Chapter 65: The Storm Shall Blow

"I apologize for my late arrival, Your Majesty."

Marquis Farang greeted me, and I waved my hand to signal that everyone else should leave the room. Countess Eliza noticed and brought the two other maids out with her so I could speak in private.

"What is it?"

As soon as we were alone, Marquis Farang sat in a chair and urgently recounted me the news: the fact that Rashta was a runaway slave, that she had given birth to a baby before she met Sovieshu—

"Baby? Rashta's baby?"

"Yes. I don't know who the father is, but Viscount Roteschu is taking care of the baby because Rashta ran away and left it behind."

"Rashta's baby…"

I had heard rumors that Viscount Roteschu was keeping a baby, and while I never said it out loud, I had suspicions that it might be Rashta's.

"No one knows who the father is. Are you sure?"

"Well, according to what I heard. If they're raised and sold as a slave anyway, it doesn't matter who the father is."

Marquis Farang replied in cold sarcasm and waved his hand before continuing.

His next piece of news was not about Rashta, but of my brother and Sovieshu. Koshar had violently assaulted Viscount Roteschu to collect information from him, and in response, Sovieshu sent his guard to confine my brother to his home. Perhaps he suspected that Koshar might try to spread evidence that Rashta was a slave.

"We were one step behind."

I tried to warn my brother about his rash behavior, but now the situation had devolved. I sighed, but Marquis Farang grinned and shook his head.

"We were one step ahead."

"?"

"Because Viscount Roteschu is in league with 'that woman', he won't disclose her secrets to His Majesty. And because His Majesty doesn't trust Koshar at all and hates him, Koshar likely won't say anything."

"By that you mean… I should tell His Majesty about Rashta's secret?"

"Yes."

"…"

"I know you don't like preying on people who are weak."

Marquis Farang stared at me with a fierce expression in his eyes.

"But Your Majesty, wouldn't it be better if the flesh of cattle was eaten rather than the flesh of a noble and elegant swan? One only needs to wash away the blood and residue."

* * *

After Marquis Farang left, Countess Eliza wordlessly brought me a cup of hot coffee. I sat by the parlor window and stared at the moon, lost in thought.

Rashta had an astonishing past, she was unwilling to tell it to Sovieshu. In the days when she became beloved by the Emperor, she had attacked my brother with lies and mimicked me, all because she was the weakest and most vulnerable in the household. Passing over Rashta's actions those days was the compassion that Sovieshu demanded of me. It was a matter of my pride.

Moreover, Viscount Roteschu could not be trusted. He told Koshar that Rashta left her baby behind. Did she abandon it, or had she lost it unwillingly?

I heard from Sir Artina that Viscount Roteschu keeps the baby hidden. If Rashta abandoned the baby, then why was it necessary? Now that Viscount Roteschu and Rashta were cooperating, the viscount had an incentive to cover up the past. A normal master and slave wouldn't have had such a relationship.

"…"

However…Marquis Farang was also right. Treating Rashta as an outsider or overlooking her past was only possible when we could ignore each other. Now with my brother under house arrest, clinging on to appearances was foolish.

'First, let me talk to Sovieshu about my brother.'

* * *

Navier wasn't the only soul wrapped up in disquieting thoughts. In a carriage headed towards the capital, Sovieshu tried to focus on the issue of the declining number of mages, but his mind kept turning towards Rashta.

Rashta already had a baby. The fact that she did was obviously shocking, as well as the fact that she had a lover, but that wasn't the major issue to him. For Sovieshu, the problem was that Rashta had lied to him.

Nevertheless, Sovieshu could not find it in his heart to blame Rashta unconditionally. He still remembered her pathetic and pitiful form when he first rescued her, and he didn't want to judge her yet without knowing if her baby was stolen, abandoned, or anything else.

Sovieshu arrived at the palace early the next morning without clearing his thoughts. First, he went to visit Rashta.

