Episode 67. Former Empress Isabelle
“Why are you standing like that? Do you have something to say to me?”
The Empress asked as if she didn’t know Adele’s situation.
“It seems like there aren’t enough chairs, Your Majesty.”
Then Seira quickly stepped forward.
“Oh my, what should I do? These are all the tables and chairs in the Empress’s palace.”
It was ridiculous.
However, the Empress spoke to the people with a serious face.
“I’m sorry, but is there anyone who can give up their seat to Miss Adele?”
Of course, no one stood up.
Seira stepped forward in front of the Empress and spoke with a cautious and serious face.
“Your Majesty, I know it may be presumptuous of you to ask, but none of the ladies gathered here are lower in status than Miss Adele. She is just the Count’s fiancée, not the Countess.”
The other ladies also joined in as if they had been waiting.
“That’s right. Miss Adele is still only the illegitimate daughter of Count Grylls. Asking us to give up our seat to the illegitimate daughter of the Count’s family may sound insulting.”
“If she becomes the former Marchioness of the Oswald family again, that would be another matter.”
The women quietly laughed at those words.
With the tacit permission of the Empress, they all stood Adele up and mocked her excitedly.
Until recently, Count Weiss had been trusted by the Emperor, and they had been cautious with Adele, who would become his wife.
However, if Stone became the son-in-law, Count Weiss’s prestige would not be what it used to be.
Furthermore, if the Vatican accepted Stone’s objection, Adele would also be abandoned by Count Weiss.
She would return to being the former Marchioness of Oswald.
The women had anticipated her downfall as much as they had envied Adele.
However, Adele was calm.
She had already expected this kind of atmosphere to some extent. And she had become tolerant of people’s gossip.
In fact, she sympathized with the Empress and April.
Did the two know?
That they were trying to join hands with the devil.
Thinking about the naive and ignorant April, she felt a little sorry.
It seemed as if her parents’ greed was pushing her further and further into misery.
Click!
At that moment, the sound of a teacup being set down was heard nervously.
Everyone became silent when they realized that the owner of the sound was Isabelle.
She had been drinking tea quietly until now, but everyone was keeping an eye on her. A few years ago, she was the owner of this palace, and she was the highest-ranking lady besides the Empress and Princess.
“By the way, if April gets married, His Majesty will be very upset.”
Isabelle changed the subject to April’s marriage.
“It is sad, but if you meet a good partner and have a happy family, there’s nothing more I could wish for.”
Even as she said that, the Empress’s expression didn’t look all that good.
Of course, she couldn’t have liked Stone as a match for her precious daughter. He had already been married once, and although he was cleared of the charges, the rumors of him being a traitor who killed his father did not die down.
Meow.
At that moment, a small black kitten appeared and approached April.
Its red tongue flickered, and its gaze seemed to be asking to be hugged.
“Kami!”
The Princess smiled brightly and picked up the cat.
Then, a maid approached and whispered softly.
“Marquis Oswald is waiting.”
April quickly looked at the Empress with a charming look.
“Understood. Go ahead and leave.”
As soon as the Empress gave permission, she ran out of the audience room holding the cat. Her golden hair, flowing and wavy, felt particularly dazzling. It seemed to be because she felt the excitement of a woman going on a date.
At least, this marriage was not going to proceed without her will.
“It seems the Marquis has captured the innocent heart of April.”
At Isabelle’s sarcasm, Seira quickly took Stone’s side.
“The Princess’s cat was also saved by my brother. Although his honor was tarnished by unpleasant rumors, the truth will soon be revealed. In fact, my brother is the kindest and most compassionate person.”
Adele almost burst out laughing.
Isabelle spoke in Adele’s mind for her.
“How can someone so compassionate be rumored to be a traitor who poisoned his father? It’s also hard to understand people who try to marry someone like that.”
“Lady Isabelle!”
The Empress finally shouted. Since the Empress was so arrogant, most noble ladies would cringe when she shouted like that.
However, Isabelle sipped her tea with a calm expression.
“If you’re thinking of using the Marquis to manipulate the House of Nobles, give up. The head of the House of Nobles is my father, and the House of Nobles is not so easy to handle.”
Her voice was quiet and calm, but it had a different kind of authority than the Empress's.
The dark brown eyes characteristic of the Rodwell family somehow overwhelmed the other person.
However, the Empress was not going to let it go.
“Well, I heard that the Duke of Rodwell collapsed a while ago? With his poor health, isn’t it time for him to let go of his work?”
“My father won’t step down until the truth about my husband’s death is revealed. This is also loyalty to the lord he served.”
“I’m sick of hearing that again! The previous Emperor went hunting during the war and was bitten by a wolf. That’s the truth that everyone knows!”
The atmosphere in the audience room froze just by the two of them glaring at each other.
The noble ladies held their breath, watching their reactions.
It was an afternoon when the sunlight streaming in through the window seemed unusually warm.
