I Will Surrender My Position as the Empress - Chapter 86
I’ll Escort You to the Marquis Estate
Adele stared at him, unable to blink. Her golden eyes trembled slightly. “Give you my life?”What could that mean? Adele’s gaze slowly moved down from Lionel’s face, it fell upon his knees, bent before her. The titles of this man—Secretary of Defense of Echmont, head of the House of Herbert, and Captain of the Royal Guard—flashed through her mind. She spoke to him softly.
“Stand up.”
“……”
“You’re asking for my life, but I don’t understand what you mean. I am no longer the Empress, and you are no longer my aide. Get up and go.”
But Lionel remained kneeling, just looking at her. Adele turned away and spoke coldly.
“And from now on, do not seek me out.”
“Please, look at me.”
“Your honor will be tarnished.”
Honor be damned! In response to Adele’s ruthlessly cold words, Lionel raised his voice.
“Honor doesn’t matter. Please, look at me.”
Adele slowly turned her gaze to him at his trembling voice. His reddened eyes looked as defenseless as exposed flesh.
“Then what do you plan to do?”
“……”
“Are you planning to return to Gottrov? Or are you hoping for reinstatement? What exactly do you intend to do? Do you plan to sit here and wait for death?”
The barrage of cold questions made Adele want to cover her ears. Her head began to throb again. She bit down hard on her molars.
“……Enough.”
Though he was ready to do anything for Adele, Lionel did not stop this time.
“What is it you want most right now?”
Adele’s eyebrows twitched at the sudden question. What does she want most right now?
“With honor, convictions, and duty weighing you down no longer, you needn’t worry about such things. Think about what you want to do right now.”
“If I tell you.”
“I’ll make it happen.”
“And how do you know what I might say?”
“It doesn’t matter what it is.”
“If I say I want to die, will you grant that wish too?”
Silent tears fell from Lionel’s dry eyes, dampening his chin before dropping onto the back of his hand. Despite the pain on his face, he nodded.
“If that’s what you wish.”
“……”
“Tell me. What is it you want to do most right now?”
In a moment where thick fog and darkness obscured everything, Adele could not refuse the hand extended to her as she stood alone in the darkness. Finally, for the first time in her life, she allowed herself to utter an irresponsible wish.
“I can’t stay here any longer.”
The moment her words left her lips, Lionel rose to his feet, responding without a moment’s hesitation.
“Understood.”
****
Meanwhile, at that very moment, Karl was storming towards the Empress’s quarters like an enraged beast.
“Marquis Lionel Herbert has entered the palace.”
Despite the ban, Lionel Herbert had dared to enter the palace. Where else could that damn bastard have gone?! Sure enough, as Karl approached the entrance to the Empress’s quarters, Lionel Herbert appeared. The Emperor stopped, glaring at the impeccably dressed man shining in the morning sunlight, as if ready to tear him apart. The two men faced each other across the narrow path.
Lionel, locking eyes with the Emperor, began to walk forward, step by step. His dark blue eyes burned intensely as his clenched fists trembled with rage. The Emperor, who possessed everything but cherished nothing, was a man who neglected all responsibility, clinging only to his position. But now, Lionel intended to hold this irresponsible, cowardly man accountable.
“Lionel Herbert, you dare to defy the entrance ban and enter the palace?”
The Emperor growled, but Lionel just stared back with a cold, expressionless gaze.
“I apologize for not following the order due to not receiving it in time. But what was the reason for it?”
“What? Reason?”
Karl’s brows furrowed in anger as he repeated the question.
“Every order must have a justifiable reason, Your Majesty.”
Lionel’s bold retort made Karl’s fury explode. He wanted to tear the man in front of him to pieces.
‘Everyone disregards the Emperor.’
Duke Despone’s voice echoed like tinnitus in his ears. The Emperor, now standing nose-to-nose with Lionel, snarled fiercely.
“Take your eyes off my Empress.”
Lionel barely restrained the curse that rose within him. What? “My Empress”? How dare he use such a title for the woman he had thrown into the abyss?
“She belongs to me. Never look at her again.”
