Chapter 17

After the servant left, Adel clenched her teeth and took out the comprehensive palace law book, beginning to search through it thoroughly. She then pointed to a certain section and read it intently.

"The authority to adjust the supplementary budget lies with the emperor. However, when the total budget for the next year is compiled at the end of the year, both the emperor and the empress have joint approval rights."

This meant that while the empress could interfere when the budget was first being compiled, once it was set, only the emperor could make changes.

"So, I have to endure this dog-like situation until the end of the year, is that what it means?"

Lady Gix, startled by the curse that slipped out naturally, looked at the empress. Adel narrowed her eyes, deep in thought. Now she understood why the empresses and emperors of Ehmont had fought over even the shape of the toilet, enshrining it in law. But everything has its light and shadow! The patched-up palace law was created by past emperors and empresses to curb each other's interests. It was like getting slapped by the right hand and then kicking the opponent's thigh with the left foot. If the empress could use the palace law to her advantage, she would surely find a clever strategy.

"Alright. I'll find it."

Adel, burning with determination, opened the first chapter of the palace law with gleaming eyes. ＊ ＊ ＊ Meanwhile, the poor servant, being sent back and forth, bowed to Dean and said,

"She asked me to bring it again."

At this, Dean, who had been fanning herself with a fan, sighed dramatically.

"It seems the empress wants to indulge in luxury. I gave her a sufficient amount. Tsk, tsk, isn't that so?"

"Yes, Lady of the Palace."

A nearby maid quickly chimed in, bowing her head. When the old dog of the previous empress came in, it turned out that Dean had personally discarded all the beautiful dresses she had chosen for the empress. And only recently did they learn that the empress had not even worn the crown Dean had selected for her wedding. Well, that didn't matter. Dean Poitiers smiled and stood up.

"You've done well. You can go now."

"…What? Ah, yes!"

The servant, who had been dreading how many more trips he would have to make, was startled by Dean's sudden words and fled as if to avoid her changing her mind. Dean dismissed everyone except Lorraine, put on the simplest dress she had, removed her makeup, and secretly ordered Lorraine,

"Go to His Majesty and tell him that the empress has summoned me regarding the supplementary budget issue. Tell him I'm trembling with fear."

"…What? But, Lady of the Palace, the empress didn't actually summon you…"

"Stupid."

Dean frowned and scolded the maid.

"Will His Majesty directly ask if the empress summoned me? Don't think about such trivial matters and do as I say. Go and tell him quickly, hurry up!"

Lorraine, hesitating under Dean's urging, ran out.

"They're all so stupid."

Dean glared at the door Lorraine had left through, clicked her tongue, and shook her head.

"Indeed, even if there were smart people in this palace, it wouldn't do."

She took a deep breath and muttered,

"Shall I go and catch the black beast?"

＊ ＊ ＊ At that moment, in the Empress's Palace. Adel, who had been searching through the comprehensive law book, fortunately found a clue soon.

"That's it!"

She clenched her fists as if to cheer, giving a short, heavy exclamation. That's right! Oh, really! Was this arranged for me?!

Adel thanked the unknown empress from several generations ago, who had already passed away. The passage she cheered about was this: [The sole approval right for the qualification to reside in the palace belongs to the empress.]

Even Lady Gix, who had been the palace's chief manager for a long time, could not memorize the entire patched-up palace law book. It was so cumbersome to search through that reading it often made one sigh in despair. But for Adel, it was a ray of light and a pinch of salt.

"However, you must be careful. The palace law is a double-edged sword. If you want to wield it, you must be prepared to cut your own hand."

At Lady Gix's concern, Adel smiled bitterly and pointed to the trash can.

"Look at me, an empress, begging the emperor's mistress for a budget increase. It only increased by one silver ingot. Is this a joke? The double-edged sword has already been used by the emperor. I have already been cut, that's what I mean."

"…Yes, Your Majesty. There's no room for argument."

"How can I overturn a decision that has already been made?"

