Chapter 69

Stephan, who had fallen into a deep sleep, suddenly jolted upright as if he were a frog doused in ice water.

"Ah!"

Above Stephan's startled face, the bright morning sunlight poured in. He was more surprised by the fact that he had not prepared the documents to report to the duke than by oversleeping. Hastily getting up, he first rushed to the kitchen. The most urgent task was to check the emperor's breakfast at the Brabant Hall. After confirming that the meal started without any issues, Stephan hurried back to his room and began to prepare the documents. Fortunately, he had already organized everything in advance, so he completed the writing without much time. It was only after he had just handed the documents to the duke in his office that he suddenly remembered the letter he had tucked into his jacket. After a few moments of searching, he realized the letter was missing, and he could not hide his embarrassment even though the duke was right in front of him. After leaving the office and asking for forgiveness, he retraced his steps, searching everywhere the letter could be. Walking along the path he had taken since lunchtime the previous day, Stephan finally reached his room.

"Ah, where on earth did I lose this?"

The letter was nowhere to be found anywhere in the castle. Perplexed, he slumped back into the chair where he had fallen asleep the previous night.

"If only I had read it earlier."

Not knowing the contents of the letter made him increasingly anxious. Just in case, he shook his jacket again, but Matilda entered the room.

"Stephan, what's going on at this hour?"

After shaking his jacket so much, not even dust came out.

"I lost something."

Stephan confirmed once again that there was nothing and threw the jacket irritably.

"Matilda, did you happen to...?"

At that moment, Matilda quietly held out the letter.

"Looking for this?"

"Matilda! You had it?"

The tension released, and he felt drained. Taking the letter from his wife, Stephan sat on the bed and sighed deeply.

"I was foolish. I should have asked you first. I spent the whole morning looking for this without knowing you had it."

He chuckled in frustration and fiddled with the letter, noticing Matilda's uneasy expression. She often pretended not to know when she secretly read the letters that occasionally came to him. She must have read this one in advance as well. If she was showing this much, it probably wasn't good news. Stephan alternated his gaze between the well-made letter and his wife. It was a letter from the royal family, and the ominous feeling was palpable even without reading it. He couldn't bring himself to open it and continued to fiddle with it. After a long time, Stephan finally broke the seal and unfolded the paper. The news was even more shocking and absurd than he had expected.

"Well, this is what you'd expect from Margret Vaichen."

He was amazed at how meticulously she had prepared in such a short time. Matilda, who had been waiting for him to finish reading, slowly spoke.

"I'm sorry, Stephan. I couldn't help but read it first when I saw the royal seal."

Despite her pale face, Stephan forced a smile and acted as if nothing was wrong.

"It's fine. When have we ever had secrets between us? You would have found out eventually."

Tossing the letter onto the desk, Stephan reached out to his wife affectionately.

"Come here, Matilda."

Her hand was cold when she approached. There were faint red marks around her eyes, as if she had been crying. Stephan held her hand tightly and smiled faintly again.

"You must have been very surprised."

He knew the time had come. He knew the Empress Dowager wouldn't be patient for long. He should have written something to satisfy her curiosity, but he hadn't. He knew it was his fault. He was too busy, and there was nothing worth writing, he could have said, but it was all just an excuse. What detailed circumstances could the Empress Dowager in Chellino know? A vague message that something would be known soon would have been enough. He blamed his own pedantry. Perhaps the Empress Dowager chose him for the same reason, knowing he wouldn't send a half-hearted letter. Stephan shared his warmth with Matilda by holding her hand tightly.

"Matilda, I want you to trust me with this. If I'm not a completely useless husband, I'll find a solution for you and our child."

Matilda nodded firmly, withdrew her hand, and cupped her husband's cheek with a smile.

"Stephan, I always trust you. But..."

Her eyes, which had just cooled down, heated up again. Her voice became moist.

"I want you to do what you really want. I don't want you to do something you don't want to do for me or the children. You know, I would have married you even if you weren't a noble."

She would have been fine even if she had become a commoner Mrs. Boyle instead of a baroness. She loved Stephan, not the baron.

"Our child will feel the same. Even if you're not a baron, even if there's no land to inherit... this child will love you. So don't do anything you'll be ashamed of, either as a person or as a parent, Stephan."

Stephan, holding Matilda's waist, gently stroked her slightly protruding belly.

"Don't worry, Matilda. I'll handle it well."

While trying to comfort her exhausted and tired husband, Matilda forgot that she had something else to say. The duchess, who had listened to Matilda's concerns and said she needed to confirm something, had run down the corridor to the Brabant Hall. She had not managed to stop her.

***

The book Leopold threw narrowly missed Frida's forehead and fell to the ground.

"Ah!"

