I Will Surrender My Position as the Empress - Chapter 76
Karl engrossed in his work, frowned at the sudden visit from Elizabeth. His half-sister was always a troublesome presence. After a moment of hesitation, he waved his hand dismissively, granting her an audience. The attendants quickly exited, and the atmosphere in the study grew colder as Elizabeth entered. Karl’s icy stare fixed on her, his heart tightening with the painful memories she evoked.
“What brings you here?”
Elizabeth bowed respectfully, suppressing her fear in the face of the Emperor’s hostile gaze. Despite her rank as a Grand Duchess, he didn’t even offer her a seat. Feeling the invisible barrier between them, she took a step closer, bracing herself. The intensity of his gaze was almost physically painful.
“Your Majesty,” she began.
“Speak.”
“Even without the tower, your throne remains secure.”
At her words, Karl froze. Elizabeth spoke earnestly, her voice filled with sincerity.
“Your power does not depend on the existence of the tower.”
“Lies.”
“It’s the truth. You must face reality.”
But Elizabeth had touched a raw nerve. Karl’s eyes flared with anger as he remembered past wounds.
“Lies.”
“…”
“You didn’t hear what your mother told me. She said no one would ever acknowledge me. Don’t you remember?”
Karl’s voice trembled with rage as he clenched his fists, glaring at her. Elizabeth took a deep breath, her voice barely a whisper.
“The late Empress was wrong.”
“…”
“My mother spoke out of turn.”
“…”
Tears of fury welled up in Karl’s eyes. He leaped from his chair like a wild beast, grabbing Elizabeth’s shoulders roughly, his anger spilling over.
“After standing by all that time, now you say this?”
“…”
“I’ve always told you, I’m systematically destroying the towers. I’m doing my best. Understand, sister?”
His face was filled with nothing but obsession. Elizabeth couldn’t bear to look at him and shut her eyes instead. She feared what Karl might become after cutting ties with Duke Despone, and she was even more afraid of what she would need to do then.
＊ ＊ ＊
After Elizabeth left, Karl opened the window and exited the terrace. The cold wind swept in, but he didn’t feel it. The Empress was expected to attend the upcoming banquet with Lionel Baldr as her partner. The thought of her on Lionel’s arm made his chest feel like it would burst, but he couldn’t object. He had initiated this, after all. He couldn’t comply with her demands despite his feelings for the Empress.
Karl clenched his fists tightly and glared towards the distant Empress’s palace. Every day, Duke Despone urged him to assassinate the Empress, insisting that further delaying would only strengthen her faction. He demanded action immediately after the national holiday. But Karl couldn’t bring himself to harm Adelle. If only he could somehow neutralize the Baldr faction supporting her, but it seemed impossible for now.
“How… how can I sever her connections…”
Karl spent days consumed by this thought. Perhaps to aid his contemplation, a secret agent he had dispatched to Gothrop several months ago returned with a thick report. Karl meticulously read through the report on Adele’s life as a princess in Gottrov. While it was challenging to uncover the palace’s most intimate secrets, the official records provided enough insight into her life.
As he finished reading the lengthy report, Karl lifted his head. The agent cautiously asked, “Do you need any more information?”
The Emperor was silent for a while. The agent watched anxiously, waiting for his response, when Karl suddenly spoke.
“In your opinion,”
“Yes, Your Majesty?”
“Could the Empress return to Gottrov?”
It was a perplexing question. As the agent narrowed his eyes and tilted his head, Karl elaborated.
“I mean, would there be a place for the Empress if she returned to Gottrov?”
Despite the clarification, it was still difficult to comprehend. The agent bowed his head, uncertain of how to respond.
“What reason would the Empress have to return to Gottrov?”
Karl let out a dry laugh, rising from his seat and approaching the fireplace. Without hesitation, he tossed the agent’s meticulously prepared report into the flames. The fire greedily consumed the papers, burning even more fiercely.
“There’s nothing more I need. You’re dismissed.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Karl watched the report burn to ashes, his eyes reflecting the dangerous flicker of the flames.
“She made preparations to leave on her terms… agreed to the marriage despite having the option to refuse, and brought no one with her…”
A sinister smile crept across his face.
“She vowed never to return. She has nowhere to go back to.”
Adelaide couldn’t return to Gottrov. Her pride would never allow her to leave and then come back. If that’s the case, what is the source of her power here in Ehmont?
“You derive your strength from being Empress. If that’s the case…”
If he couldn’t break the connection in the middle, he could strip one side of its power. With a resolute expression, Karl called for his attendant and gave a discreet order.
“Bring the High Priest.”
＊ ＊ ＊
The Empress allocated part of the national holiday budget to aid the people. She drastically cut unnecessary banquet decorations, redirecting those funds to relief efforts. As a result, the Empress’s palace was bustling with activity in preparation for the holiday. The most urgent task was to improve the slum’s water and sewage systems. Adelaide even used her funds to finance the project, spending most of the gold she had purchased from the merchant sent by the Emperor. Duke Despone was furious at the misallocation of state funds, but since the Empress’s palace was in charge of the holiday preparations, he couldn’t interfere. The Emperor remained silent.
The day before the national holiday, large imperial flags were hung throughout the capital, and supplies were delivered to the slums across the Niagara River, where the water and sewage work was in full swing. As Lionel headed to the slums, Adelaide instructed him:
“Visit each house and distribute these supplies. If you see that boy we met before, tell him we’re working to build a better world, so he shouldn’t grow up to be a bad person.”
Following the Empress’s instructions, the soldiers distributed essential items through the narrow alleys, ensuring everyone in need received their share. The Empress’s provisions were handed out not just to the slum residents but also to the poor across the city. Although the national holiday was an annual event, such a large-scale relief effort was unprecedented.
“These are from the Empress!”
“Oh? I heard the Empress destroyed a tower all by herself!”
“Yes! The last tower that appeared in the capital! They say the Empress was the one who brought it down!”
“And she’s arranging for the slums to have proper water and sewage systems?”
Whenever the people gathered, they couldn’t stop praising the Empress, losing track of time in their admiration.
＊＊＊
Meanwhile, Duke Despone stormed into the Emperor’s study once again, spewing his vitriol.
“Precious state funds!! Wasted on such useless things! I just came from the banquet hall! It’s so shabby. Why hold a grand banquet at all? Isn’t it to elevate Your Majesty’s stature? But with such a poor setup, what does that do to Your Majesty’s dignity?”
The Emperor remained silent, his thoughts unreadable. Duke Despone scrutinized his expression, feeling a strange unease, and abruptly asked.
“Do you have some plan in mind, Your Majesty?”
The Emperor stroked his chin thoughtfully and suddenly posed a question.
“Duke Despone, you have lived your entire life as royalty, haven’t you?”
“…Yes, I have.”
“How would you feel if one day you were no longer royalty or nobility?”
Duke Despone’s face contorted with displeasure.
“A person who has lived in a small house might be able to move into a larger one, but someone used to a grand estate cannot live in a small house. If I were suddenly stripped of my royal and noble status… well, I would do whatever it takes to regain my position.”
“Exactly.”
“…Why do you ask?”
The Duke’s question hung in the air as the Emperor met his gaze steadily. The moment their eyes locked, a shiver ran down the Duke’s spine. The dangerous glint in the Emperor’s violet eyes was unmistakable.
