[TKOSINM] 252 – Friedan’s Diary
Irene wondered as she put the picture back. She then turned to the next page. The few first pages were about personal life stories – friendships, romances, personal stories. Irene’s hand, turning over the pages while scanning through the content, halted.
[Imperial year 1172 March.
My father recommended me as the empress’ maid. He said that we could be good friends because we are of the same age, but that was just an excuse. He was trying to stop me from marrying Lord Friedan because he is from a powerless family in the north. I’m so sick and tired of it. It’s a shame that I’m going to the Empress within this week, but I will have to beg him to withdraw his decision.]
It was not my aunt’s will to become the Empress’ maid.
She had never heard of it. Irene had never seen her paternal grandfather. She heard that he had died in a fire twenty-three years ago. Irene quickly moved on to the next record.
[Imperial year 1172 March.
Oh, my God, the Empress said she likes me. She even asked me to become her friend if I didn’t want to be her maid. But is it appropriate for me to become the Empress’ friend? I don’t want to. I’m uncomfortable! I’d rather be a maid]
“…So this is how she became a maid….”
Despite being a little surprised because it was different from what she expected, Irene soon flipped over the page. The diary was unclear as it had been written stream of consciousness style.
The latter part was about the process of her adapting to the imperial palace. She got used to the palace’s structure, woke the Empress in the morning, planned a diet in consideration of her nutrients, and went for a walk together.
[As she said, I feel like we are really becoming friends.]
Above all, there was an incident that marked the beginning of a close relationship between the two.
[May 1177
Today, the imperial palace was turned upside down. Someone testified that the Empress secretly entered and left His Majesty’s bedroom with the attempt to poison him, while the real perpetrator was another person. What was more shocking is that it was Sir Windress, the Empress’ younger brother. Because of that, the Empress was cornered as a criminal. But the Empress would be cleared of charges thanks to my guarantee regarding my life.
Why in the world did Lord Windress try to make his sister the Emperor’s assassin?
Her Majesty stayed in her room all day and called for me as the shock of this incident to her was too great. She then told me a shocking story. Originally…the Empress was an adopted child of the Windress family]
“Adopted?”
Her eyes widened at the staggering piece of information. She had never heard of the story of the former Empress being adopted by the Windress family.
Confused, she closed the diary for a moment and tried to stand up. It was then that Noel returned to the room. He tilted his head at her fazed appearance.
“Irene? What is with that expression of yours? Did something happen while I was away?”
“Ah, Noel…well, I was reading this.”
“That…”
“I was reading my aunt’s diary to see if I could find any clue about the owner of the portrait…There is something a little disturbing….”
She hesitated, wondering whether it was all right to tell Noel an uncertain story. However, Irene was willing to share everything with him without concealing the slightest thing.
“Would you like to read together?”
“Is that okay?”
“Yes, since we are a married couple.”
“…”
After a moment of silence at Irene’s words, he strode over and sat next to Irene. Irene patiently waited while he read the diary.
“This is…”
Noel’s reaction was no different from Irene’s.
“I can’t believe it. I have never heard of the former Empress being an adopted daughter.”
“It’s the same for me too. That is why I’m so confused.”
“For now, we have no choice but to keep reading it.”
Irene nodded at Noel’s words and turned over to the next page. The content of the diary continued.
[Empress was gloomy when she told her story. Her Majesty said that she was originally a member of a small family belonging to an ethnic minority. She said that her family, who were of another nation, were annihilated in the empire’s war of unification. And that only her, who was away from the country at the time, survived.
The Empress then travelled to the capital to avenge them using the power that was only passed down to the heirs of her clan. Sadly, she failed, and only the day of her execution awaited.