Chapter 47
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47.
Neither Cassian Artez nor the Fourth Prince would be sent to this battlefield?
I fell into contemplation for a moment.
The truth was that neither Cassian Artez nor I had ever considered that option in the first place.
'Still, there's no need to reveal all my cards right now.'
I still couldn't discern what the Second Concubine's true intentions were in approaching us.
Perhaps she had simply called upon me out of guilt, hoping to find an alternative solution together.
I opened my mouth to sound her out.
"If the First Prince were to go in our stead instead, would that be acceptable to you?"
The Second Concubine, who had been gazing at me intently, slowly lifted a slice of apple with her fork.
"My heart was so urgent that I failed to properly explain myself to you."
She placed the apple in her mouth and took a light, crisp bite.
"I should have first explained why I cook with my own hands and keep so few attendants in my quarters."
The Second Concubine began her story, her eyes hollow and dry as she stared at the sliced apple before her.
"When I first arrived at the Imperial Palace, I was the lowest-ranking among the concubines—the Fourth Concubine."
Not long after, the Third Consort died in a riding accident.
At the time, the Third Consort had been three months pregnant, and upon her death being revealed, the Emperor fell into such rage that he executed and imprisoned all her attendants and servants.
"But do you truly believe the Third Consort's pregnancy went unnoticed? You are a woman yourself—doesn't that strike you as strange?"
I neither affirmed nor denied her words, simply observing her in silence.
Soon after, the Second Concubine recounted the hardships she endured before becoming the second-ranked concubine.
Three of the attendants she had brought died, and after cycling through multiple head cooks, she had finally resolved never to bring another one in.
The fury she felt when she witnessed the wet nurse laying the Fourth Prince on his stomach after he had been born safely following several miscarriages.
"We both know who was responsible for all of it."
Slowly, emotion returned to her previously expressionless face.
"But if I still refuse to hold the child accountable, am I not being a hypocrite?"
I shook my head at her words.
And quietly organized my thoughts.
'The First Empress initiated all of it, but...'
The true cause lies even higher than that.
The Emperor himself, who forced the choice between the Second Prince and the Fourth Prince from the beginning.
Yet I could not rush to conclusions.
"I shall take my leave for now, Your Highness."
"Of course. Oh, that's right."
The Second Concubine, as if she had forgotten, called her attendant and handed me a box.
"The people of Snowland never forget a kindness—please show this to Cassian Artez without fail."
*
"Mother's earrings."
Cassian Artez examined the box's contents, his expression composed as he spoke.
"I had always found it strange that one earring from the set was missing."
"Which means...."
"It's possible Mother helped the Second Concubine."
Cassian Artez pondered for a moment, then collapsed onto the sofa with a heavy sigh.
"Now that I think about it, I was poisoned several times as a child."
"...You speak of nearly dying as casually as discussing a meal."
"It was common enough back then."
Cassian Artez let out a soft laugh.
"But whenever I felt like I was dying, someone would mysteriously appear, pour medicine into my mouth, stroke my forehead, and leave."
Cassian Artez said this had been one of the great mysteries of his life.
"Even now, I know the Winter Palace attendants back then could never have done something so thoughtful."
Not long after his mother, the First Empress, passed away, the wet nurse she had prepared also closed her eyes forever—truly, there was no one left to protect him in those days.
"But I do remember one thing. I saw that person's hair in my blurred vision."
"Was it the same color as the Second Concubine's hair?"
"I thought about wanting bread."
At this cryptic non-answer, I furrowed my brow before understanding dawned, and I nodded.
"Her hair color does resemble a well-ripened wheat field."
"Exactly. Both the Fourth Prince and the Sixth Prince inherited the Second Concubine's hair color."
"Which means...."
"She's quite a trustworthy person."
Cassian Artez said this, then reached out and grasped my hand firmly.
"In other words, we're facing a difficult problem?"
"Indeed."
Even as I spoke, I began organizing the information from the original work and what had briefly caught my eye today in my mind.
'The Second Concubine had little presence in the original work, so there isn't much information about her.'
In the latter half of the story, when another concubine took the First Empress's side, she remained steadfast in her position.
