Everyone, including Kazimir, was oblivious to Empress Carolina's plans.
In actuality, Kazimir really didn't know how his Empress Mother will create trouble for Tehila. But he trusted her fully because ever since he was a child, when his mom says that Tehila and Leon will not have a good time, they really would not have one!
Didn't his Father Emperor almost not interact with Tehila except on official occasions?
Didn't Leon have to be sent to the battlefield at a young age and not grow in the castle to be pampered like a prince?
Because of this, he knew that if his mother would do something, she would really do, and just like those years, all he needs to do is to sit back and watch the great big show.
As usual, the Emperor was the first one to perform what the clergyman had instructed.
Ring ring ring!
The sound of the little bells rang all across the whole lobby. As everyone was silent, they could feel that the atmosphere was turning sacred.
As soon as the Emperor was done, by order, the spouses followed.
As dignified and regal as she should be, Empress Carolina ceremoniously followed the instructions and rang the bell three times.
However, not one of them realized that as she rang the artifact, she was already planting a sinister magic into it.
Ring! [One who is stronger than any forces.]
Ring! [Wreck havoc to the wretched!]
Ring! [The name is Tehila! Chaos will be her!]
She finished the rituals without any mishaps. Nobody noticed that a little wisp of dark purple miasma had appeared on the brass handle of the artifact. With concealed triumphant look, she wordlessly proceeded back to her position.
The next wielder was the ever quiet First Queen Lucia. She held the artifact just fine and there was no mishap that happened. Truly, the curse would only activate once Tehila was the one who held the artifact!
Soon it was Queen Tehila's turn. With grace and elegance, she stepped calmly in front of the artifact and was about to hold it in with her hands.
Empress Carolina's amethyst eyes squinted in anticipation. The curse will activate at the first ring, and everyone will see her covered with a malevolent miasma.
After that, Tehila will never ever step into the temple again. What's more, the temple abhors the sinister doctrine to its core!
As soon as the temple witnesses her surrounded with the miasma, the temple will deem her as a witch!
She will definitely be beheaded! Her body will not be even buried! It will be burnt in the quadrangle for all to see!
At the idea of Tehila suffering a horrible death, her heart leaped with excitement.
Finally, she will no longer have any rival in Valentin's heart! After dealing with Lucia, which would be as easy as the snap of her fingers, the title of Emperor's spouse could only be referred to her!
With just one ring! Just one ring!
Ring!!!!
The sound of the little bells reverberated around the hall. However, nothing happened and the place stayed as normal as before.
Ring!
Ring!
*Tak*
Queen Tehila carefully put down the bell and walked away silently. She went back to her position as if nothing happened.
Empress Carolina froze, she tried as much as possible to hide the shock on her face but a sharp sensation suddenly hit her head.
She felt an intensely prickling headache, it was so sharp that she thought that her head would split open. Her face immediately became pale as she couldn't tolerate the level of pain she was in right now.
After a few seconds, her knees became wobbly and in her vision she saw that the massive door was suddenly turning sideways and soon everything was all white.
Pak!
She felt her body violently fall to the ground as she could only faintly hear the unclear and muffled sound of everyone exclaiming in shock around her.
"Empress!"
"Mother!"
"Your Majesty Empress!"
Everyone was in panic seeing Empress Carolina suddenly collapse in the middle of the cleansing rites.
"Please do not panic and move away, especially those who were not yet done with the rites." The temple servants immediately responded and checked her condition.
"We'll escort Her Majesty Empress to the temple infirmary." The head of the temple servants calmly announced, it was as though they weren't even shaken by the sudden chaos in their own premises.
"I'll have to trouble you to check on her, please." Emperor Valentin replied immediately, he had one of his own escorts accompany them.
"Your Majesty Emperor.. I would like to accompany Mother.. Her Majesty Empress." Kazimir was visibly shaken that he had almost forgotten to conduct himself according to the palace standards.
