Chapter 90

In the dark night, amidst the raging storm, Karl burst out of the imperial palace, his attendants trailing behind him with quick steps, but they could not keep up with the emperor's rough strides. The place he headed was none other than the empress's palace.

"Do not follow me in."

At the emperor's warning, the attendants dared not retort and merely bowed their heads. The emperor pushed open the main gate of the empress's palace. The palace, bereft of its mistress, exuded a gloomy atmosphere overnight. He entered the palace without a single lamp, relying only on the moonlight, and strode up the stairs to the room she used.

"……"

However, unlike his rough manner of opening the door, he could not easily step into the room. It was due to the sweet scent of spring flowers that suddenly filled the air. He slowly turned his head and scanned the room. Despite being without its mistress, everything was perfectly in place. The small table clock still ticked, and the various fine objects were in their places. Only the woman was missing. Karl slowly entered the room, his brows furrowed, and headed towards the dressing room attached to the bedroom. The dressing room was neatly organized with countless dresses, and various jewelry was similarly arranged. Karl's eyes turned bloodshot. He panted heavily and began to search the room. As time passed, the strength in his fingertips weakened. After checking the bedside table, he slowly sank to the floor, leaning against the bed. Tears traced a path down his cheeks.

"……You didn't take anything."

As Empress of Echmont, she did not even take a single quill pen.

'I will abandon the position of empress.'

"Ah… No…"

It was he who deposed her, but truly, it was she who abandoned the position and him.

"No, no… Come back…"

Karl repeated these words in a daze, crying endlessly. He had been confident that she could endure the humiliation of being deposed, but it was all a miscalculation. If he had known, he would never have resorted to such an extreme measure. She had really left everything behind. If he had kept her bound to the position of empress, there would have been more opportunities to reach out to her. If he had confined her existence within the title of empress… How could he reclaim her? The envoy to Gotrop would not be able to announce her deposition, so there was still about four to five months to turn things around.

"Until then, somehow…"

But soon his face contorted in despair. Within that time, he had no idea how to win back her heart. The broken moonlight through the window pierced his skin like glass, leaving a raw wound in his heart. He clutched his chest under the pale, blue moonlight, endlessly regretting.

"Come back, please… Adelaide."

＊＊＊

Adel, who had fainted and fallen into a deep sleep, woke up. She slowly blinked and looked at the unfamiliar ceiling, finally regaining her senses. She sat up and slowly looked around. The warm and cozy room, with the sound of logs crackling. This must be Lionel's house. How much time had passed? Adel got out of bed and cautiously opened the curtains. The darkness had settled outside the window. She gazed at her reflection in the window for a while before closing the curtains. Waking up from a death-like sleep, she was once again overwhelmed by the harsh reality. Whether she sat or stood, she could not escape the weight of reality pressing down on her. The emptiness in her heart expanded endlessly, as if it would burst. Adel opened her eyes wide, gritted her teeth, and thought desperately. What could she do right now? To forget the emptiness, she needed something to focus on, and fortunately, she had something to do. She lit the lamps around the room and sat at the desk. The drawer was neatly stocked with paper, pen, and ink. She began to write something on the white paper without hesitation. It was the magical knowledge she knew.

＊＊＊

The essence of the documents Lionel handed to Theseus and Elizabeth was a revolution and a rebellion. The current Echmont Empire was like a powder keg ready to explode. The emperor and the Duke of Despoina had maintained it by force and fear. The Duke of Despoina might think that removing the empress, the spark, would quell the situation, but in reality, it would have exploded eventually, regardless of her. In the short period after the empress was deposed and left the palace, countless noble families had joined Lionel's plan and sent their seals of support. Thanks to this, they had built a force to oppose the Duke of Despoina and the emperor, but the most crucial part of this plan was how to control the Mage Corps. Fortunately, the top striker, Brunhild Alexa, had taken Lionel's hand. Brunhild's red eyes trembled slightly. Lionel spoke to her.

"The variable is the mages loyal to the Duke of Despoina. Can you help us distinguish between those we can recruit and those we cannot?"

Brunhild pondered for a moment and nodded.

"Currently, mages cannot use their magic in the capital. But if a tower is built near the capital, allowing mages to use their magic, this plan will be completely nullified."

The moment mages can freely use their magic, the power gap between knights and mages will become immeasurable.

"The Duke of Despoina destroyed the tower in Vieta because he wanted a larger tower in the capital. The possibility of a large tower being built in the capital is very high. Therefore, this plan must be executed swiftly to have any chance of success."

The reason for destroying the lower tower that came down to the palace was to bring down a more powerful large tower. Of course, the location of the tower was also an issue. Lionel nodded cautiously. Brunhild then distinguished the mages of the Mage Corps and handed him a list. The task of recruiting noble families to join this cause was taken by Theseus, while recruiting knights was naturally led by Lionel, their leader. In fact, there was no need for separate recruitment. The knights, who had been unjustly oppressed by the mages, were like starving beasts. When Lionel told Henri Jacal about this, he immediately responded:

'I have been waiting for this.'

While the emperor was immersed in his suffering and the Duke of Despoina was overwhelmed by the nobles' protests, Lionel prepared everything step by step. Adelaide could not return to Gotrop. Could she live in Echmont, where Karl Ulrich ruled as emperor? He would certainly create a place where she could live comfortably. Around this time, the butler of the viscount's residence brought Lionel news that she had awakened.

