I couldn't believe that maid gave birth to a prince before me. She even gained special rights as the first prince's mother. If this continued, she would take my position in no time and of course I wouldn't let that happen. An empress from the Ashford family would never lose to a mere maid.
Once I gave birth to a prince, my family and our supporters started to oppose Francis, the first prince openly. Some families even poisoned that prince with some kind of poison, but he managed to survive.
Not only aiming for Francis, those nobles also aim for his mother and nanny. His nanny died by poison after being accused of stealing. His mother, the maid, managed to survive because of the right she had.
The Ashford family was unhappy with it. With Olivia's idea, we managed to assassinate that maid. In the end, that prince had no one to rely on, he would die in no time.
But there was a problem. That boy, I wonder how much life he had. He survived those poison and death threats he faced. To make it worse, he used to hide and ditch his class, making me anxious. How if he silently grew his power outside the palace and became the crown prince?
No, I couldn't let that happen. I'm a proud daughter of the Ashford family and the empress of this empire. Only my son who would be the crown prince and ascend the throne.
Olivia once again offered a brilliant idea. She entered the palace as Francis' study partner and became my spy. I could at least rest in peace knowing that I could focus more on my son.
Olivia was a good and clever girl. She was only nine years old when she started to work for my family, but she managed to be one of my brother's advisors. When she entered the palace, she could adapt really well. She was also a perfect spy for me, reporting about Francis regularly, to me or my brother.
….
That day, I was about to call for Olivia to hear about Francis, but suddenly my brother, Duke Ashford came. "I want to hear her report too." He only told me that with a serious face and tone, then he hid behind a bookshelves in my room.
I still couldn't understand his words, but I just let him be. A few minutes after I called for Olivia, she finally came. "Your highness." She bowed and greeted me. I asked her to take a seat, then we had a small chat together.
After having a small chat, we started to talk about Francis more seriously. "There's nothing that you have to worry about, your highness." She answered me, making me feel at ease. "Nothing big happened about him, he was just the same as usual."
"Is that so? It's a good thing then." I sipped my tea. "Is there anything else?" I asked her. Lately, the maids said that Olivia asked them not to come to Francis' room at some particular times. Maybe that's also the reason why my brother was here.
Olivia was stunned a bit, but then she answered me. "This is quite weird so I haven't reported it to you. His highness, lately he gets sick easily." She put back her tea cup then continued speaking. "I don't know the reason, but that's what happened."
"That's really weird for him to get sick that often." I just gave my comment, without asking more questions.
After chatting with Olivia for a few moments, we finished talking and she left me. "You heard her report. What do you think?"
My brother came out from his hiding and sat in front of me. "She's quite suspicious, especially for not reporting that Prince Francis got sick easily." He gave his comment.
"I agree with you. I feel like she's hiding something behind us." I added as I took another sip of my tea. "Is that why you came here all of the sudden?"
"I'm just curious about how she reports that prince to you. But the way she reported it, makes me think that she may have something under her shelves."
I just smiled. "She's a smart girl, that's why you like having her as your advisor. But, if she ended up turning her back to us, of course we should eliminate her. Am I right?"
My brother let out a small laugh. "You're right. But I hope she never turns her back to us. She's just like a treasure for me." Then, he was silent. "The problem is, there's still no words about that kid." His face and tone turned serious.
"The kid that Baron Collin paid to assassinate that woman?" I frowned a bit, trying to remember the old days.
"Yes. We had killed that man before he opened his mouth, but that kid seemed to be alive until now. I wonder if Olivia still remembered that kid's face." I could see that my brother worried a lot. "It would be better if that kid died somewhere. The investigation has stopped, but if he is shown as that woman's killer, we may be in a crisis."
I sighed a bit. "I'm sorry. If I gave birth to Roosevelt before Francis, that would never happen." I looked down to my feet. Everything started because that maid gave birth to a prince before me. Only if she didn't exist, there wouldn't be a problem.
"No, your highness. Rosaline, listen. You're the empress and Roosevelt's mother. For you to be strong as Roosevelt's mother and support him, is enough for us. Remember that the Ashford family will always support you" My brother tried to comfort me. "Remember that you're an Ashford!"
Suddenly the door was knocked. "Mother, it's me." That was Roosevelt.
"Yes, come in here." I answered after taking a deep breath.
Roosevelt, my son, bowed slightly to me and my brother and then took a seat. "Everything goes well. Uncle, the items has sent to the mansion and Rowan is the one who is taking care of it. So there's nothing you have to worry about." He reported about the trade with Rowan.
That time, Roosevelt learned how to manage steel stone, so he had access to the steel stone's store house. My brother then asked Roosevelt to take the steel stone, so he could trade it with Duke Echetier for a huge amount of drugs.
That was a win-win solution. As long as no one noticed, my brother gained drugs from Duke Echetier. That way, he could produce such a strong poison. For Roosevelt, he gained the emperor's trust.
"I see. You're doing great, your highness. I am proud of you." My brother complimented him. "How about your study?"
Roosevelt smiled brightly. "I'm doing great in class too. You can ask Marquis Whitley if you don't believe me." He answered with such confidence. What a good child he is.
"Alright. Keep it up, your highness."
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