When the Female Lead Went Off-Script, the Main Male Lead Became the Tyrant's Empress

Not a single noblewoman who entered the drawing room was unaware of Haster’s personality.

The Grand Duke himself wasn’t a problem to them.

He was cold and blunt, but so what?

Surely he wouldn’t draw a sword against noblewomen.

The Haster they had seen at the banquet hadn’t been nearly as threatening as the rumors claimed.

He had merely behaved coldly and arrogantly.

The Empire was overflowing with nobles who possessed such personalities.

Besides, breaking a handsome man like that was far more satisfying than winning over a gentle and affectionate one.

They had been mistaken.

They were the ones being broken.

“In ≪The Conversation Between a Priest and a Dying Lord≫, what does the difference between the priest’s and the lord’s interpretations of their true desires signify?”

“What effect did the failure of Cadiya the Third’s tax reforms have on the Silver Coin War?”

“Can you explain in detail the connection between the bankruptcy of the Sears Guild and the decline in Moore Bank’s share price?”

The questions were not difficult.

However, their lips refused to part easily, as though they had been sealed with glue.

Their mouths went dry beneath a gaze as sharp as the blade of an executioner’s axe poised to sever their necks at any moment.

The hands holding their teacups trembled violently, and terrible, cracked voices scraped their way past their lips.

Among them were a few who answered properly without becoming frightened.

Haster awarded one of them a high score.

That young noblewoman had the highest probability of being chosen as the lady-in-waiting.

At least, she would have if she hadn’t fainted in front of the drawing room door after the tension left her following the interview.

Haster deleted her name from the list with a displeased expression.

The register, densely covered with black lines, resembled a child’s notebook filled with meaningless scribbles.

The women who had come to the imperial palace hoping to become a lady-in-waiting were weak.

Their complexions were paler than glazed porcelain, and the hands holding their teacups trembled as though they suffered from hand tremors.

They couldn’t even speak properly.

“Is malnutrition fashionable in high society these days?”

The people who ate and lived better than anyone else had become so spoiled that they could no longer distinguish front from back, and had apparently created another bizarre trend.

“I wonder whether a lady-in-waiting assigned to help her might instead lead her astray.”

Physical weakness wasn’t the actual problem, but no one dared risk their life to reveal the truth.

The attendant’s voice could be heard calling the next candidate.

However, the person who entered the drawing room was the Crown Prince, whose name wasn’t even on the list.

“What are you doing here?”

At Arden’s loud shout, Haster clicked his tongue and openly displayed his irritation.

Was that bastard unaware that he was the Crown Prince?

Apparently, he had fed his dignity to the ducks playing in the fountain.

“Didn’t the person guarding the door explain it to you? What astounding negligence.”

“I heard. I did, but-”

“Then it seems your comprehension is lacking. I will explain it again. I’m interviewing candidates for Clary’s lady-in-waiting, so I don’t have time to entertain you.”

“That’s exactly what I’m asking! Why are you the one doing it?”

Arden shouted at his cousin’s calm response.

And understandably so, because selecting ladies-in-waiting was the Empress’s authority.

If there was no Empress, one of the Emperor’s sisters or an older Imperial Princess performed the task.

However, the imperial palace had neither an Empress nor any older or younger sisters of the Emperor.

They had either married far away or lay buried beneath cold earth like Anaris.

Unless they sought assistance from a branch family member of the imperial family, the task ultimately fell to the Emperor.

The Emperor, who was overwhelmed with preparations for his abdication, asked Haster to handle it.

There was no one more suitable than Haster.

If he entrusted it to another branch family, the innocent Clary might be deceived by their serpentine whispers, while his own heir…….

After briefly thinking of Arden, the Emperor smoked ten cigarettes in succession despite having quit over twenty years ago for the sake of his health.

Haster, who understood those circumstances, couldn’t refuse the Emperor’s request.

If the Emperor was willing to entrust a matter like this to him, it meant that he had earned a certain degree of trust.

Furthermore, he was selecting someone who would serve none other than his goddaughter, so Haster readily accepted.

Arden dropped down irritably beside Haster.

He was deeply displeased that his imperial father had delegated the task to his nephew rather than his son.

The Emperor had vividly imagined the young noblewomen Arden selected as ladies-in-waiting taking up residence in the Summer Palace several weeks later.

Rather than witness such a sight, it seemed better to remain Emperor, stubbornly cling to life, and die later than his son.

Today, he missed his late Empress more than usual.