Chapter 145

After seeing off the envoys from Chinguk, I immediately headed to the Empress’s chambers.

This place was only superficially part of the Empire; deep down, it was entirely Chinguk.

The luxurious furniture, made of sandalwood, reminded one of China’s Ming and Qing dynasties. It wasn’t just the décor—most of the palace attendants working in the Empress’s chambers were also of Eastern descent.

However…

‘It feels awfully quiet now.’

Was everyone who knew of Empress Lianhua’s title being stripped fleeing as a result?

This seemed too recent an event for that to have happened already. More likely, the Empress had taken preemptive measures to downsize her staff before the storm broke.

Compared to her daughter, she was indeed a wise woman.

Still, it seemed she hadn’t anticipated the sudden bad news from her homeland—both the critically ill Sovereign and the stripping of her own title.

The Empress greeting me was proof of that.

“Your Majesty.”

“Sit down. It’s good to see you.”

Her dazed expression and slightly parted lips were understandable. She probably drowned her sorrows in a glass of lemon tincture. Regardless, I had ensured she consistently and generously received psilocybin, cementing their inseparable relationship.

But something was off about the Empress. Unlike her usual red grand robes, she wore a plain white skirt with a loose-fitting, simple top. To top it all, she was lying diagonally on the broad throne.

“Your Majesty.”

“Hm? …Ah.”

Only when I cleared my throat did she slowly sit up, though the vacant expression remained.

I decided to let her collect herself—not out of pity, but because she had recovered her mental and physical health thanks to the mushrooms I provided. She could have lived happily ever after, but her fixation on royal obligations and constant political maneuvering had backfired. What was originally her well-meaning effort ended in tragic results.

Eventually, here we were.

‘It’s worth waiting a little longer.’

The honors she received from Chinguk were, even to me, exceptionally generous. Treating her as a daughter-in-law who’d married into another family 19 years ago was hard to believe. Someone who once wielded that much influence was still worth using.

Shortly afterward, the Empress began murmuring, her focusless eyes blinking.

“It’s all… my fault.”

Her self-recrimination revealed she was aware of the events back home. This slump was likely because of that.

“What are you talking about?”

“In my youth, I often acted irresponsibly. …Grandmother was still alive then, along with Mother and Father. I once humiliated some peers in front of them. Watching them turn red and stammer was so amusing.”

“Among those peers you humiliated, was Tang Yeon-cheol, the current Crown Prince, one of them?”

“Yes. …After turning ten, I stopped, but by then, the emotional rift was already there.”

I roughly understood the situation:

Beautiful, intelligent, and talented Lianhua likely relied solely on the favor of the adults in the royal household, tormenting her brothers and sisters as a consequence.

It wasn’t out of sheer malice—I imagine she simply wanted to show off, a common fault of those favored by partiality.

‘But those on the receiving end couldn’t just let it pass.’

Even under normal circumstances, relationships with siblings are hard to maintain. Add to that her childish antics, and harmonious family relations would have been nearly impossible.

The reason the blame fell on the Empress as soon as the Sovereign’s health deteriorated was now clear, along with why the Crown Prince of Chinguk had stripped her of her title without minimum courtesy.

“…Had I known, I should have stayed in Chinguk and married an inconsequential man.”

“Your Majesty.”

“Better yet… Yes. I could have acted eccentrically and become a royal concubine attached to the palace—then, while I might have faced ridicule, I wouldn’t have ended up in this pitiful state, no?”

“…”

“My one and only daughter was boiled alive, and the Sovereign is leaving this world because of me, his unfilial daughter.”

What am I supposed to do with this?

A sorrowful smile lingered at the corners of the Empress’s mouth as she soliloquized.

She must know that appealing to me about her sorrowful situation is pointless.

In reality, at some point, the Empress had stopped looking at me altogether. It wouldn’t have mattered if a random maid stood before her—she would have muttered the same words.

Inane rambling, devoid of any real significance.

I wasn’t planning to keep listening—it was too urgent, the task too weighty.

I decided to cut her tirade short and said,

“Your Majesty.”

“Hm…?”

“I have just seen off the Chinguk delegation. Before their departure, we threw them an elaborate farewell banquet. And in the wine they drank, cocaine was mixed—each bottle contained around 60 milligrams.”

“Cocaine?”

