Chapter 41

Consciousness sank below the surface. Her body slowly sank, feeling lethargic. Ah, this isn't so bad either. Adele relaxed her entire body and closed her eyes, letting her soul drift. The flow of time disappeared. Even as she was pushed around by the deep sea currents, Adele remained as she was. She thought it wouldn't matter if eons passed and her body turned to sand. How long had she been like that?

“Adele. My daughter.”

At the caring voice, Adele's eyes snapped open without her realizing it. A scene from the past floated in a deep, dark sea. Her father, two years before he passed away, was looking at her.

“Don't be too distant with your mother. It will only make you suffer.”

Even though they were underwater, it felt like waves were crashing, and her body was being carried away. Adele reached out her hand toward the face that was drifting away, trying to call out to her father. But no sound came out, and she couldn't stop the current that was carrying her away. How long had she been carried away like that?

“Adele.”

Her cold and stern mother called out to Adele with her characteristic voice.

“Don’t you know that what doesn’t bend will break? It’s not too late. Be wise.”

Then,

“Sister!”

Hearing that voice, her heart ached. Adele quickly turned her body, overwhelmed by a surge of guilt. In front of her appeared the face of Emperor Karl Ulrich.

“Bow. Submit to me. Then you will be at ease.”

Next, the face of Duke Despoina appeared.

“Take my hand and become the mistress of the tower, Your Majesty.”

Adele covered her ears. Please, please... please shut up... Adele turned desperately. There, the people who shared her ideals were lined up. They were smiling kindly at her.

“Princess, do what you believe is right. We will protect your back.”

It was a heart-wrenching statement. Adele reached out her hand and approached them. But no matter how hard she tried, the distance between them didn't close. Then the scene changed.

“Take any of us. Or we will hide in Ehmont!”

“Don’t go. Princess, please don’t go.”

Then, her voice was heard.

“Anyway, it’s a path I must walk alone. You all should walk your own paths. What’s the point of worrying about something unnecessary when you have things to do in Gotrop?”

Please, come with me!!!

“Don’t follow me.”

Damn it!! Please, come with me!!! No, no... hold on there... They were laughing. Laughing and crying. Then they slowly bowed their heads. Adele sobbed and struggled. Don’t go, don’t go, please, just a little... I didn’t want to leave you. I should have taken at least one, just one. I need to take someone to be able to breathe. Adele collapsed in the depths of unconsciousness. Just as she was being sucked into an endless abyss, a voice pierced her ear like a lie.

“...na.”

Adele slowly blinked. Then a sincere voice rang out clearly.

“Whatever you wish, I will help you.”

＊＊＊

When the news of the Empress losing consciousness and collapsing reached the Emperor, he rushed to the Empress’s palace in one stride. Although entry by outsiders was strictly prohibited, he was not an outsider. Karl confidently entered the Empress’s bedroom. On the bed lay the Empress. Her feverish face was astonishingly hot and pale. Even though she had taken a fever reducer and her temperature had slightly dropped, this small woman did not let out a single moan. Hot breath continuously flowed from her parted lips, creating a scene that seemed to be enveloped in a wavy mist. Then, the Empress’s steady breathing began to become rough.

“Empress?”

Startled by the sudden change, Karl called out to Adele and gently shook her shoulder. However, Adele continued to pant and suffer. Then, from a certain point, a transparent and delicate tear rolled down from under her silk-like, black eyelashes. A sob escaped from her cracked, feverish lips. Adelaide, the cold, fiery woman, was crying. Karl stared at her as if entranced. Gently wrapping his small face with his hand, he felt her hot body temperature. It felt as if his hand was melting and sticking to her. Her barely audible breaths, her face drenched in tears.

“Adelaide.”

Karl called out her name softly and tenderly, as if reciting a spell.

“Adelaide.”

Just being here. If that’s not enough for you, fine. I’ll coax and soothe you until I don’t know when, and then I’ll take you. I’ll put a collar on you without you noticing. If that’s too difficult, I’ll build a fence around you secretly. I’ll make it wide enough so you don’t feel trapped, and I... I... What do I want to do? After a moment of contemplation, he pushed away his fleeting thoughts. He was the Emperor, and he was the one who took what he wanted. ＊＊＊

The news of the Empress’s collapse was kept secret, but how many eyes and ears were there in the palace? On the evening of the day the Empress collapsed, the news reached Diane. However, what she was really curious about was something else.

“Where is His Majesty the Emperor?”

When Diane asked, the attendant answered without any hesitation.

“He is in the Empress’s palace.”

Why?! Diane let out a silent scream in her heart, but she couldn’t show it on the outside. The attendants of the Emperor’s palace, who had always been cautious of her, had suddenly changed their attitude in just a few days. It wasn’t just the attendants; the number of people who no longer tried to please her was increasing. The treatment she received was worse than when she first stayed in the guest room of the Emperor’s palace, summoned by the Emperor a few years ago. Clenching her teeth, Diane turned her body. At that moment, someone came out of the Emperor’s bedroom. Diane’s eyes widened as she quickly turned her gaze. She stared intently at the retreating figure. A delicate profile, neatly braided golden hair swaying. A maid who had quietly turned a corner accidentally met Diane’s gaze. Diane bit her lip and turned her body sharply, striding away, with Loreine quickly following behind. As soon as Diane entered her room, she turned to Loreine and burst out in anger.

“Blonde hair and blue eyes!! I told you not to let them in!!!!”

“I’m sorry, but this is the Emperor’s palace, and I can’t interfere.”

“Did you see the woman who just came out of His Majesty’s bedroom? Blonde hair and blue eyes. She looked young... maybe just twenty... What’s her relationship with His Majesty, what’s her relationship...”

A wave of crisis hit Diane. She fidgeted with her fingers and paced the room.

