The Two Empresses
Dilemmas

Saciel walked down the earthen room stairs with Lao in simple clothes. The guards immediately saluted when they reached the front door of the prison.

"I want to see Vristhi" Saciel said. One of the guards directs them to the very end of the cell, where Vristhi is engrossed in making a spooky-faced straw doll for normal size. After telling the guards to leave, Saciel bowed slightly in order to clearly see Vristhi's calm face. There was no hate from his eyes.

"Vrishi," called. The so-called turned his head and saluted elegantly, though not according to his clothes that were starting to get dirty and torn in some corner.

"Welcome, Your Majesty," said Vristhi.

"You remember my words when we fought?" ask Saciel.

"On title revocation and execution, right? Of course I remember," said Vristhi casually.

"It's very relaxing for the person to be executed" Saciel chirped. Vristhi just laughed and tilted her head slightly.

"Do I have to be afraid of that?"

"...well, you are free to react as you please" Saciel replied kalem. "So what are you planning?"

"They never talked about it when they were with me. There's no confidence in them in me, so it's free to ask."

"Then I change the question. Why did you defect?" ask Saciel. There was a long silence before the accused sighed.

"Personal alsan who cannot be questioned" replied Vristhi. Saciel did not make a sound, but rather glanced at Lao who was only silent expressionlessly. The girl advanced a little bit of her body and asked again.

"Why did you defect?"

"That trick won't make me open my mouth, Your Majesty."

"Confidence is also you. All right, I'm not gonna make you talk, it's no use either, anyway" Saciel said.

"You're not curious about where Dark went?" chirps Vrishi. Saciel was silent for a moment and raised next to his eyebrows.

"You intend to negotiate?"

"Come," answered Vristhi. Saciel just turned around and left the prison with Lao, but his mind was still fixed on what Vristhi was insinuating.

"You curious?" ask Lao after he gets out of prison.

"Little bit. Although I was curious though, I didn't want to believe it that easily," Saciel replied. "You think?"

"I'm neutral" Lao replied. They returned to the throne room, where Phillip was clearing the files that had been taken care of.

"It's over?" ask Phillip. Saciel just nodded and sat down, but his mind had gone somewhere. "You okay?"

"Get me the Rosemary family file. I feel dizzy taking care of this one" Saciel said. Phillip handed over Rosemary's family file in surprise, while Saciel remained silent while studying it. After studying it for less than ten minutes, he put down the file and looked at Lao.

"There are no more living descendants of Rosemary than Vristhi?"

"Nothing, Your Grace. The previous head of the family died handing over leadership to Vristhi five years ago, while Vristhi was only an only child" Lao replied. "Is Your Majesty hesitant to execute Vristhi?"

"Since he is the last descendant and also the holder of an important role in the imperial economy, it is only natural that I doubt it. But the punishment will still be done" Saciel said.

"Your Majesty, I'm sorry to interrupt. Your Majesty doesn't have to worry about the economy of the empire. Even though the Rosemary family is over, there are still other families that can be economic support" Phillip said. Saciel sighed and nodded. Lao was silent, not giving the slightest opinion of Phillip's rebuttal.

"Lao, how far have you been chasing Vristhi?" ask Saciel.

"It's not far away either, just around the border. Besides, I found something interesting about their hiding place" Lao said.

"It's interesting?" ask Saciel.

"They made a well with various corpses thrown into it. Not only that, they also collected the blood of the victims in several bottles."

"What do they want with that thing?"

"Unfortunately I could not continue my search due to the presence of an active protector equivalent to that of a god. And according to what Vristhi said, he was not at all involved with it."

"Surprisingly, isn't Vristhi also a part of them?" chirps Phillip. They dissolve into each other's minds, trying to find answers to Vristhi's actions, but they only get more and more tied to endless knots.

"Is Vrishi just a scapegoat?" chirps Saciel.

"No, Your Grace. If Vrishi is indeed made a scapegoat, there is no need to make him do that. Maybe..he did it because someone was being bullied?" philip.

"Lao, do another interrogation" Saciel said quickly. Lao was a little surprised to hear that.

"Who else? I think the only one who's suitable to ask Vristhi is you. Sana's gone," throw Saciel out while shaking his hand. Lao was about to refute, but considering that the one giving the order was the queen, he simply nodded and left.

"Phillip, I think the source of the problem is Lao" Saciel murmured. Phillip frowned and bowed slightly in order to catch his point.

"Sorry, Your Majesty, what did Your Majesty say?"

