Gardenia of Blooming Desire

It had been a week since Empress got exiled from the palace. She spent the whole week in this small room, in this cold bed with her feet chained. She couldn't move too far and could only reach the bathroom and around her room.

Empress just finished finished writing a letter and put it in a box, then put the box inside her drawer. She sat on her bed and absentmindedly gazed at the window without rails in his room. This was the fourth floor of high tower. The tower had six floors, but for an exile like her, she was placed on the fourth in case someone wanted to visit her.

Empress chuckled, who would want to visit her anyway. She was abandoned, stripped of her dignity, and betrayed by her own family. Who would want to visit a practically dead person like her?

Of course, she still waited for her real subordinate to come to settle things.

She watched the birds flew with their beautiful wings. All she could do was just watched them and wished she could be free.

At noon, she heard the guard unlocked her door and let someone into her room. She saw that man, a perfect face that looked unreal and the aura that made people subconsciously worshipped him. Aster visited her.

Aster smiled and thanked the guard. His smile flourished even more when he saw this scenery in front of him. The wretched Empress turned even uglier, she thinned down and she was deathly pale. Her face wasn't pleasant to look at, but she looked even worse now.

Aster rejoiced. He took the chair and sat face to face with the weak former Empress.

"Good afternoon, Aunt Empress!" Aster greeted excitedly.

Empress knew that Aster wasn't as pure and beautiful as he looked. She thought, even though Aster could be scary when he was angry, it wouldn't be that bad. But this was different.

He wasn't scary when he got mad, he simply turned into monster.

"What do you want?"

"Eh, this nephew just wants to visit Aunt Empress. It must be cold in this small, damp room," Aster said. His eyes then turned sharp instantly, "Just like what you did to me, dared giving me a cold, damp small room."

Empress bit her lip. She couldn't refute that she placed Aster in a servant room at the beginning, but it was all because of her husband's order.

Aster chuckled, "Look at you now, your feet touches the cold ground everyday, just like what you did to punish me back then."

Aster waited Empress to say anything, but she just bit her lip and refused to speak. Somehow, this irritated him.

"Just like when you tried to poison me, tried to shame me. I give it back to you. And you said, you are going to have fun humiliating me? It seems I got the last laugh here," Aster said.

"I never wanted to harm you," Empress finally replied.

"Then, how about what you did to me before? Was I hallucinating?" 

"My husband ordered me to punish you. He forced me to do it. How stupid would I be to make trouble with your strong Grand Duchy? I always treat you as my nephew," Empress said.

Aster fell silent hearing this sudden reply. It was not what he expected. He expected her to cry and wail in front of him, also begged him to forgive her. But she didn't look broken. She still looked strong.

"I tried compensating you with guard medal, but it seems you only see me as an enemy. It is too late anyway, I am now disgraced, if you want to laugh, then laugh."

"SHUT UP!" Aster screamed. "Then what's the difference? That emperor is in my list anyway. It doesn't matter as long as I kill both of you!"

Empress stared at him nonchalantly. "I just want to ask one question, the assassination attempt against you and my sister, was that your plan?"

Aster who had his emotion spiked up, calmed down and replied, "Yes, thanks to your guard medal, I can recruit two capable subordinate. At last, that wretched Merse had her face mangled!"

"In fact, I planned both assassination attempt," Aster laughed, "Aunt Empress, what do you feel right now? Grief? Pain? Shock? Tell me," Aster asked. He really wanted to torment his Aunt Empress, but Empress only looked at him nonchalantly and scoffed.

"You're blinded by rage. I have no interest talking to an emotional kid," Empress replied with a hint of mockery.

That last sentence shattered his patience. Aster almost raised his hand to beat this woman. However, surprisingly, seeing her calm attitude even after all of this made Aster felt guilty.

Yes, he felt guilty somehow. He thought after he got his revenge, he could feel enormous glee. However, it didn't taste as good as he expected, in fact, it felt heavy in his chest.

Aster fell into silence for a while and then decided to leave Empress. He did what he wanted, there was nothing he could do anymore to humiliate this woman.

"Aster," Empress called him, "... My sister really cares about you."

Aster paused for a moment before he closed the door. He walked out of the high tower, but a question lingered in his mind.

'Am I right doing this?'

***

In the evening, someone opened the door. Empress was very tired after the visit from Aster and about to rest. However, her eyes immediately darkened when she saw who visited her.

A very beautiful woman with almost perfect facial feature, with snow-white skin, golden eyes and golden hair pinned with a butterfly hairpin, also a slender body that perfectly accentuated her figure within that long white dress.

She was accompanied with two guards.

"Long time no see, Beatrice." she spoke softly, and then threw a smile.

"Camille..." Empress gritted her teeth.

"Oh? It seems that I'm unwelcomed here."

"If you know that you are not welcomed, then leave!" Empress snarled.

Grand Duchess chuckled, she took a piece of paper from the guard and threw it to Empress. "I'm here to deliver you the current big news in the Empire."

Empress took the paper and read it carefully.

