Chapter 108

The thought crossed my mind that the free medicine given to the Empress until now had been wasted.

Empress Lianhua consumes psilocybin orally about two or three times a week.

Given its half-life is around three to four hours, she spends a good portion of her time immersed in a world of heightened perception. While under the influence, she mostly indulges in music. It seems she’s even begun composing music as if preparing to make a comeback as an artist.

And during the remaining time, it seems she’s busy devising strategies, just like now.

‘She’s bringing Anais into this at this point, huh.’

Is a pardon from her father truly possible?

One could only imagine if the purse strings of the Chinguk Imperial House were opened.

The officials of the Empire harbor illusions about the power of Chinguk.

The vast territories, sprawling lands, surging populations, and endless wealth pouring forth make Chinguk an enigmatic Eastern superpower. Many people set sail recklessly, hoping to trade with Chinguk and become rich, only to end up bankrupt.

‘And yet, there’s some truth to it to a certain degree.’

Using their influence, they could probably manage to pardon the third princess.

But the Emperor of Chinguk isn’t dim-witted nor likely to grant such favors out of boredom. He might feel sorry for his daughter living far away in a foreign land but would he go out of his way to care for a granddaughter he’s never even met?

The princesses still appeared somewhat dazed.

“Your Excellency.”

“Mother…?”

That’s all they managed to mutter vaguely.

Finally, the Empress, sipping her green tea, started speaking.

“My late father bestowed the title of princess on me when I was merely two years old.”

“…”

“A truly unusual gesture. Even legitimate daughters are typically ennobled after the age of seven, or they barely manage to receive such a title before getting married, usually becoming princesses or lords’ wives. I assume Alan Medoff knows this.”

“Your Highness.”

“Why do you think my father sent me to marry so far away into the Empire? It was all for my safety. Competition was fierce, and it was feared that if I were to follow the regular selection process and marry a man from Chinguk, I would end up unhappy.”

The Empress was explaining she had been a favored princess in Chinguk, which wasn’t merely boasting. She even added that if she had married someone in Chinguk, she might have eventually lost her husband and children or, worse, been exiled or died a miserable death.

The secret of the Empress’s success with her parents’ support became evident.

Given that I know this, the Empress must have realized it as well.

There’s no need to hide it anymore, so I spoke frankly with her.

“Her Majesty, you’ve explained the Empire’s situation to suit your convenience.”

“To suit my convenience?”

“My apologies.”

“It can be seen that way. But perhaps, I’ve been the most honest. The potential heir to the throne, my daughter, was confined, my husband, the Emperor, is drowning in alcohol, and I feel my influence shrinking day by day.”

Influence shrinking? It seems more like the opposite.

“…So the Lord of Chinguk kindly lent a helping hand, huh.”

“Yes.”

The old ruler of Chinguk believes his daughter is in a difficult situation.

‘More accurately, the Empress has made him believe that.’

That alone provides Chinguk with a sufficient reason to intervene.

After all, the royal family of Chinguk must also be observing the situation of Britannia Empire, especially regarding heroin, with concern. The Empress has given them an excuse to act.

How the Empress achieved this was now clear.

But there was one thing I couldn’t quite understand: why would she go through such lengths?

Of course, the serious feud between Victoria and Siena is real. But pulling in her parental family seemed unnecessary. If her main goal was to secure her position, there might have been a better way.

Isn’t this just going to make the two princesses hate her?

Surely, if not delusional enough to think she could restore Anais as the future Empress, there’d be no reason for all this.

The two princesses were already glaring at the Empress.

Leading the way, Victoria revealed hostility first.

“Mother, it wasn’t necessary to go to such lengths. Once I was designated as the Heiress Apparent, I would have eventually found a way to clear Anais of her charges. After all, it’s impossible to keep my sister locked away in a monastery forever.”

“Victoria, I believe you would have.”

“And yet, you brought in external forces, which has only complicated matters. You should back down now.”

Victoria warned the Empress with a wavering gaze.

There’s still time to undo this.

Siena stepped forward next.

“Are you really making it too dangerous?”

That was all Siena said. Worse, she was smiling.

That alone said enough.

It meant Siena would ensure the Empress, who unnecessarily complicated the situation by involving Anais, would pay a price. Siena was capable of this much. She was the same girl who, before befriending the Empress, once tried to ruin her with opium.

The Empress thus turned both her daughters into enemies in a flash.

Yet, by her expression, she seemed unruffled.

The Empress’s tone was too aggressive.

‘I had anticipated this.’

Empress Lianhua couldn’t dismiss the fierce gazes of her two daughters so easily. She realized that they were not merely sulking.

