I Will Surrender My Position as the Empress - Chapter 68
The next morning arrived early, the Grand Duke rapping gently on the tranquil air of the Imperial Palace, stirring it awake. Lady Giggs greeted Elizabeth with a radiant smile.
“Your Grace, Grand Duchess.”
Elizabeth studied Lady Giggs’s face with a faint smile. “Madame, your face is positively glowing. Do tell me, has something delightful happened of late?”
Lady Giggs merely smiled back. Elizabeth affectionately tapped Lady Giggs’s shoulder before proceeding.
“I fear I may have arrived too early. Might I have an audience with Her Majesty the Empress?”
“Please wait in the antechamber momentarily. I will inquire.”
Suddenly, a resounding voice echoed from above.
“There’s no need for that.”
Elizabeth and Lady Giggs turned their heads towards the source of the voice.
“Your Majesty.”
Leaning against the terrace railing, the Empress looked down at them with a gentle expression.
“It’s been a while, Grand Duchess. Have you been well?”
As Adele inquired with a smile, Elizabeth gracefully bent her knee and offered her respects.
“Yes, Your Majesty. Please forgive the abruptness of our visit.”
“That’s quite alright. Have you had breakfast?”
“Not yet, Your Majesty.”
Adele straightened up and addressed Lady Giggs.
“Lady, please prepare breakfast.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
****
Elizabeth quietly observed Adele as she continued her meal. Adele, noticing her gaze, looked up.
As their eyes met, both women simultaneously shared the same thought. Elizabeth spoke first.
“You’ve been through quite a journey to visit Vuetta. I heard of Her Majesty’s exploits through Duke Baldr. A sorceress, they say. Quite surprising.”
Adele, having learned through Lady Giggs about Elizabeth’s divorce from Theseus, lightly chuckled and inclined her head.
“It’s not solely my accomplishment.”
“I heard there was an assassination attempt. Are you unharmed? It must have been quite a shock.”
“The Minister of Defense reinforced security, so I was fine. Please, don’t worry.”
The two dabbed their mouths with napkins. Lady Giggs, who had been waiting, smoothly approached like flowing water, tidying up the tableware and bringing in tea. After taking a sip of tea, the two women paused to catch their breath. The moment for small talk had passed; it was time to address the matter at hand. Lady Giggs swiftly took away the tray of dishes and left, closing the door behind her. Once the door was shut, Elizabeth spoke.
“Thanks to Her Majesty, the additional weight that’s been pressing down on me has finally begun to move.”
“…”
“I haven’t been one to run away from everything and abandon it all, but… Your Majesty, how about pulling the chariot alongside me?”
Adele gazed steadily into Elizabeth’s eyes, who returned the gaze without flinching. If they were to join hands, sharing information about each other was a prerequisite.
“I am Elizabeth Ulrich Grand, the Princess of Oppression, and I was once married to Duke Baldr. Although we divorced long ago.”
Adele listened attentively to her words, her expression serious.
“My marriage to Duke Baldr was a promise between my late mother, the former empress, and the late Duke Baldr. After my mother passed away, I married Duke Baldr.”
Elizabeth had brought up her past without being asked for a reason. Their positions were not so different, and their goals aligned, so why not collaborate? Elizabeth had no intention of overthrowing the Emperor immediately; that’s why she had come to Adele, the Empress. She desired to rid herself of the influence of Duke Despone, who carried out tyranny by carrying the Emperor on his back and rectifying the politics. When Elizabeth finished speaking, Adele nodded gently with a soft expression.
“Why the sudden change of heart to extend your hand directly to me?” Adele’s tone was gentle, but the content was sharp. Elizabeth smiled bitterly and lowered her eyes.
“…I thought I could run away, but I cannot retreat anymore. I realized there’s nowhere else to go.”
Adele understood her words. A white hand suddenly entered Elizabeth’s lowered field of vision. The Empress calmly extended her hand to her.
“Very well. Let’s pull the chariot together.”
