章 14: Chapter 13. Fragments of the past
The day when the funeral of the first Empress took place, the acting Empress remembered for the rest of her life. And it's not even that her sworn rival lost and left this world, but... her daughter.
The Bauer family, from which Valencia Gross le Bauer was born, could well be considered the official supplier of the empresses. The previous emperor chose her as a match for the Crown Prince, and the Empress taught her etiquette and the work of the imperial court from an early age.
All her life, Valencia has lived with the idea that one day she will inherit the glorious Ronan surname.
However, as it sometimes happens, life can play a cruel joke.
By chance, the emperor came hunting in the forest of Castinia and met a girl who lived there alone. He fell in love with her at first sight and took her with him to the Imperial Palace. This woman was so beautiful that she was even called "stunning."
Her name was Lysia.
Soon, a commoner who appeared out of nowhere became the most talked about woman in high society. This unprecedented event turned the empire upside down. The people only said that the emperor had fallen in love with a certain beautiful lady and even intended to make her his empress.
Of course, this could not pass by the ears of the once former bride of the royal family.
By the time Valencia Gross le Bauer took her first steps, she began to be disciplined as the future wife of the emperor.
Now, when she was to become empress, her place was taken by a rootless girl who came from nowhere.
It sounded ridiculous.
However, this is exactly how her fate turned out.
The emperor, who had always been indifferent to her, smiled at the mysterious woman, joyfully held her hand and they received crowns as emperor and empress.
Valencia, who was raised to become the future empress, received the title of concubine of the emperor and bowed to a commoner entering the Empress's palace, which she thought would one day become her home.
Could there be a greater humiliation?
Valencia Gross le Bauer thought she would never be able to come to terms with this.
Although she was destined to become the first lady of the imperial palace, the woman began her life as one of the emperor's concubines. However, unlike the commoner who was brought by the emperor, she possessed the power and might of her noble family. Her life couldn't be called that bad. Most of the officials and high-ranking nobles were on her side.
The new Empress, on the contrary, was in a strange position, being the subject of intense attention and envy, as well as criticism and contempt. Lysia's low status did not match the pride of the nobles at all. No one wanted to bow to the Empress, who was just a commoner yesterday.
All these people were just waiting for an opportunity to overthrow the "rootless" Empress.
And soon they had such a chance.
The following winter, the emperor had a daughter, who by right of birth received the title of Crown Princess. The emperor, who was looking forward to the appearance of his firstborn with great impatience, was happy. But the moment he saw the newborn baby, his eyes trembled.
In the Reuvens Empire, all members of the royal family had blond hair that looked like molten gold. There was no one who didn't inherit them. But the girl who was born had dark brown hair and facial features that bore little resemblance to the emperor. This gave rise to various rumors.
Of course, the first one to spread unflattering statements about the Empress and her child was the eldest concubine.
A rumor quickly spread among the inhabitants of the palace about how "a dirty commoner wrapped His Majesty around her little finger," but in fact she was pregnant by someone else. And although there was no reliable evidence of this, people very quickly picked up this gossip and began spreading it.
In order to resolve all misunderstandings, the best imperial physician was invited to the palace — who conducted a kinship test. And contrary to the expectations of the concubine and the ministers, who were eager to execute the mother and child for deceiving the imperial family, the doctor gave out something completely unexpected.
— The genes of His Majesty and the Crown Princess are the same. They really are related to each other.
Thus, the vile rumors that haunted the princess and her mother were finally dispelled. But the lull didn't last long.
Very soon, a new reason for heated discussions appeared in high society.
Detractors began to actively spread the version that the Empress, in fact, was a witch. Otherwise, how would a pathetic commoner have managed to enchant the emperor so quickly? In addition, the woman had dark hair. And this color, as you know, belongs to witches.
As the voices of the gossips grew louder, the emperor, for his part, could not ignore them and eventually began to distance himself from his wife and daughter.
