Valmira was seated on the chair placed close to the head of the table. The dining room was silent, no bustling of the servants, no sound of the cutlery. The aroma of freshly made breakfast filled the air, but it lay on the table, untouched. She clenched her fists in her lap, her knuckles turning white with the force. She glanced sharply at the maid who stood near the wall behind her with her head hung low and her hands clasped in front of her.
"What is taking him so long? Didn't you inform him that I am waiting?" Valmira hissed.
The maid recoiled at her Empress's severe tone. Stammering, she replied, "I conveyed your message, your Grace; the prince will arrive soon."
Valmira tapped her feet impatiently, her jaw clenched tightly. She stood up, "I will check on him myself!"
The maid panicked, she stepped forward, "Your grace, please wait for just a few more minutes, your highness will be here…."'
The door to the dining area opened, revealing Arzoth dressed in his usual royal attire and a small child, around a year old, in the prince's arms, dressed in fine cotton clothes. The child had a small horn on the right side of her head, which had begun to emerge. A testament to her demonic roots.
Valmira narrowed her eyes at the Arzoth and Arisa, her fists still clenched at her sides.
Arzoth looked down at Arisa,
"She is growing up so fast. It took her 24 hours to reach the growth of one year."
"Also, I don't understand why she wanted to accompany me here. Anyway, I need to focus on the Empress for now."
Arzoth looked at Valmira, his smile gave nothing away, and he knew that this would take a while.
Valmira returned his smile with her own, which didn't quite reach her eyes. She signaled for the maid to leave. When she was certain that there was no one else to overhear her, she didn't give a second glance at the child and said to Arzoth, "Have a seat, Arzoth."
The prince nodded and sat down opposite Valmira with Arisa on his lap, The demon princess looked at the empress warily as Valmira took her seat.
The Empress picked up her cutlery and picked at her food with effortless poise. Looking up, she noticed the way Arzoth mushed the fruits on his plate with the help of his spoon and fork. Her lips tightened as he avoided his appetite and spoon-fed the half-demon instead. She cleared her throat and said, "Arzoth, why is Evren here? Alive? And why is this half breed here?" Her voice was a low grumble as she pressed on with her last words.
Arzoth did not look up, nor did he stop feeding Arsia. "I assume Rehn told you that Evren is strong enough to handle a few bandits, mother."
Valmira narrowed her eyes, "How did you know that I sent those bandits? And about Rehn? I don't remember telling you."
"The bandits told me about Rehn, and I assumed that you must have sent them, who would otherwise," Arzoth explained.
The empress took a moment to collect herself. "And this half-demon? Why is she here, Arzoth?"
"Because I brought her here."
"Why is that!?"
Arzoth frowned and looked up at Valmira, "Why won't I? She is my daughter."
Valmira's eyes widened, and her jaw twitched. "Are. You. Insane?" She looked at Arisa, who was now picking at the mashed fruit messily. "It was just a means to an end!" She looked at Arzoth again, "And that end never came! The demons didn't assassinate Evren, and when I sent the bandits to do so, they returned empty-handed! And what do we gain from all this? Nothing! We didn't do this for a demon child; we did it so that you can take over the throne, so that YOU! can rule over this kingdom, not that Evren!"
Valmira leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes, restricting the last of her composure from slipping away. She opened her eyes again to meet Arzoth's and said in a practiced, reassuring voice, "What happened, happened, now take this child and send her away with some soldier to where she came from, before the emperor knows about it, and I will make sure Evren doesn't dig up those bandits. I don't want any more scandals." She sighed, as if trying to calm her anxious mind.
Arzoth smiled, "Arisa will stay here with me, she is not going anywhere. At least, not anytime soon."
"In the novel, Arzoth would have agreed to Valmira blindly, without hesitation, and so Valmira never faced trouble in convincing him. But this sudden denial from me right now will leave her with no choice but to use her skill of manipulation."
"The fact that she unlocked it just yesterday and decided to have this conversation with me today, that only means that she already knew that I would keep Arisa with me. Maybe, she sensed it the moment she saw Arisa and Skor with me."
"I am not sure how strongly her skill will affect me. This unknown is the biggest threat."
Valmira's eyes widened; she never expected her son to disobey her orders. She looked at Arzoth with a shocked gaze, only for it to narrow with fury. Her eyes sparkled with an intensity she had never felt, her fists clenched tighter, her nails digging into her palms. Her blue eyes glowed a deep color.
A blue screen appeared in front of Arisa, only for her vision this time.
[System]
[Warning: Manipulation Skill Level 98 detected from Valmira Draven]
The screen disappeared.
"She is using her skill, just don't say anything or else you'll dig your own grave," Arisa whispered discreetly to Arzoth.
Valmira said, "Are you disobeying me? Your mother? You have always been an idiot! Do you realize, if Evren or the emperor gets any smell of this assassination attempt, what will be the consequences for us? How difficult will it be for you to become the crown prince?! And especially with this creature in here." Her eyes darted towards Arisa briefly. "I don't trust that demon queen and this child. I can see that this child is growing up fast. It won't be long until Sarina arrives here, and God forbid if she reveals everything to the emperor or Evren."
"You will send this child to the place where she belongs. Do you understand me?"
Arzoth remained still as he stared at Valmira, considering every word that came from her mouth.
"Why do I feel like she is telling the truth? That I should leave Arisa and take the throne instead?"
"No! What am I thinking?!"
"I am doing everything for your welfare alone, Arzoth. Your mother will never do anything that will harm your success." She spoke.
"No, what am I thinking!?.... Nonetheless, she is right, it is all for my welfare, she will never think of my failure."
Arisa looked up at Arzoth, sensing his hesitation, she elbowed him, but it was no use. He stayed still, like a statue. Arisa sighed softly as she realized that the prince had been affected by the Empress's manipulation skill. "Idiot," She muttered to herself.
A sudden, confident, and steady voice pierced through the room, gathering everyone's attention.
Skor leaned against the doorframe of the entrance, his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes scanned the scene before him, before a small smile spread across his features as he spoke calmly,
"Need help?"