Chapter Text
‘ The moment he strayed from you, he was already a fool.’
‘ If you divorce the Emperor, you’re no longer the Empress. I’m afraid you’ll fall apart then.’
Those words rang in Navier’s head a little too clearly for her liking all around her.
Kaufman was right.
Putting Rashta in the Empress’ seat?! Had Sovieshu lost his mind?!
These thoughts violently rattled in her head as she walked through the streets of Whilmol, glancing once to a place she had gone to eat with Heinrey only a year before.
‘ How much times have changed since then…’
The Empress wished she could return back to the past, that security, but she couldn’t and she wasn’t feeling hungry enough to even try to pretend, powering past it to the Magical Academy to meet with Everly.
The poor girl had lost her magical abilities and was absolutely devastated, and Navier felt like she was in her same shoes, she didn’t know how to comfort the young girl, holding the young child sobbing in her arms.
‘ Just like Everly… I am losing my power… I have nowhere to turn to.’
The more she thought about it, the further into despair she fell.
‘ If I am no longer the Empress… What will I have left?’
She felt frozen in her place as her mind drew blanks, not coming back until the trembling young girl in her arms stilled, having fallen asleep crying.
‘ What purpose did my life carry when all of it was to become Empress? What do I have after that?’
She tucked in the child, her mind far off in other places, leaving the room quietly.
Discussions of what Everly can do now that she no longer has mage powers had to be done as soon as possible for the poor girl's sake.
Navier found herself wandering the grounds of the Magical Academy, lost in thought as Artina and her knights trailed behind at a distance, concerned.
‘ What can I do for myself when I will be removed from the place where I could help my people?
What will happen to the Kingdom while I am no longer there?
What will happen to me?
To Koshar?
To my Family?’
Trembling hands fisted her dress as she paused in the middle of one of the Academy fields, despair washing over her.
What was she going to do?
“ Empress?”
Navier lifted her head, looking to the source of the voice, surprise almost knocking her over as she looked up to see Kaufman.
Was this a hallucination of some kind?
Was she so desperate for a way out she was imagining things now?
The thought was dismissed as he bowed to her respectfully.
“ I did not expect to see you here Empress.”
“ Kaufman.” She found herself watching him bow, giving a small bow of her own head in acknowledgement, eyes trailing him, taking in the fabric wrapped around him and slung over his shoulder, which was green like her eyes, “ What brings you to Whilmol?”
“ The potion.” The taller male confessed, his cheeks dusted a dark red, “ I have come to the Academy where I have graduated to see about the cure, I have tried many antidotes from Rit and yet none have worked.
You have not left my mind since I had left you in the Eastern Kingdom.
I had also come to see if we could establish trade with the Western Kingdom, as they are the closest aside from the Eastern Kingdom.”
The trade deal…
Something before she had worked so hard on, before Kaufman defended her from Sovieshu’s unreasonable demands with physical violence, causing the trade deal to be dissolved.
Remembering the punch, she could no longer feel the guilt that she had felt when it had initially happened.
He wanted to have a legitimate child with Rashta so much that he would divorce her to marry someone who wasn’t even close to being qualified?
Love really did make people do stupid things.
“ I see.” She murmured.
“ Things are still not right where you are?” Kaufman extrapolated from the look on her face.
“ You were right.” Navier answered softly, “ You were right, what am I to do when I am no longer the Empress?”
A silence stretched between the two of them.
“ The Emperor is… Leaving you?”
“ Yes, just as you predicted.” The blond murmured.
There was no point in beating around the bush with the Duke, and he gave her honesty in return.
“ I should feel happy. Happy that I was right, that there can be a possibility that you could be mine.
But all I can feel is an ache in my heart only imagining the pain that you are going through.
That you are unhappy.” The silver-haired male confessed as his hands were clenched into fists,
“ What are you going to do?”
Being asked that Navier didn’t have an answer for him.
Emotions were swirling inside her.
She wanted to be Empress, she wanted to stay as Empress, she was so good at that.
But she knew that it was closed away from her right as they spoke.
So what was the best option that she could see before her?
“ … You said you would take me away.
Can… Can you take me away?”
The Duke watched her before turning away, pressing the back of his hand to his lips and she watched the tips of his ears turn red.
She knew he was conflicted.
It was a while before, but the note they had left on made it clear she didn’t want him risking his life for her over a potion.
And now here she was, taking the leap of her life to get away from the humiliation that was being brought upon her, to get away from the devastation that turning her world upside down would do.
“ If it is as you desire, I will make preparations.” He answered softly, the look on his face contained, “ Empress, as I have said before… I will make sure you are only surrounded by good things, anything you could ever want.
But…”
Navier watched as he took her hand, placing his forehead onto it rather than kissing it as she was used to.
“ I will make it my mission to put you somewhere you will feel accepted, and can accomplish whatever you want.
You have my word, potion or no.”
She watched him, feeling her heart squeeze in alarm.
“ I will hold you to your word Kaufman.
Give me time.
I have preparations to make of my own.”