Sachis had taken Truteliese as his second wife seventeen years ago, right after the end of the mourning period for Miriallia, Arcrayne’s birth mother and the previous queen.
“Miriallia died of an illness. There was nothing suspicious about it. She wasn’t all that healthy to begin with... The cause was a cold she got soon after giving birth—she developed complications while she was in a weakened state.” Sachis lowered his eyes. “My marriage to Truteliese was something neither of us wanted. To me, she was someone I had no choice but to marry as people around me expressed their concerns about having only one son for a potential successor.”
“So you didn’t love her?” asked Arcrayne with a hint of reproach.
Sachis nodded. “The one woman I’ve loved sincerely, then and now, is Miriallia.” His reply made Arcrayne widen his eyes. “But it was the same for Truteliese. At the time, she had a fiancé with whom she was on good terms. And yet, Mircea tore them apart, and she had to marry me. While she seemed to have been pragmatic about it, realizing it was necessary for political reasons, our union was one of obligation.”
The king had previously told Estelle about Truteliese’s fiancé at the underground Shrine. And besides, now that she gave it more thought, it occurred to her that Truteliese and Sachis were ten years apart in age, as she’d married him at the age of eighteen. Even had the king been a charming man, marrying him must’ve required resolve nonetheless.
“Truteliese is a victim of Mircea’s obsession with the throne. While she’d been pragmatic about our marriage, deep inside, she’d resented her father for forcing her to marry into royalty. Then again, I only found out how she truly felt after we’d been married for quite some time. When we’d only just married, it wasn’t the kind of relationship where we could lay everything on the table. The one who changed our union from pure obligation into something more was you, Arc.”
Arcrayne’s mana wavered. The look on his face was composed, but he seemed shaken up on the inside.
“It was your actions at a young age that changed Truteliese’s life in the palace. You went to see her, excited and curious to meet your new mother, didn’t you?”
“I don’t remember,” said Arcrayne after a moment’s pause.
“It’s no surprise. You were only six at the time.”
Sachis seemed convinced, a faint smile on his face, but Estelle thought Arcrayne was lying. He had an exceptional memory, so he must’ve only pretended to forget.
“It seems that your affection saved her in many ways. She may have been only a stepmother to you, but the love she gave you was real.”
“Then why did she make me drink tea with detergent in it?!”
Estelle couldn’t contain a “Huh...?”
“There was an incident like that. It happened after Liedis was born,” explained Sachis.
“It made me averse to the smell of alcohol and elderflowers,” Arcrayne spat out hatefully.
Come to think of it, he did mention once that he has problems with elderflowers. And how he doesn’t like the burning sensation when alcohol passes down his throat... thought Estelle, turning to look at Arcrayne’s profile. So he doesn’t like elderflowers because he drank elderflower tea that was contaminated...? That must’ve been the case. And it must’ve been the reason for his dislike of alcohol too.
Having discovered the truth behind Arcrayne’s preferences, Estelle clenched a fist against her chest.
“She told me it was to protect you. That’s why she used detergent instead of lethal poison,” explained Sachis, lowering his eyes. “With swift first aid and a royal’s capacity for recovery, it wouldn’t leave any aftereffects. And out of the chemicals fit for the purpose that she could get her hands on with relative ease, she chose detergent.”
“Did you know about this?” asked the prince.
Estelle didn’t need to look at his mana to know he was angry.
“Yes. It was dangerous if you kept going to the Leo Palace to see her and Liedis. Many of Truteliese’s aides were loyal to Mircea and were waiting for an opportunity to hurt you.”
“So it couldn’t be helped. Is that what you’re saying...?”
“I won’t ask you to forgive me. I’m aware of the weight of the things I’ve done.” Sachis didn’t avert his eyes from the prince. “What must’ve made things worse was Liedis showing high amounts of mana since the day he was born. But I can’t say giving birth to him was a mistake. I couldn’t disregard Truteliese after she’d given up so much to marry me.” The king’s anguish showed on his face—as a husband, and as a father. “Arc... I wanted to protect not only you, but Truteliese and Liedis too. Driving Mircea into a corner could’ve led to consequences for Truteliese. I looked for ways to bring him down without getting Truteliese and Liedis caught in the process. This is how long it took—and on top of that, you suffered for it.”
“So you’re saying this is the result of you trying to kill not two, but three birds with one stone...?”
Estelle saw Arcrayne’s mana begin to rise. She had a premonition that his anger would make his power go out of control again, so she grabbed his elbow on an impulse. His mana settled down at that point.
