8 – 8. Silosibin
The Empress’s solo concert lasted for over an hour.
First, the chilhyeon-geum, and then the bipa.
She showcased her musicality while playing instruments from her hometown, Jin Nation.
Her skills were so outstanding that it was commendable, but the atmosphere was terrible. Everyone listened with a despairing expression. Siena was the only one clapping her hands as if she was enjoying it.
“Ouch!”
The finale of the performance was the Empress’s cute scream. It seemed like her hand was injured from the intense playing.
“Your Majesty, Empress!”
The maids screamed, but the Empress ignored them and stretched her arms wide, showing a refreshed expression. And she performed some movements that looked like stretching… Well, if you say her body was stiff.
Siena intervened right at that moment.
“Oh my my my.”
She was complaining and being sulky in front of me… But now Siena looked like a friendly stepdaughter. Still, she had the charisma of a normal person, just like her appearance.
“Hmm?”
“I’m very pleased to see you in good health. Your performance was excellent as well. How are you feeling now?”
“Feeling? Naturally, I’m fine.”
The Empress stuttered, almost reflexively responding to Sienna’s question. Oh… she thought, stumbling over her words.
It seemed like Empress Hwanghu could feel the gaze of Third Princess Anais, who was looking at her emptily.
Up until now, Anais had likely been swept away by the enchanting atmosphere, but she wasn’t Anais’ biological child. In the vast empire where whites fluttered about, she was the only one who resembled herself. Unlike the aloof First Princess or the malicious Second Princess, she was the adorable daughter born to her with pain.
Sienna gradually pressured the hesitant Empress, gesturing towards herself with her eyes.
“The name of the medicine you just took is Silosivin. It was prepared by Alan Maydof, my bodyguard.”
“A knight preparing medicine?”
“Smart friend, isn’t he? But unfortunately, it seems he won’t be able to investigate further.”
“What?”
The Empress, momentarily serious, tightly grasped Sienna’s wrist.
She also looked at me as if asking what kind of dismal words these were. This is not right. Why like this, she thought.
It was natural. After all these years, emotions that had been dead for a few years were resurrected, and now, in a distorted form, she was enjoying a pleasant time. It was a notice that someone would take away that opportunity.
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“Sienna, what are you talking about? Cost? If that’s the issue, I can cover it.”
“It’s not a matter of cost. It’s just that… Anais seems to have doubts about the efficacy of Silosivin. You heard her mention the poisonous flower, right? Of course, I won’t blame Anais for something like that.”
“Right, sisters…!”
“We should get along. However, I want to protect the honor of myself and my knight. I don’t think it’s Anais’s true intention… Perhaps it’s the fault of those around her who have manipulated her.”
“Oh.”
“I want to punish them severely for the crime of blasphemy.”
In the end, it meant cutting off Anaïs’s close aides. It also implied obtaining permission from the Empress, who was Anaïs’s mother.
A dilemma where one had to choose between poison or the daughter.
Would the Empress be able to protect her daughter even in the midst of an unseen crisis?
It would be normal to have doubts, but the Empress, having tasted a new world, made a decision before a minute had passed. It could be a judgment that the game had already been lost.
“These are the ones who dared to harm your friendship by making pickled fish out of them. Can we punish them?”
“Sure!”
The Empress coolly nodded and promptly rose. It was as if she considered dealing with a few nobles a trivial matter.
She didn’t seem to care about how much impact this decision would have on her daughter.
“I guess I should go play the grand piano. Sorry, but I don’t want to stay with you; you’re too serious.”
After pinching the cheeks of Siena and Anaïs once each, the Empress left the scene gracefully.
With clenched fists, as if there was a solemn duty to play the grand piano immediately.
This was indeed one of Silovin’s characteristics. The compulsion not to remain still when ideas constantly surged. I didn’t know it would manifest in the form of madness for musical instruments, but from my perspective, it didn’t matter much.
What mattered was that the Empress was very satisfied.
The only thing left was surrender negotiations.
**
After the series of events had concluded, a silence fell within the palace for a while.
By now, Anaïs would probably want to chew me up and spit me out.
It was unfortunate but a foreseen event. Since I had possessed Sienna’s closest aide, friction with other princesses was inevitable.
Still, as long as my presence was etched in the Empress’s mind, they wouldn’t dare to touch me recklessly. In the future, the Empress would live a body that couldn’t survive without the dru*g I provided. It wasn’t like the intense happiness of memories disappearing without withdrawal symptoms, just like op*ium.
“This has been overcome.”
The Empress’s decline and Sienna’s interest in the op*ium business were both prevented. Honestly, I cannot be certain about the latter.
However, it was not yet a time to let one’s guard down.
“Lord Allen, may we have a brief conversation? I heard that you played an important role.”
A colleague named Choro approached me amidst the restless atmosphere.
