Chapter 46
Chapter 46. A Tainted Rose, A Pure Lily
An unexpected guest greeted Vinea as she returned to the palace after her brief meeting with Balak.
“—I behold the glory of the Empire. Persana Talio pays her respects to Her Majesty the Empress.”
“We pay our respects to Her Majesty the Empress!”
It was the wife of Viscount Talio, the vice-commander of the Dawn Knight Order guarding the border, and his young daughter.
“This is the first time since the incident in Haksya village.”
“Yes. Actually, I wanted to attend the reception for the delegation yesterday, but unfortunately couldn’t join as my husband was returning to our mansion that day. I came to express my gratitude since he said he was visiting the palace on business.”
Rather than feeling pleased, Vinea’s first thought was that this was bothersome when she already had so much to deal with. Inwardly sneering at herself for having lost almost all human joy due to the regressions, Vinea called a nearby servant.
Looking at the child gazing up at her with bright eyes, she put on a gentle smile.
“Bring a selection of gifts from the delegation suitable for a child to eat. Exclude those from Veshnu.”
“Understood.”
“I’ve omitted Veshnu’s desserts as they often contain ginger which might be too much for a child to eat, so I hope you don’t misunderstand.”
It would be a disaster if the child collapsed coughing blood after accidentally being given a poisoned gift from her uncle. However, she couldn’t say that outright.
“Oh, no, Your Majesty! We came to express our gratitude, yet we’re receiving gifts instead. We can’t accept this!”
“I haven’t done anything particularly deserving of your gratitude.”
“Not at all. You not only allowed us to use the royal teleportation magic circle at that time, but you also resolved the epidemic. If it weren’t for Your Majesty’s help, my husband would surely have fallen ill then.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty! For helping our father!”
Vinea responded to the child’s thanks with a light smile. Rather than wasting time adding more words, it was better to send them off without complications by giving them a sufficient gift.
Soon, the servant brought boxes of cookies and chocolates that children would like. The child blushed with joy, not knowing what to do with the five gift boxes, all luxuriously packaged.
“Such precious things…”
“They’re better off going to those who need them than sitting unused in the palace. I’m sorry I can’t chat longer as I have another appointment.”
“Not at all, we’ve taken up the time of an important person. Lily, give your thanks.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty! Can I share these with my friends?”
“They’re yours now, so you can do as you like.”
“Wow!”
Although seeing the happy child didn’t stir much emotion in her, it was easy enough to put on an expression as if she were empathizing like someone truly living in this moment.
Vinea, putting on the face of a kind empress, playfully tapped the child’s left cheek lightly. The child burst into giggles and hid behind the viscountess.
The viscountess then stroked the child’s head once before sending her to the carriage first. After hesitating briefly, she opened her mouth, seeing Vinea waiting patiently.
“Your Majesty, actually, I am a distant relative of the late Empress. Though it’s so distant as to be almost formal, at my family’s request, I used to greet the Emperor Emeritus and the late Empress about once a year. I’m sorry for only mentioning this now.”
“There’s no need to be mindful of me. Any noble of Tessibania worth their salt would know how much the Emperor Emeritus despises Veshnu.”
The viscountess waved her hands, her face turning pale.
“Oh, no! It’s not that, but I visited the palace where the Emperor Emeritus resides today to deliver a gift from my family, and I heard something strange.”
“Something strange?”
“Yes. As I was about to leave from the door because it was difficult to see the Emperor Emeritus, I heard voices talking inside. It was Duke Castallo’s voice.”
“Castallo…”
That’s Eurene’s birth father. One of those who had suffered headaches for half their lives due to the duchess’s scandal.
“I heard Your Majesty’s and Lady Eurene’s names. It seemed they were talking about the Empire Foundation Day banquet… I couldn’t hear clearly because of the knights guarding the door.”
The viscountess took a short breath and continued with a cautious attitude.
“I know I shouldn’t be spreading such talk, but I felt I should inform you. I’m truly sorry if I’ve caused you any discomfort, Your Majesty.”
“Not at all. There’s probably nothing to it, but it’s not bad to know. You should go now. The young lady must be waiting.”
“Yes, then…”
As the viscountess left the palace, the expression disappeared from Vinea’s face as she turned around.
“Well, it was about time things started moving.”
She had wondered how long it would stay quiet, but it seemed that in this regression too, Eurene wouldn’t hide her great love for Tatar.
“Duke Castallo. I remember how dearly he cherished his daughter.”
He was the one who resisted most fiercely when Eurene Castallo was killed.
Whether it was sympathy for a daughter who had to live as if imprisoned for a lifetime, or genuine parental affection, the fact that he had moved meant that he was likely trying to change the situation in Eurene’s favor in some way.
“It seems he doesn’t agree with the duchess.”
When she saw the duchess kneeling that day, it seemed as if she would never let her daughter out of the mansion for her entire life, but the duke, who pitied his daughter’s situation, wouldn’t just stand by. Though she didn’t expect him to go to the Emperor Emeritus.
Vinea could easily infer the unfolding situation.
“So, she wants to attend the Empire Foundation Day by any means, is that it?”
Sorry, but I have no intention of allowing that.