Elizabeth’s mouth curled upwards more and more at Adele’s candid and clear words. Adele and Elizabeth intensely looked at each other, both smiling. Elizabeth took the hand offered by Adele. Despite their relationship devoid of friendship, their firmly clasped hands felt welcoming. Their resolute gazes were appealing, and above all, their desired goals were evident. They grasped each other’s hands firmly, then released them.
“By the way, Uncle was quite angry.”
As Elizabeth spoke with a hint of laughter in her voice, Adele chuckled and nodded.
“He kept glaring at me throughout my visit to Vuetta. I thought I’d bore holes through my face.”
“Fortunately, you’re unscathed.”
Lady Giggs, waiting outside, smiled as she heard the laughter of the two women.
****
“Her brother has returned, but there wasn’t even a greeting asking if I was alright. So thoughtless.”
Lennox muttered irritably as he glanced at the gleaming Ivory Palace roof.
“I nearly got into trouble because of her! Who’s the one responsible for being able to live in that palace again?”
Lennox’s face was deeply buried in affectionate feelings for Diane.
“The baby in her belly had better be a girl.”
He muttered with malice as he walked towards the Magician’s Court mansion. Duke Despone had ignored Lenox’s attempts at conversation throughout their time in Vuetta. The occasional glances exchanged were so chilling that it sent shivers down his spine. Suppressing his anger, he walked towards the Magician’s Court mansion when someone suddenly called out to him.
“Lord Portier!”
It was none other than the courtier from the Imperial Palace. Lennox quickly scanned his attire and then smoothed his voice before asking,
“What’s the matter?”
“His Imperial Majesty wishes to meet with you.”
“His Imperial Majesty?”
“If Her Majesty the Empress requests a reinvestigation into the attempted assassination of Her Majesty the Empress… what do you think?”
Previously, when Lennox asked this question, Duke Despone gave him a very cold look.
“I’ll take care of it myself, so you just focus on your duties. Don’t mess things up by doing things you weren’t asked to do.”
Feeling stung, Lennox’s mouth dried up at the sudden summons from the Emperor. The courtier, looking bewildered, glanced at him suspiciously before turning and leading the way.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
There was no way to refuse the Emperor’s command. Lennox followed behind, feeling uneasy.
Basking in the morning sunlight, the Emperor looked as if he had stepped out of a masterpiece. His sharp jawline seemed like a veil, and his sunken eyes carried a subtle yet precarious feeling. Lost in thought with lowered eyes, he pondered. Adelaide had driven him to hell. Since returning from the Imperial Palace, the Emperor had been clinging to the edge of despair, wandering throughout the night without a moment’s rest. Her enchanting voice and sweet scent had captured him and wouldn’t let go. Who on earth had tried to kill the Empress? He had initially intended to punish Lionel under the pretext of failing to properly guard her, but Duke Despone had intervened. Ultimately, Lionel Baldr had apprehended the assassin, so if he were to blame him, the Baldr family would surely not remain silent. Karl’s gaze darkened.
How dare anyone lay a hand on her without my permission.
At that moment, the courtier who had gone to fetch Lennox Portier entered and opened the door. As Karl’s permission was granted, Lennox, now dressed in the attire of a magician’s courtier, cautiously entered the room.
“You summoned me, Your Majesty.”
“Have a seat.”
Lennox, sensing the Emperor’s gaze, sat opposite him. As Karl stared intently at Lennox’s face, the uncomfortable silence prompted Lennox, who kept squirming under the Emperor’s gaze, to reluctantly speak up.
“…Is there something you wish to say…”
“Did you attempt to kill the Empress?”
“What?!”
Startled by the Emperor’s sudden question, Lennox jumped as if struck from behind, turning pale. With a cold stare, the Emperor leaned forward and repeated his question as if chewing on it.
“Did you arrange the assassination?”
Lennox frantically shook his head and kneeled.
“N-No, Your Majesty, please believe me.”
