At the unexpected words, I opened my eyes wide and looked at Kavala.
At that moment, the eerie air of the Empress's Palace cut through us. I instinctively flinched.
The Empress's Palace wasn't a shady place, but every time I went there, I felt strangely chilled and uneasy.
Kavala approached me with her characteristically elegant gait and sat down next to me.
“Chloe.”
She called me very affectionately and took hold of both my hands.
It was a cold hand. Goosebumps instantly ran down my spine from where I was grabbed on my shoulder.
I had to hold back the pain of almost stepping back without realizing it.
“You have to do something big.”
“What are you saying...?”
I felt intimidated and trailed off. It was a habit I'd been working hard to overcome recently, but in the presence of Kavala, the old habits naturally sprang back to me.
Empress Kavala smiled sadly, full of worry and pity.
“You’ve heard of Ronheim, Chloe?”
“I don’t really know...”
I answered in a deliberately foolish manner, not knowing the intention of Kavala.
Then Kavala kindly and warmly explained to me the relationship between Ronheim and Arrental.
"Ronheim is a region that the Arrental Emperors have been trying to subjugate for hundreds of years. We, the Arrental, have made great sacrifices for the poor people of Ronheim."
“...”
"We have been spreading the beautiful culture of Arrental to the people of Ronheim, who have been living an inhuman life outside of civilization, and helping them live like human beings."
It was as if Arrental's conquest of Ronheim had been a holy act of devotion to teach the barbarians a humane way of life.
The original justification for wars of conquest has always been so noble.
When the Emperor starts a war, he can't shout, 'Young people, I will enjoy myself in the palace, but you go out and fight and die for my greed!'
Kavala sighed with a worried face, as if she were absorbed in a noble cause.
“But those ignorant and poor people still don’t know what a precious gift they have received from the Arrental Empire.”
"Yes..."
"The old rulers who remain there are always trying to take over Ronheim at every opportunity. It's cruel to the people there. They'll go back to living like beasts."
Kavala gave strength to the hand that held mine.
"That's why, Chloe. Your father and I have decided to entrust you with the responsibility of caring for those poor people."
"What..."
“Marquis Rodrian, the governor of Ronheim, has sent you a marriage proposal. Follow the Marquis to Ronheim.”
“Are you telling me to marry that person?”
The words that came at the end of the long introduction were unexpectedly the conclusion I had been hoping for, so I almost bit my tongue with joy.
So perhaps my groping felt different to Kavala, as she looked at me with great pity and stroked my hair affectionately.
"It's a sham marriage. You're going there as a watchman for the Marquis of Rodrian. I'm not saying you'll be sent there permanently."
“A watcher...?”
“The reason we appointed Marquis Rodrian, a member of the Royal Family of Ronheim, as governor was because we were concerned that a sudden change of ruler immediately after the war would provoke strong opposition in Ronheim.”
“...”
"But I've heard rumors that Marquis Rodrian has recently been rebelling against Arrental's rule and preparing for Ronheim's independence. If that's true, then there's a justification for changing the ruler."
So, what she meant was that I should go and see for myself whether it was true that Callius was preparing for war or not.
That is, she meant to plant me as a spy in Ronheim to find an excuse to eliminate Callius.
I deliberately trembled and made an anxious face.
“I, I wonder if I can do it well?”
"You just have to go and report to me, Marquis Rodrian's every move. Can you do it?"
“Yes... I will, I will try.”
“As a member of the Arrental royal family, you must have a sense of duty, Chloe.”
Kavala, who spoke to me with such force, looked at me with such a warm and kind face.
“Our baby... I feel uneasy as I send you off on a long journey.”
Then she pulled me into her arms.
My body was stiff with embarrassment.
It was a first. Never in my past life had Kavala embraced me so tenderly.
Since my mother passed away when I was seven, no one has ever hugged me like this in my entire life except Karl.
The strong perfume smell from Kavala seemed to paralyze my mind.
Kavala is a woman in cahoots with Andrea. And Andrea killed me. There's no way Kavala wasn't involved in that. Andrea is a puppet of Kavala.
Even though I knew that, I almost cried because the embrace of Kavala was warmer and more cozy than I expected.
The maternal love I longed for so much in Kavala in the past.
