Soon after, a strange play began in the back alleys of the city. The play, which started out as a nameless traveling troupe, caught the attention of the common people with its unique setting and provocative subject matter.
“Why did I only meet you now?”
The plot was an ordinary story about fateful love. However, the forbidden relationship between a subject trusted by a foreign King and his Queen was a provocative subject.
“Behead the two men and hang their bodies on the wall to show the royal majesty!”
Moreover, it had a tragic ending in that both people were executed and the entire family fell into ruin.
“But, that actor.”
“Male actor?”
“Doesn’t he look like Duke Lane?”
They don't know the faces of noble people like the Emperor or Empress. However, since they have eyes, they can tell the face of the Duke of Lane, who often goes out. So it's inevitable that the male actor's appearance resembles the Duke of Lane.
“It seems a little similar..."
“Hey, you little punk. So does that mean that Duke Lane is the Empress’s mistress?”
Hahaha, the laughter that had been continuing suddenly stopped. Whether it was the Duke of Lane or the Empress, they were not people they could easily mention. Those who had gathered on the street and chatted quietly walked in different directions.
So the rumor spread like a footless horse, quietly and quickly, in the direction they had dispersed.
It was something that could be easily overlooked. Damon rolled his eyes with a bewildered expression. The Emperor stood up and patted Damon on the shoulder.
“I also have some work to do, so I have to leave now.”
“I’m about to get up too. Don’t push yourself too hard, Your Majesty.”
The Emperor nodded at the Empress's soft voice. Then he led Damon and walked away, leaving the table where they were all sitting behind.
“...”
Naturally, the two of them were left alone, and the eyes of the Empress and Curtis met. The moment the Empress kissed his lips, Curtis stood up and turned away from the Empress.
The expressionless face of the Empress faintly cracked. But nothing happened to stop Curtis from moving away. No one directly declared it. But it was known that it was a separation.
Because in a place where it was clear that there was only one thing to lose, the word love was difficult to exist.
“Why did I only meet you now?”
The plot was an ordinary story about fateful love. However, the forbidden relationship between a subject trusted by a foreign King and his Queen was a provocative subject.
“Behead the two men and hang their bodies on the wall to show the royal majesty!”
Moreover, it had a tragic ending in that both people were executed and the entire family fell into ruin.
“But, that actor.”
“Male actor?”
“Doesn’t he look like Duke Lane?”
They don't know the faces of noble people like the Emperor or Empress. However, since they have eyes, they can tell the face of the Duke of Lane, who often goes out. So it's inevitable that the male actor's appearance resembles the Duke of Lane.
“It seems a little similar..."
“Hey, you little punk. So does that mean that Duke Lane is the Empress’s mistress?”
Hahaha, the laughter that had been continuing suddenly stopped. Whether it was the Duke of Lane or the Empress, they were not people they could easily mention. Those who had gathered on the street and chatted quietly walked in different directions.
So the rumor spread like a footless horse, quietly and quickly, in the direction they had dispersed.
***
The content of the play soon spread throughout the aristocratic society and even to the royal family. Upon hearing this secret rumor, the third Prince, Damon, was indignant.
“Are there people who would dare to link the Duke of Lane with the Empress? You are like these charlatans!”
When Damon shouted, the maids quickly ducked down. Damon was usually simple and easy to serve, but when he was angry, he was a person who was not noticeable.
“Not just any other family, but the Duke of Lane!”
Damon let out a hollow laugh as if he was being sarcastic.
“You have to make sense!”
Duke Lane was the one who even offered his daughter to Eden as a token of his loyalty. He was a force that was diametrically opposed to Damon.
“What is Her Majesty the Empress doing?”
“His Majesty the Emperor is with her.”
Damon heard the news and jumped up from his seat with his eyes shining sharply.
“I have to go right now.”
“Your Highness, His Majesty the Emperor has ordered that no one be disturbed...”
The servant tried to hang on, but it was not enough to calm Damon's anger. Damon shook off the servant's attempts to stop him and strode towards the Emperor and Empress.
"Mother!"
As he stepped into the garden, calling his mother, three pairs of eyes sitting at the table turned to Damon. One was the Emperor, another was the Empress, and another was Curtis.
“Damon.”
The Empress called Damon in a soft but sharp voice. It was as if she was telling him to step aside immediately. However, Damon, who had found Curtis sitting with him, did not step aside. Instead, he became so excited that you could see sparks flying from his eyes.
