I Will Surrender My Position as the Empress - Chapter 75
Shortly after, Theseus and Elizabeth arrived, and Adele guided the three of them to a secret parlor. As they walked, Elizabeth scrutinized the Empress’s expression, remembering the rumors spread by Duke Despone. Fortunately, the Empress appeared indifferent. Once they were seated on the parlor’s sofas, Adele, as always, got straight to the point.
“The Empire needs reform.”
“Of course,” Elizabeth agreed immediately.
Adele looked directly at her and asked, “What do you think is the first step we should take for reform?”
Without hesitation, Elizabeth answered firmly, “Duke Despone must be removed from politics.”
While the Emperor also bore responsibility for the current situation, targeting him directly would be treason. For now, they needed to deal with Duke Despone. Nodding at Elizabeth’s response, Adele spread out a map of Ehcmont, meticulously crafted by Brunhilde, in front of them. Their gazes fell simultaneously onto the map. As Adele explained Despone’s objectives, pointing out each tower, their expressions grew increasingly grim. Elizabeth’s face reddened, and she clenched her fists tightly.
“That madman…”
When Adele finished, stating that Despone’s ultimate goal was to bring the entire Empire under the control of his towers, Elizabeth became eerily calm. Her violet eyes scanned the map coldly. Having observed Elizabeth closely, Theseus realized her fury had reached its peak.
“Does the Emperor know about this?” Elizabeth asked her voice tight with suppressed anger.
Adele was silent for a moment before replying, “The Emperor once told me that the towers are a means to maintain his power.”
Lionel averted his gaze and sighed deeply, mirroring Theseus’s reaction. Elizabeth struggled to contain her raging emotions, her breaths coming hard and fast. Meanwhile, Lionel, having collected his thoughts, addressed Adele.
“Do we have any evidence to support this?”
“Baron Alexa will prepare everything for us. He should bring the evidence to me soon,” Lionel said.
Theseus, who had been silent, nodded thoughtfully. “Once the National Day banquet is over, we should make this public and move against Duke Despone.”
Elizabeth agreed. “Indeed. We must hold both the Duke, the head of the Mage Division, and Count Poitiers accountable. Once they lose their power, Your Majesty, you should take control of the Mage Division.”
“If that happens, I’ll begin dismantling the towers immediately,” Adele declared.
At that moment, Lionel spoke cautiously, “We should investigate Baron Alexa’s surroundings, just to be safe.”
Theseus nodded, echoing Lionel’s concern. “Exactly. We need to be thorough. Leave it to us.”
Adele looked between the two men. “Very well. You both will investigate discreetly, and I’ll summon you once Baron Alexa provides the documents.”
The four continued discussing their plans to revive the decaying Ehcmont with serious expressions.
*****
Meanwhile, Diane, dressed in attire matching the Emperor’s, sat alone at a table, cooling her head after a long time. It seemed that Duke Despone had finally resolved to crush the Empress’s power completely. He had been the one to place Gottrov’s princess on the throne as Empress, so he was the only one who could dethrone her. The Duke had approached Diane, offering her the role of the Emperor’s consort. Although he intended to use her and discard her if she became inconvenient, their interests aligned for now. Diane’s eyes glinted. The naive girl who once longed for the Emperor’s love was gone. She now had only one goal.
Just then, the physician arrived for her regular check-up. Lying comfortably on the bed, Diane allowed the physician to examine her.
“How is your morning sickness?” he asked.
“Nonexistent. I don’t have any particular cravings either.”
The physician examined her carefully. Despite being in the early stages of pregnancy, Diane’s slender frame showed no sign of a growing belly.
“When should my belly start to show?” she asked.
“It varies, but it usually starts around this time. Amniotic fluid increases, causing the belly to expand. However, due to your slim physique, there seems to be no change.”
“I can feel the baby moving,” Diane insisted.
The physician hesitated, puzzled. Her symptoms—missed periods, abdominal swelling, and even the sensation of fetal movement—resembled pregnancy closely.
‘I’ll make a definitive diagnosis once her belly is visibly swollen,’ he thought. But why had the senior physician strictly instructed him to delay confirming the pregnancy?
“Exactly when can we expect a proper diagnosis?” Diane demanded.
“Please, give us just one more month to be sure,” the physician replied.
“You said the same thing last month!” she snapped.
“I’m sorry,” he muttered apologetically.
Diane glared at the physician but finally nodded. After all, what did a diagnosis matter? She could feel the child within her. After the physician left, Diane spent a long time caressing her stomach before getting up. If she was to attend the banquet as the Emperor’s partner, she would need a suitable seat. There might be many chairs in the banquet hall, but as the bearer of the Emperor’s child, she could not sit just anywhere.
“They must be busy preparing, so I should make my request now,” Diane said, heading confidently to the Empress’s palace to demand her place.
Adele, deep in her work, narrowed her eyes at the unexpected news of Diane’s visit. Lady Giggs, with a stern expression, offered, “You don’t have to see her. I can send her away.”
But Adele, fiddling with her pen, clicked her tongue and shook her head. “No, let her in. She is pregnant, after all. We don’t want any unnecessary gossip.”
“Your Majesty…” Lady Giggs began to protest, but seeing Adele’s resolute expression, she relented and left the room.
