"Your Majesty, Priest Eratosthene has requested an audience."
"Oh? Tell him to come in."
Perdiccas II was delighted as if he had forgotten the lingering hatred he had for his son.
He even got up from his seat and desperately searched for his cane.
He even got up from his heavy body and went down from the throne to greet the priest.
“Penterus-!”
The door opened and an old man in faded gray robes walked in slowly.
The old man's lean physique was revealed through the fluttering hems of his robe beneath his loose clothing.
The sleeves and hem were frayed, and the prayer book hanging from the tough leather strap around his waist was also worn.
Deep wrinkles were evident as if they had been worn away by the sun and wind.
He was a man who reminded you of a twig.
But his sunken eyes still had a sharp light that never faded.
"Eratosthene greet you, Your Majesty."
A voice as straight as the body spread.
After he finished paying his respects to the Emperor, he also greeted the two stern men.
"Her Majesty the Empress and the Marquis were also present.
"...I hope you are well, Baron."
In particular, Empress Dowager Su could not hide her discomfort.
Because the shabby old man before her eyes was the father of Empress Eleanor, who was once her greatest political enemy.
"I heard two people talking outside a little while ago."
The old man opened his mouth.
"I may be presumptuous, but one must consider both the usefulness and uselessness of one's sword. If I allow the blade to rust because I am afraid that it will be used against me, I am surrendering myself to the enemy."
Perdiccas II's eyes changed at the old man's words.
The eyes that had been shaking aimlessly with fear and hatred toward Cesare found their center.
"Baron, be careful with your words. What if some suspect that someone who should be devoted to the capital has come all the way here for some other reason?"
The Empress couldn't understand why the old man suddenly wanted to protect Cesare.
'Why did he never visit the palace even when the First Prince was on the verge of death...?'
"I am sorry. Your Majesty the Empress, please take away your worries and titles. Who would want to chase after a meaningless past now that I have shed my name?"
The Empress bit her lip.
The old man's tongue, still sharp as an awl, was confined to a monastery in a small estate.
"Although I have long since left politics, I dare to say something as a subject who once enjoyed the royal favor. I hope that Your Majesty will be lenient in your consideration."
"Oh, Penterus. How could I not know your heart? The Empress has had enough. Both of you, please leave now. My intention is understood."
Penterus is a title commonly used on the Continent to refer to a wife's father.
Perdiccas II seemed to want to impress upon the old man that even after his wife's death, he had not forgotten their old friendship.
"Everyone, get out."
Finally, he gave the order. The Empress bit her lip.
"Your Majesty, but..."
"Oh, even if you say so! Don't make me say anything."
The Emperor shook his head in annoyance as if his patience had only lasted one time.
"If you do, Your Majesty, may your great undertaking prosper and enjoy peace."
Marquis Renier slowly turned toward the door.
He too was equally puzzled.
H couldn't understand the old man's intentions in taking the Prince's side, and if he had to define the old man's feelings toward Cesare, it would be closer to hatred.
As his steps slowed down, using old age as an excuse, the Marquis tried to make eye contact with the old man but failed.
The Marquis took a step forward, holding onto his burning stomach.
"Your Majesty, what happened? I heard Eratosthene enter the palace..."
"What can I do? Can't you tell by looking at my appearance?"
The Empress returned to the West Palace and scolded the maid in an irritated tone.
She looked down at the tea the maid had brought her and tried to calm her heart.
"Then there was no reason to go through all that trouble to disband his private army."
Pot-!
But it failed. Instead of settling down, the sparks inside just kept spreading.
Veins bulged on the back of the hand holding the glass.
The tea water spilled and the tablecloth became soaked with dark colors.
"It's been a while since I've had this opportunity. What on earth are you thinking?"
She bit her lip.
"Like father, like daughter? How selfish of you."
That's why, just a moment ago, she found that woman's gaze on the old man's stern face.
"Eleanor. Eleanor..."
A woman who was once the enemy and dream of Empress Su.
