204 - I Got Engaged to a Blind Duke
However, the Emperor seemed satisfied with his positive answer, as he burst into a hearty laugh and nodded.
"Good, let us see each other soon with your fiancée. And I have prepared entertainment to celebrate the Crown Prince's wedding. I will hold a Hunting Festival soon, so please show the Duke's martial prowess. You may leave now."
"Yes."
Gerald answered briefly and stepped back.
Is the Emperor really crazy?
Gerald's gray eyes sank deeply.
With a complex look, he leaned against a pillar in the hallway and waited for a while.
The old Chamberlain came out of the office and walked busily somewhere.
Gerald secretly followed him.
When the Chamberlain entered a secluded garden, Gerald revealed himself.
"Let's talk for a moment."
The Chamberlain's steps stopped abruptly. The Chamberlain did not hide his discomfort and bowed slightly.
"Since when?"
"I cannot say."
The Chamberlain's wrinkled eyes, as he raised his face, were full of loyalty to the Emperor.
"Who knows about this?"
"No one knows yet."
"The Chamberlain knows, and I know, but no one else knows?"
Gerald stared at the Chamberlain with a serious look.
"I trust that Your Excellency will also pretend not to have seen today's events."
"What does the Imperial Physician say?"
"No one knows."
"Chamberlain. Do you really think that is the way to serve His Majesty?"
"……."
Gerald did not wait for the Chamberlain's answer and coldly left the spot.
The Chamberlain's face, left alone, was filled with worry.
What is the way for this Empire, for the Emperor?
\ \ \
The drawing room of the Crown Prince's Palace.
While waiting for the Crown Prince, Gerald looked around the drawing room. His eyes showed dissatisfaction.
The Emperor's Palace was the height of splendor with expensive luxuries, but this place was simple without any decorations.
That alone showed the Crown Prince's frugal nature, but it also revealed the Crown Prince's narrow position.
Which aristocrat would not want to be well-regarded by the next Emperor?
If he were a Crown Prince recognized by the Emperor, this place should be overflowing with expensive things.
Then, Alecpet, who rushed into the drawing room, smiled brightly.
"Welcome. Duke."
"Baines, I see the Crown Prince."
Gerald greeted curtly.
"I am truly pleased to see the Duke in my Palace. Please, sit down."
As Alecpet offered a seat, the Duke sat opposite him.
A servant immediately came and set the tea table and quietly disappeared.
"I am very glad that your eyes have recovered."
Alecpet carefully examined the Duke's gray eyes.
He had heard about the Duke's condition from Dia, but seeing it directly in front of him put him at ease.
"Yes."
"I recently met the sisters of Lady Adria. They were truly lovely."
"Yes."
Alecpet smiled silently as he looked at the Duke, who answered with a curt face.
"The tea tastes good. Please, drink."
Alecpet first picked up the teacup and took a sip.
This was the Duke's first visit to his Palace. He would not have come to say hello.
What important story would the Duke have to come all the way here?
His mind was complicated, and he could not taste the tea at all due to the tension.
"I think the greetings are enough, do you have something to tell me?"
Alecpet put down the teacup and stared straight at the Duke. Rather than just getting his insides burned with tension, it was better to confront him first.
"Do you love Dia?"
"……Is that what you came to ask?"
Alecpet barely managed to speak, unable to hide his embarrassment. The expression that had been frozen immediately relaxed at the Duke's question.
It was an unexpected question.
"Yes."
The Duke nodded slightly with an indifferent expression.
It was an unexpected question, but not one he could not answer.
"Of course, I love Lady Adria."
Alecpet said sincerely.
The Duke stared at him with piercing eyes as if trying to grasp his true intentions, but Alecpet did not avoid his gaze and faced him confidently.
"The Imperial Palace is a difficult place."
"That is so."
The Duke asked again after a long silence.
"Can Your Highness protect Dia?"
Alecpet realized that this was the question the Duke truly wanted to ask.
"……I will do my best."
"Doing your best is not enough. To protect someone, you must sometimes risk everything."
Everything.
Baines protects.
Baines' advice, who protects better than anyone else, resonated deeply in his heart.
Alecpet lowered his gaze to the floor.
"I know that I am lacking."
"Do you really think so? I am disappointed. Enough to make Dia's marriage null and void."
The Duke's cold words became an ice pick and stabbed his heart.
What does the Duke want? What should he do?
He was powerless, but he wanted to protect only Dia.
Was giving her up truly protecting her?
"Are you saying that giving up is protecting her?"
Alecpet raised his gaze again and struggled to meet the Duke's eyes.
His breath caught in his throat as he saw the Duke's cold face.
"Can you give up?"
"……."
Alecpet could not say anything and moved his lips before closing them.
The Duke's gray eyes persistently urged him to answer. The unspoken pressure made his heart burn.
Endless despair was pulling him to the floor.
Alecpet squeezed his eyes shut and forced himself to open his mouth.
"Duke. I am sorry, but I cannot do that. I cannot give up on her. So please, say something else. I will do anything to protect her."
It was the first time. It was the first time he had ever wanted something with all his heart.
He already knew that sweetness, so how could he let it go?
Even if he was called selfish, he could not let it go. No, he did not want to let go.
"Your Highness."
At the Duke's call, Alecpet felt helpless and slowly lifted his eyelids. The Duke's indifferent expression came into view.
"Speak. I will listen to anything except telling me to give up on her."
Alecpet whispered desperately.
"You are not alone, Your Highness."
The Duke's words struck his heart for a moment. Alecpet thought he had misheard.
He had always felt alone.
His father, who had ignored him since birth. His mother, who was too weak to take care of herself. His maternal grandfather, who did not cross a certain line because he was wary of the Imperial Family.
But…….
"I will trust your promise to do anything to protect Dia. Reach out when you need help."
The Duke's unexpected proposal left him breathless in a different sense.
"Ah……."
Alecpet's golden eyes, which signified the Imperial Family, shook incessantly.
"The time will soon come when Your Highness must choose. I will protect you. I came to see you to say this. I will leave now."
As the Duke rose from his seat, Alecpet quickly followed suit.
What does 'soon' mean? What should he choose? Can he make a choice to protect Dia?
Numerous questions arose in his mind, then quietly subsided.
Wouldn't just one word be enough for Baines?
"Duke, thank you."
The Duke bowed his head silently and left.
\ \ \
The golden gate of the Imperial Palace opened, and a black Four-wheeled carriage with the Baines Dukedom's crest largely drawn on it drove out.
Olive felt the Duke's unusual atmosphere sitting across from her and remained silent.
Did something bad happen with the Emperor?
Olive quickly shook her head.
Had there ever been a time when he was happy after meeting the Emperor?
Did something happen with the Crown Prince?
"Olive."
The Duke's lips opened only after the carriage was far enough away from the Imperial Palace.
"Yes."
"Camellia?"
"She has safely entered the Palace."
Olive answered quickly.
Camellia, who had finished her long vacation, had put down the name Jenny, which she had used when she took care of the Eastern Grand Duke, and had entered the Palace with a new identity.