For several days, the meetings had been fruitless. Moreover, the nobility had divided into factions based on whom they wanted to appoint as regent, and their quarrels were growing increasingly fierce.
Even in this situation, the Empress did not openly reveal her intention to establish the Grand Duke as regent.
It wasn’t something to be discussed recklessly. The time wasn’t right yet. It was obvious that if she broached the subject now, she would face extreme opposition, so she needed to wait for the appropriate moment.
With this in mind, the Empress had been trying to peacefully mediate between the hostile factions, but she was gradually reaching a point where she could no longer handle the situation.
Originally, the Empress had only focused on quietly supporting the Emperor’s work and didn’t know how to manage such conflicts. As a result, while the meeting atmosphere intensified daily, the Empress’s presence was becoming increasingly faint.
She strongly felt that the situation was slipping beyond her control. Along with this, her anxiety grew. Her belief that the Grand Duke’s presence was necessary also became more firm with each passing day.
Of course, this wasn’t the only problem they faced.
While the Empress was deep in thought in the Emperor’s office, the door opened with a loud crash.
“Your Highness, the First Princess!”
The maids tried to stop her, but it was futile. The Empress frowned at this extremely disrespectful display.
“First Princess, what is this—”
“Why are you delaying like this?”
Marianne cut off the Empress mid-sentence, shouting.
“It’s been days since Sienna headed toward Ricata! Why is there still no news from the search party?”
No, it was closer to a scream. Marianne, who always maintained an elegant appearance, looked completely disheveled to anyone who saw her.
Her well-groomed brown hair was a mess, as if she had been pulling at it in frustration, and her eyes were bloodshot.
“The Grand Duke was merely being used. Don’t you realize the real culprit is clearly that woman?”
The Empress released a silent sigh.
Marianne’s words were ultimately just one-sided claims. In fact, hadn’t she been secretly in love with the Grand Duke for a long time? It must be difficult for her to accept that such a man had harmed her brother and ruined his own reputation.
But it was true that the Empire had failed to handle the situation properly. When the knights first realized something was wrong with the Emperor, they hadn’t even identified the Princess’s escape.
Everything was in chaos.
It happened during the hunting festival when all the nobles were scattered throughout the mountains. Meanwhile, the Emperor had suffered serious burns, and the commander-in-chief of the army had confessed on the spot.
They were already overwhelmed by this situation. Not only the Princess but several nobles were also deeply immersed in hunting and hadn’t returned on time, so they didn’t have any particular suspicion about her whereabouts.
No one could have imagined that the Grand Duke would use himself as a smokescreen to drive her to the border.
If they had known from the beginning, they would have immediately sealed the border, but by the time they noticed Sienna’s actions, it was already too late. Some nobles were insisting that soldiers throughout the country should be deployed to find her.
However, the prevailing opinion was that causing such a commotion would eventually make people outside the palace aware of the Emperor’s condition, which would be tantamount to tarnishing the imperial family’s honor.
They belatedly sent a search party and contacted the eastern border, but the only response was that the Princess had already crossed the border.
The official responsible for the eastern border had been shocked when he heard the news.
Recalling the sequence of events, the Empress sighed. She approached Marianne, who was hissing with rage, trying to calm her down.
“First Princess, I understand how you feel, but…”
“Deploy the soldiers now, Your Majesty.”
It was a fierce command. Once again interrupted by her, the Empress pressed her lips firmly together.
“It’s absolutely absurd that the person who harmed His Majesty the Emperor is walking around freely.”
“We have already imprisoned the Grand Duke. The Princess will also be punished in some way.”
Unlike Marianne’s irritable, fluctuating voice, the Empress responded with a calm demeanor. But rather than helping, her composure seemed to twist Marianne’s mood even further. A cold smile spread across Marianne’s face as she glared fiercely at the Empress.
“Could it be? Are you deliberately conducting such a lukewarm investigation?”
Marianne asked with a mocking voice. The Empress couldn’t believe her ears.
“…What did you say?”
“I’m asking if your plan is to take over the Empire by putting Leopold forward once the Emperor’s incident quiets down. Are you doing this hoping to gain power through the child?”
“First Princess!”
The Empress shouted, her face turning pale blue. Her fingertips trembled with uncontrollable anger. Nevertheless, Marianne showed no sign of remorse as she continued to glare obliquely at the Empress.
“Deploy the soldiers.”
“…”
“If not, I will form a search party myself and head to Ricata.”
