Chapter 52

The Empress's words seemed to be overlapped by Lionel's sharp voice.

‘To eliminate the slums, we must first remove the tower.’

During hot summers, the stench from the slums would seep into the palace. Unable to bear it, Carl had devised plans multiple times to push away that massive pile of filth, but they were ultimately thwarted by the opposition of the Baldur family.

‘Then where will all those people in the slums go?!”

Carl retorted aggressively to Adel.

“Lionel Baldur, did he ask you to say that?”

“No. I also plan to go to the slums. There are no hospitals or schools, not even basic water facilities, making it extremely poor. I’ve heard that such slums are widespread throughout the empire. Your Majesty, the tower must be removed.”

The Empress’s words did not reach the Emperor. The moment Lionel Baldur overlapped her, his mind became a mess. Lionel Baldur, from a very long time ago, had been nothing but a thorn in Carl’s side just by his existence.

‘How can Lionel Baldur, still a boy, be so magnificent? His lineage is perfect, and his abilities are outstanding. If I had another daughter, I would have definitely betrothed her to Lionel Baldur.’

The late Empress had particularly favored the Baldur brothers. She never showed Carl even a fraction of affection, always cherishing them. It was she who had pushed for the betrothal between Elisabeth and Theseus. Long-suppressed, sticky, and dark anger grew with each passing moment. The Emperor finally burst out in anger.

“The tower!! It is the foundation of my power!! Without it, do you think the nobles would bow to me?!!”

The whisper of Duke Despoina echoed in his ears.

‘To a low-born Emperor, would the nobles bow their proud heads? You must firmly hold the leash with the tower.’

Adel felt suffocated by the Emperor’s almost hysterical stubbornness. Could the nobles really be subdued without the tower? Is this really what an Emperor should say?! She was so frustrated that her anger boiled over.

“How can you make a disaster the foundation of your power? The residents of the slums have no means to live, let alone pay taxes. What could weaken Your Majesty’s power more than a decrease in the number of people who can pay taxes?”

“Enough. That’s enough.”

The Emperor turned his head away, waving his hand as if he didn’t want to hear more. Adel abruptly stood up and walked to one side of the office with angry steps, bringing a rolled-up map. She pushed the teacup aside and spread the map on the table. The map was filled with red ink marks. Carl glared at Adel with fierce eyes, but she pointed at the map without hesitation.

“Look. Do you know what all this is?”

Adel stared at the Emperor with piercing eyes.

“This map shows the influence of the tower. See how few safe areas there are outside the tower and the influence of the demons! Is this not hell?”

Carl’s gaze slowly moved to the map.

“How can you eliminate the slums in the capital in this situation? If you remove them, where will the people who live there go?! Isn’t that telling them to die?”

Adel looked at the Emperor, who was silent, and earnestly appealed.

“Actively remove the tower. If you wield power by putting the lives of the people at stake, that blade will surely turn on you.”

Adel waited for his answer with deep longing. It wasn’t just for Ehmont. It was also for herself, as the Empress of Ehmont. To fulfill her duties as Empress, she didn’t want to hate the Emperor, even if she didn’t love him. How did she end up being exiled here, even giving up her position as the Princess of Gotrop? Adel earnestly said to Carl again.

“Please, remove the tower. I will help.”

The Emperor, who had been silently staring at the map, slowly lifted his head.

‘Please, understand.’

That moment felt so long that Adel swallowed hard. But when their eyes finally met, she felt cold sweat run down her back. The determination in his eyes was the opposite of what she had hoped for.

“Didn’t I say? The tower is the foundation of my power. If it’s gone, do you think you will be safe? Did the Baldur family promise to support you then?”

With those words, the Emperor stood up and looked at the map and Adel with an indifferent gaze.

“I really don’t understand. Why do you put yourself in such a harsh environment? You could be comfortable if you just took my hand. Isn’t this the time to do so? Instead of making such marks on the map.”

Adel, irritated by his sarcasm, stood up and faced the Emperor, warning him.

“If you leave the tower as it is, there will definitely be problems soon. I am the Empress of Ehmont. If I don’t pay attention, who will?”

“Listen, Empress.”

“...”

“Don’t think about such complicated and difficult things. Don’t see anything bad.”

“...”

The Emperor put his hands in his pockets and walked around the table to Adel. He leaned in slowly and whispered in her ear.

