Her gaze fell on Selene Kane, and suddenly she froze completely.
Selene Kane looked pale, her clothes were in disarray, and her arm was wrapped with a blood-soaked bandage.
Kate Windsor clamped her mouth, uttering a short gasp, as tears swiftly welled up in her eyes.
"Mom, how can you treat Miss Kane like this?"
Her voice trembled, carrying an unmistakable pain.
"She just gave birth... Her body is so weak, how can she endure such torment?"
Crystal tears silently rolled down her delicate cheeks.
Without hesitation, she stepped forward, stood in front of Selene Kane, and opened her arms, shielding her.
"Mother, I understand you mean well for me."
Kate Windsor turned around, directly meeting the Empress’s eyes.
"But when I disclosed those things to you before, it was not to make you go after Miss Kane. I just... just hoped you’d be more vigilant, so she wouldn’t harm me or this family."
Selene Kane stood behind her, listening to these words, her heart suddenly trembled.
She finally reacted.
Ah, she should have realized earlier.
The more one desperately conceals their spiritual power, the more suspicious it appears to others.
If she becomes pregnant again, she definitely won’t hide.
Instead, she should exhibit her state openly in public.
Even if gossiped about, envied, she would never retreat.
Showing off is nothing; at least it’s an upright existence.
Especially in this Royal Palace, where a minor incident can be magnified into a colossal storm.
This time, she was too naive, always thinking that staying low-key would avoid disputes, but what happened?
Not only did she fail to avoid attention, it pushed her deeper into a whirlpool.
There are always more capable people, there are always more days after today, clever individuals are never lacking in this palace.
Once you show a flaw, someone will follow the clues to the very end.
If the truth is uncovered, the consequences will be unimaginable.
Kate Windsor fell to her knees with a thud.
She rushed to the Empress, clutching the Empress’s legs fiercely.
Her voice trembled out of tune, tinged with sobs.
"Even if I can’t inherit the throne, I beg you not to harm her..."
"It’s my weak spiritual power, it’s my inability, unrelated to her... Please spare her, I beg you..."
The Empress, softened a bit by her demeanor, showed a slight relaxation in her previously tense expression.
She slowly bent down, crouching before Kate Windsor, gently raised her hand, and softly wiped away the tears from her face.
"You’re still young, you don’t understand how fierce the palace struggles are."
"Do you think by just backing down, you can exchange it for peace? But your brothers, which one of them doesn’t want to sit in that position?"
"Which one isn’t eyeing the throne, waiting for an opportunity to pounce?"
She reached out and drew Kate Windsor into her embrace.
"You are my dearest, my only daughter."
"This throne must be yours. No one knows better than me, only you can safeguard this nation."
"I’ve tried so many ways, used countless resources, just to barely bring you to A-level spiritual power."
"Every test, every training session, I accompanied you through it... Now, finally, there’s such an opportunity for you to solidify your status completely."
"Can I let go? Can I watch you be pushed into an abyss?"
Kate Windsor cried to the point of almost gasping for air.
She didn’t understand, why must she become strong?
Why must she be Emperor?
She just wanted to live, wanted to live peacefully.
Even if somewhat ordinary, it wouldn’t matter.
"It’s okay if my brothers inherit the throne... They won’t treat me poorly."
Her voice was weak, yet carrying a stubborn glimmer of hope.
"I will live well, Mother, will you trust me just once?"
"I don’t want power, I don’t want status, I just want... just want to live, peacefully live..."
Selene Kane finally couldn’t resist speaking.
"It’s different, Your Highness."
The Empress cast her a cold glance, her gaze sharp.
There was a warning in that look.
But Selene Kane didn’t care anymore.
She had already offended everyone long ago, a few more words wouldn’t make it worse.
Besides, if one day it’s found she had been lying, hiding the truth, the consequences would be even more severe.
Instead of living in constant fear, it’s better to say the truth freely.
Live day by day, say what needs saying, suppressing oneself is too tiring.
She took a deep breath, her chest slightly expanded.
A sharp stabbing pain came from the wound, but she bit down and endured it.
Strangely, the pain didn’t seem that unbearable.
Just now, Caleb Shaw acted quickly, almost rushing over the second she fell.
He deftly lifted her sleeve, sliced open the blood-stained cloth with a dagger, and promptly extracted the bullet embedded in the flesh.
Then he unhesitatingly sprinkled military-grade hemostatic powder.
The powder touched the wound with a faint "ss" sound, quickly coagulating the blood.
The bleeding had long since stopped, only a circle of dark red marks remained at the edge.
Caleb Shaw originally wanted to use spiritual power to soothe her pain,
But at that time she was being spoken of as someone without spiritual power.
Caleb Shaw had experienced spiritual calming, and knew what it felt like.
To avoid losing the last person she could rely on to the opposite side,
She had to pretend to resist, forcibly swallowing the low moan that had reached her throat back down.
"No need... I don’t need your help."
Now Caleb Shaw was nowhere to be seen; where had he gone?
Could it be that after having a child he sees her as useless, and has abandoned her?
This thought brought extreme pain to Selene Kane’s heart.
Selene Kane glanced at Kate Windsor, softly asked, "Your Highness, we’re both females, do you know what females must go through in a lifetime?"
Kate Windsor bit her lip, her face showing a struggling expression, "We have to provide spiritual comfort to males and give birth to children..."
She paused, her voice lowered a few tones, carrying some confusion.
"We sacrifice a lot. I also want to become an Empress, like Mother, respected by everyone."
"But rest assured, I won’t snatch your power, nor will I rely on absorbing others to enhance myself."
She raised her hand, her fingertips faintly trembling.
"I just... want to do what’s right."
Selene Kane sighed.
An Empress is so clever, how come she raised such a naive child?
"Your Majesty, you’ve protected the Princess too well."
"Do you know how many children Your Majesty has in total?"
Kate Windsor thought briefly, then softly replied, "Counting me, exactly twelve."
Selene Kane nodded gently.
"Correct. As Empress, Your Majesty must have twelve children, each with a different father."
She spoke word by word.
"This is to stabilize the throne, calm the major Beast Husband families. Each child is a link, a promise, a silent transaction."
"What about ordinary people?"
"Ordinary females don’t have so many partners, but it’s not uncommon to have ten children. How come no one speaks for them, says ’Giving birth is too tiring, don’t force them to have too many’?"
"They have no power, no aura, giving birth to one child already brings torment, giving birth to ten even more drains life. But who speaks for them? Who fights for their dignity?"