79. Bad relationships and fate
Why did her mother die so quickly? What could she be talking about? Daphne blinked and looked at Count Locania. Her heart was beating fast. The pounding sound echoed in her head, so she couldn't hear what he was saying.
No, maybe she just didn't want to hear it.
The man's droning voice was so clear and jarring that Daphne felt like covering her ears.
“When your mother died, didn’t her face swell up? In particular, her eye color must have faded, so her blue eyes must have turned gray.”
“...”
“The fever is basic, and her fingernails will turn blue.”
Daphne's eyes widened. That was right. How could the Count have known that? The Count smiled and said,
“It’s the same symptoms as when the former empress, that Asherad’s mother, Sabrina, died.”
“..."
“The Emperor had bad taste, so he didn’t easily kill his wife who killed his love.”
“...”
What the... Why is Asherad's mother suddenly appearing here? As Daphne was trying to deny it, Count Locania spoke.
“It means that the one who killed your mother is the mother of Emperor Asherad.”
It was as if lightning had struck her head. All the blood in her body froze. She felt as if she had been hit in the head, but then she came to her senses when she felt her hands and feet getting cold. Is this what it feels like to be in cold ice water?
Daphne shook her head, as if hoping it was a lie.
No, she hoped it was a lie.
Even though she wanted so badly to hate Asherad by being immersed in the sweetness of the favor he gave her, she wanted to deny it so badly.
“That’s ridiculous. They just happened to have the same disease...”
"By chance?"
Count Locania chuckled. He seemed astonished at her naive belief.
“If you don’t believe me, check her medical records.”
“...”
“May I recommend a book? Let’s talk about the efficacy of the blue dwarf plant that only grows in the Kingdom of Thalassa. There was even testimony that the Emperor ordered the medical records to be discontinued.”
“...”
“If you don’t want to believe it, then you don’t have to. But, you have no choice but to believe it, right?”
“...”
“Don’t you hate being made fun of more than anyone else?”
Daphne couldn't answer that. Her breath caught in her throat. That's right. Daphne wanted to be a human, not a dog. A human should think for themselves, not just accept things like a dog.
Count Locania looked at Daphne and said.
“Don’t forget Fabian.”
“....”
“Don’t forget my son, who tried to save you, you fool, from that humiliation.”
Daphne didn't answer. She just didn't want to believe it.
As if anticipating Daphne's confusion and shock, Count Locania remained calm. However, his eyes were filled with pity and disgust.
“Are you just going to let this be the past? Your mother, whom you loved so much, was killed by that monster’s mother?”
"...”
“He had no reason to toy with you since he had already killed your mother. He was deceiving you.”
“...”
“Now, Daphne. Let’s talk about something relatively recent.”
“Now, stop...”
“No, you have to listen. If you continue to believe so foolishly, shouldn’t someone tell you?”
At this moment, Count Locania seemed to Daphne like a cruel demon, like Fabian's father, who had destroyed her perfect world.
“That poison. The poison you almost drank. Ah, the people here love poison more than swords.”
He chuckled. He continued, looking at Daphne's pale face.
“The poison the Empress Dowager tried to feed you. Think about it.”
“...”
“Do you think Emperor Asherad drank from that cup without knowing that it was poisoned?”
Daphne's face turned pale, almost blue. It was a shock of a different kind.
It's not about the old grudge between the mothers, but about the recent deception that Asherad has been committing.
“There is no evidence for this.”
“...”
“But those who know the situation will say that it was so obvious that you didn’t notice, so I’m saying this because you feel bad for yourself.”
“...”
“Do you know how much the Emperor benefited from drinking that poison?”
Daphne shook her head. She was still ignorant and incapable of reading the palace's situation. Her ignorance snowballed and took its toll.
“That devil, he drank that poison on purpose. There is no other way to explain the enormous benefits he has just gained.”
“...”
“Thanks to the blunders of the people of the Kingdom of Thalassa, we now have an excuse to keep the Kingdom of Thalassa in check and not have a Thalassa person as our Empress.”
“...”
“Also, he silenced the real culprit, the Empress Dowager, who had been opposing him, and he now had a reason to support the Kingdom of Pindus. And he was able to make you a noble through an agreement with the Empress Dowager.”
“...”
“Can I tell you more?”
"... Yes."
“No matter what, you have once again opened your heart to Emperor Asherad. He has lost nothing by taking poison.”
Daphne let out a sigh of relief at that assertion. Yes, that was it. When she thought about it, it was strange. They say that a single sip of poison is a lethal dose, so why is he still alive? What if he had taken the antidote and drank the tea?
Asherad watches over Daphne. Wouldn't he have watched over Kalista? He could know the plan in advance.
