The Evil Emperor's Fragile Heart

King Jaren kept his word. The next day, he led Mana, Raven and Jules, along with Grandpa and Grandma, to Queen Sora's chambers.

Queen Sora's maids and servants were clearly unwilling to let them through…but with the recent upheaval in the imperial palace, they were too scared to stand against the king.

"Her Majesty is unwell," one of the maids muttered.

"All the more reason for us to see her, then, isn't it?" Grandma said mildly. "After all, I am her mother."

Mana, Raven and Jules didn't know what conversation had taken place between Papa, Grandma and Grandpa – but it was clear from their attitude that Grandma and Grandpa would prioritise Jules's safety over everyone else. It was surely not easy for them…knowing one of their daughters had murdered the other and was now trying to murder her children as well.

The servants were too scared to make a ruckus, and thus, the group was led to the sitting room and Queen Sora appeared after a while.

Mana was startled at her first glance of the Queen. The original Mana had no memories of this aunt of hers – the number of times she had seen her in her entire life could be counted on the fingers of one hand. However, the book had always described her as a woman of great beauty and regal bearing – and so Mana was expecting an older, and perhaps more reserved version of the lovely Astra or a younger version of the elegant Grandma, with features similar to Grandpa and Grandma – both of whom were quite good-looking and had aged well.

Instead, Queen Sora appeared to be a stern woman with a pinched face with no hint of the grace and elegance of a queen. She had probably been pretty once…but years of evildoings and solitude had left their mark. Mana wondered idly if her beautiful Big Sister would also degenerate like this when she grew older.

"What can I do for you?" she asked them without preamble, not even bothering to greet them. There was no hint of happiness or excitement on her face at the sight of her long-lost parents.

Grandpa and Grandma sighed.

"Sora," King Jaren said quietly. "We know the truth."

"What truth are you referring to, my king?" Queen Sora asked with a frown.

Mana knew then exactly where Astra had inherited her top-notch acting skills from.

"The truth about what happened with Dora, Jules and Mana – in the past as well as now," King Jaren told her.

To her credit, Queen Sora didn't even flinch. "What has that got to do with me?" she asked. "I have always kept my distance from Mana, just as you asked me to at the time of her birth. As for Jules, I had no idea of his existence all these years." She narrowed her eyes at Jules, her amber eyes – like Grandpa's – flashing with hatred. "Is this the boy? He does look like you, for sure."

Mana moved closer to her Big Brother on instinct, trying to shield him from that vicious gaze. Jules patted her arm reassuringly.

Queen Sora's burning eyes fell on Mana, but Mana didn't back down, returning the glare with a fierce one of her own. It was not for nothing that Mana had been one of the topmost lawyers despite her young age – it wasn't so easy to intimidate her.

Failing to affect Mana, Queen's Sora's eyes moved to Grandpa and Grandma. "Father, Mother," she said flatly. "To think I mourned your death all these years in vain."

Grandpa gave her a cold smile. "Is that all you have to say, Sora?" he asked quietly.

Queen Sora raised an eyebrow. "What else could I say? Welcome back?"

"Shouldn't you at least be happy that your parents are still alive?" Mana couldn't resist speaking up. From her time spent with Grandma and Grandpa, she knew very well that the elderly couple loved both their daughters very much, despite her actions.

A bitter smile appeared on Queen Sora's face. "Should I be happy?" she murmured, almost to herself. "I wonder."

"Sora," King Jaren called. "Isn't it time for you to stop?"

"Stop what?" Queen Sora retorted.

King Jaren glared at her.

"You already killed Dora," Grandma cried, unable to hold herself back any longer. "Why must you target her children as well? You got what you wanted – you've already been the Queen of the Emerald Kingdom for ten years. Why do you still target Mana and Jules?"

Queen Sora burst out laughing. "Queen of the Emerald Kingdom? Have I been anything more than a prisoner in the imperial palace all these years?" Her voice was cold as ice. "My husband has always been convinced that I killed my sister to take her place – but have you ever found any proof? And yet you've punished me all these years in the cruellest way possible – you've granted me the title of your queen, but have you, for even a single moment, treated me as your wife, even though I gave you a daughter?"

