DYBAR - Chapter 173 < The Scandal Really Kills the Emperor? >
Do Your Best And Regret
“Already, all the allies are weighing their differences between the Empire and Vikander. Have you forgotten how the Auslan Kingdom delegation behaved last time? Even a small spark shouldn’t harm your relationship!”
“Wait a minute, Duke of Madeleine. The Duke also discussed it together...!”
Shouts went back and forth behind his back.
But Duke Madeleine, it had nothing to do with him.
Leaving behind the voices that held him back, he left the conference hall. And the door closed.
When the buzzing noise disappeared, he stopped for a moment and looked at the window.
The stained glass, which always let brilliant sunlight through, looked dull today. While looking at the dry winter garden through the stained glass, Conrad was approaching from afar.
“...I’m sure he's not crazy.”
“It’s strange that it doesn’t affect him. It’s not enough that the child who broke off the relationship has become the Princess of a country, so she continues to take the land of the Empire.”
Criticism against the Duke was heard from somewhere. But he didn't care.
Because he was more sane than ever. No, rather, when he looked back on his entire life so far, he could confidently say that he had made the right choice as the Duke of Madeleine.
It seemed like Conrad had the same thought.
“Thank you for your hard work, Father. Tomorrow morning, everyone in the islands will hear about the scandal of the Empress and Princess.”
The face that spoke calmly was looking directly at him for the first time in a long time. His cheeks seemed a little dry, but his eyes were more vivid than ever.
Just as his son said, by tomorrow morning the scandal between the Empress and Princess will be rife in the islands. The Duke was curious.
“...Is this enough?”
Shouts went back and forth behind his back.
But Duke Madeleine, it had nothing to do with him.
Leaving behind the voices that held him back, he left the conference hall. And the door closed.
When the buzzing noise disappeared, he stopped for a moment and looked at the window.
The stained glass, which always let brilliant sunlight through, looked dull today. While looking at the dry winter garden through the stained glass, Conrad was approaching from afar.
“...I’m sure he's not crazy.”
“It’s strange that it doesn’t affect him. It’s not enough that the child who broke off the relationship has become the Princess of a country, so she continues to take the land of the Empire.”
Criticism against the Duke was heard from somewhere. But he didn't care.
Because he was more sane than ever. No, rather, when he looked back on his entire life so far, he could confidently say that he had made the right choice as the Duke of Madeleine.
It seemed like Conrad had the same thought.
“Thank you for your hard work, Father. Tomorrow morning, everyone in the islands will hear about the scandal of the Empress and Princess.”
The face that spoke calmly was looking directly at him for the first time in a long time. His cheeks seemed a little dry, but his eyes were more vivid than ever.
Just as his son said, by tomorrow morning the scandal between the Empress and Princess will be rife in the islands. The Duke was curious.
“...Is this enough?”
Conrad looked at the Duke. He looked like he didn't know what he was talking about. However, instead of returning the gaze, the Duke left the Emperor's palace.
As soon as he stepped through the grand front door, a cold breeze blew through his clothes. He took a slow breath.
It was only when the cold air filled his esophagus and lungs that he realized winter. And he remembered a voice that was as dry as this cold winter.
“The Duke of Elkin and the Empress... Please unleash fierce revenge on the Empress and the Princess. Just enough to satisfy me.”
Does it fit that statement? Would this be satisfactory?
Giovanni carefully anticipated the boy's reaction. Then he laughed bitterly.
He couldn't even imagine the kid smiling contentedly.
Faces filled with anticipation faces slowly drying out. A face that drew a line with the Duke of Madeleine. And the face that became a stranger when he slowly walked away.
Because all he saw were those faces. In a situation where he couldn't ask or confirm, his imagination reached its limit.
So Giovanni thought of the next step the boy wanted.
“And I hope you regret it too. As much as I loved Madeleine. Very, very, very best.”
That... It wasn't difficult. Every time he thought of the faintly smiling face, a heavy pain hit him. But Giovanni still didn't know. If she loved Madeleine as much as he did.
“...For the sake of power, you want to cling to the daughter you hate so much, right?”
“Who is welcoming you? The entire continent knows that the Duke hated his daughter, so will the past go away if he takes her side now?”
