Chapter 31

“What?!”

As Karl roughly threw the document and questioned the attendant, the attendant quickly replied,

“Her Majesty the Empress has revoked the permission for Lady Diane Poitiers to reside in the Ivory Palace.”

Upon hearing this, all the ministers were shocked, their eyes wide open as they stared at the attendant. Lennox, who had been blinking in a daze, suddenly stood up in anger.

“This can't be! It was the Emperor who granted the permission!!”

The attendant, looking startled, glanced at Lennox and then turned to look at the Emperor before speaking again.

“According to palace law, the authority to approve residence within the palace lies with Her Majesty the Empress. However, in recognition of the Emperor's service in managing the palace's affairs, she has specially allowed Lady Diane Poitiers to reside in the Ivory Palace.”

So, nothing has changed, everyone thought, tilting their heads in confusion. The attendant continued,

“However, according to strict palace law, it is not permissible to privately handle the residence of non-royals or those without a clear position. If she wishes to reside there, Lady Diane Poitiers must be recognized as a 'guest,' and the costs for residing in a specific room in the Ivory Palace must be paid by the Poitiers family.”

In other words, 'If you want to stay, you can stay, but you have to pay for it.' The Empress had meticulously calculated the costs, including the salaries of the staff, maintenance of the rooms, and the cost of supplies, setting the amount on a daily basis. It was a astronomical sum, of course. After all, it was the usage fee for the Ivory Palace, known as the most beautiful in the empire. This was a heavy blow from Adelaide to Karl Ulrich and Diane Poitiers. The angry Emperor abruptly stood up and stormed out of the council chamber. Lennox, who had been venting his anger at the attendant, followed the Emperor out. However, most of the ministers were busy whispering to each other with interest. After all, the most entertaining thing in the world is watching others fight, isn't it? From their perspective, whether Diane Poitiers lost her right to reside in the Ivory Palace or not was of no concern. Moreover, the Empress's order was, in principle, very reasonable.

“This is actually correct.”

“Yes, Her Majesty the Empress is very generous. She is allowing her to reside if she wishes, though she has to pay.”

“Actually, it is right to pay. What right does a mere lady have to occupy a palace in the royal palace?”

Amidst the commotion, Theseus leaned towards Lionel and asked in a very low voice,

“Did you know about this?”

Lionel shrugged as he stood up. The suggestion to treat Diane Poitiers as a guest and charge her was, in fact, his. After exchanging greetings with a few ministers and leaving the meeting room, Lionel whispered to Theseus,

“I have something to tell you, brother.”

“…Did you cause trouble?”

“How could I?”

In his youth, unlike Theseus, who never did anything to get scolded, Lionel often got into trouble like any other child. The difference was that Lionel usually cleaned up his own mess. In other words, he only caused trouble that he could clean up, and the duchess would scold him, saying, “This brat! If you could predict the cleanup, you shouldn't have caused trouble in the first place!”

“It's within the range of what can be cleaned up, right?”

Lionel smiled and put his hands in his pockets, walking as if to say, “Don’t you know me?” Theseus shook his head.

“Well, you're right. What more do we have to lose? I just want to twist the necks of those who dare to mock you in front of me.”

“I'm sorry.”

“Don't apologize. I'm not blaming you.”

“There's no need to get angry, brother. If you don't react, they'll soon disappear, and I don't care about such talk.”

“Right. What do you want to say?”

Lionel continued walking and told him about the Empress's proposal. After listening to his story, Theseus suddenly stopped. The brothers stood facing each other in the corridor where light was shining.

“Is it okay?”

＊＊＊

Meanwhile, the door to the Empress's palace was violently thrown open. Who could dare to open the main door of the Empress's palace of the Echmont Empire so rudely? The waiting maids were startled and ran out, bowing their heads in fear. The Emperor stormed past them like a gust of wind. At that moment, someone appeared at the top of the stairs on the second floor. Karl, who was about to climb the stairs, stopped. The two of them faced each other across the stairs.

