Empress of Self-Ruin

Chapter 11: The Arrogance of Ignorance

Those days I had locked myself in my bedroom had been like an escape to another universe or another life, and when they had finally come to an end, I had to go back to the broken world I had managed to escape from temporarily.

Following the incident at the trial yesterday, my father, uncle, and I had a so-called emergency family meeting to discuss the matter further. For this occasion, we purposely chose one of the palace's smaller drawing rooms to avoid attention. The off-white wall complemented the warm-toned wood floors perfectly. The furniture was plush, the sofa and loveseat wrapped in a dark gray fabric that offset the natural brown leather of the armchairs—beautiful and masculine, sleek and cozy—harmonious contradictions, just like my current mood.

I sat opposite them with my hands folded on my lap as I listened to Uncle Leander's non-stop ranting. Though I kept my expression flat, in my head, I was thinking of a hundred better ways I could be spending my evening instead of attending this little reunion.

Tsk... Family is the most unreasonable human relationship. You don't even get to choose, but there's so much responsibility.

"Your daughter is crazy! She has lost her mind!" My uncle looked comical as he smacked the table with one hand and pointed at me with the other.

My father, on the other hand, seemed only tired. Their dynamic was amusing to me. It was a public secret that Uncle Leander disliked my father. He thought him a foolish man who sullied himself by falling in love with—and I quote—a gold-digging sewer rat.

Oh, don't get me started about Xavier. My uncle hated my older half-brother with a passion. He accused him of stealing the position of the heir of Berenice Duchy, but in my opinion, he was just being delusional.

My mother had had a hard time conceiving. She had three miscarriages before she had me—then her health slowly deteriorated. She hadn't been able to conceive any more heirs since. And because I had been betrothed to Arsen, I couldn't be the heir, either. That was why even though Xavier was my father's illegitimate child, he ended up becoming his heir.

My thoughts were cut short when Uncle Leander turned his neck and glared at me.

Oh, here we go.

"Calypso, are you out of your mind? How could you—" My uncle continued shrieking, his green eyes blazing with anger.

The effect was lost on me. His hair was disheveled—actually an improvement compared to his usual, sleek-back style; so immaculate it was unnatural. I was too bored to be intimidated or even to respond.

"Please calm down. There's nothing to be gained from being angry," my father tried to reason.

For someone who spent most of his life fighting monsters in the north, it was surprising that he was calmer and more cool-headed than my uncle.

"How can I not be mad?" He screamed. "Because of your daughter's interference, we lost such a perfect opportunity! As if the emperor's behavior wasn't bad enough! That arrogance... I saved him from being deposed after his father passed away. I made him emperor. How dare he challenge me?"

My eyes widened at his audacity.

I knew the court held a lot of power over Arsen, but how could he speak so carelessly about the emperor?

If it weren't for the fact that he was my uncle and I still needed him for my plans, I would have given him a piece of my mind.

"We must discipline him if he rebels. We should tighten the reins so he knows his place," my uncle muttered almost to himself.

"I think you're out of line there. The court might have played a big role in His Majesty's ascension to the throne, but it was his birthright, to begin with. As a loyal vassal to the imperial family, we shouldn't keep disrespecting the emperor."