DYBAR - Chapter 68 < How To Get Them Back Into The System >
Do Your Best And Regret It
"If you imprison me here, nothing will change."
The cool, solid voice suddenly took the Emperor back to that day ten years ago. To the time when the Princess, who was always full of bright smiles next to the Grand Duke, looked at him with an expressionless expression like a portrait in front of him.
"Well. I think differently from the Princess."
"This is Grand Duchess Vikander."
The Princess's eyes were still bright as she interrupted the Emperor, who had been leisurely shrugging his shoulders. The Emperor blinked for a moment. Although it is only a painting, it has a cool elegance that overwhelms the viewer, just like the Princess the Emperor desired...
Even so, the Grand Duke was now dead, and all his great strength was useless in front of the Emperor's power. This was the imperial palace, and he was the eternal monarch of this Empire. The Emperor, who was alternately thinking about the past and present, smiled generously. So at that time, the Emperor was said to have subtly offered his fortune as if showing generosity.
"If you want to deny your domicile like that, I can give you my other identity, Princess."
The Emperor was willing to give the Princess everything if she would only say so. His heart pounded with anticipation. If only people said that the Princess's slanted lips were good...
"If you want to remind us of Lowell's former glory, let me tell you one thing, too."
The cool voice rang out as clearly as the melody of a beautiful song.
"Lowell has many interesting legends. The most mysterious of them all is the story of a person who spoke with sincerity in a noble voice. Aren't you curious? If you sing with all your heart, what happens?"
Knock. Knock.
The emperor's face contorted as he was awakened from his memory by a knock on the door from beyond his bedroom. No matter how much the Grand Duchess seemed to reject him, it was a memory of the woman he wanted so much.
The Emperor, who was furious and said he would not leave anyone alone, soon sighed. If he think about it, there were few people who would knock on the Emperor's bedroom at this time of night.
The Emperor roughly draped his drapery over the portrait. He looked regretfully at the place where the Princess was hiding and then approached the door. And when he opened the door. It's the Empress.
"What are you doing this night?"
Annoyance was evident in the Emperor's soft voice. But the Empress looked into the bedroom with her sorrowful face and said,
"Your Majesty, I couldn't wait for the long night, and as a mother who hadn't seen my daughter for several days, I rushed to her in despair. I heard that the Princess had arrived."
"You're a step late, Empress. Reina has already returned to her palace a long time ago."
The Emperor spoke bluntly. At this point, he was confident that the Empress would return. But the Empress smiled like the little girl and she entered the Emperor's bed chamber. The Emperor raised his eyebrows sharply at the sight of her intruding on his space without permission.
"Because it's dark at night. I'm sure you won't send me back here, right?"
The Emperor's brow relaxed at the captivating voice. Seeing that his mood had calmed down, the Empress covered her mouth and smiled softly...
"It is said that a wizard who can cast preservation spells entered Your Majesty's bedroom."
In the middle of the night, the Empress, recalling the servant's words, slowly opened her eyes. After confirming that the sound of heavy breathing could be heard regularly from next to her, the Empress raised her upper body. It must be over there.
The Empress looked around one side of the bedroom with alert eyes and smiled bitterly. The Empress clearly knew what was deep inside the bedroom.
"Never... Don't come here again."
The Emperor's anger, still full of anger, came to mind. When she had just become an Empress, the place she had entered without knowing was full of the Emperor's obsession. The blonde woman couldn't even see his face properly because of her veil.
Later, the news of Grand Duke Vikander's death covered the entire empire. It was only when his wife, the Grand Duchess, came to the palace to take charge that the Empress realized that the woman in the picture was the Grand Duchess.
The Empress looked down at the Emperor with her cold eyes. It was fortunate that the Prince and Princess inherited her blood. At least he won't do something foolish like this and cling to the past.
The Empress remembered her two children. A princess who put what little she had to good use and became the flower of society, and a proud Prince who put even a thousand things aside for the prosperity of the empire. She smiled contentedly again and lay down on the bed. Tomorrow she had to meet the Princess. Her proud bloodline is sure to bring her interesting stories to entertain her.
On a dark night, the cold moonlight cut through the darkness and illuminated the Empress's face.
And soon clouds enveloped the moon. As if trying to prevent even a single point of light from reaching the Empress.
***
"Are you here? Your Highness?"
As soon as the Princess got off the carriage, the chief maid and the maids under her bowed their heads. The Princess examined her palace with her sharp eyes. When she returned after a long time, the Princess's palace was just as elegant as she had liked.
