Angelica read the contents of the envelope word for word without taking her eyes off it once.
The message was clear. As Edward had stated, it was an official summon from the Imperial Palace to appear before the Emperor in two days time. The seal of the Golden Lion at the bottom of the page proved the legitimacy of the summon.
Usually, when the Imperial Palace summoned a person they would be required to present themselves in front of the Imperial Court at a given date. But there were also occasions in which, they would be brought to the Emperor immediately by the Imperial Knights, which mostly applied to criminals or people under suspicion of criminal activities.
Either way, unless the person summoned were on their death bed if they failed to appear in front of the Imperial Court there would be serious repercussions.
Now why did the Emperor want to see her out of the blue? Angelica wondered but then was immediately reminded of the criminal charges laid against her.
While half of them were nothing more than petty givings, it made sense that the Emperor of Orion would want to meet the 'source' of the mana outbreak which could have almost wiped out a major city from his country.
In the modern era, she would be the kind of dubious character with countless conspiracy theories, documentaries, and podcasts detailing the series of unfortunate events that followed her path. It was the exact opposite of the quiet and under-the-rug getaway plan she had hatched.
Even so, the timing of the summon was abrupt.
"This is about the mana outbreak I take it"
"In a way. Yes"
Angelica frowned. It seemed like there was more to the summon than he led on. So she asked,
"What does that mean?"
"Parthellam was attacked by members of a criminal organization called the Serpents"
'Serpents? That's a way better name than Snaky Boys' Angelica thought to herself as she listened to Edward.
"The attack on the Merchant guild was a planned attempt to steal the relic. What transpired afterward as far as the world is concerned was an unfortunate accident. We just happened to be there when they attacked"
As outlandish as it sounded, Angelica didn't want her name to be plastered everywhere. She gently put down the envelope and looked at Edward.
"Cover up. Cool"
The Frost Knights were present at Parthellam on the day of the mana outbreak to capture her, whereas the true objective behind the Serpents was still unclear. But both now and then, she knew it was a deliberate attack.
After stealing the Orion relic from the Merchant Headquarters, the Serpents tried to kill her and when that failed, lured her into the city square where an entire army of them was waiting. The most jarring part of it being, the head Serpent who turned out to be a Priest they had run into on the way.
"What happened to the Snaky... I mean the Serpents? What happened to them?"
"We captured them. The ones that lived that is. They are being... interrogated"
The way Edward paused before telling her that the Serpents were being questioned made goosebumps prickle Angelica's skin. Knowing how cruelly he tortured people to death in the aftermath of his awakening in the novel, she had a rough idea of what was going on behind the scenes. The lucky ones were the Serpents that did not survive his wrath.
Still, learning that the Serpents were in Edward's hands sounded promising instead of raising alarm bells, for it was the first proper lead she had gotten in weeks.
"Did you bring them here? Is Priest Hansom here? Did he say anything? How could a Priest make fireballs come out of his fingers?" Angelica asked eagerly, her eyes twinkling as she leaned forward.
When Angelica fought Priest Hansom in the city square, he acted as if he was possessed, constantly mumbling words to himself before cursing at her.
'What did he yell at me? Raise to Mercury? Mermaid? Marie? Or was it Matthew'
No matter how much she tried the best she could recall was that the name he uttered rhymed with the word 'mercury'. The more she tried to remember the further it got away.
But if she could get him to talk. She could untangle this mess from within and finally learn why the Serpents tried to kill her and more importantly who wanted her dead. Judging his deranged demeanor she guessed that Priest Hansom was merely a puppet whose strings were attached to someone else.
However, the joy of finding a proper lead was short-lived when she learned the real reason behind the Emperor's summon.
"What's wrong?"
Shortly after Edward had departed with an unconscious Angelica in his arms, the Frost Knights secured the city square and evacuated the citizens to a safe zone.
When dawn broke the entire area was in ruins with armed Knights patrolling the streets. The Serpents were imprisoned and the ones that tried to flee were killed. Among the captured Serpents was the leader of the attack, Priest Hansom.
During the period Angelica was unconscious the Serpents were interrogated by the Dark Wolfs and their hideout in Parthellam was raided. The only exception being Priest Hansom who had refused to cooperate and had yet to speak a word to date.
However, when the Church of Theodore became aware of his existence, they wanted custody of the Priest, currently in captivity under the Frosts because he was masquerading as a priest of the religion.
Citing that the Holy Templar Knights wanted to conduct the investigation, the church demanded the Imperial family hand over the Priest as he was still an ordained member of the clergy.
Things took a turn for the worse when the Pope suddenly came to the Capital unannounced with the Holy Templar Knights and revealed himself to the eyes of the public for the first time since he was elected.
In the years since the establishment of the Orion Empire, there had been only one occasion in which the Pope had visited the capital during the foundation festivals. It was when a severe drought caused the lands to dry up and resulted in the civil war of the east centuries ago.
Owing to that history and the foundation festivals right around the corner, the sudden arrival of the Pope caused a stir among the people as to the happenings of the Imperial court.
With the Saintess yet to be found, there was a lot of pressure on the Imperial family on relations with the church which was already in a sour state.
"You can't! You can't let them take him. He tried to kill me" Angelica protested, pounding her hands on the table.
"Besides, what are they gonna do with him anyway? Splash holy water on his face and do an exorcism?!"
Although she was unsure, how much of Edward's words were true, Priest Hansom was a crucial piece of the puzzle. If anything, the situation was not much different from custody battles between divorcees. Only here, the child in question was a psychotic assassin with an angelic appearance.