“Some drank copiously, while others managed to finish just one glass, keeping a close eye around them. However, the majority belonged to the former group. The warriors were particularly enthusiastic—physical types tend to find such narcotics suitable. They probably felt like they’d consumed a holy elixir.”

“Narcotics.” The Empress’s expression stiffened slightly.

Her mouth, once slightly ajar, was now firmly closed, and those previously unfocused eyes looked directly at me. It was either that she couldn’t understand what I was saying, or she understood but refused to believe it.

Ignoring her reaction, I continued,

“Moreover, we distributed more than a thousand bottles of wine as gifts.”

“…”

“To those gifts, we also added heroin. Each bottle contained over 60 milligrams of cocaine and over 40 milligrams of heroin. Heroin, unlike cocaine, triggers withdrawal symptoms rapidly, but it would be challenging for them to perceive it.”

“No…!”

“By the time they reach Chinguk, most of them will be devastated. However, not all—there simply wasn’t enough for fair distribution. They might even start fighting among themselves.”

“Hmm…”

The Empress stared at me, startled, unable to continue her speech. Her eyebrows trembled, and her pupils danced.

It was a natural reaction. Although she may have been betrayed by Chinguk, it was still her homeland.

Especially given that her father—the Sovereign—was on his deathbed. Not being able to be with him in his final moments would be devastating, and hearing this only complicated matters. Honestly, “complicated” didn’t cover it.

Still, the Empress seemed to have regained her composure after hearing such shocking details.

The Empress then looked up at me with a fearful gaze.

“Why?”

“Your Majesty, I apologize, but are you really asking this out of ignorance?”

“…”

“You are, after all, the sole Empress of the Empire. Chinguk has demoted you to a commoner without prior agreement. Suddenly, we have become the ridiculous state that hosts a former criminal from our ally as our Empress.”

“Alan, Medoff.”

“In essence, we have been subjected to treatment unacceptable even within a vassal state from an equal-ranking Empire, and so retaliation was inevitable.”

“No, what I mean to ask—.”

The Empress muttered something and trailed off, seemingly realizing that the drugging of the 300-member envoy was merely the beginning.

For a while, the Empress simply stared at me silently.

It was as if she desperately hoped the suspicions bubbling in her mind were not true.

“Why… did you do such a thing?”

Unfortunately, I couldn’t meet her expectations.

“To confront Chinguk directly requires time. Returning the delegation safely would throw them into quite a state of confusion. It will take them a while to analyze the situation and formulate a response.”

“So, you intend to use that gained time…”

“Exactly. I plan to prepare a more substantial retaliation. His Majesty the Emperor has not only approved but, in fact, essentially instructed this course of action. While I can’t predict the outcome, there’s no turning back now that we’ve started.”

“The reason you tell this to me is…?”

“You know the answer, don’t you?”

In response to my statement, the Empress let out a wry chuckle.

It seemed unlikely that she scoffed at my pretense.

There is indeed a stark disparity in national strength between the two countries. But I have means to bridge that gap. The Empress understands what I’m capable of, which is why she offered her two stepdaughters to protect her homeland.

But with Chinguk’s impulsive actions, those efforts have become futile.

Now, the Empress has nothing left.

Her only biological daughter, Siena, is currently engaged in lace pattern work in a maid’s quarters.

The Sovereign, who had been her staunch protector, is on the brink of death.

It’s only natural that her standing in the Empire is far from favorable.

The only one she might lean on would be her husband, who is now merrily drinking with a few friends in the garden, having handed over a significant part of his responsibilities to Victoria. He must feel quite unburdened.

“I have something urgent to discuss.”

Still, the Empress isn’t entirely without options.

She grew up as a princess, favored by the Sovereign and his empress consort.

She claims to have obsessively gathered information about Chinguk even during her years of plant-like existence and even contributed suggestions regarding the court ladies in the palace. Her political assets could be of some use for the schemes I’m about to unleash.

The key lies in Empress Lianhua’s willingness to cooperate.

I stared at the trembling Empress for a while, then announced,

“Your Majesty. To Chinguk, across the sea, you are now a commoner. But here in the Empire, you remain a member of the royal family. …If you cooperate with me, I will help you maintain your position and live comfortably.”

The Empire or Chinguk.

Betraying her homeland is not an easy decision. But there’s no other choice. If she isn’t an ally, she must be considered an enemy. Without a clear stance, I can neither honor nor respect her position as Empress.

“What will you do?”

Now, the Empress must choose.

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