The Empress looked at Marianne, still unable to recover from the shock. Though Marianne’s bloodshot eyes were far from rational, she seemed more lucid than when she had been crying beside the Emperor.
“If you lack the ability to lead the Empire, why not just return to your home? That might be better for Leopold as well.”
At this sarcastic remark, visible cracks appeared on the Empress’s face. Even after Marianne stormed out, glaring at the Empress with reddened eyes, the Empress remained rooted to the spot.
Only after Marianne completely disappeared from sight did the Empress’s trembling hand roughly grasp the desk. Shame and humiliation gradually darkened her previously bewildered face.
She knew they were especially close siblings. But that fact didn’t justify what the Empress had just experienced. It was incomprehensible why Marianne’s outrage had turned into intimidation directed at her.
The Empress was different from Marianne. She was different in every way from Marianne, who clung to her brother’s side out of a desire to stay in the palace and eventually showed an abnormal attachment to her nephew.
Hadn’t she obeyed her husband, giving up even the small desire to keep her son by her side? But this was her reward.
Her fingers, trembling with anger, roughly gripped the edge of the desk. With a creaking sound, the Empress’s nails scratched the underside of the well-crafted desk.
At that moment, a servant entered through the door that Marianne had stormed out of.
“Your Majesty, someone has arrived from Parma.”
Tear-filled eyes rose toward the doorway. For some reason, a man appeared behind the head maid, who looked more anxious than usual. Upon seeing him, the Empress’s face stiffened in a different way than before.
“…Count Monches.”
“I pay my respects to Her Majesty the Empress.”
The Count, having entered the office, performed a courteous bow. To an uninformed observer, he would have appeared to have no connection to recent events.
The surprise in the Empress’s eyes quickly cooled into coldness.
“I didn’t expect you to return voluntarily.”
“I apologize, Your Majesty.”
“Has the Count now decided to become a citizen of Parma?”
Despite the Empress’s sarcasm, the Count lowered his gaze. However, he didn’t simply let her sharp mockery pass.
“You know I had good reason.”
“Whatever the reason, it’s not something I need to accept.”
At this cold response, the Count silently took a letter from his breast pocket. He approached and handed it to the Empress, who gave him a questioning look. The Count immediately provided an answer to her silent inquiry.
“It’s a personal letter from the King of Parma.”
The Empress’s gaze returned to what he had handed her. After a moment’s hesitation, she accepted it with slow movements.
Her face showed no emotion as she unfolded the paper and read its contents. The Count stood before her, waiting for her to speak. But even after enough time had passed for her to have read the letter fully, she said nothing.
She placed the hand holding the letter on the desk and remained lost in thought for a while. Only after more time had passed did the Empress rise from her seat.
“Follow me.”
When the Count just stared blankly, she slightly furrowed her brow.
“Didn’t you come because you were concerned about the Grand Duke’s condition?”
It was a question implying that this was his real purpose in personally coming all this way to convey Parma’s position.
After standing frozen with a surprised expression, the Count belatedly followed as the Empress once again took the lead.
As expected, the Grand Duke was imprisoned in the underground dungeon, where those who had committed serious crimes were typically confined. The Count wrinkled his brow at the characteristic stench, then stopped in his tracks as soon as he spotted the Grand Duke.
Shock spread across the Count’s face when he saw the Grand Duke in prison.
In contrast to the Count who froze in place, the Empress approached the bars without hesitation. The gaze that had been briefly directed at the Count now fixed on her.
“The King of Parma has sent a personal letter. He says we should have a meeting to discuss the territory of Ricata.”
The Empress spoke while not avoiding the Grand Duke’s gaze. Her clear voice, without any particularly prominent features, echoed through the prison.
“Some nobles are still here, but… it would be good to decide our position soon. The situation is flowing sufficiently in our favor.”
“Shouldn’t we confirm something first?”
At this threatening remark, the Empress sighed. She half-turned her head and asked the Count:
“Count Monches, did the Princess arrive safely in Parma?”
The Count hesitated briefly. Before he left, the Princess had been delirious with fever, but the healer had said it was simply due to accumulated fatigue, so it shouldn’t be serious.
Finally, he nodded.
“Yes, she is doing well without any problems.”
At this straightforward answer, the Empress looked at the Grand Duke with an expression that seemed to ask if he was satisfied now. A fleeting look of relief crossed his face, but the change was so subtle that no one noticed it.
