CHAPTER 13
Asilia silently stared at the girl sitting before her.
Formilla had red hair and red eyes—features rare to see in Moria. Wasn’t she said to be not even twenty yet?
Upon closer inspection, her face still held traces of youth.
“A-about the other day… I deeply apologize for my rudeness…”
With her head bowed low, Formilla fidgeted with the lace at the end of her sleeve.
Even as she mumbled out her apology, her eyes were already filled with despair.
The kind of despair that comes with the fear of losing everything she had.
It was only natural.
What kind of empress would sit idly by after being stripped of her power?
“If I return to Lavinta after losing everything…”
Formilla felt like bursting into tears.
She bit down hard on the inside of her cheek, struggling to hold back the tears—but it wasn’t easy.
“I told you not to take what the princess owns.”
“……”
“But if no one intervenes, you’ll be driven out of Moria in disgrace, stripped of everything.”
Asilia said as she laid a stack of papers before her.
They detailed the smuggling of materials secretly taken out of Moria.
Formilla’s expression froze as she read through them. Her lips parted in an attempt to explain, but Asilia spoke first.
“Th-this…! H-how did Your Majesty even—?!”
“Discrepancies in supplies tend to be obvious.”
Asilia replied lightly, leaning back into the sofa.
Though she made it sound simple, she knew that without Kretes, acquiring this evidence would’ve been nearly impossible.
He had said, “Do whatever you want,” but she hadn’t expected him to go so far as to share internal records.
Was it confidence—or trust?
Shaking her head slowly, Asilia looked at Formilla, who was now trembling and pale.
“W-what do you want from me? Do you want me to leave Moria?”
If Asilia were to hand this evidence over to Kretes, Formilla would undoubtedly be branded a criminal.
Smuggling food, medicine, and local goods from Moria to other nations…
Stealing from the royal household was considered a serious treasonous act anywhere.
Even if Formilla was a princess, she wouldn’t escape punishment. In the worst case, Lavinta could be held accountable, and the empire might demand reparations.
If that happens, Lavinta would go bankrupt.
The quantity of goods smuggled was massive. To protect the kingdom, Lavinta might choose to sacrifice Formilla’s life instead.
“I-It was my own decision. I only wanted the people back home to live a bit more comfortably…!”
Formilla fell to her knees, begging desperately. She said Asilia could take her life if it meant Lavinta would be spared.
“A more comfortable life, you say…”
Lavinta was anything but comfortable.
They were constantly embroiled in wars due to hostile neighboring nations, and on top of that, a drought had continued for over four years. Starvation was likely rampant.
“Without the princess, many people in Lavinta would likely die.”
“……”
“I don’t wish for innocent people to suffer. So I have a proposal.”
At the word “proposal,” Formilla swallowed hard. Her eyes said she would do anything—as long as it meant saving herself and Lavinta.
“As you know, I am neither of royal nor noble blood. I’m not particularly skilled at managing internal affairs.”
“……”
“So I propose you continue managing the internal duties as you have, and in return, I will reward you.”
“A reward…?”
“The same amount you’ve been taking each month.”
Formilla’s eyes widened.
If things went this way, she wouldn’t lose anything.
No—she would even gain.
What she once stole in secret, she would now receive openly, leaving nothing to be used against her in the future.
She was about to eagerly accept the offer, but held herself back and asked,
“W-why… are you doing this for me?”
“I’m not doing this out of the goodness of my heart. Since I’m helping you and covering your secrets, I need you to help me with something as well.”
“Something… you want me to help with…?”
Formilla’s eyes trembled. For someone to cover up such a massive secret, it had to be something dangerous—perhaps even life-threatening.
“All I need is information.”
“Information…?”
“I intend to leave this place.”
According to the maid, Formilla had left Moria and returned to her homeland several times.
That must have been possible only because Kretes hadn’t bothered restricting her movements.
But regardless, she had experience going in and out of the country.
She must know which routes were safest and how to leave efficiently.
“Well? Will you accept my offer?”
At Asilia’s question, Formilla clenched her fists.
She had heard rumors about Asilia.
In fact, one of the maids who served Asilia during Formilla’s absence had provided some details.
A knight from Revilla.
She had been taken as a hostage during the war that Moria had recently won.
And then, for some unknown reason, the emperor had become obsessed with her, resulting in their marriage.
If the emperor married her out of obsession… then of course she would want to escape.
Moreover, being a knight from Revilla, her words made perfect sense.
Revilla…
Formilla had long known that people from Revilla were fiercely loyal to their homeland—and took responsibility for every word they spoke.
Because of that, most of them were quiet, she remembered. Whether she believed Asilia or not, it didn’t matter—Formilla had no choice.
“If you wish to decline, feel free to say so. It would be nice if you helped me, but I have no intention of handing these documents over to His Majesty.”
With that, Asilia stood, took the papers, and walked over to the fireplace.
And without hesitation, she burned them.
“W-what…?!”
“Asking someone to act under threat isn’t a request—it’s a command.”
Formilla gave a hollow laugh.
Was Asilia doing something so bold because she knew exactly who she was dealing with?
At the same time, Formilla could sense that Asilia was putting something on the line for her.
“If it’s within my power… I will gladly help.”
Asilia smiled in satisfaction.
Maybe Formilla wasn’t a perfect ally—but at least she could be a useful pawn.
“By the way… I do have one question.”
“……?”
“When you say you want to leave… do you mean the imperial palace? Or… Moria itself?”
Without hesitation, Asilia answered.
“Moria.”
“I see. And the number of people trying to escape?”
“Two.”
Formilla looked troubled.
“Smuggling two people out of Moria isn’t impossible… but it’ll take a significant amount of time. Will that be alright?”
“Is it really that difficult to leave Moria?”
“If the person being smuggled is favored by the emperor—then yes. But more than that… the land route has recently been closed.”
“Closed?”
At Asilia’s question, Formilla gave a small gasp.
She herself hadn’t known the truth about Moria until after she moved there.
“Moria is actually an island surrounded by sea on all sides. Occasionally, a land path opens up so people can come and go, but it’s fundamentally surrounded by water.”
“…What?”
Seeing Asilia’s face harden, Formilla continued cautiously.
“The land route only opens when the imperial family hosts a special event. I, too, returned after receiving news that the path was closing soon.”
“The sea… opens and closes like that?”
“It’s said to be the Emperor’s miracle. That’s what the people of Moria believe.”
The emperor could part the sea and create a land route.
That was one of the many reasons Moria’s people revered him.
What human could part the sea?
“When will the land path open again?”
“When His Majesty wills it. Only then will it open again.”
Lies.
Asilia’s eyes wavered.
It couldn’t be.
She had walked that path not long ago—how could it have simply vanished?
“…There’s a high mountain behind the palace. If you climb to the top, you can see where the land path used to be.”
At Formilla’s words, Asilia stood up at once.
“Then I’ll go—right now.”