"If you want to reverse a document with sole approval rights, you can retrieve it yourself. Retrieve it and issue a new order."

At this, Adel smiled. Her golden eyes curved attractively. The answer seemed to please her greatly. The empress whispered to Lady Gix,

"Lady, go and bring the residence permit for Diane Poitiers in the Ivory Palace."

Lady Gix bowed politely with a faint smile.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

＊ ＊ ＊ Where does the power of the empress come from? This question cannot be answered with a single definition because there are countless variables. In most cases, the empress gains power through her family's influence and by producing an heir. The empress of Ehmont also supplemented her power through the institution of a chief advisor. Occasionally, an empress would build her own independent power base, but this was only possible if she had exceptional abilities that were recognized. The most ideal situation is when the empress and emperor have a good relationship and benefit each other, but such ideal imperial couples were rare in Ehmont's history.

"Family's influence? None."

Adel discarded the first option without hesitation.

"Producing an heir? ……."

'If you want a hug, I'll give you one.'

That damned phrase echoed in her ears again. Adel shook her head roughly and folded her fingers.

"It seems impossible for now."

The two most common and straightforward methods were discarded in the blink of an eye. So, the remaining options were two.

"Chief advisor, or building an independent power base."

Adel nodded. Whether she brought in a chief advisor or built her own power base, she wanted to maintain a good relationship with the emperor first. However, her resolve solidified at dawn. The budget adjustment request from the Ivory Palace, like fanning a fire, made her decision firm. Born into the royal family and once raised as the heir to the Gotrop Empire, Adelaide was cherished by her father, the late Emperor Gotrop, to the point where he always brought her along when handling state affairs. From the wedding, the first night, the wedding banquet, to yesterday's incident. Adel had endured enough. Of course, there were no other options. Adel began to read the comprehensive palace law book meticulously, selecting useful clauses and clearly organizing how she could counterattack.

"I apologize for calling it a dogfight. How could they even specify the shape of the toilet by law?"

Indeed, one must experience a situation to truly understand it. Adel lifted her quill to write another line. But just before the ink-soaked pen touched the paper, her movement froze. Her gaze, which had been fixed on the paper, slowly lifted. A drop of ink from the quill tip fell, leaving a black mark, but Adel remained still, staring fiercely out the window. A slight shiver ran from her head to her toes in an instant. The magic dormant in her veins and deep within her body reacted to something. Adel put down the pen and quickly ran to the window. The clear sky seemed ready to welcome autumn. It was a peaceful scene.

"It was definitely there…"

Adel, with a serious face, tilted her head and scanned the sky more widely. Knock, knock, knock. A maid knocked briefly and heavily, then cautiously entered to announce a visitor.

"Your Majesty, Lady Diane Poitiers wishes to see you."

At this, one of Adel's eyebrows arched. She had sent a servant, yet Diane came in person? She pondered for a moment but then smoothed her clothes and allowed the visitor.

"Guide her to the reception room."

＊ ＊ ＊ Before entering the reception room, Adel calmed her mind. In Gotrop, her mother never dined with the emperor's mistresses. The mistresses probably didn't want to face her glaring eyes, and from her mother's perspective, there was no benefit in confronting them. If she smiled, she would be seen as lacking, and if she was too harsh, she would be called petty. Since there was no benefit in seeing them, her mother treated them as if they didn't exist. So, Adel had to be cautious. She seriously considered sending Diane away, but since Diane had brought a response to the order to increase the budget, it would be hard to avoid being seen as avoiding the meeting. The words she had whispered last night came to mind. The anger that rose was so dark and sticky that she felt it might consume her if she lost control. Adel took a deep breath, tightened her abdomen, and pushed away the memories of last night to sharpen her reason.

'Pull yourself together, Adelaide. Like a lion unshaken by loud noises, like a lotus unstained by mud.'

Adel repeated the mantra, straightened her shoulders, and commanded in a concise tone,

"Open the door."

The maids bowed respectfully and opened the door. It felt like entering a battlefield. Her mother's words about never stopping war were true. The spacious and luxurious reception room of the empress.

