Chapter 110
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Chapter 110
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'A visit to the Imperial Palace—perhaps my last.'
I made my final visit to the Imperial Palace. The Emperor hadn't summoned me this time; this visit was entirely of my own volition.
Though not entirely by choice, of course. There was unfinished business that needed resolving.
'I need to retrieve the Empress Edict and sign a declaration acknowledging the end of our arrangement. Only then will it be truly finished.'
I'd even brought a pen from home, eager to complete this matter swiftly.
The edict had been imposed upon me unilaterally, but my signature was necessary to bring it to a close.
I needed to make a voluntary declaration of refusal regarding the Empress position.
This absolutely required the recipient of the edict to appear in person, state their unwillingness, and sign before The Emperor.
"It reminds me of when I married Dale."
That vow had been made before a corrupt priest rather than The Emperor, but the feeling was similar.
'Once I finish this, I'll write to Dale and let him know the news.'
My steps felt light as air.
The atmosphere that had once seemed austere now appeared beautiful and comforting.
"Hmm?"
As I walked absently, I noticed a woman approaching from the opposite direction. She had attendants trailing behind her like a noblewoman, but since she wasn't wearing the official Imperial Palace uniform, perhaps she'd come on personal business?
'Or she could be a high-ranking official permitted to wear whatever she chooses.'
Like my father, she'd have that freedom of dress.
'That's strange. Why did my gaze linger on her?'
I tilted my head in puzzlement. I'd only glimpsed a passing stranger, yet a powerful impression lingered.
"It's... nothing I need to concern myself with."
In truth, today held another matter to discuss with The Emperor besides the edict's termination.
It concerned the Hexagon Duchess.
'There must be a reason she approached me. I hope I misheard, but she was asking me to help assassinate Duke Hexagon.'
Whether her plea to "help me kill my father" meant assassination or open warfare, I wasn't certain, but if she'd had plans to kill him outright, she wouldn't have sought my assistance.
And I had absolutely no intention of honoring the Hexagon Duchess's request.
"I won't involve myself in others' family affairs."
Moreover, if the other party was a ducal house of the same caliber as mine, it would be even more problematic.
Both our houses had many connected families. Mine was tied to The Emperor, while theirs still retained some independent power.
The Hexagon Duchess had likely sought me out because she judged the task impossible to accomplish alone.
"Now that she's spoken of it, the Hexagon Duchess will prepare regardless. I can't afford to be swept up in that."
I would inform The Emperor of this matter. He could be endangered if things went wrong.
I arrived before The Emperor's chambers and straightened my posture, feeling a slight tension.
'Even if we part ways, you must remain safe. Your Majesty.'
The door opened and the Aides came to greet me.
"Welcome, Young Lady. His Majesty awaits you."
I nodded and walked in slowly. I thought I'd grown accustomed to the Emperor's Office since I'd visited a few times, but returning after so long made me nervous.
"Are you anxious, Young Lady?"
"A little."
I offered a slight smile to Getty, whose face I recognized. I wouldn't be seeing these people much anymore.
"It seems everything turned out as you wished."
"You're not being sarcastic, are you?"
"Not at all. I genuinely think things worked out well."
"But you're the Emperor's Aide. I thought you'd try to stop me."
"Well, life doesn't always go the way we plan, does it?"
Getty's lips curved awkwardly.
He leaned in close to me and muttered seriously.
"You must remember that I always opposed His Majesty and was always on your side—not the Empress's, but yours. Understood?"
"What do you mean?"
"Just... talk of the future, nothing more."
Getty was strange. I'd always thought him the most peculiar among the Aides, but today he was even odder. What had gotten into him?
'It doesn't matter. I won't be seeing him again anyway.'
I let his words go in one ear and out the other.
"...Huh?"
"Is something wrong?"
But as I passed through the Palace Corridor, I felt an inexplicable sense of déjà vu from the servants of the Imperial Palace.
"Say, who are those people exiting through the opposite door over there?"
"They are the Imperial Palace's chefs. They brought desserts directly for an outside guest who arrived before you, and now they're collecting the dishes."
"I see."
I walked quickly and tried to follow them, but when I realized I couldn't pursue further, I stopped in my tracks.
"Young Lady, is something the matter?"
"No. I thought I recognized someone."
"...Someone you know? How so?"
I closed my mouth. I couldn't go around explaining where I'd run off to and what I'd been doing.
'But they looked like Grunvalt's Chef.'
What was that?