“Your Majesty the Emperor, why have you summoned Duke Lane here?”
The Empress blinked with a blank expression, and Curtis looked down in confusion. The Emperor also stared at Damon with a blank expression.
“What does that mean?”
Damon was momentarily flustered. He was worried that he had caused trouble by messing with his father, who didn't know anything about it.
However, Curtis quickly calmed his expression as he remembered that the three of them had never been together before and that the Emperor of a country could not possibly not know what he also knew.
“Isn’t it because of the ridiculous rumors floating around the streets that you began to suspect Her Majesty the Empress?”
“Oh, that rumor.”
The Empress bit her lower lip at Damon's direct question. The Emperor watched her with his chin resting on his hand, then muttered softly.
“Do you believe it to be true?”
The Emperor asked. Damon's lips twitched, his face momentarily speechless.
“No, of course not.”
But he did not forget to express his thoughts. After hearing Damon's answer, the Emperor turned his gaze to the Empress.
“What does Empress think?”
The Empress slowly raised her gaze.
“This is ridiculous.”
The Empress glanced at Curtis, then at her son, then at the Emperor. Then she opened her mouth.
“I am the most honorable being in this empire, next only to His Majesty the Emperor. I am the one who can enjoy and have so many things.”
She spoke softly but with a hint of arrogance.
“But why would I claim to be the lover of a mere Duke?”
The Empress asked with a smile on her face. The Emperor also turned his gaze to Curtis, unable to find an answer.
“Duke Lane. What do you think about this?”
Curtis quietly lowered his gaze. While royalty like the Empress or Damon might dare to meet the Emperor’s gaze and converse, he could not.
"I am..."
It was just as Curtis was opening his mouth.
“Why do you want to listen to Duke Lane? Just because he says something doesn’t mean that a lie becomes the truth.”
Damon cut Curtis off. He seemed nervous that someone might say that he had an affair with his mother, which of course he didn't.
Of course, Damon didn't want to add another flaw to his father, who already disliked him. Besides, in Damon's mind, Curtis was someone who would do anything to bring down the Empress.
“Damon.”
"Yes."
“I asked Curtis Lane, not you.”
The Emperor spoke coldly. Only then did Damon take a step back with a stern face.
“Curtis Lane.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The Emperor spoke, leaning back leisurely in his chair. His tone was calm, but the eyes staring at him were not.
“I cannot just ignore this outrageous rumor if it is true.”
It was a natural thing. The Emperor had calculated that the Duke of Lane would be loyal to the Crown Prince and had ordered the marriage of Cecilia and Eden. It was not in his calculations that he would now have an affair with the Empress and try to separate from her.
“You must know the reason for the marriage between Eden and your daughter, right?”
The Emperor asked quietly but sharply. Curtis clasped his hands together quietly under the table.
Her daughter, Cecilia Lane. With one word from him, Cecilia and the family were in danger. If he took a wrong step, he could see the cliff. He got goosebumps and the hair on his head stood on end.
“...I do not know what Your Majesty is asking.”
And then he did. The Emperor tilted his head slightly to the side and squinted his eyes, Damon cheered silently, and the Empress quietly clenched her jaw muscles.
“As far as I know, it is a play based on a true story from another country. The actors in the troupe are all from a nomadic ethnic group.”
Curtis opened his mouth slowly, not paying attention to him. The Empress’s stern face was bothering him, but in fact, he had denied their relationship without any hesitation.
Yeah. This is the time to sort out this relationship.
“I find it unpleasant that you suspect me in this way just because one of the actors in the play looks like me.”
Curtis, having made up his mind, skillfully avoided the uncomfortable topic.
“Yeah, that would be something you might do too.”
The Emperor's stiff face suddenly relaxed and he burst into laughter.
“Isn’t it ridiculous that such a ridiculous rumor is spreading between you and the Empress because of a mere play by a traveling troupe? It’s been years since we last saw each other, and now it’s come to this.”
Curtis smiled and nodded at the Emperor's words. The Empress also sipped her tea with a calm expression.
“Damon. Now do you know the truth about the ridiculous rumors between your mother and Duke Lane?”
Damon nodded with a bewildered face at the Emperor's question. Damon, who had joined in excitedly, was the only one who found himself amusing.
“If that is true.”
The Emperor opened his mouth with a leisurely smile on his face.
