Chapter 89
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Chapter 89
"The Emperor has approved it. He viewed your proposal favorably and granted his consent with remarkable speed. Perhaps you should visit him to express your gratitude."
I returned to the Imperial Palace. This was my second visit.
Each time I came, the grandeur of the Imperial Palace left me disoriented, as though I might lose my way at any moment.
In truth, it wasn't mere speculation—I had already become confused and stood motionless in place.
"I think I went this way before. Wasn't it this path?"
I found myself wondering how The Emperor managed to live here. Surely one could get lost simply trying to find the lavatory in a place of this magnitude?
During my last visit, I noticed there were so many rooms and corridors within a single palace complex that such a thing seemed entirely plausible.
As I looked around, I occasionally glimpsed traces of the old Emperor—that is, the Previous Emperor who had been deposed by The Emperor's hand—which left an unsettling impression.
'He must have left them deliberately.'
To display his power.
The Emperor had killed his father, the Previous Emperor, and ascended to the throne.
I didn't know the full details, but even in the original story, their relationship hadn't seemed harmonious.
'But that's not my concern.'
I only needed to maintain a superficial engagement with The Emperor. I had no reason to be curious about his life.
In any case, I had overcome one obstacle, and my heart felt lighter for it.
But then Dale appeared as an unexpected complication.
"Actually, miss. I didn't mention it because I was worried you might be concerned, but it does seem he was overexerting himself. So it was right that you came in late."
"I apologize for not telling you the truth when you asked, miss. I thought it was an unimportant matter. Emma was simply mistaken."
I could understand Dale deceiving me to some extent. Perhaps he had reasons to earn money, or unavoidable circumstances that forced him to accept dangerous requests.
I don't tell Dale everything either, so it was possible.
But now, somehow, this felt subtly different from how I felt when I wrote that letter to Emma back then.
'Something feels off.'
A vague sense of unease stirred from somewhere deep within my heart.
"Sigh, let me focus on The Emperor instead."
Since I wouldn't be able to see Dale for a while, there was no point in worrying—it wouldn't solve anything.
This opportunity to distance myself from Dale and objectively examine our relationship seemed like a good idea.
Why had I thought about him so much while living in the Mansion, separated from Dale?
And why did his failure to tell me the truth leave me feeling so unsettled? I needed to understand my own heart clearly.
I lifted my head and looked around.
But where exactly am I?
"This place looks familiar somehow."
It seemed like I'd come back to a street I'd just passed?
I'd eaten a memory herb root today too, but nothing new came to mind.
"My lady?"
Someone spoke to me then.
"Lady Adeline, are you here?"
* * *
"We heard you'd entered the Imperial Palace and came to greet you, but we were worried when you weren't there."
Those who came to fetch me were The Emperor's Aides.
The large man who resembled a gentle golden retriever was Soho.
The younger-looking man with a gleaming gaze and the cunning appearance of a fox eyeing power was Getty.
"Thank you for coming to pick me up."
"Not at all. It's only natural that we do so."
The two of them observed me intently, stealing glances at my profile. Was I that interesting to them?
How much did these people know?
As The Emperor's Aides, they probably knew most things.
"Did you come to greet me because you were worried I might run away?"
"...No."
Soho averted his eyes.
'They know.'
These people knew that I had been running away for years.
"I haven't seen The Emperor since the hunting festival. Has His Majesty been well all this time?"
"Yes. His Majesty is in good health. He will be delighted to hear that you've inquired after him."
"May I ask you something?"
"You may ask anything, My Lady. I will answer to the best of my knowledge."
"Then... during the years when my correspondence with His Majesty didn't reach him, how was His Majesty? Was he well?"
I finally brought up "that topic."
At the same moment, the Aides stumbled in their steps.
"...Of course. He has been well. His Majesty has not been as distressed as you might worry, my lady."
"Distressed? His Majesty?"
"That is... merely my subjective judgment. I cannot possibly know His Majesty's true intentions—absolutely not—it is only my own thoughts. I do hope you won't burden yourself with concern, my lady."
The Aide Soho seemed poor at telling lies. Though he spoke of things going well, it appeared The Emperor had worn him down somewhat.
Of course, it was likely not distress but rather bewilderment or exasperation—though by his own admission, it was merely his subjective interpretation.
"However, now that you are here with us, my lady, His Majesty should be able to devote himself to his duties with even greater peace of mind."
'He's trying to pair me with The Emperor.'
Soho's words carried their true meaning plainly. An easy man to read.
