(189) Destruction (4)
'That's enough,' Rachel thought.
She had done her part to protect her daughter. She knew she would receive a severe punishment, but she intended to bear it all himself.
Rachel glanced back with pride at having protected her daughter and met Ariana's eyes as she smiled softly. Ariana wore a relaxed yet joyful smile, as if she had anticipated this situation.
The moment she realized that, the Cardinal said.
"I did receive a warning from the Princess of the East that something like this might happen, but I never imagined it would actually turn out this way."
What does that mean?
“What is in this bottle is ordinary water; the true holy water of Arphen is in the possession of a Temple Knight, Duchess.”
Rachel's legs gave way, and she slumped to the ground.
The Cardinal turned to the Emperor and asked.
“Your Majesty, would it be all right if I had the Temple Knight bring in Arphen’s holy water?”
The Emperor let out a hollow laugh.
“This is absolutely dumbfounding. Truly dumbfounding! That is enough. The action is clear, so there is nothing more to see. Princess, do you have anything else prepared? Is there anything else I need to know?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. There is one more.”
As Ariana gestured to Averaster, he took out the letter he had been holding in his bosom, which she had handed him a few days ago.
"This is proof that in the war over a decade ago, the Western Lord colluded with Paganus to endanger the Northern and Eastern Territories."
The moment Rachel saw the letter, she realized it was the one she had lost after hiding it all along to use as a weapon. She also knew that if the Emperor read it, even the Western Lord would be helpless.
The grip of sanity she had been barely holding on snapped, and Rachel fainted on the spot. But no one cared about her.
The attendant took the letters and handed them to the Emperor. As the Emperor read through the several letters, his expression changed moment by moment.
Soon, the Emperor sprang to his feet.
"Release the Princess of the East and the Eastern Little Lord. And bind the Bronte family, Royal Consort Aelra, and the Third Prince, and imprison them in the dungeon."
"Your Majesty!"
“No, Your Majesty. We are innocent. This is entirely the East’s scheme.”
“You must not let your vision cloud your eyes! Your Majesty, Your Majesty.”
The people involved wailed loudly, but the Emperor did not speak again.
The Imperial Knights untied the ropes binding Ariana and Geor and used them to bind Victoria and Rachel's wrists. The Third Prince tried to escape, but Averaster caught him and knocked him down, while Royal Consort Aelra gritted her teeth and glared at the Emperor.
As Victoria was being dragged away by the knights, she snapped her head back and screamed.
“Ariana!”
Ariana did not look back.
The Emperor looked down at Ariana, who was now free and standing quietly.
Ariana not only cleared her name brilliantly, but also singled out the guilty and dealt them severely.
By the time the Cardinal appeared, he felt that this whole thing was a play playing out Ariana's plan, but he wasn't offended. Ariana had simply cleverly overcome her own crisis.
"Even though I said you were my person, I could not trust you."
Ariana bowed her head at the Emperor's words.
"It is only natural, given that the situation was sufficiently suspicious."
“Very well. But since I have made you suffer for a crime you did not commit, I will grant you one wish.”
The Emperor quietly waited for Ariana's answer. If Ariana asked him to withdraw the imperial decree regarding her marriage to the Fifth Prince, he intended to suspect that she had another ulterior motive.
"I only hope that the crimes of those who harbored rebellious intentions against the Empire will be clearly revealed and that they will be punished accordingly."
The Emperor smiled with satisfaction at Ariana's answer.
“Very well, I shall do so. However, with so many persecuting you out of jealousy, I cannot rest easy. I must hasten to bring you into the Imperial Palace.”
It meant that she would hurry up the marriage with the 5th Prince.
Now that the Emperor had learned that the Western Lord was connected to Paganus, he desperately needed the power of the Eastern Lord. He had to somehow make Ariana a member of the Imperial family so that the Eastern Lord could not turn his back on the Empire.
