He curled his huge body around as if he couldn't hear her and buried his head deeper into Medea's shoulder.
It was like a large hunting dog that was being carried into its master's arms without any regard for its size, so Medea cautiously stretched out her arm and patted his back again.
But his sides were thick, so all she could do was pat his wings.
"You know, you don't have to worry about me so much. You don't have to apologize."
Medea whispered quietly to him.
"You do what you have to do. I'll do what I have to do."
'If I want to kill the Third Prince, I must first get rid of the Western Empress.'
As long as the protection of the Western Empress exists, Third Prince Juan will not fall.
"Are you listening?"
"..."
“Cesare?”
While Medea made plans for the future, Cesare, instead of answering, hugged her more tightly.
"If it's okay, then stop now..."
"No."
Medea whispered softly as she saw the palace servants who were about to enter the garden in the distance turn around in surprise at the sight of Cesare, but the arms holding her showed no sign of letting go.
A look of irritation spread across his chiseled face.
When should I offer my sincere and affectionate consolation, and what should I do with this lovely person who speaks indifferently?
***
Meanwhile, Medea and her husband leave.
"Your Majesty, I will practice hard and definitely pass on your teachings to my brother."
"..."
Perdiccas II did not answer.
His gaze went beyond the Third Prince and was fixed on his mother, Western Empress.
"Your Majesty?"
The Emperor took a step back from the Western Empress. He did not forget to shake off Juan's hand.
The Western Empress read the distrust in her husband's bloodshot eyes and approached him urgently.
"Third Prince. Are you going to further upset His Majesty's heart with your lack of skills? Didn't you regret it even after seeing what the First Prince did?"
She blocked the Emperor's view as she scolded Juan.
And again, she tried to divert the Emperor's attention by bringing up Cesare's presence.
"Empress, come to think of it, Count Montfort seems too young to lead the old Senate."
Perdiccas II suddenly said something out of the blue.
"Father? What are you talking about all of a sudden? Your maternal grandfather is also the same age as the elders..."
The Western Empress quickly cut off her son's words.
"Of course, Your Majesty. My father has been concerned about this all along, so I suppose you can use Your Majesty's foresight as an excuse to escape from this important task."
The Western Empress Dowager bit her cheek.
'The First Prince's tongue is truly wicked.'
Not only did he turn the Emperor's anger into suspicion towards them and her mother, but she also broke the momentum of the Third Prince faction that was growing like a bamboo shoot.
When Western Empress showed an attitude of obedience, even if it was forced, the Emperor finally nodded his head in satisfaction.
'We must retreat before the fire spreads to Juan.'
"If you do that, our hats will step aside now."
"Do so."
Unlike when they were detained a short time ago, the order to expel the guests was given immediately.
It was evidence that doubts had crept into Perdiccas II's mind.
As soon as they left the palace, Juan asked her as if he had been waiting for her.
"Why did you meekly accept the Emperor's whim? Do you know how much my grandfather waits for the day of the chairman election?"
"If that were the case. His Majesty would have suspected you and me as well. The moment we cross that line, all the trust we have built up until now will disappear, and we too will be treated like Cesare."
Perdiccas II's suspicion was unfounded and without regard for his opponent.
She's dragged someone else in to use as a shield to cause discord, but this was the first time it happened the other way around.
The Western Empress touched her neck nervously. It felt as if her throat was blocked.
The effect of being by the Emperor's side all day was gone.
Not only was she being treated like a thorn in the eye of the First Prince and his wife, but she was also deprived of the position of Chairman of the House of Councilors that his father had been longing for.
Western Empress staggered, holding her forehead in rising anger.
"Mother!"
"It's okay. I just felt dizzy for a moment."
Juan looked at his mother with concern.
She is so worried about the limp Emperor and Cesare. That bastard Cesare is provoking the Emperor.
Just a moment ago, he remembered the sight of Cesare splitting his arrow in half and easily breaking the thick shaft.
'A monster who is not human. I can not allow such a monster to sit on the sacred throne.'
