Chapter 118
#118. Leopold's Attempt to Use His Best
"Duke, let's move somewhere else for a moment."
The Crown Prince commanded with an impatient voice.
However, Duke Madeleine couldn't say anything. Even the Crown Prince's urging sounded like a muffled ringing in his ears.
Piercing through that gap was the murmuring of the nobles.
"Is it really Madeleine who restored the Retail Territory?"
"Since when has Madeleine been doing Princess's work?"
"Goodness, Madeleine is the Saintess."
The accumulating words weighed down on the Duke's shoulders.
What is all this? The Duke couldn't understand.
So, what I heard is...
"Is it all true?"
But the voice that left his lips was terribly calm.
The Crown Prince narrowed his eyes and sighed as if frustrated. He ran his right hand through his hair, annoyed.
"What are you talking about? I said I have something to talk about regarding Olivia!"
"...You bruised her wrist, and you say you have something to say about Olivia?"
The words that had been filling his head came out as they were.
The Crown Prince's brow furrowed in an instant. A sharp aura emanated from the Crown Prince, whose eyes were flashing, but the Duke maintained his composure. The Crown Prince spat out with a displeased face.
"Why that face?"
"...I don't know."
"Ha..."
The Crown Prince's eyes turned fierce. But he was sincere. Duke Madeleine didn't even know what kind of face he was making.
After Hazel died, he lived his whole life without needing to manage his expressions.
Nothing pleased him except his children, and nothing was sadder than Hazel's death. He had lived like a person left alone in a world of grayscale.
But now. What on earth is the reason for this churning in his stomach?
"You don't look well, Your Highness."
The Duke abruptly raised his head at the sound of someone speaking from a short distance away. There, Grand Duke Bikander was muttering, biting his red lip.
"...Too much."
"Pardon?"
"Does Lord Interfield believe it? That the things my Olivia might have done are endlessly pouring out from all over this banquet hall. My Olivia, who is only twenty years old, did all those things...?"
Hearing those words, the Duke felt faint. He finally realized what was making him uncomfortable.
No matter how he heard it, it was too much. When it was said to be the Princess's achievements, it was something that could have been possible with the backing of the Imperial Family.
But if Olivia did all that... He felt suffocated.
All that went to her was pocket money, that was all. Moreover, he heard that she had even been looking at the Madeleine Dukedom's ledgers at some point.
"What do you think, Duke?"
The distance between him and the Grand Duke became closer than he knew when. The Crown Prince glared at the Grand Duke with fierce eyes.
"Grand Duke, am I not talking to the Duke right now!"
"Then I'll step in. Crown Prince. Duke, answer."
Despite the Crown Prince's sharp irritation, the Grand Duke's words were directed at Duke Madeleine.
It wasn't a mocking face. The Grand Duke was simply asking calmly.
"Did the Duke help? Is that why my Olivia was able to accomplish these numerous things worthy of being praised as a Saintess?"
The sharp question pierced the Duke's heart. The Duke shook his head without realizing it.
I didn't help with anything. I just hoped she would wither away from the Empress's oppression. I didn't care about anything else. Of course, the idea of her doing the Princess's work was completely...
"Or did you not know at all? Were you not even interested?"
The Grand Duke said calmly, as if he had read his mind.
Duke Madeleine stared at the Grand Duke in the face of the dagger-like criticism.
He couldn't even guess whether the surging emotions within those red eyes were anger, affection, or a collection of emotions beyond that.
It was then.
The Grand Duke muttered like a sigh.
"Work that no one knows about. Why did my Olivia work so hard?"
Ah. The Duke consciously bit his lip. Sharp fragments mercilessly dug into the Duke's heart.
That was too easy a question.
"Are you her father?"
Because he hated the round, green eyes of the six-year-old who looked up at him for the first time.
"I can do it well!"
Because even that appearance of trying to look good was hateful.
"I'm also a Madeleine."
That's why he hated her even more.
She was the one who caused Hazel to die. The sight of her daring to join Madeleine, this solid bond, without knowing her place, was terribly hateful.
"I'm the same. I'm also Madeleine now."
So, he didn't realize it.
The faint afterimage in his head became clearer and clearer.
When she said she would erase Madeleine, Olivia was smiling then.
"I will erase Madeleine, completely."
As if she had no regrets, very lightly.
When all of that came to mind clearly, the Duke's amethyst eyes began to darken.
He knew how much she wanted Madeleine. So, he never wanted to give it to her.
But she really... didn't do anything wrong.
When he collided with the fact he had always ignored, the Duke rounded his straight back for the first time. He felt like he was going to die from suffocation.
One layer, then another. Guilt, resentment, all the emotions he had been holding onto collapsed on top of the Duke.
The Grand Duke, who was watching his pale face, unable to even breathe, slowly clicked his tongue and added a word.
"Whether the Duke condoned it or truly didn't know. I really."
