Chapter 50

"What if I want to make it mine so badly that I can't control myself?"

He imagines it dozens of times a day. Even if Balzac were to run for four days straight, he imagines himself sprinting to her and heading straight for her. Imagining holding her in his arms, kissing her, and pressing his lips to her pale, slender neck. Even when he tries to stop, his mind is already wandering to Freida. What does she truly want to do? Turn the duchy into a livable place? If that's what it takes, he can do it. It doesn't matter how much gold it costs. He would empty the treasury of Mühheim Castle and exhaust the gold mines of Mount Laphas if necessary. But a child? What is she planning to do by having a child? Why... why does she desire something he can't give her?

"Even if she were to have a child, do you think the Empress Dowager would let it be?"

Absolutely not. No matter what, she is a woman who would never let Freida go unharmed. The Empress Dowager, who knows better than anyone where the misfortune of the Svergen Empire began, would never let Daniel's child be. Daniel has seen countless schemes orchestrated by the Empress Dowager to suppress the noble forces that weaken the imperial authority. She secretly funded rebels, and when they gathered enough strength to rise, she sent Daniel to sweep them away in one fell swoop. They died without even realizing they had been deceived.

"Then what about me? Do I have to sit quietly and bow before her again this time?"

No. He doesn't want to anymore. Hasn't he lived enough to please others? How much more penance does he have to pay?

"No. I won't stand it anymore. I'll make sure that woman never touches what's mine again."

Dominic quickly looked around. Fortunately, Daniel's deep voice was drowned out by the loud sounds of the mountain beasts and didn't spread. However, the aura he was giving off was not ordinary. Daniel, who usually controls himself to the point of being stifling, becomes uncontrollable once he explodes. He must be calmed down. At all costs.

"Calm down, Daniel. Please, take a deep breath. Nothing has happened yet, why are you like this?"

The skill of calming Daniel was his father's forte. Dominic suddenly missed his father very much. Daniel, who had been staring at the burning flames, spoke in a low, ominous, and calm voice that felt devoid of even the smallest lie.

"Try touching it. This time, I'll drag you down to hell with me."

***

Cruel. Stingy. Ruthless. Seeing the Earl of Chamberlain appear with a cane, Leopold fell into deep thought about what expression would best suit his mother, who was staying at Schendal Castle. Could she have had some hidden feelings for this old man? Was this her way of making him suffer a bit? Otherwise, why would she send this old man, who can barely walk, all the way here?

"It must have been hard for you, my lord."

"Hard? Your Majesty, it is an honor to see you. However, the Empress Dowager is deeply concerned about your health."

'This old fox, spouting nothing but flattery, never gets old.'

Feeling a slight pity for Chamberlain, who was clearly sent under pressure from his mother, Leopold quickly dismissed it.

"There's no need to worry about my mother's health. The Baichen family is known for their longevity."

Despite shouting to be left alone, she couldn't resist sending this snake. Leopold's irritation grew as he ran his fingers through his curly hair. He leaned back in his chair and looked down at Chamberlain.

"Mother wouldn't send you here empty-handed. If you have something, show it to me."

Chamberlain, as if waiting for this, pulled out a piece of paper from his robe and presented it to Leopold.

"This is a document from the Margrave. Someone claims to have seen Arthur Nottingen in the eastern border region."

"Damn. After years of quiet, it's starting again."

Arthur Nottingen. A name associated with the royal succession. It's really getting old. Feeling his chest tighten, Leopold kept pulling at the decorations of his ceremonial uniform. After a few days of comfort, the emperor's uniform felt suffocating again.

"Did Mother send me this document and tell you to bring me back?"

"Arthur Nottingen is a dangerous man. Please, for your mother's concern for your safety, return to Schendal Castle."

Leopold stood up, took off his ceremonial uniform, and hung it on the back of the chair before walking to the window. The spring breeze from the Atlas Mountains cooled the sweat on his forehead. There's a refreshing clarity in Patricia's territory. It's the freedom Leopold needs most. He can feel it here, something he can never experience at Schendal Castle. Where could he go?

'How did I get out of there? I can't be dragged back so easily.'

He won't return for a while, no matter what.

"If Arthur Nottingen was found in the eastern border, isn't the westernmost point here the safest place right now?"

"There is no place safer than the palace."

"Ah, what if I go a bit further south to my brother Daniel? The place where my brother, the bravest in the empire, resides is truly the safest."

"Brother? Your Majesty! How can you call the Duke of Liechtenstein with such an excessive title?"

Trying to maintain a serious face, as if afraid of being seen as the Empress Dowager's lackey. Leopold smirked at the Earl's reaction, which mirrored his mother's.

"You have already bestowed too much favor on the Duke of Liechtenstein. It's no small matter for a bastard to inherit a title, Your Majesty."

Leopold gave the vacant title of Duke of Liechtenstein to his half-brother Daniel when he became emperor.

