HPBUY Chapter 128

Despite the threat of erasing him from his life’s achievements, the Grand Duke showed no particular signs of agitation. She had expected this, but seeing his excessively calm demeanor twisted something inside her.

The anger boiling within her wasn’t because she deeply loved her husband.

The Empress had endured her difficult position in the empire solely to protect her family and authority. The wretchedness she felt watching her husband, who secretly kept her in check while favoring his younger sister was deep and profound, yet the Empress endured it.

Even though she knew full well that Marianne’s obsession with her brother was gradually spreading to her nephew, the Empress merely endured.

If by doing so she could maintain her existence as Empress, and Leopold could be recognized as heir to this country, that would be enough.

But everything she had tried to protect had crumbled before this man’s insignificant feelings.

While the Empress currently needed the Grand Duke’s existence, separately from that, her emotions remained too deeply wounded to forgive his crimes.

Looking at it closely, he was the root cause of all the humiliation she was now suffering. Not only had Joseph been reduced to such a miserable state, but her and Leo’s positions had become as precarious as a lantern before a storm.

However, now was not the time to be consumed by anger. The Empress intended to use everything she could from him.

The Grand Duke had already betrayed her trust once. But the person he wanted to protect was still alive, wasn’t she?

“The Grand Duke alone is not enough.”

The Empress murmured softly.

Threatening his safety would be pointless with the man before her. Instead of wasting time, the Empress chose to prod at his sore spot.

“Looking through the Imperial Code, I found something called a repatriation order, Marquis Hoffman.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. It’s mainly a decree targeting those who commit crimes and flee to other countries…”

The Marquis trailed off, glancing nervously at the Grand Duke standing with a grim expression.

By this point, he vaguely understood why the Empress had brought him specifically.

Marquis Hoffman had been acquainted with Declan for quite some time and always maintained a neutral position in political discussions.

Though the Marquis’s house was deeply entangled with Duke Lowell’s house through mutual interests, the Marquis, as head of his family, did not personally hold favorable feelings toward Duke Lowell, so he never openly aligned himself with any faction.

With the Marquis family’s power, this wasn’t particularly problematic.

Occasionally his late father would pressure him after being urged by the Duke, but the Marquis was fundamentally someone who enjoyed watching conflicts rather than being directly involved in them.

Thanks to his moderately intelligent mind and sharp instincts, he had managed to stay close to the center of power despite his lukewarm attitude…

‘…You want something else from me.’

The Marquis inwardly swallowed a sigh.

She had specifically brought him here because she surely knew about his relationship with the Grand Duke. Perhaps his tepid attitude during the regency discussions had also played a role.

So, the Empress’s presence here wasn’t just a warning directed at the Grand Duke alone. Simultaneously, it was nothing short of a stern ultimatum for him to clearly choose his side.

When the Marquis hesitated to continue, the Empress nodded as if to urge him on. At this, the Marquis, almost sighing, provided what she wanted to know.

“It’s limited to cases where the Empire receives investigative and arrest rights with the consent of the other country. That… without the consent of the counterpart nation, the law is meaningless, Your Majesty.”

“Then it’s just a matter of obtaining consent from Parma?”

At her question, the Marquis carefully inquired.

“Forgive me, but what crime do you intend to summon her for…?”

“Trespassing into forbidden territory, and attempting to assassinate the Emperor. These two should be sufficient reasons for summons.”

“Your Majesty.”

Declan abruptly interrupted their conversation. Though his voice was quiet, his previously calm face was visibly cracking.

“Placing the blame on me alone should be sufficient for you.”

“I wonder about that, Grand Duke. According to the investigators, things don’t seem to add up.”

Amid the tense atmosphere, the Marquis rolled his eyes then quietly closed his mouth again.

“A button was found at the scene, I hear.”

At these casually delivered words, Declan’s face hardened.

“Since it had a different pattern from His Majesty’s, they compared it with the possessions of all nobles gathered at Sendelk that day. Yet they couldn’t find its owner, so it’s most likely belonged to someone who had already left Sendelk that day.”

The Empress stared coldly at Declan as she recited exactly what those who investigated the scene had told her directly.

“Do you still intend to deceive me?”