The Grand Duke, who was walking past as if nothing had happened, had a familiar scent. A cozy smell. All the more...
"...My heart aches."
A sorrowful smell like tears. The smell that Olivia had.
In an instant, the Duke staggered from dizziness.
"Father!"
Conrad and Jade were seen running from afar. The children he had blamed for being weak knew before him.
The efforts of that small child who was less than half his size. What the gaze that sparkled with anticipation meant.
There was one more person besides Hazel who he had turned away from in his pain, who he had to atone for.
Olivia Madelaine.
All the best moments for the name she had abandoned.
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.
.
"Grand Duke. Is it okay to ignore the Imperial Family like this?"
The Crown Prince gritted his teeth, but there was no reason to look at him.
There was no more Tea Party. Edwin left the banquet hall with a stern face. No one held him back in this quiet place.
As soon as he left the banquet hall, Winster, who had been waiting, followed him. And naturally began to report.
"The Knights are all prepared. Even the newspapers that receive full support from the Imperial Palace were almost disappointed, so that says it all. As for the rumors..."
Winster paused for a moment and made an ambiguous expression.
"I took measures to ensure that it only spread within the system, but outside the system, it was spreading like wildfire on its own."
Edwin accepted the documents that Winster handed him. It was part of a letter sent by a vassal of the Tristan Territory, a granary.
Edwin smiled bitterly at the desperation contained within.
"I understand why you made that expression."
As if estimating the number of times he had been ignored, the letter began with apologies for contacting him so many times.
Despite that, it even mentioned the difficult circumstances of Tristan that made it impossible not to write a letter.
Edwin knew better than anyone that the empire was happy to collapse, but the damage would reach the people.
Turning his gaze with an uneasy feeling, Winster suddenly asked.
"Did you read to the end?"
"Not yet. Why?"
"...Well, the vassal wrote that they hope the Olivia will come."
Only at Winster's words did Edwin immediately read the letter again. The end of the letter, which spoke of difficult circumstances without exaggeration, read as follows.
Knowing full well that it is difficult for Princess to visit, we would be sincerely grateful if you could send even the silver-haired maid who came last time. She is a tight-lipped Olivia, so she has never said anything here that would harm Princess. Please have mercy on this bountiful Tristan.
Silver-haired maid. Tight-lipped Olivia.
Edwin bit his lip. He couldn't even guess how far this pitiful Olivia could make his heart ache.
"...I have to go."
Only after blurting out the words that surged up did Edwin clearly know his priorities now. Unearthing the secret of the White Crystal Mine that his mother had left him was important, but.
"Edwin."
Liv, Olivia. The adorable Olivia who had the Princess's weaknesses in her hands, yet didn't even show it. He felt like he was going crazy with longing to see his little Olivia.
"No, then what about the mineral tax negotiations?"
Winster, who was startled, asked in horror. Of course, he fully understood the desire to see Olivia, but he was about to calmly explain why His Highness had remained here.
Edwin tilted his head as if he didn't understand and said.
"What are you worried about? I have you capable people."
"...Pardon?"
"You guys have been doing well with mineral taxes so far. You can finish it on your own."
Winster, who was shocked by the unconventional words of entrusting the negotiations on mineral taxes, shouted in dismay.
"What about the secret documents?! Olivia is also waiting for those documents to arrive!"
"So, you have to handle things well without my Olivia knowing and bring the documents, right?"
"Your, Your Highness?"
Edwin smiled brightly, as if he didn't care about Winster, whose eyes were shaking in confusion.
"Anyway, even if I take an interest, the Emperor will just drool. Pretend to be moderately uninterested. This is also a strategy. Then, gentlemen, good luck!"
The Grand Duke, who winked playfully with one eye, began to run down the hallway with nimble steps.
The Chamberlain of the Imperial Palace, who was walking from the opposite side, greeted him politely as if he had business with him.
"Grand Duke. His Majesty the Emperor is looking for... Your, Your Highness!"
Leaving behind the voice of the flustered Chamberlain, the Grand Duke leaped down the stairs. The Chamberlain of the Imperial Palace called out to the Grand Duke in confusion.
"Grand Duke! His Majesty the Emperor is... Your, Your Highness!"
"...It seems His Highness has already left. What's the matter?"
"His Majesty the Emperor is waiting for an important discussion on mineral taxes!"
.
.
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"His Majesty the Emperor is waiting for an important discussion on mineral taxes!"
Hearing the voice of the Imperial Palace Chamberlain who didn't know what to do, Leopold turned around.
He had been following the Grand Duke out of the banquet hall with a resentful heart that he couldn't shake off.
The guy who was supposed to be an excellent Knight didn't even feel his presence, and irresponsibly entrusted the mineral tax negotiations to his Knight and quickly disappeared. Leopold frowned slightly as he watched him run away as if he was running away.
"Secret documents?"
Something he wanted, whatever it was.
In an instant, a few scattered puzzle pieces in Leopold's head began to fit together.
