After listening to the report of Nadan Leslie, the First minister, the Empress asked him with a distressed face:

«So you're saying that the spies I sent to spy on the Crown Princess are missing?»

— Yes, Your Majesty.

«Did she kill them?»

The First Minister shook his head, replying:

— Communication with them disappeared after the last report a month ago, so I can't say exactly what happened…

The Empress trembled with anger all over her body.

Even the most experienced mercenaries disappeared without a trace as soon as they were sent to the border of the empire. What was the last time? The Empress was rubbing her temples tensely, as if her stepdaughter was an insect that was very difficult to get rid of.

— damn it! The Empress cried out, lowering her head. Her blond hair, resembling bronze, fell in lush waves, — This scoundrel! Does she take me for a buffoon?!

Clap!

The Empress threw down a cup of tea. The water flew in all directions, and the fragments flew even further, but she did not pay attention to it. Because of her restless rage, the Empress even threw the kettle.

— Your Majesty, please calm down… — The First Minister tried in vain to resolve the situation.

— «Calm down»? — the woman sighed heavily, and her shoulders were shaking, — In such a situation, you're telling me to calm down …?!

— …

The first minister, who witnessed the Empress's anger, which bordered on madness, swallowed nervously.

Out of caution, he decided to remain silent so that the sparks of rage would not fall on himself.

«What a headache.»

As the Empress grew increasingly nervous, the door to the room slowly opened.

— Good morning, Mother.

The oppressive atmosphere in the Empress's chambers was suddenly interrupted.

Two heads turned towards the door.

A beautiful girl with blonde hair and clear blue eyes like a lake stood on the threshold. Jerica de Ronan. The second princess of the empire and the daughter of the current Empress, whose beauty was praised by all the inhabitants of the Empire of Rouvens. She was so beautiful that she seemed to have stepped out of the picture.

As soon as the Empress saw her beloved daughter enter the room, her face softened noticeably.

«You can go now, Duke Leslie.»

The Empress waved her hand, telling her subordinate to leave. The First minister, bowing to both present, hurriedly left the chambers of the most influential woman in the empire.

As soon as this happened, a soft smile blossomed on the Empress's lips, which seemed to simply not be on this woman's face.

— Welcome, Jerica. Sit down,» the Empress greeted her.

— Thank you, Mother.

The maids served them tea, and the second princess gracefully raised her cup. The Empress, watching this, praised her:

— That's great. You must be the most intelligent lady in the empire.

«Thank you, Mother. I'm flattered.»

Today, the Empress kindly invited her to have tea together. For this, Jerica put aside her state affairs and came to her right after she returned to the palace after completing a recent mission. The princess couldn't help but notice that her mother looked a little worried.

Perhaps this is due to the recent visit of the First Minister?

Usually, Jerica did not interfere in her mother's affairs, but this time she decided to ask anyway.

«The Duke of Leslie came to see you today. Something happened?»

As expected, there was a reason for the Empress's restless mood.

— There has been no news from the border for a month.

Jerica, who was reaching for her cup, froze for a moment.

It has been half a year since the emperor sent the crown Princess to guard the southern border of the empire. The reason for this was the conflict with the neighboring empire of Thursia, which has long been a source of problems on the border. The task of the Crown Princess was to resolve this situation and prevent the possible threat of an uprising.

At that time, the Empress naively believed that getting rid of her stepdaughter while she was in the South would be much easier than in the capital. During these couple of months, so many mercenaries were sent to the border of the empire that an entire squad could be formed from them.

However, as time passed, there was still no good news.

And lately there have been no reports at all from the border. This involuntarily made the Empress wary.

While the Empress was immersed in her emotions, she involuntarily shuddered when a warm palm lay on top of her.

«Kaena must have settled the conflict in the South and is already going back,» Jerica said, «You know, my sister doesn't really like to write letters. Especially when he is at war.

The woman's eyes flashed with an angry gleam when she heard these words.