"Miss Rashta hasn't woken yet, but I'll get her for you."

The maid made to leave to wake up Rashta, but Sovieshu waved her away and walked into Rashta's room.

She was slumbering peacefully in bed. Sovieshu sighed and leaned by the door to watch her when gaze fell onto something unusual on the table. He moved closer to it and saw a lock of beautiful silver hair.

He furtively touched it with his fingers.

'Did she cut her hair?'

He thought it was Rashta's hair, but after a moment, he thought it had the appearance and texture of baby's hair.

"Your Majesty?"

Rashta was sitting up and calling to him in a sleep-slurred voice. She got out of bed, asking why he was here, but her face turned deathly pale when she noticed what he was looking at.

"Your…Majesty?"

Her voice trembled in terror.

"Ah, I-I trimmed my hair a little earlier. I think I left that by mistake."

Before Sovieshu could answer, she ran over, quickly grabbed the hair, then went back to the bed. Her awkward behavior spoke volumes. He was certain of it—the hair was from her first baby.

'Did she abandon the baby?'

He clicked his tongue. Perhaps Rashta had no choice but to say goodbye to the baby, and she secretly kept the hair because she missed her child. Rashta's situation had suddenly become more sympathetic, and the final thought played a final role in changing Sovieshu's mind. However, the question of lying had not been solved yet…

'She didn't tell me for fear that I would leave her.'

He pretended not to know anything.

* * *

Sovieshu left and took a stroll through the gardens on the way back to the eastern palace. When he returned to his bedroom, he called for Marquis Karl.

The marquis, who had been waiting for Sovieshu's return, quickly arrived. He was tense, as he knew Rashta's secret along with the Emperor.

"Welcome back, Your Majesty."

"Any news on Koshar?"

"Lord Koshar quietly remained in the mansion."

"…"

"The problem with Miss Rashta is…"

"I'm considering divorce."

"You wish to end Miss Rashta's concubine contract?"

"No. I mean with the Empress."

Sovieshu's words blindsided Marquis Karl. The marquis expected that Sovieshu would want to remove Rashta as a concubine, or perhaps that he would take out his anger against Koshar. He had no clue why the Emperor's ire was directed towards the Empress.

"Why the Empress so suddenly…?"

"The Empress cannot control that unruly Koshar."

"Ah."

"It is already the second time Koshar has caused an incident. It hasn't even been that long after the poisoning incident."

"Miss Rashta is…"

Sovieshu rubbed his forehead as if he had a headache.

"Although I am disappointed with Rashta, she is already pregnant with my baby. Attacking her would be like attacking my baby."

"But Your Majesty, divorce…"

Marquis Karl looked devastated. Empress Navier did not have the image of a loving and benevolent monarch, but she was admired by the public for her sword-like practicality and regal bearing.

But divorce.

"It may not be my place to say this, but divorce is extreme, Your Majesty. Please reconsider."

Marquis Karl spoke honestly at risk of the Emperor's wrath.

"If Lord Koshar is the problem, then you only need to punish him."

The marquis was so concerned that he felt it was his duty to prevent divorce between the Emperor and Empress.

"Isn't Koshar the queen's brother and successor to the Troby family?"

"But it's not fair to place Lord Koshar's guilt on the Empress…it truly isn't."

Sovieshu breathed a sigh.

"If Koshar—the only successor to the Troby family—is punished, the position of the family will be shaken. The Empress will also be put in an embarrassing position."

He sat in a chair and spoke in a somber voice.

"If the Empress is disgraced, no matter how hard she works, there will be people who will be spiteful towards her."

Marquis Carl did not immediately understand Sovieshu's words and blinked.

"Yes?"

Sovieshu said he was going to divorce the Empress. His line of thinking was incomprehensible to Marquis Karl.

"This is the only way to protect the Empress from the fallout. I have considered other ways, but this is the best path."

"You want a divorce to protect Her Majesty?"

