The Empress lifted a small porcelain cup, her fingers poised with grace as she took an unhurried sip of tea. Her gaze never wavered from the young woman across from her, ignoring the other noble women on the other side of the dining table.
Then, with the ease of someone discussing the weather, she asked:
// Do you really want to kill him? //
Aleriana’s fingers stilled against her teacup. The words struck deeper than they should have; her voice was sharp as she firmly warned, //Mind your own business.//
// And what if I don’t? // The Empress chuckled, swirling her tea before taking another delicate sip.
// Why are you here? // Aleriana exhaled slowly, her eyes unreadable as she processed that the further she took this conversation with this woman, the more irritating it would become.
// He called me. // The older woman arched a brow, her lips curving into a smirk.
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// And you just came? // A ghost of amusement flickered across Aleriana’s face.
// Of course, I had to follow the words of a man who piqued my interest. // The Empress Dowager leaned back slightly, tapping her cup against its saucer. With a flicker of a gaze turning towards the dining table where no women were seated, she ignored the others, her gaze landing over the head of the seat.
// You just want to use him against me. // Aleriana met her gaze without hesitation, clearly seeing through the double-meaning threat that the Empress had given her, wanting to feign her ulterior motives by stating how he piqued her interest while in truth she just wanted to use him against her.
// Of course, I want to. // The admission was swift, blunt—cutting away any need for pretense—as there was a slight glint passing through Nista’s eyes as she saw the man who first gave her a name, speaking with curiosity. His status as this girl’s husband gave her more excuse to easily request the Empress to keep an eye on him.
So now, Nista would have an excuse to be around this man on the pretext of using him as the girl’s weakness.
// You will not succeed. // Aleriana held her stare, unflinching. Yet, there was a hint of hesitation in her mind as she finally found herself entangled in the moment she feared the most: knowing how her love would be used against her, just like what happened with her mother.
The reason she hated the word "love" was precisely how she saw her mother being treated as a stepping stone, thrown aside after being used by the king to gain the throne. Then, he became her weakness, which was mostly one-sided. Just like how, presently, she found herself being threatened with a husband who was not secured in her life, and a second later, he had become the source of her weakness.
This formed her determination to get rid of Kyle; her heart may bleed, but the future where she would always be tied to a weak man who could become her weakness, used to threaten her, just like now, was unacceptable.
// And what if I did? // The Empress chuckled, watching the way Aleriana’s fingers twitched minutely against the porcelain of her teacup.
Silence stretched between them.
’And here I was drowning in this cursed love,’ Aleriana knew why she was here. She knew what was happening. This was the very reason she had wanted Kyle gone before he could become her weakness. Yet even before the wedding was finalized, her enemies were already circling him like predators, using him as leverage.
For the fleeting moment, she cherished those small memories with Kyle. Though for anyone else, they would just be small conversations, for her, they were moments she would never forget in her life, forming a bond of love due to her promise to love her husband. Yet now, seeing how her heart was once again proven wrong, just like her mother’s, in contrast to the brain which warned her, her determination was becoming firmer with every moment.
Yet, somehow, her heart flared with flame as her voice was cold when she spoke. // I will kill you if you touch a single strand of his hair. //
The Empress Dowager smiled lazily, setting her cup down with a deliberate clink. // What if he himself invites me near him? //
Aleriana’s breath caught. // What? //
The Empress lifted a single finger, tracing the rim of her cup. Her voice was slow, measured. // Hmm. Let’s do this. I will greet him and tell him that I will provide protection against you. Then, wouldn’t he, after I save him, become grateful to me and fall into my grasp? //
Aleriana’s nails pressed into her palm. // ... //
The Empress let the silence stretch, savoring the small shift in Aleriana’s posture—the faint stiffening of her shoulders.
Then, as if twisting the knife deeper, she continued, // Now that I think about it, you said you would kill me if I touched him. Then why are you the one wanting to kill him? Have you lost your mind? //
Aleriana’s lips pressed into a thin line, her eyes cold as she looked towards the Empress and the line of hundreds of people like her waiting to find an opening to stab her. // Because of people like you. //
The Empress laughed, shaking her head. // I see. Then it seems I will just give him the offer, which he will naturally take. //
Aleriana remained silent, her grip tightening around the teacup, the fragile porcelain threatening to crack.
The Empress tilted her head slightly, watching her with satisfaction. // Funny how the wife is confused and the husband is unaware of the upcoming betrayal. //
Aleriana exhaled, her voice dropping into something colder. // Don’t move. //
The Empress raised a brow. // Oh? Do you not have confidence? //
Aleriana’s eyes sharpened. // I have. //
The Empress smirked. // Then let me give him this offer. //
Aleriana said nothing. But her silence was louder than words.
Then, without another glance, the Empress stood, adjusting the folds of her robe, and began walking toward Kyle.
---
’Am I really going to become like you, Mother?’ she thought, seated with an externally composed demeanor while she closed her eyes. However, she could not help but peek towards the direction where the Empress was now having a conversation with Kyle.
Seeing him seated while the other nobles remained standing, she felt a sense of calm knowing that he was able to handle the situation.
Yet, knowing how weak he was, she felt disheartened, realizing that he was just going to become her weakness.
Looking towards him and the Empress, her emotions turned cold due to memories of this woman revealing her true colors. She thought about how not just the Empress, but also others would come soon after this marriage was over to gain an advantage over her.
She wanted to secure the northern territory and also get rid of her husband so that he could not become her weakness. Yet, there was an ache in her heart.
This mild uncomfortable sensation whenever she thought of harming him only made her realize how weak she was and would become in the future if she spent more time with him.
She did not want to become like her mother, who had everything, could have won everything, yet for the fake sake of love, lost everything.
’I need to kill him,’ she had just determined again, digging her nails into her palm, her heart itching unbearably until she heard his voice directly resonating inside her mind.
// Aleriana, are you not going to help your husband? //
’!?’