He was Viscount Rikias, who could be considered a leader within the Third Princess faction. He was the major shareholder of Higins Bank, a renowned bank in the Empire.
In a world where the market economy had already developed considerably, the power of the bankers was formidable, as the nobles who only lived off their land in the territories had almost fallen into ruin.
However, the viscount, who was now an old man, was not a financial giant but rather someone who had stepped in to clean up the mess left by the reckless Anais.
“Yes, I suppose you wouldn’t want to negotiate directly with Sienna.”
After receiving a nod from Sienna, I engaged in a conversation with her.
“Lord Allen, we must find a way to resolve this situation smoothly, don’t you think?”
“Your Excellency, we have already passed the stage of resolving it smoothly.”
“….”
“Your Majesty Sienna has suffered disgraceful slander on the battlefield. Can you imagine how miserable her state of mind must be?”
“So, you’re suggesting we make amends…! What about this? Soon, the two princesses will hold a tea party. There, Her Highness the Third Princess can publicly express her regret and gratitude for the treatment of Her Majesty the Empress…!”
“A tea party? Are you mocking me right now!?”
As I raised my voice, Anais sent a mournful gaze in this direction, and Sienna smirked. The fortunes of both sides had dramatically reversed.
“No, that’s not it. …Isn’t this whole situation a result of false information provided by a certain knight named Bono?”
“That friend will also face severe punishment. In our own way, of course.”
“…Tell me what you want.”
It has to be like this.
I pretended to ponder for a moment before presenting the terms of negotiation.
“You must have heard what Her Majesty the Empress said. We need to punish those unfaithful individuals who incited conspiracy by manipulating Princess 3.”
“…When you say ‘punish.'”
“The responsible nobles must confess to blasphemy charges in the Imperial Guards. It won’t be just one or two. And Your Highness, I would appreciate it if you personally requested the revocation of their titles from Her Majesty, Princess 3.”
“…”
“Of course, it doesn’t end there. The situation is serious, isn’t it?”
A chilling silence filled the room in response to the conditions I proposed.
When it came to blasphemy charges against the imperial nobility, the Emperor tended to be surprisingly lenient. If they publicly confessed their sins in the trial and purchased expensive pardons to contribute to the imperial funds, he usually let it slide. But this time, with suspicions piling up, that wouldn’t be enough. Confiscation of assets would be added.
And with the revocation of titles? It was practically a death sentence.
“Even confessing to a crime you didn’t commit.”
The main culprit was, after all, Princess Anais, but being an imperial noble, she had the ability to shift the blame onto her subordinates.
It was a bluff, but that bluff was the very foundation that supported Princess 3.
There would be no noble willing to die willingly just because of a request, so eventually, I would have to resort to coercion or persuasion using force. Being an imperial noble might make it possible, but the blows to be taken in the process would be tremendous. Who would genuinely remain loyal after witnessing such a scene?
“Too harsh… conditions. Her Highness Princess 3 is now just a first-year at the Academy.”
“Marquis Rikias. I apologize, but if you wish to make adjustments, you must speak directly to Her Highness Siena. I am just a messenger.”
I interrupted and informed, causing Marquis Rikias to finally shake his head.
He must be aware that accepting these conditions would lead to chaos, but he also couldn’t refuse. Refusal would only escalate the situation.
Eventually, Marquis Rikias approached the still sitting Anais and murmured something to her.
Short Struggle.
However, the result was surrender.
From now on, you will be the leader, and a fight will break out, but I didn’t know that. Even if the aftermath of this incident severely damages the reputation of the Third Princess and makes academy life difficult, it is not my concern.
Surprisingly, the internal conflict started too quickly.
“You insolent brat! I told you to do it this way! I was just dragged into this!”
“Oh, when did I…!”
“Ladies, please be careful. The older sister is still watching.”
“Your Highness, please be careful! When you think about it, whose fault is it? What if you just believe the rumors spread by one knight as internal information?”
“I… verified it.”
Noble individuals blaming each other without resorting to profanity, Anaïs, who listens to their disrespectful words while trying to restrain them with a worn-out expression, and my superior, Siena, who turns her back while observing the scene from a distance. It’s not my place to say, but it was a chaotic situation.
“You did well, Alan.”
“Thank you. Will you go to meet His Majesty the Emperor?”
“No, I’ll just leave. If Father calls me, I’ll refuse for a while because of the recent unfortunate incident. That way, Father will feel guilty without any wrongdoing on his part, right? It will be even more burdensome for Anaïs.”
“….”
“Let’s have her withdraw from the academy and rehabilitate for about two years. Dismissing a few close aides won’t be enough.”
Sienna seems to have opened her eyes to politics as a result of this incident, but I pretended not to notice. It’s because I shouldn’t attract any more attention here.
Anyway, the situation is over with this.
A faint sound of music reached my ears as I stepped out of the Empress’s chamber. It seemed like she wanted to hear the end of the music before her strength waned.