News of a small-scale palace coup in Constantinople soon reached Lothar through Vivianna.
He was not surprised by the outcome in the slightest.
Princess Eirene was indeed not particularly clever. A pampered little princess who had been overly protected all her life was exactly the sort to do something foolish on a sudden impulse just to prove herself.
And since the stubborn princess saw him as Lageia's greatest supporter, she would naturally make her move the moment he left. As long as she crippled her mother, even if Anna and the Sicilian expeditionary army returned, they would be powerless to stop her from taking the throne.
It was a little naive, but not entirely unworkable.
"Blinding, huh? That's vicious. I thought she'd be confined at most."
Jeanne clicked her tongue in amazement. "Our Her Majesty the Empress really is an extraordinary figure."
Lothar nodded. "She truly is."
Princess Eirene and Empress Lagaya had never been of one mind. As long as Lagaya sought reform while the aristocracy was weak, those whose interests were harmed would step forward to support the princess and Restore Order.
To settle the matter once and for all, she could only follow the Eastern Empire's tradition—those with mutilated bodies had no right to compete on the political stage.
Lavinia sighed softly. "People warped by power are terrifying. When I used to read books, I often thought things like a crown princess rebelling were absurd, the sort of thing novelists simply made up."
"The princess and the Empress have different governing philosophies and represent different interest groups. It's perfectly normal for them to part ways. Just think of Princess Eirene as another Isaac of the Komnenos family, and it becomes easier to understand."
Lothar sighed. "As a ruler, one gains much and must also lose much. If