And when the original Cassian Artez ascended to the throne at the end.
'She left the Palace with her sons.'
After that, she didn't return to her homeland of Snowland but simply vanished without a trace.
I combined what I had seen at Lilac Palace with the information about the Imperial Palace I had learned working as an aide.
'A concubine from the northern Snowland, a princess, war....'
There must be a way.
Even if it twisted my insides, I would find it.
A method to drop the Emperor onto the Battlefield...!
In that moment when my mind filled with dark desire, a sudden revelation struck me.
"Your Majesty, do you happen to know?"
Of course, this was all before Cassian Artez was born.
"I believe I've heard that His Majesty was quite the formidable rival to the Snowland King."
More precisely, a legendary childish feud.
The fact that the Second Concubine came to the Empire was itself the result of an absurd wager between the King and the Emperor.
"That's right. Since it's such an old story, I remember hearing about it from a retired Knight Order commander."
Cassian Artez fell silent, tapping his temples thoughtfully with his fingers.
"But Roselita, no matter how I think about it, the odds seem to be about fifty-fifty?"
"You're saying it's worth attempting, then?"
Cassian Artez smiled broadly at my question.
"Of course."
His lips curved into an oblique grin.
"Shouldn't a dutiful son occasionally entertain his father, after all?"
Cassian Artez was truly a filial son.
Though admittedly, a fire-natured one.
*
Once the direction was decided, what to do became simple.
The Second Concubine, right as Cassian Artez and I finalized our approach, conveniently sent Joel to the Winter Palace once more.
"Neuna hasn't come, so I'm really bored."
"I've been missing the young prince too."
Of course, this was utterly sincere.
"Really?! I was too!"
Joel bounced excitedly and grasped my hand tightly.
Unlike his first visit, instead of tearing through the Palace, Joel became absorbed in something else and chattered away.
"You know, I don't usually show my room to just anyone, but I'm showing it to you, Neuna!"
As he spoke, his smile revealing another missing tooth was so endearing.
With the Second Concubine's permission, I decided to spend a brief time with Joel in his chamber.
During that short span, Joel introduced me to each of his possessions one by one.
"This one, my older brother gave it to me. Since Joel still can't read difficult books well, he made it easy for me!"
The book he handed me was saturated with tender brotherly affection.
The Emperor finds it unbecoming of a prince that he loves books and writing so much he rarely touches a sword.
'He seems far superior to someone who enjoys pitting his sons against each other.'
Honestly, shouldn't character come before anything else in a person?
Besides, seeing how Joel willingly participated in hide-and-seek and all manner of games whenever asked suggested he wasn't simply weak in stamina.
The Emperor with his peculiar tastes surely doesn't realize that anyone weak in stamina couldn't play all day with a seven-year-old.
As I toured the room and joined in the games, an attendant informed me that thirty minutes had passed.
Joel's face quickly grew dejected.
"I want to keep playing with the pretty Neuna too... Cassian hyung is so mean."
It was the kind of adorable that made one want to destroy the Emperor.
"Can I just keep playing?"
"...Really?"
"Of course."
At my words, Joel's eyes sparkled with delight.
"Then, then I can! Even when Mom doesn't tell me to call Nuna, I can still come visit, right?"
"Absolutely. Though... there may be times when I'm quite busy."
I had no intention whatsoever of making reckless promises to a child and crushing their hopes.
At my response, Joel covered his mouth and giggled softly.
"Then Joel will write you letters first! To ask if Nuna is busy!"
"I'd like that."
At my immediate agreement, Joel's eyes, nose, and mouth all widened in joy as he beamed at me.
*
After finishing my brief playtime with Joel, I entered the Second Concubine's reception room.
Once I had dismissed everyone to a distance, I explained the plan that Cassian Artez and I had devised, and she displayed an expression as bright as Joel's.
"That's truly an excellent idea. You were right to consult with Roselita Salice."
"The only concern is that the Snowland King will need to make the first move..."
"Don't worry about that."
Unlike yesterday, vitality radiated across the Second Concubine's face.
As if...
"I'm his younger sister, after all?"
Yes, it was the face of true siblings brimming with the anticipation of playing a trick on their own blood.
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