The palace gates slowly opened, and a crowd of nobles and ministers poured inside.
Supported by servants, Aubrey slowly approached the throne and sat down steadily.
As soon as the nobles and ministers entered, they began their daily quarrels.
It seemed that every day they had a pile of matters that needed to be reported to the emperor.
But among all of them, the matter most worth paying attention to was still the second prince being beaten.
A prince being injured was not something that could be hidden no matter what.
Several ribs had been broken…
That could already be considered an assassination.
The nobles simply set aside their own affairs and began discussing the prince's injury.
"This matter must be thoroughly investigated!"
"The prince's dignity concerns the authority of the entire royal family!"
The old emperor rested one elbow on the armrest, propping his face with his fist.
He quietly watched the ministers below arguing nonstop.
Looking somewhat bored.
But very soon, a report caught Aubrey's attention.
"Your Majesty! Count Viktor's residence has been demolished…"
This matter had practically become the talk of the entire royal capital.
Count Viktor, no less, and also a council member.
Powerful, decisive in his actions, and yet his house had been torn apart by someone.
It truly exceeded everyone's expectations.
Thinking back, the last time news spread of someone's home being destroyed was when Viktor tore down Jace Lesser's residence.
That incident forced the Lesser family to publicly submit to the Clavenna family and pay compensation.
And Jace himself directly left the royal capital and never dared to return.
But that wasn't the focus. The ministers below continued their report.
"After his residence was destroyed, Count Viktor and his family are preparing to return to Braeston."
Braeston, that was Viktor's territory.
Upon hearing this news, many nobles let out sighs of relief.
To be honest, they themselves didn't really know why.
But just hearing the name Viktor made them feel an oppressive pressure.
After all, in just a few months' time, Viktor had gone from infamous to universally respected in only a few months.
With him around, all the geniuses in the royal capital would be completely overshadowed.
Now that they heard Viktor was leaving the capital, many people finally relaxed.
Hearing this news, the emperor merely nodded casually and said nothing more.
The emperor had not spoken for a long time, making the atmosphere in the palace feel extremely heavy.
The ministers also fell silent.
Only then did they realize that today's emperor seemed somewhat off.
Finally, Aubrey spoke.
His first words were a question directed at the ministers below.
"Where is Owiser? Has he woken up?"
A minister quickly stepped forward upon hearing the question and reported to the emperor, "Your Majesty, His Highness the Second Prince has already regained consciousness. His injuries are basically under control, but he still needs rest."
Aubrey nodded and straightened his posture.
"Bring Owiser here. Tell him..."
"There is someone who wants to see him."
"Yes."
After receiving the order, a guard hurried away.
The other nobles and ministers looked at one another, unable to understand what the emperor was planning to do.
'Why would His Majesty summon the seriously injured Owiser?'
Not long after, the guard pushed a wheelchair and brought Owiser into the hall.
The severely injured Owiser had his chest wrapped in bandages, looking utterly miserable.
"Father…"
When he first entered, he tried to stand and salute the emperor, but the pain in his body made him unable to move. He could only give a bitter smile.
Seeing the second prince in this state, Aubrey waved his hand indifferently.
"Formalities are unnecessary."
"Give him a seat."
Servants brought over a chair, and the guards moved the second prince onto it.
Owiser sat heavily in the chair and then faced the emperor again.
"Thank you, Father."
The emperor turned to look at Owiser and asked, "Owiser, how many years has your mother been away from the palace?"
The second prince was a bit confused, but still answered.
"Father, she has been gone for sixteen years."
Aubrey leaned back in his chair, letting out a sigh.
"Is that so? Sixteen years."
"Then, have you ever thought about her?"
This time, the second prince was completely stunned.
His mother had been gone for sixteen years. To be honest, he had almost forgotten what she looked like.
Let alone still harboring any feelings for her.
But his father was asking in front of a crowd of nobles and ministers.
Thinking this, his expression immediately grew a little more bitter.
His slightly furrowed brows seemed to convey the pain of longing.
"My mother has been gone for sixteen years. During that time, I have always missed her."
"I constantly wish that life could return to how it once was."
Hearing this, Aubrey burst out laughing, though it was hard to tell whether the laughter was joy or mockery.
"Is that so?"
He sat up straight again and, under the bewildered gazes of the ministers, spoke unhurriedly, "Claudia, come and see your child."
At the sound of this name, the entire hall fell silent.
Everyone froze, especially the second prince. His facial muscles stiffened completely, and only his eyes remained wide open.
Under everyone's gaze, a woman slowly walked out from the passage beside the throne.
She wore luxurious robes adorned with golden threads. Emeralds with a thin, flowing glow were inlaid along the hem, while golden earrings and bracelets shimmered as well.