This one, on the other hand.
"My lady, mind the step—let me assist you! I shall hold your arm!"
The Aide Getty offered his arm with a bright, cheerful smile.
'Getty was the son of a house whose honor The Emperor himself had restored.'
And by all accounts, the celebrated figure who had passed the Imperial Palace Examination with flying colors. I had heard he possessed keen perception and ranked highly in performance standings.
'In the past, he might have deliberated which of the two to win over to his side, but now there is no need.'
I had learned that The Emperor held no interest in me whatsoever.
Part of me wanted to tell Getty that his efforts were misdirected.
'Rather than being so attentive to me, he should find The Emperor's true beloved and make a good impression there.'
But that was a secret between The Emperor and me.
"His Majesty is truly a dependable man—the one I respect most of all."
Getty whispered flattery from beside me.
It was an endless stream of praise, as though he had received orders from The Emperor himself.
His Majesty is a man of pure devotion.
His Majesty is selfless.
His Majesty is righteous. And so forth.
We had now arrived at The Emperor's Office.
"Your Majesty, Adeline has arrived."
The door opened, and a pristine white curtain billowed softly. The Emperor... wore a mask again.
He was wearing a mask. It seemed he had no intention of showing me his face today either.
Then again, he wore a mask in every setting, so it was hardly surprising he would not suddenly reveal his true face to me alone.
"It has been some time."
The Emperor greeted me with a warm voice, and he seemed to be in good spirits today.
"Please, be seated. Adeline."
The Emperor called me gently by name and invited me to sit.
Just as Soho was about to pull out my chair, Getty swiftly pulled it out first.
"Thank you."
"It is always a pleasure to assist a lady."
Getty, smiling brightly, bowed respectfully to The Emperor before leaving the office with Soho.
Now, silence.
The Emperor examined the refreshments that had been brought in and personally prepared the tea.
"Um, the sugar..."
Plop.
Five cubes went in naturally.
"Does Your Majesty also prefer your tea sweet?"
"..."
The Emperor tilted his head and glanced at the sugar tongs in his hand.
"I also add five cubes of sugar, but most people only use two. I wondered if Your Majesty's taste was similar to mine."
"...No, that's not it."
The Emperor hadn't added a single cube of sugar to his own tea.
"Since I am attending to Adeline, I made it a point to learn her preferences so as not to be discourteous."
"Ah, is that so?"
It was a thorough preliminary investigation.
"How thoughtful of you. Thank you."
I glanced around the Emperor's Office. In the original work, I thought it was described as a dark and frightening place, but it wasn't like that at all.
Rather, sunlight streamed in properly, and the atmosphere was bright.
It was as clean and tidy as the office of someone with obsessive tendencies—not a speck of dust anywhere.
It resembled the Emperor's presence as I had directly experienced it, not as portrayed in the original work.
"It seems I failed to give Adeline a birthday gift."
"That's alright..."
"This year."
As he spoke, he extended a box toward me.
A small box that appeared to be made of diamond-like transparent material was tied with a ribbon.
"Is this a gift for me?"
The Emperor gave a light nod.
"May I open it now? Or should I wait until I get home?"
"You may open it now."
The Emperor spoke after setting down his teacup.
"This is the first time I've watched someone unwrap a gift box directly."
That was true.
It was the first time I had met the Emperor in person and received a gift from him.
"Thank you for remembering my birthday every year. I feel sorry that I have nothing to give you in return."
Though I had been running away from the Emperor, I still had a sense of shame as a person.
Receiving such lavish gifts one-sidedly left me feeling both grateful and apologetic at the same time.
"If there is anything you would like to receive as a gift, even now..."
"I instructed Duke Lockhart not to mention that I gave you a gift."
The Emperor answered cleanly, his voice casual and unbothered.
"It was merely a small gesture, so there was no need to burden you."
"But all of them were expensive gifts?"
Even the flowers the Emperor had sent were far more magnificent than those sold at ordinary flower shops.
And naturally, the gift was extravagantly expensive. At a glance, it was far more than a token gesture of goodwill.
Sensing my discomfort, The Emperor shook his head.
"You may have heard, but I frequently bestow rewards upon the officials of the Imperial Palace."
"Ah...."
"You may view this in much the same light."
"But still..."
"The Lockhart Family is a great source of strength to me. As the daughter of that house, presenting a birthday gift is merely a small and natural gesture of goodwill."
I tilted my head slightly, uncertain.
"Then did you give Father a gift as well?"
"...."
"And Enya's Brother?"
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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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