In the innermost chambers of the royal palace, within Her Majesty the Queen's bedchamber:
The queen looked helplessly at Rodhart and the cardinal standing beside him. Her entire face twitched nervously. "You already know..."
"Yes, I already know," Rodhart replied with a somber nod.
"I am no longer... human," the queen said with a sob, tears rolling down her cheeks.
"Don't worry, it doesn't matter. No matter what you've become, you're still the same to me. You're still you," Rodhart said with a faint, bitter smile. He reached out and gently wiped away her tears. "So neither of us has a choice. We must stand together with His Eminence the bishop; there's no other way. That's why we're here—to ask for your help. Listen to me, we need to..."
After hearing Rodhart's words, the queen's entire body trembled. In a quivering voice, she said, "What? You want me to summon them all here and kill them?"
"Just those four or five old military figures. It's no big deal," Cardinal Jarvis said casually.
The queen shook her head. "No, I can't. General Thomas, the Marquis Minsk, Minister Jensen... They've served two reigns; they're pillars of the court. If His Majesty and Roland return and discover—"
"They're not coming back," the cardinal interrupted with a confident smile, shaking his head slowly. "Even if they're not dead yet, I can ensure they won't return if I wish. The greatest obstacle has already been removed, and now there's nothing in this capital that can hinder me. Besides, rest assured, the crime of killing them won't fall on us. Someone else in this city will take the blame for us."
The queen stared at the cardinal and Rodhart in disbelief. "You're planning a coup?"
The cardinal chuckled and shook his head. "A coup? Hardly. Neither of us has the qualifications to take the throne, nor the interest." He extended a finger, gently pointing at the queen. "We're merely helping the child in your womb ascend the throne."
"My child? I have no child..." The queen shook her head in bewilderment. She knew she had no child now, and never would.
"I can ensure you have one. Even if it's impossible in reality, as long as I say you do, no one will doubt it—no one would dare. Once those most venerable ministers are gone, the empire will be under our control. And with a little manipulation, the responsibility of regency will naturally fall into Rodhart's hands..."
"No!" The queen screamed. Had the servants not already been ordered away, her cry might have drawn a crowd. She looked at the bishop, her face hysterical. "You want the academy? I can give it to you. But why threaten him? Why meddle in the empire's affairs too..."
"As I said, I have no interest in this empire. The one who does is him," Cardinal Jarvis said, pointing at Rodhart. "Do you think I forced him to stand with me? We're partners."
"You..." The queen looked at Rodhart.
Rodhart sighed, shaking his head. "Why dig so deeply into it? All you need to know is that we have no other choice now. Think about it: if we don't do this, and one day His Majesty learns of your... condition... This is the safest and most appropriate course."
The queen shook her head, trembling, cutting off Rodhart's words. "You're planning to kill His Majesty? To usurp the throne? What about my sister...? Why drag me into this? I don't want any part of it..."
Rodhart's voice softened. "But since all this has happened, we must face it. That's why I've joined forces with Cardinal Jarvis—"
"Face it? Didn't I already ask you to leave with me? If we had just left together, none of this would be happening. You dress it up with talk of usurpation and power, but it's just ambition!" Tears streamed down the queen's face as she slid weakly from the couch to the floor, kneeling. "If you truly loved me, why wouldn't you just leave with me? I'm a woman. Women don't ask for much—just a man they love and a place to belong..."
"But I'm a man," Rodhart suddenly said, his voice firm. "And a man cannot just settle for one woman. A man must face the entire world. Beyond this world, there is no other belonging."
The queen looked up at Rodhart through her tear-filled eyes, stunned. To her, this man had always been gentle, kind, the embodiment of warmth and goodness. She had never seen any other emotion from him. Now, however, his voice and expression held something new—something harder, colder, heavier, yet brimming with strength. These were his truest feelings, buried deep within—a man's feelings.
"A man sees farther and wider than a woman and must face more. Even the most wonderful emotions cannot blind him to other responsibilities. That's escapism," Rodhart said as he crouched beside her, placing his hands on her shoulders. His expression was strange—although these were his true feelings, it seemed uncharacteristic for someone as calculating as him to reveal them so easily. His voice grew deeper, more earnest. "Be with me, Christine. If you want to be my woman, walk this path with me."
The queen clung to Rodhart, sobbing. "No... I beg you, don't do this... Can't we just leave together?"
Finally, Rodhart slowly freed himself from her grasp and stood. He looked down at her with eyes full of disappointment, sorrow, pain, and a chilling sense of finality.
The cardinal, who had been watching coldly from the side, shook his head with a soft sigh. "Christine, all the trials you've endured haven't made you grow. You're still just a small, simple woman. If only you were as capable and mature as your sister..."
Even in her deep anguish, the queen couldn't help but look at Cardinal Jarvis in shock at this strange remark. But he was no longer looking at her. His gaze had shifted to Rodhart.
"Well? Just as I said, isn't it? It can't be helped... She's ultimately just a simple woman. She can't handle this, nor can she do it," Jarvis said.
