Chapter 114
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 114
A heavy silence descended upon the banquet hall.
Thalia, sensing every eye in the room fixed on her, forced a smile onto her lips.
“What are you doing? Bring the guests in at once,” she commanded.
When she rebuked the head butler, her tone was a calculated mask of composure. The man standing by the door licked his dry lips nervously.
“That is… it seems Your Highness must receive these guests in person.”
Thalia’s brows shot up. Currently, she held the highest social standing in the East. There was no guest in existence for whom she would need to personally rush out to greet.
Just as she was about to snap at him, the man’s trembling voice pierced the air.
“The—the one leading the delegation… is Her Majesty, the Empress.”
Thalia’s mouth fell open. Her mind went blank, the world around her turning into a dull roar. She only snapped back to her senses when she heard the rising murmurs of the crowd.
She hurriedly fled the banquet hall. In that moment, she didn’t even have the luxury of worrying about the attention drawn to her uneven, limping gait. Her skirts fluttering behind her, Thalia sprinted across the wide hall and burst out of the building.
In the castle courtyard, hundreds of delegates stood in perfect formation, bearing the flags of the Imperial Household. The woman standing at the front waved with a bright, radiant smile.
“Thalia!”
The woman, shining as brilliantly as the sun, crossed the garden as if walking on clouds. She looked so fresh and vibrant that it was impossible to believe she was the mother of a nineteen-year-old daughter.
“Have you been well?”
In an instant, the woman reached her and pulled her into a sudden, tight embrace. Her arms were as soft as cream, and the sweet scent of her skin made Thalia’s head spin. Thalia looked up at her, her eyes swirling with a chaotic mix of confusion, anxiety, fear, and longing.
“M-Mother, why are you here…?”
“To see you, of course,” Senevia whispered affectionately, leaning in to kiss her daughter’s cheek. “I was so curious about how you were doing that I begged Birus to send me as an envoy. And as always, he couldn’t break my stubbornness.”
Then, cupping her daughter’s cheeks with slender fingers scented with roses, she quietly studied her face.
“Your complexion looks better than when you lived in the Imperial Palace. It seems your husband is treating you well.”
Suddenly, for reasons she couldn’t name, a chill ran down Thalia’s spine. She hurriedly pulled away from her mother as if she had been burned.
“Really… why are you here? What kind of scheme are you plotting this time—!”
“Your Majesty.”
A voice as sharp as frost cut her off.
Thalia turned toward the sound. Barkas was walking across the garden, a gray fur-trimmed cloak draped over a long black cotehardie. He seemed to have rushed over directly from the Cathedral Assembly upon hearing the news. Bringing with him the heavy scent of frankincense, Barkas subtly stepped between Senevia and Thalia and bowed.
“Thank you for traveling such a long distance.”
“My condolences, Grand Duke Sieorkan.”
Senevia’s deep blue eyes, as murky as a swamp, slowly scanned the young man. He looked as though he had been precisely carved from marble. A peculiar smile spread across her lips.
“Your father must have died without regrets, having seen his son grow into such a fine man.”
At her patronizing tone, a faint, cold sneer flickered across Barkas’s lips. He replied in his characteristic monotone.
“I am unworthy of such excessive praise.”
“You are as humble as ever. Many in the Imperial Palace miss you.” Letting out a soft laugh, Senevia added, casting a meaningful glance toward Thalia, “In particular, the Crown Prince and the First Imperial Princess seem to feel your absence deeply. It’s only natural, considering how close the three of you were.”
Thalia gritted her teeth to keep from reacting. Senevia, who had been watching her closely, turned back to Barkas with a cheerful smile.
“Now that I think of it, those two asked me to deliver a message to you. Could you spare a moment for us to speak privately?”
A sharp glint flashed in Barkas’s eyes. It was a fact known to the entire world that those two would never ask Senevia for a favor. What was she trying to discuss with him that she would resort to such a transparent lie?
He felt nothing but an ominous premonition.
Thalia clutched Senevia’s sleeve, her hands trembling with spasms. “You said you came to see me. Talk to me!”
