A princess was born with her mother’s platinum hair and her father’s silver eyes. This occurred less than six months after the new emperor’s accession.

Félicité Fion.

The princess, whose name means ‘prosperity’, was born after a grueling and perilous labor.

At one point, the imperial physicians had no choice but to ask the emperor directly whom he would want them to save if the worst should happen: the mother or the child.

The emperor’s answer was brief.

“There are only two outcomes. You save both my wife and my child, and you will leave this room with gold. Or, if either dies, every one of you will lose your heads.”

His expression was calm and his tone quiet, yet not a single physician dared to speak further. They could only do everything in their power.

By some miracle, both mother and child survived.

However, moments after the princess’s birth, Anita collapsed and lost consciousness.

Because of that, she never saw the child the physician held in his arms, the newborn she had fought so desperately to bring into the world.

“Luckily, the medicine stopped the bleeding in time, so Her Highness should make a full recovery. As for the princess, she is very small. It seems she was born at least two months early.”

Despite nearly reaching full term, the infant, born after a difficult labor, was tiny. One of the attendants looked at her with pity and said she looked as if she had arrived two months early.

“An heir has been born. Blessings on Laxion! Glory to Fion!”

The palace should have been filled with celebrations for the emperor’s firstborn. Yet while the realm outside overflowed with congratulatory cries, the court itself remained much as before.

“A daughter… Well, congratulations, I suppose.”

The emperor did not bother to hide his disappointment. Having remained seated and motionless in a nearby chamber throughout the birth, he rose the moment he heard the child’s s*x and said exactly that before standing up. He sent the name of the princess through a retainer, claiming that he needed sleep despite having had a sleepless night, and then retired to his bedchamber. He did not so much as glance at the newborn or at his wife, who had nearly died in labor.

Many nobles who heard of the emperor’s reaction smiled inwardly. They were relieved that the newborn could not be heir. If the emperor showed no interest or affection for his first child, what would become of the mother?

“Father, do we really have to?”

“Using puerperal fever as a pretext for assassination is too extreme.”

“Katrine!”

After seeing the child being born, the duke decided that it would be best to remove Anita as soon as possible. The emperor had reacted with indifference so far, but who knew how that might change over time? Even if the infant could not become heir, the fact that she had borne the Emperor’s child would strengthen the Crown Princess’s position in Callithea.

Therefore, swift action had to be taken—while the mother was still frail from childbirth. Disguised soldiers would serve as the perfect excuse. Yet, his daughter refused.

“Now she’s a woman with no hope. What could you possibly accomplish by parading a princess who cannot be an heir?”

“No. That woman and the child are a danger. If possible, eliminate them both at once. If not, remove them one by one.”

“Hmm… I think it would be better to keep the princess’s mother alive and arrange a divorce. Send her to a distant castle to raise the girl. It’s unfortunate, but I’d rather not have another woman’s child coming and going in my future home.”

“Killing them outright is the right course. Also, spread rumors linking the princess to the traitor Gerard to ruin her reputation. Only then can you become empress without stain.”

“What a thing to suggest! Such dishonor for a woman is too much.”

Despite her father’s firm tone, Katrine rose with a smile. A handmaiden brought tea and placed a tray in front of her. Katrine took a cup and put it in front of her father. Unable to reprimand his daughter while she was offering him fragrant tea, Duke Colbert let out a sigh.

“Your judgement is clouded right now, Katrine.”

“And that’s precisely why.”

“What?”

“My father is right. I’m arrogant because I would spare the mother and daughter.”

What on earth was going on? The duke stiffened. Katrine placed the teacup in his hand and continued.

“You can only be arrogant if you’re certain that the other person is beneath you, can’t you?”

“…”

“And think about it, Father.”

“…”

“Put simply, they’re just two useless women. Like pretty dolls, as I said before, they can’t do anything. And the Emperor shows little interest in them, doesn’t he?”

“…”

“Sparing the weak and pitiable is an act of mercy. Yet, it is also a declaration of dominance. The satisfaction is all the greater when the one beneath you bears royal blood. To have the imperial line itself under my control…”

As she spoke, Katrine’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction. The thought delighted her. To possess that bloodline meant she could carry herself with serene arrogance before nobles unworthy of standing at her level. The feeling was much like the condescending pleasure of tossing a coin to a beggar, a simple act that reaffirmed her own superiority.

Katrine let out a soft laugh.

“Father, really! You’ve become such a worrier with age! Have some tea, won’t you? I picked it out myself.”

As his tone softened, Katrine smiled brightly and lifted her teacup in a playful gesture. The duke nodded and raised his own teacup.

