Chapter 75

The Audience Chamber of the Empress radiated the unmistakable atmosphere of the Orient.

Siena, who had come to meet the Empress, glanced around the room and smirked.

‘There’s even more stuff here than the last time I visited.’

From jade-inlaid thrones to the twelve-paneled screens fit for the Imperial Court of Chinguk, to luxurious furniture crafted from rosewood—everything screamed affluence.

At first glance, one might mistake this for homesickness, but that was far from the truth. These days, the competition among the Empire’s noblewomen to be invited here, even once, was fierce. Having a cup of jasmine tea in this very room was enough to become a prestigious topic of conversation in high society for months.

In reality, the Empress used the fantasy of the East to foster connections.

Siena had long known that the Empress was not merely playing games. She had always been aware of the Empress’s efforts to build a foundation.

‘But I didn’t expect her to toy with me.’

Soon enough, the Empress entered, accompanied by her maids.

A beauty dressed in a red silk gown, with a shawl called “hapsi” draped over her shoulders.

Though her appearance still hinted at frailty, her spirit was evidently alive.

With the help of two attendants, she moved slowly and gracefully, and it was easy to see why the noblewomen of the State admired the Empress so much.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Siena.”

“Did you manage a lemon tassok?”

“…Not exactly. I was writing to a confined child. I also made sure she’ll have winter clothes. Who else but me will help Anais?”

She mentioned Anais first on her own.

Siena couldn’t help but smile as she stared intently at the Empress. If they could dive straight to the point, that would be more than welcome.

Siena then took out something to pressure the Empress with—twenty doses of psilocybin.

It was artificially cultivated psilocybin. Unlike the crude gathering and selecting process of the past, now it was simply a matter of refining it in greenhouses.

This would surely be the biggest leverage against the Empress, who depended on psilocybin…

“Thank you, but there’s no need to bring it anymore, Siena.”

“What?”

Siena stared in puzzlement at the Empress, who smiled gently.

“After all, we can’t depend on you forever, can we? …Truthfully, three months ago, I commissioned an institution called Taeywon from my homeland to see if they could cultivate similar mushrooms. Thanks to the special attention of my father, we could mobilize over two hundred physicians.”

“And?”

“They succeeded. It won’t be long before I won’t inconvenience you anymore.”

With a warm smile, the Empress left Siena feeling momentarily baffled.

Of course, Alan had mentioned that once the health syrup craze hit. When it came to pharmaceuticals, the State might not measure up to Chinguk, after all. Empress Lianhua was not just any princess of Chinguk; she was the daughter the Emperor adored. If she asked…

‘No, wait a moment.’

Upon reflection, something seemed off.

Did the Empress really no longer need Alan’s psilocybin?

While it could indeed be true, it also seemed like a show of bravado.

Alan had once said, casually, that psilocybin was a crop only he could cultivate.

Chinguk might have a large population, but could it boast an Alan-like talent?

Siena decided to trust Alan over the Empress.

“Your Majesty, you don’t have to put on a show. I know you won’t stop using psilocybin.”

“But I said—”

“You should’ve claimed you had two hundred herbalists working on securing it. Alan even admitted that the mushroom yield was surprisingly high this time; Chinguk’s physicians couldn’t have achieved that easily. Stop lying.”

Siena flashed a bright smile at the Empress.

The Empress, seemingly catching the drift, refrained from an outright squabble.

Perhaps the Empress had intended to outmaneuver Siena by taking away her weapon of psilocybin. Although the plan failed, the Empress showed no shock, only a calm satisfaction in her success.

‘This is only the beginning.’

Siena didn’t despise the Empress’s political maneuvering, given that she was equally guilty herself.

“Tell me. Why did you do it?”

Siena tilted her head with a query.

A moment of silence hung between them.

***

What was the goal?

Empress Lianhua just smiled at her daughter’s question.

‘After all, I have already achieved over 60% of my objective.’

The remaining task was essentially just clean-up.

Alan Medoff.

The Empress’s greatest goal was to incorporate this difficult subordinate into the Imperial Court.

A subordinate who operated in the shadows as merely a knight was not someone she could tolerate. And yet, he was too precious an asset to be purged by force. It was far more efficient to bring him under the Imperial fold.

She had truly wanted to pair him with her youngest daughter.

That said, she never truly expected Alan Medoff to agree. That expectation held true, and the second daughter had readily taken the bait.

“Siena. Alan couldn’t just be left alone. He posed a threat to the Imperial family.”

“Really? Alan?”

