Chapter 95

Karl passed through the grand gates of the stately mansion without hesitation, then turned his head toward the rapidly echoing footsteps. Lionel, the owner of the mansion, was descending the stairs. Seeing him, a surge of anger rose from Karl’s gut. He wanted to brutally kill the man right then and there. Even the attendants who had followed the emperor, intimidated by his fierce aura, took a step back. Karl glared at Lionel and ordered the butler of the mansion.

"Take me to the room where Princess Adel is staying."

Even if he were the emperor, to visit without notice at this hour and demand to be taken to the room of a foreign princess? The butler looked at his master with a troubled expression, and Lionel, who had already approached, gave a light bow to the emperor and said firmly.

"What brings you here at this hour before dawn? Please, let me show you to the reception room."

"Take me to where she is."

"That is not possible."

The enraged emperor grabbed Lionel by the collar. Everyone around gasped in shock, but Lionel’s expression did not change at all.

"How dare you hide that woman in your house? You can’t do this to me!!"

"Your Majesty, there are many eyes watching. Maintain your dignity."

"What?!!!"

His eyes bloodshot, his face filled with ferocity, the emperor was a complete mess. At that moment, a clear voice cut through the tension between Lionel and Karl.

"Did you come looking for me?"

Karl slowly turned his head at the cool, low voice. Adel stood at the bottom of the stairs, looking at him. The grip on Lionel’s collar gradually loosened. Karl moved toward her, limping past Lionel.

"Do you have something to say to me?"

As he climbed the stairs halfway, Karl noticed two unfamiliar men standing behind Adel, whom he thought was alone. He stopped and stared at them. Dressed in exotic attire, they were undoubtedly from Gothrop. Cain and Ghibellin looked at the ferocious emperor with stern faces and stepped forward to guard Adel on either side. Karl took a deep, trembling breath and continued up the stairs. As the cold expression drew closer, his heart grew increasingly anxious. Forgetting where he was, Karl spoke to Adel in a trembling voice.

"I... I, I was wrong."

"I regret deposing you. I was wrong, so please, please come back to me."

Many people watching the emperor sighed silently. Adel answered immediately after his words.

"I have accepted my deposition. The reasons for my deposition were just and left no room for argument. Therefore, Your Majesty has no reason to regret it."

"No, please, don’t say that... I will do whatever you ask..."

"Emperor Echmont."

The endless obsession of the man before her was nauseating. His words and actions were more like those of a child throwing a tantrum over a lost toy than those of an imperial ruler. Moreover, this was not a closed space; the attendants who had followed the emperor and the servants of the mansion were watching with bated breath. To Adel, who had lived her life with the pride of a royal, it was a pitiful sight.

"I have accepted my punishment and am no longer the Empress of Echmont. I have no reason to see Emperor Echmont. This is the last time, so do not come looking for me again."

Adel turned away, putting a final period to their relationship, leaving no trace of lingering attachment. Though it was a blatant act of rudeness, no one could criticize her since the emperor had been the one to break protocol first. As Adel walked away without looking back, Karl’s face contorted, and he called out to her.

"Adelaide!!!"

Just as he was about to chase after her, Cain and Ghibellin blocked his path. Karl glared at them with furious eyes and gritted his teeth.

"Move aside now!"

"I am Cain Lux, the head of the Gothrop Lux family. The lady is the Princess of Gothrop, and as her subject, I have the duty to protect her. Therefore, I cannot move aside."

"Move aside now!!!"

"I cannot move aside."

Feeling the imposing aura from Cain and Ghibellin, Karl took a step back and watched Adel’s retreating figure with bloodshot eyes. She never once looked back. Ah, it’s really over. The real end of their relationship. A deathly despair spread through him like poison. Karl staggered and slowly collapsed to the ground.

"Your Majesty!!"

The attendants who had followed him rushed up the stairs to help the emperor to his feet, but Karl’s gaze remained fixed on the spot where Adel had disappeared.

"Adelaide!!!!"

