Chapter 109

Even without the Marquise’s meddling, his circumstances were already complicated enough. With his straightforward nature, he preferred laying bare his true thoughts rather than recklessly lashing back and inviting unnecessary enemies.

“To say you will not allow the Emperor’s favor to dictate the course of your life… What an unusual sentiment. One seldom hears such things in the court.”

Fortunately, she did not appear to have noticed the sudden shift in Eugène’s tone. And even if she had, she would have made no sign of it. Their conversation, far more left unsaid than spoken, reminded Eugène of the drifting ice floes of the Northern Sea.

Both of them were keenly aware that the other was concealing something far deeper and more substantial beneath the surface, yet neither made a move to expose or press upon it.

“My place is by the sea, and I am to return there in the end. Fortunately, it is not so very far from the capital.”

“Will His Majesty truly allow that?”

“Why would His Majesty not allow it? After all, the reason you sought me out in the first place was because there was another place where I was needed.”

Even when she offered to help him obtain the position she had so long desired, Eugène showed little interest, prompting Marquise Lamott to mock him with open scorn. However, Eugène held a quiet certainty about the path ahead of him. Though he could not go into detail about Ebroin V’s plans for the Confederation of Five Nations, he was keenly aware of the role he held within the Emperor’s vision.

The Marquise looked at Eugène with a flicker of bewilderment in her eyes. As someone thoroughly trained in the ways of the court, she could not begin to grasp why anyone would reject a life defined by their place as the Emperor’s spouse. Was it all merely bravado? Or did he truly believe in such a foolish notion?

Of course, it was a relief to know he was not a man driven by ambition for power. Even so, the outcome left her with less satisfaction than she had expected. No matter how much of it had been offered as bait, it was still galling to see someone dismiss an invitation to the Emperor’s side as if it were beneath consideration.

For someone who had once spent years aspiring to that very place, it was far from a pleasant thing to witness. Marquise Lamott found herself both annoyed by Eugène’s composure and, to her surprise, somewhat envious. She had never had such confidence in her relationship with the Emperor.

“You mean to say you are unlike the women of the court, whose position depends entirely upon their attachment to a man. In other words, you have the means to survive without clinging to one. …Very well. If you are that certain, then there is no need to force upon you a path you do not wish to take. Then I shall wish you luck, Baron Amieux. May your days ahead be blessed.”

In the end, the Marquise accepted that there was nothing to be gained by pressing him further and let him go. In truth, they had just arrived at their appointed meeting place, and the time for conversation had naturally come to a close.

They had not arrived at the greenhouse, but rather at a beautifully arranged garden orangery. Unlike the Saint Tefylae Garden, this place was situated near the lake, with a grand fountain installed at its center, making it a popular spot even in summer. Whereas the Saint Tefylae Garden bore no trace of human presence, here the grounds were bustling with a crowd.

“Mother!!”

Startled by the spirited cry of a young boy, Eugène flinched and looked around. The first thing to catch his eye was a row of white awnings stretched along the shaded side ahead. Beneath them, smartly dressed attendants bustled about. At one end of the garden stood an elegant domed pavilion of white marble, beneath which a line of splendidly clad palace guards stood in waiting.

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It was an outcome he had never anticipated, but the Marquise had spoken the truth. He now owed her a debt.

“Look! Father said I could have one of Deus’ pups! He said I can choose whichever one I like!!”

From afar, a boy as lively as a puppy came running at full speed, shouting with delight, clutching in his arms one that looked quite like its sire.

Though it was still a puppy, it was the offspring of a large breed. Judging by its size, it was several months old already, so much so that the boy seemed to struggle to hold it with both arms. But he paid it no mind. Marquise Lamott, who had worn such a chilly expression just moments ago, now spread her arms with a smile brighter than the morning sun. The boy flew into her embrace without hesitation.

“Goodness, my prince! I cannot tell which of you is the puppy.”

After giving the laughing boy a warm hug, the Marquise spotted a smudge on the bridge of his nose and scolded him playfully. She extended a hand behind her, and a maid trailing her, carrying the Marquise’s belongings, swiftly stepped forward and handed her a handkerchief.

She took it and gently wiped the boy’s nose. All the while, the boy, brimming with excitement, chattered away in a voice so full of energy that it felt like each of his sentences ended with five exclamation marks.

“Mother, Mother! I like this one! What do you think of him?”

“Oh my, are you leaving the final choice to your poor mother? I do recall His Majesty telling you to choose for yourself.”

It was then that Eugène realized this lively boy, whom he had glimpsed from afar on occasion, was none other than the Emperor’s eldest son. The seven-year-old first Prince of the empire. Prince Sigeber, first in line of succession to the throne.

Regrettable though it may be for his mother, who was ever insistent on his legitimacy, the boy had inherited far more of her coloring than his father’s dazzling golden hue. The child had vivid, glossy red hair and large silver-green eyes. The bridge of his cream-colored nose, often exposed to the sun, was dusted with charming freckles.

However, the boy’s facial features were a startling mirror of the Emperor’s. Eugène had thought Princess Anne Meredith resembled her father so closely it was almost frightening, but perhaps because they were of the same gender, the resemblance in this boy was even more striking. Save for a somewhat more innocent and cheerful impression, he was the very image of Ebroin V.

