The lunch with the emperor went well. At least, it ended peacefully with no one speaking a word. The candidates didn't speak since Abel was speaking; it would be rude to speak without being asked in the presence of the emperor.
"That is so satisfying."
Aries turned to Veronika when the latter snickered. They were walking through the hallway, on their way back to the Hyacinth Palace.
Veronika smirked at Aries. "Don't you think, Lady Vandran?"
"Your Highness —"
"Veronika." She corrected. "You can just call me Veronika, my lady. After all, I am simply a princess in the land I came from, but in this empire, it is nothing but an empty title."
"A title is only empty when its holder considers it as empty," Aries argued with a subtle smile, treading carefully. "I'm certain Your Highness is proud carrying that title and the soil she came from everywhere she goes."
"I am." Veronika chuckled, peeling her eyes away from Aries ahead. "Despite the inner turmoil, I am proud of my soil."
"I figured."
"It's surprising, my lady."
Aries raised her brows. "What is, Your Highness?"
"You." Veronika cast Aries a look as her lips stretched even wider. "It is no secret that the lady of the House Vandran is the noblest lady on the continent. The news when you returned to the Capital and your recovery had reached Chivisea."
"Did it?" Aries nearly gasped in surprise, almost stopping in her steps.
"It did." Veronika rocked her head, chuckling when she noticed the genuine surprise in Aries's eyes. "His Majesty had no empress, nor did he have a sister. Therefore, everyone knows that the lady in the House Vandran, the Marquess's sister, was born to become the noblest lady on the continent."
"I see…"
"Everyone thought the next news we'd hear was your wedding with the emperor," she continued with a light tone, lowering her eyes. "But alas… the news we heard was not your wedding to the emperor, but to another land."
Veronika pressed her lips into a thin line and gazed at Aries. When she did, Aries was already looking ahead with a smile that hadn't reached her eyes.
"We were enraged about it," she confessed, causing lines in between Aries's brows to appear. The latter looked back at her, puzzlement was apparent in her eyes. "The Maganti Empire had exploited our lands and pressured us for years — particularly, that crown prince. Our land is far from their jurisdiction, but they just came there and claimed parts of our land."
Aries's mouth fell open, but she couldn't say anything. She heard nothing about this, but it didn't surprise her. That was how everything was. Powerful empires such as the Maganti Empire and the Haimirich Empire could go to any land and claim it as theirs.
Small kingdoms such as Chivisea and Rikhill had only two options: one was to negotiate, which also meant giving up a part of their land, and the second, was to wage a full-scale war even though it was more like a suicide mission.
"I don't know what happened during your stay in the Maganti Empire, but I'm glad you returned in one piece. That land shelters the most twisted people I had known," Veronika added, smiling in relief.
Aries's eyes softened as she could feel the sincerity of the princess. Veronika's facial structures and demeanor made her appear unapproachable, and her constant banter with Suzanne made her appear slightly villainous. However, Veronika wasn't as bad as she presented herself. She could be very warm.
Somehow… Veronika reminded her of Princess Aries Aime Heathcliffe. They would get along well.
"The crown prince was, indeed, a terrible man." Aries looked ahead, keeping her chin up. "He is the type that if he couldn't have it, he would get it no matter what. Many lands and people, both inside and outside the Maganti, had suffered greatly because of him."
"However, during my time in there, I realized the Maganti Empire was simply ruled by terrible men in power," she continued, stopping in her tracks, facing Veronika squarely. "The people were innocent, Your Highness. Everyone is simply trying to survive, and it is not their sin to be born and raised in a land ruled by a heartless tyrant."
Aries looked at Veronika straight in the eye, imparting her realization she had in the Maganti Empire. "Burning an entire kingdom just because its ruler was cruel was just as cruel. If the sovereign was terrible, then change it. There were many ways, Your Highness. I wished the new sovereign of the Maganti wasn't pressuring you any longer."
Veronika stared at Aries in silence and smiled weakly. "They were the reason I am here," she confessed. "The Maganti Empire and Chivisea were discussing the damages that they had caused us, and so far, it was doing great. Because of that, they were the ones who recommended me to become a candidate to strengthen our affiliation with the Haimirich Empire."
"I'm pleased to hear that everything went well for your land." Aries smiled in satisfaction as her heart warmed up with this news. After the succession of the rebellion, she didn't bother with anything. She trusted Ismael to keep his words 'to realign everything and make things right.'
Ismael kept his promise, and that alone made her happy. The Rikhill Kingdom and Aries's family might've not been revived, but hearing that other countries didn't have to experience the same hell the land of Rikhill went through was good enough for Aries.
Aries resumed in her steps while Veronika stood still. The latter stared at Aries's back in silence, and when there was already five steps' distance between them, Veronika spoke.
"Thank you for saving Violet, my lady." Aries slowly halted at Veronika's remarks, looking back at her, wide-eyed. "The new sovereign of the Maganti had told us you're the one who saved Violet from that land. Violet is like a sister to me. Therefore, you have my and the entire Chivisea's gratitude, my lady."
Veronika lowered her head, and when she straightened her back, she planted her fist across from her chest like a knight. "I don't plan on becoming the empress of the Haimirich Empire, but aside from strengthening our relationship with the Haimirich Empire, I came here for a reason."
"His Majesty Ismael asked me for a favor to look after you when he heard about the news," she added solemnly. "I may be a princess, but I am also a trained knight. Use me at your own disposal, my lady."
Aries's mouth fell open, rendered speechless by Veronika's confession. People said what goes around comes around, and it all applies to good and bad deeds. Sometimes, it would return double or tenfolds.
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