'If this guess is true, it makes sense.'
Diseases that could not be cured by healing power could only be eradicated through the divine power of the Beastkin Empire.
In the past, the previous Empress also tried to borrow the power of the High Priest, but the Goddess' Sea did not accept those who had done evil.
However, it was a different story for those who had been harmed by evil.
What if Empress Dalian had come into contact with the test subject before the Emperor of Huron abandoned it in the Beastkin Empire, and the karma that should have been inflicted on the Emperor was carried by the Empress?
'She wants the holy water of the underground temple.'
The underground temple became holy water after being purified by the High Priest.
If the water contained divine power, it would be more than enough to purify the Empress.
With this, all understandings were aligned.
The reason Empress Dalian could not bring this up publicly was that this matter was under the Emperor's jurisdiction.
If the Emperor officially acknowledged the experiment, it would soon become a seed of discord and an incident between the two countries.
Also, illegal experiments deserve to be condemned, so if the problem grew, Huron would inevitably be at a disadvantage.
Sepia took Roxanne’s hand and rolled up his sleeve.
On top of his blue veins and white skin, there were various scars, both light and dark.
Sepia rubbed his scars with mixed feelings.
Even if he didn’t feel pain now, the past didn’t disappear.
She had never brought this incident to the surface, even after becoming Emperor.
‘Empress Dalian may not want it, but if you bring up the past as a condition for handing over the holy water...’
Huron’s power was divided into two factions.
Dalian seemed to be trying to cover up the Emperor’s crimes so as not to bow to the Beastkin Empire, but if Sepia brought up the past between the two countries, Dalian would certainly use the Emperor as a shield to secure his rights first.
If the above procedure proceeded naturally.
“We will be able to reveal the truth.”
Her straight eyes turned to Roxanne.
She had no intention of fanning the flames, but for his sake, her words changed.
Huron must pay the price.
They must take responsibility for all the conflicts that arose because of the experimental subjects they abandoned in the Beastkin Empire.
However, Roxanne nodded instead and kissed her eyes.
Sepia’s eyes closed at the soft sensation.
A soothing voice rang in her ears.
“Don’t be sad when you see my past. For me, it was a precious time when I was able to meet the Empress.”
When the kiss broke away, he smiled.
Roxanne, who had her back to the moon, was more concerned about Sepia than his own wounds even at this moment.
“Even if you don’t bring it up, they will receive the karma for their past actions.”
His voice contained a conviction that Sepia did not know.
The Huron Empire had been ruled by the same person in power for a long time.
But why?
The moment she heard just one word, she had a premonition that the course of her mother country might change.
And that soon.
After the arrival of the royal family and high-ranking officials of Huron, the nobles of each country who attended the exchange ceremony arrived one after another.
A week later, the exchange ceremony in the imperial palace opened, accepting all the guests.
This exchange ceremony was scheduled to last ten days.
A three-day celebratory banquet was held, followed by important meetings.
The trade-related guests of each country were scheduled to stay in the imperial palace after the exchange ceremony and attend additional meetings.
However, all of this was for later.
With the announcement of the chief chamberlain, the Emperor and Empress of the Beastkin Empire appeared.
All the guests, human and Beastmen alike, could not take their eyes off Sepia, who was escorted by the Emperor and passed by the red carpet.
Before sitting on the throne, the Emperor raised his glass and gave a congratulatory speech about the exchange ceremony.
“I hope that the exchange between the empires will bring peace to the continent.”
After a short sentence, cheers and applause poured from all sides, and the band’s performance opened the first door of the banquet.
The exchange ceremony for reconciliation between the two empires had begun.
It was the biggest and most extravagant party of the year, and even the nobles of the capital and the local officials were eager to attend.
The Huronians glanced at the beasts, who looked no different from themselves, and the beasts, with their keen senses, used their keen sense of smell to distinguish the differences between them and themselves.
Some of the beast nobles compared the Empress and the Huronians with curious eyes.
However, unlike in the past, the imperial people who ignored humans or disparaged the Empress for being different from beasts could be found even with a hard look.
