The Empress Tames the Tyrant - Chapter 54

Agnes sought permission with a look and took a seat diagonally from Alicia. Agnes, who usually wore a soft smile, possessed a rare, grave expression.

“Your parents could not finalize their marriage in Tristan.”

 

Alicia narrowed her eyes. She had never imagined that her parents had faced such a struggle, especially since she herself was the living proof of their union. She had assumed such difficulties were reserved for people like her and Cayenne, who had failed to complete their wedding rites properly.

 

“The King and Queen of Tristan were incredibly benevolent and wise people.”

 

“Now that I think about it… Agnes, you were originally from Tristan, weren’t you?”

 

Agnes nodded with a faint smile.

 

“I was a distant relative of the Queen, which led me to become a maid in the Tristan palace. Soon after, I was assigned to serve Lady Evangeline.”

 

Seeing the longing in her eyes, it was easy to guess how much Agnes missed those days.

 

“Who could have known that two people meeting by chance would fall into such a deep love?”

 

The beautiful princess of a small kingdom and the kind man from Lucan realized they were soulmates the moment they laid eyes on each other.

 

“I witnessed that moment. The exact second they fell in love the very first time they saw one another.”

 

No one could stop that love. Not even the vast distance between Tristan and Lucan.

 

“After the two swore eternity to each other, the King of Tristan was furious. So was the Queen.”

 

According to Alicia’s research, Evangeline was an only child and the sole heir to the King and Queen of Tristan. Fortunately, the King was still healthy and guarding the kingdom, but one could easily imagine how precious Evangeline must have been.

 

“Those born in Lucan must return to Lucan. That is… one of the fundamental truths of this world.”

 

Agnes’s voice was bitter.

 

“Lord Jace was wandering the world at the time, trying to escape the oppressive atmosphere of Lucan.”

 

“Then why did he go back?”

 

Alicia herself had been born in Lucan.

 

“And if that is the ‘truth,’ then I was also born there.”

 

Agnes shook her head lightly.

 

“A woman of Lucan may leave that land through marriage to spread the Truth.”

 

Come to think of it, that was exactly why Alicia had become Empress.

 

“However, Lord Jace was the youngest son of the Great Sage. Direct descendants of the Great Sage are rare… he could never have been given up.”

 

“And so…?” Alicia asked, full of curiosity. She had assumed everyone else’s marriages were ordinary and smooth, so hearing that even her own parents had struggled felt strange.

 

“Lady Evangeline accepted his proposal immediately, but they could never get the kingdom’s permission. Amidst that… an urgent report flew in from Lucan. They claimed the Great Sage had suddenly collapsed and that Jace must be there for his final moments.”

 

Alicia knit her brows slightly. Considering the Great Sage was still perfectly healthy twenty years later, his intentions were painfully obvious.

 

“If the two had been separated for even a moment back then, they might never have met again. If Jace had left alone, the Tristan Kingdom would have done everything to keep them apart.”

 

The Tristan Kingdom she had read about in books was a small but prosperous place, far more free and open than the Empire. Naturally, they would have disliked Lucan’s rigid teachings.

 

“The deciding factor was that they were in a situation where they could absolutely not be apart.”

 

“Why?”

 

“That… is related to you, Your Majesty.”

 

Agnes spared her words. It took Alicia a few seconds to grasp the meaning.

 

“You mean I was already…?”

 

“Yes. They vowed to marry no matter the difficulty, but the situation was complex.”

 

Even setting Lucan aside, it was natural for a youngest son to go to his father’s deathbed.

 

“In the end, Lady Evangeline decided to run away with Lord Jace. They believed that if they finalized their marriage in Lucan and brought a new life into the world, her parents in Tristan would eventually understand.”

 

However, Evangeline never returned to her home.

 

“The Great Sage wasn’t actually in critical condition, was he?”

 

“No. It was a lie to lure Lord Jace back to Lucan.”

 

Alicia shuddered at their hypocrisy once more. How could those who spoke of the most noble truths in the world tell such a pathetic lie so easily to their own child?

 

“You can guess what happened after that, Your Majesty.”

 

“The fact that I was born in Lucan?”

 

“Yes. Since you were already conceived, finalizing the marriage was the priority. Lord Jace, even after discovering the lie, agreed to stay in Lucan for a time on the condition that the marriage was recognized.”

 

Evangeline barely survived giving birth to her daughter and never rose from that bed. Having already lost her beloved husband, her grief and sorrow were too much for the childbed fever to overcome.

 

“Then why did my father die before I was even born?”

 

A look of pity appeared in Agnes’s eyes.

 

“It was an accident.”

 

Jace was a man so wonderful it was hard to believe he carried the hypocritical blood of Lucan. It was tragic that his short life ended before he could even see the child his beloved had borne.