Suddenly Giovanni raised his head. Among the faintly heard accusations, he found an answer.
The mistakes he made will never be erased and will stick with him for the rest of his life.
***
“Empress! What are you going to do with this?”
The Emperor's anger, like a thunderbolt, reverberated through the conference hall.
The Empress looked at the Emperor. Still, since they had lived together for over twenty years, she could see that the Emperor was trying to hide something.
“The situation with the allies is still unstable, and in the meantime, the Empress of the empire is trying to mess things up even further!”
Like gray hair sticking out from under hair dyed blonde.
“All of this will have to be resolved between the Empress and the Duke of Elkin!”
A feeling of relief that cannot be hidden on a red-hot face.
Only then did the Empress realize that it was he, the Emperor, who had permitted this well-planned play. She tightened the corners of her mouth, fearing that she would burst out laughing at herself.
Yes. There was no one he could trust. The Emperor drives her because he thinks this is the time, his young daughter who doesn't know what to do and doesn't say a word, and the nobles of the aristocratic faction...
The Empress glared at everyone with her red, bloodshot eyes. It was then.
“In the meantime, I apologize, but is it true that what Duke Madeleine said is a lie, Your Majesty?"
“What!”
The Emperor became angry at the hesitation in his voice. The aged nobleman continued to speak even though he was speechless.
“Your Majesty, please tell me about the life and birth history of His Highness the Crown Prince that Duke Madeleine mentioned earlier....”
At that moment, the Empress jumped up from her seat. Everyone looked at the Empress in surprise, but she didn't care.
“...Take responsibility. I will do the compensation.”
She had to see the Prince.
Compensation was possible if the Crown Prince gave up a little of his property. If all of that is resolved, she really won't let those who were pushing her go.
However, the eyes that looked at her with distrust were somehow creepy. She wanted to add more, but in the end, the Empress had to swallow her saliva and leave the conference hall as if running away.
It was very miserable.
“Prince!”
As soon as the Empress arrived at the royal palace, she shouted loudly. While the chamberlain and attendants hurriedly rushed to see her carriage, the Empress's frown narrowed even further.
“Where is the Prince now!”
“Imperial Moon, meet Her Majesty the Empress,”
“I'm asking where the Prince is now!”
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. His Highness the Crown Prince is now...”
The chamberlain was silent and then spoke with resignation.
“...He is in the Crown Princess’s bedroom.”
“The Crown Princess’s bedroom, that place...”
A room without even an owner... No way!
The Empress immediately recalled the rumors about the Crown Prince that had spread throughout the palace. A bizarre rumor that artists are being called to paint a portrait of Olivia.
The Chamberlain lowered his head with a bewildered face. She couldn't believe it. The Empress hurriedly ran towards the stairs. More than a dozen servants followed behind.
There was no need to worry about where the Princess's bedroom was. Because the only hallway in front of one room was crowded with people. Among them was Count Hodges.
“Meet Her Majesty, Empress Moon of the Empire,”
“When I enter, close the door and everyone get out!”
The Empress, who broke off her manners with a surprised look on her face, shouted loudly.
"Your Majesty. I can't leave this place...”
"Count. Can't you understand what I'm saying! How could it be that the so-called aide was assisting the Prince so that he couldn’t come to his senses!”
The Empress criticized Count Hodges with sharp eyes. The face of Count Hodges, who was criticized in front of numerous servants, turned pale, then bright red, and eventually turned white.
Ignoring that resigned face, the Empress nodded her head toward the attendants at the door. And as soon as the door opened, the Empress entered the Crown Princess's bedroom.
The Empress cleared her throat and frowned.
Her breath, which she held to summon the Prince, was filled with the strong smell of oil. She desperately pinched her nose, but it was no use. She felt bad as the smell that had already entered her respiratory tract remained sticky in her lungs.
Perhaps because the curtains were closed, the room was completely dark.
Her stomach is feeling drowsy, and she wonders what the hell is going on.
The Empress furrowed her brows and took a hesitant step forward. This was once her room too. Of course, it was a long time ago, but she vaguely remembered the location of the window.