King Jaren clenched his fists. "The only reason you're still alive is because Dora begged me to spare you," he growled. "Do you think you deserve to be my wife or to take Dora's place after what you did to us?"

"I was just a foolish little girl desperately in love with a handsome young man," Queen Sora said bitterly. "Wasn't that my only fault?"

"That handsome young man happened to be your brother-in-law," Grandpa said. "If you really did love him, you would have let him live his happy life with your sister instead of tearing them apart with your evil schemes."

"All of you keep blaming me," Queen Sora said. "If you are so sure that I'm such a despicable criminal, why haven't you put me on trial yet?"

Raven suddenly stepped forward and threw a handful of pinkish powder at Queen Sora's face.

She screamed loudly. "What's this?! What have you thrown at me, you poisonous brat?!"

"It won't harm you," Raven said lightly. "We just want to ask a few questions. It'll be fine as long as you answer truthfully."

"Did you kill Dora?" King Jaren asked.

"No," Queen Sora spat.

Everyone froze in shock.

"Did you ask someone else to kill Queen Dora?" Mana followed up. She wasn't a criminal lawyer herself, but she had learnt interrogation techniques in law school, and she'd been one of the toppers, after all.

Queen Sora struggled, clearly not wanting to answer. She was unable to say no, thanks to Raven's powder.

"Answer it!" King Jaren shouted.

Queen Sora coughed up blood, refusing to speak.

But they knew her answer clearly now.

"Were you the mastermind who planned Queen Dora's death?" Mana asked.

"No," Queen Sora replied, gasping for breath.

"Who is the mastermind?" Mana asked.

Queen Sora struggled again. Finally, she said, "Someone from the Amber Kingdom."

"Are they still alive?" Mana asked.

"Yes," Sora replied.

"Is it my half-brother, the current Duke?" Grandpa asked quietly.

Queen Sora tried to remain quiet, but then whispered, "Yes."

"Did you plan the volcanic eruption in Verdant Hills with him as well?" Mana continued.

Fear appeared on Queen Sora's face. "Yes," she murmured.

"Was your aide one of the array masters?"

"Yes."

"Is the other array master from the Amber Kingdom?"

"Yes."

"Who is it?"

"Prince Liam." Queen Sora seemed to have given up trying to struggle by now.

Mana frowned. If Liam was involved, didn't it mean that Prince Mars and Prince Astra were also involved?

"Did Prince Mars know about this?" she demanded.

"Yes."

"Did Princess Astra know about this?"

Queen Sora pursed her lips until she coughed up blood again.

King Jaren's face lost all colour. "Were you the one that planned to drown Mana in the lake a few months ago?" he asked.

"No," Queen Sora replied immediately.

"Do you know who did?" Mana followed up, unwilling to let the question remain open.

"Yes."

"Was it Princess Astra?"

Queen Sora struggled again, and then finally said, "Yes."

"Where did you get the Shadow Poison from?" Raven asked.

"Someone of the Obsidian Kingdom," Queen Sora said tiredly. "They claimed to be a part of the royal family of the Obsidian Kingdom. I don't know their name. I met them only once, when they came with Uncle to visit us."

"Man or woman?" Raven asked.

"I don't know," Queen Sora replied. "I didn't see their face. They were wearing a mask and their voice was a hoarse whisper disguised with magic. They were taller than me, but not as tall as Uncle. They wore dark robes and a billowing cloak, so I couldn't see their figure properly, either. Uncle told me to trust them and we got a maid to administer the Shadow Poison to Dora."

"Which maid?" Mana asked.

"Horth."

The one who had tried to kill Mana…and had been beheaded by Astra. Mana sighed.

"Why did you do all this?" Grandma asked.

Queen Sora sighed. "I just wanted him to love me."

"That would be your reason for killing my mother," Jules, who had remained silent until now, spoke up. "But in all these years, you've clearly learnt that Papa is never going to love you. Why did you still try to kill Mana and I?"

"Because you're Dora's children!" Queen Sora shouted, and rushed at Jules, a flame dagger appearing in her hand all of a sudden.