 

“The Great Sage favored Jace more than any other child and gave him a great mission upon his return. Then one day… there was a riding accident.”

 

Accidents can happen to anyone, but to think it was the cause of her father’s death felt so hollow.

 

“I lost both my parents to a mere accident?”

 

“At the time, the Great Sage had publicly stated he would make the youngest, Jace, his successor.”

 

“Wait… are you suggesting someone who might have lost that position was involved?”

 

“At least, Lady Evangeline and I believed so. But the Great Sage hushed the matter up. It was the Lucan way.”

 

Agnes let out a long sigh. It was the lingering regret that perhaps Evangeline wouldn’t have died if Jace hadn’t been taken so prematurely.

 

“Upon hearing of Lady Evangeline’s passing, the Tristan Kingdom belatedly recognized the marriage. It was a gesture of mourning for their daughter and a way to ensure the legitimacy of your bloodline, Alicia.”

 

Alicia nodded slowly.

 

The King and Queen must have been in unspeakable grief after losing their only daughter. She couldn’t even fathom the heart of those who had to fulfill their daughter’s final wish while hating the very man and the land, Lucan that caused her death.

 

“In truth, the Tristan Kingdom asked for you to be returned to them.”

 

“My existence… wasn’t it a source of unhappiness for them?”

 

“Your Majesty. They are not people who would ever hate an innocent child. Especially not the only flesh and blood of their beloved daughter.”

 

Hearing the conviction in Agnes’s voice, Alicia could sense the high virtue of the King and Queen of Tristan.

 

“It must have broken their hearts to think of their granddaughter growing up in a place as rigid as Lucan. They love every single one of their subjects; imagine how they felt about their only granddaughter.”

 

If Alicia had grown up in Tristan instead of Lucan, her life could have been—no, would have been—entirely different.

 

“However…” Agnes said bitterly.

 

“The Great Sage didn’t allow it?”

 

“No. As you know, Lucan is a strictly neutral and inviolable territory, much like the Papacy. No matter how much Tristan protested, there was no way.”

 

Alicia found another reason to hate Lucan.

 

“To take a parentless child like that just to use her as a tool.”

 

Lucan had raised Alicia as a chess piece for their future expansion of influence through marriage. Because of their lust for power, she had been robbed of the familial affection she was meant to receive.

 

“Agnes, you stayed in Lucan all that time for my sake.”

 

Alicia’s blue eyes grew moist as she looked at Agnes’s benevolent smile. For Agnes, who had lived peacefully in Tristan, life in Lucan must have been like a sentence.

 

“To teach me what love is, in place of my late mother.”

 

Agnes fought back the rising tears. Hearing these words from Alicia, who had grown into such a beautiful woman, made all the hardships in Lucan vanish.

 

“That is only half true.”

 

Alicia gripped Agnes’s hand tightly. No matter how moving the story of her parents was, it couldn’t compare to the emotions she felt for Agnes, who had actually raised her.

 

“The moment I saw your little blue eyes as a baby, I was the one who fell in love first.”

 

At that moment, Agnes had given up on her own life. She decided to live for this child instead.

 

“I don’t remember it well, but… I’m sure even as a baby, I loved you very much.”

 

To Alicia, Agnes was a mother, a friend, and a dependable adult.

 

“Oh dear.”

 

In the end, Agnes let a tear fall.

 

“I didn’t expect that little baby to grow up and make me cry like this.”

 

Agnes hurriedly wiped her eyes with a handkerchief and spoke with deliberate lightness. When did that fragile, tiny infant gain such deep insight? Looking at Alicia’s upright heart, Agnes felt her life had certainly been meaningful.

 

“It’s all true. Without you, I wouldn’t have survived this palace. You gave up your home and your whole life just for me…”

 

“No. The place I am meant to live is always by your side.”

 

Alicia squeezed the hand she held at those kind words. She felt that if she spoke any more, she would burst into tears as well.

 

“There is one reason I told you the story of your parents. I wanted you to know that whether the Great Sage comes or all of Lucan marches here, you have absolutely no reason to worry.”

 

Agnes knew the pressure Lucan exerted. Even though the transformed Alicia had been shoving the letters aside since her fever, she likely couldn’t completely cast them from her mind.

 

“Your parents loved each other deeply, and you are the proof of that. Remember only that.”

 

Alicia nodded slowly.

 

“You were not raised by Lucan; you were raised by the love they left behind. Furthermore, this is the Imperial Palace there is no need for you to follow their rules here.”

 

“Yes.”

 

One of the shadows in her heart vanished.

 

The teachings of Lucan, which had made Alicia’s life so miserable in her previous existence, would no longer have any influence over her.