“…No? Then, was it the deed of Duke Despone?”
“Your Majesty…”
If someone wished for the Empress’s death to the extent of arranging an assassination, it was obvious. Duke Despone. Or perhaps Dian Portier. Whoever it was, there was a high possibility that Lennox Portier had been chosen as the long-term fall guy for this. That was why the Emperor had summoned Lennox. Lennox, trembling with contemplation, looked at the Emperor with desperate eyes. Karl approached Lennox slowly, grabbed his chin firmly with one hand as he kneeled on the ground, and leaned in. The proximity of his face felt as sinister as a demon’s.
“That woman belongs to me.”
The Emperor’s voice and gaze overflowed with sticky obsession and possessiveness, like madness. Lenox, whose entire body was already soaked in sweat, trembled with a chill running down his spine.
“So, don’t you dare lay a hand on what’s mine? Understand?”
No excuse would work before the Emperor at this moment. Lennox managed to steady his trembling breath and opened his mouth.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Karl gripped his chin tightly, then released it abruptly before rising to his feet. As Lennox fled the room in a panic, Karl watched until the end, brushing away his disheveled hair and exhaling deeply. He couldn’t tolerate anyone influencing her in any way. The uncontrollable flame, whose beginning was unknown, burned fiercely enough to make it impossible for Karl to touch her. What she desired was something he could never grant. It drove him insane. Dark thoughts kept flowing, and the solitary contemplation only intensified. As the darkness receded in the early morning sunlight, he suddenly remembered Adelaide’s smile towards Lionel. Karl groaned and clenched his teeth tightly.
“Adelaide. Your gaze, your smile, your life, and even your death are all mine.”
Adelaide Ulrich was Karl Ulrich’s wife and the Empress of Echmont.
****
Breathing heavily, Lennox rushed to the Ivory Palace. But the atmosphere was too strange. The entire palace was eerily silent, and the maids’ expressions were darkened. Clutching his pounding chest anxiously, Lennox ran unhesitatingly to Dian’s office. Startled by Lenox’s sudden appearance, the maid who was tidying up the office let out a short scream.
“Where is the Duchess? Where is she at this hour?!”
Lennox demanded, and the maid trembled as she replied that the Duchess was in her bedroom. With a sense of impending dread, Lennox rushed to Diane’s bedroom and flung open the door.
“Diane!!!”
Diane, seated comfortably in an armchair, looked at Lennox with cold, indifferent eyes. Lennox sat opposite her, furrowing his brows.
“Why aren’t you attending to your duties at this hour?!”
Diane remained silent, unwilling to speak. Hoping she would feign ignorance, Lennox, as always, prodded into her thoughts.
“…Have all your powers been stripped away?”
“Just leave. I’m tired.”
“Because of you, I almost faced ruin, do you know that?!”
At his words, Diane’s suppressed anger surfaced, and she retorted sharply.
“Because of me? Exactly what have you done that benefits me? Huh? Why do you always blame me? Why do you always attribute everything that goes wrong to me?!”
Lennox gripped Diane’s face tightly with his fist, staring into her face with frustration. Although everything she said was true, it stung. Diane remained silent, crying softly, but Lennox didn’t want to know what had happened. He leaned in close to Diane and whispered.
“You should have been the son.”
“…What?”
“O’Ravi told you a long time ago, didn’t he? Love cools down.”
“Shut up!!”
“Why do I always blame you?”
“…”
“Our parents died because of you, didn’t they? If you hadn’t dropped that teddy bear back then, they wouldn’t have died. Isn’t that right?”
“No!!”
“Don’t deny it.”
During their harsh childhood, where they had no one else to rely on but each other, Lennox held onto his sister’s hand desperately. Yet, at the same time, he resented her. She was the culprit who made their parents depart. Lennox wiped away his tears and stood up.
“I hope it’s a son.”
The siblings, once again backed into a corner, glared at each other with eyes burning crimson as if they wanted to kill each other.
