Chapter 25

After Lionel left, Adel ate a light dinner and soaked in the hot water. She relaxed in the bathtub until her skin turned white, feeling drowsy and dizzy. When she finally crawled into bed, she felt a languid pleasure as her consciousness gradually faded. She wanted to slip into the warmth of the bed before the heat from the bath dissipated, but it was not to be. Her muscles, which had relaxed in the warm water, tightened again. She strode out of the bathroom and said in a concise tone, "Lionel Valder came and went, so I assume His Majesty has come to ask something. We should hear what he wants to know and what he wants to say, shouldn't we?"

* * *

Karl was waiting in the reception room attached to the Empress's bedroom. Fortunately, Empress Adelaide was using a different bedroom from the previous Empress. If she had been using the previous Empress's room, he might not have been able to bear it and would have left. A moment later, the bedroom door opened, and the Empress, dressed in a light house dress, slowly walked out.

"The sudden visit took some time to prepare, especially since I was in the bath."

The scent of freshly bathed skin wafted from the Empress as she sat on the opposite sofa. Her hair, not yet dry, shimmered in the light. She was a peculiar person, always seeming different each time he saw her.

"What is it, Your Majesty?"

Adel asked in a businesslike tone, feigning ignorance. Karl, who had been looking at her shining hair, finally met her gaze. A strange emotion began to consume him. He came straight to the point.

"Who will you appoint as your advisor?"

Any consideration or understanding for others was meaningless to the Emperor. It felt as if he had no intention of showing any from the start. At that moment, Mrs. Gix brought in the tea, and Adel lifted her teacup to hide her face, as she felt a smirk might show. In contrast, the Emperor did not even glance at the teacup, but stared intently at the Empress.

"Well, Your Majesty."

Adel took a sip of tea deliberately and then placed the cup down, looking at the Emperor.

"Should I report this to you?"

"Who will you choose?"

Karl's attitude remained unchanged. With a brazenly cold expression, he demanded an answer again. Adel did not hide her smirk this time.

"Did Your Majesty ask for my permission? Whomever I choose, it's my decision. Don't ask."

"Will you choose Lionel Valder?"

When the Emperor openly mentioned Lionel, Adel narrowed her eyes and countered.

"What if I do? Is it not allowed?"

"Choose someone else."

"Why?"

"The House of Valder is against the royal family. Appointing such a person as an advisor would make a mockery of the royal family. Be mindful of your duties."

"..."

Ah, how shameless. He didn't seem to have a conscience, nor did he have a place to put it, like a trash can. Was he always like this, or did he think he could treat me this way?

"Like a feather on a quill, like a flower in a vase. Is that how you want me to live?"

Adel's voice was low, almost a whisper. It seemed to resonate from her heart as she asked. Karl narrowed his eyes and tilted his head in response.

"Why do you suddenly ask this?"

"It's important. Let me ask again. Is that how you want me to live?"

The Emperor, who had decided to put a leash on the king who roamed the wild, answered firmly.

"Yes."

Adelaide turned pale. The Emperor's demand was something that the deep-rooted self of Adelaide could never accept.

"An accessory. A piece of jewelry. Something that is nice to have but not necessary. Just that much."

The raw expression that came from the Empress made Karl's eyes narrow.

"A passive being who never expresses an opinion and always complies. A comfortable companion who comes when called and goes when dismissed. Is that what you want me to be?"

The Emperor was silent for a moment, taken aback by her sharp words. During this time, Adel took a deep breath to calm her racing heart, but her eyes remained fixed on the Emperor. In a desperate fight, the one who looks away first loses. Karl, seeing the determination in her golden eyes, was convinced that the Empress in front of him had no intention of backing down or losing, no matter who her opponent was. And he, too, had no intention of backing down. He said with resolve.

"Yes. That's exactly what I want."

Adel took another sip of the scalding hot tea. Her mouth felt dry and her lips parched, but she didn't feel the heat.

"Who will you choose?"

"..."

And she answered him with a captivating smile, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Lionel Valder. I will choose him."

"Empress!"

"'Do not take an interest in my lover. I will not take an interest in yours.'"

"..."

"That's what Your Majesty said. Have you forgotten?"

