***
“So you failed after all?”
Empress Dowager Patricia, who was with priest Jack, stood up in surprise. The assassin, who committed suicide, had barely managed to swim in the river and come to the Empress Dowager’s audience chamber.
“I’m sorry. Your Highness! The emperor suddenly appeared………”
“So you’re saying that Carius was there as well!”
The Empress Dowager’s pupils grew larger than ever.
“Please forgive me!”
On behalf of the Empress Dowager, Jack asked the assassin.
“Has there been any reaction from the Empress?”
The assassin replied, “I grazed her shoulder and she grabbed her heart.”
The assassin’s words caused Jack’s eyes to take on a different color. However, the Empress Dowager accused Jack in a sharp tone.
“It was foolish of me to listen to you and act accordingly!”
“Please calm down first.”
“Right now, the Empress is about to grab me by the ankles, and you tell me to calm down?”
“Still, the Empress’s reaction is………”
The Empress Dowager snickered at his words.
‘How long can you keep up such preposterous talk! How can I put the Empress down with that?”
”Your Highness, please calm your excitement……….”
“Get out of here, both of you, I don’t want to see you!”
Empress Dowager turned her head away coldly, and Jack and the assassin greeted her and then secretly went outside.
As soon as they left, she let out a deep sigh as her whole body relaxed and she slumped into her seat.
It was obvious that a massive investigation of the incident was going to unfold, as it coincided with the attack on the emperor as well as the Empress, so Patricia held her head as if it was hurt.
‘I believed the ridiculous story from a ruined priest.’
She had to use her brain as much as possible to avoid this situation. If the assassins or Jack were caught by the guards, they were bound to talk about her and Edgar.
No matter how strong an heir Edgar was to the throne, if he was accused of killing the current emperor, he would not be able to avoid being executed.
At that moment, a maid quietly entered the room.
“Your Highness, the Duke is here.”
Patricia’s eyes went wide at the maid’s words.
“What timing is this ……!”
“What should I do?”
The maid asked insinuatingly.
Patricia nodded, then hastily changed her expression. She greeted Edgar, who entered soon after, with a placid expression.
However, Edgar’s face was somewhat gloomy. Facing him like that, Patricia felt inconsolable. Edgar sat down and stared at his mother, then quickly said in a calm tone.
“I heard a terrible rumor. Is it true that the Empress and the Emperor were attacked?”
At Edgar’s words, Patricia clutched her chest as if trying to contain her surprise.
“Yes. I only heard about it today. How could such a thing happen in the Imperial Palace…?” (Patricia)
However, Edgar cut her off at once and then said in a cold tone,
“Unfortunately, the nobles believe that mother is behind this.”
“How dare they!”
Edgar stared at his mother and recited in a low voice.
“I also know that it is mother who is behind it.”
Patricia’s eyes began to shake at the sharp tone of her son’s voice. She barely managed to keep her trembling voice in check.
“The joke is terrible, Grand Duke…!”
But Edgar’s eyes were sharp as if he could see through his mother’s true heart.
“Why did you try to kill the Empress!” (Edgar)
It was the first time he spoke loudly in front of the Empress Dowager.
Patricia was surprised to see her son like that, and her whole body hardened. She smiled in vain as how absurd it was.
Edgar took a deep breath as if he could barely contain his anger. Then he said in a hard tone.
“What would you have done if the empress had died?”
Edgar frowned with a gaze that seemed to shed all kinds of resentment. Patricia’s eyes grew wider and wider as she saw her son’s unfamiliar appearance as he revealed his true nature. She said in a voice as cold as ice.
“We should get rid of whoever it is in our way.”
Edgar’s anger flashed as he grew even angrier at her words.
“It was reckless. You’re going to kill the Emperor too!”
“I wasn’t trying to kill the emperor!”
Patricia lost her voice of reason and raised her voice. Edgar only sighed deeply as he stared at her in silence.
There was nothing but a still, silence in the audience chamber. Edgar was depressed and remained silent for a long time.
How long did the time pass? Edgar began to speak heavily, not making eye contact with Patricia.
“Cut off their tongues. If they* start talking about mother, it’ll be a big problem in the future.” (*The assassin and whoever was involved) (Edgar)
“….”
“Deal with it this evening.” (Edgar)
Eventually, Patricia nodded lightly.
“That’s what I intended to do.” (Patricia)
“And….” (Edgar)
Edgar barely suppressed his boiling anger and gradually raised his head. Then he muttered with fierce eyes. As if he was giving her a warning.