Did he really not know that Kalista was planning to kill Daphne?
“No. No, Daphne.”
“As if reading my thoughts,” said Count Locania.
“You must first know why the Empress Dowager moved to kill you, and who incited her to do so.”
“...”
“Did you know that the Emperor’s maid, Olga, was frequenting the Empress Dowager’s palace?”
Olga. Daphne thought of that woman. She was the woman who had harassed Daphne with that hateful expression. However, when Daphne became Asherad's lover, the relationship disappeared...
Ah.
Daphne even personally saw Olga go to Kalista's palace. At the time, she didn't feel anything strange. She just thought she was flattering Kalista...
If she thinks about it, there's no way Olga would flatter Kalista. She was already a setting sun.
Daphne didn't know everything about Olga. However, what she knew about her was that she was a power-hungry person, but loyal to Asherad. If she had provoked Kalista at Asherad's direction... what would have happened?
Where does calculation begin, and where does sincerity begin?
Could it be that he had also been calculating the kindness he had shown Daphne?
Daphne was afraid of a human named Asherad.
If he had tamed her with ambiguity in the past, this time he made Daphne go beyond her with unconditional affection. He let go of everything and shook Daphne with sweet whispers.
What if Daphne had completely fallen for it? The title of Empress, the marriage. It was just a title, a ceremony.
What if, even after becoming Empress and getting married, Asherad starts treating her like a dog again?
What if she has to live under his whims and deceptions...?
Daphne could never trust him again.
“I’ll give you a few days. You probably won’t believe me, so I’ll give you time to figure it out for yourself.”
“...”
“You know, this is the last chance I’m giving you.”
Daphne nodded.
The scribes were happy to give Daphne space to study imperial history, for they too had heard that she was destined to be the next Empress.
The position of the Empress is vacant, and the Empress is being welcomed. It is natural for her to study the state affairs in advance. Thanks to the generous, or rather, flattering, behavior of the scribes, Daphne was able to look up materials without any restrictions.
What she realized from the information she found much later was...
It was all true.
According to the royal scribe's and the council's records, the Empress died of symptoms similar to those of Daphne's mother.
The only difference was that the Empress died of madness. She kept sobbing and begging the Emperor for mercy. She even cursed and suddenly ordered the execution of a maid who was trying to kill her.
A letter also survived stating that some medical records had been destroyed by Emperor Belenus.
In that record, Daphne knew only that everything was true.
It was clear, even without trying to find out, why the Empress had killed her mother.
The Emperor was giving her mother a love that threatened the Empress's power, and the Mother also wanted to use this to make Daphne a Princess and give her the throne. No one else wanted that...
Was it the mother's fault, the Emperor's fault, or the Empress's fault?
Daphne hadn't grown up enough to make such difficult value judgments. All she knew was that she and Asherad had a bad relationship.
Even though her mother was greedy, she did not give her love. Even though she was a squeaky liar, she was her only mother. She was the one who taught Daphne the light of the world and whispered love to her.
Asherad's mother killed her beloved mother.
It wasn't Asherad's fault.
However, at the point when Asherad's mother was killed by the Emperor, Asherad tried to cruelly throw Daphne into the abyss.
If everything was a privilege granted under Asherad's whim, what would happen if one day, Asherad suddenly hated her? Daphne knew the outcome very well.
“Daphne, what’s wrong?”
Sarah asked with concern as she watched Daphne come in, trying hard to wipe away her tears. Daphne looked at Sarah for a long time and then said.
"Sarah."
"Yes?"
“I hate this place.”
Sarah looked puzzled. Daphne said, seeming to have already made up her mind.
“You said you don’t have a family?”
"Yes."
“I will provide you with plenty.”
Sarah's eyes widened at those words.
“You, no way.”
“I’m really going to leave this place.”
Sarah looked around and then nodded with a solemn expression.
Kalista lived a free life. After Asherad went on an inspection tour, she could no longer participate in state affairs. Therefore, she was already treated as an old woman in the back room. That meant the end of her life.
She threw the teacup nervously, breaking it.
As if in return, Asherad generously distributed the budget to the Empress Dowager. However, what good was it when there was no one to see or praise her for wearing such a splendid dress?
But what could not be blamed on Asherad was the fault she had committed.
“...If only that woman hadn’t existed.”
Still, Kalista's characteristic blaming of others had not disappeared. In particular, Daphne had clearly played a part in her downfall. Kalista ground her teeth.
“If only that bitch hadn’t been there!”
It had become her habit to shout out loud by herself. Then, someone's voice was heard.
“Do you want me to disappear?”
That mean voice was heard. Kalista ground her teeth and turned around. Daphne was standing there.
