♦Chapter 73: Treason Under A Hidden Circumstance♦
[]Third Person's POV []
It was a clear, bright day under the shade of the trees, at a vast field within the Imperial Palace.
An eight-year-old girl with a blonde hair was staring upon the sky. Sitting beside her was a boy of a four years gap of age from hers, murmuring words as such.
"Will I..... be able to do well?"
Hearing this, Natasha immediately faced her head toward the silver-haired juvenile.
"...That's so unlike you.", she responded.
"I'm being serious, though."
"So, I am."
The boy was doubtful of his conversation partner's reply. But letting this be, he merely decided to continue.
"My father has high expectations on me."
"...So then?"
"I was just wondering... if I can really become a good leader of the Empire."
He showed a face, having the lack of confidence on what he was about to go through in the near future. The him right now was but a young lad, being concerned whether he could fulfill his role well as he sit on that throne. And more than anything else, he didn't want to worsen the state of his country and let the past emperors' efforts to go to waste.
".....If I may ask, what is Your Highness' opinion of being a good ruler?", Natasha questioned.
"A good ruler..... a person like my father."
"You seem to favor His Imperial Majesty a lot."
"Of course, I would! Father is praised for prospering the Empire since the war came to an end! He even fixed a lot of issues to keep his people's lives at ease!"
"That's why... I wish to be an Emperor like him.", the boy added with a somewhat bitter smile.
From his face, one could understand how much he respected the Emperor. Staring at his profile, Natasha clenched her hands tightly despite wearing a calm demeanor in the surface.
A good ruler, huh..... She thought.
She wasn't being sarcastic at how the Emperor was well-praised for being one. She was just reminded of things that involved the fight for the throne that lingered behind the scenes.
She felt like throwing up just by having the thought of that crap. Or rather, she couldn't understand.
Why... why would you choose to do something so stupid-
...Father.
The flashback ends there and the scenery changes into the same room that Natasha entered the last minute ago.
There, she stood still keeping her mouth shut, as she faced the Duke of Yreles with a tense atmosphere surrounding the area.
"What did you came here for?", her father straightforwardly asked.
"...I just saw Marquis Aubetré leaving this room."
"And what about that?"
"....."
She couldn't say any further. In the first place, she wasn't supposed to enter the current setting and was just carried along by her unconsciousness when she knocked the door a while ago.
The duke sighed, then whispered.
"Have I been too tolerant...?"
"Pardon?"
"No, just leave. You're just being a bother if you keep that up."
Hearing her own father's blunt words that tried to cover the situation like how he usually did, Natasha twitched her mouth for less than a second.
And as she kept her head low, she answered.
"I understand..."
As soon as she said that, she went straight toward the door and left the room with a huge noise from the impact when it was closed.
Then leaning behind it after, her expression was filled with frustration.
"How annoying.", she mumbled.
You've always been like that...! She thought, the next moment of her, being pissed off.
Truth to be told, Natasha would often come and eavesdrop between the conversation of her own father and the guests that would come to state their businesses with him. This behavior all started with her to have unintentionally get winded of the contents of one of those kinds of meetings at the same room that she just entered.
Her father was believed to be a person from the neutral side of the noble society. But that fact made it more so that she could be astonished from what she overheard in front of that door, when she was still younger.
"Just according to our deal, please accept this your grace."
The young Natasha from back then halted from attempting to knock the door, and temporarily listened to the things that the people from behind it was talking about. After all, there were also plenty of times where she had the curiosity about her father's matters.
But never has she known that she would hear something different from what she's expected.
"I believe, the assassination didn't go well as expected."
What.....?
Natasha flinched, being aware of whose voice has uttered the phrase. And as she made a gulp, feeling uneasy, the conversation continued.
"T-that's true, but..."
"The poison, itself, cost a lot yet why has it come to the Empress being murdered instead of the Crowned Prince?"
Although the Duke complained, his tone didn't seem so unsatisfied of the result.
"I apologize, your grace. But as reported, it seems like the Empress has defended the prince when the events occurred. The guards also arrived faster than expected so it became something out of our hand...", the other person explained in a flustered manner.
Murder... the Crowned Prince...?
Slowly, she took several steps away from the door without making even the slightest sound. Then soon enough, she fled away from the place as fast as she could while she ran through the hallways.
The moment she pondered about it a lot, it all made sense.
The reason why her father once told her to stay away from the Imperial Family, long ago... And the other reason why she was always told to avoid contact with the Duke unless he called for her...
Her questions were answered in a blink of an eye. Perhaps, she could've just pretended that she couldn't hear anything about the discussion. However, how could she do such a thing when it involved someone she was close with.
There was also a time where she thought of retailing this to the Crowned Prince, himself. Nevertheless, she couldn't to do it. After all, Duke Yreles was still her father by blood.
No matter the fact that she couldn't earn his concern, she couldn't just abandon him so easily. Because more than anything else, her father...
Was her only family.
She was afraid of losing him the moment her voice would speak about his crimes aloud.
Natasha was told to have been born along with the death of her mother. Perhaps, that became the main reason for her to cling a lot to her father despite knowing that he doesn't quite like her.
But still, Natasha was uncertain whether she would choose to take his side and spill out the fact that she already knew about his treachery toward the Imperial Family. She was hesitant, specially because of the thought of betraying the Crowned Prince that trusted her a lot, and because her father's opponents were the people of royal blood.
Amid those considerations, she firstly wished to know the reason why the Duke decided to side with the rebels, despite its risks. He didn't seem to be that kind of person, from the very beginning. And as far as she knew, he didn't really look like he had a grudge toward the Imperial Family either.
That was what she couldn't understand no matter how many times she thought it through. And she wanted to rationally decide whose side she should cooperate with depending on that particular reason.
".....I need to know what he's up to, this time.", that was what she intended to do for the moment, so she could find any hints that would lead to the key to this mystery.