Among them, the Crown Prince of Huron and his wife were also taking their seats.
As the banquet was getting more and more heated, Sepia’s maid approached and relayed someone’s request for an audience.
It was time to come.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
Sepia asked the Emperor for understanding and stood up from her seat.
Since the guests’ interests had spread further than at the beginning of the banquet, fewer eyes were watching the Empress’s movements.
Behind the throne was a back door that allowed her to exit the banquet hall.
She went around the throne and went inside the curtain that the maid had opened, and she was at the end of the hallway.
“Please wait over here.”
The maid guided her to a small reception room separate from the banquet hall.
As Sepia went inside, a man, who had been waiting, stood up from his seat.
A tall man with blond hair.
It was the Crown Prince of Huron, Ludkus.
“Thank you for granting me an audience.”
Sepia looked at Ludkus without saying a word at that greeting.
The reception room was just the two of them.
Sepia stood still and got to the point.
“Because I knew in advance that the Crown Prince would ask for a private meeting.”
“You’ve already spoken to the Duchess.”
Ludkus let out a bitter laugh.
But he must have predicted it in advance.
That the Duchess would approach Sepia.
“But you probably don’t know. The Duchess would have told the Empress only to benefit me.”
That was also true.
The Crown Prince and the Duchess.
Sepia had no intention of choosing between these two factions.
That was why she had responded to the Crown Prince’s call.
Ludkus also knew this. That was why it wasn’t a fight he had any chance of winning.
“If the Empress of Huron dies, have you guessed who will benefit the most from this death?”
“The Emperor’s faction, I guess.”
Of course. The Huron faction was clearly divided.
The Crown Prince didn’t deny it either. However, he only pointed out the target more clearly.
“That is correct. However, to be more precise, the person who will benefit the most is the Duchess of Arte.”
Sepia’s eyes widened at those words.
His words contained the cornerstone that laid the foundation for Sepia’s conjecture.
“When the Empress of the Beastkin Empire was establishing yourself here, there were several assassination attempts against the Empress of the Huron Empire. Everyone knew who was behind it, but they couldn’t catch the culprit because there was no evidence. Above all, the person behind the culprit was the Emperor, who ruled over an empire.”
The person the Crown Prince had pointed to was none other than the Duchess.
‘My mother tried to assassinate the Empress?’
Sepia frowned.
No matter how clearly the factions were divided, assassination was still an assassination.
And not even the Emperor, but the Duchess?
Could it be that the Emperor was using the Duchess as a shield?
Complex thoughts were swirling around in her head. A flash of truth flashed through her mind.
'My mother wants to be the Empress.'
If the current Empress of Huron passes away, the position of the mother of the empire will be vacant.
The one who will take that position will be the Duchess, the Emperor's concubine.
The Duchess of Arte was not satisfied with being the Emperor's concubine.
Her real goal was to become the Empress herself, seize the real power, and stand shoulder to shoulder with the Emperor.
The Crown Prince also revealed a truth that Sepia had never known.
"It was I, not the Empress, who first mentioned the exchange ceremony."
Diseases that could not be cured by healing power could only be eradicated through the divine power of the Beastkin Empire.
In the past, the previous Empress also tried to borrow the power of the High Priest, but the Goddess' Sea did not accept those who had done evil.
However, it was a different story for those who had been harmed by evil.
What if Empress Dalian had come into contact with the test subject before the Emperor of Huron abandoned it in the Beastkin Empire, and the karma that should have been inflicted on the Emperor was carried by the Empress?
'She wants the holy water of the underground temple.'
The underground temple became holy water after being purified by the High Priest.
If the water contained divine power, it would be more than enough to purify the Empress.
With this, all understandings were aligned.
The reason Empress Dalian could not bring this up publicly was that this matter was under the Emperor's jurisdiction.
If the Emperor officially acknowledged the experiment, it would soon become a seed of discord and an incident between the two countries.
Also, illegal experiments deserve to be condemned, so if the problem grew, Huron would inevitably be at a disadvantage.
Sepia took Roxanne’s hand and rolled up his sleeve.
