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Ayla was right. Whether Prince Darian was a good person or not, the fact that he was in league with the Empress remained unchanged.
Believing him to be innocent just because he had offered some help was excessively naive.
So, Ayla must see her current actions as reckless.
‘Honestly, I don’t understand my own feelings, but….’
Somewhere in her heart, she felt a strange certainty. That the Empress shouldn't be treated the same way as Prince Darian.
Just then, Ayla placed her hand on Peony's shoulder. Soon, she spoke in a resolute voice.
“Remember, Peony. Don't show mercy unless Prince Darian voluntarily confesses his wrongdoings or asks for forgiveness.”
“……Ayla.”
“And anyone can pretend to be good, Peony. So don't trust appearances alone.”
Ayla finished speaking coldly. But with each inhale and exhale, her chest ached.
Because every word she uttered was stabbing her own heart.
She, too, knew. That the Darian in her memories had always been a kind and upright person.
To put him on the throne, Ayla had given everything she could.
But what had she received in return?
‘Only a miserable death.’
As someone who had already been betrayed, Ayla wanted Peony to abandon her vain expectations of Darian.
‘I don’t want this child to experience the same pain as I did.’
Like the girl in the original story who had been used by Darian and the Empress, Peony must not become a victim again.
The moment she recalled the fate of that ignorant girl, all the memories of pain and betrayal resurfaced.
A fierce anger welled up inside her, making it difficult to think rationally.
‘Maybe that's why I've been separating myself from the characters in the original story for so long.’
If she had known from the beginning that she and that girl were the same person, she wouldn't have been able to prepare for revenge so calmly, swept away by anger.
‘But this time, it will be a completely different ending.’
With a firm resolve, Ayla opened her mouth to Peony, as if advising her.
“Peony, you know you're the most watched person in the Empire right now. So I want you to focus on your own affairs for the time being.”
“……Ayla.”
As she carefully took Peony's hand, she could feel her fingertips trembling slightly.
“There's no need to complicate your mind with unnecessary worries. Either way, the Empress or the Empress won't leave you alone. You must always be careful.”
“Yeah, I know.”
Ayla looked at Peony with affectionate eyes.
“I cherish you. So I don't want you to be in any dangerous situation, even if the suspicion about Darian is just a mere suspicion, as you say.”
Peony looked at Ayla with trembling eyes and asked cautiously.
“Do you really… think other people will try to kill me again?”
Ayla nodded without the slightest hesitation.
“Of course. Anything could happen, starting with the coming-of-age ceremony.”
“Coming-of-age ceremony?”
Peony asked blankly, and Ayla bit her lip and replied in a bitter tone.
“Yeah. You have to offer prayers alone in the Sanctuary for three days. There's no better time to target you than then.”
Peony was newly shocked and couldn't speak easily.
“Even so, would they dare to do something while everyone is watching?”
“There were those who poisoned you inside the Imperial Palace, so how can the Sanctuary be safe?”
There was no room for rebuttal in Ayla's words.
“That's true. I can't rest assured just because it's the Sanctuary.”
Peony sighed softly and quietly lowered her gaze.
‘Ayla is right. If I waver here, I'll only cause trouble for everyone in the end. Right now… I should steel my heart.’
Peony finally nodded in agreement.
“Okay. I'll be careful, as you said, Ayla.”
Prince Darian had been confined to his palace for days, not even going out.
Because the conversation he had with the Empress a few days ago had left his mind in turmoil.
‘……No matter how I think about it, this isn't right.’
Unable to overcome his pangs of conscience, Prince Darian finally shook off his seat and headed to the Empress's chambers.
He couldn't hesitate any longer.
‘Let's talk to Mother. Please withdraw the marriage proposal.’
He was afraid that the Empress might have already contacted Duke Blanche's family. He intended to express his intentions directly before that happened.
‘I shouldn't sacrifice someone else for my own greed. I should ask for someone other than Miss Ayla.’
But the maids blocked him in front of the Empress's chambers.
Prince Darian frowned and snapped in a low voice.
“What is the meaning of this?”
“Her Majesty the Empress is currently in an important conversation.”
“Are you daring to block my path in my mother's palace?”
“You must not enter, Your Highness.”
“Move.”
Prince Darian coldly brushed off the arms of the maids holding him back and stepped into the Empress's palace.
It was then. The door quietly opened from the inside.
Soon, a familiar woman cautiously revealed herself.
The woman seemed startled when her eyes met Prince Darian's, and she quickly lowered her head and hurried out of the chambers.
‘……Lona?’
She was definitely a maid he had seen a few times by Peony's side.
‘Why is she here?’
At that moment, the Empress's hostility toward Peony, which she had been showing for some time, flashed through Prince Darian's mind.
An eerie feeling crept up his spine.
‘Could it be that Mother……?’
When he turned his gaze into the reception room, he saw the Empress sitting calmly in a chair, embroidering.
An iris with a mixture of purple and yellow was blooming elegantly at the tip of her needle. It was Prince Darian's birth flower.
The Empress opened her mouth without even looking at Prince Darian.
“What kind of manners are these, Darian? I'm sure you heard what the maids said.”
“Do you have nothing to say to me?”
“About what?”
“Why is Peony's attending maid coming out of your reception room?”
Even at his sharp voice, the Empress shrugged lightly as if it were nothing.
“I was just discussing how to hold the coming-of-age ceremony. That maid has been taking care of Peony the longest.”
“Are you telling me that the only thing Peony's maid came to talk to you about was that? Do you expect me to believe that?”
Prince Darian stared intently at the Empress, not hiding his suspicion.
After enduring that gaze for a while, she slowly let out a deep sigh. Soon, the Empress put down the embroidery she was holding and opened her mouth.
“I don't want to argue with you over something like this, Darian.”
“Mother.”
“Is this something you need to question so much? Can't you trust your mother?”
Prince Darian closed his mouth at those words filled with resentment. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
There was no point in getting angry in this place anyway; the Empress would never tell him the truth.
“I understand for now. But I can't trust everything you say, Mother.”
“Darian. Surely you don't think I would do anything to Peony?”
Prince Darian nodded firmly.
“Yes, after hearing what you've said, I can't trust you at all. I'll keep watching, so don't even dream of having vain thoughts.”
“……Vain thoughts?”
Prince Darian only stared at her in response. Then the Empress raised her hand first and stopped him.
“That's enough, Darian. There's no need to answer. I think I'll only feel upset if I hear it.”
The Empress turned her face coldly and changed the subject.
“You didn't come here to talk about that, did you? You ignored the maids' attempts to stop you and came in.”
“……Yes, I have something to say.”
“Yes, tell me.”
“Please cancel the marriage proposal you made last time.”
Prince Darian spat out the main point like a machine gun without even sitting down.
“I don't want to feel like an unnecessary troublemaker between the two of them.”
The Empress's eyes narrowed.
Her downturned lips were filled with unpleasant emotions.
“I thought that story was over? Didn't I say that I would take care of it?”
“I clearly said I didn't want to.”
“……Darian!”
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