Lyra sat in silence for a few moments, all eyes on her, making her somewhat uncomfortable. She played a bit with the napkin, as she collected her thoughts. Eventually, she spoke up.
-"A kind offer, Your Majesty, however I feel before I even entertain that question, there are a few things we all ought to bring to light and settle." she said, looking up to meet the Emperor's gaze.
"Well, do go on then." he said, his tone still light and friendly. So Lyra continued:
-"First there is the topic of the succession battle between your two sons, and the involvement of the Empress." Lyra said, looking mostly between Henry, the Empress, and the First Prince, to gauge their reaction. It seemed neither party had expected this topic to be brought up tonight. The Empress put her fork down, adding her own five cents to the topic as she said:
"With all due respect, you are an outsider and a guest. This is a matter internal to the Revean Royal Family."
However, Lyra would not be dismissed so easily. She merely tilted her head, before answering:
-"And yet I just received an offer to become family, my dear potential mother-in-law, so this is now a matter concerning me."
The Empress's face flushed red with anger, but the Emperor stopped her from retorting, squeezing her hand and giving her a understanding look. Then he turned back to Lyra, saying: "Very well, Lyra. Carry on."
-"It would appear that the Empress has tried to kill Henry, in order to place her own son, the first prince, on the Throne." Lyra said calmly, raising the glass of cider to her lips once again for a sip.
There was an oppressive silence again, and the Emperor turned his gaze back towards the Empress, however there was a certain coldness in his gaze now that had not been there previously. He spoke quietly, yet firmly:
"Miranda, explain this accusation..."
"I had reason to believe Henry had poisoned you and was planning to lead a rebellion, so I had no choice but to try and get rid of him, for the safety of this nation, and more importantly, your own safety! That is why I sent him on a mission to the Oberon Forest!" she began, desperate but also speaking with conviction. Henry stood up abruptly at this, raising his voice as well:
"What manner of insanity are you spouting!? You're the one who poisoned my father, and tried to have me killed! Even going so far as to send assassins after me the moment I left the Oberon Wilds!"
"Assassins!? As if I would ever deal with such scum! Can you stand for that accusation in court, chi-" The Empress began, but was cut off.
-"Enough." Lyra's voice cut through the raised voices, sharp despite its gentle tone. Then, Lyra turned to look at the first princess, giving her a gentle smile, as she added: "It's Amanda, is it not?"
"Yes, that's right." she answered timidly. Lyra continued:
-"Henry told me much about you, as we traveled from Brightfield Village to the Capital. Said you were incredibly astute. I'd like to hear your opinion, on what we just heard."
Now everyone looked towards Amanda. Henry sank back down into his seat, his eyebrows furrowed deeply. Amanda in turn looked around the table, before sighing. Then she spoke up, a bit more assertively than before:
"I think it is very clear that both parties are being manipulated by a third."
Lyra smiled. That was what she had come to assume as well, based on what she had seen today from how the Empress had reacted and behaved. Then the Emperor spoke up:
"Amanda dear, please explain."
So she did. "I know from private talks with my brother, that he sincerely believes the Empress has been trying to usurp the throne, by poisoning the Emperor. Which is why he began to consolidate his position amongst the Knight Orders, in order to potentially rise in protection of Crown."
She continued: "Similarly, having had tea regularly with the Empress, and my other brother Thomas the First Prince, I know they were under the impression that Henry must have done something to the Emperor, and was now trying to gather forces for an open rebellion, because Henry wanted the throne for himself."
Lyra nodded and sent the Princess a smile. Then it was her time to speak, so Lyra said:
-"Empress. Who was it that suggested sending Henry to the Oberon Wilds?"
There was silence, as the Empress looked down at the table, but only for a few seconds. Then she spoke up:
"After my husband fell into his stupor and lost his wits, it was up to me to take over many of his tasks. But I could not do it alone, so I relied a lot on the Royal Advisor, Duke Frederick Gorneo. He had served my husband dutifully since childhood, so I came to him for advice. He is the one who informed me of Henry's plans for rebellion, and suggested sending him to Oberon Forest. I was very hesitant at first, but became convinced it was the only way to protect the Empire from Civil War."
Lyra looked to Henry now, and she did not even need to ask. His face had gone pale, his jaw clenched, teeth grit together. Then he too spoke:
"It was right after you had fallen ill, father, that Duke Frederick Gorneo informed me that he believed the Empress may have had something to do with it, but that he had no conclusive evidence. He said he had seen some of the Empress's private maids enter and exit the royal bedchambers at odd hours. Told me I had to be very careful now, and solidify my position least I could be next."
Now it was Lyra's turn to speak, and she said: "I had my first doubts concerning your story, Henry, when we first met the Assassins in Brightfield. If it was on orders from the Empress herself, just 5 assassins was a bit few in number. Perhaps the Assassination attempt was not even meant to succeed to begin with, but to further push you into conflict with the Empress. But it was just a suspicion of mine. But I became convinced I am correct, just now in fact."
"How so?" The Emperor responded, leaning forward, a bothered expression on his face. Lyra then explained:
"Because both parties seem so certain you were poisoned, your Majesty. Which is not the case."
"What?" both the Empress and Henry said in unison.
-"It is true. What I removed from the Emperor was not a poison, but a curse. It was called the "Curse of Withering", apparently. Whoever cast the curse then likely spread the lie that the Emperor had been poisoned, and pushed the Royal Family against each other to not only further destabilize the nation, but to keep the true cause behind the Emperor's ailment hidden. So certain were you that the Emperor was poisoned by the other side, that you did not even suspect it might be something else."
