Chapter 115
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 115
A sudden, fierce gust of wind swept through the garden. Through the veil of her wildly fluttering hair, Thalia saw Senevia’s form blur into a hazy, distant silhouette.
Thalia, who had been standing as rigid as a stone statue, finally lowered her gaze to the rippling pond. It wasn’t just the news the woman had delivered that wounded her; it was Senevia’s clinical detachment—the way she treated Thalia’s agony as a mere curiosity—that truly gouged at her heart.
Suppressing the bile rising in her throat, Thalia forced her voice to remain steady.
“Surely, you didn’t travel all this way just to deliver a rumor? Her Majesty the Empress seems to have more leisure time than I imagined.”
“Of course not.”
The Empress’s lips curled downward, her amusement seemingly dampened by Thalia’s dry reaction.
“I told you. I wanted to see with my own eyes how you and your husband were actually faring. And, if possible, I intended to win over the Grand Duke of Sieorkan.”
A sigh, heavy with disappointment, escaped her lips.
“But he wouldn’t be moved. It seems your husband is determined to make Gareth the Emperor, no matter the cost.”
“Then what on earth did you expect?”
Thalia let out a sharp, hysterical laugh.
“Did you truly think he would abandon his principles simply because he married me?”
“I can’t say I didn’t harbor some hope of that,” Senevia replied nonchalantly, her gaze drifting toward the fortress walls bathed in the blood-orange glow of the setting sun.
A fallen leaf, carried by the wind, brushed against her cheek. Senevia snatched it out of the air, twirling it between her fingertips before crushing it into dust.
“Barkas has always been prone to emotional reactions where you are involved. I noticed long ago that something about you provokes him. Naturally, I expected you to be more proactive in shaking his resolve.”
Senevia let the crumbled remains of the leaf scatter into the wind and turned back to Thalia. Seeing the hint of reproach in her mother’s eyes, Thalia’s face hardened.
After fixing a look of cold reprimand on the daughter who had failed her, the Empress glanced toward the knights waiting in the distance.
“In truth, your husband seems to care for you quite a bit. Seeing him so wary that I might harm you was actually quite refreshing.”
“……”
“But unfortunately, it seems he doesn’t value you enough to break a long-standing vow.”
Thalia looked up at her, her face drained of color, yet she forced herself to maintain her composure. It was a fact she already knew. There was no reason to let it hurt her all over again.
She lifted her chin defiantly.
“I… I don’t care in the least who Barkas supports. Whether Gareth becomes Emperor or Athros takes the throne, it has nothing to do with me. So don’t even think about dragging me into your war, Mother!”
“You are already a part of this war.”
Abruptly, Senevia leaned in, her pupils like dark abysses looming inches from Thalia’s face. She spoke as if searing the words directly into Thalia’s mind.
“That was decided the day you were born. Do you think Gareth will tolerate your existence once he becomes Emperor?”
Thalia’s lips trembled, but she could find no words to refute her.
Senevia continued in a cold, ruthless tone. “Gareth won’t care that you are the Grand Duchess of the East. Even if it means making an enemy of House Sieorkan, he will seek to destroy you. Barkas Raedgo Sieorkan seems to believe he can restrain Gareth, but he fails to realize that to do so, he would eventually have to kill him with his own hands.”
The words, sounding like a dark prophecy, chilled Thalia to the bone. Before she could even attempt a rebuttal, Senevia pressed on.
“Your husband is a blind man when it comes to the heart. Locked inside the fortress of his own logic, he is incapable of perceiving human madness. That man sees neither Gareth’s hatred nor Aila’s love. He doesn’t understand how destructive spite can be, or how ugly love can make a person. Your husband’s ignorance will ultimately lead to the ruin of you, me, and Athros.”
Thalia recoiled, desperate to deny that reality. At that moment, Senevia’s strong fingers tightened around her skin.
Gripping her daughter’s shoulders firmly, Senevia finally reached her point.
“So, Thalia, you must help me.”
“What… what could I possibly do? I have no power…!”
“You are to provide an heir for House Sieorkan.”
Thalia’s eyes froze. All thought evaporated at the sudden, jarring demand. Even amidst her confusion, where the whistling wind felt miles away, Senevia’s voice cut through.
“And you will make that child Athros’s friend. Just as your husband is loyal to Gareth, your son will become a loyal subject to mine.”
“Stop… stop talking nonsense!” Thalia screamed, twisting her body to shake her off. “Was I not enough? Now you intend to use a child who hasn’t even been conceived for your ambition? Why should I? Why must I—!”
“Because it is the only way for you to survive.”
Senevia’s tone grew even harsher.
“Why can’t you understand that if Athros doesn’t become Emperor, you are finished? Gareth is your enemy. For the past ten years, you have relentlessly picked at those children’s wounds. Surely you didn’t believe you could escape that karma just by leaving the Imperial Palace? Especially after you stole Aila’s fiancé?”
“That was because you made me—!”
“It was your decision.”
A fierce voice cut off Thalia’s protest.
“Even without my demand, you must eventually bear a child. If you fail to produce an heir, not only Gareth but even the Eastern nobles will demand a divorce. What do you think your husband will do then?”
A sharp sneer hung on the corners of Senevia’s lips.
“Answer me, Thalia. Will Barkas Raedgo Sieorkan protect you even if it means turning his back on the Crown Prince, Aila, his own kin, and his vassals?”
Frozen by the cruel question, Thalia eventually cried out in desperation.
“If Barkas wants a divorce, then let him! If Gareth wants to kill me… then let him! It’s not like I ever wanted to be born anyway…!”
Wailing like a cornered beast, Thalia suddenly gasped. The sheer contempt in Senevia’s eyes instantly stripped away her will to resist. The woman who was once her entire world stared her down with a face full of disillusionment.
“Do you know? Many beasts abandon their weak young. That way, they increase the survival chances for themselves and their other offspring.”
Thalia met those swamp-like eyes with a face of utter despair. The woman finally gave voice to the threat she had long whispered only with her gaze.
“But humans, unlike animals, cannot abandon their children so easily. That is the reason I haven’t abandoned you yet.”
Fingers as soft as flower petals descended upon Thalia’s cheeks, which had turned as white as if all life had drained from them. Only then did Thalia realize she was crying.
Mimicking the gentle touch of a mother comforting her daughter, Senevia whispered softly into her ear.
“You won’t believe me, Thalia, but I have feelings too. I felt them the day you were born. You, who looked just like me, were beautiful, and it was a joy to watch you grow. Those feelings made it so I couldn’t bring myself to discard you, even when you ceased to be useful.”
Beyond the ceaseless flow of tears, her mother’s form blurred. However, the voice echoing in her ear only grew clearer.
“So, do not disappoint me any further.”
Thalia bit her lip until the salty taste of tears and the metallic tang of blood spread across her tongue. She felt suffocated by the sobs trapped in her throat.
“You understand what I mean, don’t you?”
When Thalia managed a small, broken nod, ice-cold lips touched her eyelids.
Is this what it feels like to be kissed by a corpse?
Thalia stared blankly at Senevia’s satisfied smile before lowering her gaze to the garden where dusk had settled. Their shadows, tangled together in the twilight, stretched long across the grass like a malformed monster.