My Secret Flower - Episode 14

I can’t help but sigh. I think Evelyn’s honest and straightforward personality is a great strength, but I worry that it might lead to big problems sometimes.

“Bring, do you have nine lives? You could be punished for lese-majeste.”

“Just listen. Once you hear it, you’ll say the same thing I did.”

I wondered how she would explain that the Emperor was a pervert and a nutcase. Contrary to my worries, Evelyn continued seriously with a very intrigued expression.

“Before the Third Prince ascended to the throne this time, the Fourth Prince held the reins of power, right? Even though they were half-brothers, they say he killed his younger brother in such a cruel way.”

“That Fourth Prince also poisoned another brother to get to the throne, didn’t he?”

“Poison leads to death in an instant. Do you know what the Fourth Prince’s cause of death was?”

“…What was it?”

“Cardiac arrest due to excessive bleeding.”

When I asked with a look that said, “So what’s the big deal?” Evelyn leaned back, propped her chin on her hand, and waved her fork in the air as she explained.

“It was about four months ago, I think? The new Emperor had rebels waiting outside and secretly infiltrated the Imperial Palace alone at dawn and tied up the Emperor while he was sleeping. Apparently, he knew the Imperial Palace geography very well.”

“He was a prince, so that’s obvious.”

“You don’t know anything! Don’t you know that even the Crown Prince can’t easily enter the palace where the Emperor stays? But it took him less than a few minutes to reach the Emperor’s bedchamber without being caught by the knights and servants guarding the Emperor’s palace.”

If he knew the Emperor’s bedchamber so well, he could have killed his own father if he had wanted to. Had he been preparing to usurp the throne for a long time?

Or, since they said the late Emperor wanted to make him his successor, he might have been in and out of the Emperor’s bedchamber frequently.

“Anyway, after tying up his brother, the rebels entered without bloodshed, right? After that, in front of everyone, he cut off the Emperor’s fingers and toes one by one with a knife, and then gradually chopped off his ankles, wrists, arms, and legs little by little.”

She gestures cutting her fingers, wrists, and arms with the side of her hand, making a gruesome expression as if she had seen the scene with her own eyes. I wondered how she could act so well, and I got goosebumps and a chill ran down my spine.

“Didn’t anyone stop him?”

“Who would stop him? The Emperor was taken hostage. Well, I don’t know if anyone would care since those who ascend to the throne keep dying. I don’t know how anyone can work in that blood-soaked Imperial Palace.”

“They’re risking their lives. The reward must be great.”

Anyway, royal palaces and imperial palaces are all the same. When my eldest sister entered the palace as queen, she asked me to work as her head maid. She said she wanted someone she could trust by her side, but I politely declined.

I know that the palace is a place where you can lose your head with the slightest mistake. I didn’t want to stay in such a dangerous place for long. I wasn’t particularly greedy for power either.

After hearing about the Empire, I’m glad I rejected my eldest sister’s offer. They say the palace is a place where people die at any time.

“But what does that have to do with being a pervert and a nutcase?”

“…Do you think that’s the behavior of a normal person? He cut off his brother’s hands and feet in front of so many Imperial Palace people? And he didn’t just cut them off, he joked around while begging him to die slowly. And still?”

“He must have had a lot of resentment. What can’t you do when you’re consumed by revenge?”

“Is that so…?”

I’ve heard that those at the pinnacle of power are rarely mentally sound. Of course, there are exceptions.

My eldest sister was very worried that His Majesty, the King of our kingdom, was so timid that he was swayed this way and that, causing problems. Especially since the epidemic spread, she blamed herself for the lack of qualifications as a king, and it was painful to watch.

Ash… From what I’ve seen so far, he’s a perfect person without any flaws. But he must have some flaws that haven’t been revealed yet, right? I’m very curious.

Just then, the food was served, and Evelyn, who was familiar with savoring the taste, pondered for a while and shook her head.

“No. No matter how crazy you are, that’s not something a person should do. And now, without showing himself in public, he appoints the Prime Minister as his proxy and makes all state affairs decisions unilaterally.”

“Then he’s only trusting those he can trust.”

“They say he’s purging the nobles who sided with the other princes one by one and wiping out their families.”

“That’s what always happens when the regime changes. You have to eliminate any other rebellious forces before they sprout and pick out your own people.”

It’s cruel, but that’s reality and the way to maintain the throne. That’s how you can sleep soundly. Someone might be secretly plotting an assassination somewhere.

They say that a monarch must be an object of fear. Cold and aloof rather than gentle. In a chaotic situation where the throne changes so often, consolidating one’s position as a villain is a sure way.

