I Will Surrender My Position as the Empress - Chapter 50
First, spread the news that Diane Poiter has indefinitely leased the entire Ivory Palace. And when people become curious, spread the rumor of her pregnancy. However, no one should know the source of the lease amount for the Ivory Palace.”
“Yes, I understand.”
In accordance with the Duke of Despone’s orders, Lennox hurried to the Imperial Palace Administration at the speed of light and expressed his intention to lease the entire Ivory Palace in Diane Poiter’s name. The surprised official in charge asked twice, and Lennox became visibly irritated. Lennox quickly handed over the necessary documents for the lease and, after firmly demanding approval from the Empress, disappeared. Other officials who had hidden in fear of Lennox’s arrogance finally emerged and glanced at the documents he left behind.
“Is he really leasing it for all that money?”
“Why bother to come here? Seriously?”
The total lease amount set by the Empress for the Ivory Palace was astronomical, and it was almost a discouragement to lease it.
“Do you want to ruin yourself?”
Someone asked Lennox if he was willing to lease it to the extent that he asked. The storm he left behind was unbelievable.
* * *
After leaving the administration, Lennox rushed to Diane, calling his younger sister with a bright smile.
“Diane!”
But for some reason, Diane’s expression was markedly different from a few hours ago.
“What’s wrong?”
Startled, Lennox quickly approached her and asked, but Diane remained silent. Under normal circumstances, she would have been angry, but Lennox asked cautiously, thinking of the baby.
“What’s the matter?”
“I’m tired.”
Diane didn’t want to talk about her miserable story right now. She didn’t have the energy for it, and all she wanted was to go to sleep. She closed her eyes and lay down. Lennox was perplexed by his little sister’s sudden change.
“Why is she acting like this?”
Furrowing his brows, he turned to look at Loraine, who was standing nearby, but since Diane wasn’t speaking, the maid couldn’t speak out of turn. With a frustrated expression, Lennox took a deep breath and gently addressed her.
“I have good news.”
Diane opened her eyes and looked at him. Lennox gazed down at her with a sly smile.
“Pack your things. Let’s go back to the Ivory Palace.”
At his words, Diane’s eyes widened, and she quickly sat up.
“What?”
Lennox repeated, as if he expected it.
“Pack your things. Let’s go back to the Ivory Palace. All the Empress needs to do is approve it. She said she’d do it if you want.”
“If she approves… You told her that I want to lease the Ivory Palace?”
For a moment, Diane had hoped that the Empress might return the Ivory Palace to her, but she now stared at Lennox with a cold, expressionless face.
“Well, yes! So our nephew can be born in comfort. Let’s go back to the Ivory Palace. This brother-in-law of yours rented the entire palace!”
Diane’s expression showed that she didn’t even want to respond to Lennox’s self-assured statement.
“Why? Don’t you like it?”
“For how many months will you lease it? Will you stay there until you run out of money? The social scene will be buzzing with that story. It’s amusing.”
“Don’t worry about the money.”
Finally, Diane exploded in response to Lennox’s naive words.
“You fool! How can you not worry about the money?! Do you know how expensive the monthly lease for the Ivory Palace is, set by the Empress?”
Diane’s scolding also boiled Lennox’s anger.
“How dare you?!”
“Enough! Go and retrieve that contract before the Empress approves it!”
“Oh, really!!”
He jumped up from his seat, letting out an exasperated sigh. However, he managed to restrain himself, thinking of the baby inside his sister. Then, he glared at Diane and ordered Loraine.
“You, step out for a moment.”
Loraine looked at Diane with surprised eyes. Diane gestured toward the door, and Loraine hesitantly left the room. With only the two of them in the room, Lennox sat back down in the chair beside the bed. He took a deep breath and spoke slowly.
“Duke Despone is the one providing it.”
“What?”
“Duke Despone is providing it.”
Diane’s expression froze rapidly at his words. She bit her lip and then shot him a wide-eyed, accusatory look.
“You didn’t seriously go and tell him, did you? Couldn’t you resist it?! I told you not to say anything?!”
Under her scolding, Lennox hesitated for a moment, then heaved a sigh and retorted.
“Why shouldn’t I tell him? It’s not like you’re not pregnant?! Everyone will find out eventually. So what’s the big deal?! Duke Despone was delighted. He was really happy! He said he should return the Ivory Palace!”
