Mr. William couldn’t control his emotions as he looked at the bereaved families, clenching his fists.
“On this cold winter day, even if it’s just for a moment, I can warm the ground where my family rests…I’m so, so grateful….”
Unable to finish his words, Mr. William cried a stream of tears.
“Oh my God, that’s…”
“I thought this would be too drastic to share but this is our story.”
The atmosphere was somber.
After some time.
Wiping away the tears, Mr. William concluded his speech.
“Lady Charlize also promised that the barley shoots will be replaced with grass when the weather gets warmer.”
“Now, are you going to repeat what you said before?”
Mr. William looked at the reporter, his eyes still puffy.
Not knowing what to do, the reporter looked around him, noticing the atmosphere created against him.
I looked at the reporter with a cold gaze.
It must have been convenient to write articles that stirred public opinion and create commotion through your newspapers.
But what you’ve done will come back to get you someday.
‘You should have been conventional in your reporting.’
After Mr. William spoke, I opened my mouth.
“No matter how pricey the barley seeds were, we were able to save much more with that than purchasing off-seasonal grass.”
“Well, then what…”
“What we saved was used to pay for the bereaved families’ travel and lodging expenses.”
I raised my head, looking the reporter straight into his eyes.
“I think that resolves your question of whether the budget was wasted. Which is why-”
As if beaten by a whip, the reporter flinched as his body stiffened.
I spoke calmly.
“It’s your turn to take responsibility for the rude remarks you made earlier.”
“Er, take responsibility?”
“Of course. Did you think you would get away scot-free after grieving so many people?”
I asked the reporter back.
His face turned red.
“Apologize to the bereaved families right now, then have an apology placed on the front page of the news.”
“An apology?!”
“Furthermore, there are several things that must be stated in your apology.”
As soon as he heard that, he looked at me with his eyes squinted.
Goodness, why is he looking at me like that?
I offered for him to just give me a written apology, shouldn’t he be thanking me instead?
Though I was frowning on the inside, I kept a calm facade on the outside.
“First, clarify what wrongs you committed towards the bereaved families.”
“What do you mean? Wrongs? I…”
“Please write only objective facts, excluding your personal feelings.”
In the silence, only my voice resounded.”
“Second, ask the newspaper head office to take measures to prevent a recurrence of this discourteous incident. And state the consequences in your apology as well.”
The reporter now seemed hesitant to say anything further.
I pushed the tips of my lips upwards.
“Third, this goes without saying but a sincere apology in order, all right?”
“Lady Charlize!”
“Even though I’ve given you a lot to do if the apology doesn’t appear the next day-”
The reporter tried to protest but I cut him off mid-sentence
“We’ll regard it as an insult to the veterans and the royal family, and we will respond sternly.”
***
And like that, the memorial service which was full of endless talking and headache-inducing problems was over.
Exhausted, I plopped onto the sofa, lying there motionless.
“Haaa, I feel like I’m going to die…”
The respect I had for the Empress since then grew immensely.
How on earth did the Empress manage and tend to all the affairs of the royal family until now?
I feel like the bones in my body are going to give way from hosting an event just once!
“Oh my, Charlize. You look very relaxed.”
Just then, a playful voice reached my ears.
“Wow, your Majesty, the Empress?!”
Surprised, I sprang up to my feet.
Behind the smiling Empress, was her Majesty, the Empress dowager as well.
“I’m here too.”
“Oh my God, please sit over here!”
I hurriedly offered them both seats.
A tea table was set.
After taking a sip from her teacup, the Empress opened her mouth.
“The memorial service went better than I expected.”
“Wow, really?”
“Of course. You’ve been receiving favorable reviews in the newspapers about yourself every day, right?”
The Empress gave me a round of compliments.
Well, it was slightly embarrassing but…
I smiled happily.
‘Well, the Empress isn’t lying.’
The previous headlines, from how, could anyone believe in the fiancee of the Crown Prince, me being a commoner maid, or that I wasted the memorial service’s budget because I was ignorant of such things….
The newspapers that had been pouring out all sorts of nonsense for the longest time suddenly changed their tune like the snap of a finger.