❖ ❖ ❖

But as she looked at the food placed in front of her, her eyes trembled in dismay.

“What is this supposed to be?”

“Ugh!”

Sienna quickly closed the dome-shaped food cover and covered her mouth.

The moment it was lifted, a strong, nauseating stench hit her – something fishy and foul.

Worse, what was in the bowl wasn’t the nourishing soup that was supposed to be there.

A dark red liquid – it was unmistakably blood.

“I’ll go to the kitchen and find out what happened.”

Sienna said, her steps unsteady as she moved towards the door.

But just then the door opened and in stepped the Dowager Empress, Tana.

It must have been the shift change for the guards outside and the timid maid who’d been left alone had foolishly let her in.

“Dowager Empress.”

Sienna said as soon as she saw Tana, her face filled with fear as she backed away.

Alicia also quickly bowed and stepped aside.

Fortunately – or perhaps unfortunately – Estel was not present at the moment.

Tana didn’t spare either of them a glance.

She entered the room as if it were her own, brimming with arrogant confidence.

Her eyes, unusually crimson today, swept sharply across the room.

“Is something wrong?”

“There seems to be a problem with Lady Freya’s food. I was just about to check with the kitchen.”

But before she could finish, Tana’s lips curled into a smile.

“No need for that.”

Her crimson eyes gleamed as they curved gracefully, a strange smile spreading across her face.

“I had this prepared especially for you – so there’s no need to look into it.”

As expected, the ominous feeling wasn’t wrong.

The maids exchanged uneasy glances.

The Emperor had told them clearly: if the Dowager Empress ever visited Freya again, they were to inform him immediately.

“We greet Your Majesty, the Dowager Empress.”

Freya rose and offered a proper greeting, to which Tana responded with an overly benevolent smile.

“No need to stand. Your body may not have fully recovered yet.”

Tana’s crimson eyes narrowed sharply as they met Freya’s violet gaze.

“Nothing restores strength like deer blood. That’s why I had it prepared just for you.”

“I… I’m fine.”

Freya said after a moment’s hesitation, forcing the words out with difficulty.

“Are you refusing the favour your elder has graciously bestowed upon you?”

Tana’s sharp voice rang through the room, echoing harshly.

“That’s not what I meant…”

“Drink it.”

“I…”

“Enough of your excuses. Drink every drop – leave no drop behind.”

It wasn’t a suggestion.

It was an order.

When Freya still hesitated, Tana, as if she had expected it, threw off the food cover roughly herself.

Then she shouted to the maids who had accompanied her:

“Force her mouth open.”

The stench of blood hung thickly in the air.

Tana’s servants, who had been anxious since they entered the room, now stood frozen in fear, their faces pale.

They exchanged panicked glances, clearly afraid to act recklessly and risk repercussions.

“I said open your mouths – what are you waiting for?”

The Dowager Empress clearly intended to make the future Empress drink this – no matter what.

And it was obvious what would happen if Freya refused and tried to resist.

Without another word, Sienna stormed out of the room.

And she ran.

Desperately.

For her mistress and no one else.

❖ ❖ ❖

Rabion’s breath grew ragged as he listened.

It was all he could do to contain the fury that was rising violently within him.

‘So she really wants to bring about her own downfall.’

This was the end.

All those long years of weary forbearance, prolonged by the faint trace of sympathy they once had for each other – it ended here.

There was no longer any reason to pity Tana.

To think she had sunk to committing the same cruelties that Empress Calliope had once inflicted upon him.

A wave of unbearable disgust surged through Rabion’s chest and he exhaled sharply.

“What are you waiting for? I said pour it down her throat!”

Tana’s voice echoed down the corridor as Rabion approached Freya’s room.

He slowed his steps, collected himself, then entered with a calm stride as if nothing had happened.

“Dowager Empress. What brings you here again?”

“Ah, Your Majesty.”

Tana turned at the sound of his voice and greeted him with a bright smile.

Her gaze soon shifted to Sienna, who stood just behind Rabion, clearly shaken and frightened.

“So, you were the one who ran off earlier.”
The way Tana looked at Sienna was nothing short of chilling.

“What’s your name, girl?”

“S… Sienna Avery,” came the trembling reply, barely escaping her pale lips.

“I see, Sienna. I’ll be sure to remember that.”

Tana’s gaze was like a blade, sharp and merciless.

Sienna trembled violently, unable even to raise her head.

Rabion’s brow furrowed deeply at the sight.

“I asked what business brings you here.”

His eyes went worriedly to Freya, but she stood still, showing no emotion, as if turned to stone.

“I heard that the future Empress was lacking in energy, so I simply wanted to give her something good for her health.”

Tana replied, completely calm and shameless.

“And is that why you ordered the maids to force it into her mouth?”

“So you heard that, did you?”

Tana’s face remained completely unaffected, not a trace of surprise or guilt.

