I Will Surrender My Position as the Empress - Chapter 39
“Is it romance if you do it, but an affair if I do? What nonsense.”
Adele said as she pushed back against the Emperor’s advances, sitting on the edge of the desk. She slowly unwrapped the scarf around her neck and then gently placed it around the Emperor’s neck. Karl took a step back in surprise, but Adele didn’t pay any attention to him. With a pull that seemed to draw him closer, she reached behind his neck, and Karl held his breath for a moment. Adele tied the scarf neatly around the Emperor’s neck, and then, with one hand as if holding a leash, she smiled enchantingly.
“Why do you keep forgetting what you said to me?”
Adele asked, as she pondered the meaning of those words. The Emperor remained silent. Adele suddenly let out the anger she had been holding back.
“Why are you treating me like this?”
“It’s because you still believe you are a noblewoman from Gottrov,” the Emperor finally replied.
“….”
“You still think you don’t need to bend to anyone here. You have no intention of compromising, and I want to make you realize your foolishness.”
With those words, Karl firmly grabbed the knot of the scarf. Adele’s body was pulled closer to him. He used his other hand to support the back of her head, and the night poured through his fingers.
As it was, he wanted to tilt his head and kiss her red lips. That’s what Karl thought as he was about to lean in, but a stubborn voice stopped him in his tracks.
“Do you think you can make me surrender like this?”
Adele pushed his body away with one hand and spoke with disdain.
“If you want to tame me, try tempting me with things I like instead of clumsily pushing your body against mine. So, when I’m completely enchanted, you can gently and carefully put that loose leash around my neck. Make sure I never find out.”
The fierce will of someone born to be a king surged like waves and struck Karl’s ear. The dark night hung at the tip of his fingers, the waves tapping at his ear. The pale golden moon and the faint scent of blooming spring flowers mixed in their breath were distant. A flash-like moment passed through Karl’s mind. His lips roamed close to Adele’s lips. Just before their plump lips could touch, Karl narrowed his eyes and slowly parted his red lips. It was his first smile since facing Adele. Like a blossoming flower, the Emperor’s laughter was so radiant and innocent that it even momentarily captivated Adele. Just as she was about to come to some conclusion, the Emperor tilted his head back and took a step back. And while she was off-guard, he gently tucked away a strand of her black hair that had fallen over her ear. When his fingers brushed against her earlobe, Adele furrowed her brows, and Karl politely withdrew his hand and took another step back. Then, he silently turned his body. His footsteps were so aristocratic that Adele watched him in astonishment. The Emperor’s abrupt arrival was as sudden as his departure. What was that? What on earth is he doing? Left alone, Adele mumbled in disbelief.
“Is he crazy? Anyway, he’s unpredictable and uncontrollable.”
****
In the afternoon of that day, merchants suddenly crowded into the Empress’s palace. The maidservants, who had already dealt with them once, tried to stop them with annoyance.
“Why on earth are you coming here without being called?!”
Then, the representative of the merchants opened his eyes wide and spoke in a self-assured tone.
“His Majesty, the Emperor! We’ve been sent by Him!”
“….”
“So, it should be alright, right?”
“J-Just wait a moment. His Majesty, you say?!”
After confirming the Emperor’s seal, the maidservants rushed into the inner palace to inform Lady Giggs of the situation.
“His Majesty sent them?”
“Yes!!! That’s what they said!!!”
“….Then wait for Her Majesty’s decision.”
“Yes!!”
Lady Giggs turned elegantly and walked away, reflecting on what had just happened. Despite their rushed arrival, she recalled that the Emperor had been smiling when he left the Empress’s palace. The Empress was busy with piles of books brought from the study and didn’t seem to have a moment to spare.
“Your Majesty.”
“Speak.”
Without taking her eyes off the book, she replied.
“The merchants sent by His Majesty are waiting.”
Her hand, which was turning the pages of the book, paused for a moment as the Empress raised her head. Then she firmly expressed her refusal.
“Send them away. I don’t need anything,” said the Empress.
“But Your Majesty,” the lady-in-waiting persisted.
“I really don’t understand. Why would they come running here, especially after causing so much trouble?”
