The nostalgic feeling lingered within me as I teleported into the locked basement room in the imperial palace—a room that connects Marrossi and Eurhyia through a mirror. This mirror is proof that even if Heloise got rid of Corianne, she still found a way to keep an eye on her by creating this passage that leads directly to Corianne's room in Eurhyia. I don't know how she managed to do that, but there's no other logical reason the imperial palace should have access to Corianne's room other than that.

Perhaps... she felt guilty about taking everything that should have belonged to Corianne. Regardless of her reasons, this doesn't excuse her from the fact that she ruined my mother's life.

I see we're going through a mirror just like before," Corianne commented, her face impassive. "I'll be frank here. I don't know what to feel about this. Seeing my son, that is."

I narrowed my eyes as I mulled over her words. "I suppose you'll only know what to feel when you see him in person. It's around midnight in Eurhyia. You shouldn't expect to see him soon. If you have no further objections, I'll open the passage."

"Step in," I instructed, and Corianne followed my lead."

The mirror passage closed behind us as soon as we stepped into her empty room in the Eurhyian palace. Corianne walked around, observing her surroundings as if searching for any flicker of familiarity. But it was clear from her reaction that she felt no attachment to the room she had once cherished for years.

"You can rest on the bed if you want," I suggested. "Nobody will bother opening the door, anyway."

"No, I want to walk around the hallway. I have a feeling I should," she said.

How stubborn. But judging by her tone, there's no use arguing.

She walked past me and opened the door. I followed, unsure of where she was headed. But as we walked, I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching us from the shadows.

“Veb nezi, jyanes quirein,” (Oh my, what a sight.)

I couldn't understand the words, but the tone was enough for me to sense the mockery in it. I clenched my fists and stopped time. Corianne stood frozen, along with a man in a linen shirt, his strings loosened. He reeked of alcohol, but his appearance—golden hair and silver eyes—made things clear. This must be Evrart, my half-brother.

I pulled out the translation bracelet and attached it to Corianne and Evrart's wrists. This should do it. The power of stopping time, freezing people around me like statues, is a huge help in times like this.

I unclenched my fists, and time resumed, leaving no trace of its suspension.

"What brings some guests at this ungodly hour? Considering that you have someone with you, I suppose you won some friends when you escaped," he drawled. His lethargic behavior and coldness toward Corianne confirmed my assumption.

This is Evrart.

A forced, exaggerated smile stretched across his lips. "It's been a while, mother."

Corianne remained composed, her face betraying no hint of pain or anger. "It's been a while indeed, my son."

Evrart's expression soured, his smile twisting into a frown.

"Hearing you call me your 'son' makes my skin crawl. Stop it, while I'm being nice," he snapped.

"True, I did expect you to call the guards to drag me into the prison. Yet, you're not as violent as I expected. You've changed," Corianne said.

Evrart chuckled. "Me? Changed? You still don't know me at all. The flames of my hatred for you have burned out, leaving only ash. I don't even resent you anymore," he said, his expression darkening. He lowered himself, his cold gaze piercing through her soul as he whispered in her ear. "In my eyes, you're no different from a stranger."

Corianne froze, her body rigid, holding back from any reaction that might set Evrart off.

"Now," Evrart continued, "Who is this woman you're with? As far as I know, you're no longer a queen here who's free to invite anyone as you wish."

Corianne stepped back, placing her hand on my back. I could feel her hand trembling from behind, a subtle way to mask her intimidation while using me as a shield.

"This is Her Imperial Majesty from Marrossi, Eviona Ruivenfiere," Corianne stated. Silence followed her introduction, and I struggled to find the right words. This situation was different from meeting nobles at a formal event. I am an empress. I couldn't bow down and say I was pleased to meet him, the king of Eurhyia.

I'm not sure what to do. Should I act like I don't understand what they're saying?

"Hm... if that's true, then I must say, Your Imperial Majesty, that you have such audacity to visit me here, after your nation caused the death of my late father, no? Your courage in entering my territory is impressive," he drawled, his eyes narrowing as if trying to see through my very soul.

"It makes me want to kill you with my own hands. You should be grateful that I don't have the energy to take someone's life right now because I feel exhausted. Why don't we speak about all this in the morning? Sleep in your room for now. Meet me at eight in the morning, and eat breakfast like we used to. I'll pretend not to hear that you're the empress. You're not even acting like one," he said, his voice laced with a dangerous edge.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

I wanted to defend myself, to retort that he had a sharp tongue and was speaking out of line, but I couldn't deny his words. I certainly hadn't given any impression of an empress.

Heloise is right, after all. I stole the throne from her. I may hold the title of empress, but it's not truly part of who I am.

──•~❉᯽❉~•──

The morning arrived quickly, my mind swirling with anxieties about facing Evrart. Yes, the focus of this meeting was between him and our mother, Corianne, but his words from last night still echoed in my ears, preventing me from getting a wink of sleep.

How could I explain it? I wasn't the empress when Marrossi waged war on Eurhyia. It's not like an apology on behalf of my people would erase the sins the empire committed.

At some point, I want to leave a good impression, as he is my half-brother. Though I believe that him knowing that fact might actually make things worse. It would give him an even stronger reason to look down on Corianne when he finds out she was engaged to someone else before marrying the late Eurhyian king.