"I will punish that criminal Koshar without fail. But if I do nothing about the Empress while I punish him, her image will be harmed."

"?"

"But think of it the other way. If I divorce the empress while punishing Koshar, everyone will think it's too heavy a punishment. As you do now."

"Is that so?"

"Even if she was divorced, she would not remarry by convention, and she will stay alone. Sympathy will go to the Empress."

Sovieshu stroked his chin and narrowed his eyes.

"In the meantime, I will raise Rashta to the position of empress."

It was a series of shocking statements. Marquis Karl nearly fainted.

"Your—Your Majesty!"

"I will have Rashta act as empress when the baby is born and until that point, the baby is a year old. That way, the child will have legitimacy as a royalty."

"No way! Miss Rashta…I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but Miss Rashta is not the type of person who can fulfill the duties of the position!"

"She will be a new mother after giving birth. She just needs to sit in the seat for a year, and do some basic work."

"She still won't be able to. She may be lovely and beautiful, but national affairs aren't something you do with your face!"

"Yes. Everyone will think so."

"What?"

Marquis Karl looked at Sovieshu with a bewildered expression.

"Even if she is competent, everyone will compare her to the Empress and they will miss her. Naturally, public opinion to shift to reinstate the former Empress…"

"Surely…Your Majesty?"

"Then I will put the Empress back on the throne."

Sovieshu closed his eyes, his brows knitted together.

"It will take about two years. If the Empress doesn't accept the divorce, it will be longer because of the trial."

Marquis Karl was stunned by Sovieshu's long game. The marquis barely managed to stammer out the words he wanted to say.

"But…Your Majesty, ah, the Empress may have a baby at a later date."

Sovieshu's expression darkened.

"…The Empress is infertile. She can't."

He spoke in a low voice, but his words were firm. Marquis Karl didn't understand why Sovieshu was so sure that the Empress couldn't bear children. Although they had been married for a long time, they were both still relatively young and healthy.

"But Your Majesty—"

Sovieshu interrupted.

"It's no use trying to change my mind. I'm going to protect my baby, and I won't leave Koshar unpunished."

Marquis Karl leaned against a table next to him. Sovieshu, meanwhile, looked downwards at the floor and did not say any more words to Marquis Karl.

Sovieshu had made a difficult decision on his own. Moreover, he seemed unwilling to reverse the decision.

"So, Your Majesty, do you want to bury Miss Rashta's past?"

Marquis Karl suppressed his desire to run home immediately and take a bath in hot water.

"I don't plan to raise a baby that was conceived in the past, but I don't want to hunt it down and kill it either. The child has no relation to me."

Lovers would ordinarily feel betrayed or jealous if their partner had such a past. Sovieshu was being rather light.

"Your Majesty. Wouldn't there be great opposition in seating a commoner as an empress? If it's for the sake of the baby, why not have Rashta marry into a noble family?"

"If a woman from a good family rises to the position of the empress, public sentiment wouldn't be so eager for Navier. It would be harder to reinstate her."

"!"

"There will be opposition, but Rashta has my baby. It's not without precedent. If it doesn't work out, then she can become part of an adequately fallen noble family."

"But what about Miss Rashta? After she becomes empress, do you think she'll give up her position so easily?"

"I know that she is not greedy. She's kind and smart. She knows it's not the place for her."

"Her greed may develop while she is in the empress' seat."

"If she doesn't want to step down, I can make her."

Sovieshu folded his arms and narrowed his eyes.

"There was the incident where Rashta conspired with Viscount Roteschu to destroy Duchess Tuania. That's enough to force her."

"!"

Marquis Karl stared at Sovieshu's face. The Emperor hadn't thrown away Viscount Langdel's report and had instead kept it. The marquis wondered if Sovieshu had planned this since then.

A storm would surely come.

Marquis Karl sighed and looked at Sovieshu with a complicated stare but he knew he could not do anything to change the Emperor's mind otherwise. Finally, he gave a slow nod of agreement.