Although the emperor initially favored his wife, it was difficult for him to have warm feelings for a child who was completely unlike him. Besides, there had been something frightening about his daughter since she was born. The Emperor felt it in his gut every time he approached her. Especially the look of her golden eyes, a rare color in the empire, as if they belonged to some otherworldly being rather than a human.
Thus, yielding to the influence of his advisers and the imperial court, the emperor sent the empress away from the central palace. She was moved to the western one, located on the corner of the Imperial City.
Lizzie's life turned out to be truly miserable.
Since she was a commoner and had no like-minded people in the palace, she became an easy target for harassment from people. Especially when her only support, the emperor, left her.
For a long time, the Empress lived a sad and pitiful life, she was mercilessly bullied to such an extent that even the laundresses ignored and ridiculed her.
— Kaena, my poor daughter... You have to survive. Be silent, be silent and live. You have to survive. Do you understand me?
She hugged her daughter. Tears were streaming down her cheeks.
Although the Empress was harassed, her daughter's life was no better.
Despite the fact that Kaena was the crown princess, the children of the nobles and even the servants mocked her, calling her a "princess from the slums", a "beggar creature", as well as a "witch's daughter". They despised the princess for her mother's low birth and tried in every possible way to rise above her. They pushed the girl into the lake when she was walking or threw fist-sized stones, one of which broke the back of her head until it bled.
Despite this, Kaena has never spoken out against them.
But not because she couldn't fight them back. Kaena didn't want to bother her mother and thus make their situation worse. After all, unlike the princess's abusers, who were supported by their noble families, they were completely alone here. And if anything, Kaena and her mother will be the first to suffer.
Kaena's only goal was to grow up and take her mother away from this cursed place.
But this wish was not destined to come true.
The first Empress died when Kaena was barely thirteen years old. According to the conclusion of the imperial physician, the cause was a long-standing illness that progressed over time and took her life.
Everyone assumed that the reason for this was the long life in the cold western palace. In a place like this, no one would be able to hold out for long. Therefore, the woman suffered the expected fate.
And only one person knew the truth.
In fact, for the past few years, Lysia de Ronan has been taking a small dose of poison every day. The servants, bribed by the emperor's senior concubine, served it to her along with medicines. The dose was so negligible that even an imperial physician would not be able to detect it.
And yet, with each passing day, the poison in the Empress's body increased. In the last year, the woman couldn't get out of bed at all, and no one could figure out what was wrong with her. And one day she just didn't open her eyes.
However, few people were really sad about this. Most were simply relieved or gloated that the witch who had deceived the emperor and received her title undeservedly would finally stop burdening the imperial court with her presence.
At the same time, the question arose about the deposition of Kaena from the post of crown Princess.
A couple of years ago, another daughter was born in the imperial family. Valencia Gross le Bauer, the emperor's first concubine, gave birth to Princess Jerica. Unlike the crown princess, the girl inherited the emperor's appearance and had beautiful golden hair. Besides, she was very friendly and sweet. With her charm, the princess easily conquered the imperial court and her father.
Against the background of her older sister, it was Jerica Lant de Ronan who looked like a real contender for the throne.
However, despite the efforts of government officials who wanted to see the second princess as the heir, they failed to achieve the removal of Kaena. The traditional line of succession has not been canceled. And even the emperor could not go against this law.
The emperor saw in his eldest daughter only an obstacle so that the youngest could take the throne. And so, almost immediately after his wife's death, he wanted to get rid of her too. The Emperor decided to send the Crown Princess to the Eastern Border. There she was to meet her doom and relieve the emperor of this burden.
Shortly before the Crown Princess was sent to the East, a private farewell ceremony was held with the Empress. She was going to be laid to rest in the imperial mausoleum, where previous members of the ruling family were buried. Although some officials were against this idea, considering it unworthy.
Mourning for the Empress was to last seven days in the palace and forty days throughout the empire.
