Empress of Self-Ruin

Chapter 43.5 (bonus chapter): The Complexity of Human Relationship

Duke Kaydeen Berenice was watching the chessboard.

Calypso's king—her poor king, sprawled on the board, lying at the feet of his enemy, of her enemies— The king. The man, husband, best friend.

Emperor Arsenio Arcturus.

Then the queen, alone, lost, and scared. Keeping the face of pride in front of her enemies, but as much shattered inside as the outside.

My daughter, Calypso.

Her horseman was facing her. The soldier she knew would never leave. Loyalty filled his veins as much as twisted obsession filled his heart.

Xavier.

At least she still had two pawns. The two he knew she would use without any regrets or remorse.

The court and the council.

He now looked at his army.

His rook, the one he used to protect him, was surrounded by the pieces of her king. Rising from the ashes of the fallen monarch, the rook took the appearance of his power.

The Berenice duchy.

The knight, represented by its equine beauty, taunted Calypso with the loss of her ruler.

Lady Phoebe.

His eyes shifted to the bishops, and he could imagine their laughters. Like two friends winning the game of the century.

The nobles who secretly opposed the imperial family.

And the pawns, used and manipulated, oblivious to the power struggle between the higher-ups.

The civilians.

Then his own king. Proud and malicious, praising his own intelligence.

The way his body was relaxed by his victory and his head pleased by her silence.

It represented her enemy.

How silly he must have been in her eyes.

Kaydeen recalled his conversation with Calypso earlier when she asked him how he would describe his relationship with her mother.

He had answered truthfully, but if he had to put it in simpler words, it would be: We're more than friends but less than a couple.

He wasn't sure if it would make sense to her, so he had given a safer answer instead.

That was probably another thing Kaydeen reluctantly admitted he was rubbish at: communication—or just relationships in general, if he was being completely honest.

He had been raised to maintain a smooth facade, to never let anyone know how he truly felt. As a result, he became an expert at ignoring his emotions and hiding them behind a mask of indifference.

It hadn't always been like that, though. Back in his teenage years, he had been less rigid. He once enjoyed chatting with people. Discussing sword techniques with his teachers, sharing monster stories with his knights, even chatting about girls with his subordinates. And now he couldn't even remember the last time he had a conversation that wasn't focused on some sort of plot or official business.

His conversation with Calypso earlier was the most normal thing he had experienced in years.

Has it been that long already?

Everything changed when he had met Juliette. When he had fallen in love with her, had a son with her, and then when he lost her.

Every fun thing in his life just faded into the background after that. His every waking thought had been consumed by darkness.