Adele Leopold's accession to the ducal throne came as a fresh shock to all the people of the empire, regardless of their social status.
As voices grew louder that capable people, regardless of gender, should be given titles, there were cases where women became heads of households, but the number was still not that high.
Moreover, in the case of knightly families, up until now, the family and title were unconditionally inherited by the male.
Most knightly families had their own family knightly orders, and in many ways, men had an advantage over women in leading these knights.
So the people of the empire naturally thought that Perdes would become Duke Leopold, but they were all shocked when it turned out to be Adele.
“The Duke Leopolds are a noble and high-ranking knight family. They have been commanders-in-chief of the imperial army for generations.”
“That’s right. But Young Lady Leopold has become a Duke... I’m already worried whether she’ll be able to do well.”
Although there were voices of concern here and there, surprisingly, there were also many voices of support.
“Not only is this a trend that many knights appear here, but Young Lady Leopold was said to be a swordsmanship genius when she was at the Academy.”
“That’s right. So she's more than capable of taking on the role of Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Army.”
While opinions were divided among themselves, the nobles were curious to see what kind of expression Perdes would have on his face as he attended the succession ceremony.
“I heard that His Highness the Fourth Prince has also approved of Young Lady Leopold becoming a Duke, so I think he will appear calmly.”
“Shh, watch your words. It’s not Lady Leopold anymore, it’s Her Excellency.”
“That’s right. I heard that it has already been registered with the court.”
“Wow, her hands are fast. She moved before His Majesty the Emperor could move. Do you need that level of skill to be considered a Duke?”
“Seeing that His Majesty the Emperor personally held the succession ceremony, it seems that His Majesty already knows about it.”
The nobles who arrived at the hall where Adele Leopold's Ducal Succession Ceremony was being held gathered in twos and threes and chatted.
Naturally, the subject was Adele Leopold and Perdes.
While they were whispering, covering their mouths with fans or their hands, and lowering their voices to prevent others from eavesdropping, one nobleman shouted in shock.
“His Highness the Fourth Prince’s mental illness has returned?”
At those words, the eyes of all the nobles in the hall were focused on him.
“Shh.”
The one who had delivered the news to the nobleman looked embarrassed and made a gesture for him to be quiet.
Only then did he remember that his voice was loud and lowered it, but it was too late.
“What do you mean His Highness the Fourth Prince has fallen into a state of insanity again?”
“I thought the dementia was already cured, didn’t I?”
When the nobles who were acquainted with them asked, the one who had first delivered the news answered hesitantly.
“I’m not sure because I saw it from afar, but His Highness the 4th Prince was showing strange behavior, like before, such as smiling like an idiot and scratching his stomach.”
Then, Adele Leopold looked very embarrassed and asked to call the imperial physician immediately, indicating that even if he was not a fool, something had happened to Perdes.
Since then, more and more nobles have come forward claiming to have personally witnessed Perdes' strange behavior, lending credence to the theory that he was afflicted with idiocy.
Not only that, but Adele, who had clearly entered the palace with Perdes, appeared in the hall alone.
The Emperor, who arrived late, said that Perdes was resting alone because he was not feeling well and that he was truly sorry. The nobles were convinced that Perdes' dementia had returned.
So, they began to suspect that the Emperor had no choice but to allow Adele, not Perdes, to succeed to the ducal throne.
“The palace is nothing special.”
The imperial physician, who was said to have the most advanced medical knowledge in the empire, failed to recognize Perdes' actions and diagnosed him with a return of cretinism.
Well, that means his acting is that good.
Since it was his first time acting in a long time, he was worried that he might get caught, but it was a needless worry.
Perdes got out of bed with a satisfied smile.
And then he hid behind the curtain and looked out the window.
The place he was now was a bedroom at the eastern end of the second floor of the Spring Palace. If he went from there to the Empress's Palace by the normal route, it would take about 50 minutes.
However, if he takes a side road that no one knows about, such as one that cuts through a lush garden, he can get there in about 30 minutes.
“I have to run and get there in 20 minutes.”
So, if he set aside about 40 minutes for the round trip, and included time to talk to the Empress, he could finish everything before Adele's Duchess' succession ceremony was over.
After calculating in his head how to move, Perdes immediately put his plan into action.
“Ah, bathroom. I need to go to the bathroom.”
First, Perdes ran out of the bedroom, acting like he was full of idiots.
“Your Highness!”
