Chapter 413: King Velys can’t wait now
About the answer to this question regarding Amalia, Astrid had a vague idea in her heart.
If Hibbort were a foolish ruler who cared only for his own pleasure and disregarded the safety of the empire and royal family, he should now be resting properly, using his remaining lifespan to earnestly enjoy life instead of being long-bound to the throne of power, exhausting himself daily over the future emperor’s succession.
After death, all is emptiness; an emperor with less sense of responsibility could simply die and leave the subsequent mess to his two mediocre sons locked in fraternal conflict. But he was Hibbort Valeria, one of the most diligent emperors in the history of the Valeria Empire.
Even in the original novel, the moment he died, he remained seated upright upon his golden, magnificent throne, not on a warm, comfortable sickbed in his chambers.
"Perhaps, he considers far more things than appear on the surface." Astrid hugged Amalia, letting cool strands of hair brush across her nose.
At this moment, she suddenly understood why Hibbort had poured so much affection into a princess outside the bloodline, and why he had discussed topics about family with her.
This imperial emperor, who had walked alone ever since the death of his beloved, was not made of stone. He also had personal emotions to satisfy, those familial bonds Hibbort was destined never to receive from his own children. Lucas and Alistair weren’t merely enemies to each other; for them, the arbiter seated upon the throne was also a crucial element within the vortex of power conflicts.
He was both father and emperor, an embodiment of contradictions.
Hearing her sister say this, Amalia didn’t speak again, silently gazing at the wall behind the other, her mind flashing to that image buried deep in memory, leaving only a cold, distant back.
"..."
For the empire’s survival, or perhaps to allow the Valeria bloodline to continue, even if he disliked her as a daughter, he would still try to leave a space open, creating one more possibility for the future.
Thinking this way... it actually fits quite well with her impression of Hibbort...
An indifferent, solitary despot. A father who was fundamentally unpredictable.
In Amalia’s eyes, half the inherent flaws of the Valeria direct bloodline could be attributed to him. If Hibbort hadn’t managed solely about the empire he ruled and neglected the education of his children, how could he have ended up with two sons who were incapable of accomplishing anything yet skilled only at causing disasters?
"However... no matter how much I think about it, what I’m saying now is still merely speculation..."
Astrid pressed her face against Amalia’s neck, her voice gentle.
"Besides, judging from Father’s current attitude, he doesn’t seem to intend on making any reckoning."
His beloved daughter defying protocol by entangling herself with the illegitimate daughter he disliked most, had Hibbort merely followed his own instincts, he would likely have thrown the latter into prison long ago; even Astrid herself might not have fared well.
"More important than exposing Amalia’s imperial princess identity to Father is keeping it secret from Lucas."
Once both princes discovered another heir had entered the game, all of Astrid’s previous arrangements would need to start over.
Now, she could freely use the eldest prince’s name to continuously suppress Alistair’s faction, brazenly seizing political leverage, while the latter must focus his attacks solely on his elder brother to solve the problem once and for all.
Frankly speaking, Lucas was merely a shield Astrid had pushed forward, drawing Alistair’s hatred while leaving him no time to notice threats from behind, thus buying development time for Amalia.
"So what does Sister plan to do next?"
"One step at a time."
With Hibbort’s situation still unclear, Astrid wasn’t planning to intensify the conflict between the two princes too early. If their clash became exceedingly fierce, she herself might get caught in the crossfire.
"I won’t rush to visit him at noon. Let’s give the opportunity to Lucas and Alistair."
"Later, after Elise consults Mr. Trin’s opinion and confirmed the situation is appropriate, we can consider a visit."
Having the advantage of an omniscient perspective, knowing Hibbort was most likely fishing, Astrid’s movements would only become more cautious than before.
Stay calm, perhaps their every move right now was under Hibbort’s observation.
Upon hearing this, Amalia narrowed her eyes, tightening her legs wrapped around Astrid’s waist.
"If Sister needs me to do anything, tell me anytime."
If Hibbort truly knows she had already left the ancient castle and was allowing it as a test of heirs, then whether her identity should be revealed depends entirely on Astrid’s judgment.
