Chapter 57
#057. People Who Ignore Anxiety
"Doesn't anyone ask why that fell!"
Thump. The Emperor roared, slamming his desk.
The Chamberlain bowed his head at the spine-chilling fury.
Glaring at the silent Chamberlain, the Emperor pointed a finger toward the curtain.
The curtain, which always seemed to be drawn as if to conceal something, was now wide open.
"Does it make sense that a portrait, protected by preservation magic and untouched by anyone, would fall? Chamberlain!"
The Emperor's eyes gleamed fiercely as he stared at the empty wall. The Chamberlain, uncharacteristically, raised his head sharply at the Emperor's voice, which was as sharp as if he were about to kill someone.
"Your Majesty, are you not aware? I am the only one who checks your bedchamber last."
The Chamberlain declared in a trembling voice. It was the truth. He had simply inspected the Emperor's bedchamber as usual.
Everything was exactly the same as yesterday, until he discovered something had fallen beneath the curtain that symbolized the Franz Empire, deep within the bedchamber.
The Emperor knew this better than anyone. He himself had been the one who had drawn back the curtain and gazed at the portrait just moments before.
The Emperor's rough breathing, which had filled the bedchamber, gradually subsided. It was a positive sign. When the bedchamber fell silent, the experienced Chamberlain spoke cautiously.
"...I will summon the court magician to reapply the preservation magic, Your Majesty."
The Chamberlain bowed deeply. A thud followed as the Emperor sat heavily in his chair.
"...Thank you. I have shown a rather poor side of myself today."
"Not at all, Your Majesty."
The Chamberlain had served the Emperor his entire life.
He had witnessed firsthand how obsessed the Emperor was with the woman in the portrait, and what he had done because of it.
It was the only portrait of that woman. If the Emperor hadn't been looking at the portrait just moments before, even the Chamberlain, who had served him so closely, couldn't predict what might have happened.
The Chamberlain unconsciously stroked the area around his neck. It felt as cold as if a chilling wind were blowing there.
"...Raise your head, Chamberlain."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The Chamberlain raised his head. The Emperor, averting his gaze from the portrait lying face-up on the desk, said,
"Is the Princess conducting the investigation I ordered in Territory of Vikander?"
"...I received word that she is staying in the Katanta Viscountcy."
"Is she already returning after completing the investigation? She is returning faster than I thought."
The Emperor took a light breath, trying to refresh his mood. Fortunately, the Chamberlain's answer was satisfactory.
The Princess always brought back clear-cut results regarding the tasks she was given. Even though she had a late start, it seemed she was diligently following her father's command to conduct the investigation quickly.
"That is..."
The Emperor raised an eyebrow. The Chamberlain hesitated for a moment, choosing his words with a troubled expression.
"...She is not returning, but rather going to Territory of Vikander."
"What?"
The Emperor frowned, openly displaying his displeasure. The Chamberlain, cut off mid-sentence, fell silent.
"Is that truly the case? The Princess has only made it as far as Katanta? That is only a four-hour journey from here."
"Yes. I apologize, Your Majesty. Her Highness the Princess's motion sickness has caused a slight delay in her journey."
"Ha, ha!"
The Emperor let out a hollow laugh.
Motion sickness? Still in Katanta because of mere motion sickness!
The Emperor easily dismissed the memory of the Princess saying she was ill the last time, unable to suppress his anger.
This was a situation where time was of the essence... Seeing the fallen portrait had only strengthened his conviction that he needed to reconfirm the White Crystal Mine.
Suppressing his impatience, the Emperor quietly commanded,
"Send someone to Katanta immediately. Tell the Princess that I will give her five days, no excuses needed."
It took three days to travel from the capital to Territory of Vikander. Even without the investigation, the round trip would take six days, but the Chamberlain did not point this out. Instead, he politely replied that he would do so.
The Emperor raised his hand and rubbed his face wearily. A stifled sigh filled his palm.
He already had countless tasks to attend to. Among them, the one that had been causing him the most headaches lately was Duke Madeleine's eldest daughter, who had gone to Territory of Vikander.
"...I wonder if Duke Madeleine is doing his job properly."
"I will send word for him to come for an audience tomorrow."
At the experienced Chamberlain's words, the Emperor nodded, swallowing a low groan.
"...Bring me a cup of tea."
The Chamberlain bowed and replied that he would. Then, the Chamberlain left the bedchamber.
Click. With the sound of the door closing, the Emperor removed his hand from his face.
No matter how much he tried to ignore it, he couldn't. The Emperor, as if possessed, slowly gazed at the portrait on the desk.
Against a dark background, a beautiful blonde woman in a voluminous white dress was staring back at him expressionlessly.
Her overwhelmingly beautiful face was exactly like that of his loyal dog, her son, Grand Duke Bikander.
The only difference was her vividly sparkling green eyes.
The Emperor quietly raised a finger and stroked the expressionless face, muttering,
"I must have been mistaken. How could a painting possibly smile?"
The Emperor's murmur filled the bedchamber and then vanished.
Of course, the painting remained silent.
Just like this beautiful woman, who had been dragged to the Imperial Palace to protect Territory of Vikander.
The Emperor looked down at the portrait with eyes full of scorn.
"...You should have clung to me in the end, Princess. If you had, I would have been generous to your beloved son.