«How can you call this nobody your sister…?!» she cried, «Our whole family is suffering because of her!» Just because we haven't kicked her out yet, she should be grateful…

The second princess sighed as she listened to her mother's displeasure.

The Empress was hostile to her stepdaughter and stepsister Jerika. And there were reasons for that. Most of all, the woman wanted her daughter to get the title of crown princess. However, due to the existence of Kaena de Ronan, her dream remained unrealistic.

But Jerica herself had a different opinion on this matter.

Even if Kaena was not the best candidate for the role of crown princess, this title still belonged to her by law. In addition, they shared a common ancestry. The second princess believed that even if their relationship was far from perfect, they were still members of the same family.

«Kaena is my older sister,» the girl muttered, «Although we are not close, but I have to show her respect…

— Nonsense! The Empress spat out and glared at her daughter angrily.

The woman could not believe that she had uttered such ridiculous words.

Although the second princess seemed perfect in every way, according to the Empress, there was still one significant flaw in her daughter. She had no desire for power. Moreover, she was too soft-hearted. It was a quality completely unsuitable for a ruler.

Even after this brat brought so much trouble to their family, Jerica still called her «sister». The Empress herself believed that this imaginary kinship was worthless.

«If you want to achieve more like my daughter, you have to have ambitions,» she said.

Jerica looked at her in surprise.

Although Jerica was still quite young, she managed to achieve a lot. The girl worked hard for the good of the country, and in many ways, thanks to the reforms she proposed, the lives of citizens improved. Not to mention that the princess was a captain in the Imperial army, becoming the youngest commander of this unit in its entire history.

However, in the eyes of the Empress, it was still not enough.

«The whole country wants you on the throne,» she said bluntly, «and I agree with that.

The second princess's expression paled abruptly.

— Mother, what are you talking about? Jerica asked, «The Crown Princess is Kaena. Even though she has committed many crimes, we can't just strip her of her title…

The Empress laughed mockingly.

«The Crown Princess?» Don't make me laugh. This savage can't even be called a human.

Kaena de Ronan was still a child when the emperor exiled her to the eastern border. To a place where lawlessness and chaos reigned. The pretext was the most plausible — the emperor wanted to express his intention to support the eastern region by sending the crown Princess to maintain order in these lands. But in fact, it was just an excuse to get rid of her.

The girl lived in this hell for several years. But they did not pass without a trace — the princess grew into the strongest madwoman in the east. And already at fifteen, as they said, she formed a Dark Army that kept the inhabitants of the empire in fear.

As a result, the emperor's plans, impatiently awaiting the death of his daughter, turned against him — the prodigal princess returned and took her place by right of inheritance.

She looked like a rabid dog that had broken loose, whose thoughts were impossible to predict in advance. Most of all, the emperor and Empress were afraid that, having ascended to the throne, Kaena would first deal with her relatives.

Because of this fear, they have repeatedly made attempts to get rid of the crown Princess. But in the end… This girl, like the most tenacious rat, was still unharmed.

«This cannot go on any longer,» the Empress suddenly spoke up, «His Majesty and I must put an end to this.

Each time they sent the girl to the battlefield with the hope that she would not return. However, not only did this not happen, but the princess also brought glory to the empire with her military victories. Thus, considering all her merits, even the emperor could not deprive Kaena of her title without a good reason.

Meanwhile, the ruler of the empire himself was not getting younger, and the fateful day of the coronation was approaching.

The Empress decided that it was time for drastic measures.

— The anniversary of the founding of the empire is coming soon, right?

«In a month, — Jerica corrected, and the Empress nodded in agreement.

— yes. Since this is a big holiday, this is a great opportunity to announce the news that His Majesty and I are preparing.

— News…?

Jerica de Ronan didn't quite understand what her mother meant, but the Empress's mood seemed to have improved.

Having solved the problematic issue, the woman laughed heartily.

«Let's see how kind the heavens will be to her. This brat definitely won't be able to come back alive this time.»