Chapter 5: The Truth Revealed (3)

Once Charelle and the wet nursemaid left, only Rui’s soft breathing remained in the bedroom.

It was going to be a sleepless night.

With nothing better to do, Larie sat by the window, drawn to what little moonlight she could find.

It was almost the new moon.

The faint light, as fragile as her hopes, barely illuminated the paper in her hands.

She picked a page at random and began to read.

As her eyes passed over the date—clearly from the most recent edition—

her lips parted slightly in a daze.

―…There is much speculation about the purpose of the delegation sent again by the Rassium Empire.

The most likely theory is a proposed political marriage between the two empires,

with the empty Empress’s seat being the key…

The knights had said as much.

And now the newspapers, distributed across the capital, were saying the same.

“All of it is nonsense.”

Was Terian truly lying to her?

But what followed in the article was even more alarming.

―…Excluding Shupetania, the largest known coal mine,

the Rassium Empire still holds considerable coal reserves.

Since the signing of the coal export agreement with the Panor Kingdom following His Majesty’s coronation, Rassium has become a crucial supplier to our winter fuel needs.

In this sense, coal offered as a dowry would be a strategic necessity…

…Given Rassium’s desperation in the face of Shupetania’s aggression toward the vulnerable kingdom of Alfrang,

a political marriage with our empire becomes not just likely, but vital.

“…….”

The word coal froze Larie completely.

As if she’d forgotten how to breathe.

A slow ripple spread through the heaviness that had long weighed down her heart—

a dark shimmer like water, but one that looked almost like a bruise.

When she first overheard the knights speaking, she’d wanted to believe it was just the usual scorn reserved for a Tromperie.

But now, with the truth of Rassium’s coal bound up in the political marriage, everything… fit. Too perfectly.

If the Rassium Empire was truly earnest about the marriage,

then a preexisting empress within Laxtreen’s palace was an obstacle.

The Rassium princess, noble in blood, would be forced to enter only as a concubine.

But what if she could be offered the empress’s seat?

What wouldn’t they give up for that?

And for Terian, that could be a bargain.

He had many ways to cast Larie aside at the opportune moment—

Her disappearance two years ago. The child he believed was not his.

If it was all true, then it was a script so perfect, it chilled her.

“…So that’s what it was.”

A faint murmur slipped through the quiet room, as soft and broken as ash.

Considering the sins her family had burdened her with,

perhaps this was just karmic retribution.

Using someone like her to bring in more coal—

they’d simply be selling her for a high price.

These were just rumors. Words in a paper read by commoners.

Hardly the foundation for absolute truth.

And yet—

Larie felt a quiet, suffocating resignation begin to press in from all sides.

Even if these weren’t his intentions,

in this current state, using her would be the “right” move.

That thought made her recall Terian’s recent behavior.

Perhaps he hadn’t stopped hating her.

Just like when they had stayed married—

he was merely enduring it.

If that were the case…

then it made sense why he had ignored her for two years,

only to suddenly come searching now.

As her thoughts spiraled, Larie couldn’t stop the bitter laugh that welled inside her.

To think she’d once believed leaving would somehow be for his sake.

How foolish.

“…….”

An unfamiliar ache kept spreading through her chest.

Despite herself, she must have let something in—

watching him seek her out, three times a day, without fail.

“Don’t go… my lady.”

If she hadn’t hoped for anything,

she wouldn’t have ended up this bruised.

Letting the paper rest where it was, Larie slowly pulled her knees to her chest and curled inward.

It was just the new moon approaching.

That’s all this was.

At least, she needed to believe that.

***

The next few days passed, and Larie’s strength waned.

This particular new moon was especially cruel.

Whether it was chance, or the weight of her thoughts staining her darker and darker inside, she couldn’t say.

Terian still came—

three times a day, just like always.

But Larie held her silence.

She couldn’t ask him—not yet.

If what she feared turned out to be true, she would need to flee with Rui immediately.

Should disgrace lead to dethronement, her life would be forfeit.

Ironic, really, when she was never formally crowned empress in the first place.

Even if she confessed the truth of Rui’s birth, it wouldn’t guarantee their safety.

Against a power struggle of this magnitude, would Terian even want to acknowledge a child he believed wasn’t his?

Larie had seen how far power could rot a person.

Hadn’t her own family tried to kill her for less?

But caught in the throes of the new moon’s shadow,

she could do nothing for now.

She had to get through this night first.

Still, something different clung to her this time—

a strange, irrational sense of despair.

There was no pain exactly, not anymore, but the memory of it ran so deep it still poisoned her body.

“Are you all right, Your Majesty?”

