The bitter experiences had become a kind of conviction for Dahlia.
Did she feel betrayed then? Was she frustrated? It’s now a past she can barely remember.
“Your Majesty had four children, yet failed to be a successful father to even one of them.”
Dahlia muttered while looking at the Emperor’s bust. Her tone was more accusatory than resentful.
****
“There was nothing?”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Theo replied with an awkward expression.
“However, something seemed odd about the maids where the Duke and Princess are staying. Judging by their attire, they don’t seem to be maids brought from the Duke’s residence…”
Theo glanced briefly at the door and leaned forward slightly. Then, in a voice only Declan could hear, he said:
“It appeared they were searching through Duke Lowell and the Princess’s belongings.”
At this, Declan let out a quiet laugh.
While they appeared quite close on the surface, he hadn’t expected such underhanded tactics behind the scenes.
“Do you think the Emperor ordered it?”
“Most likely.”
The response suggested it wasn’t even worth considering otherwise.
‘So this is why he keeps sending the Duke to meetings while not truly trusting him.’
After all, they would need the Duke to be away from his quarters to search his belongings.
Moreover, it could also serve to make the Duke believe he had earned the Emperor’s trust.
Theo handed over the documents he had brought.
“This is the list my brother compiled of those who attended the late Emperor’s funeral. I’ve also separately organized records of those who crossed the borders during that period.”
Recently, Count Monches had been busy collecting information under Declan’s orders. As a result, Theo had naturally been helping with Declan’s work in his brother’s place.
As Declan reviewed the documents, his eyes caught on a particular name. The smile gradually disappeared from his face as he stared at it.
“Ah, and Your Grace, about this year’s Hunting Festival…”
Theo let out a deep sigh mid-sentence.
“This will be the first Hunting Festival since the Emperor’s ascension, won’t it? Discussions seem to be starting, but for some reason… he’s saying he’ll reduce it to half a day.”
Traditionally, the Empire’s Hunting Festival ran from sunrise until sunrise the next day. It was the only time nobles, who usually enjoyed refined lifestyles year-round, would even endure camping.
Declan’s reaction was unexpectedly calm. Well, he had already experienced this part in his previous life.
Besides, it wasn’t particularly surprising that the Emperor would change the Festival’s long-standing tradition. Since his youth, he had completely avoided outdoor activities after sunset.
“He’s always been sensitive.”
“At this point, isn’t it beyond sensitivity and more like pathological? The charm of hunting has always been night hunting, but what can be accomplished in just half a day?”
Theo, who had accumulated quite a few grievances, criticized sarcastically. Having witnessed the Emperor’s various behaviors as one of the Princess’s closest aides, he couldn’t view the Emperor favorably.
At Theo’s words, Declan’s gaze slowly lifted from the documents.
He had a point.
While the Emperor was known for his sensitive nature, looking back, there were strange aspects that couldn’t be dismissed as mere personality quirks. His particular sensitivity to light and darkness was one such example.
Take that night at the training grounds recently. Even though it was brightly moonlit, the chamberlain accompanying the Emperor carried a large lamp. And the Emperor only moved within the lamp’s circle of light.
The image of him aiming his gun without properly looking at the birds came to mind next.
His gaze that hadn’t properly focused on the prey, how he had missed his target despite usually boasting perfect accuracy.
So it was almost as if…
‘He was gauging only by sound.’
Suddenly, deep interest flickered in Declan’s eyes.
****
“This won’t do. You know His Majesty doesn’t accept audiences at late hours.”
“I deeply apologize, but this matter must be discussed now.”
It was a time when everyone should have been asleep. An untimely dispute was occurring in front of the Emperor’s bedchamber.
“I said, it’s not possible.”
Though the chamberlain blocked the door with an anxious face, the Grand Duke showed no sign of backing down.
“I’m telling you I have urgent matters to discuss.”
“What’s not possible is not possible. Please return.”
At the stern tone, Declan slightly raised an eyebrow.
“Why isn’t it possible?”
“Ah, why, you ask… It’s the middle of the night, isn’t it? I’m saying it’s too late, please come back tomorrow, Your Grace.”
The chamberlain softened his tone, unable to hide his bewilderment.