“Before I could find a way to save all three of you, my body reached its limit...and this is what everything has led to.” Sachis heaved a deep sigh and closed his eyes. “It was Truteliese who orchestrated the recent events. She told me to give up on saving all three. She chose to sacrifice herself and take Mircea down with her.”
“Why did she go that far...?” uttered Arcrayne.
Estelle had the same question on her mind. Marrying for political reasons is the norm for those born into nobility, she thought to herself. Would being forced into an unwanted marriage make her resent her father that much? Perhaps she’d hated it at first, but she had a good relationship with her stepson, and she and Sachis had given birth to Liedis.
“Is there not another reason Lady Truteliese resented Mircea Marwick?” Estelle asked, having made up her mind. She simply couldn’t understand putting one’s life on the line to bring down one’s biological father for the sake of one’s stepson.
“What other reason would there be?” asked Sachis, not seeming intent to answer Estelle’s question.
She went on. “When I put myself in her shoes, it feels unthinkable. While I am not familiar with Lady Truteliese’s temperament, as I have had little contact with her, I have been told she carried out her public duties with vigor and was serious about her role as queen. It is hard to imagine a person like that wanting to bring her biological father and her family to ruin simply because they forced her into a political marriage.”
“Lady Estelle, Truteliese said your power lets you see the direction of people’s emotions. Did you ‘see’ the emotions of Truteliese?”
Estelle trembled. After a moment of silence, she said hesitantly, “I did. The moment Mircea’s name came up, a terribly negative emotion came over her. Its darkness was abnormal. It felt like hatred mixed with murderous intent.” Estelle recalled the abyssal darkness of Truteliese’s mana.
The king sighed deeply. “She was abused quite badly.”
His words took both Estelle and Arcrayne by surprise.
“Mircea was deeply attached to the throne and bore an abnormal sense of rivalry toward my father, who had become king instead of him. What especially bothered him was that his children Truteliese and Silvio had less mana than me, and that they hadn’t Awoken. He blamed it on his wife’s pedigree and took it out on her and their children, from what I hear. This caused his wife’s early death from emotional distress, while Truteliese had to suffer through many beatings as she grew up.”
An awkward silence hung over the room.
“When Truteliese became pregnant with Liedis, she found out that her aides planned to kill Arc on Mircea’s orders, and she decided to break away from her father. That was when we became accomplices.”
No way... Estelle didn’t know what kind of face she should be making. Glancing at Arcrayne sitting next to her, she saw him look dejected, his mana dark.
“We tried ways both honest and less so, but he was an Awoken too. It’s not easy to assassinate an Awoken, and we were forced to give up quickly. That said, he also made it difficult to get anything on him through honest means.” At that point, Sachis sighed deeply.
“And you want me to believe that...?” said Arcrayne, breaking the silence.
“It’s up to you whether to believe it or not,” replied the king.
The air in the room was heavy. The tense atmosphere made Estelle’s stomach hurt.
“What will happen to my stepmother?” asked Arcrayne after everyone was silent for a while.
“She’s the mastermind behind a rebellion. She can’t avoid capital punishment,” the king said flatly. “Truteliese set up her father and brother knowing it would end like this. I can’t let her resolve go to waste—but I do plan to arrange a secret escape for her.”
When Sachis’s words made Estelle look up, their eyes met. The king had a calm smile on his face.
“She’ll be in the duchy of Marwick by the end of it. Eventually, that domain will belong to Liedis.”
Arcrayne stared at Sachis. “You plan to give Marwick’s duchies to Liedis?”
“Probably not all of them. But he needs the bare minimum of assets to maintain his status as a member of royalty, and I should be able to give him that much.”
“Even so, he will no doubt be reviled as the son of a traitor.”
“He will. I feel terribly sorry for him, given all that happened. I do plan to tell him the truth, but will he be able to bear it...? Arcrayne, you’re not obligated to do this for me, but will you support him as his brother...?”
“I was going to do it even if you didn’t ask,” the prince spat. The stern look on his face conveyed his dreariness. “I have one last question, father. Had Estelle not picked up on my stepmother’s emotions with her power, were you going to bury the truth?”
“Truteliese herself wanted to be punished for being a bad stepmother. But I intended to secretly save her from the start. I was only going to tell Liedis the truth.”
Estelle heard Arcrayne grinding his teeth. “Your Majesty, that is simply too cruel to Lord Arc...” she said.
Perhaps she was forgetting her place. But she couldn’t stay silent on the matter.
“I suppose. But I couldn’t disregard Truteliese’s feelings either.”
“I understand now how you and she felt. But I can’t accept it at all,” said Arcrayne.
“I’m not surprised.” Sachis’s face was full of anguish.