Chapter 872 DUKE QUINZEL’S WARNING
"YOUR IMPERIAL Majesty, have you sent word to my daughter about this matter?"
Nikolai nodded in response to Rufus question. "I asked Alucard Dionisio, one of Nero's knights, to personally deliver a message to Hanna. Communication devices don't work in the Underworld, so I sent Alucard Dionisio there personally. That young man has the ability to open a portal in that place. Hence, he'll bring Hanna here as soon as possible."
Only a few people knew that Alucard Dionisio was actually a demon.
And Rufus was one of those selected few.
It was safe to talk about things like that.
After all, Nikolai and the duke were the only ones in the tea room now.
[We had to send Amber Quinzel back in her room when she suddenly felt dizzy. It's expected since the Healing Sages all said Amber Quinzel still needs plenty of rest.]
Moreover, Nikolai could tell that Rufus wanted to talk to him without Amber Quinzel.
[He probably doesn't want to show his angry side to his wife.]
"Bring Hanna here?" Rufus asked, knitting his eyebrows. "Your Imperial Majesty, are you bringing back my daughter here to hasten her wedding with Prince Nero?"
"We have no choice but to hasten the wedding," Nikolai insisted. "The throne is determined to make Nero the new emperor. It probably needs my son's Moonglow now that my Moonglow has been depleted."
The Moonglow giving life to his body right now belonged to the Neoma of the first timeline, hence the throne probably couldn't use it.
"But Nero has to be married first."
"I thought the throne rejected Hanna, though?"
Nikolai scoffed. "That's the throne's opinion. It doesn't change the fact that Hanna is the Crown Princess. Moreover, Dahlia doesn't wish to marry Nero, and so does my son. Hence, I assume Nero and Hanna would want to proceed with their wedding even without a proper ceremony."
Rufus fell silent as if he was deep in thought.
[Everyone in the empire knows Rufus is a fool for his daughter. I'm lucky Rufus hasn't grabbed my collar yet.]
"My dear Hanna prepared so much for her dream wedding."
Nikolai flinched at Rufus' calm yet hostile words.
"I know the situation is dire and that we must prioritize saving Prince Nero's life. As a duke of the empire, I agree that we must make haste for the sake of the Crown Prince," Rufus said, his eyes glowing again. "However, as a father, I can't help but feel bad for my daughter. Hanna has prepared so much for her dream wedding. And yet, we're going to hasten the ceremony as if its only purpose is to free Prince Nero. That doesn't seem fair, does it? Your Imperial Majesty?"
"No, you're right," Nikolai said. "This whole thing is unfair to Hanna. Hence, I won't blame her if she changes her mind about marrying my son."
"I know my daughter, so I know she would still marry Prince Nero no matter what. She spent most of her life preparing to be the empress."
"Rufus, the opinion of the throne doesn't reflect the opinion of the Imperial Family," Nikolai said, just in case Rufus was offended by what he said earlier. "Hanna was never lacking, and I'm sure everyone would agree with that. She's the perfect Crown Princess, and she's the only lady we can see becoming the new empress."
It was true.
Even though Nikolai knew that Dahlia was his daughter-in-law in the first timeline, he couldn't see the Black Witch becoming the new empress.
He wasn't saying Dahlia wasn't qualified to be one– the Black Witch wasn't lacking either.
[It's just that I've seen Hanna work hard for herself and Nero all this time that I can't imagine someone else in her place.]
"Ultimately, it doesn't matter whether the throne or the Imperial Family wants Hanna as the empress or not," Rufus said. Clearly, the duke wasn't happy in this situation and it was completely understandable. "Your Imperial Majesty, at this very moment, I choose to be a father and not a duke. Hence, if Hanna doesn't wish to marry Prince Nero anymore, I will stand by my daughter's decision."
That meant the Quinzels would withdraw their support from the Imperial Family depending on Hanna's decision.
And that was a big deal.
Nikolai didn't show it, but Rufus' warning frightened him a bit.
[If the Quinzels turn their back on the Imperial Family, we're done.]
Now Nikolai's hand itched to punch the throne for creating this mess.
"When I became the duke, I pledged my household's allegiance to Your Imperial Majesty as a way to atone for my brother's sin after he committed high treason," Rufus said in a serious voice. "However, I don't think I can continue staying loyal to the Imperial Family if my daughter ends up getting hurt because of Prince Nero. I know this isn't something the most powerful duke in the empire should be saying, but Your Imperial Majesty also knows that Hanna is my everything. And my wife feels the same."
