Though he had many children, not a single one had yet produced an heir.
The news of his first grandson, which came amid such turmoil, instantly calmed the fury of Pediccas II.
In addition...
'Cesare and Medea, how extraordinary would those two children be?'
His mind was spinning quickly, and he reached a conclusion in the blink of an eye.
Even if he has grandchildren from his other child, it won't be as good as those two children.
Cesare has long been out of his control. But what if he raises his children under him...
'I will never fail this time.'
Besides, if he holds the child as a pawn, those two won't be able to move either.
Just as the knots that had been tangled were unraveled, the unresolved inferiority complexes and the problems of the empire that needed to be stretched forward seemed to have finally found an answer.
A sinister smile appeared on the corner of Perdiccas II's mouth.
"A great-grandson? This is a sign that my bloodline remains strong! The Goddess is bestowing a new light upon this Katzen!"
He was very happy.
"Hopefully, Your Majesty will bless this child and protect him."
Medea modestly lowered her eyes.
"Please protect our child, Your Majesty. Punish the wicked people who dare to turn Your Majesty's bloodline into a fatherless illegitimate son."
Just as the stiff-faced Cesare was about to move, Medea gently tugged at his sleeve.
"If you kill the Western Empress now, you won't be able to find the mastermind behind her."
The story ends with Western Empress taking all the blame alone.
That would be the outcome most desired by those lurking in the shadows, plotting against Cesare.
"Your Majesty, I am..."
Medea turned her head away from the Emperor and slowly wiped her eyes. Her lips trembled as well.
It seemed as though he had finally found the answer.
A sinister smile played on the lips of Pherdicas II.
He was very pleased.
"A great-grandson? This is a sign that my bloodline remains strong! The goddess is bestowing new light upon this realm!"
I humbly request that Your Majesty bestow blessings upon this child and protect him.
Medea modestly lowered her eyes.
Protect the child, Your Majesty. Punish those vile traitors who dared attempt to turn Your Majesty's bloodline into fatherless bastards.
Just as Cesare's face began to move, Medea gently tugged at his sleeve.
If you kill Empress Seo Hwang now, you won't be able to find the mastermind behind her.
The story ends with Empress Seohwang taking all the blame alone.
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That would be the outcome most desired by those lurking in the shadows, plotting against Cesare.
"Your Majesty, I am ."
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Perdiccas II hesitated.
Medea turned her head away from the emperor and slowly wiped her eyes. Her lips trembled as well.
The Crown Princess's eyes were reddened. A flicker of moisture glistened in them.
'Once, right in front of me, you glared fiercely and rolled your eyes...'
Her appearance was now different from before. It was simply the look of a mother protecting her child.
Now, the First Princess, bowing her head before the Emperor, was clearly asking him for help.
In his words, she even kept her husband's mouth shut.
In other words.
'A bigger hand than Juan's has come into my hands!'
"Who dares to kill my bloodline! Come forth at once! Can you not speak the truth plainly?"
As if attempting to rebuild a relationship already in ruins, Perdiccas II cherishes his grandson as a grandfather would.
"You wretched creatures, if you don't step forward, I'll tear your limbs to shreds and ensure you never see the light of day!"
The crowd gasped at the sight of him viciously swinging his staff around.
Only the Western Empress stood in the empty space.
"Western Empress, do you have nothing to say?"
Her shoulders trembled, and beads of cold sweat formed on her temples. She looked like a mouse cornered with no escape.
"Your Majesty, um, I, I—"
She never imagined it.
That sly Valdina bitch played the imperial descendant card. I thought I could just keep ignoring her!
Western Empress bit her lip. She locked eyes with the First Princess.
'How much do you know? You didn't actually get your hands on the evidence, did you?'
Anxious glances darted among the vassals.
Within it, Western Empress found the red hairpin.
And the moment she saw that color, she opened her mouth.
"Your Majesty... Everything is..."
But her tongue was tied, and no sound came out. She wanted to speak of Jason Castulo.
The foolish and wicked culprit who had led her here.