Preparing for the worst-case scenario, if Hibbort didn’t actually intend to let her compete for the throne, but was merely using her as a test to gauge the two princes’ perceptiveness, then that would be absolute hell difficulty.
After pondering for a moment, Amalia felt her feet being caught. Looking down, she saw Astrid gently placing her hand over the smooth, silk-stockinged feet at her waist, then using her palm to support the delicate sole, untying the cream-colored bow from beneath the black skirt.
"Mm."
To ease the other’s mood, Astrid kissed Amalia’s forehead, then spoke.
"There’s no need to be so pessimistic."
"Father won’t casually hand over the empire. Otherwise, he would’ve done so long ago."
Her long-term intuition from living with her adoptive father, combined with the novel’s plot, told Astrid that Hibbort was not the threat, Lucas and Alistair were.
Hearing her sister say this, Amalia gave a light nod, stepping her feet into the slippers beside the chair, standing obediently.
"Then I’ll go read a book."
"Go ahead."
Watching Amalia leave, those two soft twin tails hanging behind like scattered fine silk, Astrid withdrew her gaze and picked up the pen on the table again.
It was time to write a reply to Lyra.
At least while writing to someone else, she could slightly sort through her chaotic thoughts.
............
Astrid saw Hibbort again the next afternoon. Compared to the condition circulating outside yesterday, the Emperor’s health clearly seemed better.
When she entered the study, Astrid saw Hibbort drinking tea, his bright golden hair shimmering under the light, showing not the slightest sign of abnormality.
After performing the noble’s courtesy bow, Astrid inquired about his physical condition. Hibbort merely said he had felt dizzy yesterday, casually glossing over it.
"Father, you must take better care of yourself while working tirelessly for state affairs."
"Regarding dietary habits, I specifically consulted physicians and royal chefs and compiled a recipe list. Father may try it appropriately."
Having spoken, Astrid handed over the prepared materials. Seeing the neat, delicate handwriting in thick ink lining the parchment, the man gave a slight nod.
"Thoughtful of you."
While listening to Hibbort speak, Astrid used her peripheral vision to observe his face. Noticing his expression remained mostly blank, she kept her own unchanged, continuing to chat a few more sentences with her adoptive father. Once she saw slight fatigue emerge in his eyes, she promptly made an excuse to end the conversation.
"Then I won’t disturb Father’s rest any longer."
"Rest well yourself."
"Yes, Father."
With both hands holding her skirt, she gracefully bowed, turned, and left the study. The instant the door closed, she heard a faint, hurried cough.
Her gaze instinctively switched backward. The door and its frame cast a thin, narrow shadow, not a single ray of light falling onto the carpet outside the corridor.
The girl pretended she heard nothing. Her door-closing motion didn’t pause at all. Her fingers adjusted the silk handkerchief in front of her skirt, then she strode down the hall toward outside the chambers.
On one hand, making the decision not to attend the weekly meetings; on the other, emphasizing he was merely suffering from a slight cold, nothing serious.
These two contradictory actions seemed to tell everyone: the Emperor’s health was no longer sound, but to prevent information leakage, he hadn’t even revealed the issue while chatting with family.
Hibbort’s hidden illness wasn’t a secret. Without sufficient information, most people learning of recent events would likely contain the Emperor’s condition had worsened and his control over state affairs had diminished.
And that was probably exactly what Hibbort wanted.
The Emperor loosening his grip on power, imperial nobles under the aristocratic system, dissatisfied opposing factions, and some opportunists will smell the chance and surely make moves.
If Hibbort continued his state from yesterday, the undercurrents stirring in the capital City would soon surface.
Walking through the luxurious corridor of the chambers, Astrid unintentionally saw again that painting perpetually shrouded in shadow.
Returning to the familiar place, Astrid gazed at the continuous rain depicted in the artwork, then shifted her eyes to examine the surroundings, noting some details she and Amalia had previously overlooked.
Hibbort placed this dimly colored painting in the darkest spot of the palace. No matter where sunlight entered, it could never fall upon the frame, nor penetrate the gloomy, thick rainclouds within the oil painting.
Staring at the painting for half a moment, Astrid slightly narrowed her watery eyes, thinking about issues she’d never considered before.
