The day of the First Empress's funeral was etched in the current Empress's memory for life. And it wasn't even because her sworn rival had lost and left this world. But... because of her daughter.
The Bauer family, from which Valencia Gross le Bauer came, could very well be considered the official supplier of empresses. The previous Emperor had chosen her as a match for the Crown Prince, and the Empress had taught her etiquette and the workings of the imperial court from early childhood.
All her life, Valencia lived with the thought that one day she would inherit the glorious Ronan surname.
However, as sometimes happens, life can play a cruel joke.
By chance, the Emperor went hunting in the Castinian forest and met a girl who lived there alone. He fell in love with her at first sight and took her with him to the Imperial Palace. This woman was so beautiful that she was even called "stunning."
Her name was Lizia.
Soon, the commoner who appeared from nowhere became the most talked-about woman in high society. This unprecedented event turned the empire upside down. The people only talked about how the Emperor had fallen in love with some beautiful lady and even intended to make her his Empress.
Of course, this could not escape the ears of the former royal bride.
By the time Valencia Gross le Bauer took her first steps, she had been disciplined as the future wife of the Emperor.
Now, when she was about to become Empress, her place was taken by a rootless girl who came from who knows where.
It sounded absurd.
Yet, that's how her fate turned out.
The Emperor, who had always been indifferent to her, smiled at the mysterious woman, happily held her hand, and they received crowns as Emperor and Empress.
Valencia, who had been raised to be the future Empress, received the title of the Emperor's concubine and bowed to the commoner entering the Empress's palace, which she had thought would one day become her home.
Could there be any greater humiliation?
Valencia Gross le Bauer thought she would never be able to come to terms with this.
Although she was destined to become the first lady of the imperial palace, the woman began her life as one of the Emperor's concubines. However, unlike the commoner brought by the Emperor, she had the power and might of her noble family. Her life couldn't be called all that bad. Most officials and high-ranking nobles were on her side.
The new Empress, on the contrary, was in a strange position, being the object of close attention and envy, as well as criticism and contempt. Lizia's low status was completely at odds with the pride of the nobles. No one wanted to bow to an Empress who had been a commoner just yesterday.
All these people were just waiting for a convenient opportunity to overthrow the "rootless" Empress.
And soon, such a chance presented itself.
The following winter, the Emperor had a daughter who, by birthright, received the title of Crown Princess. The Emperor, who had eagerly awaited the arrival of his firstborn, was happy. But at the moment he saw the newborn child, his eyes trembled.
In the Ruwens Empire, all members of the royal family had light hair, like molten gold. There was no one who hadn't inherited it. But the girl who was born had dark brown hair and facial features bearing little resemblance to the Emperor. This gave rise to various rumors.
Of course, the first to start spreading unflattering remarks about the Empress and her child was the senior concubine.
Among the palace inhabitants, a rumor quickly spread about how "the dirty commoner twisted His Majesty around her little finger," while actually being pregnant by someone else. And although there was no reliable evidence for this, people very quickly picked up this gossip and began to spread it.
In order to resolve all misunderstandings, the best imperial physician was invited to the palace — who conducted a paternity test. And contrary to the expectations of the concubine and ministers, who thirsted to execute the mother and child for deceiving the imperial family, the physician gave something completely unexpected.
"His Majesty's genes and the Crown Princess's match. They are indeed related."
Thus, the vile rumors haunting the princess and her mother were finally dispelled. Only, the lull didn't last long.
Very soon, a new topic for heated discussion appeared in high society.
Ill-wishers began actively spreading a version that the Empress was, in fact, a witch.
Otherwise, how could a pitiful commoner have so quickly enchanted the Emperor? Besides, the woman had dark hair. And this color, as is known, belongs to witches.
As the voices of gossips grew louder, the Emperor, for his part, could not ignore them and eventually began to distance himself from his wife and daughter.
Although the Emperor had initially favored his spouse, it was difficult for him to feel warm feelings for a child who looked nothing like him. Moreover, from birth, there was something frightening about his daughter. The Emperor felt it in his gut every time he approached her. Especially the look in her golden eyes, a rare color in the empire, as if they belonged to some otherworldly being rather than a human.
Thus, influenced by his advisors and the imperial court, the Emperor sent the Empress away from the central palace. She was relocated to the Western Palace, located on the edge of the Imperial City.
Lizia's life was truly unfortunate.
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Since she was a commoner and had no allies in the palace, she became an easy target for bullying by people. Especially when her only support, the Emperor, abandoned her.
For a long time, the Empress lived a sad and miserable life, ruthlessly tormented to the point where even laundry maids ignored and mocked her.
"Kaena, my poor daughter... You must survive. Be silent, be silent and live. You must survive. Do you understand me?"
She hugged her daughter. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
Although the Empress was persecuted, her daughter's life was no better.
Despite being the Crown Princess, the children of nobles and even servants mocked her, calling her "the princess from the slums," "beggar wretch," and "witch's daughter." They despised the princess for her mother's low birth and sought in every way to elevate themselves above her. They would push the girl into the lake when she was walking or throw fist-sized stones, one of which split her head open to the blood.
Despite this, Kaena never fought back against them.
But not at all because she couldn't fight back. Kaena didn't want to cause trouble for her mother and thereby worsen their situation. After all, unlike the princess's tormentors, who were supported by their noble families, here they were completely alone. And if it came to that, Kaena and her mother would be the first to suffer.
Kaena's only goal was to grow up and take her mother away from this cursed place.
But this wish was not destined to come true.
The First Empress died when Kaena had just turned thirteen. According to the imperial physician's conclusion, the cause was a long-standing illness that had progressed over time and taken her life.
Everyone assumed it was due to a long life in the cold Western Palace. No one could have lasted long in such a place. So the woman met an expected fate.