“You suit flowers.”

Adel openly mocked the Emperor’s words.

“I’ve never heard that before.”

Carl also chuckled, staring into her golden eyes. The intense gold, so close that she could almost touch it, a noble light piercing the suffocating darkness. The child who vaguely wanted to be recognized had grown into an adult and now wanted to grasp that light in a different way.

“You want to help remove the tower?”

“Correct it properly. I will help.”

This beautiful face, willing to wander through hell? No matter how she destroyed the tower alone, it was just an intermediate tower, wasn’t it? In Gotrop, she probably just toured around with all kinds of treatment. Go ahead, then.

“Alright. Then, Empress. The next time the tower descends, you lead the charge. I will put you at the forefront.”

The challenging golden eyes showed no fear.

“That’s what I wanted.”

The Emperor’s lips twisted. What you wanted? Fine. I’ll push you into the harshest place. I’ll make sure those pretty lips never say ‘I will’ again. ＊ ＊ ＊ Meanwhile, at the Dowager Empress’s palace in Gotrop.

“Who’s going?”

The Dowager Empress, who had been lying down for a massage, sat up and asked. The maid who delivered the message quickly bowed. The head maid, sensing the Dowager Empress’s mood, quickly brought her a coat. As the maids hurriedly left, the Dowager Empress gestured to the one who delivered the message and asked again while putting on the coat.

“Who’s going?”

“Cain Knox and Ghibellin Ruhain have secretly arrived at the port.”

These two were the ones who guarded Adel like shadows and were key figures in the Gotrop Tower Resistance Headquarters, taking the place of the princess.

“By the Emperor’s order?”

“It seems so.”

“Do you know more?”

“The Emperor seems to have sent them a letter, but I couldn’t find out the contents.”

“Alright. Good work. You can go.”

As the maid quickly left the room, the Dowager Empress sighed deeply. While the head maid carefully tied her hair, the Dowager Empress spoke.

“It’s obvious. The Emperor cares deeply for his sister, so the letter must say to come back if it’s too hard.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The Dowager Empress, lost in thought, murmured in a low voice.

“...Do you think I’m at ease sending my daughter away like this?”

Her eyes were deep and dark.

“Adel is like me. We reached this point because we had differing opinions on crucial matters, but if she had been on the same page as me... I would have been her most interesting ally and the strongest support.”

Thinking about it made her heart ache. If Adel had thought like the Dowager Empress, and thus Adel had become the Empress of Gotrop, they would have laughed together and ruled the world.

“Adel, that child. She is the most suitable for the throne, yet at the same time, the least suitable. Clear water cannot hold fish. How many people would dare to risk their lives for their beliefs? And how many people would understand such people?”

When a typhoon hits, the reed survives, but the tree breaks.

“She is the most ideal Empress, but paradoxically, only possible in an ideal world.”

The head maid, who had finished the Dowager Empress’s hair, stepped back and asked.

“What if they bring the princess back to Gotrop?”

The Dowager Empress smiled and shook her head.

“That won’t happen.”

As she stared blankly into space, her eyes gradually turned red and filled with tears.

“Before leaving, Adel secretly received two vials of potent medicine from the royal physician.”

“Potent medicine?”

The tears that had gathered fell onto her red skirt.

“Yes. Isn’t that like her? It means she has no intention of coming back.”

Adel was a child who would choose death over surrender when there was no way to retreat. ＊ ＊ ＊ A large merchant ship bound for Ehmont began to slide across the water, propelled by the wind. The blue seawater broke into white waves, opening a path. At the bow stood a man with long silver hair fluttering in the sea breeze and deep green eyes. His name was Cain Knox.

His eyes, which had been gazing endlessly in the direction of Ehmont, sank like the deep sea. Then, a person suddenly approached and leaned over the railing.

“Ghibellin, that’s dangerous.”

The large man, like a bear, laughed heartily.

“Hahaha! You might be blown away by the wind, but not me!”

“...”

Cain shook his head and turned his gaze back. Ghibellin, who had been watching him, patted Cain’s back with his rough hand.

“Why didn’t you try to open your heart before leaving? I told you to do that, didn’t I?”

“Shut up.”

