Chapter 47. The Emperor Might Abandon You
“Sir Leonard.”
The one who had given me the ring was none other than Leonard.
As always, he was dressed in his preferred black attire.
Standing beside me, Cedric frowned slightly.
“Sir Leonard, are you coming with us?”
“Wait… I didn’t tell you?”
“……”
Judging by his expression, I must not have.
I thought for sure I had mentioned it when we discussed our plans.
That was my mistake.
“I’m sorry. I thought I had told you earlier, but I must’ve been mistaken.”
“It’s alright. I was just a little surprised… I assumed he was only teaching you horseback riding.”
“Oh dear, I guess you didn’t know that I’ve been assigned as Her Majesty the Empress’ escort knight.”
Leonard naturally stepped closer to me.
“Since Her Majesty is going, it’s only right that I accompany her.”
He looked at me with a gentle smile.
Anyway, now that I had met up with Leonard, I stepped down from the carriage.
“Why are you getting out?”
Or rather, I was about to.
I paused at the sound of Cedric’s voice behind me.
“Huh? Well of course…”
I turned my gaze toward Leonard.
More precisely, toward the two horses he was holding by the reins.
“Ah.”
Following my gaze, Cedric seemed to realize what was going on.
That’s right. I had been planning to ride a horse, since I had been practicing.
That’s why Leonard had brought a horse for me as well.
The horse he brought was a beautiful black steed.
A pitch-black horse with not a single spot on its coat.
It was clearly a well-trained and noble animal at a glance.
“I just assumed… you would ride in my carriage with me.”
There was a hint of disappointment in Cedric’s voice.
“Haven’t you seen me practicing horseback riding all this time?”
“That was before I was assigned to drive the carriage.”
He must have assumed that since he was handling the carriage, I would naturally join him.
Admittedly, that would’ve been more convenient for me.
Just then—
“What a shame. Her Majesty the Empress has already agreed to ride the horse I prepared.”
Leonard stepped in between me and Cedric as he spoke.
I blinked in surprise.
Of course, what Leonard said wasn’t wrong.
But… why did he have to be the one to say it?
Cedric tried once more to persuade me.
“Your Majesty the Empress, riding yourself is dangerous after all. It would be much safer to come with me in the carriage.”
“There’s no danger at all. I’ll be right beside Her Majesty to protect her.”
Leonard reassured me.
I mean, no matter what I ride, it’s more or less the same, isn’t it?
Why do both of them seem so tense?
Even after that, the two kept going back and forth, responding to each other’s comments.
Neither showed any sign of backing down.
I shook my head in disbelief.
‘Don’t fight over something like this.’
I calmly walked past the two men engaged in a tug-of-war.
And just as I had originally planned, I mounted the black horse that Leonard had prepared.
After all, it would be a waste to let all my riding practice go to waste.
And part of me thought this journey would be more fun on horseback.
There were several reasons.
Perhaps my assertive decision startled them.
Both men stopped talking and stared at me blankly with dazed expressions.
I smiled softly and said,
“Let’s depart.”
***
A dim night bathed in blue moonlight.
In the deepest part of a dark forest, far from the paths most people tread.
There stood a small house with faint light seeping from within.
Step, step.
A woman walked toward that place.
Holding a small lantern in her hand, she looked around cautiously.
As if afraid someone might see her, she pulled her hood down further.
Finally, she reached the door and knocked gently.
Soon after, the door opened, and a woman greeted her warmly.
“Come in.”
The woman who entered the house took off her robe.
A cascade of luscious pink hair spilled out from underneath.
Watching her, the homeowner spoke.
“Fay. You came here without a word. That’s quite unusual.”
“I came because I have something I want to discuss.”
Fay looked straight into the homeowner’s eyes as she spoke.
The person she had come to see, even using a secret passage from the Imperial Palace, was none other than…
“Mother.”
Fay’s mother, Anthea.
—
Fay was sitting in a chair, holding the teacup Anthea had given her.
“My dear.”
Anthea, seated across from her, called out softly.
“Before I hear your story, there’s something we need to address first.”
“Something we need to address?”
Fay blinked her large eyes and asked.
“I heard there was a trial recently. But why hasn’t the Empress been deposed?”
“Ah.”
Fay sighed.
Seeing that, Anthea sharpened her tone.
“I even gave you something that’s hard to get. And you couldn’t even pull off that one task?”
“Well…”
Fay, gripping her teacup, hesitated for a moment.
Then she cautiously spoke.
“It’s just… the punishment became difficult. Her Majesty the Empress had obtained the same poison.”
“What? She got the same poison?”
“It’s true. I was surprised too. I didn’t expect her to collapse from poisoning on the day of the trial…!”
“Hmm. I see.”
Anthea stroked her chin.
“I thought she was just a bear trying to show off some tricks. Seems she’s not completely useless after all.”
“What should I do now, Mother?”
“What do you mean what should you do? Even if she pulls some tricks, it’s useless.”
Anthea scoffed coldly, as if the idea was absurd.
“So that’s why you came? To talk about the Empress?”
“Yes.”
Fay nodded.
“His Majesty has been acting strange lately. I think it has something to do with Her Majesty the Empress.”
“Haven’t I told you again and again? That woman is constantly waiting for a chance to take you down.”
“But it’s not like His Majesty and Her Majesty married for love, right? Then why is she targeting me?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
Anthea replied lazily.
“She’s a greedy woman. She can’t stand seeing others succeed, and she wants to have everything for herself.”
Anthea clicked her tongue in disapproval.
“If things continue like this, who knows when the Emperor might throw you away.”
“No!”
Fay cried out urgently.
“That mustn’t happen. I absolutely can’t give up on His Majesty.”
Fay’s voice trembled with desperation.
“You told me yourself, Mother. That he’s my fated one.”
“Yes. That’s right.”
Anthea reached out her hand.
“My dear. You have nothing to worry about. I’ll take care of everything.”
And she gently stroked Fay’s pink hair as she continued.
“So, has anything interesting been happening in the Imperial Palace lately?”
“Ah! It’s not exactly interesting, but… there is something people have been talking about.”
“Tell me anything.”
“Recently, Her Majesty the Empress has been plagued by some bad rumors.”
“Rumors? What kind?”
“You know how the drought has been severe lately? It seems people are blaming it on the Empress.”
“Things are getting interesting.”
“So, with everything that’s been going on, Her Majesty the Empress has decided to leave the palace for a break…”
At that moment, Anthea’s eyes gleamed sharply.
“The Empress is leaving?”
“Yes. I happened to hear about it while visiting His Majesty’s office.”
“I see.”
Fay thought her mother would suggest another scheme.
Because that’s what always happened when she brought up Helena.
However—
“For now, you may leave. I’m tired.”
Anthea didn’t propose anything this time.
Surprised by the unexpected response, Fay was briefly flustered.
“Pardon? But the plan…”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything.”
“…Alright.”
Fay obediently accepted her mother’s words.
She believed her mother would handle everything properly.
Getting up from her seat, Fay picked up the robe that had been draped over her chair.
“Then rest well, Mother.”
Once Fay left the room and her footsteps faded into the distance—
Anthea’s gaze turned icy.
She sipped her tea with graceful poise and murmured softly,
“You heard, didn’t you?”
At her words, a shadowy man silently stepped out from behind the curtain.
“Yes. I heard it all.”
“This time, the Empress has been careless. The world is in chaos these days. What if she runs into a roadside bandit on the way?”
“Indeed. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen.”
The man’s voice was full of amusement as he agreed with her.
A long arc formed at the corner of Anthea’s lips.
“Well, if that happens, it’d certainly work in my favor. Don’t you think?”
—
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