Stepmothers Are Not Always Evil

Chapter 118 “The western border? Why there?”“It’s Your Majesty’s order.”I stopped in front of Helios as I watched the back of Helios, who was arranging the scattered papers on the desk without even changing his clothes.“No.”“Lena.”“It’s a trap. You know that.”It’s no secret to anyone in the Empire how serious the situation is on the western border.To be asked to defend a place that was ruined by a monster attack a few months ago.When she shook her head saying no, Helios smiled bitterly.“I know, but I have to go, it’s Your Majesty’s order.”“Helios.”“It’s okay.”Helios put down the papers he was organizing and pressed his lips to my anxious forehead.“Don’t worry. Nothing will happen.”“How can you guarantee that?”“Can’t you believe me?”“I believe you, but you can’t trust the Emperor.”The western border is an area that has been damaged by monsters for a long time.It was evidence that the last frontier was dead, leaving the large territory unattended decades ago.There is no way the Emperor did not consider the aftermath of sending Helios to such a place.It must have been done on purpose.It is certain that Helios would never come back alive.“Tell him you can’t go. You can say that it is difficult to deal with monsters because of the injuries you suffered while saving the Emperor last time.”“Lena.”Helios took a deep breath and hugged me tightly.The heat seeped through the cold, damp hem of his clothes.As I bit my lip as if I was about to burst into tears, Helios continued to speak in a soft voice.“I had to run into it once anyway. I think your Majesty gave me a reason.”“That’s when you returned safely.”“…….”I lifted my head and looked up at him.The monster subjugation that Escal experienced in the original was unspeakably terrible.Countless people lost their lives due to being torn from their bodies by monsters, and those who survived either starved to death for lack of food or died while looting.And even if Escal survived, there is no guarantee that Helios will be safe.Helios, who was looking down at me anxiously, suddenly overlapped my lips.I closed my eyes at the familiar touch between my lips.It was a short kiss, unlike usual. As soon as I lifted my eyelids, he gently stroked my hair.“I will come back safely without a single injury.”“…….”“I never failed.”“…….”“Trust me.”The corners of Helios’ eyes curved softly. My heart, which had been pounding, suddenly regained its beat.In my opinion, if Helios comes out like this, there is no room for me to stop him, even if he pretends to think about it for once.If he goes forward even though he knows it’s a dangerous thing, he must have calculated that he has a chance of winning.I swallowed everything I was about to say, not wanting to make him uncomfortable with my stubbornness if it was the way to go.“… You need to come back as soon as possible.”“I’ll be back before spring comes.”Soft lips touched mine once more.I just hugged him tightly without saying a word. ***** The front yard of the Duke’s Castle was crowded with carriages loaded with luggage, food and armed knights.After two days of preparation, Helios, who was about to go on a mission, looked as calm as a person on a journey.“Duke, please, hic, be careful, be careful.”Mrs. Rotney, who had begun to cry as soon as she heard the news of the departure, burst into tears again with her swollen eyes.Helios smiled and tapped the woman’s shoulder lightly.“I will be back. Please take good care of Lena and Escal.”“The two of them, I’ll take good care of them, hic, don’t worry and come back safely.”The servants who watched with the sad sobs also wiped the corners of their eyes.After saying goodbye to Mrs. Rotney, Helios’ gaze turned to me.I smiled and waved to him.“Come back safely.”“I will be back.”I said goodbye enough last night, so no further goodbyes were needed.So was he. Helios, who put his lips to my forehead, looked down at Escal, who was holding my hand, and said,“While I’m away, listen to my mother and stay healthy.”“Yes.”“You have to protect your mother instead of me. Understand?”“Yes. Goodbye, Father.”Escal replied bravely and bowed his back.Helios lightly messed up Escal’s hair and got on the horse.He pretended to be calm, but eyes full of regret turned to me.I responded to that gaze with a bright smile.“You must leave now.”The last eye contact didn’t last long.Helios kicked the horse on the back at the commander’s urging.I stared endlessly at his back as he left the Duke’s Castle.  ***** “You send the Duke of Anthemion to the western border?”Clank, the knives put down roughly hit the plate and fell to the floor.The emperor motioned for the servant who picked up the knife to leave.“Well, they said he left a few days ago.”“The Duke of Anthemion is not someone who will take orders lightly….”“He knows that if he defies the imperial order, he will be labeled a traitor.”One way or another, if it’s difficult to save your life, you’ll have to save even a meal.The Empress rolled her eyes at the Emperor’s remarks.If you reject the order, you become a traitor, but if you die on the western border, you become a hero.Anyone but an idiot would choose the latter.‘But what if it’s not both?’After rinsing her mouth with wine, the Empress slowly opened her mouth.“When he comes back safely, how are you going to deal with him?”“That’s why I didn’t send the Imperial Knights Commander.”The Emperor wiped his mouth with a napkin and said. The Empress’s eyes widened.“You don’t mean…?”“Unexpected situations can happen at any time during the war. Even small mistakes can have unfortunate consequences. But what happened in battle is not held accountable.”“I see what you mean.”If you’ve crossed the river of no return, it’s neat to get rid of it.The latter could have been greater if we weighed the benefits of obtaining the Duke of Anthemion and the benefit of removing the Duke of Anthemion.The Duke Anthemion is the leader of the Empire, but without him, there are many people who can replace him.“Given the timing, I’m thinking of reinstating the Duke of Eton.”“Are you going to release Tony?”The Empress asked with a smirk.“It is difficult to release him right now, so we have to commute the sentence and see the situation and give him back his dukedom.”“Is brother Gail still alive?”“—Adela.”While eating, Adela suddenly interrupted the conversation. Princess Viola frowned and gave her a glance.“I didn’t hear any news, so I thought he was going to jail with uncle. Or not.”Adela nodded, dipped a piece of meat into her mouth.The Empress, who gently wiped her eyes at the youngest daughter, continued the conversation again.“I’ve heard that with Tony gone, the situation for Haley and Gail became unbelievably difficult. All their relatives have turned their backs on them, and they have no place to turn to.”“Well. So we have to hurry.”Prince Frederick, who had been silently listening to the Emperor’s answer, opened his mouth carefully.“If you dispose of Duke Anthemion like that and release uncle, wouldn’t the aristocrats be outraged?”“No worries. That’s why I’m sorting everything out one by one.”The Empress received the Emperor’s word.“Fred, nobles are like grains of sand. Usually they pretend to be united, but if they think it’s a loss to them, they scatter without any regrets.”She smiled at Frederick.“That’s why it’s so important that we don’t let them clump together, and you’ll have to watch how your majesty handles this.”“Yes.”Prince Frederick answered calmly. The Emperor raised his glass of wine with satisfaction.“By the way, I’m thinking of having Fred’s ceremony soon.”“Fred ceremony?”“I’ve been listening to the Marquis of Melks, and I don’t think we should let it go.”“Won’t Count Turner object?”“He’ll be deposed within a month.”The Empress smiled.“You thought well. Even so, I got an answer to the marriage talk I put into the kingdom a while ago, but the response wasn’t good because we didn’t hold the acknowledgement ceremony.”“Hmm.”“Even the ladies seem to be subtly ignoring the fact that we didn’t hold the ceremony for Fred. We only didn’t hold the ceremony, but He is a true Crown Prince, how upset it was…. Fred would have feel the same, too. Isn’t that right, Fred?”“I… Yes.”Prince Frederick nodded timidly.The Emperor said, wriggling his thick eyebrows.“Don’t worry.I will arrange a very grand ceremony for the Crown Prince.”