“Follow me now!”
The court ladies waiting outside the bedroom panicked and hurriedly followed after Perdes.
However, it was impossible to keep up with Perdes, whose running skills had improved to the level of a knight while training in swordsmanship.
After easily shaking off the knights, Perdes headed straight to the Empress's palace.
He ran and ran until he was out of breath, and before he knew it, he arrived at the Empress's Palace.
Perdes tried to enter the Empress's palace through the secret passage, also known as the hole, that he had previously used, but the hole was already blocked.
“This is a big problem.”
Why does it have to be blocked now at all times?
Then, while Perdes was wondering how to enter the Empress's Palace, he heard an unexpected sound from behind.
“4th Prince?”
It was the Empress.
Perdes looked at her with some surprise, as he had never expected to see her outside the Empress's Palace.
The Empress was also surprised.
At that moment, the Empress heard that Perdes' dementia had returned and she was about to see for herself if it was true, so she looked at him with even greater surprise.
“...”
“...”
Their gazes met in the air.
The Empress, who had regained her composure as if she had never been surprised before because their last meeting had not been very good, spoke to the court ladies who were following her.
“I have something to discuss with the Fourth Prince, so please take a few steps back.”
As the court ladies withdrew, the Empress walked away in silence.
At the wordless gesture telling him to follow, Perdes followed silently.
When the Empress arrived at the back gate of the palace, which was mainly used by the servants, she spoke in a flowing voice.
“Was it all an act?”
The question was whether the idiot was acting. When Perdes answered with silence, the Empress asked again.
“Why did you come to me, even though you were acting?”
“Have you ever received a letter from the Second Prince?”
The Empress stopped in her tracks at the somewhat unexpected question and looked back at him.
“Why are you asking that?”
“I would like you to answer my question first.”
The Empress felt slightly offended by the seemingly polite yet rude request, but she was more curious as to why Perdes was asking such a thing, so she answered without getting angry.
“If you ask me if I’ve ever received a letter... Yes, I have. The last time was about ten years ago.”
“Nothing happened after that? For example, when the Second Prince was about to die.”
"No."
I see. Perdes sighed inwardly.
The letter sent to the Empress over ten years ago must have nothing to do with the letter written on the note.
“Now you must answer my question, Fourth Prince. Why do you ask such a thing?”
“A few days ago, Duke Leopold received a strange note.”
“Isn’t that a strange note?”
Figuring that it would be quicker to show than to explain in words, Perdes showed the note in question to the empress.
“...!”
The Empress's eyes widened as she immediately recognized Chernosser's handwriting, as befitting a mother.
As the Empress tried to take the note, Perdes quickly put it in his pocket.
"What...!"
“This is important evidence and cannot be damaged, so please understand, Your Majesty the Empress.”
“He is not of this world.”
When the Empress could not bring herself to continue speaking, Perdes finished her speech.
The Empress bit her lips, dyed in a beautiful light, and glared at Perdes at the unwanted kindness.
Perdes faced him calmly and continued speaking.
“However, Duke Leopold and I believe that this note was written by the Second Prince just before he died.”
“...Why do you think so?”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you the details.”
Perdes had finished talking to Adele about keeping that part a secret, as it might harm Jean, who had taken the trouble to bring them the note.
“So, please reconsider, Your Majesty. Didn’t the Second Prince send you a letter before he died? And do you know why he asked Duke Leopold to confirm this?”
For a moment, Perdes' eyes sparkled as he saw the Empress's pupils wavering.
There's something after all.
“The contents of this note may be related to the murder of the Second Prince.”
“...”
“So if you know anything, please tell me. Then we can find the culprit who killed the Second Prince.”
Despite Perdes' persistent persuasion, the Empress did not open her mouth until the end.
Perdes would have liked to have persuaded her a bit more, but she didn't have time.
It's almost time to return now, so he has no choice but to turn back.
"...The thing is..."
The Empress opened her mouth, which had been tightly shut like a clam.
“Chernosser said... that the Emperor asked him to bring something from the cellar of Duke Leopold’s house.”
As voices grew louder that capable people, regardless of gender, should be given titles, there were cases where women became heads of households, but the number was still not that high.
Moreover, in the case of knightly families, up until now, the family and title were unconditionally inherited by the male.
Most knightly families had their own family knightly orders, and in many ways, men had an advantage over women in leading these knights.
