Caroline sat on the chair and asked, "Sit down, Young Master Hayden. Let's talk."
Hayden nodded and took a seat on the chair, opposite to Caroline's. He was confused why she would talk to him alone in her office.
"How's your father? Is his condition stable now?" asked Caroline.
Hayden's eyes quivered for a moment. He never thought that she would ask him about his father. With a deep breath, he answered, "No, Your Majesty. His condition isn't better. With time, his condition is getting worse. I don't even know what to do." His father was his pillar of support, without him... he was drifting like a stick floating on the water.
Caroline nodded solemnly. She could see that Hayden had a lot in his mind, yet he couldn't say anything.
Tapping on the table, Caroline said, "I can do something about it, Young Master Hayden. You do know that I am the saintess, right?"
Hayden was shocked. What? She would heal him? But why? His family was neutral. They never aligned with the empress's faction, nor with the prince's faction.
"Why? You would heal him?" Hayden's voice trembled. His voice held a tint of anticipation.
Caroline smiled, "Of course, but you know that I can't do something for free, right? If I healed him, he can live for almost up to age of sixty. So, what do you say?"
Hayden trembled as he heard her words. He knew that the empress was asking him something in return, if she healed his father. But... what could he give?
"Young Master, what do you think about Franklin?" Caroline smiled widely at Hayden, "Lady Mave chose him and discarded you like a used cloth, right? Do you love her?"
"I... did before... but now I don't know."
Clapping her hands, Caroline said, "Young Master, apart from you and your father, you have your mother and sister... who are very beautiful, right? Of course, their beauty pales in my presence, but still... they do have some values."
Hayden was confused.
Seeing his confused expression, Caroline sighed with pity. Her expression was agitating Hayden.
"Why is Your Majesty asking about them?" He was looking at her with a worried expression.
Caroline shrugged, "It's not me who should have a problem," she pointed at him, "I would be worried about them if I were you."
"Did they something wrong? If that's the case, I am sorry, Your Majesty," Hayden pleaded. He didn't want anything to happen to his family.
Caroline tilted her head and whispered, "I have heard from someone that they have seen your mother and your sister with Franklin recently. They looked very dishevelled... like something happened to the two of them. Something that I can't speak of."
Hayden's eyes hardened. His face was cold as he tried to bottle up his anger. Standing up, he said, "I don't know what Your Majesty is implying. But I don't want to hear these 'speculations' from you. If you don't want to heal my father, it's fine... but don't put my family into your games. Please, excuse me." With that, he started walking towards the door. He wanted to leave the palace as soon as possible.
Caroline shook her head and watched Hayden walk out of the room.
It was a shame that he didn't show any reaction to her even if he was angry. Tch! She expected a better performance from him.
"Host, are you a sadist?" asked Mimi. Its host wanted to torment Hayden, didn't she?
'I am not a sadist. If I was, he couldn't have walked out of this room.' Caroline put her legs on the table and hummed a song.
"Then, why did you expect from him? Why didn't you tell him the truth?" Was his host a good person?
'He won't believe me. Besides, I am not a good person, am I? You do know that I have no morals, yet you ask me these questions. What I need from him is... hahaha... you will know soon.'
Mimi kept its mouth shut and didn't ask anything more. Sure enough, his host couldn't do something good.
Suddenly, someone knocked at the door.
"Come in," said Caroline.
The door opened and a person walked in. He was limping as he tried to make his way towards her.
"Ah, Franklin. Why are you limping like that? Did something happen to you? Are you alright?" asked Caroline. She had a worried look on her face as if she was a mother worried for her son's safety and well-being.
Franklin sneered at her.
Why would that woman be worried for him?
A new strategy to hurt him?
When he would become the emperor then... this woman would never be able to hurt him again.
"Don't act in front of him!" Franklin snapped at her.
Caroline smirked, "You are awfully energetic for someone who was hit fifty times," she turned her gaze towards the door, "Trisa, come in."
Within a second, Trisa entered the room and asked, "Your Majesty?"
Caroline ordered, "Send Prince Franklin for routine checkup of horses. Today's in-charge is Prince Franklin and tell everybody not to help him at all. Our prince is someone who loves horses because he thinks himself as one, right?"
Franklin yelled, "Second Mother! I am a prince! The future emperor! You can't do this to me!"
Caroline stood up and walked towards him. She had stopped smiling and her eyes held not even a single emotion.
Franklin took a step back in fear. His senses were yelling at him to run. Just looking at her eyes, made him feel sick... like he was trapped in a void. At that moment, he stuttered, "I-I w-w-will do it... okay... I will do it."
What was happening?
Mimi was utterly confused. Why did the protagonist agree so readily? It looked at Caroline and shivered.
Who was its host?
Why was she so... confusing... and scary?
Caroline stopped right in front of him and patted his shoulders, making Franklin flinch at the sudden contact.
Caroline smiled sweetly at him and said, "Good boy, I knew you would choose the right decision. Now, go and do your job. I expect full results from you."