Chapter 18
The empress dowager, who had been silently listening to the emperor and princesses, now looked directly at Harzen and spoke.
“Your Majesty, I bore four children, one by one. The circumstances of her birth are already unclear, and now you speak of a hidden princess of Tane who started a war and was taken prisoner. Why on earth would Your Majesty need to form a political marriage with such a person? I wish to oppose this marriage.”
Exactly. I must be insane.
And yet, even now—at this very moment—she’s not by my side. What if the emperor of Tane does something reckless again? What if the princess doesn’t come here, and instead runs away? With no word from Rean, I feel like I’m going to snap from the anxiety.
He couldn’t clearly explain the cause of his unease. An obsession with a woman he wanted to possess.
But that alone couldn’t define the tangle of feelings. Though the emotion had no shape, it had already seized control of his reason.
“I oppose the marriage too, Harzen. A lady who’s a war commander? That’s absurd. Harzen, I’m absolutely against it.”
“Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, I’m not here to request your approval. I’m informing you. Prepare for the political marriage.”
Harzen spoke in a cold, firm voice and rose from his seat.
“Then, I’ll be heading to the Round Table meeting.”
***
A meeting room near the bedchamber of Emperor Kazan of the Tane Empire.
The emperor, wearing a dark purple velvet imperial robe and crown over his nightclothes, sat propped against cushions on a mobile bed.
The captain of the imperial guard and Empress Pamilla stood on either side of him.
To the emperor’s right sat the royal physician; to his left, the head representatives of the high noble houses with decision-making authority.
“Bring her in.”
The emperor’s voice, under the weight of the crown, was loud and commanding.
Imperial guards escorted Princess Patricia into the room and stood her in the center.
“Patricia Kalyan Evas, Princess of the Tane Empire, greets His Majesty the Emperor, Protector of the Arkan Continent and Master of Mount Hesperos.”
Patricia gave a proper bow to the emperor while inwardly surprised. Though he reclined in a mobile bed, his complexion looked good. Compared to Patrick, he seemed healthy.
‘Then this must not be the empress’s scheme alone… Could it be in collaboration with the emperor? No way—why?’
The emperor groaned inwardly as he watched Patricia enter the chamber.
‘Hmm. Aldisha.’
Perhaps because it was his first time seeing her in a dress, she reminded him strongly of Aldisha—especially during her days as crown princess.
The nobles who saw the shadow princess in person clenched their fists over their mouths, but sighs escaped here and there.
Patricia was the spitting image of Patrick, apart from hair length and body shape. In fact, aside from the feminine curves, even her petite frame was identical.
She also resembles Princess Aldisha of the Kingdom of Torun.
Golden, wavy hair, a pale and slender jawline, a sharp and pointed nose, a well-defined philtrum and full lips, and a proud expression held with regal poise.
She was unmistakably of the imperial bloodline of Tane, and resembled Patrick so closely that anyone could believe they were the same.
Duke Pars, chair of the royal assembly, cleared his throat and gave Patricia a slight bow.
“This is our first meeting, Princess. Then let us begin the emergency royal assembly.”
“Chairman.”
Patricia called to Duke Pars in a calm yet firm tone.
“First, I ask that you show proper courtesy to me, a princess of the empire. To bind someone as if they were a traitor before any guilt or truth has been determined undermines the dignity of the imperial house.”
The nobles, including Duke Pars, were surprised by Patricia’s composed voice.
With her back straight and her unwavering gaze sweeping across the room, her bearing was dignified and confident.
Emperor Kazan straightened his back and shoulders from where he had been reclining against the cushions. He was already displeased by the sight of the princess’s arms and torso bound with ropes.
‘Who would dare.’
Golden hair, blue eyes, sharp and distinct features. She was unmistakably a daughter who looked just like the emperor. As he glanced toward Pamilla—who he suspected of orchestrating the command to bind such a figure—his brow furrowed.
What’s more, unlike the quiet and reserved Aldisha, this girl, even while bound, was making her demands in front of the elder nobles she was meeting for the first time. The resemblance to himself, in that regard, pleased him.
In a low voice, the emperor spoke.
“Untie the ropes.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Patricia gave a slight bow while keeping her back straight.
The emperor had observed Patricia from afar—and sometimes up close—when she donned armor and went to war in Patrick’s stead.
Seeing her swinging a sword atop a massive warhorse, much too large for her, reminded him of his own youth.
She neither shrank back nor hesitated; she was quick. Though her movements with the sword were somewhat flashy, they gave her excellent command of space.
The emperor had been impressed. But to him, Patricia was like spilled water—irreversible.
Following the empress’s deep belief in the prophecy, the plan had been to send Patrick—once he regained his health as an adult—to the Kingdom of Torun. He was to be taken in by Aldisha’s family, House Valentin.
The problem was, just when Patrick seemed to be recovering, he fell ill again, and the emperor himself had also grown weak and bedridden for several days.
During that gap, he heard that the “shadow princess,” Patricia, had broken the peace with Karsik and initiated a war. The emperor had flown into a rage.
He assumed Patricia desired the crown princess’s seat.
And when reports came that she might be conspiring with Patrick to incite rebellion, he resolved to sever all paternal ties—ties that never truly existed—and get rid of her altogether.
It was only thanks to the clever Empress Pamilla that a solution was proposed—and it had worked on the Emperor of Karsik.
