Alisto looked at the Emperor who was just waiting for his answer, and asked cheerfully, “Is there somewhere you want to go?”
The Emperor's worried expression suddenly opened.
“What if I go to the temple to pray a little… Recently, my body is not what it used to be, so weak thoughts constantly come…”
“What a pity”
Alisto clapped his tongue lightly.
“Go with my mother.
I will call the high priest.”
Then he turned his gaze to the Empress.
A dense hatred passed over the Empress's face for a moment, but she did not object.
“Okay”
The Emperor seemed as if he did not see the Empress's expression, just a bright face, ate one bite of the plate of ripe snails, and then put down the fork.
“So I...”
“Yes, go”
The Emperor stood after a short wait with Alisto's permission.
On dinner days at Forest Palace, the Emperor always stands first.
The Crown Prince is sitting in the highest seat looking at him from above, and the Empress shows her hatred towards him.
Staying in the same space with them is definitely painful.
When the Emperor went out and closed the door, the Empress put down the wine cup with a “clack” and asked.
“Why did you let him go to the temple?”
It was a tone that decided there was definitely a reason.
“Why does he want to go to the temple?
Maybe he is begging for help for fear that there is no way out.”
The Empress almost painted a picture in her mind upon hearing Alisto's unimportant answer.
He struggles to live, then realizes that the mouse hole he found is useless?
What expression would the Emperor have then?
Will he hold his head in pain?
The Empress changed the subject in a slightly better mood.
“By the way, I heard that you wrote a marriage contract with the Herman family?”
Alisto nodded expressionlessly, and when there was no response, the Empress added dissatisfaction to her voice.
“Should I hear about my son’s marriage from others?”
Alisto rocked the heavy vibes as well.
“Just like that.
How come you always know my news before I tell you?
Sometimes you know my news faster than I do?”
The Empress only drank the wine without touching the food, and pretended to be indifferent.
“What kind of girl?”
When asked about the saint, Alisto washed his mouth with water as if his appetite had decreased.
“weak”
When Alisto patted his mouth with a handkerchief after a short answer, the Empress did not hide her frustration.
“Not to get married out of weakness.
Are you really going?
At least I am a mother.
Is it that annoying to ask about the type of daughter-in-law?”
Alisto looked into the Empress's eyes and warned softly.
“Beware.
Owls have been crazy about hunting badgers lately.”
If owls are minions of the Crown Prince, then badgers are minions of the Empress.
“I already heard about Lady Sheila.
She was someone I liked.”
"So why do you always send favorites to Blossom?
How?
Did he release some albums in the Rose Palace?"
The Empress raised her voice and put down the wine glass with a “tak” sound when her son was provoked.
“No progress in catching snakes, so I get frustrated and do this?”
Alisto swallowed a sigh as the routine began again.
“I said that his death is beneficial in many places.
If you wait a little while, he can be killed at a high price.
Should we waste it cheaply because of your haste?
You spent years in the palace, and you still do not know patience.”
"You don't know my heart.
What's my job in the palace?
Just waiting when you'll take the snake- Just waiting for it.
No news, isn't it frustrating?"
“If you're so frustrated, why don't you take it yourself?”
The Empress's eyes suddenly sharpened.
She takes it herself?
“If I had the nerve, would I still be like this...
I want to, but what should I do if I can’t?”
When her sharp eyes moistened, Alisto's momentum eased.
Not a very righteous son, but cruelly ignoring his mother's tears is difficult.
“Wait with the flower arrangement you love.”
“Arranging flowers a day or two, how many… I started the damned flower arranging to calm the mind, and it’s been 20 years this year.
Is it fun?”
When there seemed no hope of communication, Alisto began throwing out words.
“Love me or something”
The Empress's expression suddenly changed sour.
“I have nothing but your dead father.
You say that knowingly.”
“I was saying, shift your attention to something else, love or something.”
“Example?
Do you mean to take care of a weak girl like the daughter of the Hermann family?”
Alisto shook his head with an unstoppable expression.
He wiped his hands with a napkin and got up, leaving a tip before leaving the dining room.
“Just remember, she is a woman I chose because I love her.”
After Alisto left, the Empress remaining alone quietly filled the wine cup herself and muttered.
“What do I do, anxiety...”
Alisto exited the Forest Building and entered the waiting carriage.
He didn't say the destination, but the carriage headed to Blossom as usual.
Open the car window first.
When a gentle breeze touched his cheek, he suddenly remembered the shabby woman.
Her frightened eyes that stared at him as the door to Almond's room closed disturbed his mind.
***
First day of imprisonment.
Atha lay on the living room sofa, looking at the sky outside the window.
The sky today is also blue.
Am I going to live in empty thoughts like this?
Imprisonment is not a problem.
Just the fact that he was limited to Almond's room made her feel a little sorry.
“When does trust arise?”
If only I was allowed to go out and about, I could live really well.
She shook her hand at Ruby, who approached to straighten the wrinkled skirt.
“It's okay, leave it.
I'll keep lying down, it'll wrinkle again no matter how you arrange it now.”
Ruby gave a very friendly smile.
"What do you mean always lie down?
Aren't you going to the dance party?"
“Dance party?”
"Yes!"
Ruby nodded excitedly with shining eyes without knowing Atha's current situation.
There was a reason her eyes sparkled so much.
Usually, owls are divided into multiple grades, the higher the grade, the greater the quantity and quality of information, and the tasks change.
In short, senior owls are valuable resources, treated differently.
But Ruby?
It was the lowest among the lowest, a gray owl.
To upgrade the owl grade, you must complete the [Lives] quest.
But tasks [of life] are rarely assigned to a gray owl, and if they do happen, ten out of ten die.
Unfortunately, Ruby had practically no way to upgrade.
Exactly, even before applying for this job.
Now, a new hope is born for Ruby.
To become a maid whom Atha loves and stays by her side for a long time.
Of course, even after Atha became Empress - it continued.
Fortunately, Atha becoming empress does not seem to be a difficult task.
Because His Highness the Crown Prince is already overwhelmed with Atha.
But—
Maintaining that seat is another problem.
Historically, many women became empresses out of love for the emperor.
But if they have one fatal problem.
Their original family is very weak.
In fact, wasn't Camilla, the emperor's ex-wife, divorced for this?