traitor chapter 7

I subtly probed him. He shook his head in denial, then stepped back from the door and bowed deeply. 

Forgive my intrusion at this late hour.” Unlike Leonhardt, who remained rooted in the garden like a statue, Monet was the first to leave. His steps were hurried, like a man fleeing something unbearable.

Diana considered their contrasting reactions, suspicion blossoming in her mind. Perhaps the feelings they held for her were not mere attachment. Both Leonhardt and Monet were in the prime of their lives, and the emperor they served was a woman of similar age. She knew how her appearance was perceived by others. There had been countless individuals who, unaware of their place, dared to approach her with personal feelings. Even those deemed loyal were not entirely unaffected. She knew how long their gazes lingered. Perhaps they harbored lust, or even something they dared to call love.

But even if that were true, she could never summon them to her chambers and grant them such favors. They were, after all, ministers of the empire. It was in everyone’s best interest to keep such personal feelings at bay. In the relationship between ruler and subject, such emotions were nothing but obstacles, and a public servant’s true love should be their country and its people. Of that much, she was certain.

***

It rained for three days. During that time, both Monet and Leonhardt were quiet. As if they had neatly resolved their feelings, they no longer mentioned the national letter. Diana, too, refrained from further inquiries and focused on governing. She entrusted the matter of the national letter to the Foreign Minister, instructing him to secure more concessions from Tebon instead of offering the position of empress or concubine.

And today, with the skies clear, the Foreign Minister returned with mining rights to a special mineral found in Tebon. The condition was to accept Tebon’s First Prince as either empress or concubine. If he were to be a concubine, Tebon requested that he be granted noble status within the empire. It seemed Tebon believed this deal would grant them influence in the empire’s political affairs.

Diana smiled in satisfaction. Becoming an imperial noble did grant access to imperial politics, but it also meant being subject to the empire’s central authority. With her decision made, she summoned an imperial council meeting to inform her ministers of the decision regarding the prince. She had already mentioned it in a previous meeting, so any opposition would be purely perfunctory. Moreover, since he was to be taken as a concubine, not empress, there was little reason for significant protest. She believed everything would proceed smoothly.

But it was not to be. The problem arose ten minutes before the meeting. Leonhardt came to her waiting room, an unusual tension clinging to him. Diana dismissed her chief aide and Ruby before gesturing for him to enter. The man with the steadfast gaze knelt before her. “Do you truly intend to bring Tebon’s First Prince into your chambers?”

“That again? I thought you’d come to your senses in the past three days.”

“I apologize.”

“By specifically mentioning ‘chambers,’ you mean you disapprove regardless of whether the prince is empress or concubine?” Leonhardt did not deny it. “I apologize. However…” He lifted his bowed head and gazed upon his powerful and beautiful sovereign. The silver-white imperial crown rested atop her elegantly styled rose-gold hair. My most esteemed Emperor.

“Are you worried that the Tebon prince will receive the blessing of divine power?” Diana’s tone softened. At this display of the kindness she reserved only for her most trusted confidants, Leonhardt trembled, unsure of how to react. He lowered his head again to hide his wavering gaze. An emperor with divine power was an anomaly. It was the way of the world that royalty were born with magical power, and those with magical power could not possess divine power. Magical power was a destructive force, while divine power was a healing one. The two forces were diametrically opposed and could not coexist.

Yet his sovereign, Diana, possessed both. She was a truly formidable emperor. The blessing of her divine power granted remarkable regenerative abilities and a long lifespan. He and a select few others enjoyed an extended prime, an effect considered near immortality. This was precisely why the current emperor’s influence was so potent. Leonhardt knew how cherished he was by her. How could he not feel exhilarated by the favor of such a powerful being? How could he not offer his unwavering loyalty?