When she pulled back the curtain near the wall, a bright light came in.
It was at that moment that the Empress, who had frowned under the strong sunlight, hurriedly opened the window. At the same time as the unpleasant smell approached her, the force that grabbed her wrist was strong.
“Do not open the window, Mother. Now she can finally draw eyes. Even this shouldn’t fly away.”
He was the Crown Prince. The Empress, who looked back at him happily, was the flagship.
“Come on! What is going on!”
Paint was splattered all over his gaunt face. There were oil stains and unknown stains on his clothes, and the Prince smiled elegantly even in that poor outfit.
"Mother."
“Prince, change your clothes first.”
“My father has kept a portrait of the Princess for over ten years, so why can’t the artists who came to me even paint a portrait of Olivia?”
Her son's words made the Empress dizzy before her eyes.
No. He needs to come to his senses too.
As the Empress dug into her palm with her fingernails, she got a clear view of the bedroom. The layout of the room was the same as she vaguely remembered.
However, it is a large canvas on an easel erected on each wall, with paints and brushes arranged in a mess, and oil flowing on it. New cigars piled up on the table and even an ashtray with no traces of use. It seemed as if the Prince had brought it all.
While the Empress was unable to separate her lips, Leopold picked up his brush once again.
“It’s strange. Even if I do, why can’t I even remember Olivia’s face?”
Hundreds of artists passed through, but not a single one painted a picture of Olivia. In the end, Leopold took up the brush himself.
As he smoked dozens of cigars, saying that he would draw something, he suddenly remembered the room that Olivia wanted to enter the most.
In this room, wouldn’t he be able to at least draw Olivia’s face?
“The situation with the allies is still unstable, and in the meantime, the Empress of the empire is trying to mess things up even further!”
Like gray hair sticking out from under hair dyed blonde.
“All of this will have to be resolved between the Empress and the Duke of Elkin!”
A feeling of relief that cannot be hidden on a red-hot face.
Only then did the Empress realize that it was he, the Emperor, who had permitted this well-planned play. She tightened the corners of her mouth, fearing that she would burst out laughing at herself.
Yes. There was no one he could trust. The Emperor drives her because he thinks this is the time, his young daughter who doesn't know what to do and doesn't say a word, and the nobles of the aristocratic faction...
The Empress glared at everyone with her red, bloodshot eyes. It was then.
“In the meantime, I apologize, but is it true that what Duke Madeleine said is a lie, Your Majesty?"
“What!”
The Emperor became angry at the hesitation in his voice. The aged nobleman continued to speak even though he was speechless.
“Your Majesty, please tell me about the life and birth history of His Highness the Crown Prince that Duke Madeleine mentioned earlier....”
At that moment, the Empress jumped up from her seat. Everyone looked at the Empress in surprise, but she didn't care.
“...Take responsibility. I will do the compensation.”
She had to see the Prince.
Compensation was possible if the Crown Prince gave up a little of his property. If all of that is resolved, she really won't let those who were pushing her go.
However, the eyes that looked at her with distrust were somehow creepy. She wanted to add more, but in the end, the Empress had to swallow her saliva and leave the conference hall as if running away.
It was very miserable.
***
“Prince!”
As soon as the Empress arrived at the royal palace, she shouted loudly. While the chamberlain and attendants hurriedly rushed to see her carriage, the Empress's frown narrowed even further.
“Where is the Prince now!”
“Imperial Moon, meet Her Majesty the Empress,”
“I'm asking where the Prince is now!”
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. His Highness the Crown Prince is now...”
The chamberlain was silent and then spoke with resignation.
“...He is in the Crown Princess’s bedroom.”
“The Crown Princess’s bedroom, that place...”
A room without even an owner... No way!
The Empress immediately recalled the rumors about the Crown Prince that had spread throughout the palace. A bizarre rumor that artists are being called to paint a portrait of Olivia.
The Chamberlain lowered his head with a bewildered face. She couldn't believe it. The Empress hurriedly ran towards the stairs. More than a dozen servants followed behind.
There was no need to worry about where the Princess's bedroom was. Because the only hallway in front of one room was crowded with people. Among them was Count Hodges.
