Chapter 111
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112.
Rebecca held the telegram as she made her way to the bedroom.
It was surely about the matter that had transpired yesterday.
Though she yearned to attend what promised to be a fascinating conference, she lacked the standing to do so—there was simply no way around it.
"Julian. I'm coming in."
Her knock elicited no response from within.
Wondering if he was still asleep, Rebecca opened the door and stepped inside.
The darkened room with its drawn curtains looked exactly as it had when she'd left it.
Only the bed lay empty.
'Perhaps he went to the washroom?'
As Rebecca glanced about, firm hands slid smoothly around her waist from behind.
Warm breath tickled the curve of her ear.
"Where did you go...."
Julian's drowsy voice reached her, still heavy with sleep.
He pulled me close from behind, burying his face in my hair.
"Y-Julian?"
My face flushed crimson in an instant. I felt the warmth of his bare, muscular chest against my back.
He inhaled deeply near the nape of my neck, breathing in my scent.
"You smell wonderful.... Is this from breakfast? No, wait—lunch perhaps? What a shame. I wanted to watch you eat...."
Still half-asleep, he was bolder than usual.
He tightened his grip around my waist, drawing me even closer.
His body, still radiating residual warmth, enveloped me in heat.
"When I woke, you weren't beside me. I panicked, thinking perhaps it had all been a dream. But holding you like this, I understand now. You're not a phantom—you're real. Thank goodness...."
His low voice, intoxicated with sleep, stirred all my senses.
He placed a gentle kiss upon my exposed shoulder.
His masculine scent washed over me, and heat surged through my lower abdomen.
Though it was merely a light gesture of affection for him, I felt I could no longer endure his intoxicating allure.
I quickly thrust the telegram before his eyes.
"A message from the Imperial Palace! They want me to enter the palace this afternoon!"
And I slipped from his embrace like an eel.
The darkness of the room concealed how my face burned like fire.
Julian accepted the telegram and gazed at me with an awkward expression as I scratched my neck sheepishly.
'So that won't work either....'
He released a sigh that sounded almost like a groan, then read the message carefully.
In any case, Zahidra was proving to be utterly unhelpful in these matters.
"But where did you go last night? You slipped out in the early morning breeze and crept back in. Did I get rejected on our wedding night?"
"I'm the one who got rejected. You fell asleep the moment you lay down."
"Right, I did. So you were disappointed?"
"What difference would it make if I said I was? I simply couldn't sleep because I drank coffee too late. So I went to the Alchemy Tower."
"The Alchemy Tower?"
"Yes. There, you can communicate with multiple people simultaneously through communication stones."
"You've been the only one who knew about something so extraordinary? I want to come along next time."
Rebecca's eyes sparkled with childlike curiosity once more.
A soft chuckle escaped me at the sight.
"Of course. I'll take you with me. The alchemists will be delighted too."
"Then who were you contacting yesterday?"
"Tanisha, Robert, Colin. And Butler."
"Butler?"
"Yes. He's the commander of the Shadow Knights."
"Ah, the one I said had terrible naming sense...."
"W-well, it's a name I gave myself when I was young."
"No, it's actually quite impressive."
The Shadow Knights were my elite order of knights.
As a Duke, I was legally forbidden from maintaining my own knights except for the minimal personnel necessary to maintain order in my domain.
It was an edict created after Zahidra ascended to the throne, designed to strip power from the House of Johannes.
My father had dismissed it without concern, but I was different.
I needed knights of my own who would not be subject to interference from the Church or the Imperial Palace.
After strongly protesting to Zahidra, I finally received permission to employ only fifteen people under the guise of a personal guard.
Those fifteen knights were the Shadow Knights.
Created at seventeen years old, the name was thoroughly pretentious.
Rebecca had burst into laughter the moment she heard it.
I could see her now struggling to suppress her amusement, and I narrowed my eyes slightly.
"Sorry, sorry. I won't laugh anymore. Did you learn anything useful?"
"More or less...."
I summarized the information I'd gathered yesterday and relayed it to her.
Rebecca, who had been listening intently, let out a sigh.
"Sigh.... Nothing about this is simple. You'll have quite a lot to do."
"It's fine. You should rest here. I'll handle everything...."
"That phrase is forbidden. Zeppelin used to say it all the time."
Rebecca spoke with a slightly hardened expression. I quickly nodded in agreement.
Zeppelin, of all people.
Could there be a greater insult than that?
"Understood. I'll be careful."
"But honestly, it seems like you'll have to work alone anyway. There appears to be far more to manage in the Duchy than I initially thought."
"Really? There isn't actually that much to attend to in our castle...."
"Have you never considered that all of this runs smoothly only because of the blood and sweat of your employees? They're all grinding away, clenching their teeth, just to make your life comfortable?"
"Is that so...?"
It was something I had never once considered, so I widened my eyes slightly.
Without lifting a finger, everything I needed was always prepared before me.
I had thought it as natural as breathing, never once considering that my convenience was the result of someone else's labor.