I was so desperate that even fake affection felt sweet.
Kavala had accurately identified my weakness.
I bit my lip so hard that it bled.
'Wake up, Chloe.'
It was too much of a mess to be easily fooled by such sweet words and actions.
Kavala continued to shake me as I struggled.
“Don’t worry. This mother will definitely bring you back soon.”
She gently stroked my cheek.
"You've been my daughter for a long time, Chloe. My dear, I won't let you suffer too much."
A loving voice that digs into a heart tired from long loneliness.
I closed my eyes tightly.
Tears rolled down my cheeks.
'Even this could be fake.'
If I had not suffered that miserable death, I would never have escaped the clutches of Kavala.
'It's your turn now. Play within my grasp.'
I looked up at Kavala with tearful eyes.
“I will do as you say, Mother. But I have one request.”
Immediately after Chloe left the Empress's Palace, Dnieper appeared before Kavala as if he had been waiting for her.
“Are you really going to send the Princess to Ronheim, Sister?”
Kavala stood by the window, staring blankly at Chloe's back as she walked down the hallway, then smiled.
Her crimson lips formed a beautiful curve like a painting.
“There is no better way to plant someone in the Marquis of Rodrian’s heart.”
Dnieper looked at Kavala's profile for a moment in silence.
Kavala felt his younger brother's gaze and turned to face Dnieper.
The two people's gazes were strangely intertwined.
Dnieper broke the heavy silence with a meaningless smile.
“Will the Princess move well?”
Kavala laughed at the pick.
"That idiot can't do anything. She'll just shiver. I'm going to send Chloe on my errand."
“But what did the Princess ask you to do earlier?”
“Oh, that.”
Kavala shrugged and chuckled.
“She asked me to give her the top and the land as a wedding gift.”
"Huh? Aren't those more demanding requirements than you thought? Are you willing to grant them?"
Kavala laughed loudly and slyly.
"What she asked for was the Empress's most valuable possession, the top and the most useless wasteland. What a fool. To ask for a top and a wasteland, both of which are declining."
It seemed like she could give away anything like that.
“It’s annoying that she's struggling to get what’s hers in front of me, but if I think of it as her last gift, then I don’t regret it.”
Dnieper nodded and asked.
“What do you plan to do with her?”
Kavala looked down at her palm.
Small letters glowed red on her palm.
It was the hand that had been holding Chloe tightly for a while.
“They said they planted a curse.”
The letters that had been glowing ominously in blood soon disappeared as if they were being erased into the skin of Kavala.
“Once we find the key to the relic, Chloe will die from the cold of Ronheim.”
A very alluring, yet eerie smile deepened.
“Aren’t she too young to survive in a place like that?”
After meeting Kavala, my marriage with Callius was confirmed in an instant.
I heard that Viscount Pelsus, whose engagement was suddenly broken off, caused a disturbance in the palace and protested.
Since I had never been involved in an engagement or divorce, I had no reason to intervene.
The matter with Count Pelsus seemed to have been handled rather well by Kavala.
'I've escaped from Viscount Pelsus.'
I was so happy I almost cried.
'I changed the future.'
I felt a sense of joy.
I gained confidence that if I move, things can change.
I saved myself from the pit of hell.
'Plus, I got the Szeged Upper and Rosendal territories.'
Kavala readily gave them to me, deeming them useless.
‘It may seem trivial now, but...’
Shortly, their value will exceed a thousand times their current value.
At that time, she will shed tears of blood because she regrets giving it to me like this.
'Just wait. It's going to happen soon.'
Laughter broke out.
This incident gave me another passion besides revenge, which had previously been driven solely by revenge.
A new driving force has emerged that makes me want to be more proactive.
So I planned a new adventure.
'Before we leave, let's steal the palace's treasures.'
Although 8 have acquired a great estate and land, the income from it will come later, and I will need funds to spend immediately upon arriving in Ronheim.
I know very well where the most valuable treasures of the imperial family are mainly kept.
'The treasure trove of Kavala.'
All the good stuff was there.
I have no trusted confidants, no physical strength, and no freedom to roam the palace.
But it has a very powerful force.
'Know the future.'
That alone can compensate for all my weaknesses.