Why did her mother die so quickly? What could she be talking about? Daphne blinked and looked at Count Locania. Her heart was beating fast. The pounding sound echoed in her head, so she couldn't hear what he was saying.
No, maybe she just didn't want to hear it.
The man's droning voice was so clear and jarring that Daphne felt like covering her ears.
“When your mother died, didn’t her face swell up? In particular, her eye color must have faded, so her blue eyes must have turned gray.”
“...”
“The fever is basic, and her fingernails will turn blue.”
Daphne's eyes widened. That was right. How could the Count have known that? The Count smiled and said,
“It’s the same symptoms as when the former empress, that Asherad’s mother, Sabrina, died.”
“..."
“The Emperor had bad taste, so he didn’t easily kill his wife who killed his love.”
“...”
What the... Why is Asherad's mother suddenly appearing here? As Daphne was trying to deny it, Count Locania spoke.
“It means that the one who killed your mother is the mother of Emperor Asherad.”
It was as if lightning had struck her head. All the blood in her body froze. She felt as if she had been hit in the head, but then she came to her senses when she felt her hands and feet getting cold. Is this what it feels like to be in cold ice water?
Daphne shook her head, as if hoping it was a lie.
No, she hoped it was a lie.
Even though she wanted so badly to hate Asherad by being immersed in the sweetness of the favor he gave her, she wanted to deny it so badly.
“That’s ridiculous. They just happened to have the same disease...”
"By chance?"
Count Locania chuckled. He seemed astonished at her naive belief.
“If you don’t believe me, check her medical records.”
“...”
“May I recommend a book? Let’s talk about the efficacy of the blue dwarf plant that only grows in the Kingdom of Thalassa. There was even testimony that the Emperor ordered the medical records to be discontinued.”
“...”
“If you don’t want to believe it, then you don’t have to. But, you have no choice but to believe it, right?”
“...”
“Don’t you hate being made fun of more than anyone else?”
Daphne couldn't answer that. Her breath caught in her throat. That's right. Daphne wanted to be a human, not a dog. A human should think for themselves, not just accept things like a dog.
Count Locania looked at Daphne and said.
“Don’t forget Fabian.”
“....”
“Don’t forget my son, who tried to save you, you fool, from that humiliation.”
Daphne didn't answer. She just didn't want to believe it.
As if anticipating Daphne's confusion and shock, Count Locania remained calm. However, his eyes were filled with pity and disgust.
“Are you just going to let this be the past? Your mother, whom you loved so much, was killed by that monster’s mother?”
"...”
“He had no reason to toy with you since he had already killed your mother. He was deceiving you.”
“...”
“Now, Daphne. Let’s talk about something relatively recent.”
“Now, stop...”
“No, you have to listen. If you continue to believe so foolishly, shouldn’t someone tell you?”
At this moment, Count Locania seemed to Daphne like a cruel demon, like Fabian's father, who had destroyed her perfect world.
“That poison. The poison you almost drank. Ah, the people here love poison more than swords.”
He chuckled. He continued, looking at Daphne's pale face.
“The poison the Empress Dowager tried to feed you. Think about it.”
“...”
“Do you think Emperor Asherad drank from that cup without knowing that it was poisoned?”
Daphne's face turned pale, almost blue. It was a shock of a different kind.
It's not about the old grudge between the mothers, but about the recent deception that Asherad has been committing.
“There is no evidence for this.”
“...”
“But those who know the situation will say that it was so obvious that you didn’t notice, so I’m saying this because you feel bad for yourself.”
“...”
“Do you know how much the Emperor benefited from drinking that poison?”
Daphne shook her head. She was still ignorant and incapable of reading the palace's situation. Her ignorance snowballed and took its toll.
“That devil, he drank that poison on purpose. There is no other way to explain the enormous benefits he has just gained.”
“...”
“Thanks to the blunders of the people of the Kingdom of Thalassa, we now have an excuse to keep the Kingdom of Thalassa in check and not have a Thalassa person as our Empress.”
“...”
“Also, he silenced the real culprit, the Empress Dowager, who had been opposing him, and he now had a reason to support the Kingdom of Pindus. And he was able to make you a noble through an agreement with the Empress Dowager.”
“...”
“Can I tell you more?”
"... Yes."
“No matter what, you have once again opened your heart to Emperor Asherad. He has lost nothing by taking poison.”
Daphne let out a sigh of relief at that assertion. Yes, that was it. When she thought about it, it was strange. They say that a single sip of poison is a lethal dose, so why is he still alive? What if he had taken the antidote and drank the tea?
Asherad watches over Daphne. Wouldn't he have watched over Kalista? He could know the plan in advance.
