Misunderstanding

Lucien sat at his desk, but his usual enthusiasm for lessons was nowhere to be seen. His quill hovered above his parchment, unmoving. His normally sharp gray eyes, filled with curiosity and focus, were instead staring—no, gazing—across the room.

Lucius followed his student's line of sight, his sharp violet eyes narrowing as he found the culprit.

Cassandra.

His dear little sister.

She was seated near the window, her golden hair catching the afternoon light, a soft smile on her lips as she watched the birds outside.

Lucius clenched his jaw.

Lucien was not paying attention.

His cute, lovable, and usually obedient student was completely distracted.

"Lucien," Lucius called, his tone cool but firm.

Lucien flinched. "Y-Yes, teacher?"

Lucius's lips pressed into a thin line. "What is the answer?"

Lucien blinked.

"The—uh—" He swallowed, looking down at his parchment. "Could you repeat the question?"

Lucius inhaled deeply through his nose, his patience thinning.

The boy never asked him to repeat a question.

This is Cassandra's fault.

Lucius turned his gaze to his sister, who looked up at him with wide, innocent violet eyes.

"What?" she asked sweetly. "Did I do something wrong?"

Lucius exhaled sharply.

Before he could say anything, the door opened, and Diana entered.

"Your Majesty," Cassandra greeted, standing gracefully and bowing.

Diana blinked. Her golden eyes moved between Cassandra, Lucius, and Lucien, who was now bright red and gripping his quill as if it could save him from this situation.

"What… is going on here?" Diana asked slowly.

Lucius sighed. "Lucien has been clinging to me like a koala all day."

Diana raised an eyebrow.

Lucien turned even redder. "I—! That's not—"

Lucius ignored him. "I still have work to do, and Yulian and the others are tracing the Ruther Cult. You mentioned missing children, so we're investigating, but I also have a younger sister who needs my attention." He gestured toward Cassandra. "So I brought her here."

Diana nodded in understanding. "I see."

Cassandra smiled. "It's an honor to be here, Your Majesty."

Diana offered a small smile in return. "Ellise," she called, and the maid appeared instantly. "Bring more sweets to the drawing room and take Lucien and Cassandra there."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Cassandra took Lucien's hand. "Come on, little prince."

Lucien turned an even deeper shade of red.

"L-Little?" he muttered under his breath.

Diana watched with amusement as they disappeared down the hall. Then, as if remembering something, she called out, "Lucien, it's rude to stare at a lady too much, no matter how pretty she is."

Lucien nearly tripped over himself.

Cassandra giggled.

Lucius, however, was not amused.

His violet eyes darkened as he turned back to Diana. "That's my cute, lovable little sister," he said through gritted teeth.

Diana tilted her head, her golden eyes twinkling mischievously. "She will be a good daughter-in-law."

Lucius froze.

Then, realization hit.

His expression twisted in horror. "You—!"

Diana's smirk widened. "You can call me mother-in-law too, if you'd like."

Lucius gawked.

For the first time in a long time, he was utterly speechless.

Then, in an act of sheer disbelief and frustration, he pointed at her and shouted, "Witch!"

Diana let out a soft chuckle, clearly enjoying his distress.

But the playful moment didn't last long.

Their expressions soon turned serious.

Diana pulled out a stack of written articles—duplicates of the damning information she had gathered. She placed them on the desk before Lucius.

His sharp violet eyes scanned them quickly. The evidence was solid. If he sent this to the right people, it would cause a storm.

But before he could say anything, Diana spoke.

"Spread these like flyers across the entire capital," she ordered.

Lucius's eyes flickered up to hers. "We can simply hand the evidence over to the authorities," he pointed out. "What's the point of spreading them like flyers? Will anyone even bother to pick them up?"

Diana's lips curled into a slow, knowing smile.

"Oh, they will," she said. "We'll rain the capital with them."

Lucius's brow furrowed.

Diana leaned forward slightly, her golden eyes gleaming. "If we quietly hand over the evidence, it can be hidden, dismissed, or twisted. But if we flood the streets with it—if every citizen, noble or commoner, sees these papers—then they can't be ignored."

Lucius exhaled, understanding her reasoning.

"Of course, they might accuse us of forging evidence," he said.

"They will," Diana agreed easily. "But that doesn't matter. Once the first crack forms, people will start questioning. And once doubt takes root, it's only a matter of time before the whole thing collapses."

Lucius tapped his fingers against the desk. "So you're planning to erode their credibility piece by piece?"

Diana nodded. "At first, I planned to leave Cassian and Liliana alone. I had no intention of interfering with them."

Lucius raised an eyebrow.

Diana's voice darkened.

"But then they touched Lucien."

A chill settled in the room.

Lucius didn't miss the way her hand clenched slightly at her side.

She's furious.

