“I’m sorry, but His Majesty the Emperor has said he will not meet with anyone.”
I expected that I wouldn't be able to meet the Emperor right away, but I didn't expect to be rejected right at the entrance.
Feeling a little offended, I frowned and asked the attendant.
“So when can I meet His Majesty? I’d like to make an appointment for a possible date.”
“I don’t know anything about that part, so I have nothing to say.”
Besides, I don't know anything about it.
“If you have anything to say to His Majesty, please tell me and I will convey it on your behalf.”
“I will decline. I need to tell His Majesty in person. But you know.”
I crossed my arms, tilted my head, and looked at the attendant.
“Did His Majesty the Emperor order that if anyone comes to visit, they should be sent away without even seeing them or making an appointment?”
“That’s... not true.”
“But why are you rejecting me right away? Oh, or is it because you think that someone like me is unworthy of meeting His Majesty the Emperor?”
The attendant's face turned pale.
“I, absolutely not! How could I possibly dare think of such a thing!”
“Then why didn’t you report my arrival to His Majesty the Emperor and say His Majesty couldn’t meet me? It wasn’t like His Majesty ordered me to be sent back unconditionally?”
“I will report to His Majesty immediately that the Duke has arrived. Please wait a moment in the reception room.”
I was going to completely crush him if he kept making excuses, but he must have noticed and left my guidance to his attendant as he quickly disappeared inside.
I waited leisurely, looking around the reception room that the attendant had guided me to.
After a while, the returning attendant reported with his hands folded politely.
“I am sorry, but His Majesty the Emperor is unable to meet with Your Excellency the Duke at the moment, and has requested that you make an appointment to meet again later.”
“Why can’t we meet?”
“I can’t tell you that part. I’m sorry.”
Of course. It was a rule not to reveal the Emperor's situation due to assassination or other reasons.
“So when can I meet His Majesty the Emperor?”
“His Majesty said that you should have lunch and dinner together in four days.”
I thought you'd say there's no date yet or that we'll see each other later, but it's four days later. That's faster than I expected.
“Then come back in four days.”
I made an appointment and since I had nothing else to do, I got up without any regrets.
As I was leaving the palace, someone blocked my path.
“It’s been a long time, Duke Leopold.”
“...It’s been a long time, Your Majesty.”
It was the Third Empress.
The fact that she, whom I barely knew, greeted me so warmly meant that she wanted something from me.
“Can you spare me a moment? I have something urgent to ask you, Your Excellency.”
If the Empress, the First Empress, and the Second Empress entered the palace to establish a strong connection with the imperial family and their families, the Third Empress entered the palace purely out of the Emperor's favor.
The image of the nobles being shocked by the idea of making the daughter of a mere swindler their Empress was still vivid.
“I will do that.”
So, the Third Empress may have known information about the Emperor that other people didn't.
For example, the reason why the Emperor recently left all political matters to the Crown Prince and lived in seclusion in the Emperor's palace.
“Come this way.”
I walked into the imperial garden following the Third Empress.
A tea table was set up in a spot with a great view of a large fountain.
As I sat down, the maid filled my teacup and quietly left.
Judging from the fact that she was waiting at a distance where she couldn't hear our conversation, it seems that the Third Empress had made a promise in advance.
“This is chamomile, which is good for mental stability. You must have a headache these days because of the counterfeit gold coin problem, so take this and cheer up.”
"Thank you."
I didn't want to drink, but I had to pretend to drink because of damn etiquette, so I just drank enough to wet my lips.
“How is it? Is it okay?”
“Yes. But what do you want to ask me?”
To prevent the Third Empress from wasting time unnecessarily, I asked openly.
The Third Empress's lips tilted slightly slanted, perhaps because she didn't like my way of speaking.
She glanced at the maids standing far away, then asked in a small voice.
“Have you seen His Majesty the Emperor?”
“No. I couldn’t meet His Majesty right now because he said he couldn’t meet me.”
“Really? The Duke has been in His Majesty’s palace for a long time.”
“Are you watching me?”
When I asked again with a look of displeasure on my face, the Third Empress was startled and waved her hand.