Leopold turned his body with a whoosh. The destination was the Imperial Palace, the deepest and most secret...
Like the Emperor's bedroom.
"Your Majesty, Your Ma..."
Bang-. The Emperor pushed away the Empress, who was calling him pleadingly, and closed the door of the drawing room. His face, red and blue with anger, was distorted as he breathed roughly.
"Your Majesty, she is the Princess. She is Your Majesty's direct descendant. Please have mercy...!"
"I don't want to hear it! If you're going to say such things, get out!"
The Emperor flared up at the faint sound of knocking on the door. Silence came, as if she was surprised. He was rather glad. The Emperor sat on the sofa with a heavy sigh.
His head throbbed. A Princess whose string had been cut and had no value.
A Princess who was stupid beyond compare. At the same time, a Princess who couldn't even do her job properly.
"Really, if she wasn't the Princess..."
He muttered eerily, but it was a situation where only sighs came out. He didn't even remember what kind of face he had made when he saw off the delegation.
Now, the moment he wanted to avoid the most was approaching. The Grand Duke, the guy who publicly insulted the Imperial Family and threw them into shame. Just thinking about it made his stomach twist.
He had to compromise. He couldn't figure out what to do at all.
What should he do? His heart was pounding with excessive anxiety. It was then. Knock, knock, the Chamberlain came in.
Strangely, the Chamberlain, who had been sent to return with the Grand Duke, was alone.
"Why are you coming alone, Chamberlain?"
"That, that's."
The Chamberlain bowed his head with a flustered face and reported.
"He said he was going to see Madeleine and left for the Territory of Vikander."
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.
.
"How can he leave behind something he coveted so much?!"
In the hallway leading to the bedroom. The Emperor burst into anger and rubbed his forehead.
He couldn't understand. His priority was his dead parents more than anything else. Did it change now?
The Emperor tried to suppress the heavy anxiety that was weighing on him and turned the corner. And stopped walking for a moment.
"...Why is the door to my bedroom open?"
At the words he spat out hoarsely, the Chamberlain, who was trembling in front of the bedroom, prostrated himself on the floor. It was quite strange. If it was someone who would open the door, which he wouldn't even open for the Empress...!
The Emperor entered the bedroom with his fist clenched. The bedroom was empty.
But the deceiving intuition led him to the most private place in the bedroom. No way. Even if the Crown Prince was doing stupid things these days, there was no way he would barge into the Emperor's bedroom. Without even permission.
The Emperor entered the innermost part of the bedroom at the moment his uneasy heart was swaying. And there, he found Leopold looking up at the portrait.
"Crown Prince, you son of a...!"
This was his most private space. Unlike the Emperor, whose blood was rushing to his head, Leopold muttered extremely calmly.
"This is the woman. Lowell's Princess."
"How dare you...!"
"He really looks a lot like the Grand Duke. But the eyes... are the same as the Olivia's eyes."
It was strange.
"Is that right, Your Majesty?"
The face of his son, who was looking at him as if seeking confirmation, was the calmest he had been in recent times. It was the complete opposite of the foolish appearance he had been showing.
"..."
Leopold raised the corners of his lips with a smile at the Emperor's eyes, which were looking at him searchingly.
"If it's a secret document, is it a document about the White Crystal Mine that the Princess was deprived of?"
"What are you going to do knowing that? Are you going to ruin things like that Maria Etel again?"
Even in the face of the pointed sarcasm, Leopold shrugged his shoulders with a calm smile.
"If that's something the Grand Duke desperately wants. Give it to me. Your Majesty."
"What?"
The Emperor exclaimed and shouted at Leopold.
"Didn't you see! What kind of state this Imperial Family is in now because I gave the Princess the rights to the White Crystal Mine!"
"I can fix that. Your Majesty."
"What?"
The Emperor narrowed his eyes at Leopold's confident appearance. Yes. This was the Crown Prince he knew. Not someone who was rejected by someone in a powerless and dejected state.
An arrogant and condescending look.
At the same time, Leopold slowly opened his mouth.
"If that's something the Grand Duke desperately wants..."
Leopold knows almost nothing about Olivia Madelaine.
But he was sure of one thing.
She always did her best for her people.
Whatever it was.
He didn't want to admit it, but Olivia's best right now was...
"I can bring Olivia back to my side with that."
Because she was reaching out to Grand Duke Bikander, that bastard.
His sea-colored eyes were deeply sunken and shining fiercely. A chilling obsession flashed for a moment over his eyes, which looked like the depths of the deep sea.
The noble Crown Prince.
His goal was for Olivia to return to his side.
The Duke said Olivia's wrist was bruised. A thrilling joy ran down his spine as he recalled those words.
If she comes back, I'll have to hold her wrist so it doesn't get bruised then.
The Crown Prince raised the corners of his lips in a crooked smile.
The love that a Crown Prince who had never loved someone perfectly could give was just such a twisted obsession.