As she entered her palace, the Princess's eyes relaxed as she smelled the scent of roses. For a moment, she felt relief at being free from the country bumpkin Viscount Katanta.
"Have you delivered the news to Ethel's Family?"
"Yes. I sent a knight a little while ago."
Baroness Ruhas bowed her head and answered the low Princess's question.
"Then, let's first receive a report on the banquet until the Lady of Ethel arrives."
However, when the report actually began in the drawing room, the Princess could not even say anything.
"Nothing is right!"
There was no basic plan for the banquet concept or where the banquet hall would be located. Even the invitation list has so many gaps!
Olivia Madeleine's name, which she thought would be on the RSVP list, was not there. When she asked what happened, the chief maid lowered her head with a bewildered expression.
".... Lady Ethel says there has not been an answer yet."
The Princess sighed as if she was dumbfounded. The Princess's face turned red with anger. This was her first time seeing such a messy report. She was already worried about Maria Ethel preparing her banquet, but her worries were not for nothing!
It was then. A maid who had clearly come to announce the news of Lady Ethel's entrance into the palace entered the drawing room. Her maid, hurriedly asked the maid as if she was finally going to live.
"Where is the Lady of Ethel, and is she coming in alone?"
"Well, that..."
The Princess became angry at the sight of the maid not knowing what to do.
"Why can't you answer when I ask where the Lady is?"
"It's late now, so she's going to enter the palace tomorrow morning..."
The surprised maid continued. The head maid and Baroness Rujas were not the only ones taken aback by the answer. The Princess's eyes widened as if she were amazed by Lady Ethel. The silent reception room had a dangerous atmosphere, like the eye of a typhoon.
At that time, the Princess muttered.
"...I guess I should tell my brother too. He should know how bad his new fiancée is."
The invitation list in the Princess's hand was crumpled mercilessly. The Princess's eyes brightened as she looked at the document.
Meanwhile, the Emperor's Palace.
Taking advantage of the quiet of the night, an attendant quietly moved to his place. Then he hurriedly took a piece of paper out of his pocket and started scribbling. It only took a few hours for this piece of paper to reach Grand Duke Vikander's residence in the archipelago.
***
It was a morning like dawn. Winster entered the living room with an excited look on his face.
"I won the bet. You didn't forget the bet that the Emperor doesn't know the owner of the White Crystal Mine, right?"
Winster smiled happily and waved a piece of paper. In it, it was written that the meeting between the Emperor and the Princess ended without incident as usual. Sobel shrugged his shoulders as if it was absurd.
"You're laughing. I've never made a bet like that."
"I'm telling you now. Give me the money, Sobel."
"Get out of Vikander territory immediately."
Winster grumbled that it was too much. Anyway, Sobel looked at the invitation brought by the imperial palace's courier. In addition to the note secretly handed out early in the morning, this invitation, which arrived at the Grand Duke's residence every day, contained news about the summer banquet.
Comparing it to the last time, the last time, and the invitations that came before, not a single thing has changed. As soon as Sobel finished checking the invitation, which some people would have taken for granted, she tore it up without any hesitation.
"Hey, it still has the royal family's seal on it."
"His Highness said there was no need to tell him about the summer banquet. It wouldn't be delivered anyway, so it would rather protect the security of the royal family."
He didn't know how many bottles there were already. While Sobel was looking at the invitations that were coming, he suddenly looked at the gate of the mansion in the distance.
"Anyway, it's quite tough."
"Ah really. I guess he followed me. Jade Madeleine."
Winster muttered as if it was a hassle.
Jade Madeleine, whose cold silver hair stands out even from afar, has been standing in front of the gate of Grand Duke Vikander's residence for several days now. He had already tried to enter the gate of the Grand Duke's residence several times, but now he was standing like that in front of the sturdy and solid door, as if in protest.
However, everyone at the Grand Duke's residence treated him like a person who did not exist, without an ounce of sympathy. Because they remembered what he was like when he first came here.
"I should have done better when I had it."
Sobel said calmly. It was then.
Knock. Knock.
A servant came in with a knock.
"A letter has arrived from the imperial palace."
Sobel, looking at the letter on the tray, shook his head. Winster grinned at his disgusted face.
"It looks like the imperial palace is the same."
As a habit, he checked the invitation and was about to tear it up. Sobel's face hardened a little when he saw this invitation.
"What's the matter?"
Winster must have sensed something unusual and tapped Sobel on the shoulder. Sobel sighed, then mechanically read a passage from the invitation.
