Chapter 82

At the summons of Duke Baldur, many heads of noble families gathered at the public hall. The door to the secret meeting room in the basement of the public hall opened, and the summoned heads of families took their seats with serious expressions. Theseus stared intently at Lionel, who was sitting to his right. Lionel had convened the meeting, after all. The flickering lamplight in the dark basement cast long shadows on Lionel’s face. Some of the nobles sitting opposite each other exchanged glances, sensing his presence anew. Finally, Lionel, as if having finished his thoughts, spoke to Theseus.

“Shouldn’t we briefly explain ‘that matter’?”

‘That matter’ referred to Duke Despoina’s plan. Theseus pondered for a moment, then nodded, and Lionel, rising from his seat, brought a large map from one side and spread it out in the center of the table where the nobles were seated. The map had several points marked in a few colors. The nobles, who were initially puzzled, soon realized what the marks represented.

“...These must be the locations of the towers.”

Those who had been sitting in their chairs stood up one by one and leaned over the map.

“This black dot seems to be the current location of the tower. The blue dots are where the towers have descended but been destroyed. Here, there’s a blue dot in Vuita!”

“Then what about the red dots?”

The nobles tilted their heads in thought, but no answer came. At that moment, Lionel, who had been watching from the darkness, spoke.

“The final locations where the towers are intended to be built.”

Though the subject was omitted, all the nobles understood his words easily. They stared blankly at Lionel, then bit their lips hard and turned their gaze back to the map. No one spoke. They just glared at the map, which contained the past 14 years and the future to come. Their anger began to burn fiercely.

“What will happen if the tower is built here?”

Someone asked in a choked voice, and Lionel threw in the kindling.

“The entire empire will fall under the influence of the tower. Mages will be able to wield magic anywhere, but the dark forces will also be able to roam freely throughout the empire.”

The nobles' already burning anger exploded violently. Someone slammed the table and shouted.

“Is that even a reasonable thing to say?!!”

“Whose country will this be for?!!”

Lionel pointed to the map with his finger and said,

“All this information was provided by Her Majesty the Empress.”

“So, you’re trying to pin the blame on Her Majesty the Empress.”

“Let’s go to the palace right now!!”

“Wait. Since this is an informal trial, we don’t know what difficulties Her Majesty the Empress is facing. We should wait and watch the situation for now.”

As the nobles showed signs of rising up like a swarm of bees, Lionel, with a gleam in his eyes, calmly and coolly explained the current situation and what they needed to prepare for. It was a proactive stance, different from his usual role of supporting Theseus from behind.

“First, Her Majesty the Empress has promised to prepare evidence to back this up, so we should propose it as a formal agenda item at the council of ministers. The informal trial is likely to prevent Her Majesty the Empress from attending the council, so we should be prepared for the possibility that she won’t be able to attend.”

When Lionel finished speaking, Theseus, who had been silent until then, stood up.

“Regarding this map, we will spring it on them unexpectedly, so everyone must keep it secret.”

“Understood.”

“Now that we know the ultimate goal of Duke Despoina and His Majesty the Emperor, we can no longer remain silent if we want to protect Echmont. Everyone, go back and wait for the call.”

A short while later, the nobles left, and only Theseus and Lionel remained in the secret meeting room. Theseus sensed that Lionel had something else he wanted to say.

“What do you want to say, Lionel?”

Still, Lionel remained silent for a long time. How long did the silence last? Lionel suddenly spoke.

“The current heir to the throne is His Highness the Grand Duke.”

“...”

Though the words were brief and lacked context, their weight was immense. Theseus and Lionel looked at each other in silence. A fragile silence settled over the brothers. Knock, knock, knock. The sudden knock broke the icy silence. The brothers looked at the door at the same time, a sense of unease creeping over them. Lionel stood up.

“Come in.”

As Theseus gave his permission, the door opened cautiously. The person who entered was none other than the butler.

“What is it?”

As Lionel took a step forward and asked, the butler looked at him with a troubled expression.

“Butler!”

At Lionel’s urgent prompting, the butler sighed and spoke in a desolate voice.

“Her Majesty the Empress has been deposed.”

***

Duke Despoina was elated, spreading the news far and wide. When Lorraine heard the news, she rushed to Dian. Dian’s condition had been deteriorating day by day, and it seemed that the emperor’s favor had also waned. Lorraine had been planning to retire at an appropriate time, but the sudden news of the empress’s deposition changed her mind. If the empress was deposed, the next empress would naturally be Dian, who was pregnant with the heir. Lorraine took a deep breath in front of Dian’s bedroom and knocked on the door.