"Daniel Liechtenstein saved my life and beheaded the late emperor. If there is anyone who has done more for me than saving my life, let them step forward. If such a person exists, that is."

Suppressing the voices of the nobles who rose up against the idea of a bastard inheriting a title. The Empress Dowager still speaks of the injustice of this decision, but Leopold's opinion differs.

"Of the twelve duchies, five have been erased from history and turned into legends, and the deranged Duke of Haidel was the sixth to end his line. Thanks to my brother Daniel beheading the former emperor, the Hatzfeldt family became the seventh to disappear."

Flatterers claim the Baichen family made him emperor, but that's just ignorance. What good would a hundred Baichens do? It's not like he's going to wage war with a bunch of bookworms.

"If it weren't for Daniel, Nottingen could have been sitting in this seat. If I have bestowed too much favor on my brother, it's probably because his contributions are that great."

"Your Majesty, however..."

Raising his hand to stop Chamberlain, Leopold took a deep breath of the clear, refreshing air of the Atlas.

"While we're on the topic, maybe I should go to a safer place."

He missed his brother Daniel, who was straightforward and unpretentious even in front of the heir to the duchy. ***

Adele, who was about to leave after tidying up the kitchen, sighed deeply as she saw the door slowly open.

"Oh, my lady. Bringing more work here again?"

Frieda peeked in, grinning and laughing sheepishly. Despite her hair being tied up, her smile made her look like a little girl, yet she still had the air of a duchess.

"Adele, just look. I can concentrate better here."

"If you can't concentrate, you should rest. Why are you looking at documents at this hour?"

"I won't come here after the knighting ceremony."

"I'm not saying you shouldn't come here, but you should do your work in moderation. It's been days, hasn't it?"

Adele, who had been watching Frieda sneak into the dining room and sit down, started warming milk.

"The new butler should have reduced your workload, but somehow your work seems to be increasing. Is he doing his job properly?"

Frieda, who had placed the documents on one side of the table, propped her chin up and laughed playfully.

"Of course. Thanks to Lord Boiled, things have become much easier. It's just busy because the knighting ceremony is coming up. Once this is over, I'll be sleeping all day."

Adele, who was adding honey to the milk, clicked her tongue loudly.

"Do you think I don't know what kind of person you are? You find work even when there isn't any. How are you trying to fool me?"

While stirring the honey into the warm milk, Adele's grumbling grew more intense.

"Why go hunting at a time like this? The lord is really too much. He leaves all the work to you and goes hunting for his own comfort."

The hunting party had not returned to the castle for over two weeks. Adele continued to grumble for a while before being pushed out of the kitchen by Frieda. Finally alone in the kitchen.

"Phew. Let's get started."

Frieda took a deep breath and began spreading out the papers on the table. Various uniforms, coats of arms, symbols, and flags filled nearly half the table. They were all preparations for the first knightly order of the Liechtenstein duchy. Of course, Lord Boiled was handling most of the work. The problem was that before leaving for the hunt, Daniel had given the lord a list of twenty-two tasks, making him extremely busy. Even if the lord had been free, Frieda wanted to handle this task herself. She carefully examined a design for a uniform with silver embroidery on blue fabric.

"Hmm, this color doesn't suit Lord Ricardo."

Frieda's eyes were very cautious and meticulous as she looked at each uniform design. Daniel had told her to prepare as lavishly as possible, but she couldn't make Lord Ricardo look ridiculous.

"Maybe a darker color would be better?"

Her hand reached for a deep red uniform, which matched Daniel's eyes.

"No, no. This is for Sir Ricardo Molli, the head of the knightly order. Focus, Frieda."

She pushed the red uniform design aside with the others and looked seriously at the remaining ones. A deep green uniform with gray knots, resembling a linden tree in midsummer, caught her eye.

"Hmm, this is good, but..."

A black uniform with silver embroidery on the sleeves wasn't bad, but it was too plain. Frieda pouted and continued examining the various designs. She needed to decide the uniform color quickly to finalize the coat of arms, flags, and other details. Without Dominic to interfere, she would decide quickly. She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't notice the kitchen door opening. She didn't notice the quiet footsteps approaching her. She didn't notice the person standing there, looking at her with a slightly confused expression. Holding a purple fabric, Frieda placed it over a design of a black jacket and muttered.

"This is the prettiest. If only we had the money, I'd put lots of purple knots on the black jacket... and make a purple cape too... *swish*!"

While pretending to put on the cape and spinning around, Frieda froze.

She was too shocked to even scream. She could only stare, wide-eyed, at the man standing before her, unable to believe he was there. Questions about when he arrived, how the hunt went, and whether he enjoyed his two-week trip, and the usual welcoming words, all failed to come out. Even the scolding for leaving for two weeks without a word was suppressed.

"Today..."

Daniel spoke first, and Frieda's breath, which had been held, finally escaped.

"You don't even want to talk to me, do you?"