Did he really not know that Kalista was planning to kill Daphne?
“No. No, Daphne.”
“As if reading my thoughts,” said Count Locania.
“You must first know why the Empress Dowager moved to kill you, and who incited her to do so.”
“...”
“Did you know that the Emperor’s maid, Olga, was frequenting the Empress Dowager’s palace?”
Olga. Daphne thought of that woman. She was the woman who had harassed Daphne with that hateful expression. However, when Daphne became Asherad's lover, the relationship disappeared...
Ah.
Daphne even personally saw Olga go to Kalista's palace. At the time, she didn't feel anything strange. She just thought she was flattering Kalista...
If she thinks about it, there's no way Olga would flatter Kalista. She was already a setting sun.
Daphne didn't know everything about Olga. However, what she knew about her was that she was a power-hungry person, but loyal to Asherad. If she had provoked Kalista at Asherad's direction... what would have happened?
Where does calculation begin, and where does sincerity begin?
Could it be that he had also been calculating the kindness he had shown Daphne?
Daphne was afraid of a human named Asherad.
If he had tamed her with ambiguity in the past, this time he made Daphne go beyond her with unconditional affection. He let go of everything and shook Daphne with sweet whispers.
What if Daphne had completely fallen for it? The title of Empress, the marriage. It was just a title, a ceremony.
What if, even after becoming Empress and getting married, Asherad starts treating her like a dog again?
What if she has to live under his whims and deceptions...?
Daphne could never trust him again.
“I’ll give you a few days. You probably won’t believe me, so I’ll give you time to figure it out for yourself.”
“...”
“You know, this is the last chance I’m giving you.”
Daphne nodded.
***
The scribes were happy to give Daphne space to study imperial history, for they too had heard that she was destined to be the next Empress.
The position of the Empress is vacant, and the Empress is being welcomed. It is natural for her to study the state affairs in advance. Thanks to the generous, or rather, flattering, behavior of the scribes, Daphne was able to look up materials without any restrictions.
What she realized from the information she found much later was...
It was all true.
According to the royal scribe's and the council's records, the Empress died of symptoms similar to those of Daphne's mother.
The only difference was that the Empress died of madness. She kept sobbing and begging the Emperor for mercy. She even cursed and suddenly ordered the execution of a maid who was trying to kill her.
A letter also survived stating that some medical records had been destroyed by Emperor Belenus.
In that record, Daphne knew only that everything was true.
It was clear, even without trying to find out, why the Empress had killed her mother.
The Emperor was giving her mother a love that threatened the Empress's power, and the Mother also wanted to use this to make Daphne a Princess and give her the throne. No one else wanted that...
Was it the mother's fault, the Emperor's fault, or the Empress's fault?
Daphne hadn't grown up enough to make such difficult value judgments. All she knew was that she and Asherad had a bad relationship.
Even though her mother was greedy, she did not give her love. Even though she was a squeaky liar, she was her only mother. She was the one who taught Daphne the light of the world and whispered love to her.
Asherad's mother killed her beloved mother.
It wasn't Asherad's fault.
However, at the point when Asherad's mother was killed by the Emperor, Asherad tried to cruelly throw Daphne into the abyss.
If everything was a privilege granted under Asherad's whim, what would happen if one day, Asherad suddenly hated her? Daphne knew the outcome very well.
“Daphne, what’s wrong?”
Sarah asked with concern as she watched Daphne come in, trying hard to wipe away her tears. Daphne looked at Sarah for a long time and then said.
"Sarah."
"Yes?"
“I hate this place.”
Sarah looked puzzled. Daphne said, seeming to have already made up her mind.
“You said you don’t have a family?”
"Yes."
“I will provide you with plenty.”
Sarah's eyes widened at those words.
“You, no way.”
“I’m really going to leave this place.”
Sarah looked around and then nodded with a solemn expression.
***
Kalista lived a free life. After Asherad went on an inspection tour, she could no longer participate in state affairs. Therefore, she was already treated as an old woman in the back room. That meant the end of her life.
She threw the teacup nervously, breaking it.
As if in return, Asherad generously distributed the budget to the Empress Dowager. However, what good was it when there was no one to see or praise her for wearing such a splendid dress?
But what could not be blamed on Asherad was the fault she had committed.
“...If only that woman hadn’t existed.”
Still, Kalista's characteristic blaming of others had not disappeared. In particular, Daphne had clearly played a part in her downfall. Kalista ground her teeth.
“If only that bitch hadn’t been there!”
It had become her habit to shout out loud by herself. Then, someone's voice was heard.
“Do you want me to disappear?”
That mean voice was heard. Kalista ground her teeth and turned around. Daphne was standing there.
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