Chapter 83
Arendtert’s throat bobbed as he swallowed. He wet his lips and stammered out his words.
“In Lekan… there were no monsters. I kept searching while we camped, but not a single one appeared, so… so I…”
“So you what?”
Cressida’s sharp voice cut through his excuse. Clicking her tongue, she gestured toward the attendants who had followed her in.
Sensing the Empress’s displeasure, the ladies-in-waiting quickly closed the door and withdrew with the priest.
Once the door shut, Cressida let out a long sigh. She took no notice of Grizelle, as if she weren’t even there, and sat down on the sofa. Then she motioned for Arendtert to come sit in front of her.
Shrinking in on himself, Arendtert sat down heavily before her, his shoulders drooping. His head hung low like a child about to be scolded. Seeing him like that, Cressida frowned.
“Why do you keep disappointing your mother lately?”
“I’m sorry…”
“Ever since Euclid erased the ‘Maw’, public sentiment has turned unfavorable. If you had at least returned after slaying a good number of monsters, we could have shifted the mood.”
“Mother, I truly apologize…”
“Stop with that worthless apology. Empty words are for useless men.”
Cressida folded her arms and pursed her lips. After watching him in silence for a moment, she sighed again.
“There’s no helping it, then. We can’t just hand over the title of Crown Prince to Euclid, so we’ll have to fight this through public opinion.”
Unfolding her arms, she looked up at her son, who was staring at her in confusion, and continued.
“In front of others, act as if you’re heartbroken over losing Sylaria. As though you had to give up the woman you truly loved to your half-brother, all because of compatibility.”
“…Will anyone even believe that? It’s been far too long for that now.”
“Do you have a better idea, then? If you do, let’s hear it.”
At Cressida’s cold retort, Arendtert fell silent. As he sat frozen, speechless, Grizelle—who had been watching—spoke up.
“Excuse me, Your Majesty the Empress, but what about my position, then? If Aren acts like he still hasn’t gotten over Syllie, what does that make me, his consort?”
At her protest, Cressida slowly turned her gaze toward her. For a moment, she blinked, as if astonished that a decorative vase had suddenly begun speaking.
Her expression clearly said, ‘How dare you speak to me?’
Grizelle gave a stiff, awkward smile.
“Um… have you been well? I asked Your Majesty’s lady-in-waiting to convey my thanks to you. Did you receive it?”
“For the time being, you’d best act as though you don’t exist. You can manage that much for Aren’s sake, can’t you?”
“…Pardon?”
“I said keep quiet and stay out of sight. Live as if you’re not even here.”
When Grizelle dumbly repeated the words, Cressida spoke again in a tone full of disdain.
“How could he have chosen such a foolish woman to take into his arms?”
At Cressida’s mutter, Grizelle’s face flushed crimson, hot enough to burst. The veins stood out on the back of her hands as she clenched her skirt tightly.
“What if I had a plan?”
At Grizelle’s sudden words, Cressida and Arendtert both turned to look at her.
Grizelle stood abruptly, fists clenched, and with a determined expression, moved to sit beside Arendtert.
“I’ll bring down the First Prince’s woman. Sylaria.”
“You? How?”
“First, if I succeed, promise me that Your Majesty will allow me to hold a proper wedding ceremony with Aren. If you agree to that, I’ll tell you my method.”
At Grizelle’s proposal, Cressida’s eyes glimmered with interest. She looked at the woman before her with an expression that was almost amused.
She had thought Grizelle to be nothing but simple and dull, but it seemed the girl knew how to scheme a little after all. That made it entertaining.
“If you can truly succeed… then there’s nothing I wouldn’t give you.”
“Mother! Are you serious?”
At Cressida’s promise of marriage to Grizelle, Arendtert was aghast. To him, it must have felt like being chained to a woman he didn’t even like. But Cressida merely waved her hand calmly at her son.
“Let’s just hear her out first.”
“Break what Sylaria treasures most. If you do that, she’ll be ruined. She won’t be able to purify the First Prince anymore. She might even lose her mind.”
It was a tempting thought. If things went that way, Euclid would be forced to restrain himself again, just like before.
Arendtert, who had been protesting against his mother, now changed his expression and looked at Grizelle.
“And what exactly is it that’s so precious to Syllie? Do you even know?”
“Of course I do. I’m her old friend, after all.”
Grizelle’s lips curled into a chilling smile. Watching the imperial mother and son hang on her every word, she looked utterly pleased.
In the brightest halls of the Imperial Palace, the darkest and most sordid conspiracy was taking shape.
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