On top of his blue veins and white skin, there were various scars, both light and dark.
Sepia rubbed his scars with mixed feelings.
Even if he didn’t feel pain now, the past didn’t disappear.
She had never brought this incident to the surface, even after becoming Emperor.
‘Empress Dalian may not want it, but if you bring up the past as a condition for handing over the holy water...’
Huron’s power was divided into two factions.
Dalian seemed to be trying to cover up the Emperor’s crimes so as not to bow to the Beastkin Empire, but if Sepia brought up the past between the two countries, Dalian would certainly use the Emperor as a shield to secure his rights first.
If the above procedure proceeded naturally.
“We will be able to reveal the truth.”
Her straight eyes turned to Roxanne.
She had no intention of fanning the flames, but for his sake, her words changed.
Huron must pay the price.
They must take responsibility for all the conflicts that arose because of the experimental subjects they abandoned in the Beastkin Empire.
However, Roxanne nodded instead and kissed her eyes.
Sepia’s eyes closed at the soft sensation.
A soothing voice rang in her ears.
“Don’t be sad when you see my past. For me, it was a precious time when I was able to meet the Empress.”
When the kiss broke away, he smiled.
Roxanne, who had her back to the moon, was more concerned about Sepia than his own wounds even at this moment.
“Even if you don’t bring it up, they will receive the karma for their past actions.”
His voice contained a conviction that Sepia did not know.
The Huron Empire had been ruled by the same person in power for a long time.
But why?
The moment she heard just one word, she had a premonition that the course of her mother country might change.
And that soon.
***
After the arrival of the royal family and high-ranking officials of Huron, the nobles of each country who attended the exchange ceremony arrived one after another.
A week later, the exchange ceremony in the imperial palace opened, accepting all the guests.
This exchange ceremony was scheduled to last ten days.
A three-day celebratory banquet was held, followed by important meetings.
The trade-related guests of each country were scheduled to stay in the imperial palace after the exchange ceremony and attend additional meetings.
However, all of this was for later.
With the announcement of the chief chamberlain, the Emperor and Empress of the Beastkin Empire appeared.
All the guests, human and Beastmen alike, could not take their eyes off Sepia, who was escorted by the Emperor and passed by the red carpet.
Before sitting on the throne, the Emperor raised his glass and gave a congratulatory speech about the exchange ceremony.
“I hope that the exchange between the empires will bring peace to the continent.”
After a short sentence, cheers and applause poured from all sides, and the band’s performance opened the first door of the banquet.
The exchange ceremony for reconciliation between the two empires had begun.
It was the biggest and most extravagant party of the year, and even the nobles of the capital and the local officials were eager to attend.
The Huronians glanced at the beasts, who looked no different from themselves, and the beasts, with their keen senses, used their keen sense of smell to distinguish the differences between them and themselves.
Some of the beast nobles compared the Empress and the Huronians with curious eyes.
However, unlike in the past, the imperial people who ignored humans or disparaged the Empress for being different from beasts could be found even with a hard look.
Among them, the Crown Prince of Huron and his wife were also taking their seats.
As the banquet was getting more and more heated, Sepia’s maid approached and relayed someone’s request for an audience.
It was time to come.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
Sepia asked the Emperor for understanding and stood up from her seat.
Since the guests’ interests had spread further than at the beginning of the banquet, fewer eyes were watching the Empress’s movements.
Behind the throne was a back door that allowed her to exit the banquet hall.
She went around the throne and went inside the curtain that the maid had opened, and she was at the end of the hallway.
“Please wait over here.”
The maid guided her to a small reception room separate from the banquet hall.
As Sepia went inside, a man, who had been waiting, stood up from his seat.
A tall man with blond hair.
It was the Crown Prince of Huron, Ludkus.
“Thank you for granting me an audience.”
Sepia looked at Ludkus without saying a word at that greeting.
The reception room was just the two of them.
Sepia stood still and got to the point.
“Because I knew in advance that the Crown Prince would ask for a private meeting.”
“You’ve already spoken to the Duchess.”
Ludkus let out a bitter laugh.
