### Chapter 11: Fallen Flowers and Flowing Water (Part 2)
“Your grandfather… Rodney IV, was hailed as the wisest and most valiant king in the history of Ethanbel. Back in the day… he led the finest German Knight Order, slashing his way from Tasriel to Rose City, quelling the Northern nobility rebellion spearheaded by my uncle and decisively ending the twenty-three-year-long Rose War…”
Her words floated out like an elusive sigh.
“And later, due to the peace treaty, I married your father…”
“Mother, I really don’t want to hear this,” Victoria interrupted with a furrowed brow. “No matter what you say now, it’s not an excuse for colluding with heretics.”
… What!
Heretics and the Empress?!
My eyes widened immediately, staring at the pale face of the Empress hidden under the haze.
She was still smiling. Her lips curled up faintly, bearing a somewhat unhealthy beauty. In her golden eyes, as radiant as Victoria’s, I couldn’t tell if the shimmering emotions were crazed indifference or resigned despair; it was a confusing mix that left me utterly baffled.
“Victoria, on what grounds do you come to such conclusions?”
“From what I’ve seen.”
Victoria fixed her unwavering gaze on the Empress, her thoughts flowing clearly and rapidly.
“The city gates were shut that night, yet a shipment of silk made it out, supposedly to be sent by Her Highness to the workshop in Lin Town for garments. Just yesterday, the Sword of Kanli found that shipment outside the city, and all the carriers were dead—those war chariots were from the palace, and those corpses have been confirmed to be palace staff… According to the guards on duty that night, they saw an elderly man among the silk carriers, but we didn’t see him on site… Mother, do you want me to continue?”
At this point, I took a deep breath; everything clicked into place.
In other words, on the night we battled Teresa, after Victoria ordered the city gates locked, it was the Empress who helped the old guards open them… either with gold or favors, or maybe just amidst the chaos, with Teresa playing her own shadowy part, ultimately getting the bl**d Pearl out of the city safely.
When I looked back at the Empress, I was gritting my teeth.
She seemed poised to justify herself when suddenly the prince, who had been slumped to the side, clutched his chest and cried in agony, “Daphne! Cough, cough! I never expected this… Ever since my brother died, I’ve supported you so much; I’ve treated you like my own sister! And now you’re… you’re actually colluding with heretics!”
He struggled to get up, shaking his trembling finger at the Empress, his face a portrait of despair.
“I’m just… ridiculous! Ridiculous! I’ve been such a fool to be kept in the dark… From now on, you’re no sister of mine! Don’t you dare call me brother anymore!”
With that, he limped over toward Margaret but was promptly stopped by the Church Knights. He paused, wiping the sweat from his brow, and hurriedly said, “Saint! I’m in no way involved in this! I didn’t even know about the Gate of Truth! If I had known, I would’ve done everything to stop it! You must believe me!”
Margaret simply gave him a flat look, showing no intention of engaging.
It was the Empress who chuckled coldly.
“Shut up; nothing you say matters.”
“You—” The prince trembled with anger, “What do you mean by that? Are you trying to defame me? You want to drag me down with you? Honestly… I don’t know anything! You must tell them, I really don’t know anything!”
“Is it useful to tell them? They’ll believe my words?”
The expression on the Empress’s face gradually faded, the light in her eyes flickering uncertainly.
“They’ve already made up their minds about the truth. Perhaps Victoria… my daughter, has long since seen me as the enemy.”
“I haven’t made any determinations,” Victoria replied. “Mother, I’ve never seen you as an enemy and don’t want things to escalate to this point. However… the matter of the heretics is not something I can decide alone. Please, go and clarify things with the Holy Church first. Don’t worry; I’ve arranged things with the Saint; they won’t send you to the underground prison until everything is clear…”
“Ahahaha—”
The Empress suddenly burst into laughter, her disheveled hair covering half her face, making her look insane.
“Victoria! I don’t need your pretentious pity! Do you know how much you look just like your grandfather right now? You people… clever and domineering! No matter what happens, you’ll always believe in yourselves! All you care about is success and power! No one can interfere with your thoughts… such wonderful heroes, aren’t you…”
The Empress’s voice began to tremble, tears welling up in her eyes.
“No matter what it is… Victoria, have you ever considered my feelings even once? You haven’t… never… you’ve always been like this… from childhood to now, you’ve never truly listened to me…”
“You think my father’s d*ath is related to me… you think I colluded with the Clive Family to drain the treasury for selfish purposes… you think I see you as the enemy, wanting to harm your life… now you think I’m that damned heretic… you believe whatever you want… I’m your mother… how can you do this to me…”
“Mother… given what’s happened, what do you want me to do?”
Victoria raised her head.
“I don’t want to believe those things. I don’t want to believe that Father’s d*ath is connected to you, that you conspired with the Clive Family behind the scenes, or that you’re a heretic… but your actions make it impossible for me not to believe… let’s leave it at that.”
“I won’t pursue the assassin anymore; this ends here—”
“That assassin wasn’t sent by me! Not me!”
The Empress lunged forward like a madwoman, her glaring eyes trying to grab Victoria’s face. Instinctively, I stepped in front of her, but the Empress never had the chance to get close; Rect had grabbed her arm and pushed her back violently, causing her to stumble a few steps and land hard on the ground.
“… Hahaha…”
Her crazed laughter echoed throughout the church hall.
I looked up and turned slightly to see the light dimming in Victoria’s eyes.
“In that case, there’s no need to talk…”
She said softly, turning to face the silent Margaret.
“Sorry, Saint… let’s take these two away.”
Margaret nodded.
She waved her hand to the knights, and a few stepped forward to help the fallen Empress to her feet. On the other side, the prince was also being dragged out by two knights, one on each side.
“I’m the prince of Ethanbel—! You can’t do this! Saint! I’m not a heretic, you must understand!”
No one paid him any mind.
“Wait a moment.”
At that, the Empress spoke up again.
“Saint! I will go with you. But before that, I have something to say to Victoria; it won’t take long, can it be done?”
Victoria, who was ready to leave, stopped and turned around.
Margaret glanced at her and then nodded to the knights.
“Let the Empress speak… short and sweet.”
“Saint! I have something to say too—”
Seeing an opportunity, the prince seemed eager to plead again, but the next moment, Victoria coldly replied, “This has nothing to do with him.”
“No! You can’t do this… Victoria! Viki! Tell uncle to reason with you… say something… anything!”
His figure quickly disappeared outside the door.
In my view, the Empress tidied her clothes slightly, slowly making her way to an intact bench, and chose a spot to sit down.
“Come on, let’s talk.”
Victoria hesitated for a moment before walking over to sit opposite the Empress.
“That night… did you send the items out of the city, Mother?”
“Yes.”
The Empress replied decisively.
