The Empress's Trap
The Empress spoke in a quiet voice.
“In a few days, the Marchioness of Mercy will be hosting a tea party at her villa.”
“As the Duchess already knows from attending several times before, one must pass through the Elliton Forest to reach that villa.”
The Marchioness of Mercy held a tea party at her villa every year. It was an event exclusively for noblewomen.
“The Duchess must bring Canna to that party without fail. And make sure the two of you ride in the same carriage.”
The Empress pushed two pawns forward across the chessboard.
“A band of mountain bandits will attack in the forest. At first, I ordered them to kidnap an older, middle-aged lady. Naturally, the guards will swarm to protect the Duchess, won’t they?”
Several knights moved to block the path in front of one pawn.
“At the moment when the guards are paying relatively less attention to Canna…”
The Empress tapped the lone pawn left standing on the board.
“Another group of bandits will appear from behind. I instructed them to kidnap a young lady.”
The Empress smiled brightly.
“By the time Canna is taken, my carriage will arrive on the scene. The Addis guards will be occupied protecting the Duchess, and I will order my knights to pursue Canna.”
Of course, the Empress’s knights would only pretend to give chase before returning empty-handed.
“What do you think? Quite simple, isn’t it?”
“……”
“For this matter to be handled without drawing any suspicion, the Duchess will need to make a certain degree of sacrifice.”
When Chloe hesitated, the Empress frowned.
Was she really wavering now, after coming this far? The Empress quickly dangled the bait.
“As I said before, once this is over, I will definitely take Lady Isabel as Crescent’s official concubine.”
“……You promise, yes?”
“Of course. I swear on my name and the honor of my family. Didn’t we even draw up a document together?”
When Chloe nodded with naive trust, the Empress inwardly mocked her.
How foolish. Did she actually believe that document?
‘Even if I change my mind later, you won’t be able to make that document public. Not unless you want the whole world to know you orchestrated something so filthy.’
The Empress was well accustomed to slander and betrayal like this.
But Chloe was not. She was an ordinary noblewoman whose only experience with conflict had been the subtle social warfare of high society.
That was why she had placed absolute faith in the document bearing the imperial seal.
‘What an idiot.’
Several days passed, and the Marchioness’s tea party was now set for tomorrow.
‘I cannot leave Canna alone.’
As time went on, Chloe’s resolve grew firmer with each passing day.
Canna was destroying the Addis family. Hadn’t the relationships between her children grown cold because of that girl?
And that wasn’t all.
Not long ago, the fact that Alexandro had escorted Canna to the party had been a tremendous shock to Chloe.
Had Alexandro ever escorted her?
Not once. Not a single time!
‘That cannot be allowed.’
Everything was for the peace of Addis. To protect Addis, Canna had to be sent far away.
‘But even if Canna becomes Prince Crescent’s concubine, the connection to Addis won’t be completely severed.’
When she thought about it that way, the Empress’s scheme suddenly seemed terribly insufficient.
‘Yes, that’s not enough. No matter what, Canna will still end up becoming a member of the imperial family.’
It was excellent that Canna’s reputation would be ruined and she would be driven out of high society.
It was also good that she would leave Addis and become someone’s concubine. Just imagining it made her feel refreshed.
But the fact that the other party was Crescent displeased her. Concubine or not, she would still be imperial kin.
Above all, Isabel was supposed to become Crescent’s official concubine.
‘No matter how common such things are among the imperial family, people will still talk behind our backs about sisters marrying the same man.’
Besides, it was obvious that Canna would receive more love than Isabel. Her appearance and that strange aura of hers had a way of bewitching people.
‘Isabel might end up as nothing more than a nominal empress.’
Neither Canna marrying into the imperial family nor remaining in Addis could be tolerated.
Then what exactly should she do?
While pondering this as she strolled through the garden, she ran into Kallen.
“Oh, Kallen.”
Kallen glanced at her and simply walked past. The coldness of it startled Chloe, and she cried out.
“Kallen, are you ignoring me right now?”
Kallen stopped abruptly. He turned around and cast her a contemptuous gaze.
“Yes.”
What?
“Is something wrong? Why are you suddenly…”
“No matter how much I think about it, I just can’t understand.”
“Understand what?”
“The education I received from Mother when I was young.”
“What?”
“Didn’t you brainwash us not to get close to my older sister by speaking ill of her? Even now, when I think back on it, Mother’s behavior at that time was completely wrong.”
The current Kallen was like a blade. At his sharp tone, Chloe’s lips trembled violently.
“Mother is not a good mother. If anything, she’s closer to a bad one.”
With that, he turned on his heel and walked away. Tears welled up in Chloe’s eyes at her son’s harsh words.
Chloe gritted her teeth as the tears fell. And then, a sudden decision crystallized within her.
‘I have to kill her.’
