Chapter 845: Hugo And The King

Chapter 845: Chapter 845: Hugo And The King

Catherine lowered her eyes for a moment.

"At first, she held on to the hope that he would never truly fall in love with anyone else. She believed that although he might take consorts for political reasons, his heart would always belong to her. However, when she saw him repeatedly taking the other consorts’ side, she finally understood the truth."

Her voice became quieter.

"Even though she could not sense it directly, she knew in her heart that he had long since become immersed in the pleasures of the flesh. The man she had loved was no longer the person she had once believed him to be."

Catherine took a slow breath before continuing. "Eventually, she gave up on life and committed suicide."

Eugenia’s eyes widened, and she felt a chill travel down her spine.

She had heard stories about the previous queen, but she had never imagined that the truth behind her death was so painful.

Catherine’s expression turned colder as she recalled what she had eventually discovered.

"At the time, I did not know that my grandfather had orchestrated everything behind the scenes. He wanted to ensure that the king could continue producing as many heirs as possible, and the queen’s suffering was nothing more than an inconvenience to him."

She shook her head slightly.

"Growing up under a different mother, I had already seen how cold the king could be. He was so calculating and practical that he never displayed genuine emotions toward any of his children. He neither praised them warmly nor openly expressed his disdain. Instead, he simply evaluated each child in his mind, assigning them a place according to their usefulness."

Catherine’s lips curved into a faint, bitter smile.

"Even his own children became nothing more than numbers on a tally sheet. Their abilities, their relationships, and even their feelings mattered only when they could be used to achieve his goals."

She paused before adding, "There was only one exception, and that was King Hugo."

Eugenia listened attentively, afraid that she might miss even a single word.

"Hugo was born to the king’s soulmate. Perhaps because of that, or perhaps because he knew how dangerous the royal family could be, my father went so far as to banish Hugo to a foreign land to prevent the other members of the family from targeting him."

Catherine’s eyes narrowed slightly as she remembered those days.

"His actions made everyone believe that Hugo would never become king. Even I believed that was the case when my father first proposed making me the queen."

She let out a slow breath.

"However, that was merely the tip of the iceberg. Had I accepted the throne, I would have been forced to marry men from other continents to reunite them under my rule and produce multiple heirs to secure the royal bloodline. My personal wishes would have meant nothing."

Catherine’s voice remained composed, but the bitterness beneath her words was impossible to ignore.

"And once I had fulfilled my purpose, I would have been destined to die under mysterious circumstances. After my death, King Hugo would take over the throne."

Eugenia felt her heart tighten.

Catherine continued, "Hugo would not have needed to produce countless heirs or marry multiple consorts. He could have married the person he loved and remained faithful to his soulmate without enduring the same emotional torment that my father had inflicted upon the previous queen."

She looked at Eugenia with a faint, sorrowful smile.

"King Hugo would have been able to sit comfortably on the throne, ruling over the reunited continents. He would have become one of the most celebrated rulers in the history of Astra, while my name would gradually have been erased from history as though I had never existed."

For a long moment, Eugenia remained silent.

Her eyes had grown moist, and her fingers trembled slightly in her lap.

She had never imagined that such a horrifying scheme could have been hidden behind the throne.

She had always believed that Catherine had voluntarily abandoned her claim because she preferred a peaceful life away from politics.

Now, she finally understood how much her mother had sacrificed.

Catherine noticed her daughter’s expression and smiled faintly.

"When I abandoned my claim to the throne, my father did not even try to stop me. He had already trained me as a backup option, and once I withdrew, he simply began looking for someone else who could serve his purpose."

She paused before continuing.

"Who would have thought that King Hugo would rise to prominence at precisely that time?"

Catherine’s expression softened slightly as she spoke about her brother.

"From Hugo’s perspective, our father was a scoundrel. If he wanted the throne, he would have to seize it through his own abilities rather than rely on our father’s affection or promises."

She leaned forward slightly, her voice becoming more animated as she recalled the political struggle that had followed.

"Hugo competed fiercely against our other siblings and cousins. When our father realized that Hugo was capable of dealing with them on his own, he became confident that Hugo could eventually take control of the throne. He began considering passing the throne to him."

Catherine paused briefly before adding, "However, Hugo soon realized that he had a problem. No matter how capable he was, he needed an ally he could trust."

Eugenia nodded slowly, following her mother’s explanation.

"That was when he approached me. Although I had completely abandoned my identity as a princess and withdrawn from the race for the throne, Hugo offered me something tempting."

She gazed at Eugenia, her eyes carrying the wisdom of someone who had spent her entire life navigating the dangerous corridors of the royal family.

"Having grown up in the royal harem and competed against others for survival, I understood the ins and outs of the entire system. I knew how the royal family operated, how political alliances were formed, and how easily people could turn against one another when power was at stake."

Her voice became firm.

"Hugo wanted me to help him ascend the throne, but more importantly, he wanted me to protect him after he became king. He needed someone who understood the darkness of the royal family and would not be easily deceived by the people surrounding him."

"In return, he would first make me a duke, and then I would be promoted to a princess. I could live far away from the current imperial faction and flourish however I pleased. I was thrilled because I would be able to gain both power and influence without sacrificing too much. So, I agreed."

Catherine took a deep breath, and her gaze settled on Eugenia as she continued recounting her past.

"At that time, I was quite ruthless. I killed many people, including innocent individuals and some of my more scheming siblings. You could say that karma eventually caught up with me, because I ended up losing my own husband at an early age."

She sighed, her fingers unconsciously tightening around the edge of the blanket.

"Sometimes, I think my greatest mistake was entering that political race in the first place. If I hadn’t displayed my brilliance, the king might never have noticed me. In fact, although he offered me a collaboration, it was nothing more than a trap disguised as an opportunity. If I had dared to refuse him after he extended an olive branch, he would have eliminated me without hesitation. He might even have begun suspecting that I harbored ambitions of claiming the throne for myself."

Catherine paused for a moment, her expression growing increasingly solemn.

"This entire political system is nothing but a shadow hanging over people like us. Even though we possess enough power to rule the entire galaxy, we still cannot escape the consequences of a suspicious mind. That is why I believe it would be better for me to stay away from this so-called politics. Otherwise, Ivy might end up losing everything just like me."

Upon hearing those words, Eugenia pouted, clearly dissatisfied with her mother’s conclusion.

"If that is the case, then we should simply warn Ivy about everything today. We can tell her about the dangers of entering the political race and let her decide what she wants to do."

However, Catherine shook her head gently, her expression revealing the concerns that her daughter had overlooked.

"If you warn her so directly, what if she thinks we simply don’t want to help her? She might assume that we are trying to discourage her because we have our own interests to protect."

Hearing this, Valer frowned slightly as he considered his mother’s concerns.

"I don’t think that will happen. Ivy doesn’t seem like that kind of person. From what I have observed, she is smart enough to distinguish between someone who genuinely wants to help her and someone who is deliberately misleading her."