Chapter 61
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 61
The palace gossips were out in force, their tongues wagging incessantly.
Many voiced the opinion that while the Second Imperial Princess’s misfortune was tragic, it was patently unjust to shift the blame onto Sir Sieorkan. Under normal circumstances, the matter should have concluded with the punishment of the princess’s personal guards.
Above all, it was a decision made with utter disregard for the First Imperial Princess’s position.
Though their engagement had been born of political necessity, the two had shared a bond since childhood. While the official engagement had taken place only three years ago, their practical betrothal had spanned over a decade.
Criticism poured in from all sides regarding the decree that unilaterally tore the two apart. Everyone agreed that the Empress’s influence must have weighed heavily behind the Emperor’s unreasonable judgment. It was an open secret that she was engaged in a shadow war to place her young son on the throne.
“What do you think will happen to the relationship between the Crown Prince and House Sieorkan now?”
A maid, stirring a pot with a ladle, turned to ask the healer sent from the Empress’s palace.
The middle-aged mage, Marisen, was well-versed in the palace’s many rumors, as her duties frequently took her to the Main Palace. She answered nonchalantly while finely chopping a bundle of fresh herbs.
“Who knows… If Sir Sieorkan truly breaks his engagement with the First Imperial Princess to marry the Second Imperial Princess, you can consider the ironclad alliance between those two factions effectively dead.”
“Then, will House Sieorkan turn its support to the Second Imperial Prince?”
Marisen looked skeptical. “Knowing Sir Sieorkan’s temperament, I doubt he would shift his stance so easily.”
“Why? The Second Imperial Prince is much better than that scoundrel of a Crown Prince.”
At the maid’s reckless remark, the healer shot her a stern, warning look.
“You’d best watch your mouth. No matter how few people come and go here, even the walls in the Imperial Palace have ears.”
The maid pouted, but she was clearly shaken, as she began to glance around nervously for no reason.
Watching her, the healer let out a small chuckle and resumed her chopping.
Whatever happened to the relationship between the Crown Prince and House Sieorkan was of little concern to her. While she kept her ears open to rumors for her own protection, she generally had no interest in matters outside her immediate duties.
Marisen placed the rare, precious herbs into a small pot and worked the bellows. Before long, the Mandrake extract began to bubble, and a thick, herbal scent filled the kitchen.
Once the herbs had steeped sufficiently, she placed the jar on the windowsill to cool. Suddenly, a gruff voice drifted in from outside.
“Is anyone here!”
The maid, who had been sweating while shoving firewood into the furnace, jerked her head up in surprise. “Was someone scheduled to come?”
“I wasn’t told anything…”
Marisen leaned out the window to check the entrance of the Annex Palace.
Through the thickets, she saw a line of figures draped in flowing robes. At a glance, they did not look like anyone sent from the Empress’s palace.
Frowning at an ominous premonition, Marisen pushed the maid toward the back door.
“I’ll go out. You go to the Empress’s palace and bring the guards.”
Currently, the Annex Palace housed only a few maids, the Second Imperial Princess’s nanny, and Marisen herself. Because the Second Imperial Princess was exceptionally fastidious about who she saw, they didn’t even have a proper guard stationed there.
If those people intended harm, there was no way to stop them.
Knowing this well, the maid quickly slipped out through the kitchen.
Marisen waited until the maid was far enough away before crossing the hall and opening the front door. Standing at the entrance were two men in military uniforms and three women who appeared to be nobles. Marisen scanned them with wary eyes and spoke cautiously.
“What brings you here?”
“I have come to see Thalia Roem Guirta.”
The woman standing at the very back spoke as she stepped forward.
Upon seeing her face, Marisen gasped. Standing before her was the woman with the highest rank in the Empire after the Empress herself.
Marisen quickly bowed her head. “I greet Her Highness, the First Imperial Princess.”
“Dispense with the formalities and lead me to the child,” Aila Roem Guirta urged, her voice tinged with exhaustion.
Marisen raised her head and, after a brief hesitation, carefully voiced her refusal. “I beg your pardon, Your Highness, but the Second Imperial Princess has not yet fully recovered her health. If you could visit again at a later date…”
“Are you afraid I might harm my own sister?” The Princess’s voice suddenly turned cold. “Your loyalty is admirable, but you seem to forget who you are addressing. I am not making a request. I am giving an order.”
“If you understand, lead the way at once.”
Frozen like a mouse before a snake, Marisen eventually turned around.
Throughout the walk to the room, the First Imperial Princess did not say a single word. Marisen, constantly checking the Princess’s mood over her shoulder, swallowed hard as they approached the bedroom door.
It had been several hours since she lit the incense candles, so the Second Imperial Princess should be awake by now. However, she was deeply concerned whether her patient, who had grown incredibly frail, could handle such an overbearing visitor.
“The rest of you wait here. I shall go in alone.”
Upon reaching the end of the hallway, the Princess gave a firm command to her attendants and then cast a haughty look at Marisen. Under the silent pressure to announce her arrival, Marisen hesitantly knocked on the door.
“Your Highness, you have a visitor. May we come in?”
There was no answer from within.
Is she still asleep?
After a moment’s deliberation, Marisen gently turned the doorknob.
The room was thick with the sharp scent of herbs and a cloying sweetness, like fruit on the verge of rotting. Marisen frowned at the dizzying fragrance, then recoiled in shock when she saw Thalia sprawled on the bed like a corpse.
She rushed to the bedside and placed a hand under the girl’s nose; fortunately, she felt a faint breath.
Her relief was short-lived. Beneath the hem of the skirt that had ridden up to her thighs, she saw legs in a state of ruin. It seemed she had once again torn off the bandages and clawed at her scars; the reddened skin was covered in fresh scratch marks.
Exhaling a heavy sigh, Marisen placed her hand on the girl’s leg and cast a simple healing spell.
At that moment, a gaunt hand reached out and grabbed her wrist.
Startled, Marisen turned her head and involuntarily held her breath as she met a pair of misty blue eyes. The pupils, lacking focus, wandered aimlessly through the air. Following that minute movement of her gaze, the deep blue irises wavered like ripples on water.
Like the smoke the princess inhaled every day, they were eyes that disoriented the mind.
“…Who said you could just come in?” Thalia opened her lips, which were crusted with dried blood, and let out a beautiful voice laced with a metallic rasp.
Snapping back to her senses, Marisen quickly pulled the blanket up to cover the princess’s legs.
“Forgive me, Your Highness. A guest insisted on seeing you…”
As Marisen straightened her posture and gestured toward the door, Thalia’s gaze followed immediately. Marisen could feel the Second Imperial Princess’s fragile body go taut with tension.
Staggering as she pushed herself up, Thalia glared at her half-sister with wary eyes.
“What brings you to such a lowly place?”
“I came because I wished to speak with you.”
The First Imperial Princess stepped into the room, staring down silently at her sister’s sickly face before turning to Marisen.
“Leave us for a moment.”
Driven by the First Imperial Princess’s overwhelming presence, Marisen hesitantly stepped out of the bedroom. Just as she was about to close the door, the sight of the two sisters, born of different mothers, burned into her eyes.
Unlike Thalia Roem Guirta, who looked as if she might shatter at any moment, Aila Roem Guirta glowed with vibrant life.
For some reason, the stark contrast left a bitter taste in Marisen’s mouth. After staring at Thalia with shadowed eyes for a moment, Marisen finally closed the door with a heavy sigh.