It appears that Monica, despite the circumstances leading to Karl’s parents’ deaths, was involved. Karl’s father, Prince Meinhard, voluntarily left the capital to not pose a threat to his brother when rumors about his weak health were mentioned in succession to the throne. The imperial army was divided into three branches: Primo for protecting the royal family, Alter for guarding the capital, and Tertio for protecting the provinces outside the capital. Prince Meinhard led the Tertio and defended the empire’s borders, showing no interest in the throne.
However, Monica, Karl’s mother, viewed Meinhard as a threat and pushed him into dangerous battles at the border, instigated by Emperor Alexander. Meinhard, dedicated to protecting the empire on the frontline, valiantly died in battle, leaving Karl orphaned at the tender age of three, as his mother had passed away giving birth to him.
Franz, being treated as an unwelcome guest, found himself in challenging circumstances.
“This time, we must expose their wickedness. Karl, you must trust only me.”
A young nephew would find the crown too heavy; at only 14, the throne would seem enormous.
Placing the young nephew on the throne, Empress Pulcheria was never at ease. Her anxiety grew as Franz roamed the palace, and her ominous forebodings came true.
Upon hearing Emperor Maximilian’s death, Pulcheria collapsed in shock. Karl feared for her health and anxiously tried to calm her.
“Aunt, please don’t be so upset. It’s not good for your health.”
“How can I rest until we find the culprit? Oh, heavenly powers…”
Pulcheria wiped her eyes with a handkerchief, unable to shed tears until the culprit was found and punished.
Once all is revealed and the guilty pay their dues, she would grieve openly. Pulcheria swallowed her tears, knowing that Maximilian’s death left no room for excuses, raising suspicions among the empire’s people and leading to inquiries about the young emperor’s untimely demise. All eyes would focus on uncovering the truth behind the imperial tragedy.
And the heavy task fell to Karl. As the chief investigator of the royal investigative office and the temporary military governor, he was determined to find the killer of the emperor, his cousin and brother figure, no matter what.
In addition to that overwhelming workload, investigating the emperor’s assassination was his top priority. And then…
As Karl gathered his thoughts, a familiar silhouette came into view. Her vibrant purple hair stood out amidst the sea of black attire.
“…Celeste.”
Dealing with her was one of the important tasks he had to handle. No, it wasn’t just one of them, it was the ‘most important’ task he had to undertake.
His gaze naturally swept around her. The child wasn’t in sight, indicating that the child had not accompanied her. A soft, almost imperceptible sigh escaped him, tinged with regret.
“By the way, Karl. I heard some new rumors.”
Lady Fucheria, wiping away her tears, whispered softly.
“It was quite an unusual rumor.”
“What kind of rumor did you hear?”
“It was about you, well…”
He had a vague idea of what she was about to say. Ever since he appeared with Celeste at the train station, the third-rate tabloids had been churning out various rumors and gossip.
“They say you’ve got yourself a woman.”
“That’s truly a new kind of rumor to me.”
“That’s what I’m saying. So at first, I thought it was nonsense.”
“You were right to think so.”
“But, there is some basis to it, Karl.”
“…”
“Do you have anything to say about this rumor?”
“May I know what I should say, Aunt?”
“It would be good to know if the rumor is true or not. And if it is, how true it is.”
“Um, I’m not sure either about the truth of the matter.”
“Sigh, frustrating fellow. Do you really want to play such tricks on an old aunt with no energy?”
Karl chuckled lightly. It wasn’t a place for a smile, but Mrs. Pulcheria’s playful complaint seemed quite amusing to listen to.
“I’m not sure how much of the conversation you’ve overheard.”
“Overheard?”
“Yes.”
“What?”
“Yes. All the rumors you heard, Aunt, are true.”
Mrs. Pulcheria barely managed to resist jumping up from her seat. She pursed her lips, turned to the side, but Karl was sitting there dumbfounded.
“Well, then…”
“Yes. So I’ve decided to get married.”
“What, what?”
“After the mourning period ends, we won’t be able to have any celebrations for a while, but I’m considering the right time.”
“Does the other party… is it the person I have in mind?”
“If you’ve heard the correct rumors, then yes.”
Karl would carefully reconsider things before making a decision, but once he made up his mind, there was no turning back. Thanks to this trait, he had risen to the position of head of the Imperial Investigation Division.
Mrs. Pulcheria repeated various exclamations of surprise such as ‘Oh,’ ‘My,’ ‘Goodness,’ ‘Me,’ and ‘Wow’ while hesitating in her speech. She had no idea what to say.
No, why did that fellow, who was more idiotic than a stone on the roadside, suddenly change like this? No matter how much she thought about it, Mrs. Pulcheria couldn’t understand Karl’s unexpected behavior.
Suddenly, when she heard that the lady of Count Louisette, no, now the legitimate Countess, had accompanied someone from the Count’s family to the train station and escorted them to her house, Mrs. Pulcheria thought that she was just involved in some casual relationship.
As time passed, the words that reached her ears gradually began to spread into different kinds of rumors.
Duke Albrecht, under the pretext of carrying out an investigation, volunteered for an out-of-town assignment in order to indulge in an affair, and with his lover, they had already entered into an irreparable relationship…
So far, things were good. Until she found out that the person on the other end happened to be one of the individuals involved in the scandal with Franz.
Pulcheria was far from calm as her niece, who seemed disinterested as if she had no care in the world, was on the verge of falling into a situation she couldn’t handle. Initially, news of Karl’s scandal even seemed pleasing to her.
But if the other party was not a woman of quiet reputation, and especially if she had a seething hatred and a sharp tongue, then the situation would be different.
Glancing over, Pulcheria saw Karl staring at something. Following his gaze, she noticed a conspicuously dressed individual, plunging her into serious thoughts.
Her niece was cherished like her own child. Flawless, brilliant, and astute, she was intertwined with a woman of less-than-favorable reputation, a fact that didn’t sit well with Pulcheria.
Suddenly, a shiver ran down Pulcheria’s spine.
The long funeral was now reaching its final stages – a mourning fit for an emperor, as it was said that even after today’s event concludes, the funeral will continue for two more days. When questioned if this process repeats every day, the response thankfully denied it.
Seeing my relieved expression, Hannah swiftly asked if something was bothering me. It didn’t seem appropriate to complain about the discomfort of a mere chair in the face of someone’s death, so I just nodded nonchalantly.
At 14, if this were Korea, she would have only been a first-year middle school student. Why did she depart this world at such a young age? Standing quietly, I paid respects to the Emperor, whose face I didn’t even know.
“Baron, I think we should start moving soon,” I said.
Most people had already left, except for a few noble ladies. Those remaining seemed more interested in conversing with Lady Pulcheria than in mourning the Emperor.
As I casually scanned the gathering of noblewomen around Pulcheria, I glanced at the adjacent seat where Karl was seated just moments ago, only to find it empty as he swiftly departed after the meal.
Nevertheless, even though it had only been a few days since they had last seen each other, Karl, who had expected at least a greeting from afar, disappeared in the blink of an eye in a different direction.
“Why is he so busy?”
“Is Your Highness talking about the Emperor? Yes, indeed. You seem very busy. Well, you are currently serving as the regent for the Emperor.”
Recognizing my disappointment, Hannah provided an explanation, rather than an excuse, that Karl would be too busy to even raise his head. Then, she proceeded to tidy up the tea leaves once again.