Ariana answered with a lovely smile, as if nothing could be better.
"I am deeply humbled, Your Majesty."
Ariana walked slowly down the palace corridor with Geor and Averaster.
The three of them left the palace corridor in silence and boarded the carriage waiting in front of the palace. Ariana lowered the curtain of the carriage window and spoke calmly.
“I’m glad Rachel acted the way I expected. Actually, I thought Victoria would do it, so it’s unexpected.”
In the days when magic was still alive, Arphen's holy water was a powerful truth serum that even those with strong willpower could not overcome. However, now that magic is fading away, the divine power possessed by the priests has also almost disappeared.
Arphen's holy water did not produce as powerful an effect as before.
Of course, there were instances where Arohen's miraculously powerful holy water was created, but since it was a matter of luck, preparing the holy water was practically a gamble.
Averaster asked while observing Ariana's expression.
"How are you feeling?"
“Good. Very much so.”
She lived for this very moment.
From now on, the Emperor will torture them until they confess everything. Even if they confess, he will torture them. Until the Western Lord arrives in the Empire.
No matter what the Western Lord says in front of the Emperor, the Emperor will no longer listen to his words.
Ariana thought of Rachel, who had thrown herself for Victoria.
Rachel generously gave the maternal love that she had never shown Ariana, no matter how obedient she was, to Victoria, who had even slapped her cheek.
That was what a mother's affection was. Giving without conditions or reasons.
So, that woman who did not even share a fragment of that affection with her is not her mother.
“That’s really nice.”
Ariana hoped that they would feel even a little bit of the pain she had suffered.
Loneliness with no one to listen, no matter how loudly one cries, despair from which there is no escape, no matter how hard one struggles. It was now their turn to bear the agony that Ariana had felt all along.
Isabelle and Wiona came out of the mansion and were waiting for Ariana.
“Ariana!”
At Isabelle's call, Ariana finally smiled a genuine smile.
It was fascinating that Victoria and Isabelle called each other by the same name, yet the emotions contained within and the feeling of hearing it were different.
Isabelle ran over and hugged Ariana.
"You worked hard, really hard, Ariana. How tough was it? Huh? You really went through a lot."
Even though she had only been trapped for a short while, there was someone who told her in a trembling voice that she had suffered. Just that alone made her feel like she had the world, so Ariana was truly happy.
“Isabelle, have you completely forgotten that I was trapped with Ariana, too?”
“Shut up, Geor. Don’t butt in right now. I really couldn’t sleep because I was worried about Ariana. She’s frail, too.”
“Yeah, Ariana is lovely, pretty, and adorable, but I’m neither cute nor pretty, and on top of that, healthy, so I guess you weren’t worried about me at all. I knew it. Averaster, can you comfort me? My heart feels a bit heavy.”
Even their bickering was good. It was better than watching the Bronte mother and daughter and the Third Prince being dragged away in despair.
Ariana took a deep breath. Her chest felt warm yet aching at the scent of Isabelle, which she had now become accustomed to.
Cyrus was in the drawing room. As Ariana entered, he let out a small sigh, strode over, and hugged her tightly.
"Sorry."
“What?”
"Because I couldn't help."
"You allowed me to defend myself."
"How did you know that?"
“I thought that if it were Louis, she would report the problem that had erupted to you, and that you would surely come back once you heard the report.”
“You really... take full advantage of me.”
Ariana smiled faintly.
"I intends to scrape it all out, down to the bone."
"Alright, do that. Please."
Although she said that, she didn't expect Cyrus to actually return. Finding the lost predecessors of the Black Knights was of the utmost importance, so she had no intention of resenting him even if he didn't come back.
However, Cyrus was back here as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Although she did not want to escape the comfort of his embrace, Ariana gently pushed his chest away. However, Cyrus held Ariana tightly and did not let go.
“Cyrus. People are watching.”
"Just five seconds."