Ghibellin scratched his chin, embarrassed by Cain’s cold response. Well, would it have changed anything if he had? Countless people had tried to hold her back, but how ruthlessly she had shaken them off. A royal with many followers inevitably becomes a seed of discord. Even a distant relative with no claim to the throne is dangerous, let alone someone who was once the heir. Because her existence could harm Gotrop in some way, she was ruthlessly abandoned. Ghibellin sighed.

“She might not be happy to see us. If she’s unhappy, will she ask us to bring her back?”

The playfulness disappeared from his face.

“Isn’t this the path she took with your happiness and unhappiness in mind? She’s not the type to ask to be brought back to Gotrop just because she’s unhappy. If we bring her back to Gotrop, there’s only one way.”

Cain, who had been staring at the distant sea, turned to Ghibellin. Ghibellin met his green gaze and spoke.

“When she was deposed. Only in that case. But even thinking about it makes me angry. If that happens, I will turn Ehmont into a wasteland.”

In short, bringing her back is impossible, he murmured. Ghibellin’s words were carried away by the strong sea breeze. Cain, brushing his disheveled silver hair, asked coldly.

“Why did you come? Theodore could have stayed.”

Ghibellin laughed again, leaning against the railing. His rough eyes were filled with longing.

“I’m curious if our princess is doing well. Just wait and see! If anyone makes our princess unhappy, I’ll secretly beat them up.”

“You must be so happy.”

“Shut up. This is what Theodore asked me to do.”

The two had to leave, so Theodore Siniak had to stay behind. Ghibellin scratched his ear, hearing Theodore’s grumbling in his ear.

“Ugh... A month on a ship. I’m already bored, bored!”

Cain continued to stare at the endless horizon long after Ghibellin had entered the cabin. At the end of this journey to Ehmont, she is there. Cain closed his eyes. ＊ ＊ ＊ It had been a day full of events. She felt a heavy fatigue clinging to her. Adel deliberately got up and moved her body to push away the complex feelings. But it didn’t alleviate the suffocation. In fact, it couldn’t be alleviated.

“Madam, I will take a short walk.”

As Adel, who had been pacing in the room, stopped and spoke, Lady Gix quickly brought the Empress’s coat. She had already put on her own coat, intending to follow the Empress. Adel put on the coat Lady Gix offered and said to her.

“I will go alone.”

“It’s not safe, Your Majesty. The sun will set soon.”

“I won’t go far. I’ll be back before it gets dark.”

“Still, it’s not safe.”

“I want to be alone.”

“I will follow you discreetly from behind.”

“I’m a bit sensitive.”

“...”

Adel blocked Lady Gix’s mouth with a polite smile and quickly left the Empress’s palace to avoid being caught. She even used a side door to avoid attention. Lady Gix watched the Empress’s retreating back with a long sigh, her blue eyes filled with worry and concern. Strangely, the Empress reminded her of Princess Elisabeth, making her even more concerned. What had happened to Elisabeth in the end? Didn’t she end up being chased away to her territory after divorcing Duke Theseus Baldur? Although it was a political marriage, they had a good relationship, so when they divorced, Lady Gix was heartbroken and couldn’t sleep for days. She later found out why they had divorced. Duke Despoina and the Emperor had been planning a bill to strip the princess’s husband of political power. Elisabeth, who had discovered this in advance, boldly pushed for a divorce with Duke Baldur and left the capital. Lady Gix turned away from the Empress’s retreating back, thinking that she might ask for a bath when she returned and decided to heat the water. ＊ ＊ ＊ As the sun began to set, the wind became even colder. The cold wind pierced through her tightly wrapped coat, but Adel didn’t feel the cold. It was the same path she had walked with Lionel during the day. With few people around, Adel relaxed her body and walked as her subconscious led her. She pushed away the boiling anger and the anxiety about an uncertain future. The sun, barely hanging in the western sky, cast a transparent red light. It seemed she was walking westward, as the intense light poured down in front of her. Adel kept her gaze on the ground. One step, another step. Her slightly exposed toes disappeared under the swaying hem of her dress, then reappeared and disappeared again. As she took another aimless step, a black shadow fell on her toes. Adel slowly lifted her gaze to follow the shadow. Someone was standing with their back to the sunset. Adel narrowed her eyes and looked at him, then resumed her steps. The shadow that had touched her toes reached her ankles with one step, and her knees with another. Like walking into the water, Adel walked into his shadow. When she was completely enveloped by his shadow, she called out to him.

“Lionel.”