[AH, this is why I didn't want to tell Empress Liane about my circumstances.]
Tabitha was back in the palace to visit the empress. To be precise, she was in Her Majesty's bedroom.
Empress Liane was on her bed while Tabitha sat on the chair next to it.
It had already been formally announced that Her Majesty was pregnant. Hence, the empress took a leave of absence from her duties.
[It's a secret, but Empress Liane's pregnancy is sensitive and she's getting weak.]
Even though the servants of the empress' palace had returned to normal, Her Majesty couldn't trust her old servants when it came to handling her pregnancy. Hence, Ava (the emperor's younger sister who gave up her royal title to become a doctor) has been assigned to the empress as her physician.
"I'm so sorry, Lady Tabitha," Empress Liane said in a voice filled with remorse. "I don't know what else to say, but I'm sorry…"