I knew a good opportunity was coming soon.
At that moment, the eerie air of the Empress's Palace cut through us. I instinctively flinched.
The Empress's Palace wasn't a shady place, but every time I went there, I felt strangely chilled and uneasy.
Kavala approached me with her characteristically elegant gait and sat down next to me.
“Chloe.”
She called me very affectionately and took hold of both my hands.
It was a cold hand. Goosebumps instantly ran down my spine from where I was grabbed on my shoulder.
I had to hold back the pain of almost stepping back without realizing it.
“You have to do something big.”
“What are you saying...?”
I felt intimidated and trailed off. It was a habit I'd been working hard to overcome recently, but in the presence of Kavala, the old habits naturally sprang back to me.
Empress Kavala smiled sadly, full of worry and pity.
“You’ve heard of Ronheim, Chloe?”
“I don’t really know...”
I answered in a deliberately foolish manner, not knowing the intention of Kavala.
Then Kavala kindly and warmly explained to me the relationship between Ronheim and Arrental.
"Ronheim is a region that the Arrental Emperors have been trying to subjugate for hundreds of years. We, the Arrental, have made great sacrifices for the poor people of Ronheim."
“...”
"We have been spreading the beautiful culture of Arrental to the people of Ronheim, who have been living an inhuman life outside of civilization, and helping them live like human beings."
It was as if Arrental's conquest of Ronheim had been a holy act of devotion to teach the barbarians a humane way of life.
The original justification for wars of conquest has always been so noble.
When the Emperor starts a war, he can't shout, 'Young people, I will enjoy myself in the palace, but you go out and fight and die for my greed!'
Kavala sighed with a worried face, as if she were absorbed in a noble cause.
“But those ignorant and poor people still don’t know what a precious gift they have received from the Arrental Empire.”
"Yes..."
"The old rulers who remain there are always trying to take over Ronheim at every opportunity. It's cruel to the people there. They'll go back to living like beasts."
Kavala gave strength to the hand that held mine.
"That's why, Chloe. Your father and I have decided to entrust you with the responsibility of caring for those poor people."
"What..."
“Marquis Rodrian, the governor of Ronheim, has sent you a marriage proposal. Follow the Marquis to Ronheim.”
“Are you telling me to marry that person?”
The words that came at the end of the long introduction were unexpectedly the conclusion I had been hoping for, so I almost bit my tongue with joy.
So perhaps my groping felt different to Kavala, as she looked at me with great pity and stroked my hair affectionately.
"It's a sham marriage. You're going there as a watchman for the Marquis of Rodrian. I'm not saying you'll be sent there permanently."
“A watcher...?”
“The reason we appointed Marquis Rodrian, a member of the Royal Family of Ronheim, as governor was because we were concerned that a sudden change of ruler immediately after the war would provoke strong opposition in Ronheim.”
“...”
"But I've heard rumors that Marquis Rodrian has recently been rebelling against Arrental's rule and preparing for Ronheim's independence. If that's true, then there's a justification for changing the ruler."
So, what she meant was that I should go and see for myself whether it was true that Callius was preparing for war or not.
That is, she meant to plant me as a spy in Ronheim to find an excuse to eliminate Callius.
I deliberately trembled and made an anxious face.
“I, I wonder if I can do it well?”
"You just have to go and report to me, Marquis Rodrian's every move. Can you do it?"
“Yes... I will, I will try.”
“As a member of the Arrental royal family, you must have a sense of duty, Chloe.”
Kavala, who spoke to me with such force, looked at me with such a warm and kind face.
“Our baby... I feel uneasy as I send you off on a long journey.”
Then she pulled me into her arms.
My body was stiff with embarrassment.
It was a first. Never in my past life had Kavala embraced me so tenderly.
Since my mother passed away when I was seven, no one has ever hugged me like this in my entire life except Karl.
The strong perfume smell from Kavala seemed to paralyze my mind.
Kavala is a woman in cahoots with Andrea. And Andrea killed me. There's no way Kavala wasn't involved in that. Andrea is a puppet of Kavala.
Even though I knew that, I almost cried because the embrace of Kavala was warmer and more cozy than I expected.
The maternal love I longed for so much in Kavala in the past.
