Chapter Twenty-Eight
_ The Beginning of the Collapse
He felt as if a hammer was striking his head from delayed realization—a girl capturing the heart of the stone-hearted Emperor. Was it his imagination, or were they allies?
"Excuse my rudeness, I did not greet the lady in a proper manner. Count Cayenne Cyrus greets the young lady."
"Ariana Silas is happy to meet the Count."
Cayenne looked at her, and for a moment, he felt as if she was seeing right through him. He smiled as kindly as possible and looked at his master, who smiled broadly and said:
"Cayenne, this is my future Empress."
He didn't sense any deception in Raphael's words; it was pure speech. Cayenne swallowed his shock and smiled at Raphael.
"I am happy for you, Your Majesty."
"Aya, Cayenne is my friend before he is one of my knights."
Ariana smiled widely and said, looking at him in a kind and friendly manner:
"It is good for Raphael to have someone he cherishes, someone who will never betray his trust."
The words shook Cayenne, who looked at Ariana with trembling eyes and an expression filled with guilt. He felt strangely naked before her.
'Do you know something?!'
He felt an urge to ask her, but he retreated from his stupidity and tried to restore his kind and friendly mask.
"For the future Empress to praise me is a great honor."
"It is still too early to address me with such formalities.."
It was genuine embarrassment as she gestured for him not to do so, but Raphael took her hand and kissed it.
"The Empress's crown befits no head but yours, my lady."
Ariana's face flared up, becoming like a ripe beet from Raphael's mischievous actions, and she pulled her hand away. Cayenne looked at them, then bowed, feeling that he should leave.
"Excuse me, Your Majesty."
Cayenne moved away from them while Ariana looked at him quietly from behind. She smiled at Raphael and punched him in irritation.
"Raph... you are mean."
* * *
"Did you hear? The young lady of the Silas family..."
"I heard she was beautiful, but I didn't expect her to capture His Majesty's heart."
"Perhaps it's not like that; Marquis Silas is from the Emperor's faction."
"But everyone swears the Emperor was completely fallen for the lady."
"I wouldn't be surprised if we hear news of the engagement soon."
A week had passed since the Emperor's birthday banquet, but the general impression from the party had not faded from the minds of the attendees, and rumors spread very widely regarding the future Empress...
She had finished preparing Ariana's dinner as usual, but the servants were more and more careful in an attempt to help Marian, yet she was annoyed by the increasing attention since the rumors started and felt disgusted. She carried the tray and headed to the third floor. Upon reaching it, she knocked on the door several times. When she heard Ariana's voice, she entered and placed the food on the table while Ariana was reading one of her books. Ariana put the book down, smiled at Marian, and began eating quietly. She knew her close maid had much on her mind. After she had almost finished her meal, she set the utensils down quietly and sighed.
"What is it you want to talk about?!"
"..."
"It is obvious you have a lot on your mind. Speak, I am listening."
Marian tried to evade, but Ariana insisted she speak about the matter. Marian sighed for the thousandth time and said:
"Regarding the rumors."
"The rumors?!"
"My lady, is there truly a marriage going to happen between my lady and His Majesty the Emperor?"
Ariana smiled widely and sighed dreamily.
"Isn't that beautiful news?!"
"And the gentleman?!"
"Raphael?!"
Marian nodded in the affirmative, so Ariana sighed and said:
"I will ask you, what are the features that distinguish the Emperor's appearance?"
Marian felt confused by her lady's question and tried to remember the traits that were praised and known by everyone, even if they hadn't seen him.
"Silver hair and silver eyes, a strong body and a handsome appearance...."
She looked at Ariana in shock, for the traits she mentioned were the same as those of the person she thought was just an ordinary friend of her lady, but he turned out to be the Emperor. Marian swallowed hard, shock still painted on her face. Ariana looked apologetically and said:
"Mari, I truly apologize. I should have told you first, but I couldn't."
'So that's why His Majesty's knight was criticizing me for my negligent treatment of the Emperor; instead of listening to him, I criticized him... I feel embarrassed.'
"I never imagined my lady would become this close to the Emperor, I mean.."
"Mari, don't justify it. I hid the matter because His Majesty's magical power is a secret no one knows."
"My lady, I don't care about anything except that you are well and happy."
Ariana stood up and embraced Marian, saying gratefully:
"I truly thank you, Marian, and I apologize for hiding the matter from you."
"I will support my young lady until the last moment."
Ariana pulled away from Marian, wiped Marian's tears, and they laughed.
"Raph is coming tonight; I don't want him to see how terrible I look."
"My lady is always wonderful."
Marian laughed and supported her lady as usual.
* * *
He placed his head on his desk with a sense of complexity, thinking:
'Was my action correct?! I fear I was reckless.'
