Harper blinked a few times at him. The emperor was still weak, but it looked like he was getting better. If Harper's calculations
were right, he might wake up the next day. It was such a coincidence because Francis had just been thrown into prison and the
emperor's health became better. Meanwhile, Sherry couldn't wait any longer.
"Your Majesty, Lady Sherry is here. She is kneeling outside the Tranquil Hall to plead for Prince Francis." Nancy's voice
resounded in the room with so much triumph.
The empress sipped a good amount of tea before she spoke. "Let her kneel. Francis offended my son and had wanted to usurp
the throne. Felix had shown his mercy by only throwing him in jail. Sherry didn't reflect on her son's mistakes, but come here to
plead for his son recklessly. She is to blame. Let her kneel for four hours before letting her in."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Nancy replied with a smile. She then ignored Sherry who was miserably kneeling in front of the hall.
Sherry was extremely furious while she knelt outside of the Tranquil Hall. She had asked Matthew to save Francis and get him
out of prison. But Matthew had already sent her a message informing her that there was nothing he could do about the situation.
So she had no other choice but to kneel and plead for Francis by herself.
At that time, Minna was looking at Sherry while she suggested in a low voice, "My Lady, it seems like Her Majesty refuses to see
you. Let's go back. It wouldn't be wise to get on Her Majesty's bad side. What if something bad happens to you as well? If so,
Prince Francis would have no one to rely on."
But Sherry only ignored Minna's advice. Instead, she screamed at the door, "Your Majesty, I know you're inside. Francis is very
weak. Please have mercy on him and forgive him. He might have been misunderstood because he didn't know how to express
himself very well. Your Majesty, please spare Francis. Please! He has no intention of seizing the throne. He's just worried about
the emperor's health and wanted to take care of him. Your Majesty, I'm begging you, please. Forgive him for his mistake."
However, the empress only laughed scornfully when she heard Sherry's pleads. "He didn't know how to express himself? He
accused Felix of such viciousness and of his intention to usurp the throne in public. And she had the audacity to claim that it was
just a matter of misunderstanding? His Majesty is in a coma. If His Majesty is fine, his words are enough to take Felix's life. He
didn't know how to express himself? What a joke! How ridiculous could she get?"
"Your Majesty, just ignore her," Nancy stated.
"Ignore her? How can I just ignore her?" the empress stated while she stood up. Nancy quickly supported her, and then they
made their way to the door.
With a disdainful expression on her face, the empress looked at Sherry who was kneeling down with perfect posture. Someone
immediately brought a chair for the empress to sit down and the maid served a cup of hot tea. Then the empress looked at
Sherry while she said, "Sherry, you are one of the four noble consorts. Have you forgotten about this or you just don't think about
the consequences of your actions, first? You came in here, screaming outside of the Tranquil Hall. It would disturb His Majesty
while he's in recovery. What do you want?"
"Your Majesty, I admit that I have not taught my son very well. He is upright and outspoken—"
"Shut up!" The empress cut her off in a very loud voice. "You said that your son was upright and outspoken? Do you think that
you can fool me? Everyone knows that he's a hypocritical man! Do you want me to list down everything that your son did? First,
he's been taking advantage of the situation that His Majesty has been sick. Second, he came out to provoke dissension here,
fully intending to alienate the relationship between Felix and the courtiers. Third, he just meddled with the imperial affairs of the
Bright Dynasty. He is so treacherous and evil!"
"Your Majesty, Francis didn't do any of those things," Sherry softly said.
"He didn't?" The empress threw the teacup in her hand to Sherry. In a second, the hot tea poured all over her, but she didn't dare
to move. "No? At a crucial time like this, he came to this hall and talked so much nonsense instead of helping the people who are
suffering. Not once did he come to visit His Majesty when he was sick. But now that His Majesty has been ill for days, he
suddenly came out of nowhere, claiming that Felix wanted to usurp the throne. Can't you see how easy it is to recognize that
he's guilty?"
"Your Majesty, please forgive him—"
"Forgive him?" The empress cut her off again. With a sneer, she continued, "You admitted yourself that you haven't taught your
son very well. How dare you come here and beg for my forgiveness? You have been a noble consort for so long. So now, you
think the imperial harem is under your control?"
"No! Of course, I wouldn't dare to think that!"
The empress exclaimed furiously, "That's right! You have no right in this place! Guards, this woman is one of the four consorts,
but she is so unscrupulous that she disturbed His Majesty in a critical time like this. Moreover, she failed to teach her son so he
defamed Felix. She had committed a heinous crime. From now on, lock her in the Cold Palace!"
Sherry trembled and fell to the ground. She looked at the empress in disbelief. "Your Majesty, I didn't do anything wrong..."
"If you didn't teach your son very well, then you failed as a consort and as a mother. Even if you die a hundred times, it won't be
enough compensation for such a big mistake. Sending you to the Cold Palace is still merciful. If you don't appreciate my
kindness, don't blame me for being ruthless and cruel. If you are not satisfied with it, you have another option which is to die!"
The empress was actually in a position to do so. Although she had a very high rank, it didn't matter to the emperor. Instead, he
used to be so fond of Sherry, so the empress hated her very much.
'Didn't you say that you wouldn't fight for anything and would just let things take their course? Very well then, I will send you to
the Cold Palace. I want to see if you could still maintain your pretentious lofty image there!' the empress thought to herself.
"Please spare me, Your Majesty," Sherry pleaded once more.
"I don't want your life. Just go to the Cold Palace. It will give you time to reflect on your mistakes. When you've thought it through,
tell me and we'll discuss the appropriate punishment about you." Then, the empress asked the servants to take away Sherry.
Sherry looked at the empress with frightened eyes. She was so shocked that she even forgot how to speak. She just let the
guards take her away. Meanwhile, Minna was so surprised that she didn't know what to do. At that moment, she could only run
after Sherry.
The empress looked at Sherry, who was being dragged by her servants. With a satisfied smile, she said, "That's what happens
when you go against me!"