Your Highness.’

Deciding to spare her fragile royal ego, Eren shifted the conversation.

"Fine, keep your pride," Eren said smoothly. "Now, where’s our beloved Santa Claus? The fat ringleader."

Seraphina blinked, her eyes snapping back to his face in confusion. "Why do you care about the smuggling boss right now?"

"Because I’d like to have a friendly, informal chat with him."

Seraphina sighed, shaking her head in tired exasperation. "Don’t waste your breath, Eren. My personal interrogators have been taking shifts on that pig in the palace subterranean cells for an entire week.

The man hasn’t coughed up a single name, ledger, or dead-drop location. He’s completely sealed his mouth, likely banking on his employers springing him or executing him before he talks."

"That’s because your interrogators use crude steel and blunt threats, Princess," Eren murmured, his dark blue eyes gleaming beneath the morning sun. "They lack hospitality. Take me to him. I guarantee."