“Meet Her Majesty, Empress Moon of the Empire,”
“When I enter, close the door and everyone get out!”
The Empress, who broke off her manners with a surprised look on her face, shouted loudly.
"Your Majesty. I can't leave this place...”
"Count. Can't you understand what I'm saying! How could it be that the so-called aide was assisting the Prince so that he couldn’t come to his senses!”
The Empress criticized Count Hodges with sharp eyes. The face of Count Hodges, who was criticized in front of numerous servants, turned pale, then bright red, and eventually turned white.
Ignoring that resigned face, the Empress nodded her head toward the attendants at the door. And as soon as the door opened, the Empress entered the Crown Princess's bedroom.
The Empress cleared her throat and frowned.
Her breath, which she held to summon the Prince, was filled with the strong smell of oil. She desperately pinched her nose, but it was no use. She felt bad as the smell that had already entered her respiratory tract remained sticky in her lungs.
Perhaps because the curtains were closed, the room was completely dark.
Her stomach is feeling drowsy, and she wonders what the hell is going on.
The Empress furrowed her brows and took a hesitant step forward. This was once her room too. Of course, it was a long time ago, but she vaguely remembered the location of the window.
When she pulled back the curtain near the wall, a bright light came in.
It was at that moment that the Empress, who had frowned under the strong sunlight, hurriedly opened the window. At the same time as the unpleasant smell approached her, the force that grabbed her wrist was strong.
“Do not open the window, Mother. Now she can finally draw eyes. Even this shouldn’t fly away.”
He was the Crown Prince. The Empress, who looked back at him happily, was the flagship.
“Come on! What is going on!”
Paint was splattered all over his gaunt face. There were oil stains and unknown stains on his clothes, and the Prince smiled elegantly even in that poor outfit.
"Mother."
“Prince, change your clothes first.”
“My father has kept a portrait of the Princess for over ten years, so why can’t the artists who came to me even paint a portrait of Olivia?”
Her son's words made the Empress dizzy before her eyes.
No. He needs to come to his senses too.
As the Empress dug into her palm with her fingernails, she got a clear view of the bedroom. The layout of the room was the same as she vaguely remembered.
However, it is a large canvas on an easel erected on each wall, with paints and brushes arranged in a mess, and oil flowing on it. New cigars piled up on the table and even an ashtray with no traces of use. It seemed as if the Prince had brought it all.
While the Empress was unable to separate her lips, Leopold picked up his brush once again.
“It’s strange. Even if I do, why can’t I even remember Olivia’s face?”
Hundreds of artists passed through, but not a single one painted a picture of Olivia. In the end, Leopold took up the brush himself.
As he smoked dozens of cigars, saying that he would draw something, he suddenly remembered the room that Olivia wanted to enter the most.
In this room, wouldn’t he be able to at least draw Olivia’s face?
Even though he tried to smoke a cigar as a habit, he couldn't even touch the cigar because of the heavy name of the Crown Princess's bedroom.
Because what suited this room was not the smell of cigars, but Olivia's scent.
However, even in the Princess's bedroom, only smudges of paint were visible on the canvas. There was no shape.
Leopold closed his eyes once again. Olivia, Olivia...
Because what suited this room was not the smell of cigars, but Olivia's scent.
However, even in the Princess's bedroom, only smudges of paint were visible on the canvas. There was no shape.
Leopold closed his eyes once again. Olivia, Olivia...
Even when he memorized her name like a spell, he couldn't remember her smiling face.
Is it because her expression was so gloomy in memories from long ago? Or is it because all the close memories have a sharp face as if she are cutting him off?
Is it because her expression was so gloomy in memories from long ago? Or is it because all the close memories have a sharp face as if she are cutting him off?
He wanted to draw a brightly smiling face, but there was no way.
Now this... Is this a punishment from Olivia?
Now this... Is this a punishment from Olivia?
Even the appearance is blurred so that he can never draw it or miss it.
At that moment, it felt like someone was squeezing his breathing tube. In the face of this endless and daunting reality, Leopold muttered softly.
“...What should I do?”
What should he do to draw Olivia? What should he do to make Olivia come back? What should he do to make the room's owner find this room again?