Several maids followed behind her, their heads lowered in respect.
An aura of elegance and nobility radiated from her body, and the crown atop her head gleamed brilliantly under the sunlight.
She stood beside the emperor, lowered her head, and looked at the second prince with a gentle smile, speaking softly, "It's been a long time."
"My child."
When the nobles saw Claudia, their faces were filled with shock.
Authority overflowed from Claudia's eyes, completely enveloping all the ministers present.
That presence, there was no mistaking it...
After fifteen years, the empress had actually returned.
The ministers stood there dumbfounded, staring at the empress with their mouths open, not a single one able to say a word.
Judging by age, the Claudia before them was already close to sixty, just like Aubrey.
Yet she still looked young, more like a woman in her thirties.
The most shocked of all was the second prince.
He sat on the chair, mouth agape, staring blankly at the noble woman before him.
That was his mother, Claudia.
He still remembered.
Back then, his father and mother were on bad terms, and his mother resolutely left the royal capital and the Empire.
That year, he was only fourteen.
And now, she had returned.
She returned with that same noble and elegant bearing, just as she had fifteen years ago.
"Mo… Mother?"
The second prince's voice trembled as he exclaimed in disbelief.
No one knew why Claudia had chosen to return only now.
But even after Claudia left, Emperor Aubrey had still kept the position of empress reserved for her.
Claudia walked closer to the second prince, circling around him a few times.
Her pupils slightly contracted, as if she were confirming something.
The second prince didn't quite understand her behavior.
To be honest, facing this long-absent woman, he didn't feel much emotion.
His heart was calm to the extreme.
Yet being looked at like this by Claudia made him feel an inexplicable sense of unease.
It felt as though steel spikes were piercing into his body again and again, painful, yet accompanied by a strange emptiness.
Claudia finally stopped in front of the second prince, reached out, and patted his shoulder.
"Take good care of your injuries, my child."
"We will continue to spend time together in the future."
After speaking, Claudia placed her hands before her skirt, lowered her brows slightly, and a dignified aura lingered around her.
Then she slowly bowed to Aubrey, turned around, and left.
Leaving the second prince sitting on the chair, his eyes fixed on Claudia's retreating figure as he watched her go.
———
The appearance of Claudia in the palace caused a huge uproar in the royal capital.
Streets and alleys were filled with discussions about it, and countless newspaper headlines were about "The Return of the Empire's Empress."
In just a short time, the news had spread throughout the entire noble circle.
After all, the empress's iron-fisted methods had left a deep impression on all the nobles.
She had personally sent her own family members to the execution platform.
The true culprit behind the annihilation of the entire Stock family.
Back then, after the empress personally purged the Stock family, she left the Empire and had been gone for fifteen years.
No one knew why she left the Empire after "upholding justice over family."
But at the time the empress left, another piece of news followed closely behind.
The emperor's other wife, the daughter of the Grand Duke of the Kingdom of Cant, died in childbirth after giving birth to Aurellian.
For a while, all suspicions were directed at Aubrey.
Likewise, no one knew
Why, in a single night, the emperor's two wives had both left him…
———
In the morning, Aurellian was taking a walk in the garden.
Every day she would come to the palace garden to adjust her mood, and at this time, there were usually no attendants following her.
But today was a little different.
While picking flowers, Aurellian sensed an unfamiliar presence approaching from behind.
She couldn't help but lift her head and turn around.
Behind her stood a woman dressed in luxurious attire, wearing a shining crown, smiling as she looked at her.
Wearing a crown… Aurellian paid special attention to that point.
But she didn't recognize the person in front of her.
Before she could ask, Claudia spoke first.
"You are Aurellian, aren't you?"
Hearing the gentle voice of the woman before her, Aurellian felt a sense of ease and nodded blankly.
"You are…?"
"You've probably never seen me."
Claudia walked over to Aurellian's side, looking at her with a gentle expression. She reached out and stroked her cheek.
In her eyes, there seemed to be a trace of nostalgia.
"So beautiful… you're even more beautiful than your mother."
Aurellian blinked.
'Mother?'
That word felt extremely distant to her.
Because ever since she was little, she had been told that her mother died in childbirth after giving birth to her.
As a result, she had never experienced maternal love and naturally had no real concept of a mother.
Yet the woman before her was gentle to an almost excessive degree.
Under the sunlight, there seemed to be a maternal glow shining around her.
Aurellian couldn't help but feel dazed.
If she were a mother… How would she treat her?
So she spoke up and asked, "Do you… know my mother?"
Claudia simply smiled, then said, "I don't just know your mother. I also know your father, your two older brothers."
"And your teacher, Viktor Clavenna."
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