“Father did say so, but I wanted to hear what you thought, too, Mother.”

“If His Majesty did not simply assign one to you but told you to choose for yourself, then surely he had a reason for it, did he not? Perhaps he wishes to see whether our Prince Sigeber possesses the discernment to recognize a fine pup. Would you disappoint His Majesty’s expectations?”

“No! Of course not!”

The boy, easily swayed by Marquise Lamott’s coaxing, agreed at once and darted back toward the puppies. He exited so quickly that Eugène had no chance to offer a greeting. Fortunately, as this was a gathering in the Emperor’s presence, no offense would be taken. When multiple members of the imperial family were present, etiquette dictated that one should greet the highest-ranking person first.

“I see His Majesty the Emperor, Lord of Ardi, Kleman, and Nervoge, Ruler of the Neutel and Salpine Rivers, and Protector of Lex Ardica. May Your Majesty reign forever.”

Having seen the boy off, Eugène followed the Marquise to the pavilion where the Emperor was resting. As soon as they finished the formal greeting, the Emperor, who had been watching their approach with mild amusement, immediately asked a question.

“How did the two of you come to be together?”

It was Marquise Lamott who answered, her tone suggesting she meant to collect thoroughly on the debt she had once erased.

“We happened upon each other by chance while passing through the Garden of Saint Tefylae. Since Your Majesty would surely be pleased to see him, I asked him to accompany me.”

Though it was the truth, hearing it from her lips made it sound suspiciously like an excuse. The Emperor turned to Eugène with a questioning gaze, as if to ask whether it was really so. Urged by that look, Eugène reluctantly opened his mouth.

“I had not heard that Your Majesty would be here.”

“Hmm? Then what were you intending to do withOurconcubine in a place whereWeare not?”

“…What I had in mind extended only to escorting her, Your Majesty.”

“An escort, is it. It seems you are remarkably popular withOurconcubines and children. Was Anne Meredith not enough? And now Henriette as well?”

Ebroin V seemed intent on throwing only the most difficult questions his way, leaving Eugène flustered. Any attempt to explain himself would only dig him deeper. At a loss for words, Eugène simply closed his mouth. He could no longer tell whether the Emperor meant to tease him or torment him.

Marquise Lamott, who had been the very cause of this awkward tension, slipped away with infuriating ease. With a bright laugh, as though the two men were engaged in some delightful conversation, she turned to the Emperor and requested his leave with a smiling face.

“Then I shall leave the two of you to your conversation. It seems I must return to the Prince. Though we live under the same roof, it has truly been quite a while since we have spent any time together.”

If a mother wished to spend time with her child, one could hardly deny her. The Emperor gave a slight nod, granting her leave, and Marquise Lamott departed, walking toward the central fountain with her attendants.

As she drew near, the barking of the dogs grew even louder. But it was not the dogs who greeted her most exuberantly; rather, it was the joyful laughter of a boy who dashed toward her with delight.

Once she had left, the Emperor gestured with his chin for a chair to be brought for Eugène. As the Emperor had offered, Eugène took a seat in a beautiful folding chair that an attendant brought forward and was served a chilled pewter cup of sangria, with ice floating on the surface.

He looked around, his lips touching the cup that was so cold it stung his palm. Judging from the number of attendants standing by, he had assumed there would be other guests, but to his surprise, no outsiders were present within the garden. There were no other guests he could see; aside from himself, the only people here were members of the imperial family.

Good heavens. Was this perhaps an imperial family gathering?’

Eugène’s face burned with embarrassment at the thought that he might have barged in, unceremoniously, on another household’s private affair. Though Ebroin V spent the bulk of his days on official duties, he did, from time to time, carve out moments for private leisure. It seemed this was just such an occasion.

The Emperor, who had been waiting idly for his own pewter cup, clicked his tongue softly and turned to Eugène, as though the young man’s guess had not been so far off the mark after all.

“You had been thoroughly ensnared by Henriette.”

“How did Your Majesty know?”

“It is obvious. If you were the sort brazen enough to scheme your way into a gathering like this, then half ofOurworries would be over.”

Baron Bouilhet, who had been examining the Emperor’s cup by dropping in a unicorn-horn shard to test for discoloration, nodded in agreement with the Emperor’s words. Eugène felt a heavy weight in his chest, overcome with a sense of self-reproach, as if he had become an incompetent and insignificant figure.

“What sort of gathering is this, exactly?”

He had not even spent half a year yet within the court. To Eugène, this occasion seemed far too grand to be a simple family gathering, yet too informal to be a proper official event. As he was curious, he posed the question with care. The Emperor, still waiting with some impatience for his delayed drink, answered Eugène’s query nonchalantly.

“A few weeks ago,Weheard a report that Deus’s pups were born, and it reminded me of Sigeber. The boy is seven this year, the perfect age to have a hunting dog. It is time to uphold the imperial family’s tradition.”

T/N:A very lovely reader drew a fanart of our Eugène, so please check it out and show them some love <3 Just clickhereto see it!