Chapter 2: 2

Hilaria had no intention for her first meeting with the Emperor to be in the bedroom when she had no desire to make him her husband in the first place.

‘I can’t believe we have to share the same bed.’

With a man whose face she’d never seen! She would sooner sleep on the floor.

Celeste closed her eyes tightly. Hilaria had made herself clear. Hilaria spoke one word at a time as if to hammer the words into her.

“I don’t think I want to wear the flowers as you’ve suggested.”

Katie opened her mouth to stop Hilaria but quickly gave up and sighed.

If Hilaria were the type of person to stop and listen to advice, she would not have entered the forbidden room and seen the future, nor would she be here now. Wouldn’t it be better to give up Guinevere and leave the Palace?

Hilaria was just a young girl, excluding her pride and responsibility; the Grand Duke could still cancel the wedding.

But there seemed to be nothing in this world that could stop Hilaria.

And who was Katie to dare even try? She realized it was ridiculous to think about.

Hilaria smiled softly and slowly walked closer to Celeste.

Hilaria held Celeste’s arm as she paused and stepped back, pulling her inwards.

“So, this isn’t what I’m interested in hearing about. Tell me, how can I get out of this Palace quickly?”

Hilaria’s eyes twinkled strangely.

“W… what does that mean….”

“I plan to leave this Palace once I achieve my goals. I’m not big enough to live in a Palace such as this. I can’t stand anyone standing over me.”

The question of becoming the Empress hovered in the back of her throat, but Celeste managed to swallow it. The Lady she was going to serve didn’t seem interested in such a position. It seemed like it would offend Hilaria if she said anything wrong, her sharp eyes like a wild beast’s digging into her.

Goosebumps welled up around the forearm that Hilaria was holding. Celeste glanced around, but no one seemed to be able to save her from this situation.

Did they notice Celeste’s fear? Hilaria smiled as if to turn the atmosphere around.

“That’s all I want from you. Listen to me carefully. I’m sure I’ve explained it so even a baby could understand. Don’t you agree?”

Unconsciously, Celeste nodded.

Even if Hilaria was wrong, there was too much pressure to agree.

“Good girl. Now go out and tell the Emperor. I don’t think I’ll be able to spend the night with him; Because I’m not feeling well.”

Hilaria lifted her head and looked around. She needed to test these maids.

If Celeste understood Hilaria’s words, she would go to the Emperor and deliver them directly, or  Celeste would bring the Emperor to Hilaria’s bedroom.

Yet Celeste could always twist those exact words into something different entirely once she left.

She may instead say to the Emperor that Hilaria is ready to serve him and that he should go to her and spend the night even though she was sick. Celeste doesn’t know much about Hilaria, so it’s possible she knew the sickness was never real. Hilaria was not generous enough to trust the maid.

“Can you do it?”

Hilaria’s voice subsided.

“B, but you must spend the night with His Majesty the Emperor to hold the position of Empress.…”

Hilaria smiled.

A position. Was there anything so insignificant and useless? Hilaria ran through her bitter mouth with her tongue. It was also the most necessary step for Hilaria, who had just entered the Palace, to gain power.

“You are worrying about nothing. Celeste, I am no ordinary nobleman’s daughter. I’m the Princess of Guinevere. Tell me, was there anyone else who entered the Palace as the Empress to as much fanfare as this?”

The largest Palace there and the finest silks were but two of the wedding gifts prepared two months before Hilaria had even arrived. Even before receiving Guinevere’s reply, the Steel Rose Palace was fully prepared for Hilaria.

Celeste didn’t know much about Hilaria after all. But Hilaria was the only concubine to receive a welcome and greeting from the Emperor’s vassal directly. It was certainly unheard of. Celeste briefly envisioned a world where Hilaria might win the Emperor’s favor and become the true Empress. Ah, such a vain dream to be able to serve the Lady who would become the Empress.

Hilaria’s red-painted nails brushed Celeste’s cheeks.

Red nails that perfectly matched the hue of blood; goosebumps welled up on Celeste’s arm.

“But, but…”

“No buts. Even if I refuse to spend the night with the Emperor, he must give me the position of Empress. Because that’s the promise between Guinevere and the Imperial Family, even if I were a viper that would devour the whole Imperial Palace, it still stands.”

Hilaria backed away from Celeste.

“So you’ll have to think it over.”