The sound of the Empress swearing could be faintly heard through the endless loops.
“Leopold Franz! Come to your senses!”
“Do you remember, Mother?”
“What’s important to the Crown Prince is the throne or that painting?”
“But I tried to draw the eyes somehow. Mom, please take a closer look.”
Words didn't make sense. Leopold smiled and pulled the Empress's wrist. The Empress screamed at the top of her voice.
Her son is not like this. The Crown Prince of the Empire fell in love with that kind of woman and behaved in such a disgraceful manner...!
“Now is not the time. Prince, it looks like there will be strange rumors surrounding you. Please come to your senses..."
For a moment, the Empress froze. Hundreds of green eyes were drawn on the canvas that Leopold was pointing to. At the same time, she heard a strange auditory hallucination.
'Your Majesty the Empress.'
“How are you? Do any of these eyes look like Olivia’s?”
A chill ran up her fingertips. The voice softly calling her was either one person or it seemed like dozens of voices combined. Leopold's voice could be heard vaguely.
'How does it feel to be the subject of a scandal?'
The Empress chatted her teeth together and trembled at the joke mixed with laughter. It was cold. She couldn't even tell if it was physiological fear or the temperature of the room.
“I’m not the only one who gave you a scandal. I was just using a rumor from His Majesty the Emperor. The Emperor said that green eyes were mean...!”
'That's right. Don't worry, Your Majesty. His Majesty the Emperor is being robbed of what he holds most dear.'
Hearing the Empress mutter to herself as if she was frightened of something, Leopold slowly looked around. But he heard nothing.
'Then what does Her Majesty value?'
The Empress could not breathe as she heard the words again. hundreds of green eyes stared at her all at once.
In the face of a sudden fear, the Empress frantically picked up what she could. And she took down the canvas with it.
It felt like the auditory hallucinations were moving away every time the canvas was torn apart.
Pain surged through her wrist, but the Empress gritted her teeth and tore the canvas. Those eyes are looking at her like that!
At that moment, it felt like someone was squeezing his breathing tube. In the face of this endless and daunting reality, Leopold muttered softly.
“...What should I do?”
What should he do to draw Olivia? What should he do to make Olivia come back? What should he do to make the room's owner find this room again?
The sound of the Empress swearing could be faintly heard through the endless loops.
“Leopold Franz! Come to your senses!”
“Do you remember, Mother?”
“What’s important to the Crown Prince is the throne or that painting?”
“But I tried to draw the eyes somehow. Mom, please take a closer look.”
Words didn't make sense. Leopold smiled and pulled the Empress's wrist. The Empress screamed at the top of her voice.
Her son is not like this. The Crown Prince of the Empire fell in love with that kind of woman and behaved in such a disgraceful manner...!
“Now is not the time. Prince, it looks like there will be strange rumors surrounding you. Please come to your senses..."
For a moment, the Empress froze. Hundreds of green eyes were drawn on the canvas that Leopold was pointing to. At the same time, she heard a strange auditory hallucination.
'Your Majesty the Empress.'
“How are you? Do any of these eyes look like Olivia’s?”
A chill ran up her fingertips. The voice softly calling her was either one person or it seemed like dozens of voices combined. Leopold's voice could be heard vaguely.
'How does it feel to be the subject of a scandal?'
The Empress chatted her teeth together and trembled at the joke mixed with laughter. It was cold. She couldn't even tell if it was physiological fear or the temperature of the room.
“I’m not the only one who gave you a scandal. I was just using a rumor from His Majesty the Emperor. The Emperor said that green eyes were mean...!”
'That's right. Don't worry, Your Majesty. His Majesty the Emperor is being robbed of what he holds most dear.'
Hearing the Empress mutter to herself as if she was frightened of something, Leopold slowly looked around. But he heard nothing.
'Then what does Her Majesty value?'
The Empress could not breathe as she heard the words again. hundreds of green eyes stared at her all at once.
In the face of a sudden fear, the Empress frantically picked up what she could. And she took down the canvas with it.
It felt like the auditory hallucinations were moving away every time the canvas was torn apart.
Pain surged through her wrist, but the Empress gritted her teeth and tore the canvas. Those eyes are looking at her like that!
