Chapter 63
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63.
The First Empress shot Marquis Hanela a look that demanded his silence immediately.
Of course, the Emperor seemed equally unwilling to let this matter pass.
"First Empress, did you have a hand in this?"
"T-that couldn't possibly be! Why would I do such a thing?"
"Exactly my point."
The Emperor tapped his right jaw with his fingertip as if he might lose his mind from the sheer absurdity of it all.
"The Empress of an entire nation—a woman who stands above all others in the Imperial Family save myself—why does she harbor such insatiable ambition? I truly cannot fathom it."
"Your Majesty, I am wronged!"
The First Empress hurried forward and fell to her knees before the Emperor.
"Why would I commit such a foolish act? You have bestowed upon me every honor imaginable—what desire could I possibly have?"
"That is precisely why I find it so peculiar."
"Your Majesty, those people have done nothing but lie! I understood perfectly well the injustice suffered by Salice Advisor!"
"Yet it was you who lent credence to their claims, was it not?"
The Emperor reached out and seized the First Empress's chin firmly.
"Last night, with that beautiful face of yours, did you not smile softly and ask me to hear how Marquis Hanela had captured a criminal who committed treason?"
"T-that was... I merely sought to emulate Your Majesty's open-mindedness."
"Emulate?"
The First Empress displayed a level of agitation I had never witnessed from her before.
She trembled before the Emperor's sharp gaze, her words tumbling forth in a stammering rush.
"Countess Hanela's Daughter is soon to marry First Prince Charlie, is she not? She wept so pitifully that I truly believed her grievance to be genuine."
"Ha!"
The Emperor let out a hollow laugh at her words, as if they were beneath consideration.
"You were swayed by nothing more than that child's tears?"
"Did you not witness her cunning? Even before Your Majesty, she slandered Salice Advisor without hesitation! Such a child, unintimidated even by Your Majesty's authority...."
"Your Majesty the First Empress! You said to me...!"
Countess Hanela's Daughter cried out in anguish, but fell silent under the First Empress's piercing, caustic gaze.
"Observe—even now, with everything laid bare, she attempts to drag me down with her. Moreover...."
The First Empress trembled as she carefully grasped the Emperor's arm, which held her chin.
And I found myself marveling inwardly.
Her performance was of an entirely different caliber from Countess Hanela's Daughter's.
She painted a beautiful portrait of a lovely Empress, crushed beneath the Emperor's authority and seized by fear.
"Your wise Majesty has not denied Salice Advisor the opportunity to speak her evidence, even in circumstances so obviously clear to all...."
"And you wish for the same opportunity?"
At the Emperor's words, the First Empress blinked her eyes sorrowfully and shook her head.
"I am ignorant, unlike Your Majesty's brilliance. I lack the wisdom of Salice Advisor, who became the Winter Palace's advisor and master of the Dragon Lair, and thus I possess no evidence to prove my innocence."
"Then why do you not grant me the opportunity to prove myself?"
"There is no evidence of my guilt, Your Majesty. Though I have exchanged words with Roselita Salice on occasion, attendants and handmaidens were always present—there was never opportunity for clandestine conversation."
"That's a lie! On the night of the victory ball...!"
Countess Hanela's Daughter cried out as though grasping at her final chance, yet the First Empress spoke with honeyed gentleness.
"It is far too easy for one backed into a corner to speak falsehoods, Your Majesty."
The Emperor regarded the First Empress with an expression of utter exasperation.
He too could not entirely dispel his suspicions of her.
Yet it remained true that there existed no evidence of her involvement.
Even if evidence had existed, any conspirator worth their salt—or one sufficiently cautious from the outset—would have destroyed it long ago.
"First Empress, your surroundings grow far too turbulent."
"...I am aware, Your Majesty. The fault lies entirely with my inadequacy."
"I shall not punish you, yet something has come to mind."
"Yes...?"
"The First Empress may keep two, is that not so?"
"Your... Your Majesty...."
At the Emperor's words, the First Empress's face crumbled as though the heavens themselves were collapsing.
"The Second Concubine acquitted herself admirably in the dragon subjugation, and thus I shall elevate her to Second Empress. As for the Hanella Marquis Family...."
"Your... Your Majesty...."
The voices of the First Empress and Marquis Hanela calling out to the Emperor layered upon one another in desperate unison.
"The betrothal with First Prince Charlie is hereby dissolved, and their name shall be struck from the register of nobility. You should be grateful that this is the extent of your punishment, despite your treasonous words."
At this pronouncement, the First Empress collapsed as though her very soul had departed her body.
Shortly after, as the Hanella Marquis Family grasped the gravity of their fate, the two of them were dragged beyond the Imperial Palace gates by knights, their anguished cries echoing in their wake.
