In the Name of Empress-Chapter 500 - 325: The Empress’s Thoughts
Saint Rurik Palace, Summer Palace.
Empress Sofia’s summer residence.
She dislikes the hot climate, so this palace is built atop a mountain, very cool.
To be precise, this is not an imperial palace, but Sofia’s private residence, belonging to her other title, the Duke of Nizhny Novgorod’s mansion.
I have a Summer Palace, facing the ocean, spring is not warm, flowers do not bloom.
This is Sofia’s leisurely life.
She very much dislikes flowers, so the places she passes through become withered.
Barefoot, standing near the cliff, letting the piercing sea wind brush her cheeks, her long hair blowing, her eyes deep as an abyss, without a hint of expression.
Unlike when attending the continental meeting, now she is less aggressive and more profound.
If you watch carefully, you’ll notice her appearance has some subtle differences.
Her eyebrows and long hair have somehow turned a faint blue, like a frozen ocean.
As she stands like a sculpture facing the sea wind, a gust of wind rises behind her, and blue mist condenses into form, revealing a Deep Blue Ice Spirit.
The voice of the Ice Spirit is completely unlike humans, rigid with some sharpness.
"Master, your human servant requests an audience."
Sofia slowly turns, nodding slightly, and walks outward.
It is the day of the monthly meeting with key ministers, she needs to provide confidence and guidance to those eager imperial ministers awaiting instructions.
Since returning from the Arctic Icefield to the empire, her mood is entirely different from before.
Her interest in politics, diplomacy, and warfare is waning, even to some degree of disgust.
Previously she loved having full control, but after returning from the icefield, she only wanted to delegate power.
Unfortunately, she used to be accustomed to being autocratic, the ministers she heavily utilized were strong in execution but lacked independent thinking abilities.
She wants to delegate power but simply cannot.
If there was a choice, she would only wish to quietly sleep under the icefield until the day of return, but she does not have that choice; this is, after all, her empire, she cannot simply ignore it.
If only there were a Prime Minister as capable as Roland.
That thought is indeed outlandish, Sofia laughed at herself.
Why invite Roland? To help me build the nation for convenience of hammering your homeland afterward?
The corridor to the reception room is lined with luxurious crystal mirrors.
These mirrors are placed at different angles, able to perfectly present anyone passing through the corridor in full view, leaving no blind spots.
People with good figures love this place, calling it the Angel Corridor.
People with poor figures loathe this place, calling it the Path of Demons.
Sofia neither likes nor hates it.
Everyone has an instinct to pursue beauty; she is no exception. Yet, she does not think that delicate features and a symmetrical figure are the so-called beauty.
Slaying enemies with swordsmanship, freezing them in ice, the wails from the depths of their throats as they struggle desperately but cannot escape death.
This is the ultimate beauty.
Her unique aesthetics.
No one can understand her, never has been.
In the corner of her eye, seeing the flawless, naturally unadorned face in the mirror corridor, Sofia suddenly felt a bit dazed; turning her face, she seemed to see herself at sixteen.
At that time she was carefree, daily practicing swordsmanship, reading books, accepting military skills training, striving to become stronger and more outstanding.
She never used makeup; after all, she was naturally beautiful with no equal, why mar the natural beauty with cosmetics that emitted strange smells?
Sofia’s steps suddenly halted, she thought of someone, as if a pebble dropped in the calm heart lake, slightly rippling.
Well, except that short-eared elf.
She had once set a life goal for herself, imitating a famous female Great Emperor in Alamanni Empire’s history, leading the entire continent towards unity and prosperity.
However, her goal had ended before it even began.
Her parents arranged a political marriage for her, completely without emotional foundation, for family interests.
Her husband is the Emperor of Vladimir Empire.
Resistance, silence, Sofia ultimately accepted the mockery of fate, embarking on the journey to the distant Land of Frost.
She originally believed this would be neither a happy nor too unhappy marriage, even if there was no emotional connection between them.
After all, they are both people of noble status, both have boundaries in their actions. If some form of tacit understanding could be reached, she did not mind fulfilling the marriage contract.
However, Ivan IV’s actions truly opened her eyes.
Ivan IV is a standard Rurik chauvinist, he equally looks down upon all nations and states, believing Rurik people are the most excellent nation in the world.
He cannot accept the royal bloodline mixed with the lowly Odin people’s lineage.
Ivan’s views are completely different from mainstream opinions.
In the traditional hierarchy of contempt, Magic Empire > Barbarian Race, and among Barbarian Race, Sussex and Jin Yuan rank as upper-class barbarians, Odin people, Talia people, and other nations as middle-class barbarians, Rurik people, Wende people as lower-class barbarians.
Ivan IV’s upside-down understanding does not even have a market within Vladimir Empire.
The Empress Dowager insists on marrying Sofia to improve the Rurik people’s lower-class barbarian bloodline.
However, Ivan IV does not adhere to this at all.
Despite Sofia having an absolutely stunning appearance, a perfect figure full of youthful charm, and an exceptional temperament, he still treated Sofia roughly with cold violence, not even bothering with superficial courtesy.
Not only that, he also endeavoured to procreate with beautiful young women of his lineage, even intending for Sofia to claim his bastard child born elsewhere.
Sofia feels no emotional attachment towards Ivan IV, and naturally, cannot endure this humiliation.