"Mr. Silas."
Elliot's head snapped up from his desk suddenly as he looked toward the source of the voice. It was the Minister of Finance, Count Byron. Elliot bowed to the Minister.
"Sir, it seems I was absent-minded."
"It's fine, there wasn't much work...."
Despite Elliot's high status, he was a person dedicated to his work. Although Count Byron was of lower rank than him, he treated him with full respect. Everyone knew Elliot's traits, which differed from the arrogant and condescending Marquis Albin. However, after the Emperor's birthday party, everyone began to deal with Silas with caution, as it was an indirect announcement of the family to which the Empress belonged...
Everyone was, in one way or another, waiting to hear official news. Byron was one of those curious people, but he controlled his curiosity and adhered to his practical and sober personality. He looked at Elliot, who looked like a living corpse; it was clear he hadn't slept well for days. The Count knew Elliot was very careful in his work and realized the volume of tasks Elliot had alongside his work in the ministry. If it were any other noble, he would have chosen to enjoy his father's wealth and settle for working with it, but Elliot was a genius and very loyal youth, and that is what everyone agreed upon.
"You look tired, Mr. Silas. Go rest."
'I will return to thinking if I am left idle without work..'
He thought for a moment then spoke with a smile to the Count:
"I am fine, Count Byron. I will finish the rest of the work."
Elliot staggered slightly, but no one noticed except one person standing far away, unnoticed. Elliot felt he had to withdraw for a moment, or someone would discover he wasn't normal. He left the office, and before reaching the public garden in the Imperial Palace, he collided with someone. Elliot apologized even before seeing the person and decided to move away, but a voice stopped him...
"Young Marquis Silas, wait please."
Elliot turned to the owner of the voice and was surprised by the man looking at him—someone he hadn't seen even look at nobles, let alone the calm tone in which he spoke to him.
"Elliot Silas greets Cardinal Evan Jerome."
Even though Evan was younger than Elliot and was a commoner orphan, he was a capable Cardinal whose holy power had gained recognition from the High Priest. He was considered one of the greatest priests in Cassian despite his twisted personality with nobles. Evan sighed and said:
"I want to speak with you about an important matter."
"Go ahead."
"Not here."
Evan moved and Elliot followed him, and both were quiet. Evan sighed and said as he handed Elliot a small bottle:
"You look on the verge of death. Take this."
Elliot knew that, and without hesitation, he drank what was in the bottle smoothly. He felt the fatigue accumulated over the past week vanish and felt his mind become clear and light again. Elliot looked at the small bottle and said:
"Did you give something like this to my sister?!"
"I told Her Majesty that the medicine is under trial, but she agreed to take it. In fact, she sent me a letter telling me she is regaining her health."
Evan looked at the reaction of Elliot, who breathed a sigh of relief. Evan pointed to a nearby bench and they sat. Evan looked at Elliot and sighed, saying:
"Mr. Silas, I don't want to crush your hopes, but Her Majesty's life is still in danger. Her illness is strange and not something normal; it is an illness inversely linked to holy power, something I don't believe is ordinary. But for now, I hope the matter of the lady's treatment remains a secret."
Elliot scratched his cheek with a sense of confusion and tension, which made Evan ask for the reason.
"I told my father. He asked about my sister's good health, so I told him she became like this after meeting Cardinal Jerome.."
"The Marquis is Her Majesty's family, so there is no problem. Furthermore, he is a man loyal to His Majesty; I will trust that His Majesty will have a very supportive force considering Silas is the maternal family of the next Emperor."
Elliot realized that things were beginning to take an official turn after Evan's words. He smiled and said:
"I hope my sister's life will be safe, and I will do what is required for that..."
"I look forward to the Young Marquis's cooperation."
"I believe I can return to work. Thank you again, Cardinal Jerome."
Elliot stood, bowed respectfully, and left. Evan looked at the bottle in his hand and saw a slight reflection of someone standing behind him. He knew from the beginning that there were many spies in the Imperial Palace and had liked Ariana's suggestion to exploit this in their favor. He knew Elliot had told the Marquis about the medicine on the day of the party. It was a lie Elliot invented to cover that his sister had stopped taking the medicine prescribed by the Temple, and that her body appeared healthier. So Evan decided to go along with this lie. The Temple would try to steer things in its favor now that the Emperor had decided to marry a woman who did not belong to the Temple. It would confirm that Ariana would die, and that the Emperor would sacrifice his wife for his interests—this was the idea the Temple would try to create. Fortunately for him, they didn't realize he knew that Marquis Silas was the greatest traitor to the Empire... rather, he was one of the biggest drivers in the Temple, a man who had a hand in many of the disasters that had occurred in Cassian over decades. It was something Evan only knew after living long in his previous life. In the past, Elliot was the one who paved the way for the next Emperor, as he removed obstacles by presenting the heads of traitors for trial and placing the right people to protect his nephew. Perhaps he would do the same for his sister...