Canna. Canna. Canna.
Just like your mother, you’re trying to steal what is precious to me and destroy Addis.
‘I can’t let you die peacefully. I’ll proceed with the Empress’s plan as is, but I’ll kill you before you can marry Prince Crescent.’
And there was a maid who would be perfect for the job.
A few days ago, a maid had tried to steal her jewelry. Under normal circumstances, she would have had the girl beaten and handed over to the courts immediately.
‘But perhaps she could be useful in the scheme with the Empress.’
That was why she had left the maid alone. Chloe gave an order to a servant.
“Bring the maid Eriel to my room.”
Chloe threatened Eriel.
“If I report what you did, you’ll rot in prison for several years. And once you’re released, no household will ever hire you.”
Eriel’s face turned deathly pale as she fell to her knees.
“Please forgive me, My Lady!”
“I could have you beaten so severely that you’ll never walk again and then throw you out. So why should I forgive you?”
“I’ll do anything you ask! Please, just forgive me!”
When the maid reached the point of sobbing and begging with both hands clasped desperately, Chloe offered her a magnanimous suggestion.
“If you listen to me carefully, I might consider forgiving you.”
“Pardon?”
“And as a reward, I’ll give you the jewels you tried to steal.”
“R-really?”
“Yes.”
Chloe smiled slyly.
“What you need to do is…”
“So that’s what happened?”
Canna held back her laughter.
How could someone act so perfectly in line with expectations?
After realizing that Chloe had caught wind of the Empress’s scheme, Canna had made use of Eriel.
She had deliberately made the girl commit theft to plant her by Chloe’s side.
Just as she herself had used a maid for her own secret dealings, she figured Chloe would also need a disposable maid for her dirty work.
‘I didn’t expect her to put her to work so quickly, though.’
And on top of that, she was trying to kill her. This was beyond what she had anticipated.
“For now, do exactly as Chloe tells you. And don’t forget to gather evidence.”
“Understood.”
Eriel obeyed meekly. Of course, it wasn’t out of any sense of loyalty.
After observing Kallen Addis’s recent attitude, she had judged that aligning herself with Canna rather than Chloe offered a much brighter future.
And then.
“Here. The payment we agreed upon.”
Canna pushed forward a box filled with gold coins.
“Th-thank you! I will serve you with complete loyalty!”
“You remember what you need to do when I attend the tea party tomorrow, right?”
“Yes, I remember everything.”
“You must carry it out without a single mistake. If you succeed, I’ll reward you generously.”
“I will keep it in mind!”
After sending Eriel away, Canna fell into thought.
Thanks to the information Argon had given her as an apology, she had learned of their plan in advance.
It was a scheme so filthy it bordered on grotesque.
‘It’s already tomorrow.’
The Marchioness of Mercy’s tea party.
A truly horrific accident would occur on the way there.
In truth, she could simply choose not to attend, but Canna intended to obediently go along.
‘Of course, things won’t go the way they want.’
She had already made all the necessary preparations. But they would never even dream of it.
‘You should have just left me alone.’
If they had, she might have quietly disappeared. Instead, they had gone out of their way to create an opportunity for her revenge.
‘If you’re going to act like this, then I absolutely cannot disappear quietly.’
Chloe and the Empress.
She would gift them both with utter ruin before she vanished.
Finally, the day arrived.
‘It’s fortunate that Canna is coming along.’
Chloe felt secretly relieved.
She had worried that Canna might refuse to attend or insist on riding in a different carriage, but the girl had obediently gotten into the same one.
Just before the carriage departed.
“Wait!”
The door burst open and Isabel jumped inside. She then sat down right next to Canna.
“Isabel? Why are you…”
Isabel was supposed to be under house arrest. So why had she gotten into the carriage? And dressed in full party attire, no less?
“I persuaded Kallen.”
At that moment, Canna spoke gently.
“It’s pitiful, isn’t it? She’s at the age where she should be the center of high society, yet she’s confined to the house.”
At those words, Isabel’s face flushed red. In a voice as small as a mosquito’s buzz, she mumbled, “Th-th-thank you.”
In contrast, Chloe’s complexion turned deathly pale in an instant.
‘No!’
Isabel accompanying them was not part of the plan. Moreover, hadn’t the Empress clearly ordered them to kidnap a “young woman”?
‘What if they mistake Isabel for Canna?’
No. That absolutely could not happen!
“B-but… wouldn’t it be better for you to remain confined a little longer? Kallen still seems quite angry.”
“Oh my goodness. Mother, do you really only pay attention to Kallen’s mood? You don’t care about how I feel at all?”
Isabel, who had accumulated a mountain of resentment, shot back coldly.
“Well, that’s how Mother has always been. The brothers always come first, and I’m always pushed to the back. Mother only cares about her sons.”