Chapter 62
Chapter 62
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: The Loved One
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Thalassa King Kyruse scowled at the letter. The letters from Callista had been coming more frequently ever since he had ignored them.
The contents of the letters were all the same.
Pheneios Emperor Asherad was angry at her. She was confined by the emperor and couldn't move an inch, so she begged for money and dresses. Otherwise, she pleaded for him to pressure Asherad into forgiving her.
That was all the pathetic drivel they contained.
"She's become utterly pathetic!"
Kyruse bellowed.
He had adopted her and made her an empress of the empire, even if only nominally as his daughter, but she had turned out to be a complete disappointment.
It would have been best if she had borne the emperor's child, but just as the emperor fell ill and Asherad went off to war, leaving her to lead the government, she ended up losing the power struggle to the new emperor.
Who could have known that foolish emperor would die so soon?
He cursed the late Belenus. While Belenus was a puppet and Turbul Duke was running the country, Callista should have made the imperial palace entirely her own. It might have been difficult as a foreigner, but with the support of Thalassa Kingdom, she could have managed it.
Callista had ignored all his advice, and now, at such a young age, she was relegated to a forgotten corner like an old hag.
"Kyruse, what's this?"
Callista's mother and the queen consort, Lydia, snatched the letter from his hands. It was a mother's intuition.
Kyruse grimaced but handed it over without resistance. Lydia had been bedridden lately, fretting over the lack of contact from Callista, and he pitied her.
"Oh, heavens, the poor thing."
As expected, Lydia began sobbing upon seeing Callista's tear-stained letter.
"Darling, please help Callista."
Of course, that's what Lydia said. Kyruse loved her, but her foolishness grated on him at times.
"Don't talk nonsense."
Even though he had been the suitor, the king inherently held the upper hand in their relationship.
He had sent Callista to a foreign land for that very reason. He alone, as king, decided the extent of her support.
He doted on Callista, but he also wanted to be rid of her quickly.
"She said it herself. The emperor tried to kill his beloved, and that's why he's furious."
"......"
"Even I would be angry if someone tried to kill my cherished lover. And she wasn't even the empress—what right did she have to...?"
At his rebuke, tears began streaming from Lydia's eyes. They were the tears of Thalassa's greatest beauty. Like jewels falling, a fragile beauty that seemed about to vanish. Seeing it, the king's resolve weakened.
"When will she ever grow up...?"
Just as he was about to suggest sending a modest sum that wouldn't tarnish Callista's dignity, Lydia dropped a bombshell.
"She loves the emperor!"
"What nonsense is that!"
Lydia sobbed loudly. If that statement was true, it wasn't just immaturity—it was sheer idiocy!
"She sent that to you, of all people?"
"Love is nothing to be ashamed of! We fell in love despite our age difference!"
"Don't you dare say that anywhere else!"
"Why not!"
Argh! The king wanted to tear out what little hair he had left. The mother and daughter were driving him mad. They were a true calamity.
At first, Callista had absurdly declared she wanted to be Asherad's wife. He thought she had come to her senses when things quieted down, but apparently, she was still clinging pathetically.
As if that would ever happen.
Love between a woman old enough to be his mother and a boy young enough to be his son? Especially when the emperor showed no interest?
Did she intend to have Thalassa branded as a barbaric, immoral nation of incestuous savages?
All the gods forbade incest. Even without a drop of shared blood, how repulsive was such a relationship!
"If you don't want the whole nation branding Callista a witch, tell her to shut her mouth right now!"
"Kyruse!"
"Do you even realize how filthy it is for her to express those feelings outwardly? Good grief."
The king forced down the flush of anger on his face. Lydia sniffled. But this time, he could not yield to her.
As he cursed Callista, his thoughts turned to Asherad.
"This is all that young punk's fault."
The king wasn't oblivious. Why else would the emperor suddenly become a vegetable? It wasn't hard to guess that the pretty boy had seduced Callista.
"Arrogant male whore."
Regardless, shouldn't he overlook a few faults for looking after the country while naive Callista was away at war? If not for those damned cannons of his, the king wouldn't have to grovel like this. He ground his teeth.
"Your Majesty! An official dispatch has arrived from the empire."
"An official dispatch?"
Shortly after the letter from Callista arrived, a sealed missive bearing the imperial seal flew in. Was it to officially condemn her actions? Grimacing, he curled his lips upward.