＊＊＊

Lionel rushed to the viscount's residence. His body was heavy from not sleeping well for days, but his mind was clear. As soon as he entered the main garden, his gaze was drawn to one place. A faint light was leaking from the window of the room where Adel was staying. He watched the light for a while. Even while moving and meeting people, Lionel's heart had not strayed from that room. The demon in his heart was elated just by her presence. Lionel hesitated in the cold garden for a long time before slowly moving forward. His heart pounded with each step up the stairs and down the corridor. When he finally reached the corridor where Adel's room was, he met Mrs. Gix, who had just finished checking on her. The old lady, who had been staring at Lionel in the darkness, approached him and whispered:

"You may seem strong, but you are actually very delicate."

Mrs. Gix, who had long realized that the man in front of her loved Adel, spoke sincerely.

"Even now, you are pretending to be fine, but she is writing something, as if she cannot bear it without focusing on something."

"……"

"Even if everything seems to be falling apart, life always has a place to retreat. Please tell her that. I think your words will be more effective than mine, so I humbly request it."

Lionel clenched his teeth and nodded, and Mrs. Gix bowed politely and stepped aside. Lionel moved towards the room where Adel was staying. He straightened his clothes, took a deep breath, and finally knocked on the door gently.

"……"

A moment that felt like an eternity stretched out. Just as he swallowed hard, a low voice came from behind the door.

"Come in."

Lionel wiped his damp hands on his clothes and slowly opened the door. The dim room was bathed in a golden-red light, and in the center of that light, she was there. She seemed to have been writing something at the desk, as papers were neatly arranged around her. The air in the room was warm and carried her scent. Her eyes widened in surprise at the sight of Lionel entering. Lionel stood by the door, hesitated, and then spoke.

"May I come in for a moment?"

Adel, who had been staring at him in a daze, slowly nodded.

"Come in."

He looked as if he had just returned from an outing. The man's face was filled with fatigue. When he stopped by the desk, Adel put down the pen she was holding. Lionel looked at the papers on the desk and spoke.

"You haven't been sleeping."

"I woke up after a long sleep and couldn't fall back asleep."

"What is all this?"

"I was organizing what I know."

"……"

Lionel looked at the papers for a long time, his expression unreadable. The light flickered, casting a long shadow from his nose. Adel held her breath, looking at his face, then lowered her gaze. She picked up the pen again.

"Where have you been?"

"……Didn't you say you would create a better world?"

A beat later, his voice came, and Adel looked up again.

"I intend to hold you accountable."

The meaning behind his words was bold and dangerous. His deep, dark blue eyes seemed to sink into an endless abyss.

"And I will correct what has been wrong, as you said, to create a better world."

'And in that world, I want to reach out to you.'

Swallowing his true feelings, Lionel smiled lightly.

"That's why I had a lot to do. I spread rumors about the tower, and the nobles began to rise up. The fear that their territories might become wastelands eventually erupted.'

"Ah, those rumors… I suspected, but it was indeed the viscount who spread them."

"More like the truth, isn't it? And today, I met Brunhild Alexa."

At this, Adel's expression hardened.

"Finish what you were doing. I'll wait."

Lionel asked for her understanding and sat on the nearby sofa. Adel watched him sit down and bit her lip. The thought of telling him to rest because he looked tired kept circling in her mind but did not come out. In the darkness, the silence was suffocating. Despite focusing on writing, time seemed to move cruelly slow. But just having him in the same space made her feel as if she could breathe again. Adel tilted her head, dipped her pen in ink, and looked down at the paper.

'Where did I leave off…'

She had been writing well, but she had to reread what she had written before continuing. Lionel watched her intently from the sofa. Her posture was elegant and beautiful as she wrote, her black hair flowing over her ear, her lips pursed. The path he had chosen was uncertain and perilous, with no clear direction. He was running towards a faint, vague hope, like a dreamer chasing an illusion. Someday, when everything is perfect, will you stand by my side? If I reach out my hand… will you take it? A princess of the Gotrop Empire, to a mere viscount of Echmont… Is that possible? Lionel took a deep breath and closed his dry eyes. The sound of logs crackling, the scratching of the pen, the turning of the pages, and her breathing filled the air. Counting these sounds, Lionel eventually fell asleep.

＊＊＊

The black ink hanging from the tip of the quill fell onto the paper, leaving a round mark. Adel shook her head slightly, placed the quill back in the holder, and pressed the stained paper with a cloth. Despite this, her nerves were acutely focused on one thing. She tried to finish what she was writing but could not continue. Adel turned her head unconsciously to look at him.

"……"

Her tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed. The tension in her shoulders and back also eased.

"Viscount Herbert."

Adel called him softly.

"……"

"……Lionel."

"……"

But there was no response from the man, who was sound asleep, leaning against the back of the sofa. Adel tilted her head and took him in.

"Lionel."

Words became magic when they carried a soul. Was it because she had become as weak as possible? Was it because he was the only one she could call by name in a cruel place where no one reached out to her? The name she murmured was etched in her heart, and he had become a source of comfort to her. Adel rose from her seat as if in a trance and slowly approached him. With each step, a wave of emotion rippled through her. Her shadow washed over Lionel's feet, then his shoulders, neck, lips, nose, forehead, and finally his entire being. They were so close that their knees almost touched. Adel slowly bent her knees and looked directly at his face. It seemed as if her shadow had consumed him, but it was she who was drenched. His handsome brows, sharp nose, philtrum, lips, and chin… Adel traced his face slowly, as if imprinting it in her memory.

'Adel.'

The hallucination she heard in her dream echoed in her ears again. Adel, recalling his gentle voice, finally fully accepted her deposition. And she acknowledged her feelings.

'I love you.'

And at that moment, the man's tightly closed eyelids suddenly opened, revealing his deep blue eyes.