The maids who made eye contact with Hilaria bowed their heads. She let out a low laugh.

“Do you want to be on my side when this Imperial Palace falls under my control, or…”

Hilaria licked her lips.

“Do you want to be thrown out of the Palace?”

Hilaria let out a long, sweet, languid breath.

Flap-

A golden butterfly appeared from Hilaria’s hand, the same which held Celeste’s arm and, with no one being any the wiser, slipped onto the base of Celeste’s neck. Celeste’s body stiffened. She thought Hilaria was an innocent and cheerful girl, but she was utterly wrong.

This Guinevere was a Guinevere.

Hilaria had inherited the bright eyes of the Guinevere line. Celeste thought for a moment that Hilaria might bite at her neck if she answered poorly.

Celeste gulped then swallowed.

“I will obey your orders, my Lady.”

Hilaria smiled.

Celeste blinked. And for an instant, Hilaria’s eyes glowed gold. However, when Celeste opened her eyes again, Hilaria’s eyes were still blue.

‘A trick of the light?’

Hilaria moved away from Celeste, opened the balcony wide. The look on her face as she observed the flowers in full bloom in the garden with the scent of spring was euphoric.

“Don’t be too scared. I’m human too.”

Hilaria added one last thing.

“Let’s try and get along.”

***

After Celeste and other maids left with the dresses, Katie asked with a worried look.

“Aren’t you afraid, Miss? What if Celeste goes to the Emperor and tells him what happened here?”

“You worry too much.”

Hilaria shrugged. She lay down on the bed, having not changed her dress.

“Even if I tell a small lie, the Emperor won’t risk taking action. After all,  I am the most precious among these concubines now.”

“That’s true, but…”

The value of Guinevere far exceeded six maids or anything they might say.

“It’s just that Svein, the Emperor’s most loyal henchman, came to greet me personally. Isn’t that proof that the Emperor values me beyond some lesser concubine?”

Hilaria had long since grasped the significance behind Svein’s presence.

As she arrived at the Imperial Palace, Svein, who disliked the Duchy and didn’t think much of them, hadn’t done much research beforehand. Whereas The Grand Duke did everything and anything for his only daughter, who was leaving to the Palace alone. He had gathered as much information about the Imperial Palace as possible, drawing on his contacts and acquaintances.

The Imperial Palace was hanging on a knifes edge due to the confrontation between the Emperor and Empress Dowager. There were rumors that the Emperor was not the natural son of Empress Dowager, but things only got worse after her biological son was exiled to the island.

The Emperor chose concubines instead of an Empress for himself to try and keep Empress Dowager happy. The nobles who had sided with Empress Dowager and the neutral nobles had their daughters chosen as concubines, with them all given the same status.

To be pretentious Empresses.

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And after today, Hilaria would also become an Empress of the Empire.

“I believe what you say. But, if you get hurt even a little, I will really….”

Katie closed her eyes tightly.

Hilaria grinned and muttered.

“My father is a man with a fierce temperament.”

“Isn’t it obvious? You’re his precious daughter, after all.”

“Oh, stop it.”

She suddenly remembered her older brother’s face, who had burst into tears when he heard that Hilaria was going to the Imperial Palace. The youngest daughter of a family of three sons had to sacrifice herself.

Hilaria rolled over.

Before leaving the Imperial Palace, she intended to properly instill in the Empire the belief that people should never touch Guinevere.

‘These pampered nobles of the capital need to taste the bitter truth and understand.’

Compared to the history of Guinevere, where they had survived the harsh wasteland, the nobles in the capital were nothing but plants in greenhouses. She wouldn’t leave this place until all the people who laughed at Guinevere, treating them like lessers, were at her feet.

Of course, Hilaria’s ultimate goal was to lead the Empire and her homeland to victory.

The Imperial Palace planned to use Guinevere to win the war against the three kingdoms of Oswald, Saif, and Erkin. In the future that Hilaria saw, Ebenezer treated them as sacrifices, trading them for victory.

But this time, things were different. Guinevere put Hilaria in the lead role, and she had joined hands with Ebenezer. But in order to achieve her goal, she would first need to take control of this Imperial Palace.

“See if there is anyone in the hall.”

“Yes, Princess.”

Katie looked out the doorway in both directions, then closed it.

