[Chapter 237] Camille’s Past

"You've come."

Camille's confinement was sudden. And the lifting of that confinement was also sudden.

The messenger who had visited the Princess's palace delivered the message that she was now free to go out, along with the Emperor's summons. And the first words the Emperor uttered in the audience chamber, where he was alone with his daughter, were those.

Camille smiled, baring her teeth. Her eyes, which seemed to mock, were devoid of the submissive attitude she had shown all this time. The Emperor realized this instantly and roared.

"How dare you look at the Emperor like that! Do you dare to resent me?"

Since the reason for her confinement was her attempt to assassinate the Crown Prince, if Camille hadn't been the direct Princess and the owner of the gem, she would have been summarily executed and had no right to complain. The Emperor, who thought his daughter was too brazen, was furious.

Camille could see right through her father's heart. The only gem owner of that generation, a direct descendant, a decent appearance… The Emperor had never experienced hardship in his life. As a result, he had the naive arrogance of someone who had been raised on a pedestal, and he couldn't imagine that he might miss something.

Abelus was the spitting image of his father. Until very recently, Camille had enjoyed the foolishness of the two men. They hadn't restricted her activities.

'When the court was in chaos, I cleaned it up and planted my people everywhere, and they didn't notice.'

Yes, the Crown Prince was Abelus. And the Emperor and Empress worried that Camille would encroach on her brother's authority. Yet, she controlled the affairs of state and manipulated them from behind the scenes.

She had been gradually covering the Emperor's eyes for a long time.

Although there were limitations, the Emperor was nothing more than a figurehead in some departments that Camille had completely taken over, such as the Imperial Investigation Team. How many important prisoners had been created for her ideal court and pardoned without her knowledge?

She received no praise for her efforts, but Camille felt a sense of accomplishment in raising the glory of the Imperial Family. She was quite satisfied with her reality. She thought that if Abelus ascended to the throne, she would forever hold the real power behind him, and eventually die peacefully as the person who brought about the eternal prosperity of the Bisto family.

But now she couldn't be satisfied with that.

Now that she realized that what she had built could be easily and ridiculously destroyed by her foolish brother and greedy scum.

The Emperor's face turned red with anger as his daughter continued to look up at him with disrespectful eyes, despite his rather imposing roar.

Camille finally opened her mouth after looking up at her father long enough.

"Did you ask if I resent you?"

Of course, she did.

Camille also heard from her subordinates that Nellusion and Megara were working together. She still needed to investigate why she had heard this news so late, but proving her innocence was only a matter of time.

And Camille thought her father had probably heard the news too. He was just yelling at her because he didn't want to admit his mistake.

It was obvious. He had always been like that.

'So my moons are hidden crescent moons.'

Those who would one day illuminate her life, which was so dark like night.

The Emperor waited for Camille to continue. He glared at her, realizing that she had already answered with just that question.

"It seems you haven't reflected on your actions."

"Reflected?"

She laughed. Camille actually laughed out loud.

"What should I reflect on, Father? You should know by now. I never tried to touch Abel. I was also looking forward to the day he became Emperor, why would I do such a pointless thing?"

"How dare you look at the Emperor straight in the eye… Cough, cough!"

The Emperor coughed violently.

Even though he was middle-aged, the Emperor was also a descendant of Bisto and was stronger than others thanks to the power of the gem. How could there be illness for a blessed being who was destined to be strong all his life?

Even while coughing uncontrollably, the Emperor had a strange expression on his face.

Thump, thump.

Camille walked towards the throne placed on the highest platform in the audience chamber. Her steps as she climbed the stairs were firm, as if she were venting her anger on the floor, and each step held deep meaning.

Finally reaching the peak, Camille looked down at her father and asked with a blank expression.

"Are you in pain?"

"You, you…!"

He felt suffocated. Something was wrong. The Emperor looked up at his daughter, his face contorted with anger and fear. Camille, with an expressionless face, murmured.

"I analyzed the cause of the failure during the previous Grand Duchess's time and reinforced it… The offering was cheap, but it seems the 'eyes' caused the problem. I experimented a little on Father during the research process, is that alright? Your recent discomfort is because of that."

Only those who possess the gem can be the subject of the sealing magic. It was impossible that such a special magic was officially performed without ever being secretly experimented on. After the Grand Duchess's seal was broken, I had to do some reinforcement experiments to find the flaws in the magic formula.

As a parent, isn't it something you can do for your child? You even took away the position of Crown Prince that should have rightfully been hers.

The Emperor didn't understand Camille's words. What did she do to the Grand Duchess? But Camille hadn't intended for the Emperor to understand in the first place.

She thought that she might have lived a very long childhood. She had harbored the desire to be the child who stood out more than her siblings and was loved most by her parents for far too long.

'It's so easy to cut it off like this.'

Camille blinked slowly once. Then she leaned down and whispered in the Emperor's ear.

"Don't… Don't be so scared. Surely I wouldn't kill my own blood? Especially not the parents who gave birth to me. It's just…"

A short silence.

"You're just going to sleep. Maybe I'll wake you up again when everything is settled."

To become the foundation for a new game.

The Emperor coughed roughly. Then he shouted.

"Guards! Guards!"