But he must have predicted it in advance.
That the Duchess would approach Sepia.
“But you probably don’t know. The Duchess would have told the Empress only to benefit me.”
That was also true.
The Crown Prince and the Duchess.
Sepia had no intention of choosing between these two factions.
That was why she had responded to the Crown Prince’s call.
Ludkus also knew this. That was why it wasn’t a fight he had any chance of winning.
“If the Empress of Huron dies, have you guessed who will benefit the most from this death?”
“The Emperor’s faction, I guess.”
Of course. The Huron faction was clearly divided.
The Crown Prince didn’t deny it either. However, he only pointed out the target more clearly.
“That is correct. However, to be more precise, the person who will benefit the most is the Duchess of Arte.”
Sepia’s eyes widened at those words.
His words contained the cornerstone that laid the foundation for Sepia’s conjecture.
“When the Empress of the Beastkin Empire was establishing yourself here, there were several assassination attempts against the Empress of the Huron Empire. Everyone knew who was behind it, but they couldn’t catch the culprit because there was no evidence. Above all, the person behind the culprit was the Emperor, who ruled over an empire.”
The person the Crown Prince had pointed to was none other than the Duchess.
‘My mother tried to assassinate the Empress?’
Sepia frowned.
No matter how clearly the factions were divided, assassination was still an assassination.
And not even the Emperor, but the Duchess?
Could it be that the Emperor was using the Duchess as a shield?
Complex thoughts were swirling around in her head. A flash of truth flashed through her mind.
'My mother wants to be the Empress.'
If the current Empress of Huron passes away, the position of the mother of the empire will be vacant.
The one who will take that position will be the Duchess, the Emperor's concubine.
The Duchess of Arte was not satisfied with being the Emperor's concubine.
Her real goal was to become the Empress herself, seize the real power, and stand shoulder to shoulder with the Emperor.
The Crown Prince also revealed a truth that Sepia had never known.
"It was I, not the Empress, who first mentioned the exchange ceremony."
The Crown Prince's mother was currently too weak to attend state council meetings.
The Crown Prince had held the exchange ceremony in her name for the mother who was nearing death.
"At least the Empress must live until His Majesty rests in peace. The Duchess is still trying to conceive a grandson."
A grandson?
Sepia was shocked by this unheard fact.
The Duchess was already close to two decades old.
This was an improbable story, but the death of Empress Dalian was different.
If the Empress had died before the Emperor, her subordinates would have been swept away before the next generation of the Imperial Family had even changed.
If his mother had died, the Crown Prince's life might not have been guaranteed either.
'The Duchess will be prepared even after the Emperor's death.'
Even if she couldn’t give birth directly, she would have to put up a new Emperor to protect her.
Instead of the current Crown Prince.
Ludkus’s eyes were deep in sorrow.
Unlike his mother, his clear blue eyes brought back memories of his childhood from Sepia.
The Crown Prince made his last request.
“Regardless of her power, she is still my mother. I will repay the harm my mother caused to the Empress when I become the Emperor. So please, give me a medicine that will save my mother.”
The Crown Prince had held the exchange ceremony in her name for the mother who was nearing death.
"At least the Empress must live until His Majesty rests in peace. The Duchess is still trying to conceive a grandson."
A grandson?
Sepia was shocked by this unheard fact.
The Duchess was already close to two decades old.
This was an improbable story, but the death of Empress Dalian was different.
If the Empress had died before the Emperor, her subordinates would have been swept away before the next generation of the Imperial Family had even changed.
If his mother had died, the Crown Prince's life might not have been guaranteed either.
'The Duchess will be prepared even after the Emperor's death.'
Even if she couldn’t give birth directly, she would have to put up a new Emperor to protect her.
Instead of the current Crown Prince.
Ludkus’s eyes were deep in sorrow.
Unlike his mother, his clear blue eyes brought back memories of his childhood from Sepia.
The Crown Prince made his last request.
“Regardless of her power, she is still my mother. I will repay the harm my mother caused to the Empress when I become the Emperor. So please, give me a medicine that will save my mother.”
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