At the Emperor’s command, Lionel’s eyes grew icy cold. What had the Emperor been thinking when he deposed the Empress?
‘I can’t stay here any longer.’
Recalling Adele’s voice, Lionel made a deep, unwavering vow. He would never let the Emperor get his hands on her again. Stepping aside, Lionel spoke firmly.
“She is now Her Highness, the Princess of Gottrov.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Karl lunged forward, grabbing Lionel by the collar.
“Your Majesty!”
The attendants nearby rushed to intervene, but they couldn’t stop the frenzied Emperor. He tightened his grip as if to strangle Lionel.
“You think I don’t know how you look at her? This whole situation is your fault.”
How petty and despicable. Lionel felt a profound revulsion towards the Emperor. That noble woman had suffered such cruel humiliation because of this wretched man. Lionel, finding it pointless to respond, remained silent. Karl, releasing his grip with a sharp flick, spoke.
“Lionel Herbert, from this moment on, you are forbidden to set foot in the Empress’s quarters. This is separate from the palace entry ban, so watch yourself.”
With that, he turned and began to walk away. With each step Karl took, his resolve to kill that damned bastard grew stronger. And with each step Lionel took, watching the Emperor’s retreating figure, his determination solidified. He would hold the Emperor accountable for every neglected duty, ensuring he could never hurt her again.
****
‘The Emperor and Duke Despone are allowing the Towers to spread their influence across Echmont to strengthen imperial power.’
‘The real reason for the Empress’s deposition was that she declared she would destroy all the Towers in Echmont within two years.’
The rumors, intentionally spread by the Baldr family and their allies, had a tremendous impact. The Empress was deposed. This unprecedented event was shocking enough on its own, but the deposed Empress was also known to be a highly skilled mage who had vowed to dismantle all the Towers within two years. Adding suspicions about the Towers to this mix, the rumors spread like wildfire.
“Damn it! Monsters slaughtered my family because of the Emperor and Duke Despone’s greed.”
“Why did our kind Empress, who always put the people first, have to suffer such humiliation?”
“If the entire Echmont falls under the influence of the Towers, the monsters will become even more rampant. Are we all supposed to just die?”
The suffering caused by the Towers was felt by both commoners and nobles alike. The rumors, fueled by rage, spread uncontrollably, and the capital was soon in an uproar.
****
Lionel moved with terrifying speed. First, he sent a letter to Brunhild Alexa, advising her to lie low and observe the situation with her anxious colleagues. He kept a keen eye on the spreading rumors in the capital, gauging public sentiment, and dispatched people to spread the rumors outside the capital as well. It was as if he had always anticipated this day, handling everything seamlessly. Then, he headed straight to the Baldr mansion.
Thesus and Elizabeth, who were deep in a serious conversation in the study, were momentarily speechless when Lionel entered. His presence, like that of a soldier ready for battle, exuded a wild intensity. His determined eyes and sharp, glinting gaze were as unyielding as diamonds. After bowing respectfully to them, Lionel quickly reported a few matters.
“As expected, the rumors are spreading rapidly. I’ve sent people outside the capital, so soon there won’t be anyone in Echmont who hasn’t heard them.”
Elizabeth was inwardly impressed by Lionel’s relentless drive. If the rumors engulfed Echmont, the Emperor and Duke Despone would have no choice but to retreat. Although Adelaide’s sudden deposition was a painful loss, there was still hope of turning the tide. However, Lionel had more to say.
‘May I take this with me?’
‘No, I feel better with it here.’
That day, in the Empress’s quarters, he had asked Adele to let him take the death she held in her delicate hands, but she had refused. The memory of the dark blue liquid in that small vial made Lionel’s heart sink.
‘I can’t stay here any longer.’
The image of her pale, despondent face, as if she might disappear at any moment, was etched into his mind. Never again would he let anything hurt her, not even the Emperor. After a moment of silence, he spoke again.
“I intend to take Princess Adelaide to the Marquis of Herbert’s estate for a while.”
His firm tone made it clear that this was not a report, but a declaration.