‘How many women younger than twenty-nine with blonde hair and blue eyes are there?’

Lady Gix’s curse echoed in her ears. Diane trembled, taking out a mirror and looking at her own face. No matter how beautiful I am, I can’t compare to fresh youth. The image of the young maid’s delicate face made Diane unable to hold back, and she pushed the mirror away. The sound of the mirror shattering made Loreine jump back a few steps in shock.

“Loreine.”

“Yes, yes.”

“Bring my brother.”

“I understand!”

At Diane’s mad command, Loreine quickly nodded and ran out of the room. The shattered mirror reflected Diane’s face in fragments. Her trembling lips, her eyes beginning to sharpen. The once delicate lily-like Diane Poitiers was no longer there. She took out the prepared medicine and gulped it down. It was a medicine to slow aging and one to help her conceive a child. ＊＊＊

Lionel heard the news of the Empress’s illness on the same afternoon. Secretary Michael Rosen, who was acting on behalf of the Duke, came to Lionel to deliver the news.

“It’s not certain, but the Empress’s palace is in turmoil. Five doctors have been taking turns visiting, and it seems she is still unconscious.”

“Unconscious?!”

As Lionel stood up and asked urgently, Michael narrowed his eyes and scrutinized his face. Under that gaze, Lionel quickly composed his expression. After a moment, Michael looked around and whispered secretly.

“To be honest, I was in favor of you becoming the advisor. But situations are always fluid. If the relationship between the Empress and the Emperor changes, you need to act quickly.”

“...”

“Get the information about the tower faster. It’s said that the Emperor has been by the Empress’s side since she lost consciousness.”

Lionel Valder’s dark blue eyes widened slightly. After delivering his message, Michael stood up, and Lionel urgently grabbed him and asked.

“Do you know how bad the Empress is? Was she poisoned?”

“Minister?”

“Tell me what you know.”

Under Lionel Valder’s urging, Michael Rosen narrowed his eyes and tilted his head. It was definitely not the reaction he had expected. ＊＊＊

The maids in the Empress’s palace diligently attended to the Empress, confident that the era of Diane Poitiers was over. The Emperor had been by the unconscious Empress’s side for the second day in a row.

“Why is she still unconscious?”

“...We are trying to find the reason. I apologize, Your Majesty.”

“Find it quickly.”

“Yes.”

The chief physician bowed respectfully and left the room. The Empress Adelaide’s fever had not subsided. Despite the efforts of the physicians, who had been by her side all night trying various medicines, there was no improvement. Karl gazed at Adelaide’s face intently. Without the intense golden eyes, what remained was a small woman with a youthful face.

‘She’s so small.’

Karl thought to himself. Despite the fever and unconsciousness, Karl had an unfounded certainty that Adele would soon return. She didn’t seem like someone who would die from such a fever. To Karl, the Empress was a strong person, and Adelaide truly lived up to her name. Perhaps because of this certainty, Karl found the situation strangely satisfying. He took it upon himself to change the wet cloth on Adele’s forehead and tended to her. Slowly stroking Adelaide’s hair, he felt a sense of fulfillment as if he were holding the night in his hands.

Why do humans feel compassion for the pitiful and try to grasp the noble?

“Adelaide, you can’t escape from my hands.”

He thought about the wild beasts that roamed the fields. Were their lives truly comfortable? Probably not. In exchange for freedom, they had to engage in endless struggles for survival. So Karl thought of a way to tame the beasts without pulling out their teeth.

“Don’t try to jump over the fence I’ve built, Adelaide.”

At that moment, the eyelids that had never opened slowly began to lift. The long, black eyelashes trembled like a butterfly’s wings, and then the bright golden eyes were revealed. Karl stared at her, entranced. She slowly blinked. Her half-opened lips, her eyes wandering aimlessly.

“Adelaide.”

As he whispered softly and tenderly, her vacant gaze slowly turned to Karl. Karl smiled seductively, lifting his red lips, and slowly stroked Adelaide’s hair. Holding a handful of night in his hand, he kissed it and whispered.

“You are mine.”

“...”

“Adelaide Ulrich belongs to Karl Ulrich. Understand?”

Karl gently stroked her lips with his index finger and pressed them. The touch of the delicate petal-like lips brought a smile of satisfaction. The Empress’s eyes were still dazed, and though her eyes were open, it seemed her consciousness had not returned. But regardless, the important thing was that her eyes had opened, and her consciousness would soon return.

“Come back soon. My Adelaide.”

The Emperor repeated these words dozens of times, trying to imprint his mark on her unconsciousness, as if reciting a spell. ＊＊＊

After the Emperor left, the vacant eyes that had been wandering in the air gradually filled with light. As her consciousness, which had been wandering in the deep, dark sea, suddenly surfaced, her pupils tightened. Adele, who had opened her eyes wide, gasped for breath like a fish out of water, clutching her neck.

“Huh, huh, huh...”

Lady Gix, who had just entered the room, saw the scene and rushed over in shock.

“Your Majesty, the Empress!”

“Huh, huh.”

The Empress was breathing irregularly, her face contorted in pain.

“Is anyone else here? Call the doctor immediately, quickly!!”

Lady Gix shouted towards the door, and the outside became chaotic.

“Your Majesty, the Empress. Breathe slowly, more slowly.”

As Lady Gix lifted Adele’s shoulders and urged her, the Empress could only make a faint, strained sound, unable to breathe properly. Her neck veins bulged, and tears streamed down her red, bloodshot eyes. Adele, trembling, clutched Lady Gix’s dress tightly.

“Yes?”

Struggling to hear her desperate words, Lady Gix put her ear to the Empress’s mouth.

“...Bring him.”

“Please repeat that.”

“Bring Lionel.”

The Empress commanded, as if she would die if he didn’t come.