The engagement ceremony of the Crown Prince and Princess Keruzhan proceeded as scheduled. While everyone was focused on the engagement ceremony, the key officials who were the backbone of the empire were actually more attentive to matters beyond the engagement.
The Emperor, visibly emaciated, appeared at the engagement ceremony and immediately convened another meeting once it concluded. There was nothing visible in the Emperor’s eyes.
Kaela gazed out the window. A woman adorned from head to toe in jewels and formal attire stared back at her blankly.
“Ah, she’s beautiful.”
The maids smiled proudly, looking at Kaela, and the older women in the room also smiled contentedly, looking at her. Beautiful, indeed.
‘I’m pathetic.’
Kaela was so pathetic that it was reason enough to want to die. The feeling of being pathetic became stronger after letting her emotions burst out.
Last night, she had inexplicably gotten angry at Peon and rambled incoherently. He had only apologized, begging for forgiveness because he had done many things to make her feel sorry.
‘Why did I cry?’
She had done things she shouldn’t have done. Peon had comforted her, patted her back, wiped away her tears, made her drink water, and made her finish her meal. While she was eating, he even took off her shoes and massaged her feet.
In the bright morning, coming to her senses and thinking again, she felt like such a fool and was continuously filled with shame.
She shouldn’t have done that. She shouldn’t have shown her emotions. Crying was a sign of weakness, and revealing her honest feelings was even more taboo. A weak Grand Duchess would be despised, and her honest thoughts would only be exploited.
‘How foolish.’
Kaela would habitually regret and blame herself even if she revealed just a little emotion.
Criticizing her powerless and pathetic self through the mirror wouldn’t improve her mood. She should reflect and never do this again, but instead, other thoughts began to creep in. Most were thoughts about Peon.
“Ah.”
At the sound of footsteps, Kaela turned her head. Approaching with attendants was Elkanan, the prince of the Keruzhan Kingdom. He was the chief diplomat and special envoy who brought his nephew.
“Hello, Princess. No, the Grand Duchess.”
“Hello, Your Highness. Congratulations on the engagement.”
“Are we in a position to offer congratulations?”
Prince Elkanan smiled slightly and approached her. This was a brief moment of respite just before the banquet following the engagement ceremony.
Kaela was staying in the royal palace under the pretext of overseeing the banquet and was currently concerned about the meeting’s results.
“We are a family sharing joy together.”
“Yes, that’s right. We are making thorough preparations to help Her Highness the Princess adapt well.”
“Are you personally taking care of this?”
Prince Elkanan widened his eyes slightly and smiled.
“How surprising. Then I can be at ease.”
A pointed remark. Prince Elkanan was an exceptionally skilled diplomat, speaking more than five languages. He also had a handsome and neat appearance suitable for a diplomat.
Moreover, as he was still unmarried, quite a few young ladies had been eyeing him during the engagement ceremony. Not that any lower-ranked nobles would dare to look directly at a royal like him.
Furthermore, Elkanan was a considerably frightening person.
“I was worried about how much I needed to prepare as an uncle. But to think you’re taking care of everything.”
His tone suggested he knew all about the Marchioness of Schroz.
Certainly, from the perspective of entrusting his nephew, the Marchioness of Schroz was more than just an unsatisfactory mother-in-law. Kaela doubted whether the proud Keruzhan Princess would even treat her as a mother-in-law.
“As a member of the royal family, I must naturally look into these matters. Everything will be taken care of by His Majesty the Emperor.”
Kaela immediately escaped from the trap Prince Elkanan was subtly setting. A capable royal and in-law from a neighboring country was always a welcome guest and a target of vigilance. In fact, for Kaela, everyone except her father and Ostein people was a target of vigilance.
“Of course, I believe that…”
The people behind Prince Elkanan quietly withdrew.
“As an uncle worried about my nephew, I’d like to know more.”
In other words, the results of the confidential meeting currently in progress.
Kaela sensed that Prince Elkanan was very curious about that meeting but did not show it. She had no interest in this man. In fact, she rarely showed interest in anything.