Every possible outcome felt dreadful, yet I couldn't simply stay silent. My heart hammered in my chest as I considered these things. Should I rely on my power to escape if things go wrong?

But that should be my last resort - doing so would defeat the whole purpose of why we're here.

"You look more nervous than I am," Corianne remarked, acknowledging the anxiety I couldn't hide. "Don't worry about him. Evrart isn't the kind who'll lie. I'm as uncomfortable as you, but I doubt he'll be violent unlike before. I believe he meant it when he said that I'm nothing but a stranger in his eyes. Regardless of the reason, I just want to pour my heart out and tell him everything I failed to do and say as his mother," she said, her voice filled with a quiet determination.

The courage in her words was both comforting and unsettling. But we had to face him, as we'd agreed.

Corianne and I walked together to the main palace dining hall. The servants couldn't hide the judgment in their eyes as they saw the fallen queen return to the palace in a dress, but not as grand as the ones they had known her to wear.

As the dining hall doors swung open, we found Evrart already seated in the center chair. Normally, when someone of higher ranking – especially someone from the royal or imperial family visited, the host would offer them their usual seat. But even as an empress, Evrart chose to remain in his own chair, a clear message that he wasn't acknowledging my status.

"We tried to arrive an hour early to beat you here, but you still managed to arrive before us," Corianne stated, but Evrart didn't show the slightest interest.

"Don't make a big deal out of it," he responded dismissively. Corianne and I separated and sat beside him, placing us across from each other with him in the middle.

"This forced peacefulness is making me cringe," he said, his voice laced with sarcasm. "It's rather odd to see you acting nice. I expected you to tell me how disgusting I am in your eyes, like you did before, and drag me to prison."

Evrart abruptly cut off the conversation, calling for a servant and ordering the food to be served. As we waited, the servant poured tea into our cups.

"Why am I being nice? You ask? Because I no longer care enough to work myself up over you. I'm treating you fairly because you're my mother, even if that's something I'm not proud of. However,"

I remained silent, feeling increasingly out of place as they spoke. While Evrart was bold enough to show his rebellious side, he was also confident—after all, he was the king, and we were in his palace.

I lifted my cup, gazing at my reflection in the tea. An unusual scent lingered, something distinctly different from the typical tea aroma. I took a sip, the bitter taste hitting my tongue. Then, a metallic, salty tang crept into my mouth.

It was then I realized the taste wasn't from the tea, but my own blood. Evrart watched me with a sharp, yet nonchalant gaze, his face a mask of blank indifference.

"... just because I'm treating you fairly doesn't mean I'll be like that to everyone," he finished, a dangerous glint appearing in his eyes.

"Eviona!" Corianne yelled; her voice sharp with worry. "Evrart, what have you done? Did you poison her tea? You –"

I wiped my lips with the napkin and drank some water. "Please, don't worry about me. For years, I've trained myself to be immune to poisons. This tea contains foxglove. How cunning of you to include that in my tea," I said, my voice calm despite the slight tremor in my hand.

"Oh, you're speaking your empire’s language when you're in Eurhyia? Aren't you supposed to be the one adjusting? Consider yourself lucky I can speak your language, since I was forced to learn it because of certain people," Evrart said, shifting his cold gaze to Corianne and faking a satisfied grin.

"You shouldn't be surprised by my welcome. Your empire is the reason my father died. It was supposed to be an act of revenge, but the plan was ruined. I assume many people are after your life now that you've made yourself immune to poison. It usually takes years to reach your level, consuming non-lethal doses four times a week, at most," Evrart stated, his voice cold and calculating.

"I see you're knowledgeable about poisons," I said, coughing a few more drops of blood into the napkin and taking another sip of water. The water flushed the poison from my mouth, sending it down to my stomach. Despite the unpleasant sensation, the pain was bearable – for I was used to ingesting poisons.

"I'm knowledgeable about poisons because my sister experienced poisoning attempts. She's not immune to it, but she's smart enough to neutralize them. Of course, the mastermind behind those schemes was my mother. Can you see how problematic your friend is? You should've known that people like her are not worth keeping. People like her don't deserve to live. They're no different from trash," he spat out, his voice dripping with venom.

He was going too far. Those were just harsh words, but even words could cause Corianne pain. I felt my blood boiling as I watched Evrart express his grievances through insults. He had no idea I could kill him in an instant. But he was still my half-brother, and Corianne wouldn't be pleased to see her son die by my hand.

It would also lead to an unnecessary war, which would be troublesome. After all, my priority is solidifying my throne and power. But how can I accomplish that? I can't even defend my empire against a mad king of a small kingdom.

"Look," Evrart's words drew our attention back, and I couldn't help but be curious about what he would do next. "If you want me to forgive you, bring Thyra back here alive and unscathed. After she left Eurhyia, she returned three months later and nursed me back to health. I'd completely lost my sanity during those days. But she returned to the empire, mentioning that she'd meet her acquaintance who could support her, the grand duke of Eskal. She promised to keep in touch, but I didn't hear from her at all."

His sister is in Herzoyona Eskal? With Raleigh, of all people? What could her relationship with him be? That's ...

I gritted my teeth, my mind racing with possibilities. Thyra Edevane... who exactly are you?