-Empress Cecilia is exiled after proven guilty as mastermind behind two assassination attempts directed towards Young Grand Duke of Stormhill. Emperor stands for justice and exiled Empress despite her plea.-

Empress' hand trembled after reading this piece of paper. This was official news from the palace, if this was already circulated around the Empire...

"Hm? Surprised? Well, I have to make sure that you have no way out." Grand Duchess said calmly.

"It was you, right? It was you who planned everything!" Empress pointed her finger at Grand Duchess. Her entire body trembled in fury.

"More or less, yes, I did," Grand Duchess admitted. "Including what my son did, I planned everything."

"Who is it? Who is the mole?"

"A mole? Oh, how cruel, calling your own daughter a mole," Grand Duchess expressed her sorrow, but it didn't last long until she giggled. "It wasn't only your daughter. Your husband, your vassal, even your servants are all working for me."

Empress' heart sank to the depths of dread. If she concluded it herself, basically her life was in this woman's hand.

Grand Duchess continued, "Well, your struggle in that fake private trial basically cemented your demise. I still have other ways to ruin you, but you took the bait so easily that you trapped yourself in that private trial."

"YOU DEMON!" Empress jumped, about to hit Grand Duchess. But the guards pushed her stomach back and she fell to her bed. The guards held her. Even though Empress struggled so much, she was not a threat for trained guards

Grand Duchess smiled, seeing this amusing appearance of Empress. She approached Empress and whispered, "If you call me a demon, then your children are even worse demons. To sacrifice you for their own interest, how sad."

"My children were never bad, it was you who influenced them! Unlike your son who is an unwanted defect since his birth!"

Hearing this, Grand Duchess subconsciously grabbed Empress' neck and tightened it considerably. Her entire aura made the two guards beside her shuddered, "Don't you dare to slander my son with your mouth."

"Also, in case you don't know, they joined me out of their own willingness, you are worthless in their eyes." Grand Duchess said.

Empress' tears finally fell. She tried hard to hold it, but when Grand Duchess said that she was worthless in her children's eyes, she couldn't help but to cry. Because what she said was true.

"Why? Did I ever hurt you? Why are you doing this to me..." Empress asked. She sobbed shamelessly, throwing all her dignity away.

"Oh no. Don't cry, I never meant to target you specifically," Grand Duchess loosened the grip in Empress neck and continued, "You are just an obstacle I have to clear for my plan. Besides, I need to teach my son about scheming, so he can grow up well. You are just the perfect ragdoll for this."

Grand Duchess said it as if it was trivial thing. Empress was left shocked and unable to respond. So, Grand Duchess ordered her men to release her. Before leaving the room, she whispered something to Empress:

"People who were born under the golden blood were never good. But they always know what they want."

Grand Duchess left the room, leaving the grief stricken Empress alone.

***

It was already midnight and Empress still hadn't closed her eyes yet. The food left by the guard was left untouched. She was too grief stricken to do anything.

Then, there was a sound from outside, a short muffled voice before it was silent all over again. The door was unlocked again, but this time, her subordinate finally arrived.

"Your Majesty..."

"Helene, you finally come," Empress smiled weakly.

Helene's eyes started getting teary. The Empress, her oath master, fell into such state. She kneeled in front of her master and said, "Your Majesty, this subordinate will take you. I already eliminated all the guards around, we have enough time to escape now."

"No need. Helene, even if I escaped, I'm already nothing. I would only burden you if I decided to run away."

"Your Majesty..."

Empress sighed. She took her handkerchief and wiped the tears that streamed down on Helene's cheek.

"You are an adult. Adults don't cry easily," Empress said with a smile.

"But..."

"Come, unlock my bind."

Helene used the key she just took from the guard and unlocked the feet chain. Empress thanked her and leisurely walked to the drawer. She took the box with a letter stuffed inside it, then handed it to Helene."

"Save this box for now. Give it to Crown Prince Charles when the time comes. That time is when he is in tight situation and in need of support," Empress instructed. Helene looked hesitant, but she received the box anyway.

"Also, deliver my words to my another guard medal subordinate, Prince Gaum, the younger brother of Lord Gamasiel, he is dismissed," Empress continued.

"Dismissed?!" Helene was surprised. Guard Medal subordinate is a lifetime oath, if he is dismissed then that means...

"For my last order, Helene, promise me that you will protect my son until the end."

"This--this subordinate obeys..."

"Then, you are dismissed," Empress smiled.

"Your Majesty, please reconsider!" Helene begged. But Empress shook her head.

"Leave now before you get noticed."

Helene raised her head and saw Empress with her calm, but resolute expression. There was nothing she could do to stop her master now. She wiped her last tear and clenched the box tightly. She closed the door and locked it, then disappeared instantly.

Empress smiled.

'Alas, everything is over for me now.

'I just wished everything would be well for my family, my husband Ludwig, Charles, Rosalie, Merse...'

'I am tired.'

Empress climbed the window and stood there dazed, waiting for the flock of birds that flew at midnight. She waited for a while until she found them passing through. Her sincere smile bloomed. She closed her eyes, tiptoed, and then jumped.