“I have an unreasonable hope that the one who married first would take some care of my nephew. Congratulations on your belated marriage.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ve sent a wedding gift that couldn’t be delivered to your residence. I hope you’ll find it to your liking.”
Kaela slightly smiled and bowed her head. Prince Elkanan was gradually realizing that he would gain little from this small noblewoman.
She was under the escort of maids, guards, and the royal guard stationed at every corridor and door. Here, Prince Elkanan was the one who needed to be careful.
Moreover, this noblewoman had an incredibly significant presence right beside her.
“Ah, here you are.”
The Grand Duke of Lusenford, who emerged from around the corner, was wearing a new formal attire with a golden lion knight order cape, exuding tremendous pressure.
Most men would be intimidated just by looking at this man.
And yet, he smiled softly, and Elkanan would bet his entire fortune that this smile was directed solely at the Grand Duchess. At this moment, the Grand Duke of Lusenford was not welcoming Prince Elkanan at all.
“Your Highness is here as well.”
“Yes. I was wandering around because I couldn’t find where everyone had gone.”
The subtext was: What were you all doing hiding behind them? Everyone knew but was pretending not to. Peon smiled slightly and moved closer to Kaela. He stood at a distance only possible for a couple.
“Ah, it was just decided, so you might not have heard yet.”
Kaela looked up at her husband. Normally, Peon would absolutely never mention something he deemed critically important based on his own judgment.
Prince Elkanan was also looking at the Grand Duke of Lusenford as if he were strange. The Grand Duke was as unapproachable as he was taciturn, and he had always been distant from central politics, so there was little to be gleaned from him.
“A formal order will be posted at the palace gates right now. His Majesty the Emperor has made an important decision while rejoicing in the Crown Prince’s engagement.”
“A decision?”
It was strange to hold a meeting and make a decision during an engagement ceremony with foreign guests everywhere. Prince Elkanan looked at the Grand Duke of Lusenford.
Craine seemed odd. The Emperor’s complexion was terrible, and this Grand Duke looking down on him was also strange. When had the Emperor become so deteriorated, and when had this man grown so massive?
“Yes. Since the Crown Prince has grown enough to be engaged, His Majesty seems to have judged that the time has come to decide on the future.”
This was a very important matter. Prince Elkanan managed his expression impressively.
“Ah, yes. Parents naturally have various thoughts when their children grow up.”
“Yes, that’s why he appointed a regent.”
“Is the Crown Prince becoming the regent?”
“No. It’s a regent for emergencies, nothing will change. The regent will perform their role if the Emperor is absent or when the Crown Prince ascends to the throne.”
Something seemed off. The Crown Prince wasn’t even the regent, and why would a regent be appointed for a fully adult heir?
“Who is the regent? Is it the Marchioness of Schroz?”
“A member of the royal family.”
Peon cut it short. It also meant that the Marchioness of Schroz was not a member of the royal family.
“His Majesty has designated my father-in-law, my wife and me. By imperial law, only royal family members can become regents.”
That was exactly the kind of thing that would immediately turn the stomachs of Prince Elkanan and the Keruzhan people. Peon, who had thrown the bomb, smiled slightly.
“Oh, is that so.”
Prince Elkanan nodded calmly.
“You’ve made a significant decision. Thank you for letting me know. Well, I’ll see both of you at the banquet later.”
“Yes, Your Highness. Take care.”
Kaela, with a formal smile, looked up at Peon once Prince Elkanan disappeared. His devastatingly handsome face was staring at the back of Prince Elkanan’s head, and when he felt her gaze, he quickly looked down and smiled.
“Did you do this on purpose?”
“I just heard about it a bit earlier than you, that’s all.”
Kindly informing her about something she would have found out anyway was unlike Peon.
‘Ah.’
Kaela, who had been staring at him, quickly averted her gaze. For Kaela, who never paid attention to anyone, Peon was the only one who constantly stirred and awakened her sinking consciousness.
Sometimes annoyingly troublesome, yet still breathtakingly perfect. While others would pass by meaninglessly, she still thought so much about Peon. The more thoughts one has, the more lingering attachments. Foolish.
“You’re just too perfect.”
