Escape from the evil lady

There was a rumble throughout the room as the Empress hurled one ceramic figure after another.

«Damn that sly, vicious bitch! The woman screamed curses, being beside herself with rage.

The Empress huffed and pouted as anger boiled inside her, and then began to bite her nails.

«Why… Why didn't she die?!»

At the moment when all the stars finally came together and the Empress's cherished dream of making her daughter the crown princess was closer than ever, everything collapsed overnight like a house of cards. The hated stepdaughter, who was supposed to rest in the rotten earth, returned from the dead and ruined everything.

No, the disrupted inauguration ceremony wasn't even her worst act.

The prosperity of the empire was shaken in just one night.

All the officials were dead. All those who held vital government posts were mercilessly killed by the Crown Princess and her people overnight. The crazy girl did not spare even the family members of the founders of the empire, who made a significant contribution to the development of the country. It's like crushing a flock of ants without distinguishing between them.

Based on this, there were many vacant positions in the main government positions in the Imperial Palace right now. The Parliament of the aristocrats, of which there was also almost nothing left, was in an extremely precarious position. No, the whole empire was in a precarious position.

And all this was the work of the Crown Princess.

The Empress's eyes flew open furiously, and she whispered:

«If I could, I would have torn that brat apart right there and then…

However, she had to admit that she was completely powerless in this situation. The mission to kill the Crown Princess surpassed the most difficult of impossible tasks. Not only did Kaena have eyes and ears everywhere, but it was also incredibly difficult to get close to her.

All the mercenaries that the Emperor and Empress sent to their daughter's soul did not return. Even simple spies, whose duties included only surveillance, risked their lives a lot. The Empress was on the verge of despair. But what made her even more nervous was that she couldn't predict this girl's intentions at all.

On that day, Cayena de Ronan, for some reason, left her family members alive. Although all government officials, priests and others were killed, members of the imperial family received only injuries of varying severity. This prevented the Empress from quietly closing her eyes every night.

She couldn't figure out what she was up to.

The Empress felt her heart being torn apart, but she restrained her emotions and only exhaled heavily. Her heart had been hurting a lot lately, and her blood pressure was unstable. However, she didn't have time to worry about such things. «Now that this fiend has returned, I have no time to think about my health…»

«Don't worry, Your Majesty,» the servant timidly addressed her, «Sooner or later we will have a chance to turn everything around again…

Upon hearing this, a woman in a luxurious, jewel-studded dress turned around. Soon, her anxious gaze dropped to the man in dark clothes, who was still kneeling in front of her.

— You… She indignantly stuck out a trembling finger, «All you're doing right now is standing here!» How can you turn the tide?

The woman's clear voice rang loudly through the magnificent gilded room.

«Your Majesty, I'm… sorry… The subordinate swallowed and lowered his head low.

When the woman heard these words, her beautiful face contorted with anger, and she raised her voice.

— You should be sorry! Do you think you did a good job? Was it really so difficult to complete just one task? Useless trash!

While the Empress was throwing accusing words at her subordinate, her blood pressure jumped again. In the end, she couldn't stand it and sank down on the sofa.

«What a headache.»

Of course, such a crime as the unauthorized invasion of the palace and the murder of government officials could not go unpunished. Even the Crown Princess couldn't leave without consequences. If the Empress couldn't handle her physically, the woman hoped that she could at least punish her according to the law.

However, the problem was that in order to appear in court, the princess had to receive a summons beforehand.

But since that day, Kaena has not appeared in the palace. As for the delivery of the agenda in person… None of the messengers who worked in the imperial palace agreed to do this. Each of them would rather lose their position or be punished for disobedience than voluntarily enter the lair of the crown Princess.

Well, these people were understandable.

But that didn't change the main thing. Since no one dared to go to carry out the order, the Empress found herself in a desperate situation again. Because of this, the woman had been unable to find a place for days.

The Emperor, who was experiencing health problems due to the recent incident, was temporarily suspended from his duties. Because of this, his place was temporarily taken by the Empress, acting regent.

