BTEE 13

Chapter : 13

Returning to the Empress’s palace, Casielope leaned back onto the sofa and stared at the vial she had taken from Regis.

“W-Why on earth are you carrying that, Your Majesty?!”

Tesha, who had gone out claiming she was bringing a simple snack, widened her eyes in shock.

At that moment, she almost dropped the basket she was holding but managed to place it carefully on the table, then quickly snatched the vial from Casielope’s hands.

It was well known to Tesha that, like Regis, Casielope always carried bottles containing poison. Yet, Tesha had never seen her take one out in front of anyone, not even for a nanny who had raised her like a mother, so her shock was only magnified.

Fragments of that morning—the day of the coronation—flashed in her mind: Casielope had thrown herself over the railing without hesitation.

Noticing Tesha’s hands trembling as she held the vial, Casielope quickly clarified,

“It’s not mine, nanny.”

“…How many people besides Your Majesty carry something like this with them?”

“Even if it’s really not mine, look here. Mine is right here.”

Casielope revealed another vial from within her own robes. Tesha alternated her gaze between the vial in her own hand and the one in Casielope’s.

At first glance, the designs looked identical, but upon closer inspection, the patterns were subtly different.

Even after confirming it wasn’t hers, Tesha’s furrowed brow remained tightly knitted. She only relaxed a little after taking the vial from Casielope’s hand and putting it into her pocket.

“Confiscated for now.”

Just as Tesha would never forget Casielope’s appearance that day, the feeling was mutual. Casielope had noticed the anxious look on Tesha’s face, as if she might burst into tears at any moment.

Though she hadn’t shown it, Casielope had surely been worried too. After all, Casielope had never thrown herself away so completely before—she had always endured through sheer willpower.

It seemed to have left a deep impression on Tesha.

“…If it eases your mind, nanny, then so be it.”

Casielope instinctively withdrew her hand and spoke. She wasn’t saying it for Tesha’s sake; she truly had no intention of dying. Though she had become empress in a miserable and humiliating way, she still had things she could do for the Clemens Empire.

Regis must have understood this. If there was even a way to serve the empire, he would not give up on Clemens first. That was likely why he had left her to handle the trade with Ehmet during today’s meeting.

It was a cunning move. Taking away the bag of gold coins she had accumulated over her life, and then tossing a few silver coins as if it were too early to give up—what was the difference?

Even more absurd was that she, not Regis, felt pleased about being able to pick up the coins from the ground, disregarding her dignity. Truly, a lamentable thing.

“If that’s what you say, I won’t refuse.”

Seeing the faint smile on Tesha’s face, Casielope smiled slightly herself. It seemed as if her nanny was genuinely relieved.

She hadn’t realized how worried Tesha had been, and she felt a twinge of guilt.

Tesha brought over the basket and spoke: it was almost time for the imperial physician to arrive for her check-up.

As if waiting for Casielope to hear this, there was a knock on the door, and soon the imperial physician entered.

After a brief greeting, he sat beside Casielope and examined her wrist by lifting her sleeve to check her pulse.

After confirming everything seemed normal, he asked,

“Do you still feel pain in your heart or hear ringing in your ears?”

“…No. It seems to have improved recently.”

Casielope thought for a moment before shaking her head. She hadn’t noticed because her mind had been elsewhere, but now she realized she hadn’t experienced heart pain or ringing in her ears for quite some time.

She got up and opened the cupboard to take out her medicine vial. The vial, which usually emptied in less than a week, was now full of white pills.

Tesha, watching from beside her, widened her eyes in surprise at the sight of so many pills.

Though the pain had been so severe she barely remembered it, she had instinctively sought out the medicine. That there was so much left meant the pain had truly subsided.

“…When did you prescribe this medicine for me?”

“It was… two days before the coronation.”

That meant at least ten days had passed. She was astonished; it had been a long time since she had felt normal. However, she couldn’t dwell on it because Tesha’s joy beside her was too evident.

“Come to think of it, you’ve been sleeping well at night lately…!”

“And you haven’t skipped any meals either,” added Casella, who had come in with the imperial physician. Tesha and Casella exchanged glances and then looked at the physician with eyes sparkling, silently demanding that he acknowledge the improvement.

Clearing his throat, he added,

“Your pulse is normal. It seems the medicine’s effects are finally taking hold.”

At the physician’s confident assessment, the two women’s faces brightened. Casielope, however, remained serious.

‘Can pain really disappear so suddenly?’

She did not doubt the doctor’s words, but the sudden contrast felt strange.

She had been taking the same medicine for four years. The pain had barely improved, and yet now it seemed effective—a sudden change was suspicious.

Noticing her doubt, the physician nodded understandingly and explained,

“It is rare for the effects to appear so late, but it’s not impossible. Even with the same symptoms, the time it takes for medicine to work can differ from person to person.”

“…I see.”

“If I may add my opinion… the reduced workload likely played a significant role. You have been working tirelessly without rest…”

The confident tone faded, and his voice trailed off. Casielope didn’t mind—she agreed with that point.

“Shall I prescribe a little more medicine, Your Majesty, just in case?”

“No, that’s fine.”

Casielope refused firmly and shook her head.

Breaking the brief silence, she spoke again, startling everyone.

“Am I in a condition to conceive?”

As a member of the imperial family, she had the duty to produce the next heir. It was a question any ordinary empress might ask.

But coming from Casielope, both the physician and Tesha and Casella were left speechless.

“Y-You wish to conceive…?”

Casella’s question fell into pieces in the air, so flustered was she.

Did Casielope want a child? Not with desperate longing.

Yet that didn’t mean she had never imagined a future with a child of her own. Dreaming of a happy life with a child born from someone she loved seemed only natural.

She understood why they were shocked. Just a few days ago, she had publicly declared that conception might be impossible and that she would select concubines. She had acted as if she would not bear Regis’s child, and now she brought up conceiving—it was no wonder they were confused.

“Wouldn’t it be better for my child to inherit, rather than the line of the family that deposed me, madam?”

“…But—”

“It will be Clemens’s child. You chose the surname Clemens. Nothing changes with a child between you and me.”

Casielope looked at the imperial physician and asked again if conception was possible. He assured her that the sperm had not missed the womb, so there was no issue. Casielope smiled faintly.

Perhaps she had feared it would be burdensome. Though she had never spoken it aloud, it had been Regis who had wanted a child all along.

“I knew from the start that you served Regis.”

“…Y-Your Majesty, that is…”

“It’s fine. I’m not blaming you. Just go and tell the emperor what I told you.”

“….”

“‘Empress Casielope Clemens is unable to conceive.’”

While the physician’s eyes trembled, Casielope’s face remained icy and composed.