Chapter 66: Abandonment

Time didn't go by quickly, perhaps because I had something important I wanted to say.

My eyes opened at dawn, and I had to shift quietly as to not wake the maids too early. I read a book, but it was difficult to concentrate. I ended up feeling exhausted at breakfast rather than relaxed.

After I finished eating, washing, and dressing, I went to the central palace and came across Sovieshu. Besides wanting to talk to him about my brother, there was another topic I wanted to bring up.

"Empress."

When Sovieshu saw me, he stood up from his desk and smiled gently. His attitude was more friendly than usual, despite the fact he was keeping my brother in custody. What on earth was in his mind? I stared at him, but instead of talking about Koshar, he set down his papers.

"Did you have breakfast?"

I went to his desk and lifted the documents. One was a report on the decline of mages, and the other was a directive to increase military spending.

'Is he expanding the army to replace the decreasing number of mages?'

"Empress?"

"Oh. Ah, yes."

"Health comes first. You should take care of yourself."

Sovieshu gently offered his advice to me with a smile. It wasn't just my imagination, and he really was acting kinder than usual.

'Is he sorry that he put my brother under house arrest?'

Whenever Sovieshu unexpectedly treated me in a gentle manner, my first instinct was to be suspicious. I returned a smile, and Sovieshu gave an amused chuckle.

"Is it so strange for me to ask you to take care of your health?"

"…I don't think I have anything to say in this situation."

"I always hope the Empress is healthy."

"As do I."

Why was he like this?

Sovieshu's friendly expression then melted away. There was still a smile on his lips, but deep sorrow pooled in his eyes. I felt even more awkward looking into them, and then Sovieshu started speaking about national affairs.

"I met Calenzalo, the chief mage."

Yes. It was easier to talk about work like this. I quickly responded.

"So about the man who claimed that he lost his powers. Was he really a mage?"

"Unfortunately."

"What caused the disappearance of his powers? Did they find out the cause?"

"They don't know yet. We don't know why magical power is disappearing, nor why the number of mages is shrinking."

"It can't be."

"But I've heard something else that bothers me."

Something that bothered him?

"What is it?"

"The chief mage said that the decline of mages has been a constant phenomenon for nearly two decades."

"I've never heard of it."

"Yes. Back then, the numbers of sages and wizards alone were quite a considerable figure."

"That means…"

"Yes. They say that the numbers have decreased sharply in recent years."

"That's certainly concerning."

We danced around each other like we had something to say, but kept avoiding the topic. From the standpoint of the Empress of the Eastern Empire, what Sovieshu said now was something to be seriously considered. And yet, I had a hard time concentrating on his words because my head was full of other thoughts. I forced myself to nod, and Sovieshu spoke again.

"Do you remember the child from your nationally sponsored orphanage? The one sent to the magical academy?"

"Evely."

It was only when Sovieshu mentioned her that I could fully concentrate on his words.

"What about that child?"

There was no reason for him to bring her up specifically, and I became anxious. Sovieshu replied in a heavy voice.

"I heard that she is not adapting well to the academy."

"Because her life circumstances have changed."

"No, not only on that level."

"?"

"Calenzalo doesn't know if it's peer problems, personality problems, or if it's because she has difficulty adapting to the new environment."

Sovieshu's words were troubling by themselves, but we had just been talking about mages whose magical powers have disappeared. If he mentioned that child's name next…

"At first, she displayed a lot of magical ability and was motivated to attend her classes and work hard. Two professors praised her for being quite skillful. But gradually her mana began to decrease, and she couldn't keep up with the classes."

"Ah…"

"When she became depressed, everyone considered it to be a matter of effort or environment. But at a time when the mages know magical powers are disappearing, everyone is watching her."

My heart broke as I remembered the girl who was so nervous yet excited at the prospect of attending the Academy. To fall behind on classes because one lacked effort or basic knowledge was one thing, but for one to lose their magic ability…

'I'll write her a letter.'

I looked down at the floor with mixed emotions. When I gathered my senses again, I realized that the surroundings were too quiet. Sovieshu was not speaking anymore. I looked at him, he stared back at me with an unreadable expression.

'Does he remember that he confined my brother now?'

As I gazed back into his heavy eyes, I knew it was time for us to have a more private conversation. I had been impatiently waiting for this moment since yesterday.

"I am Evely's sponsor, so I'll take care of her matters."

I spoke calmly, trying to keep my face as neutral as possible.

"And, if you don't mind, I'd like to ask how long you intend to keep my brother under house arrest."

In one sentence, the friendly glint in Sovieshu's eyes disappeared, only to be replaced with cold ice.

"It will be soon."

"I think it's important to know to what extent he's released."

It wasn't just about releasing him from house arrest. Sovieshu stared silently at the papers he set down on his desk.

"Your Majesty."

He replied in a dark voice.

"…Empress, I cannot believe what your brother says or does."

"!"

"What I believe is that you can't control him, and he will never change."

"Your Majesty."

"Even if he changes, it won't be before my baby was born. Do you agree?"

Sovieshu suddenly turned to me and spoke in a determined voice.

"I'm telling you this since you already know that your brother is under house arrest."

Sovieshu got out of his seat and stood in front of me. He looked right into my eyes.

"I will banish your brother to protect my child."

There was not a tremor in his voice, and he didn't look like the same gentle person he was only just a while ago.

