Two-Faced Princess

“If it doesn’t work out, what do you think we should do?”

“What do you mean?”

“What if Amoretta stays by the prince’s side until the end?”

“Considering Paris’s personality, he won’t be able to hide his innate nature for long. Once she fully understands him, Amoretta will leave him for sure.” Apollonia recalled Amoretta’s wretched appearance from the past. She didn’t like to hurt or be hurt by others, but she had to endure it forcefully. She was someone who couldn’t be happy with a cruel man who inflicted violence upon her.

“But what if the power of love is stronger? When people are in love, they do many incomprehensible things, don’t they?” Evangeline asked persistently.

“If that’s the case…” Apollonia slowly replied, “Then she would be my formidable enemy.” Compassion vanished from her eyes, replaced by coldness. Apollonia locked eyes with Evangeline and added, “So, I can only hope that she takes my hand before it’s too late. I want her to be wholeheartedly trustworthy.”

Evangeline’s eyes widened. Apollonia’s final words seemed to be directed not only at Amoretta but also at herself. “Well, let’s meet again next time then.” Leaving a pensive Evangeline behind, Apollonia slowly walked out of the room.

“Is this all, Petra?” The emperor, who called Petra to the palace after a long time, spoke sternly. “It seems that the money I can obtain from the Lipper family has decreased this year.” The emperor’s golden eyes gleamed fiercely as he looked at his sister, who resembled him. “How much has the profit from Luwan’s top fallen, exactly? Even if we fix all the empire’s systems to our liking, is this the best we can achieve?” He angrily slammed the desk with the documents he was holding.

“Your Majesty, we are doing everything we can.” Petra replied, her lips trembling slightly. She was much more sensitive to the emperor’s reactions than before. In the past, she might have explained the situation in detail or confronted the emperor with reasons, but she refrained from doing so now. The relationship between the two had subtly shifted in an uncomfortable direction.

“You have the emperor’s support and the assistance of Bella, Paris’s maid. Why can’t we generate profits as we used to?” “Don’t you know that we’re competing with Idena’s top? They are gaining influence not only in the south but also in the west.”

“To safely transfer strong imperial power to Paris and to strengthen the forces that fully support him, we need more funding.” Petra sighed. “That’s why I have been…”

“They have a record of providing top-grade steel weapons to Paris during the war, free of charge. Those top figures have made significant contributions to the victory in the war. These people are seen as Paris’s support base themselves.”

The Emperor glared at her. Petra took a deep breath once again. Her brows furrowed deeply. “Lipper is doing their best.”

“That’s what he should do. Lipper belongs to me and Paris.” For a moment, Petra’s expression grew darker, but the emperor didn’t notice. “Of course, eliminating competitors is a crucial task.” The emperor shifted the topic with his changed tone. “We need to find a way to deal with him before the Duke returns to his territory.”

He was referring to the assassination attempts on Caelion that had failed repeatedly over the past five years. The pair of eyes, resembling predators exchanged glances, in the air. Both the emperor and Petra did not disagree about the importance of this matter. Caelion had to die. Having grown unbelievably powerful in just five years, he posed a threat not only to Paris but also to the Emperor himself. He had attracted a considerable number of nobles to his side with funds of unknown origin. In addition to the merits he had earned through the war and the demons’ eradication, the people’s resentment toward the Emperor had grown. As a result, Caelion gained significant attention as a candidate for the next Emperor’s throne. He had been a thorn in the Emperor’s side since he was a child, but now he had become an adversary that could never be ignored. The longer time passed, the greater the threat became. Since there would be no other candidates for Emperor besides Paris once he died, the need to consolidate power and reduce hesitations became even more significant.

“Now is the right time because Uriel Buiche is away. There’s no hope for him if he returns to the Duke’s territory. He already has considerable support, so it won’t be easy to approach him now.”

“I’m aware of that.” Petra nodded, a faint smile appearing at the corner of her mouth. It was the expression she made when contemplating a plan, a smile that was both visible and concealed.

“Do you have a plan?” The Emperor recognized that expression and asked. It had been a while since he actively listened to Petra’s words. Petra nodded her head. She had one plan, and it had to succeed without a doubt. She leaned slightly closer to the emperor’s ear and whispered something. His eyes widened slightly.

“What do you think?”

“If we fail this time, we can imagine the consequences.”

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