TER𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓

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.𖥔 ݁ ˖₊˚✩.𖥔 ݁ ˖๋ ࣭ᰔᩚ.ᰔᩚ ⭑. ݁ ˖₊˚✩.𖥔 ݁ ˖๋ ࣭ ⭑
Women at His Feet

They normally weren’t on friendly terms to sit face-to-face and drink tea like they are now. Even though the tea she was having now was sweet, Viola felt like she was sipping bitter medicine. The fact that the queen had sought her out meant that she was, at least for now, someone that the queen needed.

“I have decided to accept His Majesty’s decision.”

Viola remained silent, waiting for the older woman to state her point.

“I don’t feel good about it even if you’re not my daughter.”

Though that was what she said, the queen’s words were thinly veiled. Her tone meant she only cared because it was shameful for the kingdom to send a hostage in the first place.

Viola studied her expression and sensed the chilling aura she was emanating.

“You will be entering as a Crown Princess Candidate, but in reality, you will be a concubine. However, don’t worry too much because you probably won’t ever have to take off your girdle.”

“What do you mean?” Viola was confused.

“Literally what I said. Unlike their current emperor, the current crown prince says that he is not interested in women.” She replied flatly.

“When you say the emperor is not like the crown prince—”

“The emperor is a flirt who is unequaled in this world. The number of women whom he has gone through is too much to count. Nevertheless, none of the princesses who were sent as hostages ever became empress. In the end, he married a noble’s daughter from his own kingdom.”

The emperor making a noble of his own kingdom the empress essentially implied that the princesses sent by the other countries were nothing but sex slaves to him. An empire that started out as a savage tribe …  A picture flashed across her mind.

It was a painting of the Arpen Empire which depicted troops riding their horses in a large field. They carried flagged halberds, which marked their corps. Holding the front, their infantrymen wore chainmail and were armed with longswords and tower shields. Even more than that, they had wolves around protecting them … All these things together made them an enormous unit.

The man who had been leading the troops was the infamous Emperor of Blood. Although it was only a painting, the charisma oozing from him was dizzying.

If one were to read through the Arpen Empire’s full history, they would discover that the empire was never to be underestimated. Viola had to hide her identity if she wanted to enter and survive their palace.

“What they want is not an empress. Rather, they want to insult the princesses of each country. The fact that the Arpen Empire was born from a savage tribe … They want to crush our kingdom’s pride and exert their superiority in spite of that.”

“Yes, I think so, too.”

Viola couldn’t find a particular reason for thinking so but she had also come to that conclusion. This was because the Arpen Empire, unlike other countries that boasted thousand-year-old histories, only began their reign around 200 years ago. They did not have the history to prove their legitimacy as a royal family, and they had been known to wander in groups like beasts.

“However, the strangest part is that all the hostage princesses came to love the emperor. Did you know about this?”

“That’s—”

They ended up in love? The queen just said that the princesses who were sent as hostages all ended up loving the emperor. Viola couldn’t comprehend her words. It was far-fetched!

“It’s because the emperor’s face is so magnificent that once you see it, you can never forget it. The reason why, of the ten princesses sent there, all wanted to be his concubine was because of his appearance. It isn’t hard for him to grab hold of their hearts without any effort.”

The queen smiled, one that did not convey warmth. “They come to love him even if he doesn’t try to tempt them. They said that at first, they thought he was oppressive, but they all ended up wanting him. Even if you go there, be prepared that you may also end up becoming his woman. Of course, there is no law saying that you will end up the same, right?

“Not me.” Viola steadily replied without missing a beat.

“Of course, you are the princess who is going to come back and gain the right to become the queen of this kingdom.”

The queen’s laughter rang out loudly. She did not want Viola to come back. She wanted her to either become the crown prince’s royal concubine or a sex slave. The queen had also smiled like that at Edward’s funeral. No tears dripped from her eyes, even though the kingdom’s only prince had died so miserably.

Viola clasped the hem of her dress firmly. Somehow, she would find a way to finish her training and safely return to become the queen of this kingdom. She would not forget who had wronged her and Edward. In order to do that, possessing the strength of mind was important.

A heart that wouldn’t be shaken no matter what happens …

“His Majesty will tell you your mission separately, but there’s something I need you to do too.” The queen finally stated her demands.

“Please, tell me.”

“As soon as you arrive at the imperial palace, I want you to find news about Guinev, the Princess of Farus, and send someone back to me with the news.”

“If it’s Princess Guinev you mean—”

“Oh, have you seen her before?”

Viola had actually lived inside the royal palace for some time before her mother died. If it was Guinev, Viola recalled seeing her once before she and Edward were kicked out into the woods. If she remembered correctly, Guinev was the queen’s niece. She had heard that they lost contact with her after she entered the Arpen Empire as a Crown Princess Candidate.

“I heard the corpse of the knight who accompanied Guinev arrived ten days ago without any clues as to what had happened to him … but it is clear to me what occurred without having witnessed it myself.”

The queen’s eyes were moist. She looked very worried about the girl, unlike when she had sent young Viola away. Back then, she had been like a thorn by the queen’s side.

“The wild tribes think of the princesses as sex slaves … Even though they say their prince is not interested in women, I am sure he pushed Guinev into a corner and she got caught trying to escape. You can do as I ask, right?”

“Yes.” Viola replied tonelessly.

At her indifference, the Queen’s voice took a callous edge. “Don’t think of looking for her halfheartedly just because she shares no blood with you. You have to find her.”

“Of course … I have one condition.”

♛♛♛