“The Second Prince’s marriage will be broken, and the Duke of Lane will be stripped of his title. The Empress will also be questioned about the affair, and the Third Prince will also be affected...”
But despite his smiling face, a strange weight weighed down on everyone present. The Emperor had lived as Emperor for twenty years and was not someone to be ridiculed.
“Curtis Lane holds the title of Duke, and his daughter is held hostage in my hands. Isn’t that a big deal?”
It was a question, a demanding tone. Whether this rumor was true or not, it also meant that it should end here. That was his intuition as a subject who had served the Emperor for a long time. Curtis's throat rose and fell quietly.
“That is a valid point.”
The Emperor smiled faintly at the prompt answer.
“Yeah. So don’t worry, Damon.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“The same goes for the Empress. Don’t be discouraged or saddened by the light rumors floating around the streets.”
At the Emperor's advice, the Empress quietly raised her eyelids. Then, meeting the Emperor's gaze, she smiled obediently.
“I will only follow what Your Majesty says.”
It was an attitude that emphasized life as a subject rather than a wife. The Emperor nodded with a satisfied face.
“So I guess it’s best to go back now, Damon.”
“...Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Are there people who would dare to link the Duke of Lane with the Empress? You are like these charlatans!”
When Damon shouted, the maids quickly ducked down. Damon was usually simple and easy to serve, but when he was angry, he was a person who was not noticeable.
“Not just any other family, but the Duke of Lane!”
Damon let out a hollow laugh as if he was being sarcastic.
“You have to make sense!”
Duke Lane was the one who even offered his daughter to Eden as a token of his loyalty. He was a force that was diametrically opposed to Damon.
“What is Her Majesty the Empress doing?”
“His Majesty the Emperor is with her.”
Damon heard the news and jumped up from his seat with his eyes shining sharply.
“I have to go right now.”
“Your Highness, His Majesty the Emperor has ordered that no one be disturbed...”
The servant tried to hang on, but it was not enough to calm Damon's anger. Damon shook off the servant's attempts to stop him and strode towards the Emperor and Empress.
"Mother!"
As he stepped into the garden, calling his mother, three pairs of eyes sitting at the table turned to Damon. One was the Emperor, another was the Empress, and another was Curtis.
“Damon.”
The Empress called Damon in a soft but sharp voice. It was as if she was telling him to step aside immediately. However, Damon, who had found Curtis sitting with him, did not step aside. Instead, he became so excited that you could see sparks flying from his eyes.
“Your Majesty the Emperor, why have you summoned Duke Lane here?”
The Empress blinked with a blank expression, and Curtis looked down in confusion. The Emperor also stared at Damon with a blank expression.
“What does that mean?”
Damon was momentarily flustered. He was worried that he had caused trouble by messing with his father, who didn't know anything about it.
However, Curtis quickly calmed his expression as he remembered that the three of them had never been together before and that the Emperor of a country could not possibly not know what he also knew.
“Isn’t it because of the ridiculous rumors floating around the streets that you began to suspect Her Majesty the Empress?”
“Oh, that rumor.”
The Empress bit her lower lip at Damon's direct question. The Emperor watched her with his chin resting on his hand, then muttered softly.
“Do you believe it to be true?”
The Emperor asked. Damon's lips twitched, his face momentarily speechless.
“No, of course not.”
But he did not forget to express his thoughts. After hearing Damon's answer, the Emperor turned his gaze to the Empress.
“What does Empress think?”
The Empress slowly raised her gaze.
“This is ridiculous.”
The Empress glanced at Curtis, then at her son, then at the Emperor. Then she opened her mouth.
“I am the most honorable being in this empire, next only to His Majesty the Emperor. I am the one who can enjoy and have so many things.”
She spoke softly but with a hint of arrogance.
“But why would I claim to be the lover of a mere Duke?”
The Empress asked with a smile on her face. The Emperor also turned his gaze to Curtis, unable to find an answer.
“Duke Lane. What do you think about this?”
Curtis quietly lowered his gaze. While royalty like the Empress or Damon might dare to meet the Emperor’s gaze and converse, he could not.
"I am..."
It was just as Curtis was opening his mouth.
“Why do you want to listen to Duke Lane? Just because he says something doesn’t mean that a lie becomes the truth.”
Damon cut Curtis off. He seemed nervous that someone might say that he had an affair with his mother, which of course he didn't.