Juan flinched, his expression distorted.
“No. No.”
At that moment, Western Empress waved her hand.
"That's not it..."
Juan looked curious as to what she meant.
But instead of responding to her precious son's words, Western Empress thought quietly and then walked away.
"Oh my... Ah, Your Majesty, the Empress."
Juan, who had been following his mother in a daze, quickly straightened up and slightly bent his back.
"Yes, Juan. It's been a while."
Eastern Empress nodded her head somewhat indifferently.
She looked even fresher and more beautiful under the sunlight.
It was hard to believe that she had a grown daughter, and her pale skin had a rosy tint to it.
"I guess you are on your way to see His Majesty, Empress?"
The Western Empress Dowager spoke first. The Eastern Empress did not answer.
Recently, the Emperor had been calling the Third Prince so often that she was worried that he might forget about her exiled daughter, Angelique, so she was on her way to see the Emperor.
"The First Prince and his wife have just come and gone, so the timing is not good. Please step aside and come back later. This is for the benefit of the Empress."
"How does Empress know that?"
The Eastern Empress's voice was quite sharp.
"Your Majesty must be tired from teaching archery to our Juan so early in the morning. Anyway, when evening comes, won't you come looking for me?"
It was a remark that belittled the Emperor's favor, which the Western Empress boasted about.
When the Western Empress scratched her insides with an indifferent expression, the Eastern Empress did not back down either.
"1st Princess should also visit the Western Empress, but no matter how much I beg her, she won't listen. I told her not to stay in the Crown Prince's Palace all the time because other people are watching her..."
"It's okay."
The Western Empress replied indifferently. Her tone was even more explicit than usual.
"Your Majesty, please continue to live your life as beautifully as you are. Since your daughter will never rule the empire anyway, you should enjoy this beautiful, flowery day."
How can you possibly envy the life of an old man who is going mad with madness?
It was naive to think that she would feel jealous.
The Western Empress, looking at the Eastern Empress, who was not sure what to do due to her weakness, thought of the Empress Dowager, who had always been arrogant.
"However, be prepared. The First Princess is quite clever. She must remain in this palace for a long time due to His Majesty's favor, so we cannot afford to be hit by a child who has just arrived. I am sure Mother will not forget what happened to the Fourth Princess in Valdina."
"..."
The Western Empress looked off into the distance, as if she had not seen the Eastern Empress clench her fist.
"By the way, is Angelique adjusting well?"
"..."
"She will have to stay there for the rest of her life, so she needs to give up her obsession with the palace and get her mind right as soon as possible."
The Eastern Empress smiled faintly. It was the first time she had ever smiled so gently.
"Thank you. I am so grateful for your concern. I don't know what to do with myself. I will never forget your concern for me."
Eastern Empress left with a red face.
She was so angry that she forgot to even greet Juan as an adult and just turned around and left.
The hem of her gorgeous dress billowed violently, as if revealing her inner thoughts.
"Why do you say that? What if the Eastern Empress gets angry and asks the Emperor for Angelique's return?"
Juan asked with slightly worried eyes.
Even though the power of the Eastern Empress has weakened, they cannot be ignored.
"That's right. Even that fool knows how to read the mood. Angelique has long since disappeared from His Majesty's mind, so how could he possibly lose the favor he has if she brought up the subject?"
"...But you don't seem like a mother."
Wasn't the Western Empress the one who found it unacceptable to even talk to the Eastern Empress?
"Juan. Sometimes even the sky has to come down to earth's eye level."
The Western Empress smiled and spoke slowly as if teaching a child.
She raised her hand and pointed to Eastern Empress, who was walking away from her, grumbling, but then suddenly stopped.
The index finger drew a straight line in the air. It was in the direction that Eastern Empress was looking.
There was a loving couple embracing each other in the garden.
The First Princess was seen tightly wrapped in her husband's strong arms.
"He is the one who will pick the flowers for me, so I should show him this much sincerity."
The sunny sky turned bright blue, like the cold smile on the corner of her lips.
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