“Your Majesty,” Hervouet bowed to the former empress before continuing. "What did you call me for?"
Heh, what a sight. The fact that Hervouet entered her chambers late at night using teleportation, bypassing the door, is quite astonishing. I secretly visit her room at this hour to watch over my her. The realization that we both have something under our sleeves makes me anxious, and this night confirms all my suspicions.
The former empress seated herself on the bed and wrapped herself in a blanket, trembling noticeably, possibly due to the chill despite the balanced temperature. It appears like she's undergoing a different form of hallucination.
It is remarkable that she has endured thus far, considering that an average individual exposed to the quantity of mercury vapors she inhaled would not have survived for this long.
Although her presence vexes me, I am inclined to extend her lifespan to prolong her suffering.
Hervouet grasped the candlestick, holding the candles, and ignited them using flames emanating from his fingers.
I positioned myself near the curtain, leaning against the wall at a distance where I remained unnoticed in the dimly lit room. I had presumed that Hervouet was staying at his estate in Greizenne, never anticipating his secretive visits to the former empress.
“Please, find Azriel and Thyra,” she pleaded, and she held her head, as if in pain. “I don’t know how much time I have left, but I at least want to see them before I die.”
Hervouet maintained a blank facial expression. “I understand that you want to see Azriel, but I don’t understand why the Eurhyian princess needs to be included here. What did she do to win your favor?”
“I didn’t know her for long, but we spent time together enough for me to understand the way she thinks and how she’ll respond to different situations. She’s a clever girl, and with Azriel’s powers running in her veins, she’ll be invincible. She’ll be useful in many ways.”
Hervouet faked a laugh. “Are you still expecting Azriel to become emperor and Thyra as empress? Eviona is the greatest Izavene alive. She can turn the empire into ashes, and yet you want your weak son to replace her? I don't even want to oppose Eviona because I want to stay alive. Besides, Azriel can’t remarry, especially someone who isn’t a red diamond Izavene. It’s against the imperial law for an emperor to marry a non-red diamond Izavene. The nobles lost their faith in the imperial family because we are hiding too many secrets. They won't even believe Eviona because they're assuming that she forced you to abdicate the throne. Still, the nobles’ loyalty is in you, not her.”
Heloise remained silent, and she put down the blanket to stroke her skin filled with rashes.
“It’s been four months and nobody has seen any signs of Azriel and the Eurhyian princess. Where do you expect me to find them? Forgive my impudence, but it’s unlikely for me to find – ”
“Enough, Hervouet. I want you to find them, dead or alive. If you can’t find both, then bring one. Either of them is enough to save this empire from burning into ashes,” she paused and winced in pain, her hand holding half of her face.
“Deep down, I believe that you have the desire to be an emperor. I already accepted that my son can’t make it, because if he were to return alone without Thyra, he’ll lose it.”
Hervouet’s eyes narrowed at her last words, piquing his interest. Normally in such situations, her lips would rise into a smirk, but her condition stops her from doing so.
“Have you ever heard of the Ruivenfiere curse?”
“No, but say it already if you wish and we’ll call it a day. After all, Your Majesty must be exhausted. I’ll be calling the physician to check on you later.”
“Ruivenfieres are born to become tyrants. It runs in the family. So, what do you think happens when someone acts against what runs in their blood?" While her facial expressions may not reveal her emotions, the undertone of her voice suggests a sense of amusement.
I'm not sure if she’s playing with Hervouet's mind – after all, she treated Hervouet fairly. But to her, Azriel is her only child, while I am viewed as mere garbage destined to bring nothing but trouble if not discarded.
Despite my reluctance to perceive it in such a light, their claims are not exaggerated, as she herself would affirm the same sentiment.
Refusing to acknowledge her as my mother is my form of reciprocating her act of abandonment.
“When a Ruivenfiere begins to love someone wholeheartedly, the beloved becomes a fatal flaw. Once they lose that person, their emotions would swallow them up for the rest of their lives. They'll act irrationally and pour their pain onto others. They'll have the desire to kill anyone just to ease the pain they're feeling. You weren't here when Azriel showed hints of losing himself, and he’s not aware of it either. He couldn’t accept the fact that Thyra abandoned him, and it happened that I was almost murdered by the traitor he married. Azriel is a soft-hearted man, yet he had the entire House Chavalleve wiped out – from the duke and his family down to the servants. It’s not like him, don’t you think? He had everyone killed, using me as an excuse. I witnessed how he deteriorated mentally, even if the effects won’t happen in an instant. If he isn’t with Thyra at the moment, who knows what chaos he’s caused now that he’s missing?”
“I don’t understand why you’re telling me these,” Hervouet replied, contemplating her words.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
‘She’s not thinking that I’m in love with someone, isn’t she? The curse has nothing to do with me. I'm not even a pure red diamond Izavene, to begin with.’ Hervouet thought.
Upon reflection, I haven't observed Hervouet displaying affection towards anyone. Although he briefly admired Thyra, it was superficial and lacked depth.
Throughout this period, I had doubts whether Thyra is on our side or against us, though I never met her personally.
Adhering to imperial protocol, only a pure-blooded red diamond Izavene from the Ruivenfieres can be the emperor, with the empress originating from House Chavalleve or House Ashleigh – the other two families who are also red diamond Izavenes – can rightfully ascend to lead the empire.
“Let’s say the curse happens to everyone who loses the most precious person they have. Is there any way for the Ruivenfiere to be free from the curse? Because I don’t buy it. I don’t think what happened to Azriel is anything special.”
