Chapter 86

Adele stared at him without blinking. Her golden eyes trembled slightly. Asking for her life? What did that mean? Adele's gaze slowly slid down from Lionel's face to his kneeling knees. The Duke of Herbert, the head of the Herbert family, the Captain of the Royal Guard. Recalling the illustrious titles that adorned him, Adele spoke softly to Lionel.

"Rise."

"..."

"I offered you my life. I don't understand what that means, but I am no longer the Empress, and you are no longer my advisor. Get up and leave."

But Lionel remained kneeling, only looking at her. Adele turned away and spoke coldly.

"And do not come to me again."

"Please, look at me."

"Your honor will be tarnished."

What honor! In response to Adele's cold words, Lionel raised his voice.

"Honor is of no importance. Please, look at me."

Adele slowly turned to look at him, his reddened eyes appearing defenseless like tender flesh.

"Then what will you do?"

"..."

"Will you return to Gotrop? Or do you hope for a restoration? What do you plan to do here, waiting for death?"

Faced with her relentless questions, Adele wanted to block her ears. Her head ached as if it would split open. She bit her teeth hard.

"Enough."

Adele was prepared to do anything at her command, but this time, even Lionel did not stop.

"What do you most want to do right now?"

Adele's eyebrows twitched as she frowned at the sudden question. What did she most want to do?

"Honor, beliefs, and duties that once weighed heavily on you have all been swept away. You don't need to worry about such things. Think about what you most want to do right now."

"If I tell you."

"I will listen."

"Do you know what I will say?"

"It doesn't matter what it is."

"If I say I want to die, will you listen to that too?"

A tear silently rolled down Lionel's dry eyes, wetting his chin and falling onto his hand. Despite his pained expression, he nodded.

"I will."

"..."

"Tell me. What do you most want to do right now?"

In the midst of thick fog and suffocating darkness, how could she refuse the hand extended to her, who had endured the darkness alone? Finally, Adele, for the first time in her life, spoke irresponsibly.

"I can't stay here anymore."

As soon as her words fell, Lionel, as if he had been waiting, stood up and answered without hesitation.

"Understood."

＊＊＊

Meanwhile, at that moment, Karl was rushing to the Empress's palace like a furious beast.

"Lord Lionel Herbert has entered the palace."

Despite the ban on entering the palace, Lionel Herbert had managed to enter. Where could that damn son be? As expected, when he reached the entrance of the Empress's palace, Lionel Herbert appeared. The Emperor, blinded by the morning sun, stopped and glared at the neatly dressed man as if he wanted to tear him apart. The two men faced each other across the path.

Lionel, who did not avoid the Emperor's gaze, began to walk step by step. His dark blue eyes burned, and his clenched fists tightened. The Emperor, who had everything in his hands, did not know how to value it. While someone was willing to dedicate everything to fulfill a necessary task, the Emperor was only obsessed with maintaining his position, refusing to fulfill any duty. Now, Lionel intended to hold this irresponsible and cowardly man accountable.

"Lionel Herbert. How dare you ignore the ban and enter the palace?"

The Emperor growled, but Lionel only looked at him coldly and expressionlessly.

"I apologize for not following the order due to not receiving it. But what is the reason?"

"What? Reason?"

Karl's brows furrowed in anger.

"Every order must have a valid reason, Your Majesty."

Lionel's bold words made Karl's anger explode. He wanted to tear the man in front of him apart right now.

'It's because everyone ignores Your Majesty.'

The voice of the Duke of Despoina echoed in his ears. The Emperor, approaching Lionel viciously, stood so close that their noses almost touched and growled fiercely.

"Take your eyes off my Empress."

Lionel barely suppressed his rising anger. What? 'My Empress'?! It was an absurd title for the one who had been cast into the abyss by this man.

"She is mine. Never look at her again."

Lionel's eyes turned cold at the Emperor's threat. What was the Emperor thinking when he deposed the Empress?

'I can't stay here anymore.'

Recalling Adele's voice, Lionel made a deep resolve. He would never leave her in the Emperor's hands again. He took a step back and spoke firmly.

"She is now the Princess of Gotrop."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Karl grabbed Lionel's collar.

"Your Majesty!"

The attendants tried to stop the enraged Emperor, but in vain. The Emperor tightened his grip on Lionel's neck.

"Do you think I don't know how you look at her? You are the one who caused this situation."

How despicable and base. Lionel felt deep disillusionment with the Emperor. For such a man, that noble lady had to endure such humiliation. Feeling that even answering was meaningless, Lionel remained silent. Karl released him with a push.

"Lionel Herbert. From this moment, you are not allowed to set foot in the Empress's palace. This is different from the ban on entering the palace, so be careful."

With those words, he turned and walked away. As he moved further away, Karl's resolve deepened. He would definitely kill that damn son. And as the Emperor moved further away, Lionel's resolve also hardened. He would hold this man accountable for his failure to fulfill any duty. He would never let him hurt her again.

＊＊＊

"The Emperor and the Duke of Despoina are neglecting the towers to strengthen their power by placing the entire Echmont region under the influence of the towers."

"The real reason the Empress was deposed is that she declared she would destroy all the towers in Echmont within two years."

The impact of the rumors spread by the House of Baldr and their allies was enormous. The Empress was deposed. This unprecedented event was already shocking, but the deposed Empress was an outstanding magician who had declared she would destroy all the towers in Echmont within two years. With the added suspicion about the towers, the rumors spread like wildfire.

"Damn it. My family was wiped out by the monsters because of the Emperor and the Duke of Despoina's greed."

"How could such a benevolent Empress, who cared for the people on the border, suffer such humiliation!"

"If the entire Echmont region falls under the influence of the towers, the monsters will become even more rampant. Does that mean we will all die!"

The suffering caused by the towers affected both commoners and nobles alike. The rumors, fueled by anger, spread uncontrollably, and the entire capital was in turmoil in no time.

＊＊＊

Lionel moved at a terrifying speed. First, he sent a letter to Brunhild Alexa, instructing her to stay safe with the worried colleagues and observe the situation. He closely monitored the spread of rumors in the capital, gauged public sentiment, and dispatched people to spread the rumors outside the capital. After handling everything as if he had been preparing for this, he headed straight for the House of Baldr. Tesseus and Elisabeth, who were having a serious discussion in the study, were momentarily speechless at Lionel's entrance. His wild and determined presence, like a soldier about to go to war, overwhelmed them. Whatever decision he had made, his firm gaze and sharp eyes were as solid as a diamond. Lionel bowed respectfully to the two and immediately reported on several matters.

"The rumors are spreading rapidly as expected. I have also dispatched people outside the capital, so soon no one in Echmont will be unaware of these rumors."

Elisabeth inwardly marveled at Lionel's relentless drive. If the rumors indeed engulfed Echmont, the Duke of Despoina and the Emperor would have no choice but to step back. Although Adele's sudden deposition was a painful loss, the hope of turning the tide was still alive. However, Lionel's business was not over.

"Is this something I should not take?"

"No, I need this to feel at ease."

That day, in the Empress's palace, Adele had refused his request to take the death in her delicate hands. The thought of the dark blue liquid in the small vial made Lionel's heart plummet.

"I can't stay here anymore."

The pale, despondent face that seemed about to fade away lingered in his mind. Never again, never again would he let anything hurt her, even if it meant defying the Emperor. After a moment of silence, he spoke again.

"I intend to take Princess Adelaide to the Herbert Manor for a while."

His firm voice was not a report but a declaration.