215 - Pieces of the Broken Glass Slipper
Shattered Glass Slipper Shards Episode 215
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When the Emperor's life hung by a thread, it was an old custom of the Empire for all the nobles living in the capital to gather and watch over his final moments. Of course, young masters and ladies who had not yet debuted in society were not allowed to attend such events, due to the superstition that those who had not come of age were easily exposed to the aura of death. However, as I was practically the head of the Bishvarts Family, I had no choice but to enter the palace despite not having debuted. And with Mother, no less.
In the large reception room connected to the Emperor's room, many nobles were already dressed in near-monochromatic clothes, standing quietly. The number of candles had been reduced as much as possible, so darkness was cast like a shadow on everyone's faces, making it gloomy, reminiscent of a ghostly masquerade.
I exchanged glances with several people and approached Lady Roshan. Mother was still unwell and was resting in a chair set aside in one corner. It was already difficult for her just to come in a carriage.
As soon as Lady Roshan saw me, she greeted me lightly and whispered in a low voice.
"I have a bad feeling. He was fine until yesterday... Who would have known it would get this bad?"
"What does His Highness say?"
"He's sad. And very flustered."
Well, is he just sad? The Crown Prince I saw was a cold-blooded man who wouldn't bat an eye at the Emperor's death. If he's flustered, it's only because the timing of the Emperor's death deviated from his expectations.
It's a father-son relationship built on mutual deception. What I'm worried about is how today's events will affect the Grand Duke's rebellion.
I turned my head and looked around. The fake Grand Duke was nowhere to be seen. Neither was the real Grand Duke. The Crown Prince and Empress were also nowhere to be found.
"Where is His Highness?"
"He's with His Majesty."
Are the Empress and the Grand Duke inside too? To watch the Emperor's final moments?
I stared at the tightly closed door. It felt eerily dark today. It was as if the Grim Reaper was standing there with his scythe.
The people around me were talking about the Emperor's health in low voices. They were whispering, but as several people were talking, their voices gradually grew louder, so I could hear exactly what they were saying.
Everyone was saying that the Emperor wouldn't make it through the day. They were acting as if they were going to hold a funeral tomorrow. Some even spoke cynically, saying he had lasted quite a while.
"He was quite well just yesterday. Isn't it too strange?"
At my question, Lady Roshan's face hardened, and she lowered her voice even more.
"Don't have impious thoughts. He's been bedridden all year. There are some unsettling aspects, but now is the time to keep our mouths shut."
"Does His Highness think so too?"
Lady Roshan looked at me instead of answering. Her eyes were shaking slightly. That was enough of an answer, so I sighed and looked at the door again. The Emperor's death... It's too sudden.
Chatoul was standing right in front of the door, sobbing. She was dressed in a plain dress with no jewels. Her pale, bare face looked as pure as a woman working in a temple.
People who would normally surround her and flatter her were staying away as if they had seen a plague. Her handkerchief was soaked from crying so much, but no one comforted her or told her to rest. They just looked at her with a mocking expression, as if they were looking forward to her future, and whispered.
She was the Emperor's favorite concubine, who had been mocking the Empress with the Emperor backing her. Her power came from the sun of the Empire, so she couldn't possibly be unscathed by the eclipse. Perhaps no one would hold her hand for fear of the Crown Prince.
Chatoul was standing there forlornly, as if she knew that. She had occupied the Emperor's bedroom until now, but on the Emperor's last day, she couldn't even see his face and was reduced to waiting outside the door. As if to say that this is the end of a concubine based on favor.
The sight was miserable and pathetic, and I sighed. The situation that the Emperor had foreseen was becoming more and more of a reality.
"It's an impious thing to say, but what happens if His Majesty passes away?"
Lady Roshan immediately understood my words and shook her head with a dark face. It was more out of fear of what would happen in the chaos of the Emperor's death than a sign that she was not ready.
In the event of war, there is little that women, especially noble women, can do. They simply pack their belongings to flee and fret over the news that the servants bring them several times a day.