“His Majesty gave me urgent instructions. I’m here only because of that. There are too many watching eyes during the day, aren’t there?”
Declan’s gaze moved from the chamberlain’s fidgeting fingers to his face.
“Perhaps, is His Majesty unwell?”
“Y-yes?”
At this casually thrown question, the chamberlain suddenly froze. Just then, a bell sound came from beyond the door.
It was the Emperor calling for his chamberlain.
Declan gestured toward the door while watching the frozen chamberlain. A crooked smile appeared on his lips.
“It seems he has something to say.”
Shortly after, the chamberlain emerged from the bedroom looking years older. Then, in a weak voice, he said, “You may enter.”
As Declan entered the bedroom, the chamberlain, instead of waiting outside, followed him in and began lighting candles along the walls one by one.
Watching this scene, what had been merely a hypothesis gradually became certainty.
“That will do. Chamberlain, you may leave now.”
The Emperor suddenly said. Declan turned his gaze toward him. He was sitting in a chair with his eyes closed.
As soon as the bedroom door closed, the Emperor asked.
“I hear you had a clash with the Duke?”
“It was merely a slight difference of opinion.”
Declan replied dryly.
“More importantly, there’s something urgent I wish to ask, Your Majesty.”
“Speak.”
“Why don’t you suspect the Duke?”
Though some parts were omitted, Joseph couldn’t fail to understand. The Emperor laughed while keeping his eyes closed.
“Did you come all the way here at this hour to ask that?”
“I apologize.”
Declan apologized in a voice that lacked sincerity. Then he continued with his point.
“Duke Lowell was the closest person to the late Emperor. Given Your Majesty’s deep trust in him and his high position, I thought he would have been ideal to entrust with the will…”
“The Duke had already withdrawn from politics and wasn’t in the capital when His Majesty passed away.”
The Emperor refuted immediately.
“Moreover, you know that at that time, I wasn’t in a position to challenge the old Duke who was deeply entrenched in politics.”
Joseph said self-deprecatingly.
Declan quietly agreed. Indeed, given how unstable his position was during the early days of his reign, this explanation was credible.
His concerns might have gradually subsided as he came to understand the Duke’s character after ascending to the throne. He must have realized that if the power-hungry Duke had possessed the will, he would have presented it to him, the Emperor, long ago.
‘Still, unable to completely dismiss his suspicions, he must have ordered his subordinates.’
It made sense – since an official search would be too conspicuous, he had servants search the Duke’s belongings while he was away. Declan pieced the puzzle together in his mind as he spoke.
“But now Duke Lowell shows such devotion to Your Majesty that he’s come to the capital despite his illness. I understand there’s deep trust between you.”
“The Duke has no reason to do so.”
Duke Lowell was, both then and now, a man intoxicated with his own power, and Joseph was well aware of this fact.
If he were truly the culprit, he would have handed it over to Joseph from the start. The Duke wouldn’t have passed up a perfect opportunity to gain the new Emperor’s trust.
Logically speaking, that was true.
Yet, unable to shake off an inexplicable uneasiness, he had ordered his subordinates to search for any sign of the Duke possessing the will.
However, the Emperor chose not to reveal this fact to the man before him.
After all, Declan was currently the one causing him the most discomfort.
“If your questions are resolved, you may leave now.”
The Emperor rubbed his eyes with a slightly irritated movement.
Instead of leaving, Declan quietly observed him. There was still something he needed to confirm.
He quietly stepped forward and knocked over a glass on the desk with the back of his hand. The glass fell to the shadowed floor.
At that moment, the Emperor’s eyes snapped open.
“Oh dear. I apologize, Your Majesty. I didn’t notice the glass…”
Declan quickly bowed while glancing at the Emperor.
The glass had fallen not far from the Emperor. The only peculiarity was that it landed in a shadowed corner where light didn’t reach. Anyone with normal vision should have been able to pinpoint the object’s location precisely, given how well-lit the surroundings were.
However, for a brief moment, the Emperor’s instinctive glance toward the fallen glass was imprecise. Despite the round glass having rolled and stopped some distance away, the Emperor’s gaze remained fixed on the spot where it had initially fallen.
That was enough.
Having reached a perfect conclusion, Declan’s lips curved into a smooth arc.
