FSW Chapter 37

Nishina turned at the palace entrance with a satisfied heart and bowed her head. The maids would guide them from here, so their role was complete.

"I'll send an attendant before the evening banquet, so please rest comfortably until then."

Aiden's greeting and movements were so clean there wasn't even a scrap to hold onto. After seeing the disgruntled-looking King all the way to the end, Nishina could finally breathe only when that retreating figure disappeared from view.

'Done! I've repelled her for now!'

Nishina clenched her fists tight. She felt like a hero who'd defeated a villain. Just as she was about to celebrate her victory, she happened to meet a pair of ice-blue eyes and her shoulders hunched reflexively.

"You, what on earth..."

His thoroughly furrowed brow blatantly announced his considerable displeasure. It seemed cold words would pour out at any moment. But that blade-like voice crumpled inside his mouth. Aiden pressed his temples as if his head ached, then warned ominously.

"Refrain from unnecessary words in front of the King."

"But it was all true—"

The glare he shot her was sharper than usual. In the end, Nishina meekly acquiesced.

"Yes..."

As soon as the half-forced answer fell, Aiden turned sharply and left without lingering. Nishina's head drooped weakly as she trailed after him like a puppy.

But what weighed down her head wasn't dejection—it was contemplation. Her face, hidden in shadow, was quite serious. Unfortunately for him walking ahead, Nishina was still scheming.

The space filled with luxurious furniture and decorations was wide and elegant enough to rival her own bedroom. Rebecca, who'd been running her fingers over the delicate carvings on the window frame, dismissed the maid who'd been drying her damp hair. She'd just relieved her travel fatigue with warm water and an aromatherapy oil massage.

Settling onto the sofa, she immediately picked up a wine glass. Her throat was more parched than her stomach. She'd emptied about half the glass when the precarious silence broke with a knock.

"Come in."

What appeared through the door was Pherad, Rebecca's aide.

"What is it?"

"A letter from Wind. I received it from a messenger just before we crossed the border."

"Tsk. It must have been quite urgent?"

If they'd sent a letter all the way here, their intentions were clear. Rebecca clicked her tongue and accepted the orb Pherad held out. Message orbs were single-use magical artifacts—since they left no trace after the message was confirmed and pressure applied, they were commonly used for secret correspondence.

Make sure to plant the proper seeds. So you can harvest well-ripened fruit later.

"Barbaric."

The blunt phrasing cracked her smooth brow. Rebecca shuddered at the vividness, as if hearing it spoken aloud, then quickly regained her composure.

As his letter suggested, she hadn't come all this way with purely innocent intentions. Her true purpose was to meet the Snow Empire's Prince—specifically, her nephew. More precisely, to plant seeds that would incite him.

Wind wouldn't sit quietly after essentially spitting out a declaration of war at Snow. They'd feigned calm by bringing the succession war to the surface, but behind the scenes they'd conspired with Rain. How shocked she'd been when Hvahn first sent his letter. But her deliberation had been brief. Keeping her principles wasn't worth resisting half of Snow's territory that they'd offered.

After confirming the message, Rebecca crushed the orb in her grip. With just that much pressure, the orb shattered and scattered. As she blankly watched the fragments disappear without leaving even a trace, Pherad's question flew toward her.

"How was he?"

"More than I expected."

Rebecca smiled with satisfaction, recalling the boy without a trace of mirth.

The golden key that will hand me everything. The dutiful hunting dog that will personally hunt and present the great tiger. He was more than that.

'So excellent it's almost troublesome.'

Just as she'd anticipated, Dargan's favor was blatantly tilted toward the Princess.

The face he'd worn while watching the child throw a tantrum about wanting to accompany them—so pleased. By contrast, what kind of gaze had been directed at Aiden? A look worth less than one given to a subject. And that was exactly what she and Hvahn hoped for.

For Aiden to be defeated in the struggle for the throne. To incite him and bring a storm of blood from within. To easily seize the land reduced to chaos.

There was the method of directly participating in war, but that would only give Snow's allied nations an excuse to provide support. Even neutral nations—not allies—would all help Snow to prevent Wind Empire's unchecked advance.

She didn't wish for the entire continent to be engulfed in the flames of war. But Snow self-destructing alone was a different story. Seizing the ruined land afterward would be concluded before neighboring nations could intervene. And all of that was the hunting dog's responsibility. She herself only needed to make him recognize her as being on his side.

The excessively kind attitude had all been for that purpose. She had to be kind until the hunting dog finished the hunt. However, hunting dogs that had outlived their usefulness were meant to be devoured. It was right to kill them before they bit your throat first. But...

"Truly, such a waste."

The problem was that she liked Aiden more than expected. Too much of a waste to use and discard as a chess piece.

"Surely you're not considering the Prince as an heir?"

"Who knows."

Rain still had no legitimate heir. She'd marked a reasonably clever collateral child as heir, but the King's eyes spoke fervently. That child is a talent of a different dimension. With his flawless demeanor and just a few words, Rebecca had realized. This is what the makings of an excellent monarch look like.

"That wouldn't be bad either."

"But would he follow a country that betrayed his homeland?"

"Hatred can reduce a person to something worse than a demon."

If she made him feel betrayal greater than losing the throne. Enough to make him hate everything about the imperial family and the empire. Enough to want to destroy his homeland.