"It's only natural that someone raised so delicately wouldn't understand. But now that you know, I'd appreciate it if you showed a bit more respect."
"I will... do that."
Julian answered obediently. No matter how I examined it from every angle, Rebecca's words were entirely correct.
Rebecca smiled brightly and patted Julian's back.
"Now you really must prepare, Duke. His Majesty is waiting for you so eagerly he's practically beside himself."
"The thought of seeing Zahidra's smug grin makes my stomach turn. And that bastard Devonshire will be there too, no doubt."
Julian grumbled with obvious displeasure, but then a pleasant thought seemed to occur to him, and his eyes sparkled.
"Rebecca, would you like to have lunch one more time? If so, I'll prepare faster than anyone and head to the Imperial Palace."
"I'm still so full I feel like I'm dying, and now you want me to eat more? Besides, this is your responsibility."
"Even a simple snack would do. I just don't want to eat alone."
Julian persistently coaxed Rebecca.
His tone carried a hint of affection. In a way, he seemed to be acting spoiled.
Rebecca suddenly wondered if he'd always been this way, and she burst into laughter.
She'd thought he was a sharp-clawed cat, but now she could see he was unmistakably an affectionate puppy.
Rebecca suppressed the urge to stroke his soft hair.
And she reluctantly nodded her head.
"Fine. But we're only having simple fruit. If you prepare something elaborate like last time, I won't eat it."
"Who would lie about that?"
Finally obtaining what he wanted, Julian's lips curved into a gentle arc.
* * *
This morning, posters copying Barinika's painting spread widely throughout the Empire.
The image, which included a couple of additional details beyond what the Hall of Light had announced, elegantly decorated walls and floors.
People pretended not to notice the fluttering posters, muttering that it was outrageous.
If they were caught observing the painting with genuine interest, it would be serious trouble with the Knights of God.
Yet this painting was unmistakably Barinika's work.
His distinctive style, famous for Temple murals, was something even commoners knew well from their occasional visits to the Temple.
Not a few people slipped the posters into their clothing, thinking they might be valuable if kept hidden for later.
The Knights of God, belatedly grasping the situation, came forward to recover all the paintings, but it was already too late.
It was obvious as day that Barinika's new works would soon circulate covertly in the Black Market.
The circulation of the paintings wasn't such a grave matter, but the problem was that so many people had seen them.
There was scarcely a person who hadn't experienced the Temple's tyranny firsthand.
As discontent toward the Temple grew by the day, the paintings spread across the nation clearly defined the nature of that discontent.
The seed had been sown. No matter how much one tried to weed it out, once the seed of distrust took root, it would not easily disappear.
It went without saying that the Temple, upon realizing this fact, was thrown into turmoil.
The Knights of God took control of various regions and launched a search for the instigators.
In response, Zahidra hastily convened an urgent state council meeting.
* * *
A heavy silence blanketed the Conference Room of the Imperial Palace.
Zahidra, seated at the head of the table, spoke with a deeply grave voice, pressing Cardinal Bolivar.
"No matter how much autonomy the Knights of God possess, threatening the people without so much as a word to me is an overreach of authority."
"Your Majesty, do you not understand the meaning of autonomy? An overreach, you say? Images defaming the Temple have spread throughout the entire Empire! How can you, as the father of this nation, sit idle while being insulted? We have merely taken justified action!"
"Yet the Temple is now indiscriminately arresting innocent people! The cries of those demanding the return of their families have reached even these Imperial Palace walls!"
"Innocent people, you say? Your Majesty, do you doubt the Knights of God? In the name of the Divine, we interrogate only those with suspicions through proper procedures! To be treated as common criminals is deeply offensive, Your Majesty!"
Cardinal Bolivar slammed his hand against the table and shouted.
His unbridled attitude carved deep furrows across Zahidra's brow.
The fact that a mere cardinal could display such arrogance before him filled Zahidra with indignation—again and again.
Zahidra surveyed the nobility seated in the Conference Room with measured deliberation.
The majority were old aristocrats who supported the Temple.
Despite cutting off their funding over long years and shaking the very foundations of their traditional power, these old nobles clung to survival like vermin.
'Even rotten roots are still roots, it seems.'
Zahidra exhaled a deep sigh within himself.
Part of him wished to execute every last one of them, but doing so would make him a tyrant.
Zahidra believed that power divorced from honor held no value.
Chelston, who had been watching Zahidra's stern expression, spoke toward the Cardinal.
"Listen here, Cardinal! You stand before His Majesty. Mind your words."
"Do I appear agitated to you? We must immediately apprehend the instigators and impose severe punishment. This is the Temple's sole domain—Your Majesty has no authority to interfere!"
"No authority to interfere! What nonsense is this!"
As Chelston raised his voice, the Marquis of Lancaster, leader of the old aristocrats, stroked his long beard and spoke.
The Runaway Countess Returns
E-book Publication
January 12, 2022
Author
Long Night Sky
Publisher
Desert Fox
Published by
Woongjin ThinkBig Co., Ltd.
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Blog
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@wjt_fennecfox
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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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