'While I spent all night long choosing the words to say to him, he was deciding what to do with my brother.'

I realized that he had already fully made up his mind. When I gathered my emotions, I found myself biting my lower lip. Sovieshu noticed, and he lifted a finger near my face.

"Of course, it doesn't mean I'll banish him forever."

I turned around quickly, as I couldn't bear to face him.

"It will be an informal banishment, and I will allow Koshar to come back if he repents of his crime."

"…"

When I said nothing, Sovieshu lightly gripped me on the shoulder and turned me around. I tried not to show any emotion, but it was a futile effort. I took a quick deep breath and spoke in a simple tone.

"Do you have to do this?"

"I could ask that same question to your brother."

"What exactly are you going to banish my brother for?"

"You only heard that your brother was put under house arrest, but did you hear that he violently assaulted a person?"

"Did you not hear that that person had my brother attacked first?"

"Ah, I heard."

"!"

"But that is your brother's claim. Regardless, it's true that he violently assaulted Viscount Roteschu, just so he could hurt Rashta, and my child that she is carrying."

Sovieshu's eyes trembled more angrily at the topic of Viscount Roteschu. I don't know how Sovieshu found out about Koshar violently attacking Viscount Roteschu. My brother did have a fiery personality, and it was possible that he ambushed the viscount on the roadside. However, Sovieshu didn't act like he understood that Koshar was ambushed by Viscount Roteschu's men, and he showed more anger when Koshar attacked the viscount instead.

But what about Rashta?

'Did he hear about Rashta's past?'

I hesitated to speak, but at the moment, Sovieshu turned around and sat roughly at his desk.

"No matter what you say, I cannot forgive Koshar again. If you're asking me to, forget it and leave."

* * *

'Sovieshu truly loves Rashta.'

Every time I thought about this, my heart ached and my chest felt heavy. Sovieshu was going to banish my brother because he posed a risk to Rashta and the baby…

Well, Sovieshu had said that it would be unofficial. If it went to court, he probably feared that a scandal about Rashta may be uncovered. He wanted to drive the narrative that my brother "attacked the viscount", not "attacked the Emperor's baby." If Koshar was charged for the latter, the court would dig and find out that Viscount Roteschu and Rashta were closely connected, and in the process, the story of Rashta being a runaway slave would spread. That would be something Sovieshu would want to stop before it began.

But then what? Would he really allow Koshar to come back if he reflected and repented of his sins? I honestly couldn't believe it. Why would Sovieshu want to banish a man for the sake of an unborn baby, but allow him to return after the baby's birth? Sovieshu was trying to keep Koshar away because he was burdensome to Rashta.

With the stormy thoughts in my head, it took two hours to finish the page-and-a-half letter to Evely. I encouraged Evely not to get too frustrated, and that I would continue to support her whether her grades were good or bad. I found I couldn't even write proper words of comfort, because I myself had too much nervous energy.

"Deliver this letter to this address tomorrow."

I felt bitter as I handed the envelope to Countess Eliza. Afterward I paced the room, worrying about Sovieshu, Rashta, and my brother.

It was a long while before I finally left my room. I wasn't going to spread rumors about Rashta's past in the social circles, but I was going to use it as my hand so my brother wouldn't be banished.

As I walked down the corridor, a cold wind blew against my back. It was as if it was pushing me to go to Sovieshu. I took several deep breaths and went into the eastern palace.

Because the eastern palace was the domain of the emperor, it was relatively peaceful during the day, and even quieter at night. The sound of my footsteps echoed so loudly in the corridor that I deliberately lifted my heel to make as little sound as possible.

On the way to Sovieshu's room, I had to pass Rashta's room, and I came by an unexpected acquaintance. It was Viscountess Verdi, my former lady-in-waiting who betrayed me and left to serve Rashta. She stood nervously by the door, and her eyes widened as she saw me.

'Should I acknowledge her?'

The air was tense with uncertainty. I glanced at her for a moment, and she looked so flustered that she didn't know what to do.

'It'll be awkward to say hello to each other.'

Viscountess Verdi was unlikely to greet me, so I turned my head away. I didn't even bother rebuking her for not acknowledging the empress.

However, as I walked a few steps past her, she called out to me unexpectedly.

"Your Majesty."

Her voice was so faint that I was initially unsure whether I heard her or not. She sounded sorrowful.

I looked back, and I saw Viscountess Verdi standing by the door in tears. She had betrayed me and went to Rashta, and seemed to have found herself in an even more difficult situation. She was likely hoping for comfort, but now was not the time for me to do so. I tried to turn around, but Viscountess Verdi spoke again.

"Your Majesty the Empress."

She left with those words and disappeared as quiet as a ghost behind the door.

'She seemed to have something to say.'

Why did she leave without saying anything else? Was it something she found difficult?

I paused, looking in the direction of the viscountess' disappearance. The door was ajar. Normally, I would have thought it was a mistake, but it was the place where Viscountess Verdi had just been standing with a tearful face a moment ago. My eyes were drawn through the door.

'What did she want to tell me?'

I pondered over it, but her intentions were difficult to understand. I decided to go my way.

"But Your Majesty…divorce? Wouldn't the Empress' family object to it?"

I was surprised to hear a voice from beyond the door. I stopped. The owner of the voice was Rashta.

'Divorce?'