Chapter 77

In the meantime, Theseus and Elizabeth were busy gathering the moderate noble forces. With Elizabeth, the legitimate princess, joining the alliance between the Empress and the House of Baldur, the nobles who had been merely watching the situation began to secretly extend their hands. In particular, the Empress's public declaration that she could eliminate all the towers in the country within two years caused a significant stir. The social circles were in a state of excitement. After meeting people all afternoon, Elizabeth visited the House of Baldur. Theseus, who was just receiving a report from Michael Rosen, greeted her. Michael bowed his head respectfully to Elizabeth, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.

"It's been a while, Grand Duke."

"Ah, Baron Rosen. It's been a while."

Michael quickly disappeared, and Elizabeth, looking tired, pointed to the sofa.

"Can I sit for a moment?"

"Please sit."

As Theseus examined Elizabeth's face, he cautiously spoke.

"Don't overwork yourself."

Elizabeth shook her head with a weary smile.

"The capital was in an uproar thanks to the relief goods distributed by Her Majesty the Empress for the National Day."

The Empress had won the hearts of not only the nobles but also the common people with just a few actions. Elizabeth, who had been looking at something in the air as if thinking about something, tilted her head and voiced the question that had been circling in her mind.

"Why did someone of her caliber agree to the royal marriage? Wasn't she once the princess of Gothrop? There's quite an age difference between her and the current Emperor of Gothrop, so why did she give up her position as heir? Gothrop doesn't even have a primogeniture law."

Theseus quietly stood up and brought a document. Elizabeth sat up straight and took the document. As soon as she turned the first page, she chuckled. It was information about the Empress's activities.

"The Duke of Baldur wouldn't do anything half-heartedly..."

"Wouldn't you need to know who she is to work together?"

"Of course..."

Elizabeth trailed off and focused on the document. The document began with a record of Princess Adelaide founding the anti-tower organization at the age of fourteen and her subsequent resignation from the position of princess due to that incident.

"Fourteen?"

Elizabeth, staring blankly at the document, swallowed and turned the page. Each page was filled with records of the Empress's life. After reading for a while, Elizabeth paused, blinked, and then flipped back to the beginning. She quickly turned the pages, checking something.

"...Tower destruction, refugee rescue, ...Tower destruction, refugee rescue, ...Restoration of the fief, ...Tower destruction..."

The last page also recorded the destruction of a tower. After that, Adelaide left for Ehmont. Elizabeth stared blankly at the last sentence of the document.

"It seems that the Empress judged that her existence would not benefit the Emperor of Gothrop, so she agreed to the royal marriage. In fact, it is said that the Empress's status in Gothrop was higher than that of the current Emperor."

"...That's right. This person... has dedicated her entire life to Gothrop."

"..."

"Living only for Gothrop... and coming here as if in exile."

Her chest felt as if a giant was pressing down on it, and it seemed as if the large room was about to burst. The princess of Ehmont, who had read the records of the princess of Gothrop, left the House of Baldur and headed to the Grand House, speechless. Locking herself in her room, she whispered to herself.

'Just because I couldn't become the Emperor, I hated my younger sister. What have you been doing all this time? The princess of Gothrop gave up her position as heir to serve her country, but what have you done? You've only been running away.'

It felt as if she had been hit hard on the back of the head. Elizabeth cried without realizing it. The image of the poor people rejoicing over the relief goods for the National Day made her throat tighten. She felt unbearably ashamed of herself, who had rushed here, thinking she could do something with the power of a mage. She realized how despicable she had been, never thinking of doing anything herself, sometimes relying on Baldur, sometimes on the Empress, and never wanting to suffer in the slightest. Kneeling on the floor and swallowing her sobs, Elizabeth bit her lip hard and calmed her heart. She made a vow. No matter what, she would pull the empire, which had sunk to the gates of hell, back up. She would never run away again.

＊ ＊ ＊

Brunhild Alex had compiled and organized the vast amount of data collected with her fellow mages and handed it over to the Empress the night before the National Day. It was a record of the Ehmont Mage Corps over the past 14 years. Adel looked at Brunhild's face and expressed her sincere gratitude.

"You've really done a great job. I know you risked your life to gather and organize this."

"No, I have silently condoned countless deaths. I don't want to do that anymore."

"After the National Day, I will start the investigation of Duke Despina and the Mage Corps based on this data. You should stay out of the limelight as much as possible."

Brunhild bowed deeply with a solemn face.

"If you need anything else, please call me anytime."

After Brunhild left, Adel was left alone to thoroughly examine all the data she had given. She wanted to call Lionel, but it was too late. She planned to show it to him after the National Day, as she expected to be busy the next day. Adel put the data in the safe herself and took a deep breath. She told herself not to think too far ahead and to focus on what was in front of her, and closed the safe door.