From yesterday until now, she’d only been thinking about the domestic political situation within the Valeria Empire, or rather, matters strongly related to Amalia.
If Hibbort were truly gravely ill, those growing restless might not be limited to the empire’s internal nobility.
There was also... the neighboring Kingdom of Velys, which had long been watching hungrily...
At this thought, Astrid’s red pupils slightly broadened. Her delicate arms wrapped around her full figure, using her left wrist to press against the base of her right elbow.
The timing of Hibbort revealing his fatigue came earlier than in the original novel. War was highly likely to break out ahead of schedule.
Could this also be part of the Emperor’s plan?
A beautiful girl clad in silver armor, with pink hair and blue eyes, flashed across her mind. Astrid left the chambers and headed toward Elizabeth Academy of Magic.
Time passed quietly. In the second week since Hibbort’s absence from meetings, the Council Hall convened another weekly legislative discussion session. This time, Emperor Hibbort Valeria of the empire once again failed to appear.
Two consecutive weeks of the decision-maker’s absence seemed to confirm many nobles’ speculations. Countless people speculated the Emperor was unwell and might attempt to delegate power to his two sons, meaning the succession struggle was about to reach its peak.
In fact, during this nearly blank week, Hibbort hadn’t gone anywhere except his chambers. Even his meals were taken in the private dining room within the chambers, sustained by the daily energy supply from a nutritional menu said to be personally researched by the third imperial princess.
Absent from weekly meetings, secluded daily, the only people allowed access to the Emperor’s chambers besides personal guards were the two princes, one imperial princess, and four imperial ministers.
Removed from public view, the situation within the Emperor’s chambers grew increasingly obscure. Rumors began spreading among the upper nobility of the capital. Some previously wavering neutral faction fence-sitters began attempting to attach themselves to one of the princes, but most nobles remained in.
Neither befriending nor antagonizing, ultimately no matter who became emperor, without old Emperor Hibbort’s prestige and capabilities, the new ruler’s initial reign would inevitably grant numerous privileges to aristocrats, making it unlikely they’d be targeted for retribution. This was also exactly why Hibbort couldn’t hand the empire over to Lucas or Alistair.
Insufficient ability, lacking prestige, the newly enthroned emperor would not only have to directly withstand Kingdom of Velys’s invasion but would inevitably see his power eroded by the nobility.
In the original novel, Amalia initially faced exactly this severe situation of internal and external crises. But in that timeline, she lacks anyone beside her capable of assisting and worthy of full trust.
Ultimately, she could only rely on stirring public sentiment, continuously strengthening her connection with the empire, thereby gaining greater popular support and space to control the military.
In a certain sense, the [Blonde White-Dressed Tyrant Empress] was the result of aristocratic power suppression and the revenge-desiring masses.
As tension in the capital City continued rising, far beyond the empire’s borders, in the Kingdom of Velys, the royal capital, regarded by the Holy Light Church as a holy city.
Within the magnificent kingdom’s palace, a hand wearing white gloves received the parchment from a silver tray.
Night fell. The enormous stained-glass chandeliers illuminate the entire building as bright as day. This was Fontaine Palace, the residence exclusively for the King of Velys.
The mighty man sat upon the throne, slowly scanning the words on the parchment’s surface.
"Besides missing weekly meetings, Hibbort Valeria hasn’t appeared publicly for several weeks... suspicions of poor health..."
"Duke Charles has reinforced border security, increased patrols by nearly half compared to last week."
"The whereabouts of Arcanist mage Charlotte Ashkater remain unknown."
"Beyond the initial step of magical energy release, we currently haven’t obtained further knowledge regarding magical machinery."
"..."
After carefully reading this newly delivered intelligence report, he lightly waved his hand. The parchment dissolved into points of light, merging into the pale blue crown atop his head.
It seemed the timing they’d been waiting for had finally arrived.
Walking to the outer side of Fontaine Palace, gazing at the towering Grand Cathedral on the distant horizon, the man’s eyes turned sharp and vicious.
Endure a little longer. Let the Holy Light Church gather all its core believers, and simultaneously confirm the reliability of this information.