“I wasn’t trying to spy on the Duke. I was just checking everyone who entered His Majesty the Emperor’s palace... Oh, but it’s not like I was spying on His Majesty the Emperor.”
Perhaps because she was very flustered, the Third Empress started talking nonsense and even listed facts that were not asked about.
Even if you did something bad, you pretend not to have done it and turn a blind eye to it, but how can you show it so blatantly in this situation?
“So, I hope you don’t have any strange misunderstandings. And don’t tell anyone else that I did that.”
“Yes, I will do that.”
“Thank you so much.”
I believe even empty words like this.
I've thought about this for a long time, but the Third Empress was not a person who suited the palace.
“By the way, I haven’t seen His Majesty yet... I’m worried that you might be sick.”
“If His Majesty were ill, the imperial doctor would have been diligently visiting the Emperor’s palace.”
“Fortunately, that wasn’t the case.”
The palace already knew about it. It was a great obsession.
Well, the Third Empress had no one to trust except the Emperor's favor, so it was natural for her to be obsessed.
Although she had a 7th Prince, he was far behind in the line of succession to the throne and was still young, so he did not have the power to protect the 3rd Empress.
It was difficult to rely on her parents, who didn't even have a proper mansion in the capital.
The Third Empress muttered with a gloomy expression.
“It’s already been almost a month since I last saw His Majesty...”
“I understand you have had a meal with His Majesty before.”
“That was an event where the royal family was present. You can’t say I met His Majesty.”
What kind of crazy nonsense is this?
When I stared at her, not understanding what she was saying, the Third Empress smiled as if she had expected me to do so.
“I meant that His Majesty the Emperor has not visited my palace for some time.”
“...Is that so?”
“Yes. In the past, no matter how busy he was, he would come to my palace once a week, but these days, he doesn’t come at all.”
I was wondering why she kept talking about such useless things to busy people.
“That’s why I suspected that His Majesty might have another woman.”
I could tell the reason through the words that followed and the way she looked at me.
You thought I was the emperor's new woman.
No matter how free one's thoughts are, this was an extremely unpleasant delusion.
As I frowned, the Third Empress hurriedly made an excuse.
“Of course, I don’t think that His Majesty and the Duke have that kind of relationship.”
You didn't think about it. You were looking at me like that just now.
“The Duke is going to marry the Fourth Prince. Surely you wouldn’t do something so crazy.”
I picked it up, smiled, and tilted my head.
“Do you think Your Majesty the Empress is the one who is acting crazy? Or is it His Majesty the Emperor?”
"That..."
The Third Empress hesitated for a moment, perhaps finding it difficult to answer, but soon stood up from her seat.
“I have kept a busy man for too long. Go quickly, Duke Leopold.”
Am I so twisted that it sounds like you're telling me to just get out of here since my work is done?
“I’ll go now.”
Since I also had no reason to sit down any longer, I willingly stood up.
The conversation with the Third Empress was indeed useless, but it was not completely fruitless, as it made it known that the Emperor had been acting strangely for the past month.
And I could also see that the Emperor was not sick.
“I already knew that.”
Because the Emperor had never been sick during this period in his entire life.
He suffocated me, his body as lively as a freshly caught fish.
“Come to think of it, he's been unusually quiet in this life.”
In another life, he would get impatient because he couldn't catch me even for a moment, but this time, he was so quiet that I would sometimes forget that the Emperor was after me if I wasn't paying attention.
If someone else had done this, I would have thought, "He's finally given up," but this was the Emperor.
There was absolutely no way he would have given up.
Rather, it would be more correct to see it as crouching down in preparation for a big leap forward.
Just like me.
“...”
I stopped walking down the long corridor and looked back toward the Emperor's palace.
The Emperor's palace was so large and splendid that one could tell where it was even though it was quite a distance away.
So I was even more excited.
That day when that palace collapses so shamefully.
“I will be able to see it soon.”
Because Leo left to light the fuse.
To set off firecrackers containing my earnest wish.
“I wish there were gorgeous fireworks.”
I hoped and hoped that a very large and splendid firework would explode and fill the imperial sky.
So I want to let the world know that my plan was successful.
Thinking about it made me feel good and I found myself humming.
“Ugh.”
I hummed and started walking again.