“When they left, the atmosphere was quite amiable.”
Fighting and bickering—that’s what they did!
“But why? I don’t get the reason for this at all. There was no such atmosphere.”
If he weren’t the Emperor, Adele would have sarcastically asked, “Is he out of his mind?”
“I don’t need anything, and I don’t want to accept anything. Send them away. It’s barely been a week since the supplementary budget was rejected. Isn’t this some kind of mockery?”
“Is there a need to refuse the extended hand so forcefully? It might harm the Imperial favor, after all.”
Annoyed, Adele let out a sigh and splashed some water on her face. She thought it would have been much easier and more comfortable to destroy the tower instead. She couldn’t understand the Emperor’s feelings, but Lady Giggs, who had been pondering for a moment, suggested a solution. If she sent the merchants away, it would directly challenge the Emperor’s will, and it wouldn’t benefit the Empress. However, if she accepted the gift forcefully and didn’t want it, the Empress would get angry.
“How about buying gold instead?”
“….Gold?”
The Empress’s eyes narrowed. It was a truly high-level idea that suited the experienced Chief Administrator of the Imperial Palace.
***
People in the palace were soon buzzing with the news that the merchants sent by the Emperor had entered the Empress’s palace like a torrent.
“It feels like the days of Diane Poiter are fading away.”
“I thought Ivory Palace would be returned to her soon, but it seems not. She moved to the Emperor’s palace, didn’t she?”
“Sigh. A concubine without a son is like a candle in the wind.”
“But you never know. Anyway, the Empress didn’t send Diane Poiter away from the palace, did she? I heard that the Emperor’s palace is the only place beyond the Empress’s residence permit.”
When people gathered, time flew as they indulged in such gossip. Lady Giggs cleverly adjusted the prices, making them high enough to be called luxurious yet within reasonable limits. It was not something anyone could teach. Adele watched the maidservants, who were busily bringing in gold bars, with an uninterested gaze. Their fingers tapping the railing, stern expressions, tightly sealed lips – the maidservants seemed to have sensed the Empress’s foul mood and didn’t try to appease her in any way.
“How much is all of this?”
Adele opened the statement she held in her hand and checked the amount. The figure written on it far exceeded the budget designated for gifts, making it clear that it was a mockery and not a genuine present.
“I have the ability to grant you a supplementary budget, but I won’t. Instead, I’ll give you a gift. Maybe some dresses or jewelry.”
Isn’t this exactly it?
“Look, Mrs. Giggs.”
“Yes, Her Majesty.”
“Should I take this and go say thanks?”
Two very difficult personalities met. Mrs. Giggs sighed inwardly and responded politely.
“You do as you please.”
Adele folded the bill and handed it to Mrs. Giggs, then turned her around and went into the room.
＊ ＊ ＊
Meanwhile, at Baldr’s family,
The VIP who came to him secretly went back silently when she left. The butler of Baldr’s family, who entered to clean up the empress’s room, looked around and smiled empty-handed at the interior, which was so clean that not a single strand of hair remained on it.
People who were born with dignity and don’t need to organize themselves usually take a lot of work, but the space the empress used was so well organized that she didn’t have to touch it anymore.
“Your Majesty appears to be a very clean person.”
Lionel nodded in agreement with the butler’s words. The night the empress went back to the palace, Lionel lay on the bed and tossed and turned for a while before getting up nervously and washing his face dry. It was to the point of doubting that he had insomnia, which he hadn’t had before because of his agitated chest from one day. Lionel was sitting on the bed, thinking about something. What the hell is this, and why is it doing this? After thinking and thinking and not getting an answer, he changed his direction.
What do you want to do right now?
It was a question of desire. Then, an answer sprang out from within him so quickly that he was lost for a long time. Something red from under his chest slipped out of his front paw.
Dark blue eyes narrowed tight as they looked out the window. Desire stepped out one more step and began to straighten out the crouching body. The golden eyes reflected the shimmering light, the neat and pretty face, and the cold and small hands.
Even though he couldn’t even think of what he wanted to do, just thinking of her made his body and mind boil hot like a puberty boy suffering from a fever. Lionel couldn’t stand it and spurred out of his room.
