How To End This Marriage-Chapter 184: Steel and Sand

"How did you know about all this?" the empress growled at Princess Sylvia.

"How did I know about all this? Mother, are you forgetting that I’m your daughter? And that I know you better than anyone?" the princess said.

"I know your attachment to the throne. I know your pushing nature to get it at any cost. But the way you left for the exploration with Father when Concubine Feng Mei was pregnant clearly indicates how much you’ve tried to hide the fact that you’re aware of the concubine’s plotting. As I know you’re not planning to give birth again any time soon," the princess said, looking at the empress from head to toe.

"You’re really getting on my nerves. If you weren’t my daughter, I would eliminate you right here," the empress said, chewing her teeth.

"Ha! Eliminate me? As if you haven’t eliminated any children before," the princess laughed, making the empress lose her face color.

"What did you say? Repeat what you said!" the empress’s voice slightly raised.

"Don’t act like you don’t know what I just said. I know you heard it well, but you’re just acting like you don’t know, hoping I’ll make you realize what you’ve done, Mother," the princess said.

"I don’t understand what you’re trying to say. I’m going to my chamber," the empress tried to turn back, but the princess stopped her.

"You don’t understand what I’m trying to say? Okay, I’ll let you understand," the princess said and walked forward.

"So, Mother, you must remember the day when I was playing with the wooden sword on the ground while you were observing me. All of a sudden, you had a stomach ache."

"I got worried and went to get the doctor to stay near you. As I returned with him, he helped you sit down and started examining you. Soon, he smiled and said, ’Empress, you are once again going to be a mother.’"

"Remember, Mother? Or do I need to remind you more properly?" the princess said, looking at the empress’s face.

"How do you remember all this?" the empress stuttered.

"I haven’t said everything, Mother. So, let me finish this."

"The moment the doctor said you were going to be a mother, and it was going to be a boy this time, your face color changed. It turned pale because you didn’t want a crown prince for the empire. You hurried and gave the doctor your emerald necklace and said, ’Go away from this place and never appear before me again, or I will not know who you are. And you better not slip what you just said to anyone.’ You made him run away from this empire," the princess said.

"I was watching the scene all the time. And the other day, I heard you had severe bleeding, making me realize you killed your own child," the princess said.

"Silence, Sylvia!" the Empress roared, silencing the princess’s voice.

"For how long can you silence me, Mother? A day? A week? A year? The truth will emerge, whispered on the wind, carried by birdsong. Everyone will know, and you will lose both the throne and your freedom, ending just like Concubine Feng Mei. On that day, I will celebrate with a heart unburdened." The princess spoke with steely resolve.

"Now leave," she said, teeth clenched. "Speak of these things again, and I will be the one to ensure your downfall."

The Empress, face thunderous, stormed out.

"Oh, to have spoken the truth the day I discovered it," the princess whispered, the creak of the door snapping her back to reality.

"Who’s there!" she cried, brandishing her sword at the door.

A trembling maid hesitantly entered, eyes wide with fear. "P-princess, I... I heard what you said. I was waiting for your orders, but you didn’t call. Please forgive me for eavesdropping!"

The princess’s grip on the sword tightened. "Was anyone else there? Did anyone else hear?"

"No, Princess, only me! Please punish me! I shouldn’t have been there. I shouldn’t have listened. But I couldn’t just walk away... please, have mercy!" The maid fell to her knees, tears brimming in her eyes.

The princess sighed, anger tempered by reason. "No, it was an accident. But if this secret escapes your lips, it will be your undoing. Promise me you will remain silent."

"As you command, Princess. The secret dies with me." The maid, bowing deeply, retreated to guard the door, a terrified silence sealing her lips.

Moments later, the Emperor entered, his face etched with worry. "Sylvia, my child, I... I couldn’t rest easy after the news of the Concubine. These schemes, this scheming... it chills me to the bone. We are vulnerable, an open wound for any enemy to exploit."