From the moment she mentioned Anais’s pardon, the two daughters were filled with genuine hostility.

She did not regret this decision, though.

Rather, she had confirmation.

‘This wasn’t something I could just keep ignoring.’

Her daughters were prepared for internal strife over Alan.

The dissolution of the Wolphall family was merely the beginning.

Honestly, the Empress couldn’t predict what incidents might arise in the future.

Only two things were certain: many people would be swept into chaos and die, and the Emperor’s drinking would get worse and worse.

So, there would be nothing left but the complete collapse and disorder. The Empress, constitutionally, couldn’t sit back and watch the Empire fall.

At first, she had entertained the thought that she might have overestimated the crisis, but…

She might soon enter a chaos far beyond her imagination. Compared to that, whatever she had communicated to her parents would seem trivial. The Empress wanted to prevent such a catastrophic conclusion.

“I apologize, but I cannot undo my decision.”

“Really, to the very end.”

“It’s out of my hands now. The envoys sent from Chinguk are already on the way and under my command. There’s no turning back on that now. While it might be possible here, in Chinguk, such a reversal is absolutely out of the question. …Anais will return, one way or another.”

At that announcement, Siena, visibly distressed, narrowed her eyes.

Her small face appeared to read: “Then I’ll kill her the moment she returns.”

Once, when they were on better terms, Empress Lianhua used to pinch Siena’s round cheeks affectionately. Now, that seemed impossible.

Victoria, meanwhile, was reaching for her sword. She probably wouldn’t draw it, but it was unsettling all the same.

The Empress quietly raised her hand to restrain both.

Then she appeased them with gentle words.

“There’s no rule that your worries will come true.”

“…?”

“Anais will return regardless of what you do. But deciding to make her a forced marriage partner of Alan Medoff is not set in stone. I could keep her closely supervised by my side to prevent mischief and then send her off to an appropriate spouse later.”

“Ah.”

Indeed, it seemed that their resentment towards the Empress paled in comparison to their attachment to Alan.

The Empress wasn’t lying either.

She never intended to forcibly pair Anais with Alan. That would drive the two girls to extreme measures and turn them into enemies.

If Victoria and Siena agreed to one condition, ending this with just a pardon might have been possible.

And it was just one condition.

“Stop here.”

“Huh?”

“I am urging you both to try and reach some form of compromise. It doesn’t matter how you get there, as long as—just don’t fight over Alan Medoff to death. Do not torment His Majesty either. That’s all.”

“…Stop fighting.”

“Pity His Majesty.”

“That’s all I ask.”

The Empress earnestly repeated her plea.

The reactions of the princesses varied. Victoria seemed shocked at the extent the Empress would go for just that. Siena wore a thoughtful, excited expression. Alan Medoff’s face was a mixture of bitterness.

Of course, the Empress didn’t expect an answer that very moment.

“You may leave now.”

“Just like that?”

“It’s not something that should be discussed before me, is it?…Ah, before you go, let me add this. I apologize for making you uneasy, but everything I said just now is genuine.”

“…”

“I’ll give you a few days to think about it. I’d like to hear your response soon.”

With these words of the Empress, the three departed somewhat hesitantly from the Audience Chamber.

Now it was up to the principal parties to decide their next moves.

‘They’re smart kids; they know what the wise choice is.’

If the successors of the throne didn’t end up tearing each other apart like dogs fighting, the Empress was ready to support them.

In reality, the one she truly relied on was Alan Medoff. If Alan didn’t want to end up caught between three princesses, he’d have to find a way to calm Victoria and Siena.

Somehow.

After lingering with the short silence, the Empress called for an attendant.

“Where is His Majesty?”

“He is supervising construction outside the city.”

The Emperor was supposedly at the suburbs, overseeing the levee construction. While there was nothing wrong with the Emperor encouraging the workers, it felt deliberate avoidance. He was probably also indulging heavily in alcohol under the pretense of encouraging the workers.

‘This is dangerous, really.’

She needed to resolve the princesses’ issues before the Emperor truly becomes a dissolute ruler and loses his will for governance.

The Empress let out a small sigh.

* * *

On the way out after meeting with the Empress—

The two princesses walking silently in front of me came to a sudden halt.

They stared intensely at each other.

Simultaneously, the knights accompanying them—everybody except me— and the guards and maids from the Imperial Chambers stiffened. Likely fearing a clash between the 1st princess, famous for burning her relatives’ estates, and the 2nd princess who enjoyed causing trouble.

Fortunately, neither Victoria nor Siena engaged in verbal conflict.

They simply glared at each other blankly, then looked over at me in turn.

I could tell from their gazes that neither was willing to give me up.

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