The Serpents had already tried to kill her multiple times and were highly likely to do it again. Priest Hansom was the only trail left that could lead them to the perpetrator. The only way for Angelica to ever live peacefully was if the source of the assassination attempts weeded from the roots.
If the Holy Templar Knights were there to take Priest Hansom there was no knowing if they could ever get him back.
"They won't. I can assure you that" Edward assured, only for Angelica to look at him with a conflicted expression on her face.
'Why?'
"Why are you telling me all this, Mr.Frost?"
"Because you, my dear wife, have a right to know"
At that moment, the wind blew the clouds in the sky over the moons causing a shadow of darkness to fall onto the land. Edward's ruby-red eyes gleamed under the shadows like a predator waiting to strike.
On the day of the audience, Angelica stood atop a small podium inside the dressing room as Eve tightened the knots of her dress.
It had been a few hours since the priests left and Angelica had been in and out of the bath and dressing room since then.
Today was Angelica's first audience with the Emperor and was also her first appearance in public after she had returned. First impressions always last a lifetime. Hence it was an event to be celebrated.
From the chatter and busy buzz inside the dressing room it was clear that the people surrounding her were more enthusiastic about the occasion than the person herself.
The maids scoured the wardrobe high and low to find a suitable piece for the occasion only for disagreements to break out among them. They wanted to make their master look as noble and dignified as possible.
In the end, they settled for an off-shoulder dress with short sleeves that could be coupled with diamond jewelry.
Once they were done dressing Angelica, the maids smiled at each other pleased by the results of their efforts.
The light pastel-colored dress matched the soft rays of the morning sun as it flowed down her curves in waves. The dress which was neither lavish nor frugal elevated Angelica's sharp features to achieve a modest yet refined look that could captivate the eyes of onlookers.
All that was left was to apply makeup and jewelry and they would be done. Hence, without wasting a moment, they started applying makeup with practiced hands.
All the while, Angelica sat in front of the mirror toying with the ring in her hand. In contrast to the excited maids around her, Angelica's mind was in turmoil occupied by thoughts of the upcoming meeting with the Emperor.
Based on the conversation she had with Edward, the Church of Theodore seemed set on getting Priest Hansom back regardless of the consequences. But so were the Frosts.
There was also the matter of the war between Orion and Velven in the later half of the book which was bound to occur over the next few months.
In the novel, the Crown Prince of Velven, Anduin Tezlar Velven becomes infatuated with Helen when he visits the Empire in disguise. When Helen declined his advances, he decided to wage a continental war against Orion to forcefully take her as his Empress.
Although his efforts turned out to be fruitless under the wrath of the Male leads, war was not an easy feat. A continental war on such a scale was bound to consume too many lives. Lives that were not meant to be taken for fighting someone else's war.
A part of her worried that if this confrontation continued, a new civil war might break out long before the war with Velven all because she interfered.
'Is this how it's always gonna be?'
As for now, Priest Hansom was still under the clutches of the Frosts. Fortunately, after a long deliberation, the Imperial Court had sided with the Frosts for the time being. But that came with strings attached.
In exchange for retaining the prisoner, the condition the Emperor put forth was that he meet with Angelica in person.
Turns out, Edward had been keeping her hidden from the outside world just as much as the outside world was hidden from her.
And so came the summon.
While Angelica was lost in thought, the maids finished the makeup and brought out the jewelry selected for the dress. A diamond droplet necklace set.
The necklace had a single large diamond in the shape of a droplet at the center with a golden chain embedded with smaller diamonds. It came with exquisite diamond studs that balanced the look.
The diamonds, which were mined from the Northern Frost Archduchy glistened under the lights as Eve picked up the studs and fixed one on each of Angelica's ears. But right as she was about to place the necklace around Angelica's neck, Eve was stopped.
"I don't want the necklace. This will be enough"
"Madam?" Eve glanced at Angelica's reflection in the mirror.
Since Angelica's hair was tied up exposing her shoulders, the diamond necklace in her hands would be a perfect finish. Eve felt like it would be a pity to leave it as such.
She was about to protest when she quickly stepped back without a word.
However, the next moment, Angelica felt something cold against her neck. Feeling the sensation, Angelica was about to object when she stopped mid-sentence seeing her reflection in the mirror for the first time.
"I said I don't want any jewel-..!!"
*click*
The mild clicking sound of metal was heard.
To her surprise, instead of Eve, it was Edward standing behind her dressed in the formal attire of House Frost, and in his hands was a familiar piece of jewelry that he was putting around her neck.
"!"
Angelica gasped at the sight of her reflection.
There around her bare neck was a simple piece of golden jewelry that had lost its glow. It was the one her grandmother Countess Maria Ashford had given her years ago. The same necklace Priest Hansom had ripped off her neck in Parthellam.
Angelica reached out and touched the necklace longingly. The gold necklace had a strong significance in her life and had been with her for a very long time.
Although it had lost its former glory, the significance it held was invaluable. Just from looking at it, she felt as if a huge weight was taken off her shoulders.
Edward rested his hands on Angelica's shoulders as he gazed at her reflection. When their eyes met, he slowly caressed his gloved thumb on her shoulder.
"You look beautiful Angelica"
"..."
"I'm afraid I might still be dreaming and you will be gone when I wake up"
"..."
Angelica remained silent, then shrugged his hands off her shoulder and got to her feet. She turned toward Edward and said with a wide smile,
"I'm afraid the only thing you might be is delusional"
Edward chuckled and held out his hand toward Angelica,
"Shall we go, my dear wife?"
"Let's go"
Angelica took Edward's hand and together they walked toward the carriages waiting outside to the Imperial Palace.