He spoke in a low, subdued voice, pleading.
"Let's stay like this for just five more seconds."
Averaster, who had been standing by the door watching disapprovingly, said
“One, three, four, five. Five seconds have passed. Please step aside now, Your Excellency, Lord of the North.”
"It seems time in the East is faster than in the North."
"There is some truth to that. It feels like another 30 seconds have passed while we've been having this conversation."
Cyrus clicked his tongue lightly and moved away from Ariana.
He softened his expression, seemingly relieved only after thoroughly checking that Ariana was unharmed. Fearing he might hug her again, Ariana quickly turned around and spoke.
"I'm hungry."
She just said that to avoid being hugged by Cyrus in front of her family, but it caused quite a stir.
Isabelle and Wiona called the maids and had them prepare a meal large enough to hold a party, while Averaster and Geor looked at Ariana as if they had heard she was seriously ill.
Ariana burst out laughing as she watched Cyrus lament that if he had known this would happen, he should have sneaked in to at least bring her something to eat.
Victoria burst into tears.
As the initial anger subsided, despair set in.
She never dreamed that the day would come when she would be imprisoned in the same dungeon where Ariana had been held just a few hours ago. Something was seriously wrong.
As Victoria cried as if she were about to suffocate, Rachel came over and stroked Victoria's back.
“It’s okay, it’s okay, Victoria. There’s definitely a way to get out of this. Don’t cry, okay? Don’t cry.”
Taat-!
Victoria roughly slapped Rachel's hand away. Hatred flickered in her eyes as she glared at Rachel.
“This is all because you did useless things!”
“Victoria...?”
“Why are you getting involved? I told you to stay put! Why did you break the holy water there? If you act like that, anyone can see that we are the ones at fault! Are you brainless? Did you just wear that head for decoration?”
“Victoria, why on earth are you like that...?”
“This is all your fault! If you can’t do anything, you should at least keep quiet!”
It was for Victoria's sake. Simply hoping for Victoria's safety, Rachel intended to shoulder all the guilt herself.
Rachel blinked as she listened to the accusations Victoria poured out. Jacob, who had been sitting silently in the corner, sided with Victoria.
“Right, Rachel. Why on earth did you step in there? Because of you, look at all of us. Ha, how on earth did you manage the household to let a problem like this arise? Still, His Excellency the Western Lord will take care of it, right? Huh?”
Rachel glared at Jacob.
Jacob still did not realize how serious the situation was. Long ago, when Rachel served as the Eastern Lord Consort, letters exchanged between the Western Lord and Paganus had fallen into the Emperor's hands.
Even the Western Lord will not be able to resolve this matter.
Was he really such a pathetic man?
Jacob was the only one among those arrested today who failed to grasp the situation. Of course, everything was happening out of his sight, but the pathetic sight of him still hoping for Western Lord's help even in this state made him nauseous.
'What on earth am I...'
For what purpose did she abandon the Eastern Lord and return to this man? For what purpose did she treat Ariana, whom she bore with pain, so cruelly just to curry favor with him? And for what else has she been striving all this time?
Victoria was still blaming Rachel for everything and berating her. There was no news of where Helena had disappeared to.
There was a world that Rachel tried to protect, sacrificing so much. That world was noble, warm, and radiant, without a single blemish. No, she thought it was.
Peeling back a layer, all that was revealed was an ugly and vulgar side.
The voice is being heard.
“Ah, Mother. I have a good idea. Since things have turned out this way, how about we make it look like you’re the one responsible? Come to think of it, Helena hasn’t been caught yet either. Let’s pretend that you and Helena plotted this together. Let me pretend I know nothing. Then, once I’ve somehow managed to turn the situation around, I’ll help you.”
“Yeah, that’s a good idea, Rachel. We’ll get you out of here somehow, so for now, just take it as you're doing. Yes?”
All she hears are the lewd voices of her family trying to use her by any means necessary.
