Chapter 2
Aura had dreamed of this moment every day for three years—the moment she would stab Karl with this sword.
Now that she had stabbed the new emperor, a commotion was sure to follow. They would force her to kneel and hold a sword to her neck. They might even execute her on the spot.
But Aura wasn’t afraid. To her, she had already died three years ago.
Yet Karl covered his wounded side with his black cloak, acting as if nothing had happened.
“Princess Aura—”
Aura flinched. His voice was much lower and deeper than she remembered. It was no longer the voice of a boy, but that of a full-grown man.
“It seems the long years of confinement have affected her mind.”
He gave a slight nod. The knights quickly surrounded Aura.
“The room at the end of the west corridor on the fourth floor—that is the princess’s room. Escort her there.”
Karl remembered exactly which room was hers. He looked at her, speaking clearly as if he wanted her to remember his words.
“She is to be treated with the highest care. She will become the Empress of the Casa Empire.”
Aura thought she had misheard.
Empress? Is he seriously telling me to play the role of his wife now?
“Hah!”
A hollow laugh escaped her lips. Her rage had gone beyond its limit and turned into laughter.
“Ahahahaha!”
Aura’s thin body trembled. Her dry hair became messy. Her sharp, bitter laughter filled the audience hall.
The knights exchanged glances. No matter how they looked at her, this woman was clearly out of her mind. And she was supposed to be the new empress?
Aura barely managed to stop laughing. She brushed her hair back and muttered.
“Which one of us is really crazy?”
Her teal eyes glared sharply at Karl.
“I’d rather die than become your empress.”
“Why?”
He asked it so calmly that Aura was overwhelmed with emotion. She was determined to give him the most insulting answer possible.
“Because you’re of low birth.”
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The knights drew their swords in an instant.
“Your Majesty! Give the order!”
“How dare she say such a thing…! Unforgivable!”
Karl said,
“Put your swords away. Right now.”
“But, Your Majesty—”
“I said now!”
His fierce command made the knights flinch. One by one, they finally sheathed their swords.
Karl walked up to Aura, his face calm, his steps relaxed. The dagger in his side, the insult to his mother—none of it seemed to matter to him.
He placed a hand on her shoulder and whispered quietly,
“You’re right. I am lowborn.”
A mocking smile appeared on Karl’s lips.
“That’s exactly why I need someone noble like you, Aura.”
Aura was left speechless.
Karl was telling her he was going to use her—like picking up something he had once thrown away.
Suddenly, something inside her surged up.
“Urgh.”
Aura covered her mouth and sank to the floor. The world spun dizzyingly. It felt like someone was crushing her body.
She kept dry heaving, but there was nothing inside to vomit.
Aura collapsed, her consciousness drifting far away.
She thought,
If only this were just a nightmare I was having in the tower.
A few days passed.
The coronation for the new empress was just ten days away.
Aura had stayed locked in the princess’s room the entire time. Everything felt unreal. It was like she was still trapped in the tower, dazed and lost.
She refused all meals and medical treatment. She was afraid that if she ate and got treatment, the next step would be putting on a dress and shoes. And then she’d be dragged to the coronation.
She hated the thought more than death itself. To think she would have to stay by Karl’s side for the rest of her life.
Knock knock.
Someone entered after knocking. It was a middle-aged woman with greying hair. A group of maids followed behind her.
“Princess Aura, it’s been a long time.”
The woman gave a minimal bow. She was Tasha, the head maid of the palace and Karl’s former nanny. She had raised him in place of his late mother.
Aura had once tried hard to get along with Tasha. Though Tasha came from a fallen noble family, Aura had always treated her with respect and kindness. After all, she was like a mother to Karl.
But it was Tasha who had kept her distance. Aura later found out why—when she happened to overhear a conversation between Tasha and a maid.
“Of all the noble ladies in Casa, to marry a filthy Xenia girl. What a disgrace.”
Tasha hadn’t changed. Her stubborn face and arrogant expression were the same. Now that Karl was emperor, she seemed even more full of herself.
“Your Highness. I came because I heard you haven’t been eating at all.”
“Did Karl send you?”
Tasha’s face twitched with annoyance. Aura was speaking informally to both Karl and Tasha.
“As the rumors say, your mind is not in the right state. Let’s start with a meal, given the situation.”
She looked like she was ready to force-feed her if needed.
Aura was furious. Not just at Tasha, but especially at Karl. He must have received reports about her condition, and yet he sent only a maid?
She wasn’t asking for comfort or affection. But treating her like this—so dismissively—was something she couldn’t tolerate.
A faint smile crept onto Aura’s lips. She stood up.