"I told you, the source of the trouble is Lao," Saciel repeated kalem.

"Why does His Majesty talk like that?" ask Phillip curiously.

"Just an approximation, considering that even though Vristhi was cold to Lao, she cared deeply for him. Don't you know anything? Information or..threats?"

"...sorry Your Majesty, I cannot hear the conversation between Vristhi and Vatra. But I remember once his face stiffened after Vatra spoke to him. Is there something in Lao?" ask Phillip.

"You may not believe it, but there's a magic bomb in his heart" Saciel said.

"Magic bomb, Your Grace? Since when?" ask Phillip in wonder.

"From the beginning he was in prison. I think Lao knew it too, only that he was being stupid about it. I only found out after giving the antidote. One of the wing feathers I was holding fell on top of his chest and burned quickly, so I guess it's not magic that we can easily deactivate" Saciel said. "Vatra must have held the key to unlock the bomb."

"So Vristhi did it because of pressure from Vatra to save Lao?"

"Yes. But. I don't think it's going to be easy to make him talk honestly about this. He will maintain his selfishness so that Lao does not know the bitter truth he is experiencing. I'm tired, can I rest?" complacently Saciel while kneading his temple.

"All right, Your Majesty. I'll tell the lady to wake up Your Majesty at lunch" Phillip said. Saciel nodded faintly and walked into his room with a pushy look.

Meanwhile, Lao descended underground and evicting all the guards with threats would make them suffer if they did not comply. All the guards immediately left as fast as they could, leaving Lao alone. He entered the room of Vristhi who was sitting while hugging his knees.

"Don't Saciel ask me? Why did you come down and intervene?" vristhi asked without raising her face.

"First, the name you call that is the queen of this empire, so I hope you are being polite. Second, this is an order from His Majesty," Lao said kalem. He took a chair and sat down in front of Vristhi. "Look at me."

Vristhi raised her head and looked at the man in front of her with a gaze that Lao could not translate. He slowly lowered his legs and improved his sitting posture.

"What made you betray?" ask Lao.

"There is no particular reason, it just so happens that me and Vatra have almost unidirectional goals" Vristhi replied.

"A nearly unidirectional goal? What do you mean a massacre?"

"Slaying people is not my goal, it is a task that he gave me" Vristhi replied calmly. Lao looked into his eyes fixedly and found no lie from him. "You think it's fun killing people born from the same land?"

"Then why do you keep doing it?"

"If not Vatra will kill me," Vristhi replied casually. "I've failed to do it when you weren't around, and he's hoping I don't make the same mistake."

Lao was silent, trying to digest everything with a very strong emotion between anger and frustration. He breathed a few times until his emotions stabilized.

"What's your goal?" ask Lao.

"That's a secret" Vristhi said firmly. There was a flash of decisiveness emanating so that Lao was far from this matter. His conscience is tickled to dig deeper, but he knows acting rashly will only keep him from the truth. He tries to grab her hand, but Vristhi quickly pulls her hand away from Lao.

"There's no point in you comforting me, Lao. What I did was an unforgivable sin. My death is near" said Vristhi calmly.

"You're planning on just dying?" ask Lao. Vristhi just kept quiet, making Lao more confident Vristhi tried to hide his heart as deep as possible. "Vristhi, don't you have any desire for your future?"

"My future is out. There's nothing more you can do. I don't think about it anymore."

"What about me?" ask Lao.

"You?"

"You don't think about my feelings? I care about you so much. No, caring is not enough to represent it. I'm..."

"Throw away those feelings, Duke Requiem. It will only weaken your faith" Vristhi said firmly. Lao felt sick and nauseous hearing it, yet he refrained from making it strong in the presence of the woman who filled the recesses of his heart.

"Vristhi, you still can't accept me?" ask Lao.

"No. My feelings for you have been dead since I betrayed you" Vristhi said as she turned to face the wall. "It's free that you keep maintaining that feeling just for a moment's gratification."

"Satisfaction for a moment you say? Dozens of years I have known you and in less than a month you have changed so far. What the hell happened to you?" lao snapped. Vristhi was silent, her back still facing Lao. Lao only snorted and turned around with an already wounded heart. He walked out of the room, unaware that tears of sadness were pouring down the eyes of the former archduchess. Vristhi knew what he did to her was the biggest mistake of his life, but he had no intention of retreating for the sake of ego. He was still standing upright, trying to cover up his weak side that was beginning to gnaw at his body.