'That's enough,' Rachel thought.
She had done her part to protect her daughter. She knew she would receive a severe punishment, but she intended to bear it all himself.
Rachel glanced back with pride at having protected her daughter and met Ariana's eyes as she smiled softly. Ariana wore a relaxed yet joyful smile, as if she had anticipated this situation.
The moment she realized that, the Cardinal said.
"I did receive a warning from the Princess of the East that something like this might happen, but I never imagined it would actually turn out this way."
What does that mean?
“What is in this bottle is ordinary water; the true holy water of Arphen is in the possession of a Temple Knight, Duchess.”
Rachel's legs gave way, and she slumped to the ground.
The Cardinal turned to the Emperor and asked.
“Your Majesty, would it be all right if I had the Temple Knight bring in Arphen’s holy water?”
The Emperor let out a hollow laugh.
“This is absolutely dumbfounding. Truly dumbfounding! That is enough. The action is clear, so there is nothing more to see. Princess, do you have anything else prepared? Is there anything else I need to know?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. There is one more.”
As Ariana gestured to Averaster, he took out the letter he had been holding in his bosom, which she had handed him a few days ago.
"This is proof that in the war over a decade ago, the Western Lord colluded with Paganus to endanger the Northern and Eastern Territories."
The moment Rachel saw the letter, she realized it was the one she had lost after hiding it all along to use as a weapon. She also knew that if the Emperor read it, even the Western Lord would be helpless.
The grip of sanity she had been barely holding on snapped, and Rachel fainted on the spot. But no one cared about her.
The attendant took the letters and handed them to the Emperor. As the Emperor read through the several letters, his expression changed moment by moment.
Soon, the Emperor sprang to his feet.
"Release the Princess of the East and the Eastern Little Lord. And bind the Bronte family, Royal Consort Aelra, and the Third Prince, and imprison them in the dungeon."
"Your Majesty!"
“No, Your Majesty. We are innocent. This is entirely the East’s scheme.”
“You must not let your vision cloud your eyes! Your Majesty, Your Majesty.”
The people involved wailed loudly, but the Emperor did not speak again.
The Imperial Knights untied the ropes binding Ariana and Geor and used them to bind Victoria and Rachel's wrists. The Third Prince tried to escape, but Averaster caught him and knocked him down, while Royal Consort Aelra gritted her teeth and glared at the Emperor.
As Victoria was being dragged away by the knights, she snapped her head back and screamed.
“Ariana!”
Ariana did not look back.
***
The Emperor looked down at Ariana, who was now free and standing quietly.
Ariana not only cleared her name brilliantly, but also singled out the guilty and dealt them severely.
By the time the Cardinal appeared, he felt that this whole thing was a play playing out Ariana's plan, but he wasn't offended. Ariana had simply cleverly overcome her own crisis.
"Even though I said you were my person, I could not trust you."
Ariana bowed her head at the Emperor's words.
"It is only natural, given that the situation was sufficiently suspicious."
“Very well. But since I have made you suffer for a crime you did not commit, I will grant you one wish.”
The Emperor quietly waited for Ariana's answer. If Ariana asked him to withdraw the imperial decree regarding her marriage to the Fifth Prince, he intended to suspect that she had another ulterior motive.
"I only hope that the crimes of those who harbored rebellious intentions against the Empire will be clearly revealed and that they will be punished accordingly."
The Emperor smiled with satisfaction at Ariana's answer.
“Very well, I shall do so. However, with so many persecuting you out of jealousy, I cannot rest easy. I must hasten to bring you into the Imperial Palace.”
It meant that she would hurry up the marriage with the 5th Prince.
Now that the Emperor had learned that the Western Lord was connected to Paganus, he desperately needed the power of the Eastern Lord. He had to somehow make Ariana a member of the Imperial family so that the Eastern Lord could not turn his back on the Empire.
Ariana answered with a lovely smile, as if nothing could be better.