Yes. Better to send her to Karsik, who would return with golden eggs, than to send her empty-handed to Torun. A political marriage with the golden empire of Karsik was the wiser move, a hundred times over.
“One more thing I’d like to add.”
The emperor rubbed his chin as he looked at Patricia.
The anti-empress faction among the nobles had just seen Patricia calmly command her own release, and now accepted and acknowledged her as a princess.
Her composed elegance even reminded them of the late Empress Aldisha, stirring emotions of awe.
The empress’s faction, on the other hand, had been planning to name the second prince, Chris, as crown prince should Patrick fail to recover.
But now, seeing Patricia’s bearing, a few among the anti-empress nobles began to consider her as a potential crown princess.
“There is someone here who holds no decision-making authority in the royal assembly, and therefore has no right to participate. I ask that we proceed only after that individual leaves.”
Patricia looked at Empress Pamilla with a composed expression.
Pamilla’s face twisted. Her fiery red hair blazed like fire. Sensing the shifting gazes of the nobles, she glared at Patricia with venom.
‘You dare, without knowing who I am, to expel me?’
“You’re not in a position to order me around.”
“I am Princess Patricia Kalyan Evas. I may have grown up in the West Tower, but that doesn’t change my blood. On what grounds are you attending this royal assembly?”
‘Empress Pamilla. From House Rasbourg, a mere viscount family.’
Even as empress, her birth rank did not qualify her to attend a high noble assembly.
‘The Empress of Tane—and the woman who poisoned my mother.’
“The princess locked away in the tower seems unaware of who I am.”
Pamilla’s voice cracked sharply, her emotions laid bare. It lacked strength, only intensity.
Patricia’s fists trembled as she recalled Patrick, his face pale with poison.
“You are the mother of Second Prince Chris. You are beloved by His Majesty. But this royal assembly is a separate matter—”
“Enough! Silence. I permit the empress’s attendance.”
The emperor looked up fondly at Pamilla and spoke.
“Empress, come here and wipe my neck.”
Pamilla sat on the edge of the bed and leaned toward the emperor. She wiped the back of his neck with a handkerchief.
“Oh my, Your Majesty. Are you feeling unwell? Why are you sweating so much?”
She brought her face close to his neck and gently blew air over it. With fluttering hands, she stroked his thick neck and chest.
“You’re all damp. I’ll wash you up when this is over.”
She whispered softly into his ear. At her words, the shameless emperor’s face and neck flushed red. With his face melting into a deep blush, he pulled the empress’s waist toward him.
Pamilla looked at Patricia and curled one side of her lips into a sly, wicked smile.
‘I’ll remember everything, Pamilla. How you poisoned my mother, used poison on Patrick, and drove me to the battlefield with your schemes—I will remember it all, clearly.’
A cold light trembled in Patricia’s eyes. It was as though shards of shattered glass poured out—sharp and glittering.
The emperor slammed the floor with the royal scepter in his right hand.
“Duke Pars, proceed.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. To overcome the current imperial crisis, I declare the emergency royal assembly convened. First, the captain of the guard will conduct a brief inquiry of Princess Patricia, who initiated war with the Karsik Empire.”
‘Initiated war? I only carried out the order sent to Patrick by the emperor.’
“Princess Patricia, were you born as a twin to Crown Prince Patrick and concealed in the West Tower for 25 years?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“Do you admit to receiving, on behalf of Crown Prince Patrick, the marching orders bearing His Majesty the Emperor’s signature and seal?”
“It is not a claim—it is a fact.”
“Do you currently possess the marching orders?”
“No. They were confiscated during a search in Karsik.”
“That matter will be addressed again later. Princess, do you admit to donning full-plate armor and an ahmet helmet to conceal your identity from the soldiers and royal guards of Tane, and impersonating the crown prince?”
“Yes.”
“Do you admit to disregarding the order to resolve the assassination of the delegation returning from Karsik, and instead leading the war effort?”
“No, that is incorrect. An official order for the march was issued to Crown Prince Patrick, and we received word that a reinforcement unit would follow.”
“Princess! Answer only with yes or no. Did you go to the Karsik Empire in the crown prince’s place and command the war effort?”
Patricia clenched her fists tighter, her nails digging into the floor.
“Yes, I did.”
“On the tenth day after the war began, were you captured by the Emperor of Karsik in the Tamil Valley of Mount Victoire?”
“Yes.”
“Did you, the day after being captured, send a retreat order to your sub-commander via messenger bird?”
“Yes. I had planned an escape.”
“This constitutes Princess Patricia’s second major offense. After escaping from the Karsik emperor’s stronghold, you failed to rejoin the retreating army and instead crossed the border alone by train, arriving in the capital. Even upon entering the palace, you did not report in and instead met with Crown Prince Patrick to plot rebellion…”
The captain of the guard twisted and exaggerated Patricia’s every action as an act of treason.
“Your greatest crime is conspiring with the crown prince to assassinate His Majesty and the Empress. This note exchanged via messenger bird is the evidence.”
The captain presented the notes to the emperor, the empress, the assembly chairman, and the nobles. The emperor’s face turned pale with rage.
Finally, the captain laid two of the messenger notes in front of Patricia.
「Patty, your rose is in full bloom. Come safely—I’ll be waiting. I miss you. What about the spider and the red ant?」
「I’ll kill the spider and the red ant for you.」