“Deceive.”

Declan smiled as if he’d heard an absurd word. But his gaze toward the Empress was extremely sharp.

“Do you truly believe the Princess is the root cause of all this, Your Majesty?”

“Grand Duke…!”

At his hostile attitude, the Marquis, face drained of color, tried to restrain him. But the Empress paid no heed.

“Are you trying to say that the Emperor clearly attempted to harm the Princess first? Even so, your words would still be nothing more than a one-sided claim.”

“You know well. How tremendous the Emperor’s hostility toward the Princess was normally.”

At the mocking sneer mixed with sarcasm, the Empress closed her mouth again.

“Even if you summon the Princess to the Empire, nothing will change, Your Majesty.”

“…”

“The Emperor himself tarnished the honor of the Imperial family. You know very well who will inherit this honor stained by his transgressions.”

At the words directly implicating Leopold, the Empress’s face contorted.

“Are you daring to threaten me now?”

“Not a threat, but a request.”

Despite such words, his eyes remained fierce. The Empress’s gaze, looking down at him, wavered before she clenched her fist tightly.

“When making a request, it would be right to show sincerity.”

She slightly eased her stance. The Empress had no leisure now.

Rather than engaging in such emotional battles, what was urgent was to quickly select a regent and resolve the chaotic situation. Instead of pouring out her anger, the Empress took a long sigh.

“…If you comply with what I desire, I too can take corresponding measures.”

At this unexpected conciliatory approach, Declan’s eyes subtly contorted.

The Empress stared at him with an unwavering face.

Transferring ownership of Ricata to the Princess was certainly a burdensome matter for the Empress as well. Despite being closed for years, wasn’t it still the largest territory in the east? For someone not of imperial blood to make such a decision recklessly was far too weighty a matter.

But there was no other choice. To protect her son, she needed a noble who would move according to her wishes and never betray her. Currently, the Grand Duke was the only suitable candidate for that condition, and to move the Grand Duke, there was no other method but to use the Princess and Ricata.

And now, the Empress’s strongest will was to not leave anything that could tarnish Leopold, even if it meant pushing aside all her anxieties and concerns.

Even if the Princess were to transfer Ricata’s ownership to another country, this was the only method to make the Grand Duke an ally and prevent Leopold from inheriting his father’s crimes.

Compared to living precariously like a lantern before a storm until he came of age, the existence of a father who had already left an inerasable stain would be just a tiny blemish.

Therefore, the price Joseph had to pay for his crimes must end with his generation. Even if the Empress herself gained a reputation as a wicked wife who stabbed her husband in the back, it was a burden she had to bear unavoidably.

“I would like you to become regent until my son comes of age.”

“…”

“Then I will no longer hold the Princess accountable.”

The Empress knew the Grand Duke’s weakness. Having a pretext to manipulate him at will, even by vile means, was at least fortunate.

Even after leaving the Empire, the Princess remained this man’s most vulnerable point. And the Empress intended to attack it mercilessly to get what she wanted.

“Your Majesty, that’s impossible.”

But regardless of the Empress’s intentions, it was a proposal Declan wouldn’t even consider.

Even if the Empress used Sienna as leverage, it wasn’t an issue he could easily accept.

He was well aware of this country’s military law as well as the nobles’ tendencies. Currently, he himself was merely a criminal who had committed a crime equivalent to treason, and it was obvious that the haughty imperial nobles would never accept him as the Emperor’s proxy.

Would the Empress not know this?

The Empress, vaguely reading Declan’s thoughts, quietly opened her mouth.

“Within this palace, I’m nothing but a powerless woman.”

Her words were tinged with self-mockery.

It was because she knew her place so well that she had been able to maintain her position as Empress of the Empire until now. Probably nothing would change in the future either.

Just as she had existed quietly beside her husband, now she would have to live silently by her son’s side.

“The only authority I currently possess is to appoint my husband’s proxy.”

“This isn’t something you can push through unilaterally, Your Majesty.”

“If you don’t accept, I too will not overlook the Princess’s crimes.”

At this unhesitating threat, Declan couldn’t help but give a hollow laugh.

Their intense gazes locked in midair, separated by the bars.