Rebecca sneered as she swirled the half-remaining wine. She knew better than anyone how far hatred could drag someone into the abyss. Pherad, who'd poured fresh wine into the half-empty glass, added matter-of-factly.

"By the way, I was surprised they seemed closer than the rumors suggested. Especially the Princess—she seemed to cherish the Prince..."

"Ah, yes. Quite an impudent little thing."

Rebecca's eyes twisted as she recalled the young face that had clung to her brother's side, chattering away.

The relationship between the two, different from the rumors—more precisely, the Princess's attitude—was an unexpected obstacle. It would have been enough if she'd just checked her brother. But the Princess had blatantly guarded against her instead. She didn't know what schemes filled that small head, but it seemed as if she disliked Rebecca growing close to the Prince.

Whether she was checking someone who might become a supporting force for the Prince, or whether she'd perceived her dark intentions and was protecting him—she couldn't tell. But both her excessive wariness and her familiar behavior toward the Prince were deeply displeasing.

"Perhaps she knows something..."

"No, what could that child know? Not even this empire's Emperor suspects."

Even as she said it, Rebecca couldn't hide her unease. There was no way that little brat had perceived her schemes. But neither did it seem like she was checking the Prince's growing power. For that, too much goodwill overflowed in the eyes that watched the Prince.

'Well, they say a child's eyes are quite accurate. Perhaps she just felt something unsettling.'

"More than that, the Prince himself is also a problem."

Even excluding the Princess, things wouldn't flow as smoothly as anticipated. Despite being told to speak comfortably, the Prince had drawn a clear line by consistently using formal speech and addressing her as "Your Majesty."

"Should I devise a new approach?"

"No."

It would be nice to earn his favor now, but it didn't matter if that proved difficult.

"When you fall into the abyss, you grasp at anything—even if it's a blood-stained hand."

For that, he'd have to fall all the way to the bottom, crawling on the ground. She had to thoroughly break him, shatter him finer than an orb.

'Otherwise, would my hand extended then feel like a lifeline?'

She had no intention of hiding the chilling, ugly thought. Rebecca, leaning languidly against the sofa, set down her glass. A few drops of wine that flowed down the glass wet her fingertips. The sweet and bitter liquid dripped down her white hand onto the carpet. Drip, drip.

Like someone's blood—it was a dark crimson color.

Returning to the palace, Nishina first sat at her vanity. Then she ordered the maids to bring all her cosmetics. Since she rarely wore makeup to begin with, there weren't many varieties. Half of them she'd never even tried.

The reason for this uncharacteristic behavior was singular.

'That woman.'

The King, who'd blatantly spewed honeyed words at Aiden, had been unfazed even by Nishina's interference. Perhaps she'd found it laughable. Moreover, tomorrow she wouldn't be able to obstruct the King's machinations. That's why she'd even thrown out that desperate move about him being the empire's light.

It had meant Aiden will inherit the throne, so don't think about pulling tricks. But far from dealing a blow, she'd only provoked Aiden's anger. Aiden had warned her not to do anything foolish again, but the situation was too urgent to stay silent.

She didn't think Aiden would fall for that woman in just one day. But there was a possibility she'd gain more trust than Nishina herself.

'Because my credibility is rock bottom.'

Nishina grew gloomy at the thought she'd created herself. Either way, she couldn't just sit idle. She couldn't accompany them tomorrow, so tonight's banquet was her only chance. There, she had to thoroughly cut off those sinister hands. And for that, this gentle face was an obstacle.

"I need makeup that looks strong."

At her quite serious murmur, Joy, who'd been hovering nearby, asked dubiously.

"You, Your Highness?"

"Yes!"

She'd tried to dissuade her, but the attitude was firm. Ellis, who usually helped with grooming, reluctantly picked up the cosmetics.

She, Joy, and all the maids in the room knew this attempt would fail spectacularly. So if they couldn't stop her, they could at least minimize the shock. Seized by a sense of mission, Ellis utilized her skills to the fullest and safely finished the makeup.

"Phew. Well, it's done for now, but..."

Ellis's eyelids trembled as she looked at the result. Her voice gradually diminished, and she even furtively averted her gaze.

"How is it?"

Nishina turned to Joy expectantly.

"Your Highness..."

Upon confirmation, Joy couldn't help but sigh. The maids behind her were the same. Their behavior suggested they'd witnessed something catastrophic.

'How strange could it be?'

Nishina looked in the mirror.

The makeup certainly wasn't bad. No, it was excellent. It just didn't suit Nishina at all. She looked like a little child who'd borrowed her mother's cosmetics and scribbled on her face. Especially the pitch-black eye area looked like bruises. And what about those bright red lips? They didn't harmonize, making the lips seem to float alone.

'Though it definitely makes a strong impression.'

Looking like this, she wouldn't be ignored. She might even shock them into forgetting to make advances on Aiden.

While Nishina was absorbed in such foolish thoughts, Hilton appeared after knocking. He'd come to announce it was nearly time for the evening banquet. But the prepared words never made it out.

"Gasp! What on earth is that appearance!"

Hilton, horrified, staggered backward.

'Makeup that makes one of the empire's few Sword Masters step back.'

Nishina decided without hesitation to remove the makeup. She quickly changed tactics too. If she couldn't look fierce, she'd use that very fact instead.

Operation "Can't Spit on a Smiling Face." Though her impression might be gentle, Nishina's eyes were blazing fiercely.