Tick, it seemed as if I could hear the ticking of a clock somewhere.
I expected that I wouldn't be able to meet the Emperor right away, but I didn't expect to be rejected right at the entrance.
Feeling a little offended, I frowned and asked the attendant.
“So when can I meet His Majesty? I’d like to make an appointment for a possible date.”
“I don’t know anything about that part, so I have nothing to say.”
Besides, I don't know anything about it.
“If you have anything to say to His Majesty, please tell me and I will convey it on your behalf.”
“I will decline. I need to tell His Majesty in person. But you know.”
I crossed my arms, tilted my head, and looked at the attendant.
“Did His Majesty the Emperor order that if anyone comes to visit, they should be sent away without even seeing them or making an appointment?”
“That’s... not true.”
“But why are you rejecting me right away? Oh, or is it because you think that someone like me is unworthy of meeting His Majesty the Emperor?”
The attendant's face turned pale.
“I, absolutely not! How could I possibly dare think of such a thing!”
“Then why didn’t you report my arrival to His Majesty the Emperor and say His Majesty couldn’t meet me? It wasn’t like His Majesty ordered me to be sent back unconditionally?”
“I will report to His Majesty immediately that the Duke has arrived. Please wait a moment in the reception room.”
I was going to completely crush him if he kept making excuses, but he must have noticed and left my guidance to his attendant as he quickly disappeared inside.
I waited leisurely, looking around the reception room that the attendant had guided me to.
After a while, the returning attendant reported with his hands folded politely.
“I am sorry, but His Majesty the Emperor is unable to meet with Your Excellency the Duke at the moment, and has requested that you make an appointment to meet again later.”
“Why can’t we meet?”
“I can’t tell you that part. I’m sorry.”
Of course. It was a rule not to reveal the Emperor's situation due to assassination or other reasons.
“So when can I meet His Majesty the Emperor?”
“His Majesty said that you should have lunch and dinner together in four days.”
I thought you'd say there's no date yet or that we'll see each other later, but it's four days later. That's faster than I expected.
“Then come back in four days.”
I made an appointment and since I had nothing else to do, I got up without any regrets.
As I was leaving the palace, someone blocked my path.
“It’s been a long time, Duke Leopold.”
“...It’s been a long time, Your Majesty.”
It was the Third Empress.
The fact that she, whom I barely knew, greeted me so warmly meant that she wanted something from me.
“Can you spare me a moment? I have something urgent to ask you, Your Excellency.”
If the Empress, the First Empress, and the Second Empress entered the palace to establish a strong connection with the imperial family and their families, the Third Empress entered the palace purely out of the Emperor's favor.
The image of the nobles being shocked by the idea of making the daughter of a mere swindler their Empress was still vivid.
“I will do that.”
So, the Third Empress may have known information about the Emperor that other people didn't.
For example, the reason why the Emperor recently left all political matters to the Crown Prince and lived in seclusion in the Emperor's palace.
“Come this way.”
I walked into the imperial garden following the Third Empress.
A tea table was set up in a spot with a great view of a large fountain.
As I sat down, the maid filled my teacup and quietly left.
Judging from the fact that she was waiting at a distance where she couldn't hear our conversation, it seems that the Third Empress had made a promise in advance.
“This is chamomile, which is good for mental stability. You must have a headache these days because of the counterfeit gold coin problem, so take this and cheer up.”
"Thank you."
I didn't want to drink, but I had to pretend to drink because of damn etiquette, so I just drank enough to wet my lips.
“How is it? Is it okay?”
“Yes. But what do you want to ask me?”
To prevent the Third Empress from wasting time unnecessarily, I asked openly.
The Third Empress's lips tilted slightly slanted, perhaps because she didn't like my way of speaking.
She glanced at the maids standing far away, then asked in a small voice.
“Have you seen His Majesty the Emperor?”
“No. I couldn’t meet His Majesty right now because he said he couldn’t meet me.”
“Really? The Duke has been in His Majesty’s palace for a long time.”
“Are you watching me?”
When I asked again with a look of displeasure on my face, the Third Empress was startled and waved her hand.
“I wasn’t trying to spy on the Duke. I was just checking everyone who entered His Majesty the Emperor’s palace... Oh, but it’s not like I was spying on His Majesty the Emperor.”