“To that cunning, sly person!! He’ll only use us. He’s the kind of person who’ll drain every drop and, when there’s nothing left, throw us away without a second thought! Get your head straight!!”
“You don’t appreciate a thing. If it weren’t for him, you and I would still be in the slums.”
Lennox growled at Diane’s anger.
“Sigh… You really talk about gratitude.”
Diane’s annoyance at Adelee’s blind trust welled up. As she muttered about wearing a crown as an ornament, Lennox glared at Diane fiercely. She had always subtly disregarded him as foolish. If he weren’t a wizard, he would have undoubtedly struggled in the slums. Lennox leaned closer to her and whispered, without a hint of compassion.
“And even if you have the baby, you’ll need the support of Duke Despone.”
What followed was a cruel, unfeeling remark.
“The baby you’re having will likely be a bastard, right? If that child is going to be our salvation, it’s not possible without Duke Despone’s support. You’re smart enough, you should know that.”
Diane’s eyes reddened as she tightly clenched her fists. No matter what, he shouldn’t say such things.
“…Get out. Just go.”
In a resentful tone, Lennox shrugged his shoulders and got up.
“Pack your things.”
Diane stared daggers at Lennox as he left, closing the door behind him.
* * *
Meanwhile, as Adele returned to the palace, she cautiously gauged the Lady Giggs’s mood and was relieved to find no objections. She had mentally prepared herself for a scolding upon her return, but there had been nothing of the sort. Borrowing the jacket from Lionel during her brief encounter with him had proven to be a wise move. If she hadn’t worn it and had shown up without it, her well-being would have been a bigger issue than any scolding. As she thought about this, she suddenly remembered the warmth that had wrapped around her shoulders and back. The warmth that had protected her from the chilly breeze and the broad, strong shoulders as well. The word ‘protection’ was strange when associated with her. Adele was always the one to protect others, not someone who received protection. Nonetheless, she didn’t dislike Lionel’s actions. In fact, she wanted to rely on him more. That’s why she had walked that path with him. When the wind rustled the leaves and the scent of fresh musk wafted through the air, Adele had a lingering feeling that it still tickled her senses.
“He must use good cologne.”
“Excuse me?”
When Lady Giggs, who was tidying up the Queen’s hair, inquired, Adele quickly pushed her thoughts aside.
“No.”
Lady Giggs gently pulled the Queen’s hair into braids. The Queen’s hair was naturally straight and exceptionally soft, so even when braided meticulously, it tended to unravel after a while.
“May I ask where you’ve been?”
“I met with Duke Despone for a moment.”
“I see.”
“By the way, why does Duke Despone have no heir?”
“Duke Despone changed her spouses three times, trying to have a child, but they all ended in disappointment.”
“Still, to have no child…”
Lady Giggs didn’t feel the need to continue, and Adele didn’t press further. After a while, Lady Giggs deftly tied the ends of the braids with a ribbon and stepped back.
“Please keep an eye on Duke Despone.”
In a casual piece of advice, like passing time, Adele nodded slowly.
“It seemed necessary.”
“After raising the Poiter siblings and continuing to support them.”
Lady Giggs had been passing on her vast knowledge of people, little by little, and Adele absorbed her words as if storing them in her memory. Of course, acknowledging that it was Lady Giggs’s subjective opinion. At that moment, a servant knocked and entered the room, carefully holding a piece of document. When Lady Giggs stepped forward to inquire about the matter, the servant handed over the document she had been holding.
“It’s documents sent from the Administration Bureau.”
“Administration Bureau? I see. You can leave now.”
Once the servant left, Lady Giggs immediately handed the documents to Adele. The Queen calmly took out the papers and began to read them attentively. Lady Giggs observed the Queen’s expression as she read. Finally, when Adele looked up from the documents and raised her head, Lady Giggs inquired in a composed tone.
“What is the content of these documents?”
In response to her question, Adele handed her the documents.
“It seems that she wants to lease the Ivory Palace.”
“What? Is this coming from Diane Poiter?”
Adele was surprised by Lady Giggs’s inquiry and extended the documents towards her.
“The lease period is indefinite. She wants to use the entire palace, not a specific room, as she did before. The rent must be exorbitant.”