*
"Salice Advisor."
I thought the matter was settled, and I could return to the Winter Palace as usual to drown myself in paperwork.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
After dismissing everyone, the Emperor singled me out. Then he said:
"It's nearly lunchtime, and I have questions for you. Come along."
He invited me to dine with him.
What on earth for?
Unable to bear the thought of sitting on pins and needles alone, I glanced at Cassian Artez, only to see the Emperor smile and speak.
"Cassian has work piling up, so don't come."
Without my shield, this felt rather excessive, didn't it?
I felt wronged, but what could I do? I was merely a fragile advisor.
Still, once I arrived at the dining hall and sat down, my melancholy lifted somewhat.
'Even the aroma is delicious....'
True to the Sun Palace, everything gleamed with an exceptional luster.
I was managing my expression somewhat in the Emperor's presence, but he waved his hand dismissively.
"Eat freely. The one who should feel awkward at this table is likely me."
Your Majesty?
I couldn't shake my suspicion, but I took a spoonful of soup first.
In an instant, an exclamation burst from within me, and my brows furrowed with intensity.
Savory and delicate, yet with such profound depth—the Sun Palace's head chef had clearly poured their mastery into this dish.
I work to eat and live; if I tense up and eat less, only I lose.
Perhaps from encountering him so frequently during the expedition, I found myself relaxing slightly despite the Emperor's presence, allowing me to focus genuinely on the meal.
His questions during the meal largely concerned my work methods or cross-checking details about the Hanella Marquis Family that had been revealed in the Audience Chamber.
The real discussion began only after we finished eating, when a simple dessert and after-dinner tea arrived.
Whether he'd heard it from Cassian Artez or not, I was served a lightly brewed coffee.
"Now that we're having a serious conversation, the advisor shouldn't have cause for sorrow."
Watching the Emperor smile with amusement, I was certain the source of this information was none other than Cassian Artez.
"You two are truly something else. Just moments ago, you both showed such reluctance to part, and Cassian takes care of every little detail."
And with the Emperor's words, my suspicion became certainty.
No wonder Cassian had agreed so readily when the Emperor wanted to see me alone.
I finished organizing my thoughts and answered the Emperor with a bright smile.
"It's an engagement born of love, after all."
"That it is."
The Emperor poured milk into his teacup with a half-skeptical expression, then stirred it with a teaspoon as he spoke.
"I hope that's truly the case, for it would benefit both the Empire and you."
My love with Cassian Artez?
Or was he referring to something related to the engagement itself?
By this point, I had grasped what the Emperor was driving at.
"Is it about the Lair?"
"Indeed, you're quite perceptive. Of course, I'm not trying to claim ownership of the Lair."
The Emperor tapped the table rhythmically as he spoke.
"The Lair became yours from the beginning, and it's already been proven through the Snowland King's struggles that human power cannot change ownership."
The Emperor chuckled softly. That man—the Snowland King—had attempted various things despite Wesley's proof, denying reality itself.
He'd tried to destroy it, even attempted to mine ore during odd hours, but everything had failed.
Eventually, the Snow Kingdom Army had to rush in and stop him, saying the kingdom's dignity would be completely tarnished.
"What I'm proposing is rather to make things certain."
"Are you saying you'll grant me a title, Your Majesty?"
In the Border Region adjacent to Snowland, no less?
Of course, since it was unclaimed territory, there would be no major issue with the Empire asserting administrative authority.
"It's not entirely unfavorable, but it is one of the things holding you back."
He was referring to my identity as the daughter of the obscure Salice Barony, whose location most people didn't even know.
However, given that the Lair's location was in the Border Region and that receiving a title and being incorporated into formal administrative divisions would create various obligations, the calculation didn't feel particularly advantageous.
Especially since the Empire would gain significant defensive benefits from incorporating the Lair's unique properties into an administrative district.
'Still, it would be wasteful to let such an opportunity slip away.'
The matter of what to do with the contents of the Lair remained unresolved—I'd only been recognized as the owner, but various administrative procedures still held me back.
'Naturally, from the Emperor's perspective, it's frustrating that he can't use what he needs.'
The nobles who had ignored me until now were opposing for opposition's sake, fearing they might lose something, preventing me from obtaining what was necessary.
But if a title came with it?
I could exercise authority as clearly as my responsibilities increased.
'I could also settle the family debts quickly.'
However, the lack of a title didn't prevent me from doing what needed to be done, and the Emperor knew that as well.
So I remained unshaken, my expression flat as I initiated negotiations with the Emperor.
"First, I need to know what title you'll grant so I can properly respond to what you've said, Your Majesty."
If this negotiation fell through, it would be the Emperor who would regret it.
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