Rodhart said nothing, still staring at the queen with a look of deep sorrow. Finally, he turned away, speaking softly: "I already knew... But still... I hoped..." His voice grew quieter. "Forget it... Do it."
The queen froze, her tears halting for a moment in stunned disbelief. Before she could react, a sharp pain shot through her limbs.
A sword imbued with white magic danced through the air in a brilliant arc before returning to its sheath at Cardinal Jarvis's waist. The queen let out a wail as she collapsed to the floor, black smoke rising from the wounds on her hands and feet. The cardinal raised his hand, and a white magical light enveloped the queen entirely.
"Stop struggling. Your bloodline has only just awakened, and your strength is too weak. Most importantly, it was I who helped you fully awaken, so in my hands, you're no different from a doll. Don't blame me, and don't blame your lover. We gave you a chance, but you refused it—this is on you. Someone like you, unwilling to help voluntarily yet knowing too much, is more valuable dead than alive."
Cardinal Jarvis lifted the Queen and placed her on the bed. Her limbs twitched, and her mouth opened as if to speak, but she was powerless. Bathed in the radiance of white magic, she couldn't move, nor could she utter a word.
"Everyone knows about the vampire who bit Her Majesty a year ago. And with the Cardinal and the priests from the Magic Academy confirming it together, no one can refute this fact. Once her identity is established, many things will naturally follow—such as colluding with the Dehya Valley, plotting against His Majesty the Emperor and Commander Roland, and so on. Once we deal with those old foxes, you'll take over the Holy Knights, and I'll assume control of the Magic Academy to fully support you. By then, the vast Einfast Empire will be yours."
Jarvis patted Rodhart's shoulder as he spoke. "Abandoning one love to gain an empire—any way you look at it, it's a trade worth making."
Rodhart still didn't dare to look at the Queen lying on the bed. His expression was a mix of sorrow and an undeniable hint of excitement. These two contradictory emotions created a strange, contorted look on his face. After a long silence, he finally asked Jarvis, "You're giving me this entire empire? And you really don't want anything for yourself?"
The Cardinal smiled faintly. "As I've said before, all I need is for you to control this country and then march on Orford. Once Orford falls, let the Holy Knights retrieve a few items from Turaleone for me. Aside from that, I only desire two things: a sword and a woman. Naturally, the woman I want isn't one of these delicate ones."
The Queen, lying on the bed, couldn't move or speak, but she could still hear, cry, and feel heartbreak. If a heart could truly break, hers would already be in shreds. To see and hear the man she loved and trusted most discard her, treating her as nothing more than a pawn or stepping stone—this was a mortal blow to any woman.
But she didn't realize this was her fate. It wasn't that others were cruel; it was her own incompetence. Unable to earn recognition or become a true ally, yet forcing herself into their world, she was destined to be either a plaything or a tool.
"Lord Rodhart, the fourth captain of the Holy Knights has urgent news..." A voice called from outside the chamber.
The Cardinal and Rodhart exchanged glances. This was one of their men monitoring the Prime Minister's residence—news they had been waiting for.
"Speak from outside. What's the situation?" Rodhart asked coldly.
"Reporting, my lord. The Prime Minister remains in his residence, attending to official duties. No unusual activities have occurred."
"What?" Cardinal Jarvis and Rodhart exchanged another look, this time filled with surprise.
They had rushed to the palace but hadn't ignored the Prime Minister's residence, sending knights to investigate. They hadn't expected this result. Even if the report claimed the residence was razed or a battle involving thousands had erupted, they wouldn't have been this shocked.
"Nothing at all? Did you conduct a thorough investigation?" Rodhart demanded.
"We split into three groups, visited the bishop, questioned the guards at the Prime Minister's residence, and inspected the premises. There was indeed nothing unusual," came the confident reply from outside. The Holy Knights were highly skilled, and if they claimed there was no anomaly, it was unlikely anyone else would find one either.
"Understood. You may leave," Rodhart ordered. Once the footsteps faded, he turned to the Cardinal. "How is this possible? Could we have guessed wrong?"
"Could they not have gone to the Prime Minister's residence? Then... where could they have gone?" Jarvis's calm demeanor faltered, replaced by an unprecedented gravity. For the first time, it seemed he realized events might not be as firmly within his control as he had thought.
After a moment of thought, Rodhart snorted. "It doesn't matter. Whether or not that brat told the Prime Minister, we've prepared for contingencies. We rushed here to deal with this situation first, just in case anything unexpected happened at the Prime Minister's residence. Once Christine's vampire identity is exposed, her influence will be reduced to nothing. Without her, even if that brat escapes from the Marquis, he'll be alone and powerless to change the outcome."
The Cardinal nodded. Their mutual understanding seemed to have reached a peak. "We'll just proceed with the plan. No matter what that boy tries, it'll no longer matter."
Not long after, the Cardinal stepped out of the chamber and issued orders to the attendants waiting outside. "By the joint authority of myself, Lord Rodhart, and Her Majesty the Queen, summon General Thomas, General Minsk... and the Prime Minister to the palace immediately. This is a matter of utmost urgency."