“What… what did you say?”

But the father and daughter’s carefully woven scheme fell apart in less than three hours. News came from the imperial palace—His Majesty had chosen the new mistress of the Empress’s chambers. Within days, the crown and scepter of the Empire would rest upon that woman’s head and in her hands.

Both the duke and Katrine turned pale and their hands began to tremble uncontrollably when they heard the news.

··· ✦ ···

Anita drifted in and out of consciousness.

Although the bleeding had been stopped and the court physicians were certain she would survive, she soon fell victim to severe childbed fever. The palace healers broke into a sweat as they fought to save her after all, the Emperor had just named her Empress.

Any mistake or failure to care for her properly could be considered a grave crime against the throne itself.

Fortunately, the new empress gradually regained consciousness. It took her nearly fifteen days to be able to sit up unaided, but she made a remarkably swift recovery from then on.

“My child… where is my baby?”

Even in her dazed state, she searched desperately for her child. At last, the infant she had carried in her womb was placed in her arms. The baby girl, with hair the same shade as her mother’s and eyes that shimmered like starlight, was so beautiful that Anita broke down in tears.

“She’s so tiny. Renee, she’s so small it breaks my heart. But she’s so beautiful, so beautiful…”

She had not wanted this child. And yet, Anita fell in love instantly, so quickly that it startled even her. In that fleeting moment, she was completely undone.

“Félicité… my sweet girl. My most beautiful love in this world.”

Enchanted by her daughter, Anita forgot everything else for a while, devoting herself entirely to the fragile life in her arms. It was only after the wet nurse finally took the baby away amidst a few small protests that the long-delayed news finally reached her ears.

“Congratulations, Your Majesty the Empress.”

Much had changed while she had been suffering from the fever. Her status was now beyond dispute. Although the coronation had yet to take place, Anita was no longer merely the Emperor’s consort; she had become Empress in every respect.

Everything had changed, from the titles used to address her, to her possessions and the size of her private treasury. She now held authority over multiple affairs, and as soon as the Palace of Radiance was fully refurbished, she would move in to reside there as the rightful empress of the empire.

“Your Majesty, the Empress has a message for you.”

“What is it, Renee?”

At that moment, Anita learned of the special amnesty decree that had been issued to celebrate the birth of her daughter and her own enthronement as Empress. In a moment of joy, the new emperor showed mercy to the whole realm.

The person who benefited most from this imperial grace was none other than his half-brother, Gérard, who was now a convicted traitor.

“Remembering that the prisoner was once family, I cannot help but feel a deep ache in my heart. His mother sought redemption through repentance, and now that I am a father myself, I wish to honor the late Emperor’s memory by showing mercy. Therefore, I hereby commute the prisoner’s death sentence to lifelong exile. Once the judgement has been finalized, he is to be released from confinement.”

This sudden decree provoked a fierce backlash from Duke Colbert and his supporters. The emperor, who had seemed indifferent towards his daughter and even colder towards her mother, had suddenly appointed Anita as empress. That alone was a blow. But to then proclaim clemency and spare Gérard’s life? It was almost unthinkable.

Yet those opposed to the duke welcomed the emperor’s decision. They praised his mercy, arguing that amnesty granted on such occasions was fitting and just.

“Thank goodness.”

Amidst all this, Anita felt a rush of relief and genuine joy. Even in her weakened state, hope welled up within her again, giving her strength.

‘Cedric or rather, His Majesty has shown mercy. If he has made me empress, he must surely care about our child, even if he doesn’t say so.’

Anita had been deeply hurt by the thought that Cedric had not even looked at their baby. This had wounded her far more than she had allowed herself to admit. But wasn’t this proof enough?

The truth was that she had endured a great deal these past months. She had feared that her child might suffer because of her uncertain status. She mourned those she could not save: the late Empress, who took her own life, and Gérard, imprisoned and awaiting death. And the countless others lost along the way. All these deaths had taken their toll, leaving her breathless.

“My Félicité… my darling girl. How could such a beautiful child have come from me?”

But look, things were finally turning for the better. Anita smiled brightly for the first time in a long while as she cradled her daughter, who laughed and slept peacefully in her arms.

A month had passed since the birth. Perhaps because her heart was lighter, her recovery had been swift. She could walk again now. And with that newfound strength came courage.

Cedric might never have sought out the child, but who could say? Once he laid eyes on their precious daughter, he would surely fall in love with her too.

Anita decided she would go to him herself.

“René, will you prepare things for me? I must thank His Majesty in person. He seems busy these days, so it’s only right that I visit him myself.”