(3) Like an Ominous Spell (3)
“Hold your arrogant words, Eleanor Snow. You say Snow can do much for me? Do you think I don’t know the situation Snow is in right now?”
“Of course, Your Majesty. However, if Snow falls, the North will be in grave danger under the clutches of the monsters.”
“You must not know me well. I enjoy bloodshed. If the time comes to exterminate monsters, that would be exactly what I desire.”
“If that happens, the people will suffer greatly.”
“Do you think I would so much as bat an eye?”
“You will. Because Your Majesty cares for the people more than anyone.”
“Oh? I wonder how you came to harbor such a ridiculous delusion.”
“You always personally participate in subjugations, even when you don’t have to.”
“Ah, that’s simply because I prefer being away from this stinking palace.”
“And to minimize civilian casualties, you lure the monsters to less populated areas, even at the risk of your own safety. When Your Majesty leads the charge, the losses among the people are significantly reduced, are they not?”
Heraith fell silent and stared coldly at Eleanor. She did not avert her gaze.
“Is that an assessment from the mouth of Count Snow?”
“It is my judgment, based on Your Majesty’s accomplishments.”
“Hmm.”
Heraith crossed his arms, tapping his forearm with his index finger as he studied Eleanor. After a moment, he spoke.
“I don’t know what you hope to gain by becoming an empress in name only, but the empress’s seat is neither glorious nor beautiful.”
“I never wished for such things.”
“Then what do you hope to gain? Do you think becoming empress will allow you to take revenge on Owen and Osborn?”
“I can take revenge on Owen and Osborn by myself. The reason I seek the empress’s seat is…”
She hesitated. The emperor might become enraged, and Eleanor wasn’t sure she could endure his wrath.
She had drained her magic on the way here, had barely slept, and had subsisted on only a few sips of water. She was exhausted while Heraith was strong.
But she did not want to lie. Hollow excuses would not work on a man as ruthless as him.
“At this moment, I only wish to protect the Snow family. If I become empress, Your Majesty will at least once, just once, hold back the blade pointed at my family.”
A deep silence settled.
The suffocating pressure was so intense that even the sound of breathing seemed absent, pressing down on Eleanor.
Just before she lost consciousness, Heraith suddenly burst into laughter.
“Hahaha!”
It was an amused yet irritated laugh. He soon stopped and spoke in a chilling voice.
“You’re quite bold, Eleanor Snow.”
“I am prepared to do anything to protect my family.”
She did not back down, and Heraith simply watched her. Eleanor could tell he was deep in thought, weighing what he might gain or lose by placing a Snow woman on the empress’s throne.
Though only a fleeting moment passed, it felt like an eternity to Eleanor. Finally, he spoke.
“For my in-laws, I shall act—just once.”
The answer came so easily that she didn’t grasp its meaning at first.
As Heraith rose from the sofa, he looked down at Eleanor, who gazed up at him in disbelief.
“However, do not expect this palace to be kind to you. It will be cold and sharp.”
At last, Eleanor realized that he had granted her request. She gave a faint smile.
“The North is strong, even in bone-chilling cold and against razor-sharp ice.”
“Indeed. I look forward to seeing how well you endure.”
Though he was unlikely in the mood to smile, Heraith coldly observed Eleanor’s flawlessly composed expression.
He did not fully believe her words about becoming empress to protect Snow. As always, there were two possibilities—it was either the truth or a lie.
‘From the start, this northern territorial conflict itself could be a ploy.’
Perhaps the northern lords had conspired to feign war amongst themselves, all for the chance to behead the emperor.
Heraith hadn’t doubted it in the council, but now, the daughter of one of those houses was standing before him, willing to become an empress who could die at any moment. Suspicion was only natural.
“I sincerely thank Your Majesty for granting my request. I will never forget this favor and will repay it for the rest of my life.”
Moreover, Eleanor’s speech was not that of a noble lady. She attempted to speak like one, but at crucial moments, the tone of a knight emerged unmistakably.
She must have trained among knights.
‘If she has come to take my head, she will approach differently from the past empresses.’
If this was all a scheme, Heraith was curious how Eleanor would strike.
Of course, he had no intention of going down without a fight.
If Eleanor betrayed him, he would kill her and then march north to annihilate all three noble houses.