“Prince, you have to go out. This room, this room is dangerous.”
After a while, the Empress took a deep breath and threw down the object she was holding. It was a knife for folding paint. But the Prince did not respond. When she looked back, the Prince was smiling loosely.
"Aha."
“Prince?”
“...I guess Olivia will never come back.”
A conclusion has now been reached. What he so wishes for doesn't happen.
So, a cigar will be fine now.
Leopold cut off a cigar and put it in his mouth. And he lit up. Smoke rose in an instant, and he sucked in the cigar smoke until his cheeks became thin, then spit it out.
Cough, cough, the Empress coughing.
“Prince! Now is not the time to say such things!”
She had to get out quickly. She had an ominous feeling that something would happen if she didn't. But the Prince smiled crookedly, looked at the mangled canvas, and muttered slowly.
“A space whose owner has disappeared is useless.”
It was just a moment. The Prince rubbed his cigar on the canvas. With the sound of burning paper, the canvas slowly began to catch fire.
At some point, the fire broke out and consumed the canvas in an instant. The poorly clumped brush marks wriggled and soon melted into something hideous.
The Empress watched the scene, unable to make any sound. On the one hand, he seemed to be right about this. She wanted those eyes to burn out.
But what the Empress did not expect was the next scene.
The flames had exhausted all that needed to be burned and caught the curtains. The Empress panicked as the fire spread rapidly and pulled her son's hand.
***
“We have to get out, Prince. Come on,”
The Empress thoughtlessly looked at the Prince’s face. Strangely enough, the green paint stains on his cheeks looked just like Olivia's eyes. The cold gaze seemed to devour her, and she felt like she could hear the rustling sound from before again.
Argh-!
An indescribable fear came over her. The Empress inadvertently shook off the Prince's hand. And then she ran out of the Princess's bedroom.
She ran in a panic. There were no attendants anywhere in the vast palace. She was scared. The Empress screamed, forgetting about her body pain.
“Is there anyone here? Fire, fire!”
“Your Majesty.”
A group of users appeared from nowhere and quickly came running towards her. Hundreds of pairs of eyes looked at the Empress at once.
Sharp, piercing gazes.
The aggressive yet cold eyes looked exactly like the eyes of the canvas she had seen earlier, and the Empress screamed fiercely while suppressing cold sweat.
“...Get those eyes out! What are those irreverent eyes now?”
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. But it seemed like there was something on the hem of your dress...”
Could it be the eyes that followed her?
The Empress, who was even more frightened, quickly looked down at the hem of her dress. And she burst out laughing.
“...It’s soot.”
Soot. The faces of the employees who were looking at each other in puzzlement gradually hardened.
An acrid smell seemed to be spreading from somewhere.
“...Where is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?”
Count Hodges asked in a voice that trembled like an aspen. At the same time, the servants all looked at the Empress.
As she paled, several voices sounded as if they were speaking at the same time.
'Did you really end up killing the Crown Prince?'
"No...!”
The Empress screamed as if she were screaming. At the same time, a loud boom swept through the halls of the Princess's Palace.
She flopped down on the spot. And she looked at one place in disbelief.
It won't, it shouldn't.
But thick dark gray smoke drifted down the stairs. A fierce fire poured out as if it would consume the entire palace. Then someone screamed.
“Fire! There is a fire in the place where His Highness the Crown Prince is!”
“...It’s soot.”
Soot. The faces of the employees who were looking at each other in puzzlement gradually hardened.
An acrid smell seemed to be spreading from somewhere.
“...Where is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?”
Count Hodges asked in a voice that trembled like an aspen. At the same time, the servants all looked at the Empress.
As she paled, several voices sounded as if they were speaking at the same time.
'Did you really end up killing the Crown Prince?'
"No...!”
The Empress screamed as if she were screaming. At the same time, a loud boom swept through the halls of the Princess's Palace.
She flopped down on the spot. And she looked at one place in disbelief.
It won't, it shouldn't.
But thick dark gray smoke drifted down the stairs. A fierce fire poured out as if it would consume the entire palace. Then someone screamed.
“Fire! There is a fire in the place where His Highness the Crown Prince is!”
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