“How can you order food to be forced into someone’s mouth? And this… this is blood, isn’t it?”

“Yes, that’s right. It is blood.”

Tana shrugged casually. Then she gestured with her long, slender finger at the deep red liquid that filled the bowl.

“Deer blood, said to be excellent for restoring vitality.”

“Ha…”

A sigh escaped Rabion’s lips.

He could see through her devious intent.

It was as if Empress Calliope had returned from the grave.

“So you were going to feed it to her?”

At his words, Tana’s expression turned cold in an instant.

“Did I offer her something unfit to eat?”

“That’s not…”

In truth, it wasn’t.

The people of Karl’s kingdom had long drunk deer blood.

It was said that Imona, the goddess of war, drank it regularly.

To her, raw deer blood was sacred – precious even.

“I was only trying to look after the health of the future Empress.”

“Forcing something into someone’s mouth against their will is another matter entirely.”

Tana scoffed.

“I hear the future Empress has survived on nothing but soup so far.”

“……”

“She’ll never regain her strength on that alone. How does she expect to be Empress if she only does what she wants? Sometimes you have to do things you dislike. I was simply trying to help her recover – by force if necessary.”

It was utter nonsense.

But there wasn’t nearly enough justification to formally punish Tana for it.

Realising this, Rabion just stared at her in silence.

Encouraged, Tana continued.

“Honestly, I couldn’t stop thinking about what happened yesterday, so I started preparing for this. Looking back, it seemed the one who truly needed the royal physician that day was the future Empress herself. As her elder, I just wanted to do something — anything — to help her. But she doesn’t see the sincerity behind my actions, and… it’s disheartening.”

Rabion was speechless.

He had no intention of continuing this tiresome back and forth.

And besides, this blood… There’s something wrong with it… Rabion’s face turned sharply.

“Dowager Empress.”

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

“This deer blood… I mean.”

“Yes. Go on. What is it, Your Majesty?”

“There is something strange about it.”

As he finished, a heavy sigh escaped Rabion’s lips.

The moment he expressed his suspicion about the blood, Tana’s face contorted.

“Are you saying, Your Majesty… that I’ve poisoned the deer blood?”

“That’s not what I meant…”

Rabion trailed off deliberately.

He had drunk more deer blood than he could count.

He knew its taste and smell well.

Fresh deer blood should never have such a foul smell.

There was no doubt in his mind – this blood had gone bad.

All that mattered now was whether Tana knew it.

But there was no need to dwell on that question – Tana’s impulsive reaction gave him the answer.

“Hah…”

Suddenly, without giving anyone time to stop her, Tana lifted the bowl and brought it to her own lips.

She drank without pausing, and as the thick blood ran down the corners of her mouth, the sight was almost grotesque.

Everyone stared in stunned silence.

When she’d finished, Tana wiped her mouth and fixed Rabion with a glare.

“There. Satisfied? Are you still going to accuse me of poisoning her?”

Rabion almost let out a bitter laugh.

‘That temper of hers… some things never change.’

If anything, it seemed to grow more ruthless with time.

The Tana of old had never been like this.

A faint, involuntary smile tugged at his lips – perhaps from the quiet disappointment he felt.

In any case, it was clear now that Tana hadn’t known that the blood had gone bad.

Having come to that conclusion, Rabion turned to her and began to speak calmly.

“Dowager Empress, that’s not what I meant…”

“Not what you meant?”

“The blood… seems to have gone a bit bad.”

“What do you mean?”

Tana’s face immediately turned pale.

The blood she had just drunk… had gone bad?

It was the same deer blood that Empress Calliope had forced upon her many times in the past, summoning it whenever she pleased to torment her.

Since then, Tana had developed the habit of drinking deer blood in a single gulp, without pausing.

So much so that she now felt she could probably drink it straight from a deer’s neck without hesitation.

So she had gulped it down without a second thought – driven by the urge to prove there was no poison in it and to be able to speak confidently afterwards.

‘The blood… went bad?’

Tana stared at the now empty bowl in disbelief.

Now that she thought about it, a sickening metallic taste rose from her throat, as if her body was reacting to the thought alone.

“Urk-!”

“Your Majesty!”

Startled by the sight of Tana covering her mouth and choking, her maids quickly rushed to surround her.

“Urk-!”

She choked again, then grabbed a cloth from one of the maids and held it over her mouth.

All she could think was that she had to get out of this room right now.

Staying any longer would only make her a laughing stock.

Tana cursed endlessly in her head.

It was all because of that shameless woman.

How dare the queen of a defeated nation shamelessly settle in the palace and claim the title of Empress of this realm?

‘One day… I will drive you out, no matter what.’

Her crimson eyes, now watery from gagging, burned with fury as they fixed on Freya.

As Tana stumbled hurriedly from the room, Rabion had to stifle a laugh – there was something almost pathetic about her nervous retreat.