The Empress was wearing a black robe, and under it, not court shoes but practical boots were visible. The maids hurried to get out of the way, as the atmosphere was tense, as if a fight could break out at any moment.

“Where are you going in that outfit, Empress?”

Karl spoke first, his voice as sharp as always. Adele slowly descended the stairs towards him. Their gazes were like blades, and both of them were stiff with tension. Adele stopped a few steps above where Karl was standing, where their eye levels were exactly aligned.

“What is it?”

The urge to crush her beautiful lips mercilessly was overwhelming.

“Revoke it.”

Adele did not flinch at Karl's abrupt words and immediately countered.

“You revoke it first.”

“...”

“And what do you mean by revoke? What's wrong with my order? I'm not expelling her immediately; I'm allowing her to stay if she wishes, but she must pay a reasonable amount. Is there a more legal solution than this?”

“I won't say more. Revoke it now.”

“Your Majesty, you should correct it first. The price of a fine horse. The merchants who came to the Ivory Palace today were told to buy jewels or clothes for exactly the amount that the supplementary budget was canceled. I sent them all back.”

‘Enough is enough with your teasing.’

Karl frowned at her words.

“An eye for an eye. It's an Echmont proverb, do you know it?”

Adele bowed respectfully and stepped aside to pass by him. Or, she tried to. Karl grabbed her shoulder and growled,

“Didn’t I ask where you were going?”

Adele looked him in the eye and replied calmly,

“I'm going on an incognito visit.”

“An incognito visit?”

“Article 14, Section 2 of the Palace Law. The Empress can go out of the palace and conduct an incognito visit without the Emperor's permission, and has the right to keep the location and purpose confidential.”

“Did you memorize that damn law by heart?”

“What else could I do? I didn't even get a budget for the price of a fine horse. Now, let go.”

Adele shook off the Emperor's hand that was holding her shoulder and straightened her clothes.

“I want to see how the common people of Echmont live. I might not understand everything just by seeing, but it's better than not seeing at all.”

She took a step back and said firmly,

“It will take about three or four days.”

It was a notification. The Empress had the right to do so, and therefore Karl could not force her to stay. Her black hair danced as she turned and walked away. And with that dance, something in Karl seemed to waver as well. He wanted to force her. He wanted to put a leash around her neck and grip the handle. He wanted to threaten her, to ask where she was going without permission, to use his regret as a weapon to force and threaten her. ‘What will you do if you walk away like this now?’

“...”

But he could not say anything. Because he had given the Empress nothing. She had nothing to lose except his name. ＊＊＊

The coachman of the Baldur family was a man with great pride in his role as a family member. Working for a prestigious founding family for generations was a great honor and a source of pride for him. Even though he was a coachman, he felt this way. Perhaps it was due to the respect and treatment he received from the successive heads of the family. In any case, returning to the main topic, he was dressed in a crisp uniform, driving the carriage into the palace with a solemn face, and guarding the family carriage without mingling with the chattering coachmen of other families. When someone tapped him on the back, he was initially puzzled. As he listened to the person, or rather, the noble, the coachman tried hard to maintain his composure. The noble wanted to board the carriage first, and the coachman carefully opened the door without shaking his hands.

“Indeed, a person from a prestigious family. It is an honor to ride in your carriage.”

As the cold voice fell on his head, the coachman involuntarily bowed. The door closed with a thud, and the coachman took a deep breath, his heart pounding. Fortunately, the master of the Baldur family appeared soon. The coachman ran to the two people. Seeing the coachman, who was unusually excited, Theseus took the lead.

“Is the guest in the carriage?”

“Yes, sir. That's right.”

Theseus nodded and walked forward.

“Act as if nothing is wrong.”

As the tall brother passed by, the coachman quickly smoothed his face and took a deep breath. Returning to his usual self, he quickly returned to his position. Lionel climbed the carriage steps before his brother and knocked on the door subtly before calmly turning the handle and opening it. As the two entered, the person wrapped in a robe slowly turned his head.