Chapter Twelve: Falling Flowers and Flowing Water (Part Two)
Victoria fell silent.
She stared at her disheveled mother, her initially cold demeanor crumbling like ancient stone, revealing a depth of fatigue and sorrow in her beautiful eyes. It was as if a tightly stretched rubber band in her heart suddenly snapped, the “pop” reverberating in Victoria’s chest, yet she fought to conceal her pain.
I felt a strange pang in my heart, a weight that set my stomach in knots.
Margaret whispered quietly beside the Captain of Knights, who then gestured to the Church Knights, signaling them to retreat to a spot further away by the church door. Following that, Margaret shot me a glance, pointed to a spot two rows of seats away from the Empress and Victoria, and confidently settled down there.
It was just far enough to not disturb their conversation but close enough to react quickly if things went sideways.
I tilted my head, pondering.
Though I had come to find Aili, I never expected to return to the church to see this situation. Since I was now entangled with the Gate of Truth, leaving would not do… and Victoria’s expression had me worried.
Let’s just observe for now. If things change, I might be able to help.
Having made my decision, I moved to sit next to Margaret.
Just then, I heard Victoria’s somewhat heavy voice.
“Mother, do you understand what this means?”
I turned slightly to look, and saw the Empress smiling again.
“Of course I understand.”
She raised her hand, gently combing her already tangled golden hair and sweeping it back, revealing a face strikingly similar to Victoria’s, yet more refined in beauty.
“But whether you believe it or not, before that night in the Royal City, I knew nothing. I thought all I had to do was escort Sister Teresa out of the city during these trying times.”
“…Trying times?”
“Yes, trying times.”
Sitting in armor was quite uncomfortable. I shifted slightly, leaning back against the pew, my gaze fixed on the duo of golden hair and golden eyes sitting across from each other, quietly listening to their conversation.
“That day… Sister Teresa suddenly said she needed to meet. Then she told me that the Valen Empire had sent her intel about a batch of vicious heretics about to infiltrate the Royal City. They are powerful… She told me those heretics were after the royal family, Victoria… someone wants your life.”
The Empress’s voice was soft and airy, like a wandering white ghost lingering in the church.
“She told me to remain calm until we had confirmed the facts. But within days, there were two incidents of violence in the city. I saw flames shooting into the sky; Sister Teresa said that was the power of the heretics… Those people could swagger in as they pleased, and I immediately realized there was a problem in the Royal City, even within the Church. Then she warned me that a major change was about to happen in the Royal City, and to mentally prepare myself. If things went south, I had to ensure we safely got a disguised clergy member out of the city. She, as the Church’s representative in the Royal City, would do everything possible to assist Her Majesty the Queen in achieving victory…”
The Empress went on, while Victoria listened attentively.
Rect stood silently in the shadows nearby, and Margaret sat with her eyes closed, emanating a pleasant fragrance.
The whole church, apart from the Empress’s rambling, hung in silence as if the air itself had frozen.
“It’s laughable, really. I didn’t even ask a thing and willingly agreed. To put Sister Teresa’s mind at ease, I had already arranged for the carriage three days in advance and made thorough preparations… Then that night, I was terrified.”
“I didn’t expect it to be like this… that horrifying monster, I didn’t know how we could win… I could only follow Sister Teresa’s instructions and ensure the safe exit of the person… Then later, I found out she had deceived me.”
The Empress’s words sent chills down my spine.
If what she said was true, then everything was practically orchestrated by Sister Teresa alone… She had foreseen everything and organized it all before we had even grasped the situation, then turned to face d*ath for some unknown purpose to us.
What a… terrifying person.
Suddenly, Margaret broke the silence, “So Your Majesty, according to your claim, you were misled by Sister Teresa, in your position and identity as the Church, into making the wrong choice without understanding the consequences… So who could prove this for you?”
“Indeed, who could prove it?” The Empress shook her head with a bitter laugh, her gaze growing calm, “Everyone is dead… perhaps you could ask the guards from that night. But I doubt they would admit to anything if they were alive… Saint, I will explain everything to you in due time; it’s just that right now… that’s not what I wish to convey.”
“Mother, you mean to say that you did this for me.” Victoria spoke softly.
The Empress looked again at Victoria’s face across from her, her smile thin as a scrap of paper.
She did not answer Victoria, merely shook her head gently.
“When was the last time we sat down to talk properly… how long has it been?”
“Three years, during spring.” Victoria replied, “We were in the Royal Palace, the Honey Fruit Trees in the courtyard were bearing fruit, and you said I used to love eating them. We talked about the old days for quite a while.”
“Indeed. It’s rare you still remember; I had forgotten.” The smile on the Empress’s lips turned bittersweet along with her tone, “When you were little, you adored honey fruit. Every spring, you looked forward to the trees blooming and begged me to make honey fruit pies for you… That was when your father was still around, and you were just a tiny tot, especially adorable… how long ago was that…”
The Empress gazed at Victoria’s face peeking out from her armor, momentarily lost in thought.
“A long time.”
Victoria’s voice remained calm, devoid of any noticeable emotional peaks.
“Yes, a long time… Back then, your father was always very busy, and I was busy too, with hardly any time to care for you and your younger brother. You two were like wild children born in the Royal Palace. Your grandfather had grown old, so old he couldn’t even recognize his own son… Your father had just ascended to the throne, brimming with ambition. He was like a child craving compliments, in a hurry to accomplish something.”
“He couldn’t stand the growing decay in the Royal City’s atmosphere, wanting to change the state of the kingdom, so he imposed many restrictions on the nobility and publicly declared that the complicated system of the Council was hindering Ethanbel’s progress… The result was a foregone conclusion. Though your father had great courage, he didn’t have your sharp intellect… He was too radical, ultimately it was just courage without strategy… He stepped on too many toes…”
“Mother.”
Victoria interrupted her words.
“Was Father’s d*ath related to you?”
Once again, she posed the question.
I could see the expression on the Empress’s face freeze momentarily. She lowered her head, staring at her feet for quite a while before muttering, “It has nothing to do with me.”
After saying that, she lifted her head, a pale smile painted on her face.
“After your father’s d*ath, because your brother was too young, I became the Regent Empress of Ethanbel. It’s no longer a secret to tell you, Victoria. At that time… all I could think of was revenge.”