Adele returned to her work, hearing the door open and footsteps approaching. She put her pen aside and looked up, tilting her head slightly at the sight of Diane. The woman was even thinner than before, her eyes almost feverishly bright. Diane misinterpreted Adele’s gaze, thinking, ‘You’re jealous of what you can’t have.’
With a smug smile, Diane cradled her stomach with both hands. Adele glanced at her belly before pointing to the chair in front of her desk. “Sit.”
Diane gave a slight bow and carefully sat down. “Because I am with child, I couldn’t assist with the preparations for the National Day celebration. Please forgive me.”
Her words were subtly mocking, but Adele didn’t react. With much more significant issues occupying her mind, Diane barely registered as a concern. “It’s fine. What brings you here? Speak plainly.”
Diane felt a surge of defiance at Adele’s composed demeanor. ‘She wants to ignore my existence until the end!’ she thought. Rubbing her belly out of habit, Diane boldly stated, “You know the Emperor will enter the banquet with me, don’t you? Since I am not alone in this body, I can’t stand all night. Arrange a seat for me.”
She lifted her eyes to gauge the Empress’s reaction, expecting anger. Instead, Adele’s expression remained unchanged. Diane sensed something was off. The Empress stared at her for a moment before pulling a document from a pile on her desk and placing it in front of Diane. Looking at it, Diane found herself momentarily speechless. Adele took a sip of water, her gaze cold.
“What is this?” Diane managed to ask, her voice shaky.
“It’s the seating arrangement for the banquet,” Adele replied smoothly. “You’ll find your seat next to the Emperor’s, as you requested. However, you’ll also notice the list of attendees and the specific protocols for the evening. Everything has been arranged according to your… condition.”
Diane scanned the document, her earlier confidence evaporating. She had expected resistance, perhaps even a confrontation, but not this. Adele’s preparedness left her feeling off-balance and oddly subdued.
“That was my plan anyway,” Adele replied coolly.
Diane pressed her lips together tightly. Despite having gotten what she wanted, she felt an inexplicable sense of defeat. Adele collected the paper from in front of Diane, slipping it back into her stack of documents, and then issued a clear dismissal. “If that’s all, you may go.”
Diane, who had arrived with such confidence, found herself standing up meekly in response to the Empress’s authoritative command. The midday autumn sunlight streamed through the window behind Adele, casting a blinding glow. Diane squinted, briefly closing her eyes, and when she opened them again, she was startled by Adele’s unexpected remark.
“You’ve lost a lot of weight since I last saw you. Is the morning sickness severe?”
Diane stared blankly at Adele, who had already turned her attention back to her papers. The Empress continued, her tone indifferent, “If there are any smells that are particularly hard for you to bear, inform Lady Giggs before you leave.”
Diane was too stunned to respond. “Why are you still standing there? You may go.”
“Y-yes,” Diane stammered, then quickly turned and almost fled from the Empress’s quarters. Outside, she walked aimlessly, breathing heavily.
“Is something wrong, Lady Diane?” asked Lorraine, her maid, but Diane was too dazed to reply. She found herself touching her cheek and neck with her skeletal fingers, feeling the bones beneath the skin. Turning to look back at the Empress’s palace, she muttered to herself, “She’s insane.”
“What?” Lorraine asked, shocked.
“That Empress… she’s not sane.”
“Lady Diane!!” Lorraine looked around in panic, but Diane kept repeating, “She’s not sane,” over and over, as inexplicable tears traced down her sunken cheeks.
****
At that same moment, Elizabeth, after much contemplation, decided to visit the Emperor. She stood silently at the grand entrance of the imperial palace, memories flooding back as if they had happened just yesterday.
“…Mother.”
The memory of her young voice, fragile and delicate, caused a frown on young Elizabeth’s face. She thought, ‘I’m going to get scolded,’ and as expected, the sharp voice of her mother, the former Empress, cut through the air above her. It was a voice so cold it made even Elizabeth’s knees tremble.
“I told you to call me Your Majesty, the Empress!”
“…Yes.”
The small boy standing beside her slumped his shoulders, defeated.
“…Blood stays where it belongs. I wonder if something like this can ever become Emperor.”
Her mother dusted off the hem of her gown where Karl had clung to it and then gently placed an arm around Elizabeth’s shoulders.
“Let’s go, Liz.”
Elizabeth, her nose tingling with the sting of unshed tears, took hesitant steps forward. As she turned to look back, the small boy’s eyes were filled with desperate anger.
“That child is so obsessive, it’s chilling. If he knew who his real mother was, he’d go to her instead of still calling me mother.”
‘…….’
Elizabeth made no response to her mother’s harsh words. She remained silent, even when Karl was being reprimanded. On days when inexplicable guilt made her nose sting, she would leave his favorite toys or items in front of his door as a form of atonement. Whenever she visited, Karl’s uncle was always there, comforting the distressed boy with honeyed words. Even now, she could vividly recall the uncle’s cunning face.
It wasn’t until she reached adulthood that Elizabeth realized she had been a bystander all those years. Perhaps her reluctance to confront the Emperor directly stemmed from the guilt of those days. Elizabeth pressed her eyes shut and exhaled a long, deep sigh. Resolute, she stepped into the entrance of the imperial palace.
