I Will Surrender My Position as the Empress - CHapter 79
After Karl left the terrace, Adele remained seated, facing the cold wind. The weight of her noble status always burdened her. She had grown accustomed to it, yet never had she forgotten its heaviness, not even for a moment. Today, however, the burden pressing on her shoulders felt particularly heavy and exhausting. She longed to set it aside for just a moment. At that moment, she heard the sound of neat footsteps approaching.
“Your Majesty, Empress.”
Raising her head, she met his gentle gaze, as always. Meanwhile, Lionel, observing Adele’s face, clenched his fist tightly behind his back. What could they have said to him here that caused his expression to turn this angry? Frustrated and feeling helpless, Lionel knelt down beside her, aligning his eyes with hers. There was nothing on his stoic face, yet Adele had seen through that calm mask many times—the real Lionel, crumbling behind a façade, suppressing tears. Lionel asked softly,
“Why are you like this?”
Adele blinked at his warm voice. It was odd. Had she always wanted to show vulnerability? The thing she despised most was revealing her weakness to others… Why did tears come to her eyes and the desire to unburden herself whenever she stood before him?
“… Because it’s heavy.”
With a long pause, Adele finally answered him honestly. Lionel gazed at her for a moment before suggesting,
“Shall we share the burden?”
Adele remained silent, staring at him. She couldn’t fathom the kindness hidden in his deep gaze. Her eyes traced along his straight nose down to his slightly parted lips. Hastily, she looked away, holding her breath. She knew his eyes were on her face, but she couldn’t bring herself to turn her head.
“Your Majesty, Empress.”
Unable to ignore his gentle voice whispering in her ear, Adele reluctantly turned her head to face him. Seeing him, her heart fluttered once more. Simultaneously, her father’s words echoed in her mind.
“Adele, as a noble, you must uphold your dignity at all times, wherever you are.”
Since birth, her status had been like a second skin. Thus, she knew no way to set it aside, no one with whom she could share it.
“I can’t share it, Lionel.”
“I don’t know what to do, either.”
Because it was her name and her destiny from birth to death.
“Please don’t cry…”
“I’m not crying.”
“…”
Stubbornly denying that she was crying, Adele received no further response from Lionel. Tears fell like magnolia petals, softly and steadily. Unconsciously, Lionel reached out and brushed away a tear from her cheek. His fingertips held a trace of moisture. The tear fell lightly, marking the night. Simultaneously, the essence of Adelaide Ulrich Echmont, bound to her name, slowly detached itself without anyone knowing. Not even Adele herself.
Meanwhile, the Chancellor had hurriedly responded to the Emperor’s summons, as if he had been expecting it. There was not a hint of surprise on his face, for he had already been briefed by the Emperor regarding this matter.
“In the end, have you made a decision?”
Duke Despone, unaware of the details, alternated his gaze between the Chancellor and the Emperor, furrowing his brow.
“Hmm. Could you please explain so that I can understand?”
As the Emperor turned his gaze towards the Chancellor, Duke Despone leaned forward with a glint in his eyes, eagerly anticipating the Chancellor’s response.
“What do you intend to do?”
Karl thought carefully once more. Duke Despone stared at the Emperor, knowing that once he offered his prey to the hungry beast, it would never be let go. Once words were uttered, they could never be taken back. But try as he might, he couldn’t find any other way.
“We will depose the Empress.”
As the Emperor’s words hung in the air, Duke Despone froze, trembling with excitement. He repeated the words in his mind.
‘Depose the Empress? Depose the Empress?!’
A rush of exhilaration surged from his head to his toes. He struggled to suppress the urge to let his jaw quiver uncontrollably. Sensing the Chancellor’s gaze, the Duke quickly bowed his head and covered his face with his hand.
“Ahem, hmm.”
After swiftly regaining control over his expression, he lifted his head with a serious demeanor.
“To depose Her Majesty the Empress… If there is no valid reason, there will be strong resistance. Chancellor, do you know the reason?”
“It is possible to strip her of her title.”
“And what would that reason be?”
Internally hesitating, the Chancellor struggled with his response.
“Well, what is it?”
The Duke glanced at the Emperor, mirroring the Chancellor’s uncertain expression. The Emperor, deep in thought with his chin in his hand, finally spoke abruptly.
“Refusal of the midnight summons.”
Duke Despone tilted his head, eyes narrowing as he contemplated the Emperor’s uttered words. His heart pounded like a wild beast within him.
“Refusal of the midnight summons… So the Empress, who must produce an heir, refused the Emperor’s summons at midnight, and this has caused an uproar from the Chancellor?”
“…”
Duke Despone, whose eyes had darkened ominously, suddenly stood up from his seat.
“As an elder of the Ulrich House, as the head of the Despone family upholding this Empire, this is an immensely significant matter that cannot be overlooked. If the reason for deposition is the refusal of the midnight summons, then even Gotthorp will have nothing to say! Your Majesty, we must urgently convene a trial! It must be done before tonight ends!”
The Emperor closed his eyes slowly. He recalled the Empress’s cold expression, the pale, slender fingers entwined with Lionel Herbert’s.
“Yes. This is your own doing, Adelaide.”
With determination, the Emperor opened his eyes and commanded Duke Despone.
“The trial will be held unofficially, mindful of the Empress’s honor. Lady Hannah Giggs, residing in the Empress’s palace, will be summoned as a witness. As this concerns the internal affairs of the Ulrich House, the formal summons will be issued to the witnesses who stood at the marriage of Adelaide and Grand Duke.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Your command will be heeded!”
With a jubilant air, Duke Despone vanished like the wind. The Emperor silently watched the spot where he had been, then turned to the Chancellor and lowered his voice.
“Regarding the matter, I instructed you to investigate.”