So the people of the empire naturally thought that Perdes would become Duke Leopold, but they were all shocked when it turned out to be Adele.
“The Duke Leopolds are a noble and high-ranking knight family. They have been commanders-in-chief of the imperial army for generations.”
“That’s right. But Young Lady Leopold has become a Duke... I’m already worried whether she’ll be able to do well.”
Although there were voices of concern here and there, surprisingly, there were also many voices of support.
“Not only is this a trend that many knights appear here, but Young Lady Leopold was said to be a swordsmanship genius when she was at the Academy.”
“That’s right. So she's more than capable of taking on the role of Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Army.”
While opinions were divided among themselves, the nobles were curious to see what kind of expression Perdes would have on his face as he attended the succession ceremony.
“I heard that His Highness the Fourth Prince has also approved of Young Lady Leopold becoming a Duke, so I think he will appear calmly.”
“Shh, watch your words. It’s not Lady Leopold anymore, it’s Her Excellency.”
“That’s right. I heard that it has already been registered with the court.”
“Wow, her hands are fast. She moved before His Majesty the Emperor could move. Do you need that level of skill to be considered a Duke?”
“Seeing that His Majesty the Emperor personally held the succession ceremony, it seems that His Majesty already knows about it.”
The nobles who arrived at the hall where Adele Leopold's Ducal Succession Ceremony was being held gathered in twos and threes and chatted.
Naturally, the subject was Adele Leopold and Perdes.
While they were whispering, covering their mouths with fans or their hands, and lowering their voices to prevent others from eavesdropping, one nobleman shouted in shock.
“His Highness the Fourth Prince’s mental illness has returned?”
At those words, the eyes of all the nobles in the hall were focused on him.
“Shh.”
The one who had delivered the news to the nobleman looked embarrassed and made a gesture for him to be quiet.
Only then did he remember that his voice was loud and lowered it, but it was too late.
“What do you mean His Highness the Fourth Prince has fallen into a state of insanity again?”
“I thought the dementia was already cured, didn’t I?”
When the nobles who were acquainted with them asked, the one who had first delivered the news answered hesitantly.
“I’m not sure because I saw it from afar, but His Highness the 4th Prince was showing strange behavior, like before, such as smiling like an idiot and scratching his stomach.”
Then, Adele Leopold looked very embarrassed and asked to call the imperial physician immediately, indicating that even if he was not a fool, something had happened to Perdes.
Since then, more and more nobles have come forward claiming to have personally witnessed Perdes' strange behavior, lending credence to the theory that he was afflicted with idiocy.
Not only that, but Adele, who had clearly entered the palace with Perdes, appeared in the hall alone.
The Emperor, who arrived late, said that Perdes was resting alone because he was not feeling well and that he was truly sorry. The nobles were convinced that Perdes' dementia had returned.
So, they began to suspect that the Emperor had no choice but to allow Adele, not Perdes, to succeed to the ducal throne.
***
“The palace is nothing special.”
The imperial physician, who was said to have the most advanced medical knowledge in the empire, failed to recognize Perdes' actions and diagnosed him with a return of cretinism.
Well, that means his acting is that good.
Since it was his first time acting in a long time, he was worried that he might get caught, but it was a needless worry.
Perdes got out of bed with a satisfied smile.
And then he hid behind the curtain and looked out the window.
The place he was now was a bedroom at the eastern end of the second floor of the Spring Palace. If he went from there to the Empress's Palace by the normal route, it would take about 50 minutes.
However, if he takes a side road that no one knows about, such as one that cuts through a lush garden, he can get there in about 30 minutes.
“I have to run and get there in 20 minutes.”
So, if he set aside about 40 minutes for the round trip, and included time to talk to the Empress, he could finish everything before Adele's Duchess' succession ceremony was over.
After calculating in his head how to move, Perdes immediately put his plan into action.
“Ah, bathroom. I need to go to the bathroom.”
First, Perdes ran out of the bedroom, acting like he was full of idiots.
“Your Highness!”
“Follow me now!”
The court ladies waiting outside the bedroom panicked and hurriedly followed after Perdes.
However, it was impossible to keep up with Perdes, whose running skills had improved to the level of a knight while training in swordsmanship.
After easily shaking off the knights, Perdes headed straight to the Empress's palace.
He ran and ran until he was out of breath, and before he knew it, he arrived at the Empress's Palace.