And yet, she remained composed.

Lucius leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "So? What's stopping you from just killing Liliana?"

Diana let out a soft, amused breath. "As much as I'd like to, it's too problematic. Killing her outright would cause chaos in the power balance. The Emperor would turn the world upside down to find her killer, and we don't need that kind of trouble."

Lucius smirked. "So instead of killing her, you'll break her slowly?"

Diana's golden eyes gleamed. "Wouldn't that be more satisfying?"

Lucius chuckled. "I knew it. You are a witch."

Diana simply smiled, her mind already working through the next steps, watching as Lucius dissapear from the window.

Dmitry entered the meeting room, his expression as impassive as ever. Behind him, a group of elderly men followed, their faces lined with wrinkles, their eyes sharp with experience.

They were the former Emperor's loyalists.

Most of them should have retired by now, enjoying their last years in peace, but they couldn't. Their worries for the empire kept them bound to their positions, their loyalty unshaken despite the changing times.

They sat down quietly, their sharp gazes flickering toward the woman before them—Empress Diana Hinsdale.

Diana sat at the head of the table, dressed not in the extravagant silks and jewels befitting an Empress, but in a crisp black suit. Her silver hair was tied back neatly, her golden eyes calm and calculating.

Not a trace of the foolish, lovesick woman they once knew remained.

The air in the room was tense, but Diana remained composed.

Without wasting time, she began explaining the plan.

"Our main goal is to pressure the Emperor into launching an investigation," she stated, her voice even. "It doesn't matter if he doesn't investigate Liliana directly—what we need is for Marquis Evermont to be caught first."

The loyalists exchanged glances.

Their sharp minds immediately understood the importance of this move. The Marquis was one of Liliana's greatest supporters. If he fell, it would shake her foundation.

However, their attention soon drifted from the discussion.

Because as they listened, they noticed something.

Empress Diana... had changed.

And not just her demeanor.

The woman who used to beg for Emperor Cassian's attention, who attended every meeting with hopeful eyes only to be ignored, who wore the most lavish gowns to compete with Liliana, was gone.

Instead, she sat before them with an air of quiet authority, speaking with purpose.

Her posture was straight, her expression unreadable.

She no longer clung to Cassian.

She no longer attended court gatherings.

She no longer wore dresses, instead choosing suits and pants like a nobleman.

And most importantly—she never once mentioned the Emperor.

Not once.

The realization settled heavily in their minds, and a strange thought began to take root.

Could it be… the Empress was actually the former Emperor's spy?

Their eyes subtly flickered toward one another, silent conversations passing between them.

Yes. It made sense.

The Hinsdale family had always been fiercely loyal to the imperial throne. And yet, despite everything, Diana had remained as Empress.

It must have been for a reason.

And what was more suspicious—the former Emperor was recovering.

They all knew that the man had been on the verge of death. No medicine, no doctor could help him. Yet suddenly, he was improving.

And the only person who had any connection to him during that time... was Diana.

Could it be—was she working for the former Emperor this whole time?

One of the older men stroked his beard thoughtfully.

Yes. That would explain everything!

The Empress had to act like a fool—pretending to be a naive, love-struck woman, enduring humiliation and pain.

All so she could deceive the current Emperor.

After all, Emperor Cassian was under the tight control of the former Empress Catherine.

They all knew what Catherine had done.

The woman had poisoned her own husband, the former Emperor, and had killed his beloved consort along with their unborn child.

If she had been willing to commit such atrocities, who was to say she wasn't manipulating her son as well?

What a poor Empress Diana!

She must have been forced to suffer for years, watching as her own son, Prince Lucien, was mistreated—unable to do anything because she had to keep up the act.

And now, with the former Emperor recovering, she no longer had to pretend.

Everything made sense.

The elderly men exchanged knowing glances, their eyes filled with silent admiration.

One of them, a particularly wrinkled old man, cleared his throat and spoke up. "Your Majesty, we will do as you say."

Diana nodded, pleased by their quick understanding. "Good. I will expect results soon."

The meeting concluded shortly after.

One by one, the loyalists stood, their gazes heavy as they looked at Diana.

Diana, unaware of their growing misunderstanding, simply assumed they were deep in thought about the plan.

But in reality, they were deeply moved.

As they turned to leave, something unprecedented happened.

They bowed.

A deep, solemn bow, filled with silent respect.

Diana blinked.

She looked at Dmitry, who simply shrugged as if to say, Don't ask me.

The Empress frowned slightly. What was with them?

Hadn't she just exposed Liliana's crimes? Why were they acting like this?

But before she could question it, the men straightened, their expressions unreadable, and left the room in dignified silence.

Diana watched them go, confused.

Something felt... odd.

She shook her head, dismissing the feeling. It didn't matter.

What mattered was that the plan was in motion.