"The Hefferti delegation is also scheduled to attend the banquet."
Winster's face also hardened. Some time ago, the Grand Duke officially announced his intention to participate in the noble meeting. Starting with negotiations with Heferti.
"... I don't know who it is, but they used their brain quite a bit. What should I do?"
"What the hell? Run quickly and without stopping and report it in person. Winster Calter."
Sobel indifferently closed the invitation again and threw it into Winster's arms. Winster frowned at him.
"I've been going back and forth between the Vikander territory and the islands without stopping until now?"
"Oh, this too."
Sobel solemnly added, without even pretending to listen, handing over an envelope of documents that were in a corner of the living room.
"It's a letter from the Duke of Madeleine's residence. I will convey this to you perfectly."
"Ugh."
Winster, who had been shaking his head and making a disapproving expression at the mention of the Duke of Madeleine, changed his expression because of what he said next.
"Oh, and there's also a letter to 'Liv Green."
The smile on Winster's face had already disappeared as he held up the envelope as if to snatch it. As Sobel looked at this, he remembered what the maid from the Duke of Madeleine had said.
"Please be sure to pass this on to our Lady. This is the letter she has been waiting for. If you tell her that the letter is for Liv Green, she will be very happy."
'Liv Green' was discovered in the words of God who asked if the letter would be delivered.
Sobel smiled faintly. Lady and His Highness the Grand Duke. No matter how much the two people were meant to be, no one would have guessed that it would be like this.
***
"I confirmed that a knight was published from the Grand Duke's residence, Your Highness. The knight who came out is Sir Winster Calter, and he is a close associate of the Grand Duke."
The reception room of the Prince's palace. Leopold, who was lazily sitting on the sofa, slightly raised the corner of his mouth at the knight's report. And then he looked at the Princess, Reina, who was sitting across from him.
Reina, who had been visiting since morning and attacking him, sneered at her lips.
"Did you hear? So, worry less, and now go get ready for the tea party. Shouldn't you go and check it out yourself?"
Leopold pressed his fingers to her temples as he watched his sister calmly nod her head. He already felt like he had a mountain of busy work to do. In the meantime, he has to take care of the summer banquet. Since hearing that Maria was good, he hasn't done anything properly.
Leopold remembered Maria and swallowed his sigh. And he remembered the decision he made as soon as Raina arrived.
"Wouldn't it be okay to make it impossible for the Grand Duke to come? For example... Yes, we can present the negotiation with Heferti as a card."
Of course, unavoidably annoying things happened.
"Are you really going to invite Heferti's delegation to the summer banquet?"
It would have been nice if that stern face had not been there when he urgently requested an audience. Conrad Madeleine. He, who belongs to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, heard the news and came rushing over.
"Is there any problem? It's a banquet hosted by my sister. The opponent is actually an envoy from the defeated nation of Heferti."
"But even if it is a defeated country, Heferti is a foreign country. If you invite an envoy from another country when the banquet schedule has not even been outlined yet...!"
Conrad's eyes sharpened at the Prince's grumpy words. The attendance of people from other countries had to be treated differently from a regular banquet. But before Conrad could finish speaking, Count Hodges intervened.
"It will take about five days to receive an answer from the Grand Duke's residence regarding whether the Princess and the Grand Duke will attend. In the meantime, the Duke of Madeleine is also requested to complete the procedures and contact Heferti. I have already contacted the Minister of Foreign Affairs."
"It's been a while since I've seen her, the Princess, so prepare to be polite about attending."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Leopold stood up as if the business was over. Conrad, who had stood up and followed suit, gritted his teeth. Conrad couldn't tell whether this discomfort swirling in his mind was due to Heferti or the presence of Olivia, whom he hadn't heard in a long time.
Before Conrad could gather his thoughts, the Prince left the drawing room first. Count Hodges, who was following behind, glanced at Conrad.
".. It is said that Lord Madeleine followed the man who left to deliver the news."
Conrad's heart sank heavily as he watched Count Hodges leave as if his business had been completed. When did Jade, who had not been heard from for several days, return to the island?
If he left for Vikander again, did he really not see Olivia all this time?
"Brother."
Conrad suddenly raised his head at the sound of a voice spreading in his ears like an auditory hallucination. And without realizing it, he looked around. But there was no one. It was natural.
This naturalness was extremely unfamiliar. There seemed to be no way to relieve the feeling of emptiness.
Conrad unconsciously bit his lip. His heart was beating anxiously.
Comments
Post a Comment