“Mistress, it’s Lorraine.”

“...”

But there was no response from inside.

“Mistress? Are you sleeping?”

Just as Lorraine was about to knock again, the door suddenly opened, and Dian, pale-faced, thrust her head out.

“M-Mistress!”

Lorraine was startled and stepped back. Dian’s face, thrust out, was ashen and ghostly. Dian spoke urgently.

“Send someone outside the palace to bring a midwife!”

“Pardon? A midwife?”

“I heard that midwives who care for commoners can also examine pregnant women. Go and bring a midwife with a lot of experience secretly. Right now!”

“Ah... Mistress, a retirement order has been issued, so no one can enter the palace.”

At her words, Dian reacted as if in a fit.

“The retirement order only applies to the nobles, not the servants. Hurry, it’s urgent!”

At Dian’s fierce command, Lorraine, looking flustered, bit her lip and nodded. She turned to leave but then remembered something and took a step closer to Dian, whispering.

“Her Majesty the Empress has been deposed.”

Lorraine subtly observed Dian’s expression, but strangely, Dian seemed uninterested in the good news, as if she hadn’t heard it. Dian, showing no particular reaction, wiped her face with her hand, closed the door, and disappeared. Lorraine, looking bewildered, stared at the door and muttered.

“...Why is she acting like that?”

Meanwhile, Dian, who had closed the door and entered the room, was breathing heavily and trembling. Though she had heard the shocking news of the empress’s deposition, the reality before her eyes was even more cruel, and she couldn’t even focus on it. She rushed to the fireplace and stared at the roaring flames with anxious eyes. The red fire was devouring a white cloth. When the fire didn’t catch quickly enough, Dian, growing anxious, pushed the cloth deeper into the flames with a poker. As a result, the neatly folded cloth unraveled, revealing the traces she had tried to hide. The white cloth was stained with dark red. Dian bit her lip and pushed the cloth further into the fire.

“Burn quickly, quickly...”

A short while later, the cloth was consumed by the flames, but the seed of anxiety that had taken root in Dian’s heart only grew larger, as if it were about to consume her entirely.

***

Meanwhile, the envoy to Gotrop was quickly assembled. Karl personally wrote a long letter to the Emperor of Gotrop. After writing the reasons for Empress Adelaide’s deposition and related details, he put down the pen and stamped the bottom. Duke Despoina, who had been watching with satisfaction, hid his smile and spoke in a feigned solemn tone.

“What a historic event, for an empress to be deposed for such reasons.”

Given the gravity of the matter, the envoy, carrying the emperor’s letter, quickly left, and Duke Despoina, feeling as light as air, personally escorted them to the front of the palace. Watching this from the window, Karl was approached by a secret agent who had investigated the former empress.

“Did you call for me, Your Majesty?”

Without even looking at him, the emperor spoke quickly.

“After the envoy boards the ship, kill them before they reach Gotrop. It will be easy to dispose of the evidence in the vast sea.”

“...Pardon?”

At the unexpected order, the secret agent’s eyes widened in surprise, and the emperor slowly turned to look at him. The darkness in his eyes was so intense that the secret agent felt cold sweat trickle down his back. The emperor spoke in a chilling voice.

“What I want is for the news of the empress’s deposition not to reach Gotrop.”

“...”

The secret agent was at a loss to understand the emperor’s intentions. To depose the empress through a trial and then prevent Gotrop from knowing about it?!

“However, Your Majesty, the news of the deposition will inevitably reach Gotrop. If we try to cover it up, it could cause serious problems...”

“That’s not your concern. Just do as I say and eliminate the envoy. Understand?”

The secret agent hesitated, unable to answer immediately, and Karl, with a fierce look, approached and grabbed his collar.

“Why, can’t you do it?!”

Facing the emperor, who was growling with his face close, the secret agent quickly shook his head.

“No, I will complete the mission, Your Majesty.”

“Make sure it’s done properly and without being detected.”

“Yes!”

Satisfied with the answer, Karl finally released him. The secret agent, with his hood pulled down, disappeared into the darkness, and Karl turned his gaze back to the window. In the distance, the roof of the empress’s palace was visible. His heart was pounding violently. His clenched fists were drenched in sweat, and his back was soaked with cold sweat. Karl clenched his teeth and leaned his head against the window.

‘No, I won’t do it.’

Recalling Adele’s empty face as she rejected his proposal, he felt like he was going mad. It was strange. He had intended to push Adele into the abyss, but why was he the one struggling in the abyss?