I was so desperate that even fake affection felt sweet.
Kavala had accurately identified my weakness.
I bit my lip so hard that it bled.
'Wake up, Chloe.'
It was too much of a mess to be easily fooled by such sweet words and actions.
Kavala continued to shake me as I struggled.
“Don’t worry. This mother will definitely bring you back soon.”
She gently stroked my cheek.
"You've been my daughter for a long time, Chloe. My dear, I won't let you suffer too much."
A loving voice that digs into a heart tired from long loneliness.
I closed my eyes tightly.
Tears rolled down my cheeks.
'Even this could be fake.'
If I had not suffered that miserable death, I would never have escaped the clutches of Kavala.
'It's your turn now. Play within my grasp.'
I looked up at Kavala with tearful eyes.
“I will do as you say, Mother. But I have one request.”
***
Immediately after Chloe left the Empress's Palace, Dnieper appeared before Kavala as if he had been waiting for her.
“Are you really going to send the Princess to Ronheim, Sister?”
Kavala stood by the window, staring blankly at Chloe's back as she walked down the hallway, then smiled.
Her crimson lips formed a beautiful curve like a painting.
“There is no better way to plant someone in the Marquis of Rodrian’s heart.”
Dnieper looked at Kavala's profile for a moment in silence.
Kavala felt his younger brother's gaze and turned to face Dnieper.
The two people's gazes were strangely intertwined.
Dnieper broke the heavy silence with a meaningless smile.
“Will the Princess move well?”
Kavala laughed at the pick.
"That idiot can't do anything. She'll just shiver. I'm going to send Chloe on my errand."
“But what did the Princess ask you to do earlier?”
“Oh, that.”
Kavala shrugged and chuckled.
“She asked me to give her the top and the land as a wedding gift.”
"Huh? Aren't those more demanding requirements than you thought? Are you willing to grant them?"
Kavala laughed loudly and slyly.
"What she asked for was the Empress's most valuable possession, the top and the most useless wasteland. What a fool. To ask for a top and a wasteland, both of which are declining."
It seemed like she could give away anything like that.
“It’s annoying that she's struggling to get what’s hers in front of me, but if I think of it as her last gift, then I don’t regret it.”
Dnieper nodded and asked.
“What do you plan to do with her?”
Kavala looked down at her palm.
Small letters glowed red on her palm.
It was the hand that had been holding Chloe tightly for a while.
“They said they planted a curse.”
The letters that had been glowing ominously in blood soon disappeared as if they were being erased into the skin of Kavala.
“Once we find the key to the relic, Chloe will die from the cold of Ronheim.”
A very alluring, yet eerie smile deepened.
“Aren’t she too young to survive in a place like that?”
***
After meeting Kavala, my marriage with Callius was confirmed in an instant.
I heard that Viscount Pelsus, whose engagement was suddenly broken off, caused a disturbance in the palace and protested.
Since I had never been involved in an engagement or divorce, I had no reason to intervene.
The matter with Count Pelsus seemed to have been handled rather well by Kavala.
'I've escaped from Viscount Pelsus.'
I was so happy I almost cried.
'I changed the future.'
I felt a sense of joy.
I gained confidence that if I move, things can change.
I saved myself from the pit of hell.
'Plus, I got the Szeged Upper and Rosendal territories.'
Kavala readily gave them to me, deeming them useless.
‘It may seem trivial now, but...’
Shortly, their value will exceed a thousand times their current value.
At that time, she will shed tears of blood because she regrets giving it to me like this.
'Just wait. It's going to happen soon.'
Laughter broke out.
This incident gave me another passion besides revenge, which had previously been driven solely by revenge.
A new driving force has emerged that makes me want to be more proactive.
So I planned a new adventure.
'Before we leave, let's steal the palace's treasures.'
Although 8 have acquired a great estate and land, the income from it will come later, and I will need funds to spend immediately upon arriving in Ronheim.
I know very well where the most valuable treasures of the imperial family are mainly kept.
'The treasure trove of Kavala.'
All the good stuff was there.
I have no trusted confidants, no physical strength, and no freedom to roam the palace.
But it has a very powerful force.
'Know the future.'
That alone can compensate for all my weaknesses.
I knew a good opportunity was coming soon.
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