"Yes! I know the deal is already struck, but I can’t find peace. This is the first time we’ve faced such scheming, and we have no idea who possesses our empire’s secrets. Predicting an attack from this blind spot is impossible." The Emperor said again.

"I know, Father," Princess Sylvia said, her voice firm despite the tremor in her hands. "That’s why I’ve already marshaled the army from every corner of the empire. The hidden entrance will slow them down, too, I believe."

"Sleep peacefully," she added, gently pushing the Emperor back towards his chambers. "I will handle this. The Tribal Empire will face my wrath alone."

Left to her own devices, sleep eluded Sylvia. She donned her armor, the cold metal biting into her skin as she ascended the mountain peak. A biting wind whipped her hair as she scanned the enemy’s distant empire through her binoculars.

"No movement," she muttered, a shiver running down her spine. "Could the concubine be lying? Are they using other tactics?"

She gripped her bow, firing an arrow north, then east, then south. Each time, silence met her. But as she aimed east again, a flicker of movement caught her eye. People rose from the sand, swarming towards the empire like locusts.

"Emergency!" she roared, her voice echoing through the mountain pass. "The empire is under attack!"

Below, the army scrambled. "What is it, Princess? What’s the emergency?" they shouted.

"They’re hidden," Sylvia explained, her voice tight with urgency. "They move beneath the sand, revealing themselves only when close. Sandhide. We have to attack before they reach the eastern gate!"

As the army prepared, Prince Maximus emerged from his chambers, sword glinting in the moonlight. "Ready, sister? We lead the charge."

"Let’s go!" Sylvia mounted her horse, her heart pounding. "Army forward!"

The enemy surged from the sand, a dark tide of steel. Sylvia’s voice rang out, "Attack!" and the armies clashed, a wave of clashing metal and hoarse screams.

"I’ll take the front," Maximus called, his horse a blur as he charged through the enemy ranks. "You take the flank!"

The battle raged, both sides bleeding heavily. "We have to break their line!" Sylvia roared, her voice hoarse. "Maximus, focus on the captain!"

With a final, desperate swing, Maximus severed the enemy leader’s head, sending shock through their ranks. "Subdue the second!" Sylvia cried, leaping from her horse and engaging the sub-captain in a fierce duel.

"Feng Mei betrayed the empire," she snarled, her blade singing a deadly song. "But you won’t succeed. Before you desecrate our land, I’ll make you beg for mercy!"

Her sword, slick with blood, slashed down, severing the sub-captain’s leg. He screamed, writhing in agony.

"Who else received the information?" Sylvia demanded, her eyes blazing. "Tell me, or you’ll face a fate worse than death!"

He spat defiance, but his eyes held fear. "Take him to the dungeons," she ordered, her voice cold as steel. "No food, no water. Let him suffer."

Exhausted, battered, but victorious, Sylvia surveyed the battlefield. The empire was safe, but at a heavy cost. As the sun peeked over the horizon, she knew the scars of this battle would linger long after the dust settled.

"We have won! We have won!" The cheers echoed across the empire as Princess Sylvia, blood-drenched but triumphant, entered the city.

"You saved the empire, my daughter," the Emperor declared, placing the crown of the crown princess upon her head. "Now, no doubt remains – you are the true heir. This will never be changed."

Sylvia felt a surge of pride, tinged with sadness for the fallen. "The heir deserves only my devotion, Your Highness. But knowing you’ve shared this news with the entire empire, I am truly glad."

The crowd roared their approval, hailing their new crown princess. Yet, the victory felt incomplete. "This may not be the end," Sylvia said. "The enemy hasn’t confessed everything. The information could be compromised. I must carefully interrogate the prisoner, using my knowledge and understanding to extract the truth."

The Emperor, impressed by his daughter’s resolve and strategic mind, granted her full access to the captured soldier. A smile, not so much creepy as determined, played on Sylvia’s lips.

As the princess looked at the empress, she could see unhappiness clouding her face upon receiving the crown princess title for Sylvia.