"No way..." Thomas remarked silently, stroking his chin. Henry and the Empress did not speak, but looked deeply confounded, and then ashamed. Amanda spoke up:
"I did find the Duke's movements a bit suspect, but this wasn't a topic I could easily bring up with either party, since questioning them might paint me as party to the other side. It was easier to just sit on the fence and try to gathering information from both, until I had conclusive evidence." she said.
"This is deeply troublesome news..." The Emperor remarked, stroking his bead once more, considering all the information. Lyra jumped into the conversation again:
-"Frankly, part of the blame lies on you, your majesty. If the Empress and Second Prince had a better relation initially, they may have come to speak with each other first, rather than immediately taking the misinformation at face value and starting to suspecting each other. Had they talked it out and compared the information they were told by the same individual, this could all have been avoided. The fact you allowed the relationship to fester and grow cold between family members, that is on you."
The Emperor sighed, and relented. His shoulders sagged, and he nodded, rubbing at his face. When he spoke, his voice was a bit more gruff than usual:
"You are right, Lyra. But I did not want to make things worse by acknowledging the problem. I thought simply by pretending it did not exist, it would not grow bigger at the very least."
The Empress now spoke up:
"Edward, you had me. And unlike our parents, our marriage was not just politics but also love. I loved you, and still do, despite the fact you betrayed me and took a concubine. Of course I would be upset and angry! Especially when she had a son! Born just months after the fruit of love between you and I. I am sorry Henry, truly, but surely you can understand how I would feel, looking at you. I do know it is no fault of your own that you were born, but your existence is still a gut punch to me every time I see you."
The Emperor grunted, and he looked tired, but also regretful. He answered her, the jovial tone gone. "I know, Miranda. Fact of the matter is, I did not want to take a concubine. However my father who was still Emperor at the time, forced me. We had been trying for three years, and still no heir. So he got me drunk, one night when you were not around. And then she appeared in my bedroom, dressed similar to you, even wearing a wig to make her hair dark like yours, and I thought... I am so sorry, honey... I really am so sorry."
He let out a sniffle, before straightening himself out: "And then, turns out she got pregnant. Now I no longer had a choice. She carried royal blood in her womb. I am very sorry, Henry, Amanda, that you have to hear this about your mother, but as soon as you were born Henry, the demands started. She was the mother of a prince now. She was royalty. She even blackmailed me into giving her a second child, when Miranda and I couldn't conceive again. Frankly, I was relieved when she passed away in childbirth."
"But... you loved my mother? She was kind and generous, always gave things to the people?" Henry began, his voice shaking.
"There was no love between us. But public image had to be maintained. Her giving food and clothes to the people were public stunts I had to arrange to lift her image, if she was going to survive in the palace. She was your mother after all, and as royalty you needed a solid base to stand on."
The Empress was crying now, and the First Prince Thomas supported her, giving her a hug, while looking at his father, sternly, before speaking his mind:
"You could have at least told mother the truth! All this time, she thought you had loved that concubine. Do you have any idea, the amount pain you have caused her all this time!?"
"I know... and I am so, so very sorry. But I also love Henry and Amanda. They are my children, despite their mother, and they had to be protected. If it became known they were essentially the fruits of blackmail, my position would weaken, and theirs would crumble entirely. I had to protect them." The Emperor said, his face red with shame.
Henry and Amanda sat in stunned silence. The story about their father and mother meeting eyes at a ball and immediately falling in love, the kind and gentle image of their mother, it had all been a lie. Everything was a lie. Even the Empress poisoning the Emperor and plotting to kill Henry had been a lie. Partly, at least. They were both just victims of manipulating, having done what they thought was best for the Empire.
Suddenly, Henry stood up, slamming his hands down against the table, startling everyone. Lyra had been silent for a while now, just letting the Royals air their grievances, but now she looked at Henry with concern and sympathy. "Henry?" she asked gently.
"I can't take this anymore... I am going to get some real answers." he said, his face twisted with embarrassment, but also now a growing, cold fury behind his eyes.
-"The Royal Advisor?" Lyra asked tentatively. A lot of focus on the latter half of the conversation had been the broken relationship between the royals, but the core problem still remained. There was a cunning enemy deep within the palace itself. That was a more pressing concern than anything else. Henry only nodded in response, as he pushed his chair back in against the table.
-"Then I will join you." Lyra said, standing up. She was quite invested now, so she couldn't sit this one out. To her surprise, the Emperor also rose, and said:
"As will I. This did happen under my watch, after all, and the Duke is my very good friend from childhood. I too will have my answers. Thomas, Amanda... could I trouble you with looking after and supporting my wife for the time being? And my dearest sweetheart... I truly am sorry. I hope you allow me to make amends, once I have settled this matter."
The Empress looked up, eyes red with tears, but she nodded. With a trembling voice, she whispered: "Make that bastard pay... that will be... your first of many apologies. Promise me this..."
The Emperor nodded and leaned over, bending down to kiss her forehead, as he answered: "I swear it on the name of everything holy, my beloved."
"Good... now go then." she whispered in return, managing a very weak smile. Amanda moved over, giving her step-mother a hug from the other side, and giving her half-brother Thomas a pat on the shoulder. Then, Henry, Lyra and the Emperor left the room, as the Emperor's voice bellowed throughout the palace halls:
"Guardsmen, bring me the Royal Advisor... NOW!"