Startled, Frida screamed and collapsed to the floor. Her heart was pounding so hard she was worried it might burst through her skin.

"Ha, ha."

She had almost run down the corridor in a hurry, and her breath was already short. She clutched her heart tightly. It felt like it would jump out of her chest. With a loud thud, the book fell to the ground, and Leopold rushed to her.

"Are you alright? Did you get hurt...?"

Leopold was also startled. He had never imagined Frida would enter the library, and he couldn't believe she was standing in front of him. Frida, huddled and gasping for breath, looked like she might faint.

"Should I call a doctor? Or, let me get you some water."

Leopold, who was about to leave, stopped when he felt the pull on his arm.

"Huff, huff."

Frida, who had been breathing heavily, shouted at him.

"Stay... still! I'm... I'm... please, just stay still."

Frida didn't even recognize who was next to her. She had been ambushed as soon as she entered the library, and the voice was unfamiliar. She knew it wasn't Daniel, so she couldn't hold on to the stranger for long and quickly let go. Her energy drained from her body like water spilling from a broken jar. She knelt down, using one hand to support herself and the other to press her heart. Breathing became a bit easier when she crouched. As she calmed down, Frida inwardly cursed the person who had startled her.

'What a rude person.'

How could you throw a book at someone without checking? Books are expensive; what if it had torn? How did you even get into this library? I'll tell Daniel to give you a good scolding. I'll have him throw something at you, just like what happened to me. As she silently fumed, her heart rate finally slowed down. She felt like she could survive now.

"Huff..."

Frida, who could finally breathe properly, raised her head with anger.

"Hey, who are you? Where were you looking...? Oh?"

A pair of bright blue eyes, framed by delicate blonde hair, stared at her. The man had a different appearance, but there was a strangely familiar aura, similar to Daniel. Frida's heart started pounding again as she realized who he was.

"Emperor... Your Majesty."

She lost her balance as she suddenly stood up.

"Ah!"

"Are you alright?"

Leopold grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him. Frida, who had ended up in his arms, quickly stepped back and straightened herself.

"I'm fine. I'm perfectly fine, Your Majesty."

Frida, in an awkward position, quickly bowed and apologized.

"I didn't expect Your Majesty to be here. I'm sorry if I startled you. I truly apologize, Your Majesty."

She suddenly remembered that she had shouted at him.

"I... I apologize for my rudeness. I didn't realize it was Your Majesty, and I thought it was some... some..."

She waved her hands frantically, realizing she had used a word that should never be used for the emperor.

"No, no. I didn't mean to call you a... a..."

She covered her mouth with her hands, which had been flapping like a bird's wings, and bowed deeply.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty..."

Leopold, who had been staring at the almost crying Frida, smiled faintly.

"Technically, I did act like a ruffian, so don't worry. But it's a bit too harsh to use that word for the emperor."

Frida, who had been looking at the floor, glanced at Leopold. Her white eyelashes, which had been fluttering nervously, drooped sadly, like the feathers of a rain-soaked bird.

'Really honest eyes.'

Leopold's lips curved upwards, opposite to Frida's drooping eyelashes. He had thought the same when he first met her. Frida couldn't take her eyes off him, as if she were seeing a marble statue. Her pale face and amethyst-like purple eyes sparkled. He couldn't believe she was a real person, even when her eyelids blinked, her lips moved, and words formed.

"It's an honor to meet you, Your Majesty. I am Frida Cloud Rihardt."

Standing in the sunlight, she felt like a snowman that wouldn't melt. The image of the snowman he had carefully made as a boy overlapped with her. The memories of a certain day in the past, which he didn't particularly want to recall, tangled in his mind like a thin thread. Leopold, who had been reminiscing about their first meeting, smiled gently and crossed his arms.

"I heard you were very ill. Have you recovered?"

"Me? Ah, yes... Thanks to your concern, I have improved a lot. Thank you, Your Majesty."

Frida's etiquette was much better than the clumsy way she had acted earlier. To Leopold, the clumsy version was more endearing.

"That's good to hear. You look much better than before."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."

"You seemed very startled. Have you calmed down?"

Frida nodded, saying she was fine. Leopold's cool smile deepened.

"How about this?"

"What?"

Leopold extended his arm to her.

"Let me offer you a cup of tea as an apology."

Frida, taken aback, placed her hand on his arm, and Leopold turned towards the door.

"After we have tea, you can take a walk with me as an apology."

He gently escorted her and grabbed the doorknob.

"And for dinner, we can have a meal together to show that we've forgiven each other. What do you think?"

He smiled and opened the door without giving her a chance to respond. That's when it happened.

Bang. Frida pushed the door closed with one arm and shook her head vigorously.

"That won't do, Your Majesty."