"I am deeply humbled, Your Majesty."
***
Ariana walked slowly down the palace corridor with Geor and Averaster.
The three of them left the palace corridor in silence and boarded the carriage waiting in front of the palace. Ariana lowered the curtain of the carriage window and spoke calmly.
“I’m glad Rachel acted the way I expected. Actually, I thought Victoria would do it, so it’s unexpected.”
In the days when magic was still alive, Arphen's holy water was a powerful truth serum that even those with strong willpower could not overcome. However, now that magic is fading away, the divine power possessed by the priests has also almost disappeared.
Arphen's holy water did not produce as powerful an effect as before.
Of course, there were instances where Arohen's miraculously powerful holy water was created, but since it was a matter of luck, preparing the holy water was practically a gamble.
Averaster asked while observing Ariana's expression.
"How are you feeling?"
“Good. Very much so.”
She lived for this very moment.
From now on, the Emperor will torture them until they confess everything. Even if they confess, he will torture them. Until the Western Lord arrives in the Empire.
No matter what the Western Lord says in front of the Emperor, the Emperor will no longer listen to his words.
Ariana thought of Rachel, who had thrown herself for Victoria.
Rachel generously gave the maternal love that she had never shown Ariana, no matter how obedient she was, to Victoria, who had even slapped her cheek.
That was what a mother's affection was. Giving without conditions or reasons.
So, that woman who did not even share a fragment of that affection with her is not her mother.
“That’s really nice.”
Ariana hoped that they would feel even a little bit of the pain she had suffered.
Loneliness with no one to listen, no matter how loudly one cries, despair from which there is no escape, no matter how hard one struggles. It was now their turn to bear the agony that Ariana had felt all along.
***
Isabelle and Wiona came out of the mansion and were waiting for Ariana.
“Ariana!”
At Isabelle's call, Ariana finally smiled a genuine smile.
It was fascinating that Victoria and Isabelle called each other by the same name, yet the emotions contained within and the feeling of hearing it were different.
Isabelle ran over and hugged Ariana.
"You worked hard, really hard, Ariana. How tough was it? Huh? You really went through a lot."
Even though she had only been trapped for a short while, there was someone who told her in a trembling voice that she had suffered. Just that alone made her feel like she had the world, so Ariana was truly happy.
“Isabelle, have you completely forgotten that I was trapped with Ariana, too?”
“Shut up, Geor. Don’t butt in right now. I really couldn’t sleep because I was worried about Ariana. She’s frail, too.”
“Yeah, Ariana is lovely, pretty, and adorable, but I’m neither cute nor pretty, and on top of that, healthy, so I guess you weren’t worried about me at all. I knew it. Averaster, can you comfort me? My heart feels a bit heavy.”
Even their bickering was good. It was better than watching the Bronte mother and daughter and the Third Prince being dragged away in despair.
Ariana took a deep breath. Her chest felt warm yet aching at the scent of Isabelle, which she had now become accustomed to.
Cyrus was in the drawing room. As Ariana entered, he let out a small sigh, strode over, and hugged her tightly.
"Sorry."
“What?”
"Because I couldn't help."
"You allowed me to defend myself."
"How did you know that?"
“I thought that if it were Louis, she would report the problem that had erupted to you, and that you would surely come back once you heard the report.”
“You really... take full advantage of me.”
Ariana smiled faintly.
"I intends to scrape it all out, down to the bone."
"Alright, do that. Please."
Although she said that, she didn't expect Cyrus to actually return. Finding the lost predecessors of the Black Knights was of the utmost importance, so she had no intention of resenting him even if he didn't come back.
However, Cyrus was back here as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Although she did not want to escape the comfort of his embrace, Ariana gently pushed his chest away. However, Cyrus held Ariana tightly and did not let go.
“Cyrus. People are watching.”
"Just five seconds."
He spoke in a low, subdued voice, pleading.
