Chapter 94

The Duke of Gabriel’s voice was more of a command. His confident demeanor suggested that no matter how much Vail talked about forming a new family, he wouldn’t dare refuse the proposal.

“Of course, you have no right to become my heir. You wouldn’t dream of overstepping my son’s place, would you?”

Vail looked the Duke straight in the eye, but it wasn’t for long.

He bowed properly and responded, “Of course.”

As soon as Vail answered, the Duke clicked his tongue, trying to hide his relief. If Vail became the Duke’s adopted son, people wouldn’t separate Vail’s achievements from those of the Gabriel family.

“Now that it’s come to this, you might as well lead the next war—as my adopted son.”

“I will,“ Vail responded, though he believed Liliana would do whatever it took to prevent the war. But there was no need to mention that.

The Duke rubbed his chin, gazing at Vail, and then suddenly asked, as if recalling something, “Why did you form a connection with Empress Consort Liliana?“

“Doesn’t her child have a claim to the throne of the Kingdom of Nieta?”

“Ha! So, you were helping her to secure a position in Nieta.“

“Yes.“

“Your ambition is pitifully small. So small!”

The Duke ridiculed Vail.

“But now that you’re my adopted son, use Empress Consort Liliana differently.”

At this, Vail’s eyes sharpened—not with the burning desire for vengeance, but with a cautious, protective gaze.

Lowering his head as if to hide his expression, Vail asked, “Do you intend to ally with Empress Consort Liliana?“

“Hmm, according to you, doesn’t she want to have a child who could become the king of Nieta?“

“Yes, that’s right.”

The Duke snorted. “Fine. Tell her I propose a collaboration.“

“Is that not against uncle’s wishes?”

The Duke licked his lower lip with a thin tongue and spoke sinisterly. “Once she bears a child, she’ll inevitably covet the throne. So, we’ll use her, then kill her. No doubt about it.”

A grin spread across his face as the Duke reveled in his cruel thoughts.

“Before that, though, it’d be good if she had a miscarriage. That way, we could use it as an excuse to hurry the marriage between the Emperor and Beatty. Besides, when things get desperate, she’ll cling to any rotten lifeline, no matter how rotten.”

What filth. Every word he spoke seemed to reek of Vail’s malice.

While Vail couldn’t even muster a false agreement, the Duke reached a conclusion on his own and let out a hearty laugh.

“Just imagine the Emperor’s face when she loses the child! He brought in a foreign princess to try and secure the throne, thinking he could hold the Duke of Gabriel in check, and now look at him!”

Vail bowed to the Duke and left.

Outside, Beatty stood, her face pale. She must have overheard their conversation.

“It’s been a while, Lady Beatty.“

“… Father’s really going to let that woman stay pregnant?”

Vail glanced toward the office and then back at Beatty. “Yes.“

“How could he…? If she has a miscarriage, the Emperor will protect her more!”

Beatty hissed in a low voice. If the Duke overheard, he would surely scold her, saying she was too soft-hearted and that becoming Empress was the only proof she had won the Emperor.

“Tell that woman I’ll beat her.“

“It’s not part of the plan. You’ll gain nothing by beating her.”

Beatty glared at Vail with her beautiful but harsh crimson eyes.

“We need to uncover her true nature. Once we do, the Emperor will stop looking at her… in that way.“

“In that way? What do you mean?“ Vail asked.

Tears welled up in Beatty’s aggressive eyes. She quickly turned her head and stormed down the hall.

Vail sighed, rubbing his forehead. It would’ve been easier if the Duke and Beatty were aligned, but things were getting complicated. In any case, he needed to deliver the message to Liliana as soon as possible.

—

「…It seems Lady Gabriel will visit the Emerald Palace soon. Be on guard—very much on guard. —Vail」

Liliana felt faint as she read the letter. The mere thought of facing Beatty again made her dizzy.

As she placed the letter on her desk and pressed a hand to her forehead, Sophia reached out to organize it.

But Agrina was quicker. Knowing the letter was from Vail, she hastily threw it into the fireplace.

She even carefully tended the flames to ensure no letter scraps remained.

“What did it say?“ Agrina asked worriedly.

Liliana sighed long and replied, “Lady Gabriel plans to visit my palace again.“

“Do you think she actually likes His Majesty?“

“Don’t say such dreadful things!”

