Chapter 88

Adele's belongings were really nothing much. Most of what she had brought to Ehmont was a dowry, and the personal items she had brought were only a small emergency fund and a few things. The dresses in the wardrobe were mostly formal, so there was no reason to take them, and the same went for various pieces of jewelry. Even though the people Lionel had secretly sent had moved most of her things to the Duke's residence, the Empress's bedroom still seemed full. Despite the Empress's attempts to dissuade her, Lady Gix insisted on serving her and left to gather her own belongings. In a simple dress, Adele took a moment to look around the Empress's room. She examined it very slowly, as if to see if there was any small attachment left, but no matter how many times she looked, there was nothing more to take or leave.

‘Oh, it’s really nothing much.’

The thought made her heart surprisingly light. Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps was heard, and the door burst open. There was only one person who could open her door so rudely. His blond hair was all tousled from running so frantically, and his face seemed pale. With his sharp, decadent purple eyes, he glared at Adele. The Emperor, who had been scanning Adele's outfit from head to toe, clenched his teeth.

“Where are you going?”

His eyes seemed to want to devour her. As Adele turned away and took firm steps, the Emperor blocked her path and growled, stepping closer.

“Ask? Where are you going?”

Adele's golden eyes shot back at him defiantly. No matter what, those intense eyes were impossible to grasp. The Emperor wanted to confine her, to bind and possess her, even if it meant confining her.

“……”

But she took a step back from him, as if she didn't want to answer, and moved toward the door again. The Emperor firmly grabbed her shoulder and turned her around. He knew how much she hated this, but he knew no other way. As expected, Adele roughly pushed his hand away. The two of them glared at each other with bloodshot eyes, standing in a tense standoff. They took a step back from each other, and the Emperor, feeling a chill run through his body, finally asked what he had been wanting to know.

“Are you really going to him?”

“……”

“Are you really going to Lionel Valdor?!!!”

Despite the Emperor's desperate cry, Adele's expression became even colder. He, in the end, didn't understand the most important thing. Or perhaps it was because what each of them considered important was different.

“Does it matter where I’m going?”

“……”

“No. What matters to me now is that I can no longer bear to be by your side.”

“Where else would my Empress be if not by my side?!”

Even though he had deposed her with his own hands, the Emperor screamed in front of her. He had deposed Adelaide from the position of Empress to show that the only place for her was by his side. If she was pushed to the brink, the only person she would reach out to would be the Emperor. But what was this? Adele read the despair in Karl's eyes and, seeing his proud face crumble, said something very cruel.

“Empress? After you deposed me?”

Karl was speechless at her accusation. Adele, with a calm gaze and no trace of a smile, whispered to him.

“Actually, it’s for the best.”

The Empress, looking as if she had shrugged off something, made Karl's whole body tremble. Enough. Don't say any more. He wanted to kneel before her and beg, but Adele didn't give him the chance.

“I would have said this eventually, even if I hadn't been deposed.”

“……Stop.”

For the first time, she showed him the crescent moon-like, captivating smile he had always longed for.

“I’m going to abandon your side.”

The Emperor looked at Adele with a face that seemed about to collapse. But Adele felt no sympathy. Because he would, in the end, not abandon his ways, even with that face. As expected, Karl, with bloodshot eyes, screamed.

“No!! You can’t do that. The only place for you is by my side. I will do whatever it takes to put you back by my side. You are my Empress!!!”

To the man who dared to mention the title of Empress, Adele firmly drove the point home.

“I will abandon the position of Empress. I can no longer bear it.”

Karl, with a face that seemed about to collapse, desperately said,

“Correct your mistake now. I will reinstate you if you acknowledge and correct your mistake!”

“No.”

“……”

“I will never stand by your side again.”

Adele's words, sharp as a blade, cruelly pierced Karl's heart. The pain was so intense that he couldn't even breathe. Karl, watching Adele brush past him and walk toward the door with bloodshot eyes, finally managed to speak.

“Lionel Herbert, I will kill him.”

Adele, who didn't want to hear that curse-like voice, had no choice but to stop. Karl, glaring at her back, continued.

“I am the Emperor, and he is my subject, so it’s possible. I will send him to the most wicked place, where he cannot possibly survive. If he returns alive, I will send him again, and if he returns alive, I will send him again. I will do this until he finally dies.”

Adele's lips trembled.

“If you are by that brat’s side, I will definitely do this. If you leave now, not only will his honor be ruined, but his life will be taken as well.”

A cold, steel-like chill pierced Adele's heart. Her face contorted, but fortunately, the Emperor behind her didn't see it. Adele took a deep breath and took another step forward, never looking back.

***

Adele left the Empress's palace. Despite having thrown away everything she had as Empress, she felt as if she could finally breathe once she was out. She panted, her chest heaving. It was an unusually cold day. Lady Gix, who had followed her out, quickly draped a thick coat over Adele's shoulders. Adele walked silently with Lady Gix on the desolate gray path. Life led her to an unknown place, and the future ahead was unpredictable. Fear crept up her throat, making her feel as if she were submerged in deep water, suffocating and heavy. She walked this heavy path, and eventually, a fork in the road appeared. As she mechanically turned, a gust of wind blew. She stood there, lost for words, staring blankly ahead. A deep feeling welled up inside her, and her eyes grew hot.

“……Ah.”

On the long and miserable path of her departure, many knights in full regalia lined up to see her off. It was a truly grand sight. Even the nobles, who had been angrily fidgeting at the knights' piercing presence, fell silent. Henri Jacque, who was at the front, took a step forward and bowed deeply to Adele. Adele, with bloodshot eyes, watched him, then took off the coat on her shoulders and handed it to Lady Gix. She took a deep breath, straightened her back, and took a step forward. The knights saluted her in unison, matching her steps. It was a sign of respect for a pioneer who had thrown a powerful question at a skewed and stagnant board, and a warm support for a comrade who, though only for a short time, had fought alongside them and valued their lives. No one questioned the knights' salute to the deposed Empress. Many servants and maids, from a distance, also bowed their heads. When she finally reached the main gate of the palace, the massive doors slowly opened. It felt as if a brilliant light was pouring through the gate, as if it had torn through the oppressive darkness. And at the center of that light, he stood. Adele quietly reflected on when she had come to Ehmont. It was when autumn was just catching the tail end of summer. The warm wind carried a pleasant coolness, and the lush green trees were preparing to change into their fine autumn attire. But to her, Ehmont was always winter. Or, upon reflection, not just Ehmont, but Adele's world was always winter. No matter how much she wrapped herself up, the cold wind always found its way into her embrace, chilling her fingertips. She never developed a resistance to that cold. That's why she liked spring. Watching the delicate things that overcame the harsh winter dye the world green gave her a futile hope that her life might one day be like that. Her life was so extravagantly futile. She had to carry a glass of death in a luxurious bottle in her heart to feel at ease, but at the same time, she wanted to discard it, something that was so much like her life. She didn't want to live with futility in her heart. She didn't want to caress death. That's why, perhaps, she kept tearing up when she saw him. He smiled at her tenderly, like a spring breeze in a desolate winter, like a delicate sprout. And at this moment, she looked at his firm hand extended toward her, unwavering amidst countless complex gazes. Lionel whispered softly.

“Don’t think about anything else. Just take it.”

Adele slowly lifted her head and looked into his eyes. In his deep blue eyes, filled only with her, there was not a trace of fear or conflict. She carefully took his outstretched hand.

***

The large, firm hand was so warm. As the warmth spread through her cold, numb hand, she felt a sense of drowsiness.