32 Special Encounter (1/2)
Sitting inside of a vast, glamorous room filled with luxurious items and furniture was a woman whose appearance was shrouded in the shadows. Kneeling before the woman was a familiar purple-haired woman. Replacing her usual scowl was a trembling smile, shoulder quivering from the intensity of the woman's glare that was aimed at her.
”Last time when I called you here, I asked for only one simple request, dispose of Archduchess Scarlet, and eliminate the House of Scarlet. Did you ever wonder the cause of asking such a task from you?” The woman's voice was calm and firm; not a hint of anger could be detected but that only made the other woman on the ground tremble worse.
”No, your majesty, I only wanted to get the job done and get rewarded. T-There was no need for me to understand your intentions,” shakily answered the woman; the sweat from her eyes dropped to the ground like raindrops.
”The answer is really simple. It's because I despise the sight of them.” The intensity of hatred that brewed in that woman's eyes was a sharp blade that could cut through steel.
A flare of overwhelming power poured out of her, causing the room to vibrate and the glass to crack. The woman kneeling on the ground felt as if a hand was wrapped around her neck, squeezing the life from her before quickly vanishing.
”Did you know, before I married the emperor, at first I was betrothed to the next heir of the Scarlet House? He was a gentleman; never once did he treat me wrongly; plus he was handsome like a shining fair prince that only appeared in the novels.” A sweet fond smile marred the woman's face as she recalled old memories.
”It was instantly love-at-first-sight for me; I could see our happy future together. When he confessed how he did not love me and that we should annul our arranged marriage, I refused him.”
Rising gracefully from her chair, the woman made her way to the window and gazed out towards the full moon that illuminated the dark skies. She reached out her hand and placed it gently against the cool surface of the window; a wry smile displayed itself on her face.
”You see, since I first saw that man, I branded him as mine. No other could have him except for me. Even if he did not love me at the beginning, I believed that after some time had passed, he would grow feelings of love towards me.”
Suddenly a sarcastic laugh escaped from her; ruby manicured designed nails were sharp enough to scratch the window, and her pearly white teeth bit down hard on her lower lip. ”But then one day, after coming back from a seven-month scouting trip, he returned with a woman and that woman was none other than the current Archduchess of the Scarlet House.” Blood began to drip down the edges of her crimson lips.
”A woman of unknown origin suddenly came and stole away my possession. It was supposed to be me he pampered and love! Me who he fought for and stood proudly at my side! I was the one who should have bore him a son!”
The beautiful woman of elegance and poise quickly reacted as if she was possessed by something, a crazed look in her eyes. ”After he betrayed me and married that destitute woman, I vowed for vengeance! No matter how long it took, House of Scarlet would fall at my feet, but I couldn't do that as the daughter of a powerless aristocrat house. No, I extended my sight onto something much grander.”
Smirking, she recalled the many lives that she tormented, manipulated, and discarded away to get to where she was now; the woman felt not an ounce of remorse.
”No one other than my trusted maid, Linda, knows of methods I used to pave my path, and throughout it all, my thirst for vengeance for the House of Scarlet only grew stronger. But along with that so did my thirst for power, which brings us to the current subject of discussion.”
The woman strolled back over to the sofa and took a seat. ”In order for me to become Empress Dowager, my son must inherit the throne, even though he had been crowned as the Crown Prince, his position has yet to become stable. Other than my son, the emperor has two more children, Prince Cloud and Princess Luna.”
Possessing the elegance and poise from before, the woman reached towards the table, lifting a proclaim cup to her lips. ”Ever since he witnessed the tragic death of his mother, Prince Cloud's state of mind has never been the same, so there is no need to worry about him. My biggest concern rests on Princess Luna, daughter of Lady Elaria, from the elf clan.” These latter two names brought a sense of displeasure to the woman.
”Astral's relationship with the elf clan is important because of the magic crystal trade we have with them. Which we only value because of their territory that is abundant with magic crystals. If it weren't because of this, I could've eliminated that elf-slut before she had the change to bear a child.”
A spike of annoyance could be spotted in the woman's eyes, speaking of eliminating another person's life as if it was no big deal to her. ”I can't let that slut gain power, luckily I managed to dissipate some of the emperor affection for her, but it's not enough.”