Empress Carolina looked at the raven flying towards the darkness with an anxious heart.
When she was sure that the raven was no longer around, she quickly stepped inside the bedroom, with her expression turning dark from an initial fawning face.
There was a trace of uneasiness and panic showing in her bewitching face, hugging herself as if she was cold.
"What should I do?" She mumbled while bringing her thumb subconsciously on her teeth, a gesture very unladylike yet she always does whenever she is under pressure.
Her amethyst eyes looked puzzled as she reckoned the situation she was in and the untimely receiving of the order from the raven.
She was just in the process of mending her awkward relationship with Kazimir, who was still skeptical and cautious towards her and Duke Vesala.
Ever since the big fight with Kazimir during the careless leaking of investigations in the capital, her son's trust towards them evidently decreased.
Their interactions were also lessened as Kazimir immediately busied himself with his family and his princely duties.
He also did not do anything to expand influence as he knew that forcing to do so would backfire because of the awkward position of the Vesala Family being sanctioned.
Her brother Maxim was also not in a good position either. The nobles acted cautiously around him, afraid that the Emperor might take his anger towards them from associating with the Vesalas who were sanctioned.
With a percentage of their property and territory seized, their influence was also crippled albeit not severely. However, she thought that the influence that was forcefully taken from them was what they needed the most, now that she received the orders from the lord.
Moreover, they could not decline the lord's order, for he would surely turn away from the Vesala Clan and leave them to decline for good.
Through the years that she and her brother Maxim worked to make the Vesalas rise again, the lord has been the one backing them up in the shadows.
While her father's letter said that the origins of the Vesala Family was from the main branch, the real successor of the Vesala Clan was the one who led the Spectre to become the organization they were today.
Thus, Empress Carolina and Duke Maxim knew that the lord was the real head of the True Vesala clan and they were only the ones who superficially enabled the Vesala's name to exist in the world.
Understanding this, they know that the Spectre would not treat their side of the Vesala clan as an indispensable item, for they would have a way to restore the True Vesala clan from their own lineage.
With no other choice and with pride in their upbringing, the Empress and the Duke knew that following the lord was the only way for their side of the Vesalas to survive.
However… There was another way to survive too, that was to take control of the Seirende Empire, which was the very reason their Vesala Family became much more complicated and dysfunctional as today.
Getting Kazimir's full trust towards them was the easiest way. With him under their control, the Empire would be in their hands in no time.
Her thoughts about the past of the clan, the present and the future ahead made Empress Carolina subconsciously bite her nails until it bled.
It was only when her tongue tasted the blood on her finger that she managed to wake from her thoughts. The metallic taste reminded her that there is no use to thinking anymore. The lord would surely want the results to manifest as soon as possible.
"Callan.." Still hugging her arms like she was shivering from the cold, her voice called out from the darkness.
A black figure appeared on her balcony and respectfully knelt, not daring to raise his head to see the Empress who was clearly not in a good mood.
"Reporting to Her Majesty, the Empress." Callan, the dark knight greeted respectfully.
"Go to the Vesala Estate and inform the Duke that he must meet me immediately. For the lord has given some orders." Empress Carolina expressionlessly ordered.
Her heart did not show any signs of calming down. Most probably, only when her big brother comes in the morning will she have some sense of security.
The next day.
Duke Maxim came to her place with an expression as dark as a coal. He was containing his emotions from another infuriating morning council session.
He was already shaken by the news he received from the lord first thing in the morning, but he still had to face those opportunistic and hypocritical noblemen who came to gang up on their family while they were down!
If not for the fact that his sister was still in the midst of coaxing his nephew back to help them out, he would have long destroyed the roundtable with his magic!
Those hateful people!
Entering his sister's study, he saw his sister standing with an insecure and uneasy expression. It has been a few decades since he saw his sister in this state.
It was when she was out of her wits seeing that her father was no longer around and the decline of the Vesala was most certain for attacking the princess of the Rubino Kingdom.
Duke Maxim understood that she was panicking because of the awkward situation they have now and the untimely order of the lord.
"Tell me what happened." Duke Maxim sat on the couch, calmly looking at Empress Carolina.
Empress Carolina bit her lips and narrated the contents of the letter.
"The lord ordered us to cause some chaos in the capital using any means that would push Valentin out of his wits. He said that we have to leave him with no choice but to surrender and agree to the lord's demand - to search for and surrender the Subject of the Oracle." She explained.
"That would be easy, why are you wearing such a worried expression?" Duke Maxim secretly heaved a sigh of relief knowing that the lord did not order them things like instigating a war immediately.
Starting a war in this time would only be suicidal for their side of the Vesala Family.
"But… he wants the subject of the oracle. We did not even have the clue where the subject of the oracle was! Why must he be the first to take advantage of the subject!" Empress Carolina was extremely unwilling.
With the smear on Kazimir's influence there were only two people who could somehow turn the tables around for her son.
The Great Inventor Eli and the Subject of the Oracle.
Too bad, the inventor was already tied to the Faraulds, who openly supported the trashy third prince with General Eugine as his teacher.
She was putting her hopes for their secret forces to find a clue about who the Subject of the Oracle would be, sweeping from territory to territory just to look for a person with spiritual powers.
But now, the lord of the Spectre wants the subject too!
What would be left for her, the Vesala Family and her son?
Duke Maxim saw his sister's expression and sighed helplessly.
"Look here, Carolina... Between getting the Subject of the Oracle on our side or gaining the favor of the Lord, who do you think could most likely hand this Empire into our hands?" He raised his brows and lectured the Empress, his sister, as if they were just ordinary siblings.
"..." Empress Carolina heard her big brother's stern tone and immediately reflected on her thoughts, "I- i was muddle headed for a moment…" She replied apologetically.
"Mmm, now quickly go back to your usual self and focus on bringing Kazimir back on our side. While we are in an awkward position, our family could still deploy some people to create such chaos in the land. Do not worry about the orders and let me handle it." Maxim was satisfied with his sister's quick wittedness and replied with an assuring tone.
"But to cause chaos in the Empire in such a way that would push Valentin on the corner, it is not something easy to achieve…" Empress Carolina replied worriedly.
"That would surely be not easy if we use the normal means.." Duke Vesala leaned confidently on the couch, touching his chin with a cunning look. "Don't you remember that the only thing that left Valentin helpless was when you used the power of the curse?"
He looked at Empress Carolina with a smile that would certainly cause other people's misfortune, "We managed to do it more than thirty years ago. Looking at how he was still unable to pursue that matter until this day, as well as how he was unable to announce any means to deal with the curses, it is evident that even after three decades, the Empire was still powerless against the curse magic!"
Duke Maxim grinned with his eyes clearly taunting the Emperor he would hatefully bow to every day, "Even after posing as a proper Emperor, a single curse spell could still devastate him without a fight!"
