Episode 5
That kind of insult was not something a man with a niece carrying his own blood should say.
Brianna forced her trembling hands to still and picked up the pen.
[“I looked to the future instead of clinging to the past.”]
Polian smirked again.
“Right. The future.”
His eyes roamed over her, slow and deliberate. Wherever his gaze touched, it felt like insects crawling on her skin, but Brianna kept her face calm.
“Soon, you’ll be summoned by His Majesty to the palace.”
“…”
“And I’m planning to take you with me.”
Brianna’s heart began to pound violently.
So that’s why… That’s why you betrayed me.
She felt her knees want to shake, so she quickly clasped her hands together to steady herself.
Kassius.
She still couldn’t let go of her rage toward him. Even seeing Polian right now made her want to rip him to pieces—let alone facing Kassius again.
As she tried to calm her trembling and control her expression, Polian added, “When the time comes, I’ll tell you what future I have planned for you.”
Greed spread across his lips.
After Brianna left, Polian kept staring at the door until it closed completely.
“Employer… master…”
The memory of Brianna once calling herself those words wouldn’t leave his mind.
“That useless girl who always acted like a fool…”
And yet, she’d changed overnight. He found it… interesting.
He remembered how, just days ago, she’d dared block his way over Anastasia’s matter.
[I will never turn a blind eye to the corruption Father committed. I’ll make sure the whole world knows.]
Seeing her tremble like a leaf as she threatened him had been laughable.
“How would you even manage that?”
At best, she could slap up some posters for people to read. But among the commoners, who couldn’t even read, what good would that do?
“You’re defective goods. You can’t do anything.”
Just a flawed piece of trash.
When Brianna left Polian’s office, the moment the door shut, she leaned against the wall.
Her legs were shaking so badly she could barely stand. She took a deep breath to steady herself.
You held it together well.
Killing him right now wouldn’t be satisfying. It would only earn her the label of murderer.
That’s not real revenge.
She’d endure her rage until she saw them fall completely with her own eyes.
After calming herself, she exhaled.
For now, I need to keep it a secret that I can speak.
She didn’t know how, but in this body she could speak freely—and she would hide that fact until the day it could bring about the “miracle” she needed.
Mother, I’m sorry… I won’t be able to stay away from the storm like you told me.
I’ll bring judgment to the ones who destroyed my family. I’ll put them on the execution stand where you, Father, and Achilleus lost your lives.
Her fists trembled.
I’ll gladly be the storm that destroys them.
Back in her room, she paced restlessly.
Her mind kept replaying Polian’s last words:
“When the time comes, I’ll tell you what future I have planned for you.”
Judging by that greedy look of his, she knew exactly what he meant.
He’s planning to shove me toward Kassius.
The thought of returning to his side was disgusting. Kassius wouldn’t have promised Polian the Empress’s seat in exchange for helping him—he’d never make such a big offer so easily.
So when Polian took her to the palace, he would do everything in his power to catch the Emperor’s attention.
“I am not walking back into that thorn-covered path.”
She had no intention of letting things go Polian’s way. But running away blindly wouldn’t solve it either.
She needed a reason—a public one—to refuse the match, so she’d have to play along until then.
And there was only one thing that could ruin such an arrangement:
“A scandal.”
If she spread a juicy romance rumor about herself, it would be fatal to her prospects—especially as a candidate for Empress.
The more it caught public attention, the better.
And there was one perfect man for the job:
Sebastian Leonhardt.
The Emperor’s half-brother and one of the few people Kassius actually valued.
Since he was fifteen, Sebastian had been sent to countless wars at Kassius’s orders, expanding the empire’s territory. Every time, he’d returned alive—even from battles everyone thought he’d never survive.
That’s how he earned the nickname War Demon.
Despite his royal blood and impressive military record, the public’s opinion of him was poor.
“Doesn’t matter—he’s still got slave blood.”
His mother had been a royal slave. When the late Emperor lost interest, the late Empress killed her, ripping her limb from limb right in front of young Sebastian.
People said that was why he kept surviving battle after battle—because he’d seen his mother die like that.
To witness that horror as a child, and not only stay sane but return from war after killing countless men…
“Only a demon could do that.”
So whenever Sebastian returned victorious, there were no cheers—only people scrambling to avoid his gaze.
And Kassius keeps him close because of that.
He knew Sebastian could never threaten his throne—if Sebastian were ever considered for Emperor, the backlash would be overwhelming. No noble would support him.
But Brianna knew something others didn’t.
Sebastian isn’t loyal to Kassius.
In fact, he was looking for a way to kill him.
In the past, she’d noticed Sebastian’s uneasy gaze toward Kassius and asked her father to secretly investigate him.
That’s how she learned Sebastian was secretly raising troops without the Emperor’s knowledge.
It wasn’t a huge force yet, but who knew how many soldiers he could gather over time?
When she confronted him, Sebastian hadn’t even tried to hide it.
“As His Majesty suspected, they answer to me—not to the Empire. Yes, I’m considering the possibility of rebellion.”
Then he made his position clear:
“I’ll move them only if the Imperial family loses its way.”
Still, a man like that was always a potential spark for chaos.
So she’d persuaded Kassius to send him to guard the northern border, using his private troops as an excuse.
Now, thinking back, Brianna realized…
He’s probably not happy with me for banishing him to the frontier.
If he recognized her as Anastasia, it would be trouble.
But as long as he didn’t find out, his resentment toward the Imperial family meant he’d be willing to cooperate with her plan.