He had just held the artifact when Empress Carolina collapsed.
The moment he saw his mother collapse, he shook the artifact as if it was a tambourine and hurriedly put it to its place without a care.
The presiding clergyman gave him a stern look as he clearly didn't respect the holy grounds.
If this clergy man knew that Kazimir's very own mother dared to even defile the temple artifact with sinister magic, he would explode like an angry volcano and shout,
Sacreligious!
"Sigh.. Alright go ahead and see to it that the Empress is fine." Emperor Valentin helplessly allowed him to go with them because he also clearly saw Kazimir's blatant disrespect to the grounds.
Although he abhor Empress Carolina, he must not show it blatantly to other people.
He was an emperor after all, he must still put righteousness beyond his own feelings. Thus, even if he really didn't want to care about whatever happens to Carolina, he had to do something because she is Kazimir, his son's mother.
To Kazimir's inapproriate conduct, he only had disappointment.
When Kazimir, Carolina and the men proceeded, the lobby became as solemn as it had been. It didn't take long until Antoine, Leon and the escorts performed the rites, and was given entry to the inner premises.
The clergyman stood at the center of the massive door and touched the circular metal plate with his hand.
"Vrrrrrrrr!" The sound of the massive door opening rang to everyone's ears and a flash of bright light washed everyone's vision white.
"We welcome you to the Inner Courts!" The clergyman announced and beckoned everyone to follow.
As soon as everyone's eyes adjusted, their eyes were welcomed by the lush greeneries and peaceful yard. It was a spacious parterre, designed with turf grass and simple yet wide array of green hedgings.
In the inner courts, there were still many buildings inaccessible to one that had managed to enter the premises. However, everyone was free to roam around the garden area.
They quickly followed the clergyman as they led them into a building and settled them into a modest, yet comfortable lobby.
"Your Majesty, kindly wait here for a little while. I'll inform the High Priest of your arrival. I will leave my fellow servants for anything you need." He then gave a slight bow and left the crew.
As soon as the sound of the door was heard, an awkward silence rang into the lobby.
It was seldom to see almost all the members of the Imperial Family in one room.
With all the grudges, wrong doings and misunderstandings happening around the family, they had long forgotten how to act as a family.
Thus everyone could just sip the tea that the temple served without any word.
Emperor Valentin couldn't help but lament in his heart about how incapable he is as a father.
'Look at your son Leon, even though their situation was too complicated, he still didn't neglect his duties as a father. How about you, you couldn't even strike a conversation with your spouses and sons!' He mocked himself silently.
With one look, Queen Tehila already knew what Emperor Valentin had in her mind, thus she took initiative and looked at First Queen Lucia while gently saying,
"Your Highness, First Queen, it's been a while since I had a chance to share a cup of tea with you. Forgive me for not being able to grace you all this time."
"It's all right, we both like living in our own palaces. If not for this visitation, I would have not even gone out like this and seen other sceneries such as this." First Queen Lucia also gently replied.
From their interaction, they seem to be not close yet not hostile to each other either.
"I think I was the one to blame, I didn't have time to take you three for a change of scenery."
Emperor Valentin seldom admits his wrongs to people other than Queen Tehila. It must be because he was also quite comfortable with his First Queen that was why he felt that it was easier for him to say it now.
"Please feel free to take this time and go around the garden to relax, as I meet the High Priest." He continued.
Meanwhile in the temple's infirmary, Kazimir was sweating profusely as he looked towards his mother Carolina who was still pale and unconscious.
Her mother had always been strong and of good health. Why would she suddenly collapse and be like this?
Did someone poisoned her before they went to the temple? Did the servants not clean her palace thoroughly that she had contracted a disease?
What couldn have happened?!
His forehead frowed as deep as the rivers of doubt as he tried to find out the reasone for his mother's collapse.
Not once will it cross on his mind that what was currently happening to his mother was actually,
A curse rebound!!!