A low voice, chewed out between his teeth, was laced with a regret that even the Emperor himself was unaware of.
The Emperor's eyes, meeting the woman in the painting who looked at him with aloofness, were distorted with greed and jealousy.
The late Grand Duchess of Territory of Vikander and a princess of the fallen kingdom.
The only woman who, despite receiving love and respect from everyone, never allowed him a sliver of her heart until the very end.
To make matters worse, she didn't utter a single word to him even as she was dying.
"Because of you, the Territory of Vikander will disappear. Just as the people of the fallen kingdom of Lowell have come to be ashamed of themselves. Esmerilda, because you didn't choose me! Because of you!"
Only painful things awaited the Grand Duke Bikander, who looked exactly like her.
A joyful smile mixed on the Emperor's lips as he imagined the princess in the afterlife shedding tears of blood.
The Emperor, who had been cursing in an angry voice, suddenly flinched and stepped back in surprise.
"What is this...?"
Inexplicably, for a moment, the princess's green eyes in the portrait seemed to be mocking him.
When the Emperor blinked and looked at the portrait again, the princess was looking at him expressionlessly, as always.
That couldn't be. The Emperor's neck grew cold as he stared at the portrait. Without realizing it, he turned the portrait upside down.
It was nothing. The portrait falling, the news about the Princess that he didn't like.
He was just a little more sensitive today.
Even so, the Emperor gently clenched his fist.
Until just a moment ago, everything had been in his hands. As he clenched his fist tightly, it felt as if everything was slipping through his fingers.
Just like when he felt that the leash of his dog, Grand Duke Bikander, had been loosened.
That couldn't be.
The ever-reliable Princess would once again faithfully follow his orders, and Duke Madeleine would bring the eldest daughter, who had made Grand Duke Bikander smile, back to the Crown Prince's side.
And the Crown Prince would take Madeleine as his consort and instill despair in Grand Duke Bikander.
Everything would return to its place.
The Emperor repeated the words to himself like a mantra, as if to say that this anxiety was nothing.
.
.
.
At that moment, the Chamberlain sent word to the Katanta Viscountcy according to the Emperor's command. As he watched the horse and knight ride away, the Chamberlain swallowed an unknown sense of unease.
"...Duke Madeleine, at least, should bring good news."
The Chamberlain's words scattered weakly into the air.
And when the Chamberlain turned around, the sun was rising in the unusually dark sky far away.
* * *
It was around dawn.
Olivia and Edwin sat side by side in the carriage, leaning their heads on each other's shoulders.
It was a good time, just hearing each other's heartbeats.
Even though they had stayed up all night, they strangely couldn't fall asleep. They felt more energetic than usual.
Was it because they had shared their heavy burdens, or was it because they were sitting close to Edwin?
Olivia chuckled and looked at the Ducal Palace, which was getting closer. And, as a habit, she fidgeted with her hands.
Only when she felt a small, hard sensation at her fingertips did Olivia realize that she hadn't put on her Magic Stone necklace again.
As Olivia carefully raised her head, Edwin followed her movement and looked at Olivia's fingertips.
"I'll put it on for you."
His slightly husky, low voice was charming. When Edwin unhesitatingly took the necklace from Olivia's hand, Olivia's cheeks flushed slightly as their fingers brushed.
Quick to notice, Edwin, seeing her flushed cheeks, slowly put the necklace around Olivia's neck, pretending not to notice. And he whispered in her ear.
"Let's take a good nap as soon as we get inside, and then have a late breakfast. Let's not go to Yenib today, and let's play together all afternoon. How about it?"
It was a great offer, but Olivia shook her head.
She had to get the seal stamped as soon as she got inside. The Duke and Duchess's assets were joint property, so she wanted to make sure that Edwin's share was secured.
Of course, Bethany had to be okay.
Olivia swallowed her words because she couldn't confirm Bethany's condition. In the meantime, the solid gates of the Ducal Palace opened, and the carriage entered the Ducal Palace.
I'm back.
The word felt so real that Olivia muttered it under her breath for no reason.
.
.
.
"You've arrived, Your Highness. Lady."
"Bethany!"
Olivia wanted to check if she was okay, but Bethany even came out to the entrance!
Olivia called out to Bethany with wide eyes.
Bethany, who had shed so many tears last night, greeted Olivia and Edwin at the entrance with a calm face.
Surprised, Olivia quickly approached Bethany as soon as she got out of the carriage and hugged her. Bethany, who seemed a little surprised and widened her eyes, soon hugged Olivia warmly.
"Oh, and you too, Lady. Did you have a good trip?"
"Yes. Are you feeling alright?"
At Olivia's whispered words, Bethany smiled and nodded. It was a relief.
There was no reason to hesitate now. Olivia spoke to Bethany carefully but confidently.
"Then please transfer the ownership of this White Crystal Mine to joint ownership right now."
Olivia naturally expected Bethany to smile brightly and say she would. She even anticipated that Bethany would be overjoyed that such a precious inheritance had returned and would be too overwhelmed to answer for a moment.
But the answer she received far exceeded Olivia's expectations.
"Unfortunately, Lady. That is impossible."
At the thunderbolt-like answer, Olivia involuntarily looked at Edwin. Edwin smiled brightly and nodded, as if he knew it would happen.
