Royal Lady of the Blueprint

Unexpected Encounter

The time she spent on Earth as an engineer flashed by her head. The cold air of her office room. The whirring sounds of mechanical tools and machines, blueprints, and on-site visitation. It was a tiring life, but she was never as happy as she was in her office room. She missed the feeling of coming up with new technologies and bringing them to life.

…

“The Emperor is in the Rose Garden.”

The maids of the Palace welcomed them. The Rose Garden was one of the most beautiful places in the Weisburg Palace. Catarina and her father entered a garden filled with various colored roses and other floras. After walking for a while, a marble tea table and chairs appeared. And sitting elegantly on the chair was a middle-aged man reading documents.

“...!!”

Catarina gasped. A benevolent expression, but with eyes that seemed like they would pierce through everything.

“...!!”

It was the Granzreich Empire’s 13th Emperor, Winchester von Granzreich! The Marquis and Catarina showed their respect.

“Greetings to the Sun of the Empire, the Emperor.”

The emperor put down the document he was reading and turned to look at them.

“Welcome, Marquis. And Lady Catarina. Have you been well?”

“Yes. Your Majesty.”

“Don’t just stand there and sit down. And you, bring some tea.”

The emperor said softly. Catarina approached the marble table as carefully as possible.

“I called for you because I wanted to see you since it’s been a while. It’s been almost half a year, nice to see you again.”

“It’s my pleasure, Your Majesty.”

“There’s nothing special going on these days, right? Have you been well?”

“Yes, thanks to Your Majesty. I’ve been well.”

The emperor chuckled. ‘He’s still the same.’ In her past life, the Emperor had always been kind to her lacking self. So when he had suddenly died from his deteriorating health, she had a difficult time. ‘He told me to become a good Empress. I wasn’t able to heed his last words. And I’m sure here today to request something I shouldn’t from him today. How angry will he be?’ She inwardly grimaced.

‘But is he okay? His health is probably not that great now, either’ She searched the Emperor’s face. After he had greeted her, he was conversing with her father. She could feel his tiredness beyond his mild eyes. He wasn’t trying to show it, but even from a scientist’s view, she could see his condition wasn’t that well. ‘Just what does he have?’ At the time, the Palace’s Royal Doctor said it was because his blood wasn’t circulating that well, but he wasn’t able to confirm what exactly it was.

Her gaze deepened, ‘If only I could diagnose him, it could be stopped.’ She remembered how the Emperor suddenly fell into a coma. ‘I definitely smell something similar to ketones. His breathing was faint but fast. A sign that his coma was caused by acidosis. A diagnosis that explains why he was always tired, and one that causes high blood pressure. She turned for clues, remembering all the medical articles she had read when she was on Earth. ‘It’s definitely a condition I know. What could it be?’

The answer was on the tip of her tongue.

But it was then. The Emperor stopped conversing with her father and made a big smile at her.

“Today Lady Catarina. Something seems to have changed. You’ve matured since last time.”

“...!”

Catarina’s face turned red. She had done a lot of immature things in the past. Although the Emperor had seen it as cute. The Marquis laughed.

“Yes, Your Majesty. I don’t know if it’s because she suddenly grew up, but she’s changed a lot these days.”

“F-Father.”

Catarina pouted.

“So what happened was…”

The Marquis started to brag about his daughter with his serious face. Things like taking care of her family, and doing things for the maids.

“The residence is overflowing with compliments for this child these days.”

“Haha, is that so?”

The Emperor looked at Catarina. He knew her normal attitude since he had seen her since she was young. He thought it might improve with age, but she had suddenly changed like this?

“She brings you tea every time?”

“Yes, that’s right. The taste is so deep, I’m surprised every time.”

“Really? I’m curious now. Lady Catarina, would you do me the favor of letting me taste your tea?”

In his joking manner, Catarina blushed.

“That’s too much of an honor for me. I’m just worried that my lacking skills in making tea won’t suit your taste.”

“What do you mean? If you, who’s no different than my niece, do it for me, any tea would be fine. Don’t worry, and try your best.”

Catarina couldn’t convince him otherwise and curtsied as she got up.

“Then I’ll try my best. If I’m lacking, please don’t blame me.”

And she approached the maids.

“Could you get what I ask for?”

“Yes, my lady.”

“First, please prepare the black and white tea from Qing once made for me.”

Even if the same tea leaves were used, the taste would differ based on the boiling temperature, condition of the water, etc. ‘The tea the Emperor likes….’ She searched her memory and prepared the tea the way the Emperor liked it. She had made him tea in her past life as well, so she knew his preferences.

“Here is the tea.”

With controlled and elegant movements, she poured the tea the emissary from Qing once made for me.”

“The scent is quite subtle. It’s similar to the tea the emissary from Qing made for me.”

“That’s too much of a praise.”

Once he sipped the tea after savoring its scent, he had a touched face.

“Amazing. When did you learn to make tea? I should tell the palace maids to learn from you.”

The Emperor looked at Catarina with a proud face. After connecting the Empire of the east, Qing, drinking tea had become an important pastime of the nobles. All of the ladies in the Empire studied how to make tea. So the most elegant ladies tended to have amazing tea skills, but their skills were incomparable to Catarina.

“She said she learned it by herself. I drink her tea every day, and I feel like my head gets clearer and my tiredness disappears every time I drink it.”

The Marquis bragged about his daughter again.

“Yes, as you said, it feels like my head became clearer and my tiredness washed away. Amazing. To be able to drink this tea every day. I’m jealous, Marquis.”

