Episode 14

Sione clenched her hands tightly in her lap, determined not to let Lian see them trembling.

She took her time to compose herself, not wanting to reveal her inner turmoil to the shrewd serpent before her, and then spoke.

“We don’t know if the late Duke Tilender abused Aiden or not. So, your assumption that he resents His Majesty enough to commit regicide is just that—an assumption.”

Moreover, there was no certainty if his words were true. Lian was capable of fabricating stories without changing his expression.

If Aiden had such a past, Tito would have warned her. Yet, her loyal steward insisted that Aiden was the least likely person to have assassinated the Emperor.

Sione trusted Tito more than Lian, who had the tongue of a viper.

“It is true that the late Duke Tilender tried to end the bloodline of the dog.”

“Even so, it’s hard to conclude that Aiden would resent His Majesty more than the father who tried to kill him.”

Sione calmly refuted his words, and Lian looked at her with a peculiar gaze.

He hadn’t expected to convince her in one go. The more he got to know her, the more he realized she was a wise woman, making this game increasingly enjoyable.

The fact that the dog had even moved the white shadow meant there was something between him and Sione.

Whether it was some sort of pact or the capriciousness of a masterless dog, Lian thought it necessary to keep a watchful eye.

The seed of doubt had been planted; it would be amusing to see how it would sprout.

“If you’re so inclined, ask Duke Tilender what he fears the most. He’ll answer, ‘going mad.'”

Lian spoke in a playful tone, waiting for Sione’s reaction.

She stared at him quietly, recognizing that he was relishing this moment, then asked,

“Lord Lian, what is it that you fear the most?”

Caught off guard, the expression vanished from Lian’s face.

Though his smile was far from normal, it was preferable to seeing him otherwise.

For the first time, Sione realized just how terrifying such a breathtakingly beautiful face could be. She also experienced a primal fear, sensing she could die right then and there.

In the enclosed space of the carriage, with no place to escape, Lian coldly regarded her and replied without inflection,

“Death, Your Majesty. I fear death the most.”

Most people fear death.

Given his strong sense of self-preservation, it wasn’t an incomprehensible answer. However, coming from Lian, it felt unbelievable.

Still, Sione had no desire to ask if he was telling the truth.

Whether his answer was genuine or not, it was clear that this was something she should not probe further.

Sione remained silent, and Lian soon resumed his mask-like smile.

No more words were exchanged between them until the carriage arrived at the palace.

* * *

After dealing with the mad serpent, she returned to find a crazed dog waiting.

Aiden was leaning casually against the railing of the staircase, reading a document.

Despite his disheveled shirt, he exuded an intimidating aura that made the palace staff uneasy.

With a sigh, she tried to ignore him and turned toward the hallway on the right.

She wasn’t prepared to handle two beasts in one day, but Aiden strode toward her with his long legs.

“Your Majesty.”

“Duke Aiden, what brings you here?”

Feigning surprise as if she hadn’t seen him, she asked. However, he still eyed her up and down with his sullen expression.

It was as if he were a dog sniffing out another dog’s scent on its returning owner.

The thought was absurd. She was not his owner, and he was not a real dog.

As she sighed, wondering why there were no sane beasts around her, Lian’s words came back to her.

Anyone who had lived with a mad father trying to kill them for five years couldn’t have an intact mind.

Perhaps the serpent and the eagle each had their own reasons and circumstances.

Three hundred years of being bound to a leash, forced to offer blind loyalty through generations, was more than enough time for one or two stories of madness to arise.

Thinking about it like that made her feel a bit sympathetic. Yet, she wasn’t in a position to pity them, only further complicating her feelings.

“I asked what business you have, Duke Aiden.”

“You went out with the snake.”

“Yes, I visited his farm.”

Feeling an odd compulsion to explain herself, Sione offered unnecessary details.

Aiden narrowed his blazing red eyes at her.

“Next time you leave the palace, summon me. I will protect you.”

Undoubtedly, the most dangerous person right now was Aiden Tilender.

Was that the look of someone pledging protection?

No, not at all. Not even after a second look, or rubbing her eyes and looking again.

“Who’s protecting whom?”

A sharp voice came from above the stairs.

Lothania, hearing the dog bark, had rushed down the stairs.

She inserted herself between Sione and Aiden, glaring at him coldly. Aiden, in turn, regarded the Crown Princess icily, shielding her mother behind her back.

“Your Highness, step aside.”

“Why don’t you get out of the palace?”

The fierce large dog and the fearless small dog began their growling contest.

“Protecting the Empress is my duty.”

“Do you think I’ll let my mother fall for your tricks?”

“Should I have left the Empress to wander outside the palace alone with the snake?”

“What?”

Despite Aiden’s icy demeanor, Lothania was startled and turned to Sione, gripping her hand tightly, her crimson eyes trembling with anxiety.

“Mother, you went out with the snake?”

“Lotti, it’s…”

“I was worried because I heard that Marquess Senwood brought up the matter of the deposed Empress, but that snake was a bigger problem.”

Aiden frowned deeply and asked,

“What did you just say? What matter?”

“Marquess Senwood, that madman, dared to propose a matter regarding the deposed Empress in the council meeting.”

“Hah…”

Aiden let out a dry laugh, placing his hands on his hips and exhaling a long sigh.

When he looked up again, his eyes were more intense than before, and Sione subtly pulled Lothania closer to her side.

“The number of people who need to be killed keeps increasing.”

“I agree with you, Duke Tilender.”

Lothania, her eyes just as dangerous, agreed with him, and the two, who had been snarling at each other moments ago, were now united in their resolve.

“Who else supported the proposal?”

“I’ll get the meeting records from the clerk.”

“I’ll handle it as soon as I confirm.”

To submit a proposal to the council meeting, it required the support of at least three high-ranking nobles eligible to attend. There had been five or six nobles who sided with Marquess Senwood this morning. If left unchecked, there might be a massacre tonight.

“Duke Aiden. And Lotti.”

Aiden, hand on his sword, paused, and Lothania turned to her mother with a sweet smile, as if she hadn’t just been plotting assassinations.

Instead of scolding them for planning noble murders in the main palace, seeing Lothania’s radiant smile melted Sione’s heart.

“Shall we move to the parlor?”

“Yes, Mother.”

Lothania answered quickly, linking her arm with Sione’s right arm. Aiden stuck close to her left side.

Ignoring the odd feeling of walking with two dogs, Sione led them to the parlor.

Seated with Lothania by her side, Sione first halted Aiden’s assassination plan.

“The proposal has been rejected. Do not kill any nobles without my permission, Duke Aiden.”

“But Your Majesty, if we leave them alone, they will cause more trouble.”

“Then stop them again.”

Sione spoke as firmly as she could.

She maintained her position, juggling these three beasts, to ensure Lothania would ascend the throne of Belpator as a rightful emperor.

When a ruler begins to silence dissent by killing, the nation is doomed.

Sione did not want her beloved child to ascend a blood-soaked throne.