“An oracle…… What was its content?”

At the mention of an oracle, the Emperor’s expression became quite serious. The Empress also widened her eyes in surprise and looked at the High Priest.

“This oracle was related to the future of the empire……”

As the High Priest hesitated to speak immediately, the Emperor urged him.

“Speak quickly.”

The Empress also chimed in.

“Yes. High Priest, quickly tell His Majesty the Emperor the content of the oracle in detail, without hiding anything.”

When the Emperor nodded, only then did the High Priest open his mouth.

“Then I will tell you exactly what I saw and heard. And…… actually, there is something I must confess first.”

“……”

“I also deliberated quite a bit on whether I should convey this content…… It seems the previous High Priest misunderstood the content of the previous oracle……”

“Misunderstood the oracle?”

“What do you mean by that, High Priest?”

The High Priest exhaled softly and said.

“You both remember the content of the previous oracle, don’t you?”

“Of course. If His Majesty the Emperor’s first child was a prince, he would…… threaten Your Majesty’s life. Is that what you’re saying was misunderstood?”

The Empress spoke while gauging the Emperor’s reaction, but the Emperor didn’t seem to mind much.

Contrary to the concerns raised by the oracle, the Emperor’s first child born to the previous Empress was a princess. Not a prince who would threaten the Emperor’s neck.

“It seems that the gender of the child in that oracle was the opposite.”

At the High Priest’s subsequent statement, the Emperor’s brows furrowed sharply.

“What?”

Then the Emperor struck the armrest of his chair with a loud bang.

‘……!’

Jieselgrante slightly hunched her shoulders at the Emperor’s unexpected violent action.

She almost screamed in surprise, but fortunately, she managed to cover her mouth, avoiding detection of her hiding.

“I apologize, Your Majesty the Emperor. But I am merely relaying the message given by the divine, so please calm your anger……”

The Empress gently stroked the back of the Emperor’s hand as she spoke.

“To think the oracle was misinterpreted…… I fully understand why Your Majesty is angry. But the previous High Priest has already passed away, and there’s no one to question about it now. So isn’t what we choose to do from now on more important than the past?”

“So is that the oracle that has been given this time? That the previous High Priest misinterpreted the oracle?”

To the Emperor’s question, the High Priest nodded and continued.

“So it’s rather a good thing.”

“How is it a good thing?”

“If Her Highness the Princess had continued to live…… you would have had to consider her dethronement. If the enthronement ceremony had proceeded as planned, the situation would have been even more difficult to resolve.”

“Hmm……”

After glaring silently at something for a while, as if organizing his thoughts, the Emperor finally spoke.

“In truth, Trinity was not fit to be Emperor.”

Jieselgrante quietly clenched her fist, trying to steady her roughening breath.

“It’s unfortunate to say this after her untimely passing, but I thought so too, Your Majesty.”

The Empress immediately agreed with the Emperor’s words.

“You, Empress? You overprotected her to the point of excess, and cherished Trinity as if she were your own daughter.”

“Although she wasn’t a child I bore myself, she followed me well. I really loved Trinity too. Despite my many efforts, her conduct wasn’t quite proper……”

The Empress lowered her eyes, tearing up, and the Emperor patted her shoulder with a soft sigh.

Knock knock.

At that moment, a voice was heard following the sound of knocking on the door.

“Your Majesty, it’s Joshua.”

The Emperor looked at the Empress and asked.

“Empress, did you call for him?”

The Empress shook her head as if she knew nothing about it.

“Perhaps he noticed we weren’t in the memorial service waiting room and came looking for us? Let’s have him come in for now.”

At the Empress’s words, the Emperor replied without much consideration.

“Enter.”

Joshua, who entered the High Priest’s office, looked at the three people with a somewhat puzzled expression.

Then he approached the Empress with a soft sigh.

“Please don’t be too sad, Your Majesty the Empress. Although it was a very sad event…… my sister has gone to a better place ahead of us and is waiting.”

“Yes, that must be so…… A good child like Trinity would have gone to heaven, not hell.”

The Empress nodded, sniffling, and Joshua wiped her wet cheeks with a handkerchief he took from his pocket.

“Her Highness the Princess has gone to God’s side, so she will be happy there.”

“I’m sure. Of course.”

“Then do you plan to let the scheduled enthronement ceremony pass as is? It’s truly regrettable. It would take at least another 2 years for such an auspicious day to come again……”

At the High Priest’s meaningful words, the Emperor slightly furrowed his brow and spoke.

“High Priest.”

“Yes, Your Majesty the Emperor.”

“Should I interpret the oracle that has come down this time to mean that Joshua has no disqualifications whatsoever as the imperial crown prince of the empire?”