They definitely looked similar, didn't they?
"Strange... With my eye for detail, I couldn't have been mistaken. Did they perhaps quit and get hired at the Imperial Palace?"
As I muttered and turned back around, my heart began to throb.
'What? What is this?'
My chest sank with a heavy sensation, and my head spun for a moment. I staggered and grabbed Getty's arm.
What was this feeling? Why was this happening all of a sudden?
"Are you alright? Young Lady, Young Lady!"
"Just a moment..."
For reasons I couldn't explain, I felt something massive and ominous bearing down on me like a dark cloud.
"I heard you broke off your engagement. What brings you to the Imperial Palace?"
The voice that reached my ears wasn't Getty's, and certainly not The Emperor's—it was a rough, metallic tone.
I lifted my head reflexively and met his gaze. The moment I heard that voice, cold sweat beaded on my palms.
Who was this man with those unpleasant, serpentine eyes? ...There was no need to ask such a question.
'That disrespectful attitude, speaking to me so casually and boldly.'
I steadied myself and straightened my posture with Getty's assistance.
'He looks far older than my father, but slightly younger than my grandfather. And with that pallid complexion as if he'd never seen sunlight, his frame is gaunt and skeletal.'
An instinctive revulsion washed over me.
Ah. Now I knew exactly who this disagreeable man was.
"It's been a long time, Duke Hexagon."
Whether it was our first meeting or a reunion, I cast out my bait.
"Yes, it has been a while. Young Lady of the Marquis."
'...What?'
The Duke responded nonchalantly that it had indeed been a long time.
'So we really have met before.'
I didn't know why my body reacted the way it did, but I assumed there must be a reason. And it turned out to be true.
However, there was a glaring error in Duke Hexagon's response.
'Young Lady of the Marquis? Me?'
I stared directly at his thin, thread-like eyes without flinching.
'He's deliberately calling me the Young Lady of the Marquis to demean me.'
Before the Lockhart Family's elevation, Hexagon was the Empire's sole Duke. Naturally, he despised it and looked down upon our family.
'I thought his momentum would have been broken, but it seems that during his house arrest, he's only festered and grown more venomous.'
Hexagon remained Hexagon.
Ah, my head. A headache. I escaped marriage to The Emperor, and now it's Hexagon?
Where was the peaceful love between Dale and me? I wrapped my face in my hands and muttered softly.
"What kind of trial is this...?"
"You're quiet. In that respect, you resemble the Young Lady's father. Is his one arm still inconvenient?"
"Duke..."
"No, it's fine."
I stopped Getty from interjecting.
Duke Hexagon seemed to misinterpret my action and grew smug.
'Perhaps it would have been right to kill him when the Hexagon Duchess suggested it.'
I swept my hair back and lifted my chin. Then I smiled as if nothing were amiss.
"You must have endured much hardship. I heard you suffered greatly in a place where news doesn't reach easily."
Duke Hexagon's expression turned cold in an instant.
"It's regrettable that no one informed you that the Lockhart Family has long since become another Duke's House."
"Heh heh."
Hexagon laughed as if he found it absurd.
"You didn't seem this way when you were young, but you've grown quite reckless."
"Thank you for looking kindly upon me. Perhaps I've grown accustomed to monopolizing the Duke's House prestige, so I may have been rather presumptuous."
I concluded my words ambiguously and offered a bright smile.
It seemed I'd succeeded in thoroughly rattling Hexagon's composure.
I would have enjoyed toying with him further, but I risked being late for my appointment with The Emperor.
"I have an appointment with The Emperor, so I must take my leave."
"...Was your time apart from The Emperor these past days merely to deceive my eyes?"
Just as I tried to pass, Hexagon threw out a strange remark. He fixed me with a sinister gaze.
"You had such a talent for toying with The Emperor even as a child—why would it be any different now?"
"Yes. I was delighted to see you as well."
I attempted to brush past Hexagon, ignoring his nonsensical words. But he seized my wrist painfully, twisting it.
"What are you doing? Let go."
"I intend to live quietly from now on. So you must behave yourself as well, Young Lady."
His eyes flickered with an unsettling intensity. As I looked at his face up close, cold sweat drenched me inexplicably.
"Never again..."
"You cannot even keep your promise to quietly leave the palace."
The Emperor seized Hexagon's shoulder and shoved him aside like a sack of grain, pulling me behind him.
The Emperor's broad back stood before me like an impenetrable shield, suffocatingly reassuring.
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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