“Then, why don’t you look at your father, the former emperor?” she tapped her finger on her lap as she watched her stepson getting caught off guard.
It has always been a mystery to me why our father abdicated the throne out of the blue, giving me as an excuse that he needs to be with me while I’m in exile.
However, Heloise staged a funeral as if her husband had an unexpected death, making nobles believe that it was the truth.
Father and Azriel are alike – both are softhearted, loving, and with a strong sense of values. But even if I've always known father had that image, Heloise’s words sounded like there's more to it.
“You must’ve known the story that Corianne was the original crown princess engaged to your father when he was a crown prince. But then, I removed her red diamond ring and got rid of her, making her human with no memories of anything. I was the replacement, and I married Elliot on behalf of Corianne. He was enraged at what I've done and he only stopped himself from killing me. We managed to deal with his emotions for a couple of years, but just in time when Eviona developed her destructive powers, he chose to go with her to isolate himself from people he might end up killing. He broke the curse by taking the antidote, but see, not everyone who takes that antidote can live. It might end up as a suicide. He survived, but the sadness never left his heart. Corianne is now with him, but his sorrow remained. Nothing can ease that anymore. The peace he’s been enjoying now would always feel empty.”
She drank the glass of water on the desk to satisfy the thirst in her mouth from her long story.
“I’m saying this as a warning, second prince. Never love anyone wholeheartedly if you want to have a sound mind. I doubt that you’re giving up your desire to become emperor. You can’t rule an empire if you’re not mentally stable.”
Despite knowing that Azriel could not ascend to the throne without Thyra, she still desires their return. Her story sounded new to me; it was something I never heard of.
Throughout our time in the mountains, I never saw Father exhibit violence or madness. It is possible that the warmth he displayed towards me masked his efforts to contain his emotions when they overwhelmed him.
What I do know is that he never experienced genuine happiness. His smiles carried an undertone of sadness.
Hervouet rose from his chair and raised his clenched hands before him. In an instant, his body was enveloped in blue flames and vanished into thin air.
"Now that Hervouet left, you should stop hiding from the curtains," I was taken by surprise that she was aware of my presence. I believed I had taken every precaution to remain unnoticed.
It appears I underestimated her greatly. The physicians attending to her seem to be competent, as despite the belief that mercury poisoning is incurable, she shows signs of recovery and managing the condition.
I came out of hiding to confront her. She had her usual mocking smile that never failed to provoke me, which I hated.
“It’s obvious that you’re keeping an eye on me,” a confident grin rose from her lips that made me feel my chest tightening. “Eviona, we’re alike, and there’s no doubt that the same blood runs in us. I’ll cut to the chase then.”
For a moment, her body was encircled by white light, leading to the fluttering of nearby fabrics, including my hair. Could the wind have originated from the light? It doesn’t make sense.
As the light illuminated Heloise’s body, all signs of rashes vanished, and her features reverted to her usual form – with no hint of sickness remained.
She effortlessly rose and walked, leaving me in astonishment. I took a step back, gazing at her in disbelief. She chuckled softly while lifting my chin with her index finger.
“Your reaction is priceless. If only I can stop time to stare at you with that reaction, I would. I never failed to surprise you. You’re the first person who saw me back in my normal state, so you should be thankful.” Her gaze felt like sharp daggers piercing through my soul.
"Indeed, I wasn't well for a couple of months, but now I'm dropping the act. I've been well for two weeks now, and I only use illusion to make people believe that my situation isn't improving. There may not be medicines that can cure the inhalation of mercury vapor, but I was healed by a moissanite Izavene almost daily."
I grit my teeth as I see her smile that provokes me, and it's tempting to use my powers to wipe that smile off her face. It's technically forbidden to use any power inside the palace, and nobody should know that I, the empress, am violating that rule.
“You heard from Hervouet that the loyalty of the nobles is still on me. You may be an empress now, but your position has no foundation. You have no one by your side. Now look at where your arrogance and audacity brought you – nothing but public humiliation. Information was fed to me about your first banquet, which was chaos,” Her expression turned to a frown, and her eyes displayed a hint of seriousness.
“You never listened to me, Eviona. Many years ago, I already told you that you're a walking curse, and you'll bring nothing but chaos to this palace. I didn’t lie to Hervouet that Azriel will no longer be an emperor so you shouldn’t see him as a rival anymore. Even if Thyra and Azriel are alive, Thyra will never change her mind – she’s not willing to pursue a married man, even if his wife is already exiled out of treason. Azriel’s fate is going down the drain. But the reason why I want him to be here is to save him from his original fate.”
‘If I’ll remove his red diamond ring and let him become human, the curse will be broken. It’s a better option than taking the risk of giving him the antidote that won’t have guarantees of survival. He’ll be like Corianne and Hervouet’s younger sister whose past will be burned.’ She thought.
Having the power to hear her unspoken thoughts is useful, but the revelation of Hervouet having a younger sister is something I never heard of.
The more I know about what’s at the back of her mind, the less I understand. If that sister is alive, where is she now?
“Then, what are your plans now that I'm the empress and you've already recovered? Will you get rid of me and tell the nobles that I was a proxy and everything was just a misunderstanding?"
My inquiry caused her expression to fade, prompting her to roll her eyes and avert her gaze in response.
“I’m giving up on my dream of making Azriel inherit the throne. Hervouet isn’t a pure red diamond Izavene, so I won’t give him the slightest chance to become emperor even if he desires it. I’m letting you have the throne and make the nobles support you. But my generosity comes with a price. Will you be willing to know my conditions, my dear daughter?”