Joshua and the Empress turned their heads sharply towards the Emperor.

“Yo-Your Majesty?”

“Is it alright…… to make a decision so quickly?”

The High Priest interjected at the Empress’s question.

“The enthronement ceremony for Princess Trinity was set for the most auspicious day according to the movements of the heavens. But if we miss that day, we’ll have to wait at least another 2 years for favorable fortune to come. So I think it’s right to quickly decide on a successor to stabilize the unsettled empire.”

The Emperor nodded as if he had the same thought.

After discussing the crown prince’s enthronement ceremony for a while longer, the four people rose from their seats when the chamberlain came to announce the start of the memorial service.

As the Emperor and Joshua left the office first, the Empress turned to the High Priest and said a word.

“As long as Joshua remains strong, High Priest, your position will also remain intact.”

“I will only trust in Your Majesty the Empress.”

Jieselgrante’s lips twisted upwards at the conversation between the two.

‘The previous oracle was wrong?’

It was truly a curious coincidence.

Just days after her death, the fact that the previous oracle was incorrect came to light.

And then the last words the Empress spoke to the High Priest.

This added certainty to her suspicions.

That she had lost in the imperial succession dispute. That she had been murdered.

She had known since considering who would benefit most from Princess Trinity’s death……

Even while knowing it couldn’t be true, there were times she had hoped the Empress’s smile, kindness, and sincerity always shown to her were genuine.

She only realized once again that it was all nothing but lies.

“Lindsey, it’s me. I’m coming in.”

Lindsey, who seemed to have fallen asleep, opened the door while rubbing her eyelids.

Then, peeking her head out to check both sides of the corridor, she led Jieselgrante inside.

“My lady, where on earth have you been?”

“I was curious about the inside of the temple, so I just wandered around here and there.”

“What if you had been caught……”

Lindsey pouted, her voice full of worry.

Jieselgrante, who quickly took off and tossed aside the priest’s robe, turned to Lindsey with a slight smile.

“Lindsey, could you fix my hair?”

Although grumbling, Lindsey readily complied with Jieselgrante’s request.

“Yes.”

After tidying her disheveled hair and touching up her makeup, Jieselgrante left the place.

“The memorial service seems to be starting soon. Let’s hurry.”

Lindsey looked around the interior, holding the priest’s robe Jieselgrante had taken off.

“Yes. Let’s get out quickly.”

Then she draped the robe over her arm and hastily followed behind her.

“Why are you bringing that out?”

“Can’t I keep it as a souvenir?”

Lindsey asked with an innocent face, and after pondering for a moment, Jieselgrante nodded.

“Do as you wish.”

When Jieselgrante and Lindsey re-entered the spacious hall of the Great Temple, the Emperor was giving a eulogy on the platform.

Behind him sat the Empress, the High Priest, and Joshua.

Directly in front of the platform were the high nobles, behind them the lower nobles, and at quite a distance from them stood the commoners.

Jieselgrante went to stand near one of the massive pillars supporting the Great Temple.

“As this is a place to honor Princess Trinity, who met an unfortunate death……”

Even after briefly praying for Trinity’s eternal rest, the Emperor’s eulogy continued.

The content was that the Baroness Oppenheimer and her family, who assassinated a member of the imperial family, would be made an example of, and furthermore, that the empire would remain safe and prosperous.

And Jieselgrante could see that the latter part was the true purpose of the eulogy.

While the eulogy for Trinity’s death was very brief, he gave a long speech about the empire’s revival and stability.

Clap, clap, clap clap clap−.

As the Emperor’s eulogy ended, everyone in the Great Temple gave a standing ovation.

Having finished his eulogy, the Emperor sat in the seat at the very center of the platform.

And this time, the Empress stood up and took the center of the platform.

She wiped away a few tears before beginning her eulogy.

However, its content was not much different from the Emperor’s.

As Jieselgrante, standing far away, quietly watched this abominable play, a shadow fell across her face.

Her lips parted slightly as she turned her head towards the person.

“We meet again in a place like this?”

Cabelased was standing beside her.

“Indeed…… we meet again.”

Jieselgrante turned her head forward, trying to hide her disgruntled expression.

Fortunately, Cabelased did not speak to her anymore.

And as the eulogy was nearing its end, the Empress suddenly turned her head towards Joshua.

“Next……”

Then, extending her hand towards Joshua, she said.

“We will have the eulogy from the Crown Prince.”

“……!”

At her bombshell announcement, murmurs rose in the previously quiet Great Temple.

“A eulogy from the Crown Prince, it seems this makes it clear who will be the next Emperor.”

“I expected as much, but to announce it so quickly……”

Small whispers could be heard here and there.