At the continued praise, the surprised Catarina shook her head.

“I still need to learn a lot. That’s too much praise for me.”

“It’s not. But, Lady Catarina.”

“Yes?”

The emperor asked with satisfied eyes.

“If you enter the palace again in the future, could you prepare tea for me from time to time?”

“...!!!”

Catarina’s face hardened. He was speaking about the marriage between her and the Crown Prince!

“That…”

“Anyways. Thank you for letting me taste your amazing tea. I must reward you. Is there anything you like? Don’t feel burdened and tell me. We’re going to be a family soon, what can’t I do for you?”

He asked with his kind eyes like he was looking at his blood-related family.

“....”

She swallowed her sputum. ‘I need to tell him before it’s too late.’ She took a big breath. Then she spoke.

“Your Majesty, actually, I have something I need to tell you.”

“What is it? Go on.”

“Actually…”

But it was then! A cold voice split her heart.

“I’m late, father.”

“...!!!”

When she heard that voice, Catarina froze. ‘Could that be…? This voice…? The emotionless iciness that crept into your soul. At the voice she could never forget, her hands starting to shake.

“Oh, yes. Come on here.”

The Emperor lifted his head and looked at ‘him.’

“Crown Prince.”

Eins von Granzreich. Her husband of her past life. The one who had pointed a double-edged sword at her. The Crown Prince was looking at her with indifferent eyes.

…

The gold eyes that showed the abilities of the Imperial Family, Those dear gold eyes were emanating a coldness of a storm.

A man so cold that you would be frozen. But beautiful, nevertheless. He was the current Crown Prince of the Granzreich Empire, Eins von Granzreich.

“Catarina Eisenberg greets the Crown Prince.”

At the unexpected meeting, Catarina was surprised, but she managed to hide her emotions. The Crown Prince just continued to look at her indifferently. ‘I used to like that look in that past.’

Until the very last moment when the guillotine fell on her neck, she had been deeply in love with the Crown Prince. Even that cold gaze, beautiful face, and his tone that lacked compassion. She loved everything around him. ‘But it was unreciprocated love.’ He didn’t love her back. As time went on, she became desperate. ‘We shouldn’t have been married in the first place.’ In her past life, she was bad, but she wasn’t evil enough to do those sins from the beginning.

There was only one reason why she had ended up like that. The unreciprocated love and his coldness towards her. She became obsessed with him and crossed a line no one should. In the end, she lost her family, and she was sentenced to death. ‘Well, it’s all my fault. I was foolish. Truly.’ She had truly done foolish things in the past.

She calmed herself down and turned her gaze away. ‘Well, I guess I’m not as nervous around him as before.’ It was to be expected since 30 years had passed. It was different from love for her family. She had once been burning up from her love for him, but that had been the beginning of her tragedy! She was just surprised by the unexpected meeting, nothing more.

The Emperor spoke to the Crown Prince.

“You’re late.”

“Yes.”

“Why are you late?”

“The meeting with the Finance Council about the Tauric Expedition took longer than I expected.”

The emperor nodded his head.

“Yes, that’s important. We can’t avoid the citizens of our Empire being massacred. So if it’s a necessary war, we must win, Marquis, what is the Francoine Republic doing?”

“The forces of the Republic are still in the Black Continent, so they haven’t moved yet. But the war of the Black Continent is almost finished, and if we win the Tauric Expedition and take control of the Black Sea, they’ll try to intervene somehow.”

The three continued to converse about the upcoming war.

“I’m planning to send the Granzreich Brigade, would that be enough?”

“Just that brigade alone is over 50,000 soldiers, so I believe it’ll be fine if the Republic doesn’t intervene. More than that could be too much on the budget.”

Catarina quietly listened to their conversation. ‘So the war is happening.’ To be frank, she didn’t know about these ongoing wars of the Empire in her past life. Because she wasn’t interested. But she did know something about the First Tauric Expedition. ‘The Expeditionary Forces fail. Completely.’

She clenched her fist above her dress. After all of the Granzreich brigade failed, she knew that her second brother participated in the Second Tauric Expedition. And he passed away.

But it was then.

The Emperor looked at her and smiled.

“We said such boring things in front of the Lady.”

“N, No, it’s okay.”

“How about it? Is there anything you’d like to say about the upcoming Expedition?”

“I wouldn’t dare….”

“It’s only because I want to hear what you have to say. Don’t feel burdened, and if you have any good ideas, let me know.”

It was a soft voice as if letting her know it was ok. It wasn’t to seek her advice, he was just curious what her thoughts were, especially since they would be family soon. Catarina hesitated. ‘Could I say it?’

She did know several things about why they had failed in the past.

‘But won’t they think it’s strange I know these things?’

She had already suddenly changed. But if she suddenly gave advice after not being interested in the politics of the Empire, she might be suspected of something.

‘No. I might be able to save more people.’

Eventually, the war ended in the victory of the Empire, but only with great losses.

‘So what if I’m suspected? The best thing would be to stop the war, but that’s impossible. Then, I need to save more people.’ As a CEO of the weapon industry in the past, it might be frank if she were to say she hates war. But that’s only because she finds herself in tranquility whenever her products were used by a country and used to maintain global peace.

The war is inevitable, if she couldn’t stop the war, she could at least decrease the casualties.

“Then although I am lacking, I’ll tell you my thoughts.”

“Go on.”

The Emperor looked at her like he was looking at his daughter being cute and nodded.

“For this war, we need to beware of two things.”