But only phlegm choked her throat.
"Gah, kaah..."
The moment she forced her voice out, pain surged through her, and her back buckled.
'You bastard, what the hell did you do to me?'
Was it a mistake to see the corners of his mouth twitch? Silently, he moved his lips.
'Quiet.'
Shh—he brought his index finger to his lips and instantly pulled it away.
"Mother, please tell Father quickly that it wasn't Mother who did it!"
Juan approached the fallen Western Empress and hung on to her.
Her hair was disheveled, and her hands trembled. Her eyes were filled with terror and confusion.
Even in the painting, the Western Empress's mouth remained closed.
"Mother, please..."
The Emperor approached slowly. A shadow fell over his hat.
Thud.
The Emperor's staff pushed Juan's shoulder. No, to be precise, it shoved him aside. As if clearing an obstacle from his path.
Juan staggered backward.
"Have you seen this wicked thing? Not a single one of my kin shall remain in your hands."
The Emperor looked down at the fallen Western Empress.
Not a trace of warmth remained in his cold gaze.
"Execute her."
It was a cold and resolute voice.
"Father!"
"To target my son? There's no reason to uphold the pride of royalty. Such a weakling living only invites greater calamity."
Execution?
The Emperor tried to condemn the Western Empress as if to flaunt his power.
The fact that the other person had shared half a lifetime with him had long since faded from his mind.
Then, Medea stepped in.
"Your Majesty, Western Empress is the biological mother of the Third Prince and a member of the imperial family. We cannot help but consider the public's attention."
The nobles of the Third Prince's faction could not hide their astonished expressions at Medea's claim.
Now that Western Empress's misdeeds have been exposed, no one could have anticipated that none other than the First Princess would plead for her life.
"... Cesare, do you think so too?"
Perdiccas II asked.
Cesare glanced indifferently at the Western Empress, then promptly seized his wife's wrist.
"My wife's will is my will."
The palace, which had held its breath, was once again in an uproar.
What kind of man is the 1st Prince? Wasn't he a cold-blooded man who never spared those who sought his life? Yet he buried that grudge at his wife's single word?
It was a moment that made they realize anew what the 1st Princess meant to him.
"...Understood. Keep Western Empress confined in the palace. Do not release her until she confesses the truth herself."
"Father, please forgive her. Please... forgive my mother."
At the Third Prince Juan's plea, Perdiccas II raised his hand to cut him off.
Then he added more coldly.
"Nothing shall be allowed in or out. Not food, not medicine, not anything."
***
The West Palace of Katzen.
Western Empress, who had lost consciousness, finally regained it after several days.
And she shuddered at the cold reality that hit her.
She still hadn't recovered from the aftermath of what happened just before Juan became Crown Prince.
"I was just one step away from the high place!"
The West Palace was now too pitiful to even be called a palace.
All traces of splendor vanished, furniture lay shattered, and every item in the palace had been looted. Only the dirty boot prints of soldiers remained scattered across the beautiful carpet Western Empress had once cherished.
Her loyal followers, who had long guarded her for a long time, were also dragged away and subjected to humiliation.
She knew all this humiliation was merely the Emperor's venting of anger to show Medea.
Western Empress gritted her teeth even harder.
No longer was there any warmth here. No longer was there a comfortable chair. Now, only the old maid brought from her family remained by the Western Empress's side.
"That was given by Your Majesty's father. It does not belong to the imperial palace!"
The maid wept bitterly as she tried to wrest the torch from the sturdy knight's hand.
"If you take that too, how is our master supposed to live from now on? Have you no sense of humanity at all?"
"Forgive me, Your Majesty. It is His Majesty's command. You should be grateful for His Majesty's merciful decision not to send you to the tower."
The commander repeated the same words over and over, like a puppet.
But this was a place no one ever visited.
Better yet. The tower was better. At least there, she didn't have to witness her past glory shattered into pieces.
"My goal... is truly... pitiful."
Western Empress muttered to herself as she looked upon the palace in disarray.
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