Adele felt ashamed of herself for being called to a place like this on a day like this and standing there as if she were being punished. She had done enough, so she should leave. There seemed to be nothing more to be hated.
“It wasn’t an ordinary wolf; it was a silver wolf.”
At that moment, Adele’s expression hardened.
A silver wolf!
She had never thought she would hear about a silver wolf in a place like this.
She pricked up her ears to the next story that came out of Isabelle’s mouth.
“At that time, there were many testimonies that said that the Grand Duke of Valencia and the silver wolf were together. And recently, there were rumors that the death of the palace guard was also the work of the silver wolf. But there was an order to cover it all up, right? Could it be that the Emperor had nothing to do with the silver wolf?”
With those words, Isabelle stormed out.
“It seems the meeting is over, so I’ll leave too.”
Adele quickly followed her. She didn’t forget to take back the cookie box she had handed to the maid.
“Wait a minute, Your Majesty the Empress!”
Adele ran after Isabelle as she left the palace garden.
Her expression turned cold when she confirmed that it was Adele who had stopped her.
“What is it? The fiancée of Count Weiss.”
“I wanted to hear more about what you said about the silver wolf a little while ago.”
“Why are you curious about that?”
“My mother... was also attacked by the silver wolf.”
Isabelle’s eyes widened at the unexpected words. But soon she smiled strangely.
“As I’ve heard, you’re smart, Miss Adele.”
“Huh? What’s that?”
“Since the Emperor has joined hands with the Oswalds, Count Weiss’s position must have weakened, so aren’t you trying to join hands with our family in this way?”
Adele was shocked.
“If it were Your Majesty the Empress, would you sell your mother’s death to gain favor?”
Adele’s green eyes filled with anger.
Reading her true feelings, Isabelle sighed and nodded.
“Yes, I believe what Miss Adele says. But I don’t want to tell Count Weiss’s fiancée about that.”
“Why?”
“What are you doing?”
Adele, who was sitting in front of the letter desk, raised her head at the voice above her.
Her expression brightened as she met the deep-looking blue-gray eyes.
“Chris, are you finished work already?”
He looked down with his hands behind his back and lightly kissed Adele on the forehead.
Chook.
“Um, I’m home.”
“You came early?”
“I missed my fiancée, so I came early. What are you doing?”
“Writing a letter.”
“A love letter?”
“Yes, a love letter.”
When Christine furrowed her brows, Adele shook the envelope. The crooked handwriting was clearly a child’s handwriting.
“Jade sent me a letter. He said he missed me and loved me.”
“Oh, that kid who dueled me.”
“He was the only man who beat you in a duel.”
“You exchanged love letters knowing that?”
“That’s right. You shouldn’t have found out.”
Tak!
Christine flicked Adele’s forehead with his finger and frowned.
“But you didn’t write a single line?”
The letter in front of Adele was blank.
In fact, she was so deep in thought that she didn’t hear him even when he called her several times as he entered the living room. So he thought she was writing a pretty serious letter, but the recipient was Jade.
“It’s not easy to write at a child’s eye level.”
“I see.”
“Are you hungry? Let’s change clothes and eat.”
“Rather, since you’re here early, should we go see a show? Let’s eat outside.”
Adele’s eyes sparkled as she stood up from her desk. In fact, they had been spending less time together recently, and they had been fighting, so they needed some cozy time alone.
“Well, if you really ask.”
When she answered coolly, he politely folded one arm and bowed.
“Would you allow me to go on a date, my lady?”
“Yes, Count.”
“I’ll wait downstairs, so get ready and come down.”
He kissed Adele on the cheek and left the living room.
Adele’s expression, which had been smiling brightly, darkened again.
In fact, she was thinking about the conversation she had with Isabelle just a moment ago.
“I don’t want to tell Count Weiss’s fiancée about that.”
“Why?”
“If the emperor had murdered my husband, who would have done it?”
“The Count did it?”
“After my husband died, the Count began to stand out as the Emperor’s right-hand man. I can’t help but be suspicious.”
“No, the Count had achieved great feats in battle, so he had gained the Emperor’s trust. He couldn’t have done something like that.”
“Then ask the Count. Why is he trying so hard to block the article about the silver wolf?”
Isabelle believed that Christine had used the silver wolf to kill the previous Emperor. In return, he had gained the Emperor’s trust.
“That’s ridiculous. It couldn’t be.”
It was clearly an exaggerated guess. However, a seed of suspicion was growing in Adele’s mind.
She had a feeling that he particularly hated talking about the silver wolf.
The many wolves he had freely commanded during the horse riding competition.
Didn’t he say it himself then? He had experience training wolves on the battlefield, so he could do it.
‘Did he really train the silver wolf and kill the previous Emperor?’
Then why did he try to hide the existence of the silver wolf from her?
It didn't matter that he killed her mother before he went to war.
"People are just as dangerous to the silver wolf, aren't they?"
When she thinks about it, it feels like he understood the silver wolf when he said that.
