I Will Surrender My Position as the Empress - Chapter 82
As the nobles made their way back to the palace, countless heads of noble families gathered at the call of Duke Baldr. The secret underground meeting room doors opened, and the summoned leaders took their seats with serious expressions. Theseus stared intently at Lionel, seated to his right—the man responsible for convening the meeting. The flickering torchlight cast long shadows on Lionel’s face, enhancing his presence in the dimly lit room. A few nobles exchanged glances, silently acknowledging the gravity of the situation. Finally, Lionel broke the silence, directing his words to Theseus.
“We need to give a brief explanation about ‘the plan,’ don’t we?”
By ‘the plan,’ he meant Duke Despone’s scheme. Theseus hesitated briefly before nodding in agreement. Lionel stood, retrieving a large map from the side, and spread it out in the center of the table where the nobles were seated. The map was marked with numerous colored points initially puzzled the nobles. Soon, they understood the significance of the markings.
“…These indicate the locations of the towers.”
The nobles, initially seated, began to rise and lean over the map.
“The black dots represent the current locations of the towers. The blue dots mark where towers have been destroyed. There’s a blue dot here in Vieta too!”
“What do the red dots signify?”
The nobles tilted their heads in thought, unable to decipher the meaning. Lionel, who had been observing in the shadows, finally spoke.
“They represent the final locations where we aim to erect the towers.”
Though his explanation was brief, the nobles comprehended his words immediately. They stared blankly at Lionel, biting their lips as they turned their gaze back to the map. No one spoke. They silently scrutinized the map, which encapsulated the past fourteen years and the future ahead. Their anger began to smolder.
“What happens if a tower is erected in these locations?”
Someone asked in a tight, controlled voice. Lionel, holding the key to their fate, answered.
“The entire empire will fall under the influence of the towers. Mages will be able to wield their powers anywhere, but so will the beasts—they too will roam freely throughout the empire.”
The already simmering anger of the nobles erupted violently. One of them slammed a fist on the table and shouted.
“Does that even make sense?!!” “Who exactly is this country for?!”
Lionel pointed at the map with his finger. “All this information was provided by Her Majesty the Empress.”
“So, you intend to frame the Empress, then?”
“Let’s head to the palace immediately!!”
“Wait. Since this is an unofficial trial, we cannot fully understand what difficulties Her Majesty might be facing. We must watch and wait for now.”
As the nobles showed signs of rising like a swarm of angry bees, Lionel’s eyes sparkled as he calmly and coldly explained the current situation and what they needed to prepare for the future. This was a different Lionel, far more assertive than the one who had always stood behind Theseus, merely supporting him.
“First, Her Majesty the Empress has promised to provide evidence to support this. We must use that to formally present the issue at the council of ministers. The unofficial trial is likely a maneuver to prevent Her Majesty from attending the council, so we must be prepared for the possibility that she might not be able to participate.”
When Lionel finished speaking, Theseus, who had been silent until then, stood up.
“Regarding this map, we will reveal it suddenly, so keep it secret.”
“Understood.”
“Now that we know Duke Despone and His Majesty the Emperor’s ultimate objective, we cannot remain silent if we are to protect Ehrmont. Return home and await further summons.”
Shortly after, the nobles departed, leaving only Theseus and Lionel in the secret meeting room. Theseus sensed that Lionel had something else he wanted to say.
“What is it you wish to say, Lionel?”
Despite the prompt, Lionel remained silent for a long time. How long did the silence last? Lionel finally broke the stillness.
“The current first in line for the throne is the Grand Duke.”
“……”
Though the statement was brief and seemingly out of context, its weight was enormous. Theseus and Lionel stared at each other in silence. The fragile silence between the brothers was suddenly broken by a knock on the door. The unexpected noise startled them both. An unknown sense of unease crept in. Lionel stood up.
“Come in.”
At Theseus’s permission, the door slowly opened. The person who entered was none other than the butler.
“What is it?” Lionel asked, stepping forward. The butler looked at him with a troubled expression.
“Your Grace!” Lionel’s urgent tone prompted the butler to sigh softly before speaking in a somber voice.
“Her Majesty the Empress has been deposed.”
Duke Despone gleefully spread the news everywhere. Upon hearing it, Lorraine rushed to Diane. Diane had been growing more despondent recently, seemingly losing the Emperor’s favor, and Lorraine had been considering an appropriate time for Diane to leave the palace. However, with the sudden news of the Empress’s deposition, Lorraine quickly changed her mind. With the Empress gone, the position of the next Empress would naturally fall to Diane, who was carrying the heir. Lorraine took a deep breath before knocking on Diane’s bedroom door.