If Nikolai was still the same scumbag that he used to be, then he would have had Rufus arrested for threatening the Imperial Family.
But, as he said to himself earlier, he was already a changed man.
[And, as a father, I completely understand Rufus.]
"If Prince Nero really ended up hurting my precious daughter, I wouldn't be able to bring myself to support His Imperial Highness' reign as the new emperor," Rufus said, then he paused for a moment. "And in case that really happened, then House Quinzel would only support the Imperial Family again once Princess Neoma becomes the empress regnant."
"I thought you'd completely turn your back on the Imperial Family in case the worst scenario happened."
"Princess Neoma is also my daughter, so I won't turn my back on her."
"Excuse me?"
"Princess Neoma is also my daughter," Rufus repeated in a firm voice. "Your Imperial Majesty, I met the older Princess Neoma and she returned some of my memories from the first timeline."
Nikolai clenched his hands tight, annoyed that Rufus was threatening his position as Neoma's father so openly as if his cousin had forgotten that he was still the emperor.
[Rufus is really frightening when he's angry.]
***
"HOW ARE you feeling, Your Imperial Majesty?"
"Drugged," Mona answered weakly. "This reminds me of the time a filthy bastard spiked my drink in an attempt to assassinate me. Of course, he died painfully by my hands."
"Please don't kill me, Your Imperial Majesty," Trevor pleaded indifferently. "I took the amount of Roseheart Blood I needed for Princess Neoma. It's a miracle that Your Imperial Majesty didn't fall into a comatose state. However, it seems like you'll need to stay in bed for quite some time."
The demon boy was correct.
She couldn't even move her body the way she wanted to. However, she was still glad that she didn't fall into a comatose state.
[I can't afford to fall "asleep" in this situation.]
"It's a relief that I only received this much damage," Mona said, her voice still weak. In fact, she was already running out of breath just from talking. "I'm sure I'll recover soon since the Cosmic Tree is here to nurse me back to health. Hence, you may leave now, Trevor. I know you have many things left to do."
"Thank you, Your Imperial Majesty. I'll go ahead now."
"Wait, Trevor."
"Yes, Your Imperial Majesty?"
"I don't know what exactly happened, but I can tell you were hurt because of my daughter," Mona said carefully. "Are you still going to stay by my daughter's side? Faithfully, at that?"
"Your Imperial Majesty, I do not resent Princess Neoma for my feelings are my own responsibility. The Imperial Princess never led me on anyway," Trevor said calmly. Unlike when he woke up earlier, he looked sober now. "Plus, the person I hate is Commander Ruto. If I was going to blame anyone for my pain, I'd blame that damned commander."
Oh.
The demon boy's playful demeanor was back.
"Trevor, you just said your own feelings are your responsibility. So why are you blaming poor Ruto now?"
"I just hate the damned commander so much that I will blame all my pains and misfortunes on him even though he hasn't had anything to do with them."
Mona laughed softly. "Trevor, it won't be easy to get over someone as amazing as Neoma. Hence, I don't know how to console you. I'm sorry. You've been and you are a great help to us, but I can't even make you feel better."
"Your Imperial Majesty doesn't have to apologize," Trevor said while shaking his head. "As long as my Moon Princess is safe and happy, there will be no need to console me."
It seemed like Trevor was telling the truth.
[I shouldn't meddle in his personal life more than I already had.]
So, Mona just smiled and nodded at Trevor. "Take care, Trevor. See you later."
Trevor just bowed politely to her before leaving.
Mona didn't have the time to rest after that.
"Empress Mona."
Hmm?
Mona wasn't just surprised that William appeared, but she was also surprised by the fact that he addressed her formally. "What happened, William?"
"Nero was swallowed up by the throne room."
"What?!"
"I tried to follow Nero in secret when he was summoned by the throne, but I was pushed away," William reported in a frustrated voice. "It seems like Nero was brought to the 'Cage.'"
Mona gasped.
The 'Cage' was the dimension under the throne room where the Soul Beasts were imprisoned!
[And it's where Juliet lost her life…]
"Why did the throne bring Nero there?" Mona asked, frustrated that she couldn't move her body. "It's a dangerous place– especially for Nero who's mentally unstable…"
"There's something strange with the throne this time," William said in a serious voice. "A female Spirit God was guarding it, Mona."
