Chapter 77

Chapter 77 – Downfall (1)

Translator: Lunarise

Editor: Larkspur

Viola was admiring the flowers in the corner of the palace garden as usual. She spent most of her time in the garden these days as it was in the only place where she could sink into her own thoughts without being disturbed by anyone until Paul brought the king’s message.

Then, the sound of rustling clothes signaled someone approaching. It was Anne.

“You have to be more careful in the future. Any act that causes the dissatisfaction to the imperial family will not be forgiven, even for those with royal blood.” Anne cautioned her.

“I felt that enough last night. I wouldn’t be able to watch that happen twice.” Viola was remorseful of the happenings.

Together with Anne, they headed to the outdoor parlor in the middle of the garden. The other princesses were already here drinking tea. The air felt quite awkward. It was really frustrating for Viola to see the princesses with drooping shoulders.

Where did all of their royal aura and self-esteem go… They just looked like simple hostages.

Is it because they couldn’t even speak their minds here? With their own servants being such watchful eyes over them, it seemed difficult to talk freely.

“To be honest… I was surprised. And… I felt a little embarrassed.”

One of the women spoke up, albeit flushed.

“—Pardon?” Viola was confused at the sudden remark.

“Because you seemed so different from us. I felt like you weren’t someone who would become trapped here and live as a hostage for the rest of your life.” The princess explained.

“You judged correctly. Because my goal is not to give up despite the adversity.”

“I find that very amazing! Even in such a horrible situation, you can have such a strong mind… I’m so envious. Honestly, after becoming hostages, we no longer have any clear goals or purpose in life. It’s not like we can dream of sitting face to face with a loving husband and sharing a meal like a normal family, and we can’t even dream of simply having children and making our own happy families, so we just try to fill our lives with fun and pleasure every day. If we had a fun-filled day, then the next day would arrive, so we simply wait for with dread for the next party.”

“—”

The bevy of princesses found it impossible to lift their eyes before this newcomer. It just so happened that Viola was seated at the center of the table, and it almost looked as if she was the leader of this posse of royalties.

Viola wasn’t someone without empathy and she was certainly not impulsive. She knew no person in a sane mind would readily succumb to such a life in general, let alone these princesses raised with high morals and propriety. She tried putting herself in their shoes and considered the situation through their perspective. To have to spend the rest of your days in this cramped concubine palace until you grow old and die – the thought alone would be terrifying. What’s more, could there be any hope for princesses who were born as girls and could not be mothers? Perhaps the reason they became so addicted to pleasure was that it was their only escape from reality? Their lives of always pursuing more pleasure and becoming addicted to it in order to forget their misfortunes was a tragedy in itself.

She would leave this place in the next five months. These women, on the other hand, would wither and die here, being playthings to the imperial families for the rest of their lives. Viola’s heart ached for them. These here were royalties who had been trampled all over by the imperial men who wanted to pick their fruits before they had even flowered…

Was there anything that she could do for them?

Is it really fine for me to just leave this place alone? Is it okay for me to find freedom by myself and leave their tragedy behind?

If she had never seen them, she would never have known… But now, she felt that if she left, she wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about them. The small glimmer of hope that she thought she’d seen pass across their faces hadn’t been an illusion.

A princess took Viola’s hand. “Viola! You… Please save us!”

“Me? What do you mean… ?”

“I saw it last night. How much His Majesty the Crown Prince cares for you—”

Her eyes were filled with tears.

“Please, become the empress. If you become Empress, we might no longer have to live as hostages.”

“The empress…!”

Viola didn’t know how to react. Was what Lustian had done in front of them last night such a big deal to them that they wanted her to become Empress?

She looked at Anne. The princess was unfazed by the happenings around her, instead quietly drinking her tea and listening to them.

“We… We’re all in love with Prince Lustian. But he hasn’t so much as looked at any of us after that first night. The reason we… We didn’t refuse the imperial parties, at first, because we were all hoping that he might notice us. We thought maybe he might feel just a little angry or jealous if we were to spend a night of pleasure with his other brothers. That was why. But he left his clansmen alone. We were thoroughly abandoned.”

“—”

“However, we were all surprised last night. I’ve never seen the crown prince jealous. It was the first time he’s even entered this harem! And going so far as to inflict harm upon the third prince’s body? It’s definitely love! He’s fallen in love with you!”

“No. You misjudged. And, even if that were true, a foreign royal cannot become Empress.” Viola shook her head. She had absolutely no desire to become one, and even if she met the requirements, she would not become the empress of an enemy country. As she shook her head, the girl’s shoulders drooped again. Her appearance was sad.

If she could do something to help them… Viola was about to open her mouth again, when suddenly the sound of a teacup being placed down quite loudly caught her attention. She saw Anne looking coldly at the other princesses.

“Don’t hang on to the pointless hope that someone else might be able to save you. If we could do whatever we set our minds to, Princess Guinev would have been able to escape.”

“—”

As Anne stood up from her seat, the other princesses looked at her nervously. She then looked at Viola with a completely different expression than usual. “Viola, why don’t you tell us yourself. How do we get out of this prison?”

“—”

Viola so wanted to spit out the words that she was nearly about to say. There was an answer. A way for them to stop surrendering to the Arpen Empire… At the moment though, the words were stuck in her throat like a thorn. When she didn’t answer, Anne clicked her tongue as if she had known she wouldn’t have anything to say.

“A vain hope is just a dream. The truth is that even you won’t be able to find an answer.”

As Anne started to leave, the other princesses also stood up one by one. Suddenly, Viola cried in a low voice to Anne and the other princesses.

“The fall of the Arpen Empire. There is no truer answer than this.”