And only one person knew the truth.
In fact, for the last few years, Lizia de Ronan had been taking a small dose of poison every day. Servants, bribed by the Emperor's senior concubine, administered it to her along with her medicine. The dose was so insignificant that even the imperial physician couldn't detect it.
And yet, with each passing day, the poison in the Empress's body increased. In her last year, the woman couldn't get out of bed at all, and no one could understand what was wrong with her. And one day, she simply didn't open her eyes.
However, few truly grieved over this. Most simply felt relief or gloated that the witch who had deceived the Emperor and undeservedly received her title would finally stop burdening the imperial court with her presence.
At the same time, the question arose of deposing Kaena from the post of Crown Princess.
A couple of years earlier, another daughter had been born into the imperial family.
Valencia Gross le Bauer, the Emperor's first concubine, gave birth to Princess Jerica. Unlike the Crown Princess, the girl inherited the Emperor's appearance and had beautiful golden hair. Moreover, she was very friendly and sweet. With her charm, the princess easily won over the imperial court and her father.
Against the backdrop of her older sister, it was Jerica Lant de Ronan who looked like the real contender for the throne.
However, despite the efforts of state officials who wished to see the Second Princess as heir, they failed to achieve Kaena's removal. The traditional line of succession hadn't been canceled. And even the Emperor couldn't go against this law.
The Emperor saw in his eldest daughter only an obstacle to the younger one taking the throne. And so, almost immediately after his wife's death, he wanted to get rid of her too. The Emperor decided to send the Crown Princess to the Eastern border. There she was to meet her demise and relieve the Emperor of this burden.
Shortly before the Crown Princess was sent East, a private farewell ceremony for the Empress was held. She was to be interred in the imperial mausoleum, where previous members of the ruling family were buried. Although some officials were against this idea, considering her unworthy.
Mourning for the Empress was to last seven days in the palace and forty days throughout the empire.
Kneeling before the portrait of her deceased mother, Kaena de Ronan said nothing for a long time.
Her eyes were red. But in the end, tears never came.
Suddenly, footsteps were heard near the entrance door.
In this place, where everyone had abandoned the Crown Princess, the only person besides her who came to express condolences was this woman.
Valencia Gross le Bauer, formerly the Emperor's first concubine, and now actively preparing to receive the title of Empress. The wedding was to take place that very month. After all, the ceremony would be held even before the mourning for the deceased Empress ended.
There were no words to describe how happy she was.
After all, the rootless girl who had stolen her title got what she deserved. And soon, her daughter, the same worthless creature, would perish along with her. Isn't this the best outcome?
But now Valencia was trying her best not to show that she was in seventh heaven. On her face was a mask of deep despair. Dressed in a black mourning dress, the woman approached and wiped her eyes with a handkerchief.
"Poor child," the concubine condoled, "I'm so sorry. May she rest in peace, your mother was a good woman."
"And it won't be long before you follow her..." — these were the words she didn't finish, keeping to herself.
The concubine lit a candle and paid her respects to the portrait of the deceased.
In a couple of weeks, Valencia would officially accept the title of Empress. Her daughter would also become Crown Princess. And the existence of this girl and her mother would remain a forgotten stain of shame in the empire's history. Just a mistake of the Emperor's youth, who fell for a pretty face, and subsequently paid for it.
If the girl didn't die on the border, which was unlikely, Valencia intended to finish her off with her own hands. No one would care about the fate of this insignificant child.
So there was nothing wrong with temporarily pretending to be nice to her. Let her consider it a kindness before death.
Valencia said a few words of comfort to her and decided that was enough. She had already savored the death of the one she was even ashamed to call a rival. Valencia, daughter of a noble family, and some street girl... It was even ridiculous to compare them.
During the entire time the concubine was there, Kaena didn't utter a sound. Maybe she hadn't even heard her? Had she lost touch with reality from grief for her mother?
The woman thought so.
But suddenly, Kaena rose from her knees.
Their eyes met.
The concubine felt a strange sensation.
"Your Highness, thank you for your words. Thanks to them, I now feel better."
The Crown Princess grinned crookedly, looking at her stepmother.
"Oh... I..."
She was surprised and at first didn't know how to react.
The girl didn't look upset at all. Moreover, this was the first time the princess had spoken to anyone herself and looked the interlocutor straight in the eyes.
Valencia knew the environment in which the princess had grown up and how she was treated. She thought the child had grown up with a weak heart, quiet and submissive. However...
"Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend the ceremony," she continued, "But I hope you will rule long and happily until the end of your days."
Unexpectedly for herself, this wish sent a shiver through the woman. It was spoken in ordinary words, but at the same time, seemed to harbor a hidden threat. "Oh, by the way..."
The concubine shuddered.
"I wish you a good time at the ceremony, Your Highness. I, too, will have fun with all my heart."
The thirteen-year-old princess smiled calmly at her again.
"Have fun"? The concubine didn't understand the meaning of this phrase. What fun could there be on the Eastern border, where lawlessness reigns and what is also called hell on earth?
"..."
Kaena cast a fleeting glance at her. Eyes of a golden color, which seemed as if made of cold metal. Emotions prevailed over reason. The concubine involuntarily trembled. When the girl, without hesitation, turned and walked away, Valencia watched her go in shock.
It was then that the thought first crept into her mind that perhaps she had been deeply mistaken all this time.
The child who had been abandoned and bullied in the Imperial Palace was not worthless and weak.
Just a couple of years later, Kaena Hessen de Ronan would become a name that could no longer be ignored.
People said she was possessed by a cruel demon because she was merciless and possessed inhuman strength. The list of brutal acts she committed was endless.
As if the heavens themselves had become enraged and sent this devil to drown the Ruwens Empire in blood.