"Let's stay like this for just five more seconds."
Averaster, who had been standing by the door watching disapprovingly, said
“One, three, four, five. Five seconds have passed. Please step aside now, Your Excellency, Lord of the North.”
"It seems time in the East is faster than in the North."
"There is some truth to that. It feels like another 30 seconds have passed while we've been having this conversation."
Cyrus clicked his tongue lightly and moved away from Ariana.
He softened his expression, seemingly relieved only after thoroughly checking that Ariana was unharmed. Fearing he might hug her again, Ariana quickly turned around and spoke.
"I'm hungry."
She just said that to avoid being hugged by Cyrus in front of her family, but it caused quite a stir.
Isabelle and Wiona called the maids and had them prepare a meal large enough to hold a party, while Averaster and Geor looked at Ariana as if they had heard she was seriously ill.
Ariana burst out laughing as she watched Cyrus lament that if he had known this would happen, he should have sneaked in to at least bring her something to eat.
***
Victoria burst into tears.
As the initial anger subsided, despair set in.
She never dreamed that the day would come when she would be imprisoned in the same dungeon where Ariana had been held just a few hours ago. Something was seriously wrong.
As Victoria cried as if she were about to suffocate, Rachel came over and stroked Victoria's back.
“It’s okay, it’s okay, Victoria. There’s definitely a way to get out of this. Don’t cry, okay? Don’t cry.”
Taat-!
Victoria roughly slapped Rachel's hand away. Hatred flickered in her eyes as she glared at Rachel.
“This is all because you did useless things!”
“Victoria...?”
“Why are you getting involved? I told you to stay put! Why did you break the holy water there? If you act like that, anyone can see that we are the ones at fault! Are you brainless? Did you just wear that head for decoration?”
“Victoria, why on earth are you like that...?”
“This is all your fault! If you can’t do anything, you should at least keep quiet!”
It was for Victoria's sake. Simply hoping for Victoria's safety, Rachel intended to shoulder all the guilt herself.
Rachel blinked as she listened to the accusations Victoria poured out. Jacob, who had been sitting silently in the corner, sided with Victoria.
“Right, Rachel. Why on earth did you step in there? Because of you, look at all of us. Ha, how on earth did you manage the household to let a problem like this arise? Still, His Excellency the Western Lord will take care of it, right? Huh?”
Rachel glared at Jacob.
Jacob still did not realize how serious the situation was. Long ago, when Rachel served as the Eastern Lord Consort, letters exchanged between the Western Lord and Paganus had fallen into the Emperor's hands.
Even the Western Lord will not be able to resolve this matter.
Was he really such a pathetic man?
Jacob was the only one among those arrested today who failed to grasp the situation. Of course, everything was happening out of his sight, but the pathetic sight of him still hoping for Western Lord's help even in this state made him nauseous.
'What on earth am I...'
For what purpose did she abandon the Eastern Lord and return to this man? For what purpose did she treat Ariana, whom she bore with pain, so cruelly just to curry favor with him? And for what else has she been striving all this time?
Victoria was still blaming Rachel for everything and berating her. There was no news of where Helena had disappeared to.
There was a world that Rachel tried to protect, sacrificing so much. That world was noble, warm, and radiant, without a single blemish. No, she thought it was.
Peeling back a layer, all that was revealed was an ugly and vulgar side.
The voice is being heard.
“Ah, Mother. I have a good idea. Since things have turned out this way, how about we make it look like you’re the one responsible? Come to think of it, Helena hasn’t been caught yet either. Let’s pretend that you and Helena plotted this together. Let me pretend I know nothing. Then, once I’ve somehow managed to turn the situation around, I’ll help you.”
“Yeah, that’s a good idea, Rachel. We’ll get you out of here somehow, so for now, just take it as you're doing. Yes?”
All she hears are the lewd voices of her family trying to use her by any means necessary.
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