Chapter 51
The sound that had been laughing and sobbing all at once slowly began to fade.
“……”
Realizing her situation and scoffing at herself, Amelia’s chest—which had been heaving like she’d just sprinted—gradually began to calm. She gripped the edge of the table and slowly pulled herself up. Then, after wiping her wet face with her hands, she brushed the moisture off her skirt.
Don’t lie there like something pitiful. Think of that cruel man who might kill your child, and think of what you must do.
Amelia closed her eyes slowly and then opened them again, as if to sort out her thoughts, taking a deep breath. This wasn’t the time to collapse, wallowing in stupid despair.
“Priestess.”
A belated knock followed.
“Come in, Louie.”
Recognizing the familiar voice, Amelia gave permission to enter. Louie hesitated for a moment upon seeing Amelia’s disheveled appearance.
“Are you alright? Did the emperor… do something to you…?”
“No, nothing like that.”
Louie hurried over and inspected her face. Aside from a pearl ornament that had been torn, there wasn’t much visible damage. Amelia’s denial only confirmed her guess.
“Then why is your dress like this?”
“Don’t obsess over things that don’t matter, Louie.”
Amelia replied curtly. It was so cold it made Louie, who had only been worried, feel embarrassed. Louie puffed out her cheeks in a small pout.
“I have a question for you.”
“Go ahead.”
Still, Louie paid attention to the question. She was a handmaiden to the priestess, after all—she couldn’t just ignore her mistress’s command.
“Duke Russell.”
At the familiar name, Louie flinched instinctively.
“Is he really your and Aaron’s true master?”
Amelia asked. Louie blinked rapidly, unable to answer. She had never once spoken to Amelia about Duke Russell, so for Amelia to speak as if she knew his identity caught her off guard.
“What do you mean by that…?”
Louie mumbled, trying to deflect.
“We both know there is no such thing as God.”
Amelia did not let it go.
“And yet, you and Aaron keep delivering someone’s orders to me. If you could really hear God’s voice, there’d be no need to go through me. So he must be human—just like us.”
Each word made perfect sense. Louie, overwhelmed by the sudden and unexpected question, could only dart her eyes around in panic.
“And he’s probably the person the emperor despises most.”
“I just hear things from my brother, that’s all. I don’t know what you mean.”
All she could do was deny and dig in. Amelia, noticing this, gave a short laugh. Louie stared at the sharp gleam in Amelia’s eyes, feeling unfamiliar with the expression.
“Is that so? Then I suppose if I went to the emperor right now and told him Ian is my child by birth, you wouldn’t know a thing?”
Louie opened and closed her mouth like a fish, unable to speak. She didn’t know that Ivan already knew Ian was Amelia’s child. Aaron had likely manipulated Amelia into acting as he wanted—but Louie wasn’t Aaron.
“Priestess… why are you doing this?”
Louie asked with a face that looked on the verge of panic. She had no way to prepare for or defend against Amelia’s sudden storm.
“The emperor might kill my child. Why wouldn’t I do everything I can?”
So that was it. Hearing a threat against her child had made Amelia snap—and there was no way to stop her now. If Aaron had been here, he might have used force to stop her, but Louie alone was no match.
“Tell Duke Russell that I wish to see him.”
Amelia commanded. Louie sighed deeply.
“He won’t agree.”
She answered with a sigh. It was true—there was no guarantee Duke Russell would respond to Amelia’s summons.
“He will. If not, I’ll just have Aaron sent instead.”
Amelia replied with a faint smile. It was an expression that could only come from certainty. Caught off guard, Louie nodded despite herself and slipped out of the room, watching Amelia carefully as she went.
Because you can’t win against a madwoman.
“……”
As soon as Louie left, Amelia slipped her arms out of the back-exposing dress. The silky, pale ivory gown dropped to the floor with a soft thud. Her bare feet stepped over the tear-soaked fabric and scattered pearls.
“That’s why they teach you to eliminate all threats from a young age.”