Aren’t you the perfect one? Kaela looked up and gazed at Peon. No matter how much she tried to look away, he always made her look back. It was a painfully attractive quality for someone harboring an unrequited love.
“Oh, really. Why are you so beautiful?”
She was an overly generous wife to someone who was once blind, completely bound, unable to distinguish anything, and now randomly sets fires or even cuts his own body when bored.
The young and beautiful Grand Duchess reached out to straighten his collar and readjusted his slightly crooked military badge.
Such praise would be incredibly tedious for Kaela. Being beautiful every day is probably natural. He enjoyed the moment she personally commissioned and arranged his clothes. Kaela also rearranged the large, elegant cloak’s knot.
“How did I end up becoming a regent?”
“Oh, that’s because our Emperor has gone completely mad.”
Peon muttered this casually, despite being in the royal palace.
“He collapsed yesterday.”
“A madman’s energy is also good. So, Kaela. While I was away, besides that guy just now, who else talked to you?”
Peon asked with a smile, knowing full well the answer. Whether the Emperor went crazy or not, he would just live long and continue going mad – that wasn’t his concern. Of course, not for Prince Elkanan.
That fox. He must have sent her a jewel or something, disguising it as a wedding gift. Though whatever Peon gave would surely be more substantial.
If it’s a wedding gift, why send it specifically to his wife? His intentions were clear. Peon remembered and was wary of everyone who had marriage talks with Kaela.
“It’s too many.”
He couldn’t help it. No matter how much he cut and rebuilt himself, his actions and appearance remained the same. In contrast, Kaela remained kind and beautiful despite going through such a harsh death.
Even though fifteen men, including the Marquis Haihar, came to speak to her while he was in the meeting, she merely said it was “too many” out of concern for what her crazy husband might do.
Fifteen was indeed many. But Peon was planning to deal with the Marquis Haihar first when Kaela no longer cared about Craine.
“You must be tired.”
She had kept her place at the banquet late into the night, crying, then prepared early and attended the engagement ceremony. Naturally, she would be exhausted. Having to deal with those annoying flies on top of that. He wrapped his arms around his wife and moved.
“Let’s go rest.”
The fracturing imperial affairs were for others to handle, not something Kaela needed to know about.
He had thrown the spark, and while they stirred and fanned the embers, creating smoke and fire, Kaela needed to rest safely and peacefully in his arms.
****
On the day of the Crown Prince’s engagement, the Emperor announced a regency list excluding the Crown Prince and then shut himself in Soleil Palace, claiming he was unwell. Gregory had somehow heard that the Emperor had ordered his bed to be moved next to the Empress’s bed.
“Gregory, Gregory. This is really too much and unbelievable.”
Even the Marchioness of Schroz, who knew little about politics, was so angry she was about to cry, which clearly showed what the Emperor had done today.
On this good day, the Emperor, doubting the Crown Prince’s qualifications, had placed only those classified as the Empress’s faction in regent positions. Of all days, of all people, he chose the Grand Duke of Lusenford!
“Your Majesty…”
Gregory, speaking, fell silent for a moment, filled with horror and anger. The title “Your Majesty” or “Your Imperial Majesty” was more familiar to him than the word “father”.
Their relationship was like that. When the Emperor grabbed hold, one had to cling tightly; when the Emperor discarded, one would be mercilessly thrown away. A one-sided relationship.
What should he do? What should he do? Gregory, barely twenty-one, was more gripped by fear and anxiety than anger, trembling.
He knew best how terrifying the Emperor was, having lived in the royal palace. Time was short.
Somehow, the Crown Prince had to prove his worth. If not, the Emperor would surely snap his fingers and drive Gregory from his current position. The encroaching anxiety was instinctive.
“…How?”
“Of course! How can he do this! Our Gregory can do so well on his own! A regent, really!”
His mother’s angry voice echoed distantly.
But Gregory wasn’t worried about that. How could he undermine the Grand Duke of Lusenford? He didn’t know the method.
No one had taught him the method, yet everyone was talking as if they had. The Emperor himself was looking down on him, barking to figure it out on his own.
However, there was one person who had spoken to Gregory in a way he could understand.
