glancing at a vial of poison It's like pruning a tree, necessary... for the rest to thrive.
Is there anything else we need to do darling
smirking Darling, I think it's time we pay a little visit to our dear stepdaughter.
Alright but I'm warning you...if anything happens to her...
rolls her eyes Darling, you worry too much. Nothing will happen to her... unless she gets a taste of this. tightly grips the vial of poison
You don't have to prove anything to me Empress...I already know that your smarter then me...but...still...don't forget....that...looks at her tenderly...your still my wife...and if your gonna go through with this...then....sighs...at least tell me...why
lets out an exasperated sigh Fine, I'll explain it to you, Metarr. This is about the future of our children.
They would still have a chance without killing off their half sister. She has always been loyal to us. Loyal more so than our other daughters. Plus her mother died giving birth to her.
clenches her fists Loyalty means nothing if the throne is at stake! Our children deserve to inherit the empire, not some illegitimate half-sibling.
I understand that. But there are other ways to deal with it. We wouldn't want anyone to suspect that we were involved now would we?
snapping Suspecting or not, it doesn't matter! We need to secure our legacy, Metarr. And if that means eliminating a few obstacles along the way, then so be it. We're doing this for our children, for the future. No one will ever know.
nods sadly Are you sure about this? I just hate to see our daughter go. We had such plans for her.
frustrated Plans? Darling, plans are for the living, not the dead! We can't let sentimentality cloud our judgment. This is politics, Metarr.
sighs Alright I won't stop you. As long as you promise me something.
raises an eyebrow What kind of promise, Metarr? This is no time for games or empty reassurances.
Promise me that if you will kill her that you will adopt her younger brother. Give him everything he could ever dream of. Treat him better than our other sons. Help him grow into the strong person that our daughter was going to be. Just...promise me that she wasn't murdered in vain.
<Despite Metarr's plea, Empress Valeria proceeds with the plan to assassinate their stepdaughter. After the deed is done, she adopts her younger brother and fulfills her promise by giving him every privilege and opportunity to grow into a successful and powerful individual. However, the guilt from their actions weighs heavily on both Empress Valeria and Metarr, causing them to become increasingly paranoid and isolated as they continue to rule the empire.>
notices her behavior...are you alright?
lashes out angrily Of course I'm not alright, Metarr! Do you think ruling this empire is a walk in the park?
It's not what happened with our daughter. It's everything together. It's been hard on you hasn't it.
slams her fist on the table Hard? You think it's hard? It's a constant nightmare, Metarr!
throws a glass against the wall Sorry?! Sorry doesn't fix anything, Metarr! What fixes things is power, control, and ensuring our legacy!
With love and care as well.
snarling Love and care? Those are luxuries we can't afford right now, Metarr. We need to stay focused, make decisions based on logic, not emotions.
But still...this isn't ancient Rome. We don't have an endless amount of subjects. Also why are we bothering with these small kingdoms. I could have the Legions wipe them all out in weeks.
rolls her eyes Oh please, Metarr. You always overestimate the strength of our legions. Besides, we don't need to conquer those small kingdoms.
If we don't absorb them how can we be sure our enemies aren't planning to form an alliance with them? Or even worse use them to attack us while we focus on succession crises at home. Besides our Legions would easily win a war.
paces back and forth, fuming Metarr, I've told you a thousand times, we can't risk diverting our attention away from securing our legacy.
To late. The official reason for her death is already out. It says she either died of disease or was killed by rebels. But...unofficially it's throughout the empire already. People are already whispering that we killed her due to succession crisis and paranoia.
slams her hand on the table again Dammit, Metarr! How did this information leak? Who is betraying us? We need to find out and deal with it immediately!
That was my point. We already have an enemy within our walls. So continuing to cause friction would only help our enemies further.
grits her teeth We can't let our enemies prosper, Metarr! We need to crack down on any possible traitors and tighten our grip on power!
There is someone who is possibly secretly working with them. But i cannot go after them openly without proof. The investigation has been started and I am letting Intelligence services look into this.
leans in closer, whispers We can't wait for proof, Metarr. We need to take action now. I'll handle the investigation myself.
Are you sure? That's your job and normally I would say you should deal with it yourself but there might be more to it then you realize. Some have even wondered if she was killed because you were afraid she would surpass you.
<Empress Valeria becomes increasingly paranoid and starts purging suspected traitors from the imperial court, leading to a vicious cycle of violence and retribution.>
I am with you Valeria. But if we are going to purge those close to us we need to act faster before someone tries to act before us.
stands up abruptly You're damn right, Metarr. We need to strike before they strike. No more hesitations, no more half-measures.
I agree. voice behind him
turns around, glaring at the newcomer Who the hell are you and how did you get past my guards? Newcomer: bows respectfully My apologies, Empress. I am Lord Arin, the head of the Imperial Intelligence Service.
Lord Arin. Why were you standing in my chambers instead of looking over intelligence
steps forward, eyeing Lord Arin suspiciously Lord Arin, don't you dare think that you can keep secrets from me. Speak quickly, what have you found? Is there a traitor within our ranks? Lord Arin: nervously clears his throat Empress, we have reason to believe that there is indeed a traitor among us. Our sources suggest...
Before you speak continue Lord Arin tell me...was our daughter an accident or deliberate?
narrows her eyes Deliberate. I knew it. That bastard couldn't resist the thought of power. But enough about the past, Lord Arin. Tell us everything you know about the traitor. Who is it? Where can we find them? Lord Arin: stammers E-Empress, we are still gathering information.
We've wasted enough time. Even I have heard rumors of who it is and what they want. Our illegitimate daughter had been adopted by a noble family and rumors have been spread that she has lived. The bastards want to start a war over our child. But there is something that you need to know.
interrupts, leaning in closer Enough with your stammering, Lord Arin! We don't have time for your incompetence. Spit it out, who is the traitor? Give me a name! Lord Arin: swallows nervously, taking a deep breath Empress, the traitor... is none other than Count Adrian, your former advisor.
surprised Count Adrian? Have he ever showed his loyalty to be waning? He has certainly been acting strange lately.
laughs bitterly Waning loyalty? That conniving bastard has never been loyal to anyone but himself! pulls out a dagger from her belt Where can we find him, Lord Arin? Tell me, and make it quick! Lord Arin: takes a deep breath, composing himself Empress, Count Adrian is currently in residence at his estate in the capital.