His hoarse voice echoed through the audience chamber. But no one came running. Not the attendants who should have been standing by, nor the Emperor's shadows.

Camille sighed.

"Father, you still believe that everything will go according to your wishes. Didn't you think I would have already taken care of the obstacles? Well, that's why you were jealous of me. You were afraid of me. It seems I'm the only one in this family with a brain."

Jealousy? Who's jealous! I knew you were a terrible bastard who didn't even recognize your parents, cough! From the moment 'that incident' happened, cough!

The Emperor, whose face was bright red, continued to cough, but he still used the loudest voice he could. Still hoping someone would hear him.

For the first time, anger faintly flickered in Camille's expressionless face. She whispered menacingly.

"How many times do I have to tell you? It was a mistake. For something so trivial…"

"How can that be a mistake! Is there another child who tried to strangle their younger sibling who wasn't even a year old?"

It was a secret known only to a select few in the Imperial Family.

Camille, born the eldest and the owner of the gem, was naturally raised to be the next Emperor. The Emperor and Empress were proud of their intelligent daughter, and everyone held her up as the center of the world.

Until Abelus was born.

To be honest, Abelus's birth itself couldn't affect Camille's position. She was the eldest, and there was already a considerable age difference between her and her brother. But where power gathers, there are always those who have other thoughts.

Some nobles had foolish thoughts about the birth of another child with azure eyes. And those who didn't like those foolish thoughts whispered slander in the young princess's ear.

As the Emperor said, Abelus wasn't even a year old. Camille had tried to kill him to prevent future trouble.

Fortunately for Abelus, an attendant witnessed the scene in time. The child survived, and his parents asked their eldest child about the situation.

"Father, you said that we must be willing to sacrifice our blood for the prosperity of the Imperial Family, didn't you?"

Young Camille answered without a hint of guilt.

The Emperor and Empress observed the child for a while to see if she was sincere. And they decided that if their eldest daughter kept the position of Crown Prince, she might even kill her parents someday.

Abelus, who was clearly foolish compared to Camille, ascended to the position of Crown Prince after that incident. Nobles who didn't know this past, and Abelus, who also didn't know this past, believed that he had some other ability that made him the Crown Prince.

"I'm tired of talking about that time now. There's no way there hasn't been a royal family member who eliminated a threat to the Imperial Family's long history. This family is so dangerous, yet you're just talking nonsense."

A smile appeared on Camille's face, which had been like a wax doll.

"I'll stop my futile efforts to please you both. Rest now."

The Emperor's vision blurred. An illusion appeared before his eyes. The memory of the most terrible sadness and fear he had ever experienced in his life…

Seeing this, Camille whispered coldly.

"Father, it was Abel's idea to call me today, wasn't it?"

It was. But what did it matter? The Emperor grabbed his own neck, trying to regain his senses. But it didn't seem to be working.

"That mistress probably urged Abel to use Father to call me out. I deliberately released the 'offering' in front of it a few days ago. It must have been trying to provoke me and feel the variables on my side. One."

Suddenly, the sound of many people's hurried footsteps came from outside, which had been quiet. Camille didn't stop talking.

"He wouldn't have known that either. He wouldn't have known that he would get the excuse to suppress me right away, the excuse he's been looking for. Moreover, how happy he must be, since Abel, who he believes he has a firm grip on, will be taking care of state affairs from today."

Camille's expression twisted slightly, as if she didn't like that point. At that moment, the door to the audience chamber was violently opened behind her.

Knights poured into the room. The Emperor let out a groan, unable to distinguish whether it was from shock or pain. The knights turned pale at the horrifying sight of the Emperor strangling himself while the Princess calmly looked down at him.

Abelus walked out from among them.

"Sister, what are you doing! Are you trying to harm Father after me?"

Abelus must have already heard that there was no one near the audience chamber and guessed the situation. That's why he brought so many witnesses with him.

Did he think of it himself, or was it the mistress's idea?

Camille looked back at her brother and smiled strangely. Her eyes were filled with bitter hatred, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up in a smile.

Yes, she had definitely wanted to do this for a long time.

She wanted to torment her father. By any means necessary.

Her father, who had instantly pushed her aside and started to cherish that fool, just because she had tried to protect her position.

"She's a traitor who tried to assassinate His Majesty! Arrest her immediately, and call someone to check on His Majesty's condition! Doctors, priests, everyone!"

"Yes!"

Camille was dragged away, as if she had been waiting for this. Since he said to call "everyone," doctors and priests, the situation would probably spread throughout the Imperial City before evening.

Thump, thump. Abelus lightly climbed onto the platform. The Emperor was almost unconscious.

Abelus couldn't understand why his father was in this state. But his clever Megara had definitely warned him that something like this might happen.

He didn't expect that warning to become reality… but he clearly realized that this might be an opportunity for him.

"Don't worry, Father. I will definitely find a way to bring you back."

Whispering this to the Emperor, who had begun to moan softly, Abelus turned to the knights. He declared with shining eyes,

"Since His Majesty is unwell, I, the Crown Prince, will take care of the affairs of state for a while. There is no time to waste, so I declare the first thing that must be done! There are ominous movements in the north, so we will send soldiers, in the name of the Three Heroes, the saviors of the continent!"