* * *
A message arrived in the early morning announcing the arrival of an imperial envoy to Marquis Silas's palace. The Marquis had shown full readiness to receive the guest; more accurately, the Silas residence had shown total preparation for the imperial envoy who would arrive this afternoon...
Ariana sat before her mirror while Marian was braiding her honey-colored hair and placing some pearls on it. After Ariana was prepared with elegant and comfortable clothes, she went out accompanied by her loyal maid to the reception room for important guests and sat in her seat with her uncle and brother, who were in full elegance as an honor to the Emperor's envoy. There was an air of tension...
"How does my sister feel?!"
It was Elliot who asked in a playful way to lighten his sister's mood. Ariana smiled nervously while rubbing her hands.
"Nervous and excited. I never imagined it would be real... I never imagined I would marry a great person like His Majesty. I lived while waiting for my death; it seems now that if I die, I will feel no regret."
Ariana mixed truth with lies. She didn't lie about her tension and happiness, but she looked at the expressions of her brother and uncle while still lowering her head. Her brother was troubled, which scratched her conscience, while her uncle, who feigned sadness, said:
"I am happy my daughter will marry the Emperor, especially since he showed his great love for her..."
Albin was looking at Ariana as if she were a fool. He knew the Emperor wouldn't marry her if he didn't know she was a saint, even if she was ill. Perhaps he would make her bear his son and then she would die from the illness, or Ariana would die one way or another. He would seem like a villain, but Albin would be a lucky man—is he not the maternal family of the next Emperor? Wouldn't he try, after the prince's birth, to snatch the crown from Raphael and place it on the child's head and control this child? It was early to think about it, but he felt a sense of victory..
"Sir, the guests have arrived."
The Marquis and the rest stood and received the guests. There was the Prime Minister, Duke Martin Ariston, and the Emperor's first and second assistants, Baron Mir Roalf and Count Arthur Calvin. The presence of these three was proof of the respect for the Silas family...
After exchanging greetings, the six people sat in their seats, and the servants stepped forward to place tea and refreshments with a smooth movement and left quickly. After exchanging pleasantries, Duke Ariston and the rest stood, and he took out the letter.
[ From Emperor Raphael de Cassian...
I come forward to request the young lady Ariana Silas, daughter of Mr. Seman Silas and Mrs. Lucrezia Alonso Silas, as a wife and Empress for me...
And I promise by the honor of the Cassian Imperial Family to love and protect Lady Ariana and give her her proper place in the family...
Signed, Emperor of the Cassian Empire, Raphael de Cassian ]
The official letter was standard as usual. The Duke looked at the Marquis and then at Ariana, and he almost knew the reason for the Emperor's infatuation with her. In his opinion, no matter how noble and elegant a lady was, signs of excitement and greed for the position would show on her face. But what was on Ariana's face was a kind and friendly smile, as if the letter concerned someone else. She was beautiful and surrounded by a gentle and strong majestic aura—something he couldn't imagine. Duke Ariston lowered the letter and handed it to the Marquis, who performed his official role and handed him the reply and acceptance letter. It was a recognized procedure; a message had been sent stating that the Emperor's envoy would come to deliver the marriage proposal, and certainly, the bride's family had to prepare the response...
"It will be the honor of the Silas family to be linked to the Imperial Family."
Marquis Albin Silas spoke with all tact. Thus the usual procedure ended, and the Duke said:
"We must leave now."
Salutations were given, and the guests were officially seen off to the inner palace gate, and they boarded the carriage designated for them...
* * *
"She is truly beautiful."
"Often beautiful women do not possess wisdom."
It was Calvin who spoke, but the Duke tried to erase her majestic image from his head by refuting the matter. Mir was listening to them and sighed.
'This woman moves everyone like puppets. Fortunately, she is on His Majesty's side and not an enemy who wishes to destroy this Empire; otherwise, Cassian would be doomed to chaos.'
"Baron Roalf, what do you think?!"
"... Yes?!"
He looked at them in confusion and pointed to himself. The Duke sighed and tried to go along with it, saying:
"Are you not His Majesty's first assistant, and did you not meet the lady with His Majesty at the banquet? Perhaps you might have an idea about the lady's personality."
Mir thought for a bit. He had only seen her once, but he had been sending the Emperor's letters to her for months, and everything started from that moment...
"Her Majesty perfectly befits the position of Empress..."
Duke Ariston did not need any explanation, for to him, Mir Roalf was a person with a fair judgment of things...
"I hope to see good and wonderful things in Cassian."
...... To be continued ......