Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Five: Mother and Daughter
“…Who are you?” I frowned and asked.
Of course, this was a rhetorical question. This woman, right from the get-go, strutted in and threw out that snippy remark, treating me as if I were her enemy. She barely glanced at me before turning away, dismissing me entirely… If you had talked to me properly, I might have returned the courtesy. But with that attitude, I was not amused.
So why should I deal with you?
Victoria’s mother looked a bit surprised. She turned her head toward me again, eyeing me with a smirk, “Oh? You don’t know who I am?”
“Why would I need to know you?” I casually replied while walking toward Victoria, “Are you… delicious?”
Victoria, who had been lounging on the sofa, immediately stood up and said, “Let’s go upstairs to talk.”
“Sure.”
I lightly responded as I was about to turn, but that woman quickly jumped up when she saw we intended to leave.
She blocked my path, a sly smile on her face as she sized me up, and said, “Isn’t it better to discuss things right here? Or are you trying to avoid me, the Empress of Royal City?”
I stared into her pretty eyes, utterly fed up with this Empress’s behavior. But she wasn’t just any random person—she was Victoria’s mother. With Victoria present, losing my temper wouldn’t exactly be polite. So I took a deep breath, attempting to appear calm: “We have something important to discuss. It doesn’t concern you.”
“Miss Silvya, I’ll say the same to you,” the Empress chuckled in response to my words. “You barged in uninvited, interrupting an important conversation between mother and daughter… This is Royal City, not your Shanter Castle. Mind your own business.”
I narrowed my eyes slightly: “You scared me! So this is the etiquette of the Empress of Royal City?”
The Empress immediately shot me a cold glare: “You—!”
“Mother. Miss Silvya is an honored guest of Royal City. Please refrain from saying unnecessary things,” Victoria said in a calm voice.
“…Honored guest of Royal City? I see she’s merely your guest,” the Empress sneered even more, “When did Miss Silvya even arrive in Royal City? Such an important matter, and even the footmen in the palace are aware of it; yet you didn’t bother to inform me. If it weren’t for the incident the day before yesterday, I’d still be in the dark… Victoria, do you even remember me?”
“Mother spends all her time enjoying flowers and moonlight, how could she possibly care about these things?”
“Are you mocking my idleness?”
“I’m stating facts.”
“…Well! It’s been a long time, and you’ve certainly learned to talk back!”
“It’s been ages; is that all you want to say to me?”
“You’ve driven the royal family into a quagmire! What else do you want me to say—!”
“Then don’t say anything.”
The argument between the two was fast-paced; one was fuming mad while the other remained indifferent. The atmosphere in the huge living room was stifling, and Rect, standing a short distance away, had his head down, remaining silent. His face was hidden in shadow, making it hard to gauge his emotions.
Victoria had decided to ignore her mother. She calmly said to me, “Let’s go.”
“Oh.”
Just as I took a step forward, the Empress sidestepped and once again blocked our way.
“I haven’t finished speaking. Please respect me and sit back down.”
She raised her brows, glaring at me… why was she looking at me?
I was so irritated.
I gazed at the Empress before me, my eyes drifting to her elegant figure that looked as if it could be snapped in two with a single slap… I took a deep breath.
“Respect is earned, you know…”
I lifted my gaze, staring at her as I asked, word by word: “So, esteemed Empress, where do those Iron Guards get their equipment from?”
The expression on the Empress’s face froze.
Her eyes widened, her lips slightly parted, and after a moment of hesitation, she inquired softly, “What do you mean?”
“Just curious, asking a question,” I chuckled lightly.
I’d noticed before that every piece of armor those Iron Guards wore, the swords hanging at their waists, all bore the mark of the central workshop—obviously. Those folks who skimmed funds from the royal treasury would naturally arm themselves with the best available gear.
And the Empress was clearly well aware of this; one could even say she played a significant role behind the scenes. But if the workshop were to suddenly cut off their supplies… the so-called Iron Guards would no longer be able to sustain themselves in battle.
Or they might seek out other workshops, but doing so would mean they’d lose their well-known advantage of “being well-equipped.”
“My mother says I have to write letters home every month,” I continued, tapping my chin with my finger and tilting my head. “And what about that advisory council? If I were to represent Shanter Castle, would I have the right to attend?”
I blinked my eyes innocently.
“……”
The Empress was rendered speechless. Her beautiful face, once radiant, now darkened as various thoughts flickered through her mind.
After a moment, she sneered again: “Even if you could represent the central workshop, so what? The advisory council is a matter for Ethanbel; you’re just a child—”
“But!” I quickly interrupted, “I think I can also represent the Church.”
Due to her status, Victoria could only speak from the standpoint of the rulers of Ethanbel in the royal city, but I was different. I could exclusively stand on behalf of the Church and strike various agreements with Victoria that she could or couldn’t imagine. And if I were feeling fancy—
“I could mobilize the Church Knights.”
“Do you dare—!”
Of course, I didn’t dare. That would be instigating war, which Angel would absolutely never condone; I was just trying to scare her.
“Didn’t you say I was just a kid? Well then, I’ll show you how childish I can be, Auntie—”
The Empress was so furious that her lips quivered: “Are you threatening me?!”
“I don’t want to threaten anyone,” I shook my finger at her, adopting a solemn demeanor, “I have no interest in such matters. I just hope you don’t spark my interest.”
Saying that, I turned to Victoria and smiled, “Let’s go.”
“…Alright.”
We strode forward.
This time, the Empress did not attempt to stop us. However, halfway up the stairs, we heard her exhausted, furious shout from behind: “What is this! Are you trying to provoke a war—?!”
“They have tens of thousands of elite troops! Tens of thousands! What do you have? Not even a hundred of the Sword of Kanli?! The Valen Empire can’t help you! They’re gearing up for battle too! What can you do? Can you k*ll a thousand? Can you k*ll ten thousand? Can you wipe them all out? Is your speed faster than theirs when it comes to killing us—?!”
“Victoria—! You will not take everything from me! And don’t expect the whole royal family to go down with you!”
“How could I give birth to such an ungrateful little brat—!”
Victoria suddenly came to a halt.
