Nate flinched but kept quiet. Veronica wondered why everyone kept talking about how infamous Nate was when it came to training. First, it was Sir Ephraim telling him not to advise on the princess so harshly and now it was Empress Delilah calling him notorious. When she trained with Nate, it was the equivalent of having a personal trainer at a gym. Someone who would push you to succeed and tell you to rest when you've done enough.

Granted, Veronica tells him exactly how much she wants to do and he just accepts it. She didn't want to do too much and have it not even count towards the following day. The system probably wouldn't allow the girl to go overboard, or would it?

It took a long time for her breathing to finally get under control, “I chose the knight commander because he cared enough to advise me while I ran around the grounds yesterday.”

“And I assume you ran around looking like that?” Her gaze landed on Veronica's outfit.

“...” Veronica kept her cool. “Yes? Is there an issue with wearing training uniforms when running laps?”

Veronica could tell that Delilah wasn't fond of her tone, “There's an issue when a princess doesn't dress according to her rank. As far as I'm aware, you only went for a walk yesterday, your highness.”

“Are you worried about those talking behind my back?” She was getting bored of this conversation. “If they truly have something to say, they can say it to my face. I'm always open to criticism.”

“I'm relieved to hear that. Then-”

“But that doesn't mean I'll accept it right away. If there's malice in their criticism, then they should be dealt with critically. Isn't that right, Empress Delilah?”

As if cutting the empress off wasn't enough, Veronica had underlying tones in that statement. If anyone wished to criticize the fake princess in any way, it better be constructive. If it's not constructive, then obviously it's an attack on her honor.

Any attack on her honor, by anyone, will not be tolerated and they will be swiftly dealt with.

Empress Delilah had a bead of sweat on her cheek, “I-I hope that you're not misconstruing my words, Princess Genevieve. I'm only looking out for you as a mother should.”

There she goes, pulling that mother card when there's no relation. It may seem like a mother/daughter relationship on the surface, but it is far from it when you take a deep dive.

The best thing Veronica can do about the empress is keep her at arm's length for now. It would make things easier for her as long as she stopped sending over maids.

“I appreciate the sentiment, your majesty,” Veronica started. “But as you said, I just woke up from a month-long nap in a casket of all places. I'm hoping to get more fresh air and exercise than what I had last time.”

She swerved her head to Nate, “And Sir Nate is just the knight I need to help me achieve my goals. I need no one else.”

He was like a puppy, nearing tears as he smiled at Veronica, “You flatter me, your highness. How could I ever repay your kindness?”

She couldn't help but smile back at him, “You’re doing it right now. Don’t worry about it.”

Hopefully that puts his mind at ease. She thought.

—

She’s not budging. Delilah thought.

The frail princess who held onto the hems of the empress’ skirt was no longer present. She was replaced with a woman who kept eye contact and had the nerve to talk back to the mother of the empire. If the empress wasn’t outside, where many eyes were present, she would’ve taught the smart-mouthed princess a lesson.

Not only did Genevieve not attempt to confide in Delilah over a case that belongs to one of her own maids, she took the criminal’s sisters as well.

She bit her lip. I need jurisdiction over that case. She’s going to ruin everything!

The pig-tailed little sister flinched. Delilah squinted her eyes at her. Did she just…?

The girl was clearly shaking, but so was her other sister. They were insanely nervous in front of the empress but made sure to keep their fear hidden.

Delilah looked away from them. No, it would be too early.

The maid in question, Riley, was classified as a mage but bore no rubies on her person. The reason was because she could utilize low-ranked psionics passively. It was a type of magic that was not only harder to detect, but it also bypassed the emperor’s anti-magic sigils.

In other words, the girl was able to read minds.

Psionic mages were few in numbers. There was a very controlled population of them in the outskirts of the empire. They don’t socialize with other societies and hide away so that their abilities are not used for nefarious plots.

To have a low-ranked psionic mage apply to be a maid in the palace, the empress was delighted by this. It was her best kept secret. She took it upon herself to use the maid as she saw fit. Riley was incredibly useful when it came to finding out about critical information regarding governmental affairs. She even uncovered ways to keep the nobility in check.

Riley was Delilah’s secret weapon in keeping order within the palace. Now that she’s locked up, the empress will be handicapped for a while. However, that may not be the case for long if her siblings are also descendants of psionics.

She wasn’t even aware that the girl had family in the empire, let alone working inside the palace.

Looks like I’ll have to pay that girl a visit and get to the bottom of this. The empress thought.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when she witnessed a picture-perfect scene. A knight commander closest to the emperor smiling brightly at the empire’s precious princess, and she was smiling back. The empress took great interest in it. Of course, there was no love in that gaze…

…but others didn't know that.

Empress Delilah’s main goal was to get the princess to stay inside and to stop her foolish training regimen. If she were to get stronger, her mana could flow out. If her mana flows out, Emperor Isaac will see to it that she gets evaluated again.

Once it's discovered that the princess has mana, all of her efforts would be for not. From the very moment Empress Delilah looked at the weak little girl, she immediately knew the reason why she was always sick.

Those that have mana that hasn’t reached a ceiling go through growth spurts. Their mana circuits constrict them and cause their heart to weaken. When that happens, they feel noticeably weaker and get sick very easily. Normally, a mage would immediately assume that they need another ruby to not feel as frail anymore. They feel right as rain within the hour.

Delilah was pregnant with Dominic at the time but knew that her future children would never have as much rubies as the previous rulers, let alone match up to the strongest mage alive, Emperor Isaac himself.

All it took was five rubies. Five measly rubies to attach onto Princess Genevieve’s bed while the girl was sleeping. The princess was pale, but was getting better as time passed.

Deeming her a threat, she fooled Emperor Isaac into believing that she has no magical affinity, making the little princess take the evaluation test while drowning in mana suppressants. When that was said and done, she locked her up in her room, only allowing her to go to three different parts of the palace without drawing too much suspicion.

Delilah had maids who already betrayed Genevieve and paid them a hefty sum for abusing her. Every time that happened, they’d tease her and tell her to complain about it to the empress. This led to Genevieve going back and forth between Empress Delilah’s floor and her own, hoping for something to change. It was all honeyed words of promises that things will get better.

It was the perfect plan. Although she took years to pass away and had to get the Hutchinson County involved, she watched the princess sleep soundly on her deathbed.

But for some reason, she never truly died. Her dead body sprung back to life, as if resurrected by a necromancer. Who knows how much she remembers from waking from her death-like state? Princess Genevieve’s abrupt change in attitude and unladylike way of speaking was already a key takeaway from their first ever reunion.

And she acts just like their parents. A spitting image, so to say.

If Princess Genevieve wasn’t too much of a threat before, she’s definitely a threat now. Especially if she’s receiving training from one of the emperor’s best knights.

Maybe I should spread a little rumor or two. She opened her fan again, hiding her devious smile. Even better if the emperor gets involved.