The same is true when a rebellion breaks out. The nobles would have already been divided into the Crown Prince's or the Grand Duke's side anyway, so they could only quietly watch the situation and send money to the powerful nobles on the side whose victory was almost certain to save their lives. Or pray for victory.
So how miserable is this? My life is on the line, but all I can do is go to the temple and pray.
"Be prepared."
Lady Roshan reaches out and grabs my hand. She expected that something big would happen as soon as the Emperor died. Well, if I were the Grand Duke, I wouldn't miss this opportunity. No, I would have tried to make things happen, even creating the situation.
...Wait a minute, the Emperor's condition suddenly worsened?
A thought flashed through my mind. The fact that Roena had remained in the same place for a week after her location was discovered.
If this was the Grand Duke's doing, if he had temporarily neglected to monitor her because he was so focused on this situation, ...then what would happen?
"Have I ever told you that I found Roena?"
Lady Roshan looks at me with a surprised face. I felt her gaze, but I continued to speak, looking at the Emperor's door in front of me. Lowering my voice as much as possible so that the people around me couldn't hear.
"She seems to have fallen for the bad enticement of someone who couldn't become the sun. But I sent Sir Halberd, so good news will come. Soon everything will be back to normal."
The intelligent Lady Roshan quickly understood what I meant and agreed.
"Sis seems to want to clear up Lady Roena's injustice. That's a good idea."
"Do you know who took her?"
"It's a predictable thing. But are you okay? It won't be good for everyone."
I shrugged my shoulders slightly as if I was sorry and continued.
"It's a shameful thing, but I can't help it. But I need to protect her honor, even if I have to do that."
In the meantime, the fake Grand Duke was known in society as a lecherous fool who coveted many women. That's because he drooled over pretty women like a dog and used every trick in the book to get them, so it was impossible for good rumors to spread. So the women who were involved with him were also being pointed at. But what if rumors spread that the Grand Duke kidnapped Roena in this situation?
Well, when the Emperor dies, the real Grand Duke will reveal his true colors and quell the scandal, but until then, it will be a good shield. Besides, the real one can't avoid the criticism that he used such a person to seduce innocent women. Of course, that would disappear if he succeeded in the rebellion.
However, since I couldn't guarantee the day he would seize victory, I could sufficiently tarnish the Grand Duke's name with just a little public opinion manipulation.
"A person blinded by love can do anything."
At my words, Lady Roshan nodded, holding back her laughter. It was the first smile I had seen since I met her today. But she covered her face with a fan, as if conscious of her surroundings, and whispered softly.
"It's possible right now. This vivid romance will be talked about more than someone who is about to die."
Indeed, many people were tired of waiting for the Emperor's death. They were about to spend the whole night awake just because there were signs of it, even though he hadn't just passed away.
In the midst of all this, one strange rumor that was slowly spreading made their sleepy heads sparkle like a clear dawn. Gossip that they could talk about for hours without getting tired was enjoyable for everyone.
So people listened to the strange rumor that had started from someone and began to talk in small voices. Ironically, with the exception of Madam de Châteauroux, no one was interested in the Emperor's condition. Even Lavalliere just sighed and fanned herself, looking exhausted.
The Grand Duke kidnapped Roena. The reason was that he fell in love with her at first sight. Roena had a crush on the Crown Prince and rejected him, so the angry Grand Duke took her away. Well, the Grand Duke couldn't just leave a girl with that kind of beauty alone, etc.
It was a baseless gossip, but it instantly became a huge wave and swallowed everyone in the reception room.
At some point, there were even people making false testimonies that they had seen the Grand Duke and Roena together. In an instant, a girl's honor and purity were thrown into the mud.
Everyone had the image of a fat Grand Duke with a scarred and ugly face in their minds, so they were enjoying the misfortune of the beauty who was contrasted with him. So some people even glanced at me and whispered.
