ITIF Chapter 13

The False Oracle

“An oracle……. What was its content?”

At the mention of an oracle, the Emperor’s expression became quite serious. The Empress also looked surprised, widening her eyes as she gazed at the High Priest.

“This oracle was related to the future of the Empire…….”

When the High Priest hesitated without immediately speaking, the Emperor pressed him.

“Speak up.”

The Empress also chimed in.

“Yes. High Priest, please tell His Imperial Majesty the contents of the oracle without hiding anything, in full detail.”

Only after the Emperor nodded did the High Priest finally open his mouth.

“Then I shall tell you exactly what I saw and heard. And…… actually, there is something I must confess first.”

“…….”

“I too deliberated considerably whether I should convey this content to you……. It seems the previous High Priest misunderstood the contents of the previous oracle…….”

“Misunderstood the oracle?”

“What do you mean by that, High Priest?”

The High Priest let out a light sigh and said,

“You both would remember the contents of the previous oracle, wouldn’t you?”

“Of course. It said that if His Imperial Majesty’s first child was a prince, that child would…… target His Majesty’s life. But are you saying that was a misunderstanding?”

The Empress spoke while gauging the Emperor’s reaction, but the Emperor seemed relatively unconcerned.

Contrary to the oracle’s warning, the Emperor’s first child born to the previous Empress had been a princess. Not a prince who would target the Emperor’s life.

“It appears that the gender of the child in that oracle was reversed.”

At the High Priest’s following statement, the Emperor’s brow furrowed sharply.

“What?”

Then the Emperor struck the armrest of his chair with a loud thud.

‘……!’

Giselle Grante slightly flinched at the Emperor’s unexpected violent action.

She nearly cried out in surprise, but fortunately managed to cover her mouth just in time, avoiding detection of her hiding place.

“I apologize, Your Imperial Majesty. But I am merely fulfilling my role of conveying the messages that God tells me, so please quell your anger…….”

The Empress gently stroked the agitated Emperor’s hand and said,

“How could such a thing happen, misinterpreting an oracle……. I fully understand Your Majesty’s anger. But the previous High Priest has already passed away, and there’s no one left to question about this matter. So wouldn’t future choices be more important than dwelling on the past?”

“So is that what this oracle that has come down is about? That the previous High Priest misinterpreted the oracle?”

At the Emperor’s question, the High Priest nodded and continued,

“So it’s actually a good thing.”

“A good thing?”

“If Her Imperial Highness the First Princess had continued to live…… you would have had to consider her dethronement. If the investiture ceremony had proceeded as planned, the situation would have been even more difficult to handle.”

“Hmm…….”

The Emperor, who had been silently glaring somewhere as if organizing his thoughts, finally spoke.

“Truth be told, Trinity was not material for an emperor.”

Giselle Grante quietly clenched her fists while trying to steady her increasingly rough breathing.

“Though it’s inappropriate to say such things when someone has died under unfortunate circumstances, I was actually thinking the same thing, Your Majesty.”

The Empress immediately agreed with the Emperor’s words.

“You, Empress? You were overprotective to an excessive degree, and cherished Trinity as if she were your own daughter.”

“Though she wasn’t a child I bore from my own womb, she followed me well. I truly liked Trinity too. Despite various efforts, her conduct wasn’t entirely proper but…….”

The Empress’s eyes welled up with tears as she lowered her gaze, and the Emperor patted her shoulder with a light sigh.

Knock, knock.

Just then, the sound of knocking was heard, followed by a voice.

“Your Majesty, it’s Joshua.”

The Emperor looked at the Empress and asked,

“Empress, did you summon him?”

The Empress shook her head as if she knew nothing about it.

“Perhaps he came looking for us after noticing we weren’t in the memorial service waiting room? Let’s have him come in for now.”

At the Empress’s words, the Emperor answered without much consideration.

“Come in.”

Joshua entered the High Priest’s office and looked at the three people with a somewhat puzzled expression.

Then he let out a quiet sigh and approached the Empress.

“Please don’t be too sad, Your Imperial Majesty the Empress. Though it was indeed a very sad event…… my sister has gone to a good place first and will be waiting for us there.”

“Yes, that must be so……. A good child like Trinity would have gone to heaven, not hell.”

The Empress nodded while sniffling, and Joshua wiped her wet cheeks with a handkerchief he took from his chest.

“Her Imperial Highness the First Princess has gone to God’s side, so she will be happy there.”

“That must be so. Of course.”

“Then do you plan to let the scheduled investiture ceremony pass by as is? It’s truly regrettable. We’d have to wait at least another 2 years for such an auspicious day to come again…….”

At the High Priest’s meaningful words, the Emperor slightly furrowed his brow and spoke.

“High Priest.”

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.”

“Should I interpret this oracle that has come down to mean that there are absolutely no disqualifying factors for Joshua as the Empire’s Crown Prince?”

