Chapter 24

In the shadows, the Emperor’s face was expressionless, but Dianne could read the pain there without much effort.

When he took a step forward, the princess took one back, her expression remaining defiant as ever.

He stopped a few paces from her, not closing the distance.

“How have you been?”

“How do you think I’ve been, Your Majesty?”

Still not “brother.” Just “Your Majesty.” Dianne noticed it, and from the slight twist at the corner of the Emperor’s lips, she wasn’t the only one.

“Lira.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Then what should I call you? Princess?”

Elphenlira’s expression contorted.

The Emperor let out a short sigh. His face looked drained and worn.

“If you were only a princess, then yes, I would’ve chosen a match for you, and you would’ve married him.”

“No matter what you say, I won’t go to Arathos.”

“Can’t you at least meet the crown prince?”

Anger surged across the princess’s face. Her hands clenched into fists as she spat her words.

“Edric was killed because of Arathos’s scheming, and now you want to send me to them, too? Or is it that you’re so willing to trade away human emotions for national interest?”

Despite her harsh accusation, the Emperor didn’t flinch.

“I would stake my life on this. Ravellan Arathos is not behind the murder of Edric.”

“Then if you’re so sure, why don’t you get married?!”

“If you keep refusing like this, I may have no other choice.”

Dianne couldn’t stop herself from turning sharply to look at him. His face was still that same impassive mask. Even the princess looked taken aback.

His voice remained even, unshaken.

“If you won’t marry Ravellan Arathos, then perhaps I’ll take his sister as my Empress.”

“…”

“But between a princess of Catalos marrying into Arathos, and a princess of Arathos becoming Empress… which do you think is the greater danger?”

Even with the shock hanging in the air, Dianne’s thoughts were spinning.

The Emperor was already under pressure from the anti-Arathos faction of nobles, simply for considering reconciliation with Arathos.

Choosing a marriage for the princess was still considered to fall squarely under the Emperor’s prerogative. But the Empress’s seat was a different matter entirely. The woman who became Empress was not merely the Emperor’s consort. She would rule Catalos with him.

If heirs were born of such a union, they would be half Arathosian by blood. And with that bloodline, Arathos might well find an excuse to meddle in the Empire’s internal affairs.

The nobles would never tolerate the Emperor marrying a princess of Arathos. Even those who had once favored reconciliation would turn on him in the face of such a scandalous proposal. The political backlash and pressure he would face would be beyond anything he’d endured so far.

Surely the Crown Prince of Arathos bore a similar burden. For him to be willing to take Elphenlira as his bride had to mean some level of political sacrifice. And with that realization, Dianne understood that the bond between Rezion Catalos and Ravellan Arathos ran deeper than she’d imagined.

And there was no way the princess hadn’t done the same calculation. Her face turned pale, almost paper-white.

The Emperor took a single step toward his sister.

“Lira. The fact that Ravellan Arathos and I were born in the same era, that we came to our thrones without shedding blood… it’s nothing short of a miracle.”

“…”

“If peace isn’t forged between Catalos and Arathos in our generation, who knows when another chance will come? Or whether there’ll be one at all. Another war is far more likely. You’ve seen it already. Look at Count Baldin’s territory.”

The princess clenched her jaw and turned away, refusing to meet his eyes. The Emperor watched her for a long moment, then spoke again, quietly.

“I know you blame me for Edric. And it’s true that I was never fond of your relationship with him. But I never wanted him dead.”

Her voice came out between clenched teeth, bitter and sharp.

“I don’t believe you.”

There was a moment of silence. Then the Emperor, at last, gave a faint nod.

“Very well. I yield. I won’t bring it up again.”

Perhaps it was the unexpectedness of his response, but Elphenlira’s eyes widened slightly.

“Still, it would be best if you ended this way of living. Even I won’t be able to protect your reputation forever.”

“…I don’t care about that.”

The Emperor gave a bitter smile and turned away. Elphenlira couldn’t see it from behind, but Dianne caught the faint twist of pain at the corner of his mouth.

To Dianne, who stood like a statue, he said, “It’s getting late. Let’s head back.”

“Would you go on ahead? I’ll follow shortly.”

He looked between his sister’s pale face and Dianne’s, then nodded.

Only once his footsteps had fully faded down the corridor did Dianne turn back to the princess.

“Your Highness. Forgive me for saying something so impolite.”