The rumor spread quickly and reached Madam de Lavalier's ears. And even to Roena's maternal relatives who were standing around her.
"How dare you!"
A shrill scream that was clearly Lavalliere's came from where they were standing. Someone stopped her, saying it was blasphemous, but Madam's face, which was red with shame and anger, was trembling with anger. The same was true of her maternal relatives, and they moved their lips as if they were dying to say something.
"Do they know something?"
A question mixed with doubt flowed from the mouth of Lady Roshan, who was watching them. I trailed off with the answer, 'I wonder.'
The murmuring was gradually growing louder. Some people even glanced at me and whispered. The funny thing was that not a single person who was whispering about Roena approached me.
People were afraid that the truth would be revealed because of me and that the fun they were enjoying would be shattered. So no one showed the courage to stand up for a girl's honor. Because there is no story that makes them happier than the fall of an angel.
Only Lavalliere and her maternal relatives were angry. They were denying the rumors, saying something to the people around them for a while, but soon they looked at me and started walking quickly, pushing through the people.
But Lady Roshan blocked my way as if to protect me, and at the same time, the door opened, and a doctor and a clergyman with a somber atmosphere walked out, and everything was settled for the time being.
People were silent as if they had been cast under a spell and were waiting for a single sentence.
After a while, the Crown Prince walked out and dropped what appeared to be the Emperor's clothes on the floor. It was an act of announcing the Emperor's death. The Empress was leaning on Bitrice, wearing a Mask - surprisingly, not the fake Grand Duke - no, the Grand Duke, and shedding tears.
Chatoul fainted with a short scream. But no one paid attention to her. Even the maids turned away from Chatoul and stepped back. Now that the Emperor was dead, she was no longer Madam.
A moment later, a huge bell rang, and black curtains were lowered over each window by the hands of maids and servants.
"Everyone, mourn."
At the clergyman's words, all the nobles bowed their heads toward the Emperor's bed, which was visible through the wide-open door.
"He left so suddenly."
Lady Roshan whispers. Her bewildered voice was filled with fear of what would happen in the future. I quietly accepted those words.
"Yes. It's as if he brought it forward."
Then I raised my eyes and looked at the Grand Duke. He turned his head as if he felt my gaze, and he was staring at me very brazenly, as if he would not make any excuses.
"Do you know who the man next to Pulcher is?"
At my question, Lady Roshan raised her head and looked at the Grand Duke. Her face was full of confusion as she looked at him.
"Who is that person and why was he inside? Was there such a person among the imperial family?"
It wasn't just her who felt this question, as the nobles around her also discovered the Grand Duke and were murmuring quietly. The fact that the Empress was standing next to him, not the Crown Prince, and crying was also one of the factors that made everyone wonder.
There was no way that there could be a man with blue hair and a sturdy physique among the imperial bloodline other than the Crown Prince. Although his face could not be seen due to the Mask, the general opinion was that he did not look that old.
"It's Beatrice."
"Bitrice?"
Lady Roshan frowned and repeated his surname. The way she slowly muttered, as if the name, which might be fake, was somehow familiar, was strange.
I said to her in a soft voice.
"His Highness said he was the Grand Duke."
"...What?"
Lady Roshan widened her eyes as if she was very surprised. Judging from her reaction, it seemed that the Crown Prince had not even told her this information. Why did he hide it from Lady Roshan, his closest aide?
Anyway, since there was a need to resolve the question, I quickly added.
"I didn't know until recently either."
While not avoiding the gaze of Grand Duke Bitrice, who was giving me a meaningful smile.
"I found out because he made a strange offer to me."
Then the Crown Prince opened his mouth as if he was conscious of everyone.
"My mother, I, and my uncle, the clergyman, and the doctors guarded His Majesty's great last moments together."
It was only a matter of time before the word 'uncle' raised questions in people's minds, and a scream mixed with shock covered the reception room.
This is because the Crown Prince's hand pointed exactly at the Grand Duke wearing the Mask when he said the word 'uncle'.