“You mean the restoration of the deposed Empress? It’s unprecedented, so I’ve reviewed all relevant laws and regulations.”
“And?”
“Refusal of the midnight summons certainly qualifies as grounds for deposition, but that alone doesn’t make her a criminal. However, it does mean the loss of all positions within the Echmont. She failed to fulfill her duty.”
“If she were to pledge to fulfill all her duties again…”
“Yes, she could be restored.”
Karl nodded, lowering his gaze.
“Keep this matter confidential. To anyone but me.”
“Of course.”
Karl took a deep breath, exhaling heavily as he rose from his seat. He removed his jacket with a determined expression and donned the Emperor’s attire. Having lived her entire life as nobility, she would now relinquish that title. There was nowhere for her to go back to. If she was to live as the Empress on this land again, he couldn’t help but reach out to her. Karl’s eyes darkened with resolve.
Meanwhile…
Thesus cast a dark glance at the terrace where Lionel and Adele were. Lionel seemed deeply concerned. That’s when…
“Um, Duke Baldr.”
A delicate yet warm voice reached Theseus, causing him to turn his head. A beautifully adorned woman stood before him, hands neatly folded, looking up at him with a shy smile and a slight bend of her knees, greeting him.
“Hello? My name is Edith Beowen. I’ve always wanted to have a conversation with you, so I apologize for being forward with my greetings.”
Behind his glasses, Thesus’ expression hardened. Reflexively, he looked up and met Elizabeth’s gaze. Around her, numerous young nobles from influential families gathered. It was a stark reminder of how they, once a couple, had truly become estranged. Thesus sighed briefly and took a step back from her, then looked at Edith.
“Lady Edith.”
Edith smiled like a delicate bud and asked him for a meeting.
“If you have the time, would you care to converse with me for a while?”
From a distance, Lord Beowen’s eyes glittered as he watched the two. How would Thesus, head of the Baldr family, respond to this? Contrary to expectations, Thesus politely but firmly declined her request for a private meeting.
“Lady Edith, I’m sorry, but I prefer not to have private meetings.”
There was no room for any gaps in his precise and clean refusal.
“Oh…”
Disappointed, Edith turned away, and Thesus also turned his body. At that moment, Elizabeth locked eyes with him. Approaching steadily, her crimson eyes full of intensity, a commanding posture, and firmly closed lips. Despite his efforts, Thesus couldn’t dry his already-soaked heart. Having experienced this before, he worried more about Lionel than anyone else. As Elizabeth silently approached and stopped in front of him, she whispered.
“I need to rest for a moment. My throat is in such pain that I can’t endure any longer.”
His once-darkened heart began to float again. Unknowingly, Thesus chuckled and led her to a sofa set aside for her.
“Please, take a moment to rest.”
The cold and stern face of Thesus Baldr softened as if it were a lie. Watching this transformation, Edith Beowen let her shoulders slump and her head hang low.
“What did you say?”
As Lord Beowen approached and lowered his voice, Edith frowned deeply in irritation.
“Father, look at Lord Thesus’ face right now! He doesn’t want any private meetings.”
Meanwhile, Elizabeth whispered as she took the champagne glass Thesus offered.
“If the Empress is going to show it tomorrow, it must be about that ‘map’ you mentioned before, right?”
“Most likely. We finished the background check on Brunhill Alexia, and there doesn’t seem to be any particular reason for suspicion.”
Elizabeth sipped her champagne, scanning through the nobles.
“Are any Rockefellers… or the Jensens still here?”
As Emperor and Duchess Despone left, the Poiter’s siblings soon left the banquet hall as well. Normally, even the imperial faction nobles would follow suit after hesitating, but today, some of the moderate faction nobles, as well as some from the imperial faction, remained. At that moment, the terrace door tightly closed, opened again, and the Empress appeared once more in the banquet hall. The nobles’ gazes all turned to her simultaneously. Watching this enormous wave of power, Elizabeth murmured.
“Tomorrow, after officially pressuring Duke Despone, the situation will completely change.”
Thesus nodded in agreement with her words. The Empress smiled brightly and resumed dealing with the nobles flocking around her. Lionel, meanwhile, continued to watch over her.
“Well then, let’s go.”
Elizabeth set down her champagne glass and spoke lightly. However, just as the two were about to take their first steps toward the Empress and Lionel, an urgent clatter of footsteps, out of sync with the atmosphere of the ballroom, echoed above the crowd. All eyes turned towards the source of the sound. Four figures in black uniforms entered through the wide-open doors. Crimson insignia adorned the shoulders of their sleek uniforms, and the imperial crest was prominently displayed on their right chests. The sight of these distinctive uniforms caused murmurs of awe among the nobles. As they scanned the room as if searching for someone, they spotted the Empress and began approaching. Lionel, standing behind Adele, seemed to step forward protectively.
“Who are they?”
“They are the judges of the palace.”
As if fearing a spark might ignite, nobles hastily moved aside as the judges marched imposingly forward, their footsteps loudly echoing through the ballroom. Elizabeth and Thesus hurriedly made their way towards the Empress with stern expressions. Sweating nervously behind the judges, who momentarily hesitated, Lionel spoke first.
“What’s the matter?”
The judges involuntarily swallowed hard at the intimidating presence that Lionel exuded, sharp as a well-honed sword. The clamor of footsteps abruptly subsided. Stopping at a respectful distance, the judges cleared their throats and straightened their backs firmly before addressing not Lionel, but the Empress. If it had been the Minister of Defense and not the Empress, they might have been less apprehensive, but upon meeting her oscillating golden eyes, a chilling sensation ran down their spines. One of the judges quickly lowered his gaze, steadying his trembling breath, before clearing his throat and speaking.
“His Majesty the Emperor has requested an urgent trial concerning Her Majesty the Empress.”