Lady Giggs quickly received the documents and skimmed through them.
“She’s requesting this exorbitant sum indefinitely… How on earth did this happen?”
Adele furrowed her brow with a creased forehead, thinking that she needed to uncover the details of this incident. Naturally, the name that came to mind was Lionel. Since when? Lionel had become the first person Adele sought whenever she faced difficult situations, although it hadn’t been like that when they were in Gothorp. Adele realized that she wanted to rely on him. Pushing away her concerns about him, Adele gave instructions to LadyGiggs.
“Contact Lionel Baldr and ask him to visit for a moment. Perhaps the House of Baldr could know something. And in the meantime, review these documents and prepare a response.
****
Since becoming an aide, Lionel had been collecting information regarding the Queen faster than anyone else in the palace. It was a natural part of his role as an efficient aide, but, in reality, it was merely an excuse. From the moment he first met the Queen, his every thought had been connected to the Queen’s palace.
After Adele was brought to the palace, Lionel had been waiting for him in his residence when he received the news that Diane Poiter had leased the Ivory Palace. He immediately started investigating the situation, determined to uncover every detail. Finally, when the overall picture of the situation emerged, Lionel’s heart sank heavily, like a stone sinking in water.
In the midst of his investigation, Adele summoned him. Lionel observed Adele’s expression attentively upon his arrival.
“Are you feeling better now?”
“Yes. I apologize for calling you suddenly. I have something I’d like to ask. Please, sit.”
As Lionel took a seat across from her, Adele got straight to the point.
“Is it because of Diane Poiter’s lease of the Ivory Palace?”
Adele looked at Lionel as if daring him to continue. Less patient, Lionel looked at her seriously.
“Please, go on. Why do you ask about it? It hasn’t even been an hour since we received the documents for the Queen’s palace lease, so how much do you know?”
Lionel explained his findings based on the information he had obtained.
“After hearing the rumor about the Ivory Palace lease, we immediately investigated Lennox Poiter’s actions. It seems that he went straight to the Administration Bureau right after meeting with Duke Despone. It’s clear that Duke Despone’s covert support will make this lease possible. The Duke probably intends to get the money he paid back, as he has influence over the Treasury Bureau.”
“Is that even possible?”
Adele was taken aback, wondering how rotten the situation had become.
“If this hypothesis is correct… why would they secretly support the Ivory Palace lease? There must be some profit for them…”
As Adele mumbled to herself, Lionel, who had been explaining the situation, suddenly fell silent. Adele noticed his silence and realized it was an act of consideration toward her. Although Lionel had explained the situation thus far, he didn’t want to burden her with everything. As he observed the Queen’s inquiring and troubled eyes, his silent gaze held concern and goodwill. His care was as warm as the remaining warmth on the jacket that had wrapped her shoulders on the way back to the palace.
“Diane Poier is pregnant.”
Although there was no reason to be upset over this trivial matter, an undeniable hint of bitterness appeared on the Queen’s porcelain-like face. After all, this meant an already narrow space would become even narrower. Adele couldn’t help but feel relieved that Lionel was the one who had informed her of this news. She didn’t want to show such a distressed expression to anyone other than him.
“Are you all right?”
As Lionel had scrutinized Adele persistently, his heart ached like a festering wound. The overwhelming feeling of defeat he had experienced on that day was boiling inside him again. Lying on the bed, he had been unable to do anything other than watch the Queen by the Emperor’s side, occupying the place that had been etched into a corner of his heart. Although he could have offered anything, it was merely a heartfelt longing, as the Queen belonged to the Emperor in reality. If the Queen was in pain or hurt due to the Emperor, what could Lionel possibly do for her? He had to turn his gaze away and looked toward the side. Meanwhile, Adele had managed to regain her composure. She didn’t want to appear as if she were eager to produce an heir as if her life depended on it, crushed by this news. She deliberately straightened her shoulders and spoke casually.
“It should be alright, shouldn’t it?”
If the Queen, who had quickly returned to her calm and composed self, looked even more pitiable than when she had been searching for her fellow comrades from Gottrov was that too presumptuous of a thought? As Lionel and Adele exchanged glances filled with their respective emotions, their eyes met in the empty space.
