𝙄𝙢𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙈𝙖𝙟𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙮

ＸＣＩＩＩ

˜”*°• Imperial Majesty •°*”˜

What a bald-faced lie.

Rashta gripped her skirt, "You killed my baby!"

Rage filled her senses, how dare he casually claimed the she had left her baby behind! It echoed terribly in her ears.

She wanted to scream some more at him but she feared that Viscountess Verdi would overhear them, so she kept her mouth shut.

"You can't threaten me with a baby that's already gone."

The Viscount let out chuckle, "Killed? What are you talking about, Rashta?" His eyes stared directly at hers, mockingly.

"He's still my grandson even if his blood is tainted by the blood of a slave. I would never have killed him."

"You're lying..."

She clasped her hands and brought it closely to her chest. "I saw the dead body with my own eyes. You definitely...!"

Viscount Roteschu stood up from his seat and approached towards her.

"Rashta, you stupid little girl. You should stop seeing me as your enemy and reconsider my role in your life."

He reached out a hand to 'comfortingly' rub her shoulders—

"Why can't you see that I can act as you eyes and ears?"

—But she harshly slapped his hand away.

"I don't need an ally like you!"

He tutted and clicked his tongue at her stubbornness, "Even if you wear fine jewellery and imitate the nobles, you're not actually a noblewoman."

He glared, "How long do you think you'll stay in the Emperor's favour?"

She placed a hand on chest and proudly exclaimed, "His majesty told me that I'm the only one he loves!"

He rolled his eyes at her, "You've seen how my son treated you."

She paused as she recalled a memory.

The Viscount's son, who had whispered his vows of love to her, drastically changed the moment she had given birth to their child.

After their baby 'died', Rashta pathetically pleaded his son to ran awat with him, but what he said to her made her heart broke.

"You looked like you were stuck in a mire, and I wished to save you from it. But I was wrong. You are the mire, and I can’t save you from it."

That day, that horrid day, was the day she had lost not just her baby.

"I love you, but I don't want to change my life for you."

The Viscount could clearly see the hurt within her, but instead of helping— he decided to add more salt on to her wound.

"The more you are loved by the Emperor, the more other poor, beautiful women will look at your situation and hope. To escape their mire, they’ll want to latch on to the Emperor as well."

"Then—"

"Then what? Greedy nobles, foreign lords, and anyone interested in political collusion will send all kinds of beautiful women to the Emperor. And many of those women will have education and status."

"..."

"You're not the Empress, Rashta. As soon as the Emperor stops loving you, you'll become a slave again."

'I'll become a slave... again?'

The silver-nette hugged herself, she looked dispirited after hearing his words.