＊ ＊ ＊

The next afternoon, as the ballroom opened, numerous carriages of noble families entered the palace gates one after another. The eyes of the nobles who got out of the carriages all turned to one place. A moment later, the door of a large carriage with the Herbert family crest opened, and a tall man stepped out. Dressed in a sleek navy suit, he looked like an elegant leopard, and exclamations of admiration erupted from all around. Despite the attention, Lionel had no time to pay attention. He had been busy all morning, following the Empress's orders to visit the slums and the poor areas of the capital. As soon as he finished, he quickly dressed and rushed to the palace. Lionel ran towards the Empress's palace. The world passed by quickly as it brushed against his cheeks. As he saw the Empress's palace in the distance, his steps became more urgent. The maple leaves that had beautifully colored the Empress's palace garden had all fallen, leaving only bare branches, creating a desolate winter-like scene. In this scene, the Empress sat alone.

"Your Majesty!"

When Lionel called out, the Empress, who had been sitting in the cold, turned her head.

"It's quite cold today, why are you sitting here?"

She pointed to the blanket she had wrapped around her shoulders.

"I have this on."

Lionel, who was about to ask if she wasn't cold, instead looked in the direction Adel was looking.

"What were you looking at?"

Adel smiled and pointed to a large tree.

"There are squirrels living in that tree. They seem busy because it's winter."

Lionel quietly observed the tree Adel pointed to. Sure enough, small creatures were moving quickly. Lionel lowered his gaze and looked at Adel. She was smiling as she watched the squirrels.

"They seem busy."

"Right?"

"Yes."

Adel turned her head and spoke to him.

"Thank you. You must have been busy, going to the slums and then rushing here."

"No, I delivered essential items to each household as you instructed, and yesterday I met a boy and conveyed your message. The capital construction is scheduled to start next week."

As Adel smiled and stood up, the beautiful and elegant dress she had been hiding under the blanket was revealed. Lionel held his breath for a moment before carefully extending his hand to the goddess-like woman. Adel, looking at his large, firm hand, took it. Her small, white hand was surprisingly cold.

"Your hands are always cold."

Adel, without answering, bit her lips and composed her expression before taking a step forward.

"Let's go."

＊ ＊ ＊

Meanwhile, Dian, dressed in a beautiful green dress and waiting for the Emperor, was approached by a palace attendant. The Emperor, seemingly unwilling to come to the Ivory Palace himself, sent a message through the attendant, asking her to come to the Imperial Palace.

"...Okay. Should I go now?"

"Yes."

But as she stood up, her vision darkened, and her head spun. Dian, overwhelmed by dizziness, sat back down in the chair.

"Palace Master!"

"...Just a moment."

The attendant was surprised by Dian's drastically changed appearance. She was becoming more and more emaciated, and her once vibrant face was pale like a withered lily. As Dian regained her composure and stood up, Renox arrived. His animosity towards his younger sister had reached its peak, and he frowned as soon as he saw her face.

"What's wrong with your face?"

"..."

"Did you lose weight to fit into your dress?"

As Renox glanced up and down at Dian and spoke, the maids and attendants nearby pretended not to hear and turned their heads. Dian felt disillusioned but had no energy to be angry. She passed by Renox and said,

"Shouldn't you ask if a pregnant woman is suffering from morning sickness?"

She then coldly passed by her brother and went down the stairs. As she left the Ivory Palace, the cold wind pierced her. She habitually stroked her flat stomach as she crossed the gray, pale world. Anger is like fire; it needs something to burn. She had intended to burn the woman with the fire inside her, but Dian paused at an unexpected question.

'Morning sickness?'

It was the first time she had heard that term. Dian bit her lip and walked towards the Imperial Palace, eventually arriving at the garden. The Emperor, standing at the main gate of the palace, was as magnificent as ever. His beauty, which seemed not of this world, his great status and power. Dian loved him, admiring his cold and ruthless expression and his insensitive eyes like a sensitive wolf. When the Emperor saw her, he quickly descended the stairs, and Dian stopped where she was. Her heart, foolish as it was, still fluttered for him. On the other hand, Karl felt suffocated by her persistent gaze. There was no trace of her former charm in Dian's gaunt face and unusually large, bright eyes. The only reason he kept her in the Ivory Palace was because of the rumor that she was carrying his child. He also needed to keep her close to confirm something. Karl coldly passed by Dian and said,

"Follow me."

"Doesn't my appearance seem strange to you?"

At the low voice near his ear, Karl stopped. Dian, who had moved closer, looked up at him.

"Since I'm carrying Your Majesty's child, shouldn't you be curious why I look so emaciated?"

After a long pause, the Emperor said,

"If you need medicine, tell the physician."

"..."

He glanced at Dian, whose eyes were red, and then turned and walked away alone. Once, he thought this was love. By embracing the pitiful and wretched, he could temporarily forget the guilt that persistently tormented him. But how