If people are born with one talent, Eurene excelled at the ability to make people side with her. She had rarely been caught properly even after spreading all sorts of rumors about herself using that skill.
Why would I let her freely mingle in a place with many people for someone else’s benefit?
Vinea spoke to the servant.
“I need to visit where the Emperor Emeritus is.”
* * *
“Father!”
Eurene happily greeted Duke Castallo as he returned from the imperial palace.
“How did it go? What did the Emperor Emeritus say?”
“Let’s go up to my study first. What if your mother hears?”
The duke entered the study and sat in a chair, pressing his tired eyes.
Eurene stood in front of the desk and carefully asked again with a tense face.
“The Empire Foundation Day banquet, did the Emperor Emeritus say he would help?”
“Yes. When I delivered the letter you wrote, he became very angry. What on earth did you write?”
“It was nothing special. Just a simple greeting and that I wanted to attend the Empire Foundation Day banquet. I guess my feelings of frustration were conveyed in the letter. I’m sorry if I caused you trouble, Father.”
The duke shook his head with a pitiful expression at the sight of his daughter bowing her head with a sorrowful face.
“No, it’s not that. I should use my influence like this at least. I can’t allow your mother to take you to a villa far from the capital and make you live there. I don’t understand how your mother can do this to you, who hasn’t properly enjoyed freedom for your entire life.”
“Don’t be angry. Mother is just saying that out of concern for me…”
“It’s a problem that shouldn’t need worrying about in the first place! You’ve done nothing wrong, Eurene. Always walk with your head held high. Whatever rumors you hear, they’re all false rumors. I can’t tell you the details, but…”
As the duke trailed off, Eurene smiled brightly as if to say it was alright.
“I know that such rumors aren’t true, Father. I believe in both of you.”
“Eurene…”
The duke’s face, crossing with various emotions, soon pulled out a small pouch from the drawer.
“It’s quite late, but if you pay extra, you should be able to find a dress to wear to the Empire Foundation Day somehow. While your mother is receiving guests, quickly go to town. I’ve already spoken to the coachman.”
Eurene’s eyes widened. The duke forced a smile as he looked at his daughter’s green eyes filled with pure joy.
“I’m sorry. As a father, this is all I can do for you.”
“No, Father. I’m really happy. I’ll go quickly and come back before the guest leaves. Thank you.”
Eurene, with a brighter face than she had shown recently, left the study.
The duke, watching her, heaved a deep sigh.
“Now Eurene needs to know the truth too. Why she had to live in hiding for her entire life…”
He planned to call Eurene soon and tell her the truth. Whatever consequences it might bring, the duke thought it was the way to truly care for his daughter.
* * *
Eurene let out a small sigh of relief as she left the study.
Somehow, she would be able to attend the Empire Foundation Day after all. It was an opportunity she had struggled to get. Harboring a thread of hope, she had asked her father to deliver a letter to the Emperor Emeritus.
She thought that the Emperor Emeritus, being hostile to Veshnu, would surely help her. Above all, in her childhood memories, the Emperor Emeritus always gave her sympathetic looks, so her prediction turned out to be correct.
“Yes, Eurene. It’s not over yet.”
Even if she couldn’t get the dress she wanted due to the tight schedule, one chance given to her was enough.
She would definitely, definitely meet him. And then, she would turn his heart, bewitched by the empress, back to her, and put a final period on their long-unfulfilled love.
Returning to her room, Eurene opened a drawer and took out two palm-sized bottles with elaborate craftsmanship. One contained a red liquid, and the other a clear liquid, both swirling inside the bottles.
“Just in case…”
Both were received through Aksha. One was holy water, and the other…
“…I’ll put this one away for now.”
Eurene put the bottle with the red liquid back in the drawer.
Clutching the remaining bottle tightly in her hand, Eurene’s green eyes shone. Holy water is said to have a mysterious power to drive out evil things. It’s said to burn the flesh and rot the bodies of those abandoned by God, evil beings, when it touches them.
If necessary, she would sprinkle it on that devilish empress and reveal her black inner nature in front of everyone.
Eurene bit her lips as she recalled the scene she had witnessed in the empress’s garden that day.
“No matter how I think about it, it’s strange.”
A relationship that’s barely two months into marriage. From what she learned through the maids, there are few people who have seen the two together due to their busy schedules.
“At that time, they had only been married for a month. She must have used some wicked trick. Maybe that woman even knew I was there. Whether she drugged brother or used some dark magic…”
It was an unpleasant assumption that felt like committing a sin just by uttering it.
Eurene chewed on her plump lips as she put the holy water back in the drawer.
“I should hurry and go before Mother finds out. Brother said a light pink dress suits me well, so maybe I should look for a dress in that color…”
Despite the pain in one corner of her heart, the feeling of happiness when thinking of him remained the same.
If this isn’t love, then what is?
That frivolous act of exploring a man’s body in the garden only proved how light-hearted the empress was.
“She must have met all sorts of men. She must have seduced men with her beautiful appearance, just as she did with brother.”
But she was not like that. A pure and noble person. The only one worthy of being by his side.
Eurene smiled brightly at the mirror. A smile of a pure woman that the empress could never show.