"A female Spirit God…?"
***
HANNA laughed while avoiding the female Silver Fox's sharp claws.
[This is fun.]
She could focus on the female Silver Fox because she used her Shadow Beasts to keep the other small-fry crows away from them.
[This female Silver Fox is mine.]
Eloise, the female Silver Fox who introduced herself earlier, growled in frustration. "You were supposed to have a weak constitution!"
Pfft.
Hanna moved closer to Eloise in a swift manner, then she gave the female Silver Fox a solid punch in the face.
The female Silver Fox was sent flying while screaming in pain.
Hanna chuckled when Eloise hit the already ruined pavilion. "Was that a punch someone with a weak constitution could wield?"
To be fair, her hand hurt like hell.
The Silver Foxes, just like the de Moonasterios, were blessed with solid physical strength.
It felt like she punched a wall of steel when she punched Eloise. If she hadn't covered her hand with her Mana, she would have broken all her fingers. In fact, the impact of her knuckles colliding with the female Silver Fox's nose still stung.
"They said the Crown Princess fights elegantly with her Shadow Beasts!" Eloise complained like a child. "Why are you using your fists and acting like a barbarian?! With your face and graceful movements, you should be using a thin sword! That would suit you better than using your fists! Have you no dignity as the Crown Princess?!"
"The de Moonasterios don't often use weapons, don't you know that? They're known for their brute strength," Hanna said while massaging her wrist. "Since I'm going to become a de Moonasterio soon, I figured I should try to fight like them in order to fit in."
Eloise just growled, then she quickly stood up and charged towards Hanna.
Oh.
[She's faster than before.]
That meant the female Silver Fox was finally using her full strength this time.
Hanna braced herself to block Eloise's attack, but she was forced to freeze on the spot when someone ran past her.
[Lewis?]
Yes, it was Lewis. The fox boy came out of nowhere and charged at the female Silver Fox.
"Lewis Crevan!" Eloise squealed excitedly. "Finally– argh!"
The next thing that happened made Hanna flinch and feel a little bit, just a tiny bit, empathy for the poor female Silver Fox.
After all, Lewis "greeted" Eloise with a kick in the face.
Once again, the female Silver Fox was sent flying.
[Lewis is so savage.]
As expected of Neoma's "first son."
"Princess Hanna," Lewis said, looking back at Hanna– his golden eyes glowing. "Please return to the mansion. One of Prince Nero's knights has come for you."
Hanna didn't want to admit this, but it actually made her nervous.
[Something bad definitely happened, but I hope it's not about my parents...]
***
PFFT.
Hanna wanted to laugh.
Not because she was delighted, but because she was feeling bitter.
Alucard, one of Nero's knights, delivered a long and detailed message to her from the emperor.
"Nero was swallowed up by the throne room, and the throne demanded Dahlia to be the next empress because I don't have the "qualifications" to become one?" Hanna confirmed, laughing bitterly. "Who died and gave the throne the right to choose the next empress?"
Alucard, who flinched at Hanna's hostility even though it wasn't directed at him, lowered his gaze to the floor before speaking. "There's one more thing His Imperial Majesty wanted to let you know, Princess Hanna."
"What is it?"
"A strange female Spirit God was guarding the throne and, apparently, the throne wasn't supposed to have a female guardian."
Now that really sounded strange.
First of all, the throne was supposed to be guarded by the previous emperors.
[And the previous emperors hated women in power, so there's no way they'd let a woman make decisions for them. That begets the question of who the female Spirit God might be.]
"Since the entire thing is strange, His Imperial Majesty wanted you to return to the Imperial Palace, Princess Hanna," Alucard said politely. "His Imperial Majesty wanted to let Your Highness know that the opinion of the throne doesn't reflect the Imperial Family. Hence, His Imperial Majesty also wanted to inform Your Highness that your wedding with Prince Nero will push through should you decide to go through it."
So, the emperor was giving Hanna the right to decide whether to marry Nero or not.
[His Imperial Majesty has really changed. If it was the old emperor, he would have forced me to marry Nero on the spot just to save his son.]
The emperor's positive change could only be credited to Neoma.
"I'm returning to the palace," Hanna said firmly, her green eyes glowing menacingly. "I'll reclaim my place as the rightful empress of the Great Moonasterion Empire."
***
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***
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