Liliana shouted with a distressed face. Meanwhile, Sophia peeked outside the door as if sensing something and stepped out.

Sophia quickly returned and informed Liliana of a visitor.

“Your Highness, there’s a guest.“

“What? Don’t tell me it’s Lady Gabriel?!”

Liliana jumped up in alarm, but Sophia chuckled at her reaction, shaking her head.

“No, it’s Lord Hesdin. Didn’t His Majesty say he’d inform you about the spirits? It seems he’s here for that.“

“Oh, I see.”

Liliana heaved a sigh of relief, her chest rising and falling with its intensity. Agrina, with her hands on her hips, scolded Liliana.

“Your Highness, how can you be so frightened of her? She’s just a tall, foolish woman—nothing special about her!“

“How can you say she’s nothing special? You don’t understand.“

“Oh, I understand well enough. Regardless, Your Highness needs to stand up for yourself more.“

“Easier said than done!”

Liliana grumbled as she made her way down to the front gate of the Emerald Palace. There was no point in making Hesdin come to her office when they were heading to the imperial palace together anyway.

At the gate stood Hesdin alongside the Empress’s carriage.

“Greetings to Her Highness the Empress Consort.“

“Lily, my dear big little one!”

Of course, Aria was with him. As soon as she saw Liliana, Aria embraced her warmly. With Aria’s towering height, Liliana fit perfectly into her arms.

“Aria, have you been well?“

“Of course, of course. When can I embrace the Gathis River?“

“Ah, first, we must meet His Majesty! He will know the best timing better than I do.“

“When you say ‘His Majesty,‘ you mean your king.”

Though Liliana knew he was the Emperor, she figured the difference wouldn’t matter to an ancient being who had been around since dawn.

Liliana nodded as she climbed into the carriage, but Aria’s expression didn’t seem pleased.

“I don’t like him.“

“What? Why?”

Liliana was taken aback. How could anyone dislike Helio?

One might be afraid of him, but disliking him? That was hard to fathom, especially since no one was as charming as Helio.

Aria sat next to Liliana, looking as though she were reminiscing about the past—or, more accurately, predicting the future.

“Isn’t he Lilith’s father?“

“Yes, that’s right.“

“When Lilith was just a newborn, he caused her a lot of suffering, didn’t he?”

Aria puffed out one cheek in displeasure.

Hearing that, Liliana started to understand a little. Aria adored Lilith, so disliking that Lilith wasn’t born into complete happiness made sense.

But Liliana knew better. She knew how much Helio loved Lilith once he realized her existence and how hard he tried to give her the best love in the world.

So Liliana shook her head with a soft smile.

“When Lilith was first born… yes, you’re right. But His Majesty will love her dearly. He will be the best father in the world.”

Aria rested her elbows in the air, using the space like a chair or table, as though it could serve any purpose she wanted. She stared at Liliana with a beautiful, bright smile that made Liliana’s heart skip a beat.

“My big little one, you really do love your king.”

Those words made Liliana’s heart race for an entirely different reason. She opened her mouth to speak but quickly turned to look out the window instead.

Even as Aria looped her arms around her, laughing softly, Liliana cleared her throat and refused to turn back.

However, when Aria kissed her on the cheek, Liliana was so startled that she had no choice but to look back. She gazed at Aria with wide eyes as Aria smiled playfully, her eyes crinkling at the corners.

“Our big little one is just too adorable!”

Liliana felt that it was impossible to win against this ancient Spirit King, who had lived for eons.

As Liliana bantered with Aria, Hesdin looked on resignedly, and Agrina, on the other hand, appeared utterly confused.

At last, the carriage arrived at the imperial palace, where a chamberlain greeted Liliana.

Helio was often busy, so most meetings took place in his office. However, today, he had a bit of leisure and instructed them to meet him in the reception room.

As the chamberlain opened the door and Liliana entered, Helio, standing by the window, turned his head.

“You said you’d come to see me, but you’re late. What are you going to do about that?“

“Were you waiting for me?“

“I’ve been waiting since last night. I finished my work so quickly because you were coming that Ternz almost fainted.”

Helio gestured for her to come closer, but Liliana, aware that Hesdin was watching from behind, couldn’t bring herself to rush to his side as usual.

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