The Empress Who Returned in Time: Kidnapping and Marriage

Episode 7

Flint stood deep within the Empress’s palace, inside a lush greenhouse where cherry blossoms bloomed in shades of pink.

He waited endlessly for someone.

“Your Highness, we must depart. The patrol will begin soon.”

“Now is the perfect time to leave the palace.”

“It seems Empress Eliano will not come.”

His attendants urged him to leave, but Flint remained resolute.

Just then, a veiled woman appeared cautiously, glancing around with unease.

“The Empress will not meet you.”

It was not Empress Eliano.

She had declined his offer.

The deal had failed, and the promised peace was gone.

Flint let out a heavy sigh.

“The patrol schedule changed yesterday. We’ve cleared the servant passages. Use those to escape.”

The head maid handed over a small box filled with identification tokens.

“The Moon bids you cross the border swiftly. Use different identities for each region and ensure you pass through Lynxgen.”

“How can we trust this? It might be a trap.”

An attendant spoke harshly, but Flint raised his hand to silence him.

If they intended to kill him, they would have ambushed him here.

There was no need for such an elaborate ruse.

“Lastly, the little sun of Bianteca has lost its light.”

Flint and his attendants were shocked and horrified.

“‘I thank you for your sincerity. Return and become emperor. Do not shy away from honor out of fear of disgrace.’”

“…”

“These are the Moon’s final words.”

The head maid left.

Flint asked why as she walked away, but after hearing her answer, he turned and departed without hesitation.

—

“Congratulations, Your Majesty. You are with a child.”

Eliano finally had the child she had long desired.

“My sincerest congratulations.”

More than joy over carrying her husband’s child, she felt relieved—relieved to have fulfilled her duty as Empress.

No longer would her position be threatened for being barren.

But that joy was short-lived.

The child never saw the light of day.

After suffering a miscarriage, Eliano locked herself to her chambers, crying for days.

Her husband comforted her with a sorrowful expression, looking after her with care.

It shook Eliano’s heart.

For the first time since Lynxgen, she wanted to lean on him.

“You will have another child. Do not despair, Lia. My heart still belongs to you.”

The Emperor reassured her, promising that his love remained unchanged despite the miscarriage.

But on that same day, he slept with one of her maids—in the Empress’s own palace.

Eliano, sick and confined to bed, heard about the betrayal and fainted from the shock.

—

“How can a maid in the Empress’s palace be a commoner? Why would you choose someone so lowly as a personal attendant?”

The Emperor clicked his tongue, criticizing Eliano.

“You are truly without prejudice. Is that a Biantecan trait? Though she is of humble origins, she carries my child, so I’ve granted her a residence. Lia, take care of it as per protocol.”

He spoke as if dealing with an inconvenient matter.

The head maid hesitantly relayed the truth: the Emperor, drunk, had mistaken the maid for the Empress and spent the night with her.

— “The Emperor truly loves Your Majesty. I thought my name was ‘Lia’ that whole night. He hasn’t sought me since.”

The maid-turned-concubine’s words were relayed to Eliano.

What others saw as comforting only deepened her sorrow.

Even so, Eliano managed the situation gracefully.

“Your Majesty, there’s no need to grant her a residence—”

“The Emperor wishes it. She was once my maid, so do not be too harsh.”

“But…”

“She wept before me, begging forgiveness. She seems burdened with guilt.”

Though others dismissed it as an act, Eliano knew better.

She had become adept at reading emotions during her time as Empress.

— “I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I’ve betrayed you…”

— “It was the Emperor who wronged you. Why are you apologizing to me?”

— “I didn’t want this… But His Majesty…”

The maid, now a concubine, confessed tearfully, begging Eliano to end her life.

Her guilt was genuine, born not just from betrayal but from deeper anguish.

The truth soon came to light.

— “I didn’t want to be His Majesty’s woman. I had a fiancé. We were to marry…”

— “If the Emperor forgets you, I will release you. You can return to him.”

— “He’s gone. He won’t take me back after I become another man’s woman. Please, kill me…”

Eliano couldn’t grant her request.

— “Vivian, even I, the Empress, cannot escape this life. How can I release you from yours?”

—

Rumors of her removal as Empress haunted Eliano, making her life unbearable.

The allure of the noblewoman from Lynxgen had long faded.

The Emperor blamed her for everything—her inability to bear children, her perceived inadequacies.

“Lia, I still enjoy our nights together, but what’s the use? You can’t carry a child to term. If you can’t do that, at least excel at something. All of this is because of your failings.”

Her self-esteem faded.

She began to believe she was truly at fault.

When the truth of her illegitimate birth surfaced, it shattered what little remained of her stability.

“How could the Empress of Zacador bring such disgrace to the nation?”

“The throne is not a place for a common bastard. This violates all laws and traditions!”

Zacador despised illegitimate children.

A woman of such birth could never sit on the throne.

Eliano had no time to process the shocking revelation of her origins.

Her disgrace was unveiled at the worst possible time.

“Your Majesty, this is no longer Bianteca. Step down with dignity, and no further action will be taken.”

“All I have left is this throne. How can you ask me to step down?”

Her loyal ladies-in-waiting wept, but even their support dwindled.

Some clung to her out of genuine affection, but Eliano knew most sought to save themselves.

“Do not return to the Empress’s palace. It is better for you.”

With those words, she shut herself away, cutting ties with the world.

—

“Your Majesty… The Duke of Rosana’s house has been destroyed…”

Her maid delivered the news in a trembling voice.

Eliano’s family had been annihilated, their power crushed.

“The new Emperor of Bianteca ordered their extermination.”

Eliano laughed bitterly.

Even her family’s destruction no longer fazed her.

Finally, the Emperor himself came to visit.

For the first time in years, he was kind—like the man she had loved in Lynxgen.

She welcomed him, feeling a faint hope.

But the tea he offered was poisoned.

“I will personally see to your end, my Empress. It is my duty.”

Eliano’s body convulsed in agony as the poison took hold.

Even in her final moments, she burned with betrayal and fury.

“You… bastard…”