“Your Grace, it’s Lorraine.”
“……”
There was no response from inside.
“Your Grace? Are you asleep?”
Lorraine was about to knock again when the door suddenly opened, revealing a pale-faced Diane.
“Your Grace!”
Lorraine stepped back in shock. Diane’s face, as she peeked out, was ghostly white. Diane urgently spoke.
“Send someone outside the palace immediately to fetch a midwife!”
“What? A midwife?”
“I heard that midwives who care for commoners know how to handle pregnant women. Go, find an experienced midwife, and bring her here discreetly. Right now!”
“But, Your Grace, there’s an order forbidding anyone from entering the palace.”
Diane reacted with a near-panic at her words.
“That order applies to the nobles, not the servants. The servants can come and go, can they not? Hurry, there’s no time to lose!”
Startled by Diane’s fierce command, Lorraine bit her lip before nodding quickly. She turned to leave but then remembered the important news she had to convey. She stepped closer to Diane and whispered.
“Her Majesty the Empress has been deposed.”
Lorraine watched for Diane’s reaction, but strangely, Diane seemed either uninterested or as if she hadn’t heard. Diane showed no particular reaction, only wiping her face anxiously with her hand before closing the door. Lorraine stared at the closed door, muttering to herself.
“What’s wrong with her?”
Inside the room, Diane leaned against the door, breathing heavily and trembling. The news of the Empress’s deposition was monumental, but the reality she faced was far more immediate and harrowing. She rushed to the fireplace, staring anxiously at the roaring flames. The fire was slowly consuming a white cloth she had thrown in. When the fire didn’t catch quickly, Diane anxiously pushed the cloth deeper into the flames with a fire poker. As the carefully folded cloth unraveled, it revealed the evidence she had desperately tried to hide. The white cloth was stained with dark crimson. Diane bit her lip and shoved the cloth further into the fire.
“Burn quickly, burn….”
Soon, the cloth was engulfed and disintegrated in the flames, but the spark of anxiety within Diane only grew, threatening to consume her entirely.
****
Meanwhile, an envoy was quickly assembled to head to Gottrov. Karl personally penned a long letter to the Emperor of Gottrov, detailing the reasons and circumstances surrounding Empress Adelaide’s deposition. After finishing, he placed the pen aside and sealed the letter with his stamp. Duke Despone, watching with satisfaction, concealed his grin and spoke in a tone of feigned solemnity.
“It’s unprecedented for an Empress to be deposed under such circumstances. This will go down in history.”
Given the gravity of the situation, the envoy carrying the Emperor’s letter quickly departed, and Duke Despone, feeling as light as air, personally escorted them to the palace gates. Watching this scene through the window, Karl was approached by a secret agent who had previously investigated the Empress.
“You summoned me, Your Majesty.”
Without looking at him, the Emperor spoke swiftly, “Board the ship with the envoy. Before you reach Gottrov, kill them. In the open sea, it will be easy to eliminate all evidence.”
“…What?”
The secret agent’s eyes widened in shock at the unexpected order. The Emperor slowly turned to look at him. The dark intensity in Karl’s eyes made the agent break out in a cold sweat. The Emperor’s voice dropped to a chilling whisper.
“I do not want the news of the Empress’s deposition to reach Gottrov.”
The agent remained silent, unable to fathom the Emperor’s intentions. Deposing the Empress through a trial and then preventing Gottrov from hearing about it seemed contradictory.
“But, Your Majesty, the news of the deposition will inevitably reach Gottrov. Suppressing it could lead to serious complications…”
“That’s not your concern. Just eliminate the envoy as I ordered. Understood?”
When the agent hesitated to respond, Karl lunged forward, grabbing him by the collar.
“Why, can’t you do it?!”
With the Emperor’s furious face inches from his own, the agent quickly shook his head.
“No, Your Majesty. I will complete the mission.”
“Make sure you do it discreetly and thoroughly.”
“Yes!”
Satisfied with the answer, the Emperor released him. The secret agent, pulling his hood low over his face, disappeared into the shadows. Karl turned his gaze back out the window, his eyes fixed on the distant roof of the Empress’s palace. His heart pounded erratically. His clenched fists were slick with sweat, and his back was drenched. Gritting his teeth, Karl leaned his head against the window.
‘No.’
He was driven to madness by the memory of Adelaide’s vacant face as she refused his offer. It was strange. He had orchestrated everything to drag Adelaide into the abyss, yet he was the one drowning in it.