Once Katie confirmed no one was there listening in, Hilaria stood up and glanced at the balcony. Katie then quickly shut the balcony and closed the curtains tightly.

A sharp, hot wind blew through the room.

However, the wind that blew around Hilaria did not disrupt anything else. This ‘wind’ that could be seen with the naked eye affected only her.

Hilaria’s blue eyes shifted to glowing gold.

Flap-

At that instant, a swarm of golden butterflies appeared around her.

Katie was frozen in place as she watched the butterflies flutter with their wings around Hilaria like petals. It was because she knew of the cruel nature of these butterflies. The wind blew around Hilaria again, and the butterflies flew high to the ceiling and dissipated.

Golden butterflies containing her will spread throughout the Imperial Palace. The butterflies reflected in Katie’s eyes flashed goldenly. Only Hilaria would know where the butterflies were once they had melted through the walls and vanished.

“Puff…”

Hilaria took a deep breath and exhaled. She felt a burning sensation in her body. A pain that she knew to be her vitality being sacrificed to fill the void of the vast magical power she had just used.

Crackle-

Fireworks similar to butterflies rose around Hilaria and then faded.

“Huff…”

As soon as she exhaled, her golden eyes returned to their original blue.

“Aren’t you using too much power at once?”

Katie asked worriedly.

“Hand me a mana stone.”

Hilaria held out her hand, and Katie placed a red mana stone on it. Only after absorbing the whole mana stone did Hilaria’s breath calm down. Butterflies were fire spirits that fed on her parasitically.

They used Hilaria’s magical power to carry out her orders. Butterflies would watch over the people of the Imperial Palace, overhear their stories and pass them on to Hilaria. Among the bloodlines of Guinevere, few could summon spirits like this. There had been only ten people, including Hilaria, who could use the Spirit Butterflies.

It cost a lot of mana to plant butterflies throughout the Imperial Palace, which was wider than she expected. Hilaria took a deep breath and asked.

“How many mana stones did you bring?”

When she came from Guinevere to the Imperial Palace, she had hidden plenty of mana stones, but it required too much mana to control so many butterflies at once. She needed to maintain this state until she left the Palace. If she didn’t consume mana stones often enough, her body would begin to weaken and strain.

Katie opened her pocket and frowned.

“Enough to last for a month or two. I think we should get in touch with Miss Beatrice right away.”

“Good thing then that I also sent butterflies to Bebe.”

Hilaria sat down at the bedside.

“She will be contacted soon. Now, shall we wait for Celeste?”

She was looking forward to seeing Celeste again, who was already talking to a confused-looking Svein.

The butterfly planted in her was revealing every one of Celeste’s actions perfectly.

“It seems she is not feeling well after the long carriage trip.”

“She certainly looked fine before.”

Svein sounded irritated.

“She can’t get out of bed right now.”

-Sigh, “I’ll tell His Majesty, and I’ll send a doctor right away; you should head back now.”

“Yes, sir.”

Hilaria giggled.

“Why, what’s the matter? Please don’t laugh alone like that.”

“You know how scary it is.” Katie shuddered.

“It seems Celeste chose wisely.”

“That’s a relief,” said Katie sincerely.

If Celeste had made the wrong choice, she might have been the butterfly’s next meal.

“Don’t be too scared, Katie. I have no intention of feeding my butterflies anything strange.”

That sounded more strange!

Katie had a tearful look on her face.

Who knew that the spirits of fire, who revealed themselves as beautiful butterflies, would eat humans? The butterflies that chased and watched the people of the Imperial Palace like shadows could devour them if they so wished.

Only Guinevere knew the true nature of the spirits, which were perceived as sacred and gentle beings among ordinary people. The men of Guinevere, like wild horses running through the rough grasslands, raised their swords to protect their families, and the women used the spirits to protect the Duchy.

The Duchy was Guinevere’s last sanctuary, and it was on the brink.

A golden butterfly landed on Hilaria’s fingertips. The butterfly fluttered its wings as if dancing.

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“Shhh, Madam! Rats live here in the Imperial Palace!” whispered Katie in a trembling voice.

Ignoring her, Hilaria’s long, slender fingers teased the butterfly. Katie’s spine shuddered as she watched it.

No one would know.

The most dangerous butterfly of them all had just been brought into the Imperial Palace.

Meanwhile, the Emperor’s eyes widened as he received his report from Svein.

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