“……I’m fine.”

The new moon had arrived.

She had begged it not to come.

But the moon was merciless, once again.

Larie was anything but fine. From the moment the day of the new moon began, pain had started to gnaw at her again. Pretending to be okay for the past few days had become nearly impossible.

It had already been half a month since she was brought here.

“It’s okay. Just for today, …could you look after Rui?”

“Please don’t worry, Your Highness.”

By sunset, her sickly complexion had become undeniable. Because of that, the nursemaid and Charelle were fretting nervously, trying to take care of her.

At first, the nursemaid had seemed a little uncomfortable with Larie. It was only natural that a noble of great renown like her would be reluctant toward someone from Tromperie.

Yet recently, for some reason, the nursemaid’s gaze toward her had grown warm. The Marchioness Dowager of Incarze was about the same age as Larie’s mother. That gentleness was very unfamiliar to Larie.

“I shall summon the imperial physician at once.”

“…That won’t be necessary.”

The word ‘physician’ made her body instinctively tense.

Suppressing that reaction, Larie softly declined the offer.

There was no point anyway. Even when she had mustered her courage and gone to a doctor in the village, they had found nothing.

She thought she had shed many burdens over the past two years.

But in moments like this, Larie felt as if she had never truly overcome anything. Was it the effect of the new moon, or had the return to this capital city awakened it?

If her family’s words were true, then she truly was a worthless person. If not for Rui, perhaps it would be a more meaningful life to quietly be dethroned and used as a bargaining chip.

Being sick only darkened her thoughts further. With a despondent gaze lowered to the floor, Larie made a request to those watching her.

“I’ll just rest a little. Please leave me alone.”

“…As you wish, Your Highness.”

Charelle reluctantly replied, leaving the room carefully.

Even the nursemaid holding Rui didn’t look well, clearly worried for Larie.

“I will be in the young prince’s playroom.”

“Please take good care of her, Nursemaid.”

Leaving those words to the nursemaid, Charelle turned to glance around the drawing room with a heavy heart.

Larie felt like a flower planted in the wrong soil.

She was a person from that Tromperie family. When Charelle was first assigned here by imperial decree, she had been extremely on edge. Larie was the subject of countless vicious rumors in the social circles, after all.

However, while overseeing the renovation of the Empress’s palace, Charelle began to feel a strange sense of incongruity. The Emperor’s determination to perfect this place hadn’t felt lighthearted in the slightest.

She could never forget the moment Larie stepped down from the carriage. None of the maids present that day could.

The small-framed young lady, utterly terrified, was nothing like the infamous “Tromperie” of the rumors. She had simply looked like a frightened noblewoman desperate to protect the child in her arms.

As time passed, Charelle found herself increasingly baffled as to where all those malicious rumors had come from. Larie was frugal, wise, and genuinely expressed her gratitude.

At first, the maids had obeyed her only due to the Emperor’s stern orders. But over time, they began to see her differently. Even the nursemaid, who knew the truth about the young prince, could not remain unaffected.

What kind of story lies behind the young prince…?

Trying to push away the thoughts that flooded in, Charelle busied herself with tidying the drawing room. Larie was the kind of superior who never demanded assistance. That meant Charelle had to anticipate and provide for her needs in advance.

Seeing Larie sweating from morning till night again today left her feeling unsettled. They should summon the imperial physician at once, but Larie had been unusually firm in her refusal. Given the dark expression she’d worn for the past few days, perhaps the illness stemmed from a sickness of the heart.

Indeed, Larie looked more and more like she was withering.

Like someone forced to take root in the barren soil of the imperial palace.

The tight security made it seem as if the Emperor were forcibly keeping Larie here. Yet Charelle had seen firsthand the effort and care the Emperor had poured into the Empress’s palace—and so she tried, against her doubts, to believe in his intentions.

“Phew…”

It was while she was busily tidying up the drawing room.

Charelle’s eyes landed on the stack of newspapers she had handed to the Empress. Thinking Larie must have finished reading them and set them aside, she reached for the pile to clean it up.

Then her gaze fell upon the front page of the topmost issue.

“…This is…!”

That the story of the Rassium Empire’s delegation had made it into the papers—what a terrible mistake.

Charelle had heard the rumors, of course, but brushed them off since she was already serving in the Empress’s palace. There were always countless baseless rumors circulating in the imperial palace.

Come to think of it, Larie’s complexion had notably worsened after reading this paper.

Realizing this made Charelle’s chest tighten with guilt.

“What should I do…”

After a moment of inner turmoil, Charelle set her jaw and turned resolutely toward the Emperor’s palace.

The twilight outside was deepening into dusk.