Chapter 174……………………………………
After gaining Lloyd’s cooperation, Riona felt completely revived.
She exchanged information with him and made plans about what to do next.
“I’m going to dig deeper into Gabriel from now on.”
“You said she’s strangely favorable toward you. It’s fine to use what can be used, but don’t lower your guard. The former emperor is no longer someone we can rely on.”
After being informed of Minerva’s death, the emperor stopped eating and drinking, and eventually fell ill with an unknown disease.
The lion who once ruled the empire had grown old and sick, and could no longer even speak properly.
Thanks to that, Mars had ascended the throne with ease—no doubt Mars and Gabriel had something to do with it.
They counted the former emperor’s cooperation as nonexistent.
If he had been in any condition to act, Lloyd would have informed him of Riona’s existence long ago.
Lloyd said he would continue pretending to support the imperial family while waiting for an opportunity.
Suddenly, he asked, “Riona, what do you plan to do after your revenge is over?”
“…I don’t know?”
To be honest, she had never thought about life after revenge.
Ever since Minerva’s death, even her wishes had failed to come true—so returning to being a cat was out of the question.
‘I wish that when my revenge ends, my life would end with it.’
There was no longer any reason to live, and she didn’t want to get entangled in more troublesome matters.
Namely…
“Have you no intention of succeeding to the throne?”
That.
Lloyd currently believed Riona to be Minerva’s biological daughter.
Even if she wasn’t, Minerva had adopted her. That fact alone meant Riona possessed a claim to the throne.
If Mars were deposed, the throne would naturally pass to Riona—but to her, that was absurd.
How could a cat become emperor?
She couldn’t bring herself to reveal that truth to Lloyd, so Riona twisted her fingers.
“If I just don’t reveal that I’m Mother’s daughter, there won’t be any trouble. I’ll just keep my mouth shut.”
“You do know that an ancestor of the Grand Duchy of Eckhart was once part of the imperial family.”
Was that so? Riona tilted her head.
Now that he mentioned it, she vaguely remembered being taught something like that when she first came to the grand ducal household.
“Whether you reveal your identity or not, the throne will one day come to you. The bloodline may have thinned, but the Eckhart family still carries imperial blood.”
If she succeeded in her revenge and wiped out Mars’s entire family, the right of succession would pass to the Eckhart house.
Priscilla would become first in line—and she would gladly accept it.
After all, she was mad for power.
She might not take dangerous gambles like getting her own hands dirty, but she would never pass up an opportunity that fell into her lap.
Of course, Priscilla was already of age, so she wouldn’t rule long.
The throne would soon pass to Lloyd—and at present, Riona was his only heir.
So Lloyd was right. Whether she revealed the truth or not, it made no difference.
With an expression that said she found the very thought bothersome, Riona muttered, “Then have another child later and give it to them.”
“I have no intention of having children.”
“Why not?”
“I originally intended to have only one heir.”
Then why?
Though irritation flickered across her face, Lloyd showed no intention of explaining further.
Having a rough idea of the reason, Riona sank back into the sofa.
“It’s ridiculous to talk about what comes after revenge when we haven’t even begun.”
“Indeed.”
They decided to postpone thoughts of things that hadn’t yet happened.
Given how slim the chances were that they would actually inherit the throne, it was an easy choice.
For a while, they sat in silence, sipping tea or idly fiddling with their nails.
“Riona, will you promise me one thing?”
Lloyd called her name out of the blue. When she looked up, he wore a more serious expression than before.
As if she were standing at the edge of a cliff, he spoke carefully.
“Make sure you think about your life after revenge. Whatever it may be.”
“……”
Riona felt a pang, wondering if he had somehow read her thoughts.
She had just wished that her life would end once her revenge did. How had he known to say something like that?
‘Something I want to do after revenge…’
Unlike before, she tried to consider it seriously.
But there was no such thing.
What she truly wanted was only one thing: for Minerva to come back to life.
She started to nod, even if only falsely—but instead, she turned her head away.
Rather than lie, she chose avoidance.
In a few days, she would return to the imperial capital.
At the thought of seeing Gabriel again after so long, Riona felt just a little… just a little tense.
After returning to the capital, Riona sent Gabriel a letter for the first time in a while.
As if her nervousness were meaningless, Gabriel invited her to tea almost immediately, as though she had been waiting—and even gave her an extravagant welcome.
“It’s been a long time, Lady Grand Duchess. Have you been well?”
“Thanks to your concern.”
With just the two of them present, the strong herbal tea Gabriel always served made its reappearance.
Now, whether Gabriel had truly cared for Minerva or not, Riona’s mind was filled with thoughts of pressing a blade to her throat.
The two smiled and chatted as they had in the past.
Gabriel prattled on about trivial matters, as if unaware of the incident at the academy.
“Lady Wolfgang achieved excellent results this time, but our Cassius still hasn’t shown any improvement. I’m quite worried.”
At first glance, Gabriel seemed deeply interested in Cassius’s life—but if one listened carefully, it was clear she had little genuine concern.
Odd, considering he was the heir.
…Would killing Cassius not be much help?
This family did not seem as close-knit as expected.
Lloyd and Riona planned to pressure Mars slowly.
They would secure a private audience with him and hint at their connection to Minerva, planting fear first.
Then they would kill Cassius—the only heir—to throw them into chaos, wait a few days, and eliminate Gabriel.
Mars would be last.
Ending Mars after his mind had completely crumbled would be the finale.
They could kill him right away, of course—but that would not be enough to repay the suffering Riona had endured.
Mars needed to lose not only his own life, but his family as well.
Yet they were never granted a private audience with him.
Even Lloyd’s requests were rejected every time.
What a coward.
On the bright side, perhaps things were going according to plan—he was already afraid, even though they hadn’t done anything yet.
Riona had no intention of killing him in public.
Her goal was to drive him into terror.
Like a cat toying with its prey, she would play with him and play with him, until he grew so weakened that death would be no surprise—then she would grant it.
As she pondered how best to make them suffer, Gabriel’s voice pulled her back.
“Come to think of it, Lady Grand Duchess. I heard the Grand Duke discovered a remarkable gemstone. The one you’re wearing around your neck—is that it?”
“Ah, yes. His Grace gave it to me as a gift.”
“Oh my, it truly is a beautiful gem.”
Gabriel looked utterly enchanted by the cat’s-eye stone, unable to take her gaze off the necklace.
Then she made a request.
“May I see it up close?”
For a moment, Gabriel’s eyes seemed to glint strangely.
But unable to refuse, Riona gave a reluctant nod. Gabriel rose from her seat, stepped closer, and bent at the waist.
Her breath close enough to brush against her, Gabriel’s gaze lingered at Riona’s throat.
That gaze felt unsettling.
Just as Riona swallowed dryly—
“Do you remember? I once said you resemble an old friend of mine.”