“The man himself is irrelevant. His very existence poses a threat. …Consider how foreign nations might perceive the knight who single-handedly decimated the great-ear race. They may not show it, but they’re probably terrified.”

“…”

“Actually, a merchant from the Darien Kingdom once approached Alan Medoff’s family. There may be other covert operations going on that we don’t know about. …Siena, do you understand what this means?”

“A bold nation might try to buy Alan’s allegiance. At the very least, they might try to recruit those around him to extract information about heroin.”

“To have you understand is a relief.”

The Empress chuckled as she reached out to pat Siena’s head, only to have Siena tilt it away.

For a moment, the Empress felt awkward with her extended hand, but she did not regret her action.

She had grown up in a land where any threat to imperial power was eliminated without hesitation, a land where all state institutions existed solely to elevate and maintain the emperor’s authority.

In Chinguk, they would have investigated Alan until any suspicions were dispelled, and regardless of the outcome, he probably would have been eliminated.

Here, doing so was not feasible, thus the plan to marry him off to one of the princesses.

Initially, she thought about pairing Alan with the first or second princess but feared rejection. That was why she opted for the youngest.

“Ultimately… was Anais used as bait?”

“Not quite. I was somewhat certain you or your sister would get involved, but there was a part of me that hoped Alan would willingly take Anais as his partner. Still, how could I leave my own child in a monastery until her death?”

“Would Anais have been pleased with that?”

“In matchmaking, individual preferences don’t matter. We can always find compromises if our interests align. Ultimately, we’re all pieces on a chessboard.”

“…”

At this, Siena frowned slightly.

Was it due to the mention of being chess pieces? The Empress chuckled softly and wiggled her fingers.

“I’m no different, Siena.”

“…”

“Reflect on this: how did I even become the Empress of this country? Because my father adored me. He likely thought sending me to marry a foreign ruler over the sea would at least save me from exile in old age. Hence, I was dispatched with a hefty dowry.”

“You suffered from homesickness!”

“But I’m still alive, aren’t I? I’ve always been grateful for that.”

Seeing this, Siena somewhat relented.

Even if it meant the past was the past, confronting her mother was not smart. The girl likely understood that compromise was more rational than conflict.

The Empress, with her chin in hand, looked at Siena.

Then, softly, she instructed—

rather, ordered—

“Let me assist with the procedure; two months from now, become engaged to Alan. We’ll need to elevate his status to befit your rank.”

So far, no hints of resistance.

Of course, it wasn’t over yet.

“Later, help Anais secure her pardon. When I say help, it means don’t interfere.”

“…Please continue.”

As expected, she agreed. Everything was progressing according to plan.

Thus, one last point.

“Starting next year, I’ll recommend to His Majesty that opium cultivation be regulated by the national law. I learned that both morphine and heroin require opium as an essential ingredient. No matter how extraordinary Alan is, he can’t produce heroin without the raw material.”

“…”

“I’m not suggesting the prohibition of production. Just that we should manufacture it transparently to allay His Majesty’s fears. Only when the state needs heroin.”

The Empress paused, looking steadily at Siena.

Honestly, she had more plans.

She wanted Alan cultivating psilocybin within the Imperial Palace and intended to leverage his expertise to strengthen bonds with Chinguk, where many noblewomen also suffered from psychological ailments.

‘Once he becomes my son-in-law, we can push forward with such plans.’

The Empress thought to herself, glancing at Siena’s contemplative expression.

A young and soft face, still unlined despite its mature responsibilities.

She was still a child.

***

Siena let the Empress’ overly relaxed gaze slide.

It nettled her that opium cultivation would be legally monitored.

But, perhaps there was some value in operating on the edge of legality. Breaking the law outright might be less thrilling, but finding loopholes sounded intriguing.

As for Anais’ pardon?

Although she found it distasteful, she could turn a blind eye. After all, creating a scenario where Anais could never be pardoned might solve the issue later.

With no clear way to calm her conflicted mind, Siena slumped her head.

Perhaps mistaking it for submission, the Empress lightly poked her cheek.

An action the Empress frequently did since they’d grown close. It felt a bit uncomfortable compared to Alan’s delicate touch.

Even more exasperatingly—

“Good thinking. Though I wonder how it’ll be for Alan Medoff? Tolerating your personality for life sounds exhausting.”

The Empress said that last bit with an air of jest.

Surely, she considered it a harmless joke.

When Siena glanced up, the Empress was beaming benignly.

Was this her subtle way of suggesting they return to their amicable maternal relationship now that business was over?

But Siena couldn’t let it slide as mere jest. For some reason, the jest irked her.

“To tolerate my personality, huh?”

That comment was intolerable.

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