"Yes, that's more like it."
Asherad's letter thoroughly satisfied him.
It expressed concern over his displeasure regarding Callista, reassurance that her punishment would be brief. And...
"Who shall I send this time?"
It announced plans to select an empress for Pheneios. A personal letter stating he would welcome an empress for the empire.
This surely meant forging ties with Thalassa Kingdom once more. Asherad was always timely in providing delectable prey.
* * *
"Done reading? Can you throw it away now?"
Daphne sighed and handed the book to Amanda. Amanda frowned. It was Daphne's new hobby.
Why ask her to throw it away specifically? Amanda glanced around furtively, book in hand.
"Sis! Got the book?"
"Yeah."
"Good."
"You actually find this fun?"
"Of course. Studying letters is the best."
The stable boy approached Amanda, who was about to discard the book. He asked if she was throwing it away and, if so, could he have it since he wanted to learn to read.
The moment she saw the coins he offered, Amanda thought of her young sibling and gave him the book.
The boy took it with a bright smile, then quickly schooled his expression and passed it to someone else. All communications happened this way.
It was Daphne's scheme, knowing Amanda's soft spot for such things. She knew Rocania Count had taken a great risk visiting her.
The palace always sourced books from fixed vendors, and Daphne made sure to buy the ones Rocania Count specified. Hidden within were his encoded messages, which she decoded.
Holding the book, Daphne felt strangely secure. The clueless maid who had floundered aimlessly now seemed like someone important. Hope flickered within her too.
But the count's message made her sigh.
'Approach the emperor quickly.'
It urged reconciliation with Asherad. Daphne sighed. She recalled her last conversation with Rocania Count.
* * *
"Become the emperor's devoted concubine, living and dying by his side."
That was Rocania Count's final instruction. Daphne agreed it was necessary.
"But... the emperor doesn't love me, my lord."
"What?"
The count let out a scoffing sound, as if it were ridiculous.
"After all that commotion, you still don't get it?"
"Well, His Majesty... has feelings for the Empress Dowager."
Rocania Count struggled to suppress his laughter.
"What nonsense is that! Anyone can see it plain as day. Like his father, Emperor Asherad is obsessed with you."
"......"
"The emperor loves you."
Daphne looked confused at his firm declaration.
"But that favor might not last. Do you know what he's doing now? Preparing to take an empress."
"......"
Seeing Daphne's shock, the count continued.
"So, you must hurry."
Rocania Count had worn a look of certainty then. He smiled cruelly.
"Make him love you the most. That way, he'll go mad without you."
Turning love into revenge. It was a sweetly tempting proposition.
* * *
Daphne gripped her skirt hem, gazing out the window. Asherad wouldn't come today either, it seemed. Now she had made up her mind. She would use the method Rocania Count suggested.
"I want to stroll in the garden."
Daphne smiled at Amanda. Among her many shoes, she chose a pair with heels.
"Those are pretty."
"You can't walk in high heels."
"But everyone else wears them, so I want to try."
"......"
Sara looked at Daphne with concern. The path to the garden was treacherous.
Daphne's steps wobbled unsteadily in the high heels. Long accustomed to low-heeled leather shoes, her gait felt unnatural.
She eyed the tall stone steps in the garden. Biting her lip, she held her breath and stepped onto them carelessly, as if the stairs floated in midair.
"Eek!"
Daphne's body pitched forward. She tumbled down the steps. Pain shot through her as if her body had been battered.
"Ah, Daphne!"
Sara cried out in alarm. The escorting knights rushed over, startled.
Daphne tried to rise. But her legs wouldn't support her. Blood trickled from a scrape on her knee.
She contorted her face in pain.
There was little else she could do but abuse her own body like this.
Supported back to her room, Daphne examined her injured leg. Fortunately, only a sprained ankle and scraped knee.
Her whole body ached from the shock, covered in bruises. Daphne laughed bitterly at herself.
What if Asherad didn't come even after this? By now, word should have reached him.
She fiddled with the bandage around her leg. Would he bat an eye over an injured dog? Rocania Count clearly knew nothing.
As Daphne awkwardly tried to stand, the door burst open.
She stared blankly at the intruder. It was Asherad. The moment she saw his disheveled hair, her eyes widened.
Her heart began to pound.
Why had he come like this?
'The emperor loves you.'
Rocania Count's voice echoed in her ears.