“Don’t touch the Empress.” (Edgar)
Patricia’s mouth fell open in panic at the first fierce look her son gave her. Edgar didn’t care about the panicked look on her face and said firmly.
“If you hurt her again, I won’t stay still, mother.” (Edgar)
Patricia’s teeth trembled in dismay at her son’s words. She asked back through clenched teeth.
“If I don’t stop?” (Patricia)
It was the last of her patience. It was for the sake of her son. But Edgar didn’t want to have it.
“I will no longer obey mother’s will.” (Edgar)
“What do you mean…..?”
“…..”
Instead of replying, Edgar got up from his seat and walked straight out.
Patricia could only stare at the back of her son and clenched her dress tightly.
‘How can you do this to me…I have lived my life only looking out for you………’
Edgar’s steps from the audience chamber began to slow down. He had lost his way due to his confused mind. He became still and pensive.
Why was it that his relationship with her* kept getting more and more complicated? It was like crossing a river from which there was no return. (*Liv)
He wanted to win Liv’s heart. No, he wanted to have it. He wanted to be by her side, no matter what excuse he had to use.
Edgar left the Empress Dowager’s palace and headed for his carriage as he crossed the vast garden. He then turned to leave the Imperial Palace and headed for the Empress’s Palace.
***
The bedroom of the Empress Palace.
Liv, wearing a full mint-colored dress, was sitting with her chin on the table, with the edge of her dress fluttering, and was thinking about something.
Liv had discovered the fact that the holy water came down from the family of the priests from generation to generation through the priests.
Currently, excluding the priests of the Tower, there was only one person who could attack her so far, and that was priest Jack.
And it was clear that the Empress Dowager was behind it.
‘Priest Jack suspects that I have regressed……’
The fact that he used the holy water to attack her meant that he suspected that she had regressed.
Fortunately, the arrow just grazed her shoulder. Otherwise, she would have died right there and then in the most painful way possible.
As for Liv, it was imperative that she find Jack as soon as possible and figure out that it was the Empress Dowager who had done this. The fact that the Empress Dowager wanted to kill not only her, but Carius as well, was a slaying.
She was lost in thought when Jane walked in.
“Your Majesty, Grand Duke Edgar asked to see you.”
Liv’s eyebrows raised at the mention of Edgar’s visit. Seeing the look on her face, Jane asked modestly.
“What should I do…………?”
Liv stared at her thoughtfully.
‘Perhaps through Edgar I can learn more about the Empress Dowager’s mind……..’
Liv nodded to Jane. It meant to bring Edgar to the audience chamber.
She deliberately hid her cold expression as she made her way to the audience chamber.
She sat in the upper seat and stared at the open door. Immediately, Edgar came into the audience chamber, wearing a white uniform without a single wrinkle.
As soon as he was inside, he hurriedly looked at Liv’s complexion.
“Are you alright….?”
A faint laugh escaped Liv’s lips. Was it because his concern felt fanciful? She just raised one side of her mouth slightly and said,
“Fortunately, I’m fine.”
She glared at him, but that didn’t stop Edgar from worrying.
‘I was worried. You hurt your shoulder, didn’t you?”
Without asking for permission, Edgar rose from his seat and approached Liv.
Liv stepped back as much as possible, feeling uncomfortable. Then she spoke in an emotionless tone.
“You should be more worried about the Emperor. He’s concious, but his recovery slow due to his busy political duties…..”
Edgar’s face immediately tightened and he sat down again. He stared at Liv and said softly.
“Word on the street is that the people who attacked the two of you are me and my mother.”
Liv’s eyes widened and she stared at Edgar as he spoke indifferently. Liv was simply astonished as he delivered a performance so wonderful that it nearly fooled her.
She hastily changed her expression.
“That’s a new story. It couldn’t possibly be that the Grand Duke and Empress Dowager gave the order.”
A plausible way of speaking. But her cold gaze that saw through everything.
Edgar had anticipated all of this, which only made the feeling even more poignant. He replied formally.
“Then I’m thankful.”
Edgar lowered his gaze for a moment, seemed to have made up his mind, and lifted his eyes again.
“In order to quiet the terrible rumors, I intend to protect the Empress from now on.”
Liv could not believe her ears at his cheerful confession. She asked in a panic.
“What does …… that mean?”
Edgar took a deep breath. Then he said quietly with a gentle smile.
“I will not let anyone harm you in the future. This is my promise to you as Grand Duke.”
His decisive voice, the sadness in his eyes, and the way he said it almost blinded Liv, and she began to feel her whole body stiffen and suffocated.
It was as if she was standing at the edge of a cliff.