Perhaps because she was very flustered, the Third Empress started talking nonsense and even listed facts that were not asked about.
Even if you did something bad, you pretend not to have done it and turn a blind eye to it, but how can you show it so blatantly in this situation?
“So, I hope you don’t have any strange misunderstandings. And don’t tell anyone else that I did that.”
“Yes, I will do that.”
“Thank you so much.”
I believe even empty words like this.
I've thought about this for a long time, but the Third Empress was not a person who suited the palace.
“By the way, I haven’t seen His Majesty yet... I’m worried that you might be sick.”
“If His Majesty were ill, the imperial doctor would have been diligently visiting the Emperor’s palace.”
“Fortunately, that wasn’t the case.”
The palace already knew about it. It was a great obsession.
Well, the Third Empress had no one to trust except the Emperor's favor, so it was natural for her to be obsessed.
Although she had a 7th Prince, he was far behind in the line of succession to the throne and was still young, so he did not have the power to protect the 3rd Empress.
It was difficult to rely on her parents, who didn't even have a proper mansion in the capital.
The Third Empress muttered with a gloomy expression.
“It’s already been almost a month since I last saw His Majesty...”
“I understand you have had a meal with His Majesty before.”
“That was an event where the royal family was present. You can’t say I met His Majesty.”
What kind of crazy nonsense is this?
When I stared at her, not understanding what she was saying, the Third Empress smiled as if she had expected me to do so.
“I meant that His Majesty the Emperor has not visited my palace for some time.”
“...Is that so?”
“Yes. In the past, no matter how busy he was, he would come to my palace once a week, but these days, he doesn’t come at all.”
I was wondering why she kept talking about such useless things to busy people.
“That’s why I suspected that His Majesty might have another woman.”
I could tell the reason through the words that followed and the way she looked at me.
You thought I was the emperor's new woman.
No matter how free one's thoughts are, this was an extremely unpleasant delusion.
As I frowned, the Third Empress hurriedly made an excuse.
“Of course, I don’t think that His Majesty and the Duke have that kind of relationship.”
You didn't think about it. You were looking at me like that just now.
“The Duke is going to marry the Fourth Prince. Surely you wouldn’t do something so crazy.”
I picked it up, smiled, and tilted my head.
“Do you think Your Majesty the Empress is the one who is acting crazy? Or is it His Majesty the Emperor?”
"That..."
The Third Empress hesitated for a moment, perhaps finding it difficult to answer, but soon stood up from her seat.
“I have kept a busy man for too long. Go quickly, Duke Leopold.”
Am I so twisted that it sounds like you're telling me to just get out of here since my work is done?
“I’ll go now.”
Since I also had no reason to sit down any longer, I willingly stood up.
The conversation with the Third Empress was indeed useless, but it was not completely fruitless, as it made it known that the Emperor had been acting strangely for the past month.
And I could also see that the Emperor was not sick.
“I already knew that.”
Because the Emperor had never been sick during this period in his entire life.
He suffocated me, his body as lively as a freshly caught fish.
“Come to think of it, he's been unusually quiet in this life.”
In another life, he would get impatient because he couldn't catch me even for a moment, but this time, he was so quiet that I would sometimes forget that the Emperor was after me if I wasn't paying attention.
If someone else had done this, I would have thought, "He's finally given up," but this was the Emperor.
There was absolutely no way he would have given up.
Rather, it would be more correct to see it as crouching down in preparation for a big leap forward.
Just like me.
“...”
I stopped walking down the long corridor and looked back toward the Emperor's palace.
The Emperor's palace was so large and splendid that one could tell where it was even though it was quite a distance away.
So I was even more excited.
That day when that palace collapses so shamefully.
“I will be able to see it soon.”
Because Leo left to light the fuse.
To set off firecrackers containing my earnest wish.
“I wish there were gorgeous fireworks.”
I hoped and hoped that a very large and splendid firework would explode and fill the imperial sky.
So I want to let the world know that my plan was successful.
Thinking about it made me feel good and I found myself humming.
“Ugh.”
I hummed and started walking again.
Tick, it seemed as if I could hear the ticking of a clock somewhere.
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