𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙴𝚖𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜' 𝚂𝚘𝚗

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

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I thought it would be handled fast enough, but it was just my guess.

"Where's mama?" I welcomed Eldest with that question while laying on my bed, an elbow resting on my pillow and my chin rested on my palm, facing her sideways.

She grimaced, eyes narrowed at me, before she staggered by the door as if not expecting what she had seen. "...what a sight to behold, prince."

"Any problem?"

"I just thought this is a part of your messed up seduction plan—" she coughed. "I mean, you might be using me as an eye watcher for the Empress."

I rolled my eyes at her drama, signaling for her to close the door. She looked hesitant but obliged, closing the door and locked it before entering my room. She plopped down the silver chair where Klydeur sat earlier, in which I was fast to point out.

"That's where my brother sat awhile ago." I commented, in which she reacted just as fast as the flash of light. In a blink of an eye, she's already seated to my seat earlier. That made me chuckle.

"The Empress and the other heads of the noble family are all having a little bit of a dilemma." Eldest stated, answering my question earlier. "She wanted to execute those who participated in the charade."

I blinked my silver eyes, amused at the thought that Aureus is still the same as ever. A tyrant is the best shield. But I wonder why they didn't went along with her idea?

"Were there some of those nobles in her meeting who took part in the charade? Is that why they're against to her idea of executing them all?"

Eldest nodded, taking a piece of chocolate cookie on a plate. "Yep, it seems so, given their reaction."

Ah, then that must be why they are against it. Just how many of them wants to challenge the Imperial family? Wouldn't it better to strip them off with their titles, banish them from the empire, or just execute them for having the guts to bare their fangs on us?

"Besides, if she execute them all, only 1/3 of the noble and aristocrat population of the Empire will be left."

I choked on my own saliva when I heard Eldest's words. I'm taking back what I said about a tyrant being the best!

Is the Empress originally this impulsive?

Well, not her fault but maybe I got surprised by the number of nobles opposing us.

I never had an idea that there were so many nobles who is now openly showing that they oppose and are against us. But why did she announce about executing them? Won't that spark more problems?

Is what I would normally ask, but I know it now better than anyone.

I grinned, in which Eldest noticed as she glanced at me. "You have an idea in mind, do you?"

"You said it yourself, the other heads of the noble families were against her idea." I responded, sitting upright on my bed. "She wouldn't have known that they may not like her reasoning, or simply because they also took part in the charade."

"Which means she mentioned it to set a trap and lure her targets." Eldest continued, snapping her finger. "And then voila, they took the bait. It's going to be easy for the Empress to narrow down whoever is the ringleader of all this mess."