She knew those words weren’t just about Ian. They included Ian, Duke Russell, Aaron, and even herself.
The rest could all die, and it wouldn’t matter. Even she was no exception.
But not the child.
That one conviction was what moved Amelia. She wrapped a robe over her bare body and looked into the mirror atop her vanity.
A woman with no expression stared back. Eyes as black as ink, showing no trace of doubt or hesitation, met her gaze.
Two Days Later
“They said you were looking for a foolish servant of God.”
It was about two days later when Duke Russell visited Amelia. His demeanor was overly polite, like a devout believer revering the priestess as a divine messenger.
“You’re the one who’s my god, aren’t you?”
But that was nothing more than a performance. When Amelia pointed it out, Russell gave her a troubled look, as if he had no idea what she was talking about.
“Just the fact that you agreed to meet me proves everything I suspected was true. Is there still a need to keep acting?”
At her words, Russell let out a low chuckle. A pleasant-sounding laugh.
“What were you thinking?”
“……”
“That’s what I wanted to ask you today.”
But it was easy to see he wasn’t as nice as his laughter. His feigned discomfort vanished, replaced with a blank expression. His tone was icy cold.
“To speak of the god’s will in front of so many people and ask for your child to be made crown prince…”
Russell slowly stroked his beard.
“When I never even asked you to.”
Amelia flinched. She couldn’t deny it.
“That wasn’t what I asked of you.”
“……”
“All it would’ve taken was sleeping with him once. Is your body that valuable?”
Russell’s narrow eyes swept from her head downward. The gaze he gave her full chest—swollen further since childbirth—wasn’t lustful but begrudging, as if it was a waste. There was no better weapon for seduction, after all.
“I don’t enjoy when things go off plan, and I find the current situation extremely unpleasant.”
Besides, Russell knew some key facts. Ivan was proud and confident in his imperial blood. He would never accept a child who wasn’t his own into the imperial family. Even with a divine prophecy as pretext, he would resist—and many would support him.
That would create a crack in the carefully constructed foundation of power.
Moreover, royal bloodlines were believed to be unbroken. Even Russell found it reckless to try and pass off someone else’s child as the emperor’s heir. Amelia’s false prophecy had upended a sacred belief.
“What’s done is done. First, we clean up the mess.”
Frankly, the fact that Amelia wasn’t killed on the spot was already lucky. If she had been, the whole structure would have collapsed. Luckily, even the mighty Ivan Wade Escliffe couldn’t afford to fully alienate the temple the people trusted.
So Russell changed tactics. Since seducing the emperor was no longer an option, they had to make Amelia’s child the crown prince—and later, the emperor.
“He won’t easily accept a child that isn’t his.”
“……”
“But since you’ve chosen to make the child his instead of seducing him, we must make it so.”
Russell’s tone was calm. At first glance, it sounded like he was pledging to support Amelia’s decision. But in truth, it was pressure: you made this choice—now make it happen.
“We need something that will move him.”
Amelia had expected this attitude. Whether it was Russell or Aaron, it would’ve been the same. She wasn’t surprised by their coldness and got straight to the point.
“I agree.”
“Then tell me how.”
Russell nodded.
“You’ll need to use your greatest strength.”
He told her to do what she did best. At that moment, Amelia wondered what that could be, aside from relaying messages from others. Her life had been like a lake untouched by new water—stagnant, unmoving. And she’d grown used to that.
“You did quite well last time without asking permission, didn’t you?”
“…You mean another false prophecy?”
Perhaps sensing her thoughts, Russell offered a hint. At her question, he responded with a slight smile.
“No matter how the emperor resists, the faith in 200 years of divine tradition cannot be easily shattered.”
A roundabout way of confirming that her suspicion was correct.
“But… what should I say…”
Amelia murmured, lost in thought. Russell said nothing more. His expression carried the same air Aaron had when annoyed by obvious questions.
Naturally, she thought of Aaron—what was that bastard best at?
Luckily, she found the answer quickly.
“A prophecy disguised as a threat, is it?”
Violence and coercion.