Karl clenched his teeth and glared at Adel savagely, but she leaned back on the sofa, her eyes long and relaxed.

"Do not take an interest in my lover. As Your Majesty said."

"How much have you seen to call him a lover? It's just a show of affection, isn't it? There's no point in aiming at an arrow that will eventually return to you."

"How much have I seen? Why do I need to see him for a long time? It can be clear at first sight."

She smiled, revealing her pearl-like white teeth. The Empress, her face flushed, smiled charmingly.

"And don't misunderstand, Your Majesty. A show of affection? How could that be? I examined many people over four days, but only he caught my eye."

The air between them was as cold as a winter north wind. If their gazes could shatter, they would have already shattered and pierced each other's skin. Karl clenched his teeth even tighter and asked in a dangerous tone.

"Will you not regret it?"

"Will Your Majesty not regret it?"

"Understand your position clearly."

"I have no intention of being an accessory or a piece of jewelry. If you want me to fulfill my duties, shouldn't you recognize me as an equal partner first?"

They seemed to be standing on parallel lines that would never intersect. Or rather, they were. They spoke what they wanted to say instead of answering each other's questions. Since they both wanted something the other could not give, it was inevitable. Finally, Karl stood up and left the reception room with rough steps. Just before he crossed the threshold, he stopped and left one last word with Adel.

"Think wisely, Empress. Don't regret it later."

The words that pierced her back were, surprisingly, not new. When the door slammed shut, Adel swept her hair back and laughed eerily.

'Think wisely, Adel. Don't regret it later.'

Mother. Here, there is someone who resembles you. I don't know if it's my fate to only encounter such people or if only such people sit in the highest position. Wise...? How exactly do you do that?

* * *

When Karl roughly opened the door, the waiting maids quickly bowed. Mrs. Gix, standing beside them, also bowed respectfully. Karl, who intended to ignore them and pass by, suddenly stopped in front of Mrs. Gix. Her formal dress with a high collar and her silver-white hair, perfectly coiffed, stood out.

"Do you serve a person or a position?"

"Your Majesty."

Karl grabbed Mrs. Gix's shoulder firmly and leaned in to whisper in her ear.

"Being born from a lowly maid's womb, I must be detestable. Do you think I took the place of Princess Elizabeth just because I was born a man?"

"No."

"Lie. I know all of it. That's why I was surprised. When the Empress called you, I thought you wouldn't come. Why? Because she's my Empress. But you did. When I asked you to help Dian, you refused mercilessly, but you came at the call of an Empress you've never met."

"..."

"You came running like a dog."

With hateful words, Mrs. Gix closed her eyes tightly and sighed softly.

"So, tell the Empress. To live well in my empire, in my palace, you must please me, the master of this place. Only then can you stay by the Empress's side, right, governess?"

"..."

Having said his piece, Karl patted Mrs. Gix's shoulder and straightened up, then turned and walked down the dim corridor. Mrs. Gix remained bowed until his footsteps faded away.

"Mrs. Gix."

When the maids called out to her, she finally straightened up, neatly tucking a few strands of hair behind her ear and adjusting her clothes. Her impeccable demeanor left the maids speechless, but Mrs. Gix knocked on the Empress's reception room door with a straight posture.

"Your Majesty, it's Hannah Gix. May I enter?"

* * *

The Empress was sitting with her arms crossed and one leg crossed over the other, her eyes closed.

"Your Majesty."

"Speak if you have something to say. I'm listening."

Mrs. Gix found it hard to speak. When she remained silent, the Empress slowly opened her eyes.

"Do you have something to say?"

Mrs. Gix lowered her eyes, choosing her words carefully before finally speaking.

"I was the chief manager of the palace appointed by the previous Empress and the governess of Grand Duke."

"I know."

"I also took care of one more child. It was an informal arrangement, and very few people know about it."

"?"

"I was also the governess of the current Emperor."

Adel's eyes widened slightly at this.

"Why are you telling me this now?"

"Deep in his heart, there is a child who has not grown up."

"..."

"A child who desperately wanted to be loved but never was, a child who received twisted love instead of proper love and curled up."

Mrs. Gix asked for permission and then sat down opposite the Empress. She began to recount a long story from the past, the story of a boy who was the illegitimate son of the previous Emperor.