Chapter 74

On that afternoon, Lionel moved into the Herbert mansion. The butler of the Baldur ducal family personally transported Lionel’s luggage to the Marquess Herbert’s mansion, inspecting every corner of the estate. Skilled servants dispatched from the ducal family warmly decorated the mansion, which had been vacant for a long time. Lionel slowly looked around his new home, the mansion that would be his new haven, after leaving the house where he had lived all his life. When Lionel stopped in front of the spacious, open garden, the butler whispered softly,

“Now, you may feel lonely in this vast mansion, but when you marry and start a family, this place will be filled with life.”

“……”

Though it was a casual remark, Lionel felt as if his breath was being cut off. The butler, noticing Lionel’s silence, looked at him intently and held back his words. Perhaps, as a price for harboring an inappropriate affection, he would have to bear this suffocating loneliness for the rest of his life. No matter how much he suppressed it, once the emotion burst forth, it wouldn’t easily subside. Looking at the open, spacious garden, his imagination involuntarily took root. If he could walk here with her... sit under a grand tree and chat about everyday life, and as the sun sets, return to the mansion together. Share a warm meal and fall asleep in a soft, cozy bedroom. Ah, what a ridiculous dream? Despite vowing to remain loyal to the end. At that moment, the butler, as if remembering something, spoke up.

“Oh, the border day ball is coming up. The catalog for the ball gowns has arrived. Would you like to take a look? Actually, the duke has already made his choice.”

“Let’s do that.”

As the two turned to enter the mansion, a letter from the empress arrived for Lionel. [......So, I hope you will prepare an additional outfit, as I have in mind for you to be my partner.] It was undoubtedly a cold, political demand. A position as an advisor without honor or public recognition. Yet, a single letter from her made Lionel’s heart race wildly. ＊ ＊ ＊ Meanwhile, Duke Despoin was lost in thought. His mind was in a state of intense turmoil, like a battlefield. Instinctively, he sensed that the current situation was critical. The noble forces led by the Baldur and Grand ducal families had the empress’s blade at his throat. Even the emperor was visibly leaning towards the empress.

“That fool, chasing after the skirts of the late empress...”

If the empress managed to sway the emperor, Duke Despoin would be driven out by her hand.

“The first priority is to completely sever the relationship between the empress and the emperor. The emperor must be made to appear to kill the empress himself to avoid any repercussions.”

He habitually stroked his chin and slowly ran his tongue over his lips.

“Dian, I must temporarily ally with that reckless one...”

Duke Despoin got up and called for his attendant.

“Your Grace?”

“Run to the palace gates immediately and bring the chief designer of the atelier. Tell him to bring the new catalog. Also, send someone to the imperial palace to inform them that I will choose the outfit for the ball.”

“Yes, I understand!”

“And purchase as many top-quality food ingredients, baby items, and herbs beneficial for pregnant women as possible, and send them to the Ivory Palace. Right away.”

“Yes, Your Grace!”

＊ ＊ ＊ The next day, Lorraine’s eyes widened at the sudden influx of all kinds of precious items. Even Dian, who had been holed up in her bedroom, came out to see the spectacle. The items being delivered were so numerous that the gates of the Ivory Palace remained open. Amid the continuous arrival of items, Duke Despoin appeared with a hearty laugh.

“Ha ha ha, Lady of the Palace!”

Behind the duke, who was approaching Dian, people carrying various samples followed. Dian immediately recognized who they were. Sensing Dian’s sharp gaze, Duke Despoin asked with a relaxed smile,

“Lady of the Palace, have you chosen a dress?”

“No. I couldn’t decide, worried that it might be the same design chosen by the empress.”

The chief designer, unable to protest the situation, merely bowed respectfully. Duke Despoin led Dian into the room, soothing her.

“That’s why I brought the designer here myself. Moreover, since you are pregnant, a regular dress would be inappropriate. Since you will be entering with the emperor, the design must be coordinated.”

Dian stopped in her tracks at the duke’s words. Duke Despoin added loudly for everyone to hear,

“The emperor himself said that escorting a pregnant wife is a husband’s duty.”

The moment Dian heard this, she realized it wasn’t something the emperor would say. Karl Ulrich would never speak in such a manner. But, ...what did it matter now? Dian’s eyes flashed fiercely as she spoke to the duke.

“Not the empress, but you will enter with me?”

“Of course! It’s unacceptable to let a pregnant woman enter alone. The empress is a broad-minded person and will understand.”

Duke Despoin chuckled and led Dian back into the room.

“Come, come, let’s choose one! Come in, everyone!”

＊ ＊ ＊ As soon as Dian sat down, she asked the designer,

“What design did the empress choose?”

The chief designer sighed inwardly. Using power to claim a design or pressure a designer was a long-standing taboo in high society, as it could easily escalate into a power struggle. The designer took a deep breath and spoke respectfully.

“Lady of the Palace, it is difficult to tell you. Please be understanding...”

“I need to know which design she chose to make my own choice!”

Dian cut off the designer’s words sharply.

“But, Lady of the Palace...”

Despite the designer’s reluctance, Duke Despoin interjected, supporting Dian.

“This is how business is done, isn’t it? How can you operate with everything blocked...”

“...”

“The silk for the dresses passes through my territory, doesn’t it?”

With the duke’s support, the designer, a mere individual, couldn’t hold out. Seeing the designer’s resolve waver, Dian tilted her head and asked again,

“What did she choose?”

Just before being summoned to the Ivory Palace, the designer had received a message from the empress’s palace. The empress’s choice was a dress with a subtle mix of navy blue and gold, a design that exuded the empress’s dignity and was actually created by the designer for her. If Dian were to request a similar design here? The designer and his staff, who had come with him, watched Dian nervously. Then, Duke Despoin, sitting next to Dian, suddenly spoke and pointed to a design.