She was a woman who was as strong as a tree and did not waver no matter what wind or rain blew.
Even when she was criticized as a barren Queen for not being able to have children and was subject to all kinds of insults and restraints.
Even when her husband ascended to the throne and gave her an illegitimate child to raise as her official blood relative.
Even when rumors spread that the illegitimate child was actually the seed of an affair between her husband and her sister-in-law.
Even though it was just a rumor, everyone knew it.
If that were not true, then there is no way Perdiccas II would have granted the title of 'First Prince' to an illegitimate child, even if he was his first child.
'If it were me, I would have gone crazy.'
Even the Empress, who had chosen Perdiccas II as her companion solely out of lust for power, could not dare to put herself in Eleanor's shoes.
What must have been the life of that woman, who had to keep her position as Empress among the tigers while keeping her husband's living infidelity by her side, despite her noble nature?
If it were me, I would have killed that illegitimate child.
Anyway, there were too many people aiming for the first Prince position, which was at the very front of the line of succession.
It really wasn't that hard to pretend to let your guard down for a moment and let the child's breath stop.
The Empress did not have to protect the First Prince and endure the humiliation and shame for the rest of her life.
But she did it.
She despised illegitimate children, but she would not allow someone else to take their life.
People pitied the Empress, saying, "How could she live such a strange life?"
But they don't know.
Only the Empress, who had been chasing her for a long time, knew.
Eleanor, that woman has always been so arrogant and self-willed.
Just as Perdiccas II chose her over the many marriage proposals that came his way when he was a Prince of little consequence.
When the first Prince, who had been raised with such difficulty amidst all kinds of humiliation, finally won the war on the continent and was finally able to reap the benefits.
The woman turned her back on life without any regrets.
The choices of women that they could never overcome, whether alive or dead, always aroused people's astonishment.
"It could have been like that because he's not your child."
Although there was no one in the room, the Empress hummed as if she were talking to the Empress Eleanor sitting across from her.
Because Eleanor didn't give birth to him from her stomach, because he wasn't her blood relative created from her flesh and bones, she didn't have that much hesitation.
Unlike the Empress, who is still tied up in this damned hellhole to protect her son.
Sometimes, she was madly jealous of that woman who had given up everything without even a shred of regret. But whenever that happened, Empress Dowager would firmly pull herself together.
"Watch out, Eleanor."
Even though she could not wear the Empress's crown, she was now the de facto mistress of the empire.
Although the Empress received the Emperor's affection, she was not his political partner.
"Just as I have taken your place, eventually the ruler of this country will also become my son."
She will celebrate her son's glorious accession to the throne with the blood of her son, the First Prince Cesare.
The Empress burst into bitter laughter.
Well, that heartless woman probably won't feel that sorry anyway.
***
Back to the Emperor's Palace.
In the Golden Room, from which everyone else had been expelled, only Perdiccas II and Eratosthene remained.
"Penterus, in this den where everyone is busy looking out for their own interests, you are the only one who truly awakens the burden for the Empire."
Eratosthene pointed out dryly.
"Your Majesty, you should not call me that anymore. I am just a sinner who humiliated Your Majesty and the royal family through my immoral daughter."
Her deeply wrinkled face looked like a faded, bad piece of paper.
This was especially true after his daughter died.
"Don't say such things! You are always my Penterus. Don't you know why I have left the position of Empress vacant all this time? To me, the only Empress is Eleanor."
The Emperor, unable to control his intense emotions, grabbed Eratosthene's hand.
"You are right. Now is not the time to deal with Cesare. No, it is not."
The Emperor was forced to grit his teeth as he remembered the young lord of Valdina, his main enemy who threatened him as much as his eldest son.
Not only did he presumptuously threaten him with a trade route, he also exploited his weak points.
"Penterus, don't you know? That's where Eleanor and I first met. It's where we were the youngest and purest, and now it's the only trace of the Empress that I have left."
"..."
"But that arrogant young Valdina trampled the land and made a mockery of me! I will never forgive him!"
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