Chapter 384: Let Her In
A bright moon hung above the trees, casting silver light over the castle. Everything looked mysterious and hazy under the moonlight.
In just one day and night, Eldora was already in turmoil; Simon had been attacked, and the Crown Prince was under house arrest.
"Your Majesty, the Empress has been kneeling outside for half an hour. If she keeps kneeling like this, what will happen to her health?" Said Carl, watching Emperor Alaric pace back and forth.
Ever since he returned from the Eastern Castle, the Emperor had been agitated. Carl knew that the Crown Prince’s act of hiding the reaver’s tribesmen inside the castle had completely thrown the Emperor off balance.
"If she likes kneeling, let her kneel! If she hadn’t spoiled the Crown Prince so much, would he be this useless?" Alaric roared.
Carl shrank back a little. It was clear that the Emperor was truly furious this time.
He sighed and tried again. "Your Majesty, even if not for Empress Gretchen’s sake, shouldn’t you consider the royal baby she’s carrying?"
Alaric frowned. Only then did he remember the Empress was pregnant. He gave a cold snort and said. "Let her in." Carl nodded. He knew the Emperor was only angry about the Crown Prince, but deep down, he still cared for Empress Gretchen.
After all, Carl had served Alaric since youth; he knew very well how much the Emperor cherished her.
Most people believed that the Emperor supported the Crown Prince only because of Prince Ravencrest, but the real reason was that the Emperor loved Empress Gretchen the most.
Back when Alaric was still a prince, he and the then-Crown Prince had traveled to the Ravencrest Region together. That’s where they both met the woman known as the greatest beauty of Ravencrest, the future Empress Gretchen.
Both princes fell in love with her at first sight. Later, during a tribal invasion, Empress Gretchen was trapped while visiting family, and it was Alaric who braved danger alone to rescue her.
During that time, they developed deep feelings.
However, Prince Ravencrest favored the Crown Prince and strongly opposed the match. But Empress Gretchen threatened to take her own life, and only then did her father give in and allow her to marry Alaric.
Afterwards, Alaric went on to win many battles and earn the Emperor’s trust, while ministers constantly praised him.
Under such circumstances, the Crown Prince began to see him as a threat. Secretly, he wrote to Prince Elliot and set a trap for Alaric during his mission to suppress the Preston rebellion.
But that letter was intercepted by Alaric. From that moment on, he was determined to take the throne. Upon returning, he launched a coup, forcing the Crown Prince to take his own life. The former Emperor was locked away in the cold castle.
Thinking of the past, Carl felt a wave of sorrow. So much pain, so much regret, but all of it was now history.
Carl carefully helped Empress Gretchen to her feet. "Your Majesty, His Majesty is in a bad mood. Please be careful with your words."
The Empress wiped away her tears. She had been with Alaric since she was fifteen; now it had been over thirty years. She naturally understood her husband.
She nodded gently. "Thank you for your reminder, Lord Carl."
Carl smiled softly and led her to the imperial study, then stepped outside to stand guard.
Inside, Alaric barely glanced at her before looking away.
The Empress gave a bitter smile. "Your Majesty still blames me for protecting the Crown Prince?"
Alaric snorted but didn’t reply.
Seeing this, the Empress grew more sorrowful. "Do you think I only cared about the Crown Prince because of his future as Emperor? Yes, he made mistakes. But if he was truly the one who ordered the attack on Prince Simon, why would he hide the assassin in the Eastern Castle? He was clearly framed. This is all part of the struggle for the throne."
"In the end, you still want him to keep his title as Crown Prince. I know he was used by others, but it’s a fact that he hid the reaver men in the castle, and for fun! He’s too foolish. How can I entrust the Eldorian Empire to such a failure?" The Emperor snapped.
The Empress replied calmly. "I understand the Crown Prince is unworthy. But hasn’t this assassination attempt shown you something, Your Majesty? Even with the Crown Prince still alive, others already want to kill Simon. If he’s removed, the remaining princes will kill each other. And whoever takes the throne, how will they treat Prince Simon?"
"Don’t forget, Your Majesty, back then, to get rid of Prince Elliot, you let the enemy take the West Ham Sixteen Cities. Though the reaver didn’t keep invading, you’ve never had peace in your heart, have you?"
"Enough!"
The Emperor exploded. Her words had struck his deepest guilt.
It was true; he had once ordered the Imperial Guard to stand down, which allowed the reaver to capture West Ham. He did it all because of that secret order from the old Crown Prince.
"Your Majesty, I know you don’t like to recall these things. But please think it over. Right now they want to kill Simon. If they take the throne, what do you think they’ll do next? They might collude with the reavers again to kill him. And when that happens, the Eldorian Empire won’t have another Prince Simon to stop the Reavers."
"Hmph! You say the other princes would kill Simon, but would the Crown Prince not do the same? Didn’t you see how he treated Prince Simon in the Eastern Castle?"
"I’ll have the Crown Prince make a blood oath and give it to all the other princes. If he breaks his word after becoming Emperor, anyone may kill him!" The Empress declared. "But please also have Prince Simon and the other princes make the same oath."
"Blood oath?"
The Emperor’s face changed slightly. That oath had been created by the founding emperor and seven powerful lords, a pledge to avoid civil war.
The oath stated that any prince who killed a brother would be punished by the others. It had been a symbol of honor in the Eldorian Empire ever since.
The oath was last used during the founding emperor’s dying moments, when the battle for succession was fierce. He made all his sons swear it publicly, and that saved the throne.
But Alaric knew this oath was just a piece of paper. Whether it was followed or not depended entirely on the princes themselves.
"Empress, you’re taking that blood oath too seriously." Alaric shook his head. "You think like a woman."
Empress Gretchen didn’t back down. "Of course I know the oath alone can’t control them. But I promise the Crown Prince will keep his word. And Your Majesty can name Prince Simon as the enforcer. If the Crown Prince breaks it, Prince Simon can legally raise troops to punish him."