“Lady of the Palace, how about this design?”

The designer and staff’s eyes all turned to the duke’s finger. The design he pointed to was a light green dress with a fresh and delicate feel, completely different from the empress’s choice. Dian looked at the dress the duke had chosen in silence for a while. She wanted to wear the empress’s dress, but it could backfire.

“If the emperor’s outfit is designed to match this, we will look like a perfect pair.”

As Duke Despoin whispered this in a subtle tone, a vivid image of the ball formed in Dian’s mind. She and the emperor, dressed in matching outfits, would undoubtedly look like a married couple to everyone. Dian smiled and nodded.

“Alright. Let’s go with this design.”

“You’ve made a good decision.”

Thinking that this cunning old man had decided to take on the empress, Dian smiled at the duke. ＊ ＊ ＊ Soon, the rumor that the emperor’s partner for the border day ball would be Dian Poitiers reached Adelaide’s ears. Duke Despoin had deliberately spread the news. Moreover, he had been loudly proclaiming that escorting a pregnant wife was a husband’s duty, while the emperor remained silent. Lady Gixs watched the empress with a bitter heart, but the empress’s expression was calm, as if she had expected it.

“How long until the Duke of Baldur, the Duke of Grand, and the Marquess Herbert arrive?”

“About forty minutes.”

“Forty minutes... I need to get some fresh air.”

Adelaide, who had been in her office all day, moved to the lush autumn garden. Looking at the falling red leaves, she recalled her mother’s words from the night before she left.

“You might meet a man who will move your heart. I once did. After a while, the intense feelings faded like a blooming flower wilting or green leaves turning red and falling. Think of it as a midsummer night’s dream. Just don’t forget your duties as empress. But, my daughter, being a royal to the core, you don’t need to worry about that.”

“A midsummer night’s dream...”

The tender call in her ear was just an illusion. Feeling ashamed of conjuring up such a vivid illusion, Adelaide bit her lip. Despite bringing in an advisor to secure her precarious position, she kept getting lost in her emotions, driving her to the brink of madness. She struggled to control her feelings for Lionel. When the intense love of a season faded, her mother’s mistresses were treated much worse than the emperor’s. Lionel was too valuable and a good man to be sacrificed.

‘Adelaide Ulrich Echmont. ...Ulrich Echmont.’

For the sake of that beautiful man, she must hold onto her honor as a royal, as she had always done. Adelaide repeatedly recalled her position, trying to push away her thoughts and focus on her tasks. The first priority was to remove Duke Despoin, who was muddling the emperor’s already clouded mind and disrupting the state, from the palace. Once she understood his intentions, she would remove him from the palace as soon as the border day ended. After Duke Despoin, who had the emperor’s support, was removed... Just as Adelaide frowned and touched her forehead, a low voice suddenly sounded.

“Are you unwell?”

Adelaide felt her heart sink.

“Empress.”

Slowly raising her head, she saw him standing against a backdrop of falling red petals.

“Are you alright?”

Lionel looked at Adelaide with concern. All the杂乱无章的思绪在深邃的蓝黑色目光中无声地消散，同时她的心中涌起了一股波澜。仿佛蜷缩在心中的蝴蝶振翅飞舞，令她感到一阵悸动和痒痒的奇妙感觉。Adelaide暂时屏住了呼吸。Lionel则带着严肃的表情向她走近了一步。

“你怎么了？”

她没有哭泣，也没有受伤流血，他为什么这么担心？但Adelaide却不由自主地笑了。她把涌动的心情放在一边，轻声问候。

“你好。”

一直用担忧的眼神打量着Adelaide的Lionel，听到这轻松而随意的问候，睁大了眼睛，紧闭嘴唇。

“等会儿两位公爵来了再进去吧。我整天处理公务，感到有些闷，就出来了。”

“稍微休息一下吧。”

Lionel坐在Adelaide对面，轻声叮嘱。Adelaide托着下巴，轻声说道。

“明明让我随时准备辞职，却还厚着脸皮提出无理的要求。”

“我订购的款式和这个相似，所以不需要单独定制。”

听到这话，Adelaide睁大了眼睛，轻声笑了。

“我们的品味还真相似。”

Lionel轻咳一声，漫不经心地环顾着花园。Adelaide瞥了一眼他的目光，也跟着看向花园。

“绿意盎然时也很美，但落叶的景色也很动人。”

Lionel转头看着Adelaide。

“你喜欢秋天吗？”

“秋天？喜欢。”

“那你最喜欢哪个季节？”

“如果一定要选的话……我喜欢春天。嫩绿的新芽让人觉得很有希望。”

Lionel在嘴里品味着“春天”这个词，轻轻点了点头。

“你呢？”

Adelaide抬起目光，看着他。Lionel微笑着，用柔和的声音回答。

“我也喜欢春天。”

Adelaide轻笑。

“Lionel。”

“是。”

她像抛出一个轻松的话题一样问他。

“边境日舞会那天，你有伴吗？”

她没有详细解释情况，他也没有追问原因。

“没有。”

Adelaide依次看着他笔直的额头、浓密的眉毛和深邃如夜海的眼睛，放下托着下巴的手，向他伸出了手。

“那和我一起去舞会吧。”

红叶如雨般飘落，Lionel的心也随之倾泻。尽管知道这是一个完全基于理性的冷酷提议，Lionel还是小心翼翼地握住了她白皙细小的手，回答道。

“当然，陛下。”

喜悦的心脏跳动得如此剧烈，几乎无法控制。