At her desperate outburst, a flicker of annoyance crossed Senevia’s face. Thalia felt a sudden, crushing sense of helplessness, as if she had reverted to a nine-year-old child. Just as she stood there, pale and paralyzed by her mother’s coldness, a large hand settled on her shoulder.
“Your Highness, please go to your room and rest.”
Barkas, pulling her away from Senevia, gave instructions to the maids waiting by the door. “Escort the Grand Duchess at once.”
As soon as the command was given, the maids swarmed forward. Thalia turned away reluctantly, but a sweet voice echoed behind her.
“Let’s save our mother-daughter catch-up for later.”
Thalia glared at her over her shoulder before finally walking away.
*
Senevia, who had remained in Barkas’s office for a long time, finally came to find her at sunset.
Thalia, who had been pacing her room, immediately ran toward the door. However, her nanny was one step faster. The nanny rushed out, grabbing Senevia’s skirts and shedding tears as large as raindrops.
“Your Majesty! To see you again from so close… I can die now with no regrets!”
“Oh my, why talk of dying?” Senevia detached the nanny from her person with practiced ease and let out a girlish laugh. “You must live a long, long time. How could I ever be at peace if Thalia didn’t have her nanny by her side?”
The nanny looked up at Senevia with a face full of adoration. Thalia, watching the scene with loathing, pulled her mother’s arm with an impatient hand.
“Can you spare some time for me now?”
At the sarcastic question, Senevia’s eyes crinkled. “Of course. I came here specifically to talk to you.”
She then flashed a smile at the knights of House Sieorkan who were following them like guards.
“I wish to speak quietly with my daughter. Would you mind giving us some space?”
“I apologize, Your Majesty. For the safety of you both, I cannot follow that order.” Tyron El Drakan bowed his head, politely but firmly expressing his refusal.
The Empress looked at the knight who had defied her with interest, then lightly shrugged her shoulders.
“It seems being alone is out of the question. Shall we take a short walk then?”
Thalia, her expression wary, grabbed her coat and left the room. Countless eyes followed them as they passed through the hallway toward the garden. It seemed everyone in the castle had gone on high alert at the news that a political rival of the Grand Duke’s household had walked into the East of her own accord.
However, Senevia remained unbothered by the stinging glares. Descending the stairs with majestic poise, she crossed the hall with fluid grace. Thalia followed behind, limping.
Her back was soon drenched in sweat from the effort of trying to keep pace with Senevia. But the Empress seemed to have no intention of showing any consideration for her disabled daughter.
Stepping into the garden where the sunset glowed, Senevia turned back to the knights with an innocent expression. “Surely it’s all right to keep a little distance?”
When the knights hesitated, she applied pressure with a sharp, smiling face. “Or were you ordered to eavesdrop on our conversation?”
“……No. We will wait here,” Tyron replied reluctantly.
Senevia did not hesitate and stepped onto the path covered in fallen leaves. Thalia, staggering to keep up, spoke up urgently once she judged the knights were far enough away.
“What is your real purpose for coming here? Don’t lie and say you came to see me. I know better.”
“I really did come to see you. I wanted to see how you were doing.”
Thalia snorted. This was the woman who hadn’t even shown her face on the day Thalia left for the East. What nonsense was she spouting now?
Just as she was about to snap back, Senevia whispered into her ear as if sharing a secret.
“And, I also wanted to see if there was any possibility of your husband turning to our side.”
Thalia’s eyes widened. Senevia, looking down at the rippling surface of the garden pond, continued calmly.
“Because of his marriage to you, Gareth seems to have begun doubting the loyalty of House Sieorkan. That’s why he’s reaching out to the North to find a replacement power.”
“Does that mean… are you saying he’s pushing for a new marriage for Aila?”
“Yes. It seems Gareth expects the Duke of the North to fill your husband’s vacancy.” A bleak smile hung on Senevia’s lips. “But I don’t know if that marriage will actually happen. Your husband is actively interfering.”
Thalia gripped her skirts so hard her knuckles turned white.
Senevia added cruelly, “Thanks to that, the Imperial Palace is rife with stories of the unrequited love between the First Imperial Princess and the young Grand Duke of Sieorkan.”