Kneeling in front of the portrait of her dead mother, Kaena de Ronan did not say anything for a long time.
Her eyes were red. But in the end, the tears never came.
Suddenly, footsteps were heard near the front door.
In this place where everyone abandoned the Crown Princess, the only person besides her who came to express their condolences was this woman.
Valencia Gross le Bauer, formerly the emperor's first concubine, and now actively preparing to receive the title of Empress. The wedding was supposed to take place this month. After all, the ceremony will be held before the end of mourning for the late Empress.
There were no words to convey how happy she was.
In the end, the rootless girl who stole her title got what she deserved. And soon her daughter, an equally worthless person, will perish with her. Isn't that the best outcome?
But right now, Valencia was trying her best not to let on that she was over the moon. Her face was a mask of deep despair. Dressed in a black mourning dress, the woman came closer and wiped her eyes with a handkerchief.
"Poor child," the concubine sympathized, "I'm so sorry. May she rest in peace, your mother was a good woman.
"And it won't be long before you follow her..." — these were the words she didn't finish, but kept to herself.
The concubine lit a candle and expressed her respect to the portrait of the deceased.
In a couple of weeks, Valencia will officially assume the title of Empress. Her daughter will also become the Crown Princess. And the existence of this girl and her mother will remain a forgotten stain of shame in the history of the empire. It was just a mistake of the emperor's youth, who fell for a beautiful face, and subsequently paid for it.
If the girl didn't die at the border, which was unlikely, Valencia intended to finish her off with her own hands. No one will care about the fate of this insignificant child.
Therefore, there was nothing wrong with temporarily pretending to be nice in front of her. Let him consider treating her well as a favor before he dies.
Valencia said a few words of comfort to her and decided that was enough. She had already savored the death of someone she was even ashamed to call a rival. Valencia, the daughter of a noble family, and some street girl... It was even ridiculous to compare them.
During the entire time the concubine was here, Kaena did not make a sound. Maybe she hadn't heard her. Have you lost touch with reality from grief for your mother?
The woman thought so.
But suddenly Kaena got up from her knees.
Their eyes met.
The concubine had a strange feeling.
— Your Highness, thank you for your words. Thanks to them, I feel better now.
The Crown Princess smiled wryly at her stepmother.
— Ah... me...
She was surprised and at first did not know how to react.
The girl didn't look upset at all. Moreover, this was the first time that the princess herself spoke to someone and looked the other person straight in the eye.
Valencia knew the environment in which the princess grew up and how she was treated. She thought that the child grew up with a weak heart, quiet and humble. However...
"Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend the ceremony," she continued, "but I hope that you will rule happily ever after for the rest of your days.
Unexpectedly for herself, this wish caused the woman to tremble. It was uttered in ordinary words, but at the same time, it seemed to contain a hidden threat.
— Oh, by the way...
The concubine shuddered.
— I wish you a good time at the ceremony, Your Highness. I'll have a lot of fun too.
The thirteen-year-old princess smiled at her calmly again.
"Have fun"? The concubine did not understand the meaning of this phrase. What kind of fun can there be on the eastern border, where lawlessness reigns and what is also called hell on earth?
«...»
Kaena gave her a fleeting glance. The eyes were golden in color, which seemed to be made of cold metal. Emotions prevailed over reason. The concubine trembled involuntarily. When the girl, without hesitation, turned around and walked away, Valencia stared after her in amazement.
It was then that the thought first crept into her head that perhaps she had been deeply mistaken all this time.
The child who was abandoned and bullied in the Imperial Palace was not worthless and weak.
Just a couple of years later, Kaena Gessen de Ronan will become a name that can no longer be ignored.
People said that she was possessed by a cruel demon because she was merciless and possessed superhuman strength. There was no end to the list of cruel deeds she had committed.
It was as if the heavens themselves were angry and had sent this devil to drown the Reuven Empire in blood.
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