Heena looked at them incredulously. "Why do you think I’m going to kill them? They’re my ’husbands’."
Kieran’s mother gave a self-deprecating smile and said, "Your Majesty, I am also from a royal family. I know that the death of consorts and children is not uncommon in palace politics. And now that you have a new favored consort—Larus—it would not be unusual if soon our sons were to ’accidentally’ fall into treason and die."
She looked directly into Heena’s eyes.
"We know how these things work."
Heena looked at them in genuine surprise. "And you’re still willing to help , knowing I might kill your sons?"
They paused, and tears gathered in their eyes as they spoke:
"If we don’t help you, our sons will die anyway—one way or another. You’ll find reasons. Create situations. They’ve made themselves your enemies."
Adrian’s mother spoke up, her voice breaking slightly: "As mothers, we gave birth to them. Maybe we didn’t teach them well enough. Maybe we failed them. But we still just want them to be ’alive’."
Damien’s stepmother added, "We’re not asking you to keep them as consorts. We’re not asking you to give them power or favor. We’re just asking—begging—that you let them live. Exile them. Strip their titles. Send them to monasteries. Whatever you want. Just... let them live."
Lucian’s mother said quietly, "We know we don’t deserve to ask this. We know they’ve committed cris. But as mothers... we can’t help but try to save them."
Heena sat back, genuinely surprised by this turn of events.
She’d expected them to ask for money, titles, positions, protection for themselves.
But they were asking for their sons’ lives.
The System, floating invisibly nearby, whispered, "Host... these won really do love their children, even after everything."
Heena looked at the four won—mothers who’d lived in loveless marriages, suffered humiliation from mistresses, endured years of disrespect, and were now sacrificing their own futures to try to save their sons.
"You’re asking to spare traitors," Heena said quietly. "n who plotted against . Who disrespected the throne. Who may have been involved in assassination attempts."
"We’re asking you to show rcy," Kieran’s mother said, her princess training allowing her to maintain composure even while begging. "Not for their sake. For ours. We’ll divorce our husbands. We’ll weaken the ducal families for you. We’ll serve as your advisors loyally. We’ll give you everything you want."
"Just let our sons live," they said in unison.
Heena studied them for a long mont.
Then she said, "I will consider your request. But I make no promises. If your sons commit treason again, if they plot against or Larus again, if they cause any more problems—no maternal pleas will save them."
"We understand," they said.
Heena paused for a mont, then looked at Damien’s stepmother specifically and said, "Are you sure about this request?"
The woman nodded.
Heena studied her carefully. "If I’m not wrong, Damien is not your biological son. And you also have a daughter, right? And a seven-year-old son of your own?"
She nodded again.
"So why this request?" Heena asked. "You could ask for anything else. And I don’t think you have so much love for Damien that you’d want to protect him above your own children."
The stepmother sighed and said, "Your Majesty, Damien’s mother was my maid."
Heena nodded, gesturing for her to continue.
"I brought her with from the general’s household. She was my playmate, my companion growing up. When the Duke forced himself on her—" her voice hardened, "—of course I wanted to kill him. But my hands were tied at the ti. I literally couldn’t help my friend."
She paused.
"Later, I helped her escape. Gave her money, opportunities, a way out. But she still chose to stay. Eventually, she chose death."
Her expression beca complicated.
"From you, I’m not asking for much. I don’t want my children involved in politics or throne battles. I’m not so weakling waiting for your charity. But if my request can help Damien—her son—it would an sothing. And why would I waste a free opportunity? If I die one day, at least I’ll have so small justification to et his mother in the afterlife."
Heena looked at her with a probing gaze. "I apologize if I sound harsh, Duchess, but from my observation, you don’t look like a grieving friend."
The Duchess shook her head. "Of course not, Your Majesty."
Heena raised her eyebrows. "Didn’t you just say she was your playmate?"
Damien’s stepmother looked at her directly and said, "Your Majesty, do you really think that if she ’wanted’ to escape, I wouldn’t have helped her?"
Heena paused.
"Yes, my husband forced her the first and second ti. But after that? If she had given even ’one’ signal, I would have helped her escape. I had the resources, the connections. But what happened? Sotis people forget their place. They forget they’re human. They start ’acting’ like they’ve fallen in love with their rapist."
Her voice beca bitter.
"She didn’t escape. And in my eyes, that was foolish. I gave her money, opportunities, everything. But she wanted her child to be recognized as the Duke’s son. The na ’Damien’ was even chosen by her."
She looked at Heena coldly.
"In all these years, I can’t say I love that child. Nor do I hate him. He’s... insignificant. If you hadn’t married him, I wouldn’t care about him at all."
She continued, "Your Majesty, even you must know: no matter how good a friendship is, no matter how close a master-servant relationship, if they touch sothing that’s ’yours’, it still hurts. How can I forgive the woman who took my husband from ? And how can I forgive the man who took my friend from ?"
Heena looked at her and said slowly, "That’s... quite a confusing situation."
She shook her head. "It’s not confusing, Your Majesty. It’s clear. If she really was completely against the forced relationship, she would have taken my hand and escaped. But she didn’t."
Her smile beca bitter.
"And the funny thing? Do you know who made fall for Damien’s father in the first place? That sa woman. She was the one delivering his letters to . Telling how wonderful he was. Making believe he was a good match."
She laughed without humor.
"So I can’t even say for certain whether that woman truly didn’t know how terrible he was, or if she had ulterior motives from the beginning."
Heena looked at her with a slight smile. "Well, that’s complicated indeed."
She nodded. "That’s the problem. I really wish I’d been born a boy, you know."
She looked at Heena seriously.
"At least in n’s friendships, they either kill you or die for you. But in won’s friendships? They can beco bitter enemies over anything."
Heena nodded slowly. She couldn’t fully agree or disagree—that was a complicated truth. Won could be won’s worst enemies. But she’d also seen friendships between won where they’d die for each other.
It was... nuanced.
Heena looked at Damien’s stepmother and said, "Fine. I will grant all of your requests. But what about your family? How did they react to the divorce?"
Damien’s stepmother scoffed. "Hah! When my old man heard about it, he literally wanted to kill Damien’s father himself. My father lives far away, and he thought I’d beco a lovesick fool, so he stopped visiting . He was against my marriage from the beginning. So when he heard I was divorcing and accepting an advisor position? He thanked his ancestors."
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