Perdes tried to enter the Empress's palace through the secret passage, also known as the hole, that he had previously used, but the hole was already blocked.
“This is a big problem.”
Why does it have to be blocked now at all times?
Then, while Perdes was wondering how to enter the Empress's Palace, he heard an unexpected sound from behind.
“4th Prince?”
It was the Empress.
Perdes looked at her with some surprise, as he had never expected to see her outside the Empress's Palace.
The Empress was also surprised.
At that moment, the Empress heard that Perdes' dementia had returned and she was about to see for herself if it was true, so she looked at him with even greater surprise.
“...”
“...”
Their gazes met in the air.
The Empress, who had regained her composure as if she had never been surprised before because their last meeting had not been very good, spoke to the court ladies who were following her.
“I have something to discuss with the Fourth Prince, so please take a few steps back.”
As the court ladies withdrew, the Empress walked away in silence.
At the wordless gesture telling him to follow, Perdes followed silently.
When the Empress arrived at the back gate of the palace, which was mainly used by the servants, she spoke in a flowing voice.
“Was it all an act?”
The question was whether the idiot was acting. When Perdes answered with silence, the Empress asked again.
“Why did you come to me, even though you were acting?”
“Have you ever received a letter from the Second Prince?”
The Empress stopped in her tracks at the somewhat unexpected question and looked back at him.
“Why are you asking that?”
“I would like you to answer my question first.”
The Empress felt slightly offended by the seemingly polite yet rude request, but she was more curious as to why Perdes was asking such a thing, so she answered without getting angry.
“If you ask me if I’ve ever received a letter... Yes, I have. The last time was about ten years ago.”
“Nothing happened after that? For example, when the Second Prince was about to die.”
"No."
I see. Perdes sighed inwardly.
The letter sent to the Empress over ten years ago must have nothing to do with the letter written on the note.
“Now you must answer my question, Fourth Prince. Why do you ask such a thing?”
“A few days ago, Duke Leopold received a strange note.”
“Isn’t that a strange note?”
Figuring that it would be quicker to show than to explain in words, Perdes showed the note in question to the empress.
“...!”
The Empress's eyes widened as she immediately recognized Chernosser's handwriting, as befitting a mother.
As the Empress tried to take the note, Perdes quickly put it in his pocket.
"What...!"
“This is important evidence and cannot be damaged, so please understand, Your Majesty the Empress.”
"...”
It's clearly a polite attitude, but why does it make me more upset than before?
And although she had been annoyed by the way Chernosser had been referred to as the Second Prince, the Empress held back her anger so as not to ruin the essence of the conversation.
“When did you receive that note?”
“The note was discovered a week ago, and it came into Duke Leopold’s hands about three days ago.”
“Then it wasn’t a note written by Chernosser. He already...”
It's clearly a polite attitude, but why does it make me more upset than before?
And although she had been annoyed by the way Chernosser had been referred to as the Second Prince, the Empress held back her anger so as not to ruin the essence of the conversation.
“When did you receive that note?”
“The note was discovered a week ago, and it came into Duke Leopold’s hands about three days ago.”
“Then it wasn’t a note written by Chernosser. He already...”
“He is not of this world.”
When the Empress could not bring herself to continue speaking, Perdes finished her speech.
The Empress bit her lips, dyed in a beautiful light, and glared at Perdes at the unwanted kindness.
Perdes faced him calmly and continued speaking.
“However, Duke Leopold and I believe that this note was written by the Second Prince just before he died.”
“...Why do you think so?”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you the details.”
Perdes had finished talking to Adele about keeping that part a secret, as it might harm Jean, who had taken the trouble to bring them the note.
“So, please reconsider, Your Majesty. Didn’t the Second Prince send you a letter before he died? And do you know why he asked Duke Leopold to confirm this?”
For a moment, Perdes' eyes sparkled as he saw the Empress's pupils wavering.
There's something after all.
“The contents of this note may be related to the murder of the Second Prince.”
“...”
“So if you know anything, please tell me. Then we can find the culprit who killed the Second Prince.”
Despite Perdes' persistent persuasion, the Empress did not open her mouth until the end.
Perdes would have liked to have persuaded her a bit more, but she didn't have time.
It's almost time to return now, so he has no choice but to turn back.
"...The thing is..."
The Empress opened her mouth, which had been tightly shut like a clam.
“Chernosser said... that the Emperor asked him to bring something from the cellar of Duke Leopold’s house.”
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