Could it really be related to the silver wolf? Could it be that her mother's death was too?
No, that couldn't be true.
A silver wolf!
She had never thought she would hear about a silver wolf in a place like this.
She pricked up her ears to the next story that came out of Isabelle’s mouth.
“At that time, there were many testimonies that said that the Grand Duke of Valencia and the silver wolf were together. And recently, there were rumors that the death of the palace guard was also the work of the silver wolf. But there was an order to cover it all up, right? Could it be that the Emperor had nothing to do with the silver wolf?”
With those words, Isabelle stormed out.
“It seems the meeting is over, so I’ll leave too.”
Adele quickly followed her. She didn’t forget to take back the cookie box she had handed to the maid.
***
“Wait a minute, Your Majesty the Empress!”
Adele ran after Isabelle as she left the palace garden.
Her expression turned cold when she confirmed that it was Adele who had stopped her.
“What is it? The fiancée of Count Weiss.”
“I wanted to hear more about what you said about the silver wolf a little while ago.”
“Why are you curious about that?”
“My mother... was also attacked by the silver wolf.”
Isabelle’s eyes widened at the unexpected words. But soon she smiled strangely.
“As I’ve heard, you’re smart, Miss Adele.”
“Huh? What’s that?”
“Since the Emperor has joined hands with the Oswalds, Count Weiss’s position must have weakened, so aren’t you trying to join hands with our family in this way?”
Adele was shocked.
“If it were Your Majesty the Empress, would you sell your mother’s death to gain favor?”
Adele’s green eyes filled with anger.
Reading her true feelings, Isabelle sighed and nodded.
“Yes, I believe what Miss Adele says. But I don’t want to tell Count Weiss’s fiancée about that.”
“Why?”
***
“What are you doing?”
Adele, who was sitting in front of the letter desk, raised her head at the voice above her.
Her expression brightened as she met the deep-looking blue-gray eyes.
“Chris, are you finished work already?”
He looked down with his hands behind his back and lightly kissed Adele on the forehead.
Chook.
“Um, I’m home.”
“You came early?”
“I missed my fiancée, so I came early. What are you doing?”
“Writing a letter.”
“A love letter?”
“Yes, a love letter.”
When Christine furrowed her brows, Adele shook the envelope. The crooked handwriting was clearly a child’s handwriting.
“Jade sent me a letter. He said he missed me and loved me.”
“Oh, that kid who dueled me.”
“He was the only man who beat you in a duel.”
“You exchanged love letters knowing that?”
“That’s right. You shouldn’t have found out.”
Tak!
Christine flicked Adele’s forehead with his finger and frowned.
“But you didn’t write a single line?”
The letter in front of Adele was blank.
In fact, she was so deep in thought that she didn’t hear him even when he called her several times as he entered the living room. So he thought she was writing a pretty serious letter, but the recipient was Jade.
“It’s not easy to write at a child’s eye level.”
“I see.”
“Are you hungry? Let’s change clothes and eat.”
“Rather, since you’re here early, should we go see a show? Let’s eat outside.”
Adele’s eyes sparkled as she stood up from her desk. In fact, they had been spending less time together recently, and they had been fighting, so they needed some cozy time alone.
“Well, if you really ask.”
When she answered coolly, he politely folded one arm and bowed.
“Would you allow me to go on a date, my lady?”
“Yes, Count.”
“I’ll wait downstairs, so get ready and come down.”
He kissed Adele on the cheek and left the living room.
Adele’s expression, which had been smiling brightly, darkened again.
In fact, she was thinking about the conversation she had with Isabelle just a moment ago.
“I don’t want to tell Count Weiss’s fiancée about that.”
“Why?”
“If the emperor had murdered my husband, who would have done it?”
“The Count did it?”
“After my husband died, the Count began to stand out as the Emperor’s right-hand man. I can’t help but be suspicious.”
“No, the Count had achieved great feats in battle, so he had gained the Emperor’s trust. He couldn’t have done something like that.”
“Then ask the Count. Why is he trying so hard to block the article about the silver wolf?”
Isabelle believed that Christine had used the silver wolf to kill the previous Emperor. In return, he had gained the Emperor’s trust.
“That’s ridiculous. It couldn’t be.”
It was clearly an exaggerated guess. However, a seed of suspicion was growing in Adele’s mind.
She had a feeling that he particularly hated talking about the silver wolf.
The many wolves he had freely commanded during the horse riding competition.
Didn’t he say it himself then? He had experience training wolves on the battlefield, so he could do it.
‘Did he really train the silver wolf and kill the previous Emperor?’
Then why did he try to hide the existence of the silver wolf from her?
It didn't matter that he killed her mother before he went to war.
"People are just as dangerous to the silver wolf, aren't they?"
When she thinks about it, it feels like he understood the silver wolf when he said that.
Could it really be related to the silver wolf? Could it be that her mother's death was too?
No, that couldn't be true.
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