Chapter 18
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 18
As she passed the Main Palace, Thalia noticed the servants recognize her and hurriedly press their foreheads to the ground. They likely feared the notoriously ill-tempered Second Imperial Princess might find some excuse to lash out at them.
Ignoring the maids whose faces were masks of pure shock at her unannounced arrival, Thalia stepped into the Empress’s palace—a residence decorated more lavishly than any other wing of the Imperial Palace.
At dusk, Senevia usually enjoyed a banquet with the Emperor in the Main Palace or spent her time quietly in her own quarters. Thalia guessed today would be the latter.
Just as she expected, Senevia was resting inside a secret workshop located behind her private library.
Descending into the basement through a hidden passage between the bookshelves, Thalia was met with a dizzying cocktail of scents: various medicinal herbs, pungent aromatic oils, and a faint, acrid trail of smoke.
Violet particles drifted through the air of the spacious room, which was cluttered with alchemical vials and strange experimental apparatuses. Beside a roaring fireplace, stacks of books written in the tongues of many different races were piled high.
It was a scene so chaotic it was hard to believe it belonged to her mother, a woman who usually surrounded herself only with the most precious and exquisite things.
However, Thalia crossed the room with practiced ease and walked up to the desk where Senevia sat. The Empress was leaning back in a chair cushioned with thick velvet, scanning a parchment scroll.
The fact that her mother didn’t even acknowledge her presence made Thalia’s insides burn as if she had swallowed a hot coal.
Thalia leaned over the desk, her words hissed through gritted teeth. "Athros came to see me just a moment ago."
Only then did those deep blue eyes finally flick toward her. Thalia continued cynically.
"According to him, I’m to be married soon."
"I didn’t realize Athros took such an interest in your affairs," Senevia said indifferently, setting the parchment down.
Seeing her mother focus only on her brother until the very end, Thalia felt a sudden impulse to start hurling things. She gripped her skirts, barely suppressing the violent urge.
"Why do I have to find out about my own marriage through him? And what’s this about me joining the pilgrimage? What kind of scheme are you plotting now?"
"A scheme? How unpleasant to hear."
Senevia let out a small sigh and rose from her seat. Thalia was momentarily captivated by her mother’s flawlessly elegant movements before watching her with wary eyes as a soft smile played on the Empress’s face.
Senevia spoke cheerfully, her voice sounding like that of an innocent young girl.
"You’ve reached the age to marry. A proposal came in from a suitable candidate at the right time, so I simply moved things forward."
"Is that 'suitable candidate' that snake of a man, Serian?"
Thalia curled her lip, recalling the slick-looking man who had escorted her at the banquet.
"I assume you’ve thoroughly vetted him, Mother?"
"If you’re asking whether Serian can perform his duties as a man... he can. He possesses quite excellent talents in that regard. If you wish, he will serve you with a most willing heart."
Thalia had thrown the comment out to mock her mother’s notorious history with men, but the retort she received was so much more horrific that she completely lost the composure she had been struggling to maintain. Every word Senevia spoke felt like a spider crawling over her skin.
Thalia let out a sharp shriek.
"I don’t need a disgusting man like that! I’d rather bite my tongue and die than let that man lay a finger on me!"
"Oh dear..."
Senevia cupped her cheek and sighed as if in pity.
"Then I shall look for another groom. I was actually just narrowing down a list to see if there were any other suitable candidates."
She gestured toward the parchment on the desk. Thalia recognized several names written there and shuddered. They were all Senevia’s fanatical devotees.
Is this woman planning to make one of the men who lusts after her into her daughter’s husband?
Anger and fear boiled together in her gut.
"I don’t want to get married! Don’t start pretending to care now—just leave me alone like you’ve always done!"
"Does that mean... you will accept no man other than the heir of Grand Duke Sieorkan?"
Struck suddenly in her weakest spot, Thalia turned pale and recoiled.
Senevia pulled the corners of her mouth back, her venomous tongue lashing out like a viper.
"If you wanted him so badly, you should have used any means necessary to claim him. I kept that man by your side for seven long years. What on earth were you doing all that time?"
She shook her head as if in disappointment.
"In a few months, the man you wanted will become another woman’s property. Are you just going to stand by and watch?"
Thalia’s shoulders trembled. It was chilling to realize that Senevia had seen right through her all along.
After staring at her daughter’s pale face for a moment, Senevia donned the mask of a benevolent mother once more. She continued in a sweet, coaxing tone.
"Thalia, I planned this solely for your sake. To offer my precious daughter a way out of her current miserable situation."
Long, white fingers brushed softly against Thalia’s cheek. It felt like a white snake slithering over her skin. Thalia froze, her body stiff as if paralyzed.
Senevia peered into her daughter’s terrified face and whispered as softly as a feather.
"There are two paths for you. One is to use any means necessary to seize the man you want. The other is to become a slightly less miserable loser."
Her supple voice stuck to Thalia’s ear like thick sap.
"I chose the former and gained everything I desired. But if you lack the ability to do that, then choosing another partner who is 'good enough' and pretending to be as happy as a winner is also a way. It’s a bit pathetic, but if you’re going to be a loser anyway, wouldn’t it be better to at least save your pride?"
Thalia hurriedly pulled away from her like a beast escaping a trap.
Senevia offered her daughter a gentle smile.
"This trip is the last chance I’m giving you. Think carefully about which path you will choose."
Thalia shot a rebellious look at her before fleeing the workshop. A light, bird-like laugh followed her like a shadow. The sound clung to her mind for a long time, refusing to fade.
* * *
Ultimately, Thalia found herself embarking on a journey with the half-siblings who despised her.
Since the Empress’s palace provided all the personnel and equipment needed for the trip, there was nothing for her to worry about personally. Senevia had even tried to attach her own private soldiers and high-ranking mages as guards.
However, this plan fell through due to Gareth’s fierce opposition. The Crown Prince was already beyond enraged at the fact that he had to take his eyesore of a half-sister on the journey. There was no way he would obediently follow an order to bring the Empress’s subordinates along as well.
Rumor had it that Gareth had gone directly to the Emperor and engaged in a heated argument to have Senevia’s orders rescinded. It was a relief for Thalia. She also had zero desire to spend the trip surrounded by her mother’s zealots.
For my sake? Don’t make me laugh...
Thalia glared at the servants loading luggage onto the carriage while picking at a hangnail.
There was no way Senevia would go through all this trouble for her. She definitely had an ulterior motive.
She watched the servants sent from the Empress’s palace with suspicious eyes.