"Your Majesty."

As Adel entered, Diane rose gracefully and called her in a soft tone. Adel slowly turned to face Diane directly. Everything except her seemed like a background.

"Lady Diane Poitiers."

A heavy, powerful call. The situation was the same for Diane. The empress, with her raven hair draped to one side, dominated everything in the room.

The completely broken expression from last night was nowhere to be seen. There was not even a hint of dissatisfaction with the mistress. Diane bowed lightly and greeted her, and the empress walked past her and sat in the seat of honor.

"Sit."

Adel watched Diane sit down gracefully with emotionless eyes. She carefully controlled her eyebrows and forehead to prevent any emotions from showing and spoke in a dry tone. There was no need for flowery language.

"Did you bring a response to the matter of the servant I sent?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. That's correct."

As Diane continued to meet the empress's steady gaze, she bit her lip and then released it, asking politely,

"Forgive me, Your Majesty. …What is it that displeases you?"

"…"

She barely managed to stop her eyebrows from moving. She must not get angry or excited. Adel deliberately repeated the question slowly, fearing her voice might tremble.

"What displeases me?"

"Yes."

Diane tilted her head with an innocent, bright face. Adel pressed her tongue to the roof of her mouth to control her expression. It was a perfect question to provoke a response. If she explained in detail, she would seem petty, and if she got angry, she would seem narrow-minded. Moreover, the core of this question was to clearly establish who currently held the upper hand in this relationship. Adel took the total budget and the palace law book from the maid standing beside her in a businesslike manner. Diane scrutinized the empress sharply, looking for any signs of trembling or excitement.

"…"

But unfortunately, the empress showed no signs of wavering. When Adel presented the budget details for the Ivory Palace to Diane, Lady Gix returned.

"Your Majesty. I have returned."

"You have done well. Come here for a moment."

Lady Gix, perceptive, hid the documents in her bosom and stood to the right of the empress. Diane, not even glancing at Lady Gix, whom she hadn't seen in a while, fixed her gaze on the budget proposal the empress had presented. After reading the content, Diane inwardly mocked the empress. Ultimately, the empress wanted to use her position to put official pressure on Diane. But was that easy? If position and law were the best options, Diane Poitiers would never have become the mistress of the Ivory Palace. Whose was this place, Ehmont? The inherent powers of the empress were transferred to her upon her coronation, but the authority of the palace administration, which belonged to the emperor, was still in Diane's hands. Of course, the emperor had said he would reclaim it, but his thoughts would change from today. Moreover, there were no nobles in Ehmont who would support the empress. So, this was the decisive moment to break the empress's momentum.

"Your Majesty. May I ask why you are showing me these?"

"There is something I want to ask you."

"What is it?"

"Why is there no usage record in the total budget for the Ivory Palace?"

"…"

"Why is there no record of expenses for consumables, salaries, or reception of guests, which exist in the budgets of other departments? Why is there only a record of the amount paid and spent in the Ivory Palace budget?"

It was an unexpected line of questioning. Only those with the right to review the royal budget could see it. Although the emperor had said that the Valder family would make a fuss if they found out the Ivory Palace budget lacked a usage record, Diane had managed to avoid providing detailed usage records. After all, only a few people could review it, and if she detailed the expenses, she would have to stick to them. She might even have to approve a dress based on the budget, which would be exhausting. Fortunately, neither the emperor nor the finance minister had said much about it. They probably didn't want to go through the trouble of prying into the Ivory Palace budget. While Diane paused, the empress leaned back in her chair and lifted her teacup.

"Why are you asking about the Ivory Palace budget?"

At Diane's question, Adel smiled genuinely and tilted her head. Diane realized she had asked a question she shouldn't have. Was the empress's smile like that of a demon that lures and devours people? The empress's smiling face was so beautiful that one couldn't look away, but Diane's palms were sweating.

"It's because the amount allocated to the Ivory Palace must be transferred to the Empress's Palace."