Even as he entertained such thoughts, he had allowed her request, because she was a Snow.
Despite Owen and Osborn’s schemes placing her house in jeopardy, the Snows were not to be taken lightly.
Even the Empress Dowager hesitated to touch them.
If this woman held no hidden daggers, she might last longer as empress than the others.
***
“Y-Your Majesty, then… would it be all right for me to return to the North now?”
“That won’t do, Lady Snow.”
“Pardon?”
“What if you get hurt while heading into a terrifying war? You are to be the future empress; your precious body must remain unscathed.”
Heraith couldn’t allow Eleanor to return to the North. He didn’t trust her. Who knew? She might conspire with her allies and return with a scheme.
“You do not trust me.”
Eleanor was perceptive. No, was she simply clever?
“How could I? We’ve only just met.”
“Then what should I do?”
Surprisingly, Eleanor did not strongly object to being unable to return. A wise choice. If she had protested, he would have cut her down without a second thought.
“You look exhausted.”
At a glance, she appeared to have traveled for days without rest.
“I’ll send someone to escort you. Get some rest. From now on, I will personally handle the matters of the North.”
***
Eleanor followed the chamberlain’s guidance to another room. Once she was alone, anxiety surged over her like a tidal wave.
It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Heraith. Even while in the North, she had kept an eye on the capital’s affairs. Heraith was an emperor who kept his word, and this time would likely be no different.
But time was the issue.
How long would it take for his messenger to reach the North?
What if it was too late—what if Snow’s castle had already been reduced to rubble and trampled into the ground?
‘I have no choice but to believe they’re holding on.’
That was all Eleanor could do.
Had she insisted on returning with the messenger, Heraith’s sword would have struck her down then and there. Right now, she didn’t have the strength to block even one of his blows.
‘Even if the messenger arrives in time and forces Owen and Osborn to retreat, Snow will take a long time to recover.’
That was why she had to become the empress.
Even if she was nothing more than a candle flickering in the wind, the fact that Snow was the empress’s family would offer some protection.
Even if Owen and Osborn were blinded by their greed for Snow, surely they would retain enough sense not to openly strike the empress’s family.
‘They may plot in secret, but I can only pray that Father holds them off. Once I settle in here, I’ll find a way to help as well.’
Suddenly, sorrow welled up inside her.
Eleanor buried her face in her hands.
The images of corpses strewn across the ground like tattered rags surfaced vividly in her mind.
Each of them had exchanged words with her at least once.
Strong, cheerful, and brave warriors of Snow.
And—
Brother…
The House of Count Snow had lost its heir.
Eleanor had lost her eldest brother.
Eldric had often been away, guarding the front lines, but whenever he returned home, he was a steadfast son and a gentle older brother.
‘Be careful, Ellie. Stay behind me.’
His last words echoed in her ears.
Screams and groans flooded her mind, so vivid that she felt as if she were still standing in the midst of battle.
She had to protect Snow. There was no time to grieve their deaths.
Had they even managed to hold proper funerals?
Or were they still too overwhelmed with repelling the enemy, leaving the bodies abandoned?
It was cold…perhaps the corpses had not begun to rot yet.
“Ugh.”
A choked sob broke free.
They would rot.
Now, they were nothing more than lifeless husks that would decay where they lay.
No longer living—just dead, inorganic remnants of what once was.
Knock, knock.
The sound of knocking brought Eleanor out of her thoughts.
She quickly wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, forcing her expression back into place.
“Yes?”
“I come by order of His Majesty. May I enter?”
“Yes.”
The woman who entered was plain-looking, with brown hair and brown eyes, devoid of any distinguishing features.
“I am Cecily, a maid of the imperial palace. His Majesty has ordered me to ensure you are well attended to.”
“I see.”
“May I ask whom I am serving?”
“What did His Majesty call me?”
“He only instructed me to serve the esteemed guest of Tulip Palace.”
“Then that is all you need to know as well.”
“Ah….”
Cecily blinked in surprise at Eleanor’s refusal to reveal her name.
But Eleanor had no intention of exposing her identity.
Who knew what kind of people lurked within this palace?
It will be revealed eventually, but not now. She is so smart, strong and brave… I can’t. Does she have a fandom of some sort?