In that sense, the new Emperor is doing a very good job as an emperor. Stabilizing the country as soon as possible will help our kingdom.

I’m also waiting for that chaotic Empire to calm down.

“Lishua, you have a surprisingly scary side to you?”

“It’s the business of someone who has nothing to do with me.”

“I heard that Emperor is obsessed with black hair. Do you know about that too?”

“…Black hair?”

Evelyn’s eyes are fixed on my hair. There are many people with black hair in the world. However, most people in our kingdom have light-colored hair.

So, my hair is a little noticeable. Among the three daughters of the family, I was the only one who inherited my father’s black hair.

I fiddled with my hair and tried to suppress the subtle feeling of displeasure.

“Why is he doing that?”

“Who knows? He replaced all the servants in the Imperial Palace and ordered that only people with black hair, men or women, be allowed to enter the palace. If there weren’t enough, he said he would accept dark gray or dark brown close to black.”

The fact that it’s black hair makes me feel strange for no reason.

“And there’s more. The reason why the new Emperor is a pervert is that he seems to be bisexual.”

“…Bisexual?”

“It’s not that he rejects women, but it seems like he’s in that kind of relationship with that Prime Minister. There were rumors that he was dragging both men and women into his bedroom.”

The late Emperor’s stamina was said to be so great, and the Third Prince must have inherited that lust. He’s even dragging men into his bedroom.

“That’s an interesting story. There are all kinds of people in the world. Who am I to criticize? Since he’s famous for being cruel, I’m afraid that the woman he drags into his bedroom will come out as a corpse.”

“Ugh, that’s terrible too. Anyway, the new Emperor must be out of his mind. You can’t guarantee that such a thing won’t happen, can you?”

I think that as long as I’m not involved with people, it has nothing to do with me. I should marry Ash and quietly manage the estate. Ash didn’t seem to have much ambition for power either.

After that, we changed the subject and continued our meal, sharing various small talk. Evelyn was most curious about the relationship between Ash and me, and I listed all the things that had happened in detail like a peddler.

“So that’s what happened. It’s just a love that’s so affectionate that you could die. But I can’t believe that the Count said that. He never expressed himself like that, did he?”

“That’s right. So, I was very puzzled.”

“You were loved, our Lishua.”

I felt embarrassed for no reason and twisted my body. Evelyn’s father, Count Brayton, was also a famous devoted husband and a daughter-fool.

I remember when I was young, I was supposed to spend the night with Evelyn at the Brayton estate. Witnessing Evelyn running to Count Brayton, who had returned from work, hugging him, and acting cute was a very fresh shock to me.

[My daughter, were you having fun? Are you hurt anywhere today?]

[Father! I missed you! Why are you so late!]

[I was late because I’ve been busy lately. I’m sorry, Bring.]

And how he looked at his family with such a gentle voice, worrying about them, and with honey dripping from his eyes. It’s not that the atmosphere in our family is bad, but it was so different that I couldn’t close my mouth for a long time and just stared blankly.

So at one time, I thought that I wasn’t as loved in our family as Evelyn was. After realizing that my father was paying attention to us in his own way, I had no choice but to admit that everyone’s personality is different.

Honestly, if my father showed a friendly and affectionate smile like Count Brayton, it would seem a little out of place. It’s a face that I can’t even imagine.

“So when are you getting married?”

“I think it’ll be soon. I’m going to discuss it properly when my father returns from the capital.”

“Wow… Our Lishua is getting married already. I thought you’d get married later than me or not at all. I’m jealous.”

Evelyn, who was swirling her wine around, sighed deeply and pouted her lips. I couldn’t help but laugh because she was being so cute.

“What about you? Not yet?”

“I guess I’ll have to have a political marriage. I feel like I’ve become a burden. I need to go soon, but I don’t want to go to just anyone. If there’s a man who’s begging me to be with him, I’ll just go, but that’s not the case either.”

“Don’t go to another kingdom, find someone in our kingdom. I think I’ll be a little sad if you go far away.”

“Of course! Where would I go leaving you behind?”

Like our mothers who were old friends, Evelyn and I promised to be friends until the end and even hooked our pinkies.

After the meal, Evelyn said she was tired from the carriage ride and wanted to rest, so I guided her to the guest room. Evelyn always stayed in my room when she came to visit, but since Ashe was here.

“What? Are you kicking me out?”

“Go to my room if you don’t want to.”

“What resentment would I hear if I did that? It’s a shame, but I can’t disturb the hot night of a reunited couple.”

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