Selene

8| Helen [UNEDITED]

Helen's age: Fifteen

I tapped my fingers on the table impatiently.

Mother was really getting on my nerves. 

What was the need of maintaining a 'good relation' with the Emperor? Why was the throne so important anyways? Was it really because she cared for me?

Well, I knew that it was because she would be the Grand Empress when I ascended the throne, and she'd have great influence over my choices as well as the Empire's workings. Her lifelong dream was always to take over Yami by bringing all her relatives to important positions in the Empire.

And I didn't intend to help with that delusion of hers.

"Father, good afternoon." I was sitting opposite to my Father. "Why was I called?" I asked.

He looked at me with soft eyes.

I gritted my teeth. How I hated that look.

When I was younger, I believed he was showing me affection in his own way. But now I was aware that that look signified pity, not love.

He crossed his legs and leaned on his chair. "Reine's getting too ahead of herself, isn't she?"

I nodded. Siding with the Uta Kingdom... what was she even thinking? If that 'good relation' had to be maintained, then obviously Eric Yami was not to be provoked like this! Even the commoners knew about the amount of hatred the two brothers harbored against each other!

Since Father inherited the throne, he was awarded with the Family's Royal Name 'Yami', whereas the older brother, who was lacking, was given his Motherland Uta—which was a humiliating event. Due to this, the brothers never got along.

And Mother went ahead supporting Uncle.

How preposterous.

"Execution is the cleanest and the easiest way out—and I can ask Selene to kill her, but before that..." The Emperor carefully observed me with his cold eyes. "I wished to know your opinion in this matter too."

In other words, he was asking me the most painful way of torturing her.

"Just ask Selene to kill her," I replied, uninterested. "She'll make a fuss if we keep her alive."

"Ah... Selene. That reminds me, that brat is still visiting her."

"Who? Aria?"

"Yes, yes. That girl."

"Don't worry about her. Selene is dealing with her. Tonight, Selene's going to reveal her identity."

"I await Reine's reaction."

I smiled.

Mother really wasn't aware of Luna being Selene's alias. Her foolishness amazed me. She was backing Uta to use Aria as her spy on Luna just because Father visibly favored Selene.

How bold of her to assume that Selene considered Aria her friend, much less give such confidential information to Aria.

But, if she, my very own Mother, could mistake my hatred for her to be directed at Selene, then I guessed that this wasn't that bad of a misunderstanding.

Selene was just being trained to use Memory Magic with Aria as her subject by manipulating Aria's recollections. It was a difficult Magic level, because memories were spun together like a spider's web, and if even one thread was removed carelessly, the whole mesh would be ruined.

And, of course, Mother was being given false information in the process.

"I also look forward to that, Father," I said.

It was a win-win for both Hikari, in a few ways, and Yami, in every way. It was already known that Mother would dispose of her tools, the King of Uta and the Princess, after her work concerning them was finished.

Though I should have been affected by this, since I was the heir of Hikari and all, well...

The throne wasn't worth my life. It was as simple as that.

Although me and Selene weren't as close as we were once upon a time, what was Selene to me? Just another servant who wasn't worth my time. And while everyone was busy with all this... my plans blossomed in secret. If I couldn't have the throne, then neither could Selene.