Of course, Damon didn't want to add another flaw to his father, who already disliked him. Besides, in Damon's mind, Curtis was someone who would do anything to bring down the Empress.
“Damon.”
"Yes."
“I asked Curtis Lane, not you.”
The Emperor spoke coldly. Only then did Damon take a step back with a stern face.
“Curtis Lane.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The Emperor spoke, leaning back leisurely in his chair. His tone was calm, but the eyes staring at him were not.
“I cannot just ignore this outrageous rumor if it is true.”
It was a natural thing. The Emperor had calculated that the Duke of Lane would be loyal to the Crown Prince and had ordered the marriage of Cecilia and Eden. It was not in his calculations that he would now have an affair with the Empress and try to separate from her.
“You must know the reason for the marriage between Eden and your daughter, right?”
The Emperor asked quietly but sharply. Curtis clasped his hands together quietly under the table.
Her daughter, Cecilia Lane. With one word from him, Cecilia and the family were in danger. If he took a wrong step, he could see the cliff. He got goosebumps and the hair on his head stood on end.
“...I do not know what Your Majesty is asking.”
And then he did. The Emperor tilted his head slightly to the side and squinted his eyes, Damon cheered silently, and the Empress quietly clenched her jaw muscles.
“As far as I know, it is a play based on a true story from another country. The actors in the troupe are all from a nomadic ethnic group.”
Curtis opened his mouth slowly, not paying attention to him. The Empress’s stern face was bothering him, but in fact, he had denied their relationship without any hesitation.
Yeah. This is the time to sort out this relationship.
“I find it unpleasant that you suspect me in this way just because one of the actors in the play looks like me.”
Curtis, having made up his mind, skillfully avoided the uncomfortable topic.
“Yeah, that would be something you might do too.”
The Emperor's stiff face suddenly relaxed and he burst into laughter.
“Isn’t it ridiculous that such a ridiculous rumor is spreading between you and the Empress because of a mere play by a traveling troupe? It’s been years since we last saw each other, and now it’s come to this.”
Curtis smiled and nodded at the Emperor's words. The Empress also sipped her tea with a calm expression.
“Damon. Now do you know the truth about the ridiculous rumors between your mother and Duke Lane?”
Damon nodded with a bewildered face at the Emperor's question. Damon, who had joined in excitedly, was the only one who found himself amusing.
“If that is true.”
The Emperor opened his mouth with a leisurely smile on his face.
“The Second Prince’s marriage will be broken, and the Duke of Lane will be stripped of his title. The Empress will also be questioned about the affair, and the Third Prince will also be affected...”
But despite his smiling face, a strange weight weighed down on everyone present. The Emperor had lived as Emperor for twenty years and was not someone to be ridiculed.
“Curtis Lane holds the title of Duke, and his daughter is held hostage in my hands. Isn’t that a big deal?”
It was a question, a demanding tone. Whether this rumor was true or not, it also meant that it should end here. That was his intuition as a subject who had served the Emperor for a long time. Curtis's throat rose and fell quietly.
“That is a valid point.”
The Emperor smiled faintly at the prompt answer.
“Yeah. So don’t worry, Damon.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“The same goes for the Empress. Don’t be discouraged or saddened by the light rumors floating around the streets.”
At the Emperor's advice, the Empress quietly raised her eyelids. Then, meeting the Emperor's gaze, she smiled obediently.
“I will only follow what Your Majesty says.”
It was an attitude that emphasized life as a subject rather than a wife. The Emperor nodded with a satisfied face.
“So I guess it’s best to go back now, Damon.”
“...Yes, Your Majesty.”
It was something that could be easily overlooked. Damon rolled his eyes with a bewildered expression. The Emperor stood up and patted Damon on the shoulder.
“I also have some work to do, so I have to leave now.”
“I’m about to get up too. Don’t push yourself too hard, Your Majesty.”
The Emperor nodded at the Empress's soft voice. Then he led Damon and walked away, leaving the table where they were all sitting behind.
“...”
Naturally, the two of them were left alone, and the eyes of the Empress and Curtis met. The moment the Empress kissed his lips, Curtis stood up and turned away from the Empress.
The expressionless face of the Empress faintly cracked. But nothing happened to stop Curtis from moving away. No one directly declared it. But it was known that it was a separation.
Because in a place where it was clear that there was only one thing to lose, the word love was difficult to exist.
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