And since the care of the state now rested on her shoulders, the Empress felt even more responsible.

While the Empress continued to drown in her worries, her subordinate plucked up the courage to report on the results of the recent surveillance, which was one of the few successful ones.

Because of the walls of the Heilos residence, it was not easy to get any information. However, some rumors still managed to reach him. Before the spy was exposed and killed, he managed to send a message to the general staff.

— Your Majesty, if I may, we received a message not so long ago…

The Empress frowned as she listened to her subordinate's report.

— what? Did the Crown Princess kidnap the girl?

— Yes, we have managed to establish that this is the daughter of the Duke de Valt.

Upon hearing this, the woman couldn't help but admit that she was a little surprised.

The Crown Princess was not one to kidnap people. More often than not, she just killed the unwanted on the spot. However, if this happened, the victims were immediately taken to the torture chambers. But, according to her subordinate, this lady was not imprisoned, but was taken directly to the main residence where the princess lived. That was something new…

In addition, the Crown Princess for some reason needed to invade the duke's own house, where she killed all its inhabitants. The stepdaughter's unpredictable behavior increasingly baffled the Empress.

The Duke de Walt… The Empress only knew that a person with such a surname held one of the positions in parliament, but so insignificant that she did not even remember this person.

Why would this crazy woman want to kill him? And personally ambush his daughter, an even more insignificant person, in order to kidnap her?

The Empress really did not understand this. She hesitated for a moment, and then opened her mouth.

«Did you find out anything else?»

«Only her name,» the servant stammered, «is Camille de Walt.» We couldn't find any more information. Previously, she was not related to Her Highness. Moreover, she hardly attended social events, and they could not cross paths in any way.

The Empress's face, which showed confusion, continued to darken. And then the subordinate remembered that this was not all the information he had received.

«There's something else I have to tell you,» he added hastily.

— What is it exactly? — she immediately inquired.

«There are rumors that Her Highness intends to pay a visit to the Duchess of the North in the near future.

The Empress was even more startled by this unexpected statement than the previous one.

«Why is she going to go there so suddenly? What is she up to?»

The de Lune family was one of the most powerful families in the Rouvens Empire, but they never expressed any particular political views. Neutrality. The Duchy of de Lune has always maintained its neutrality.

The de Lune family could maintain their power without joining any party because they had made a significant contribution to the development of the empire. Since ancient times, they have never interfered in any political affairs.

However…

The Empress clenched her fists tightly, unable to suppress her anger.

«How could this happen?»

Knowing the nature of the crown Princess, the woman was convinced that she had arranged all this to achieve her insidious goal. Most likely, Kaena is going to visit the northern duchy for that…

«Isn't it a good idea to enlist the support of the Northern Duchess to get her to join the rebellion?»

The Empress pursed her lips as vague guesses swarmed through her mind.

No, just seizing the throne wasn't enough. The Crown Princess could have handled this task on her own without having to turn to outside help. So, probably, her ambitions were much broader.

«Really… Is she going to take over the entire continent?!»

Selina de Lune was known as the continent's most powerful enchantress. And if these two had joined forces, this goal would not have seemed so unattainable. Although it was still an unconfirmed fact, but the Empress could no longer remain calm.

«I should have taken more precautions.» — she lamented.

While her subordinate was silently waiting for further orders from the Empress, the woman bit her fingernail impatiently. Soon, she suppressed the rage that was boiling in her with an effort of will.

«One day I will certainly tear her to pieces and throw her to the dogs.» — the woman's face twisted into a grim grimace as she mentally dealt with her stepdaughter in the most terrible ways.

However, before it was too late, she had to prevent the implementation of this monstrous plan at all costs.

The Empress, with a determined face, gave her subordinate the following order:

«Report to me all the rumors that are going around about the Crown Princess.»

«Yes, Your Majesty,» he replied immediately.

At that moment, a faint rustle was heard in the corridor.

The second princess, who had been eavesdropping on this conversation from behind the door, turned around. A vague expression appeared on her beautiful face, which resembled that of an empress.

«Camille de Wald…?» she said softly.