Joshua and the Empress quickly turned their heads toward the Emperor.

“Your, Your Majesty?”

“Making such a quick decision…… would that be alright?”

At the Empress’s question, the High Priest interjected.

“Princess Trinity’s investiture ceremony as Crown Princess was set for the most auspicious day according to celestial movements. But if we pass that day, we’d have to wait at least another 2 years for good fortune to arrive. So for stabilizing the unsettled Empire, I believe it would be right to decide on a successor quickly.”

The Emperor nodded as if he shared the same thought.

After the four people continued discussing the Crown Prince investiture ceremony for some time, they rose from their seats when the chamberlain came to announce the start of the memorial service.

After the Emperor and Joshua left the office first, the Empress turned to the High Priest and made a remark.

“As long as Joshua remains well, High Priest, your position will also remain secure.”

“I will trust only in Your Imperial Majesty the Empress.”

At their conversation, the corners of Giselle Grante’s mouth twisted upward.

‘The previous oracle was wrong?’

What a remarkably convenient coincidence.

Just days after her death, the fact that the previous oracle was wrong was revealed. And on top of that, the final words the Empress gave to the High Priest.

This added certainty to her suspicions.

That she had lost in the succession struggle. That she had been murdered.

She had already known this from considering who would benefit most from Princess Trinity’s death…….

Even knowing it couldn’t be true, she had sometimes hoped deep down that the Empress’s smiles, affection, and kindness shown to her had been genuine.

But she was forced to realize once again that it had all been nothing but lies.

****

“Lindsey, it’s me. I’m coming in.”

Perhaps having fallen asleep, Lindsey rubbed her eyelids as she opened the door.

Then she peeked her head out and looked left and right down the corridor before drawing Giselle Grante inside.

“Miss, where on earth have you been?”

“I was curious about the inside the temple, so I just wandered around here and there.”

“What would you have done if you’d been caught…….”

Lindsey pouted with worry evident in her voice. Giselle Grante, who had quickly thrown off the priest’s robes, smiled and looked back at Lindsey.

“Lindsey, could you fix my hair?”

Though grumbling, Lindsey obediently complied with Giselle Grante’s request.

“Yes.”

After tidying her disheveled hair and fixing her makeup, Giselle Grante left the place.

“The memorial service seems about to start. Let’s hurry.”

Lindsey held the priest’s robes that Giselle Grante had taken off and looked around the interior.

“Yes. Let’s go out quickly.”

Then she draped the priest’s robes over her arm and hurriedly followed behind her.

“Why are you taking those with you?”

“Can’t I keep them as a souvenir?”

Lindsey asked with an innocent face, and after briefly considering, Giselle Grante nodded.

“Do as you wish.”

When Giselle Grante and Lindsey re-entered the grand hall of the great temple, the Emperor was giving a eulogy on the platform.

Behind him sat the Empress, the High Priest, and Joshua.

Right in front of the platform sat the high nobles, behind them the lower nobles, and at a considerable distance from them stood the commoners.

Giselle Grante positioned herself near one of the massive pillars supporting the great temple.

“As this is a place to honor Princess Trinity, who met an unfortunate death…….”

Even after briefly praying for Trinity’s soul, the Emperor’s eulogy continued.

It spoke of how Baron Oppenheimer’s daughter who assassinated a member of the royal family and her family would be made an example of, and furthermore that the Empire would remain safe and prosperous.

And Giselle Grante could tell that the words that followed were the true purpose of the eulogy.

While the eulogy for Trinity’s death was very brief, he delivered a lengthy speech about the Empire’s revival and stability.

Clap, clap, clap clap clap-.

When the Emperor’s eulogy ended, everyone in the great temple gave a standing ovation.

Having finished his eulogy, the Emperor sat in the central seat on the platform.

This time, the Empress rose and stood in the center of the platform.

She wiped away some tears before beginning her eulogy. But its content wasn’t much different from the Emperor’s.

As Giselle Grante stood at a distance, quietly watching that disgusting performance, a shadow fell across her face.

When she turned her head toward the person, Giselle Grante’s lips parted slightly.

“We meet again in such a place?”

Kavelaseth was standing beside her.

“Indeed, we…… meet again.”

Giselle Grante tried to hide her reluctant expression and turned her head forward.

Fortunately, Kavelaseth also didn’t speak to her further.

And when the eulogy was nearing its end, the Empress suddenly turned her head toward Joshua.

“Next…….”

Then she extended her hand toward Joshua and said,

“There will be a eulogy from the Crown Prince.”

“……!”

At her bombshell announcement, murmuring rose in the previously quiet great temple.

“A eulogy from the Crown Prince – this makes it clear who the next Emperor will be.”

“I expected as much, but I didn’t think they’d announce it this quickly…….”

Whispered conversations could be heard from various places.