His scream shook the mansion. Lionel, watching Karl’s collapse, calmly reviewed the revolution he planned to carry out. Karl Ulrich was no longer the emperor. He could no longer entrust Echmont to a man who was unfit to lead a family. ＊ ＊ ＊ Meanwhile, Elisabeth stayed up all night reviewing documents. In just two days, over 70% of the capital’s nobles had joined her, and all the knight families had responded. The long-suppressed anger was erupting, spreading faster than a wildfire. Elisabeth set the coup for two days later, on the day of the council meeting. Brunhild Alexa, introduced by Lionel, had assured her that the tower would soon come down, so there was no reason to delay the plan. Soon, the documents bearing her seal would be delivered to Duke Baldur and the nobles. This would be crossing a point of no return. While preparing for the revolution as suggested by Lionel, Elisabeth’s mind occasionally wandered to the lonely boy left behind. Was Karl being manipulated by Duke Despoina really her fault? The guilt of knowing her half-brother was being mistreated by her mother but pretending not to know gnawed at her heart. After a sleepless night of contemplation, Elisabeth headed to the palace early in the morning. She wanted to confirm one last time before proceeding with the coup. Despite the early hour, the palace guard opened the gate for her. Elisabeth strode through the pale palace. As she approached the emperor’s quarters, her steps gradually slowed. The image of the boy standing alone at the palace entrance came to mind. However, she steeled herself and continued walking. To her surprise, she met the emperor quickly. He was sitting motionless in his office, still in the clothes he had worn to visit Duke Herbert’s mansion in the early morning. Elisabeth’s breath caught at the sight of the emperor’s disheveled state.

"Your Majesty."

His clouded eyes seemed to lack the dignity and authority of an emperor.

"Why are you like this?"

"..."

"Your Majesty!"

Elisabeth raised her voice, trying to snap him out of it. The emperor suddenly gave an order.

"I will give this position to my sister, but bring me Adelaide."

Despite coming with a sense of finality and lingering guilt from her childhood, Elisabeth’s brow furrowed.

"Did you depose her with your own hands?"

"Because she kept pushing me away, I wanted to show her that without me, she would fall into an abyss..."

Elisabeth’s eyes flashed with anger.

'How can an emperor be like this! To have served such a man as emperor all this time?!'

Elisabeth took a deep breath and spoke firmly.

"Duke Despoina cares only for his own interests, not the empire. He plans to build towers across the empire. Your Majesty’s people are suffering daily because of his greed..."

"Bring me Adelaide, and I will do whatever you ask."

Elisabeth suppressed her anger and continued.

"Because of his greed, your people are withering away daily..."

"Bring me Adelaide."

"Your Majesty, what is Echmont to you?"

"..."

Elisabeth said no more. Tears streamed down her face as she stared blankly at the emperor. She had come to see the boy’s shadow, but his soul was already broken beyond repair. She slowly stood up and turned away. The guilt and sorrow in her eyes gradually faded as she walked, and her resolve hardened. At the entrance of the emperor’s quarters, the past lingered. The boy’s eyes, looking up at her, were filled with sadness. Elisabeth whispered to herself as she faced the boy.

"I’m sorry. And I’m sorry."

But I can’t just stand by anymore because I’m sorry. As her eyes hardened, the boy’s face gradually blurred and disappeared. She pushed open the door and stormed out. ＊ ＊ ＊ Dian spent the night fussing over the child’s clothes. Even though the child had never existed, the sense of loss was overwhelming. The lack of someone to share this intense grief further tormented her. She fell into a deep, unconscious sleep in the early morning and woke up to find Loreine gone. Along with her jewels. Their years of relationship amounted to this.

"Haha..."

Dian burst into hollow laughter.

"Right, you’re not the only one. To that person, this ivory palace was a trash can... You’re better off, Loreine."

She had no energy left to seek out and punish Loreine, nor did she feel the need. Dian lay alone on the bed. Lying there, she quietly hummed an old song her mother used to sing. She couldn’t remember her mother’s face, but strangely, her voice lingered in her memory.

'Did our daughter sleep well?'

I must have been loved.

'I love you.'

No, I was loved. Tears she thought had dried up overflowed and trickled into her ears. The humming stopped abruptly. As Renox had said, would her life have been different if her parents were still alive? She didn’t know. But...

Wouldn’t it have been better than now? Even as she was dying from the monster’s attack, her father shouted at her.

'Run!'

Only then did Dian feel guilt for the first time.

"...For the life you saved... I treated it so cheaply. I’m sorry."

I, your daughter, could never be lowly. If I had loved myself a little more, if I had cherished myself more...

"I wouldn’t have come to this."

So...

"I can’t forgive you. I just can’t."

Dian got up and took two small vials from the safe. Her gaze on the vials was eerily calm.