“Since even Tasha herself has come, I suppose I should eat something. But I’ll wash up first. I feel gross.”
“Your meal first—”
“I said I’m going to wash up, Tasha.”
“…I’ll prepare it.”
Soon, they went to the bathroom.
Aura undressed without hesitation. As a princess and an imperial consort, it was normal for maids to see her body.
But the maids gasped in shock at the sight. Her ribs were clearly visible, and her arms were like sticks.
“You must eat more, Your Highness. You look no different from a corpse.”
Aura ignored Tasha’s words and stepped into the bath.
The water was warm enough, but for someone who had used cold water for so long, it felt too hot.
“It’s too hot. Add more cold water.”
A maid gently poured some in.
“More. It’s still hot.”
The maid added more cold water. The steam disappeared as the water cooled. But Aura still felt hot and suffocated.
“More.”
“I’ll check myself.”
Tasha sat by the tub and dipped her wrinkled hand into the water.
“If we add more, the water will be too cold.”
“I’m still hot.”
“If you catch a cold, how will you manage the coronation?”
Aura looked at Tasha silently.
Was she always this unaware of her place?
Looking back, she had been far too nice in the past. To have let someone like this walk all over her.
“If you’re a maid, you should be worried about the water temperature, not the coronation.”
“Princess Aura. I am His Majesty’s nanny.”
“I’m talking about your rank, Tasha.”
Tasha pressed her thin lips together. She was the head maid—but still just a maid. She sighed as if she no longer wanted to deal with Aura.
“…You really are broken in many ways.”
“Broken?”
Aura suddenly grabbed Tasha’s arm and yanked her into the bath.
“Aaah!”
Splash!
The maids screamed and covered their mouths.
“Lady Tasha!”
“Oh no, what do we do!”
Aura grabbed the soaked Tasha by the collar as she flailed in the water.
“Cough! Cough!”
Tasha choked on the water. Her face turned pale and her hair drooped like seaweed.
“Look at you. You’re the one who looks like a corpse.”
“Heeek…”
“You said I’m broken? Then go bring your master. Let him see for himself—whether this water is hot or cold.”
“Ugh…”
“I have something to say to your master. Now go.”
Aura shoved her, releasing her collar.
“Ahhh!”
Tasha fell back into the water. She thrashed around before finally crawling out, dragging her soaked skirt as she ran away. She looked absolutely pitiful.
The bathroom fell silent. The maids stood frozen in the corner. Aura leaned her head against the edge of the tub.
“What are you doing? Cold water.”
“Y-yes!”
One of the maids quickly fetched some and poured it in. Her hands trembled. Aura quietly watched and asked,
“Are you scared?”
The maid flinched and suddenly dropped to her knees, begging.
“I’m sorry! Princess Aura, I’m so sorry…”
Aura couldn’t understand it.
They’re scared… of just this?
She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt fear. It was the first thing she lost in the tower. When darkness lasts long enough, even fear grows dull.
Slowly, Aura sank into the bath. Her stiff body began to relax. A proper bath felt surprisingly good.
“Haa…”
She let out a deep breath. The fog in her mind slowly began to clear.
And then a question suddenly popped into her head.
Why doesn’t Karl just get rid of me?
She was the wife who had wished for death. She even stabbed him. Yet instead of executing or exiling her, he was trying to make her the empress.
“That’s exactly why I need someone noble like you, Aura.”
Noble.
That word gave her a clue.
Karl needs a “True Blood.”
True Blood meant a direct royal descendant—someone born from a legitimate bloodline. Such people were admired by the public just for existing. Aura had once been one of them.
Karl was far from that. He had taken the throne through rebellion. He needed the people’s support more than ever.
Marrying a True Blood would help stabilize his rule. But what royal family would give their daughter to a traitor? So, in the end, he decided to use me.
A calculated move. Nothing suited Karl more than that word.
He had always been that way. Hiding his intelligence and sword skills, enduring more than others could. Being targeted by the crown prince wouldn’t have helped him.
Even leaving for Debla must have been part of the plan.
It was better to hide until he had the strength for rebellion. He didn’t care what pain his wife would go through.
And his plan had worked. He’d become emperor.
Aura bit her lip quietly.
I won’t let things go your way anymore.
A while later, Aura stepped out of the bathroom. Just the bath alone had made her face look much better. Her hair, washed with good soap, gleamed faintly. She almost looked like her old beautiful self.
She returned to the princess’s room.
A man stood by the window, waiting for her. He was wearing a shirt instead of armor, his hair neatly pulled back to show a smooth forehead.
It was Karl.
With a cold gaze, he asked,
“Did you try to drown my nanny?”
