Chapter 27
If her lover had possessed a respectable status and a prominent family background, and if he had treated her with respect, she might have been able to marry him and escape far from the capital, even at the risk of incurring the Emperor’s wrath.
But her lover was a mere guard of commoner birth.
It would have been one thing if she had been determined to forgo her social debut entirely and elope with him in the middle of the night.
Imperial Consort Elaine’s beauty was arguably the greatest in the entire empire. It was not a look that could be hidden.
And her family was always ready to sell that beauty to the highest bidder.
To fall into a puppy love and ignore reality without knowing that was foolish; to believe her lover would survive if she sacrificed herself was naive.
In the Imperial Palace, naivety is a death sentence.
「Of all people, if she was going to stay by His Majesty the Emperor’s side and conceive a child, she should have known her lover would end up dead!」
Had Titania been a son, Imperial Consort Cleo would have killed her off without anyone being the wiser.
But she was a daughter.
Because of that, the Imperial Family had forcibly imposed an engagement on the Duchy of Castline, which was currently under attack due to the late Duchess’s dubious origins.
The biological mother of the three brothers—the previous Duchess—had never once come up to the capital.
She had never seen the Emperor. She had never attended a banquet. While her profile stated she was the daughter of an old Baron family from the North, it reeked of fabrication.
Nearly all the nobles in the capital whispered that “the” great Duke of Castline had fallen for some lowly woman, bought her a title, and forced her into the position of Duchess.
When the Duchess died after bearing three children, everyone pressured the Duke, saying he must take a “proper” Duchess and father a new heir.
The Imperial Family did not miss this small weakness of the Castline family.
The vulnerability regarding the Duchess’s status was, by extension, a vulnerability for the heirs. The Duke held out, swearing he would never remarry.
Then, the Imperial Family made a proposal. They would overlook the rumors surrounding the late Duchess’s status if he would take the Imperial Princess as the future wife of the Young Duke.
If that happened, what would the current Duchess’s status matter? After all, an Imperial Princess would marry into the family and mingle her noble blood with theirs….
The Castline family grit their teeth and accepted the deal.
However, they set a condition that the official wedding would only take place after both children reached adulthood.
Ironically, because of this, there couldn’t be even a speck of doubt regarding Titania’s “birth.”
Of course, once Imperial Consort Elaine entered the palace, she had no opportunity to meet other men. Since a reunion with her lover was beyond even her imagination, Titania was undoubtedly the Emperor’s daughter, no matter what anyone said.
However, Titania had been born very prematurely, failing to reach the full ten months.
It would be extremely problematic if the Duchy of Castline used this as a pretext to attack Titania, claiming she wasn’t the Emperor’s biological daughter but a child born of the Consort’s affair.
Whether it was true or false, the mere fact that such suspicions were raised would be fatal.
Therefore, Imperial Consort Elaine’s lover was destined to die eventually anyway.
It might have been different if she had refused to enter the Imperial Palace until the very end and taken her own life.
Then again, if she had done that, the Emperor, his pride wounded, might have ordered the man to be hunted down and killed regardless.
So, it was understandable that Imperial Consort Elaine might resent her own daughter. In any case, it was precisely because Elaine was so frail, dim-witted, and foolish that they let her live without bothering to kill her….
「Has there been any news from the Empress’s palace?」
「My apologies. None of the children we placed there have reported anything new.」
At any rate, if this wasn’t Imperial Consort Elaine’s doing, the only person left was the Empress.
However, since the Castline family was openly looking after Titania at the Empress’s palace, that too was suspicious in its own way.
The Empress was subtle and cautious, rarely leaving a trail to be followed.
Besides, Titania was the Emperor’s daughter; if a problem occurred within the Empress’s palace, the Empress would have to take responsibility.
Was there enough to gain from this incident to warrant such a risk?
Imperial Consort Cleo’s cold eyes glinted.
「Has Titania woken up?」
「My apologies. There have been no noticeable changes at the Empress’s palace.」
「Gather all the children working at the Rose Palace. Whether you whip them or dunk them in a well, make sure they are brought here looking starved, sleep-deprived, and ragged.」
「It shall be done.」
「If a frog won’t come out of its hole, you just have to poke at the hole.」
Imperial Consort Cleo smiled with satisfaction.
「Are you feeling alright?」
「To the point where I think I should be more worried about the High Priest’s health than my own?」
I answered Adrian’s question listlessly. Adrian gave a soft smile.
「I’m glad you truly seem to be okay.」
「I heard you were looking for me.」
「It was nothing much, but…」
I stared blankly at Adrian’s face, which looked somewhat sheepish.
That “nothing much” was the act of a Prince—who had been living in seclusion—openly asking the Young Head of the Castline family for help.
If I hadn’t been with Bibi but had been playing hide-and-seek in some remote corner of the Imperial Palace, his reputation would have literally been shattered to pieces.
From Adrian’s perspective, it must have been a “just in case” move, but still….
「Still, thank you for now. I assume that’s why I’m here at the Lilac Palace.」
「Oh, is that so?」
I shrugged as I spoke.
「You know the Castline family’s terrifying efficiency, don’t you? They would have kicked everyone out of the Rose Palace and gone to my palace, or… if not that, gone to the Lycoris Palace. If all else failed, they might have made an excuse to take me outside the Imperial Palace….」
I hate all of those options.
This is better.
Adrian won’t expect much from me, and I won’t expect much from him. Just two people standing against the Imperial Consort, exchanging favors.
That level of distance is just right.
「…I didn’t think you were on good terms with the Castline family. But seeing them this time….」
「It’s because that family is so exceptional they’ve never needed help from others.」
At my calm voice, Adrian blinked.
「They have no allies, only enemies on all sides. It’s a fierce family that has survived alone among a swarm of ghouls trying to milk the slightest favor for twice its worth. So, they’re a bit… weak to “pure” kindness….」
Very weak, actually….
In the first place, how many people could actually offer help to “that” Castline family?
Even so, isn’t this a bit much?
I swallowed the sigh that was trying to escape on its own.
No, saving Bibi was the right thing to do. I’d do the same if I went back. You don’t regret a past that can’t be changed!
「You seem to… know a lot about the Castline family?」
I let out an open sigh at Adrian’s remark.
Are you feeling okay now, is there anywhere else that hurts, should I call another priest, you haven’t been eating properly so what kind of meal should I bring, if you tell us what fabric you like we’ll make new clothes… and on and on, a bustling, noisy crowd.
I had been plagued by them until finally, Adrian—the son of the building’s owner who had come to check on my condition—was the only one left after I shouted for everyone else to get out. It was a golden moment of peace.
Whether by luck or misfortune, Bibi had to head back to the Duke’s residence, and Raymon had to take her there. Meanwhile, the mad dog was dragged away too, leaving behind incomprehensible screams like, 「I just finished work and I’m just stopping by to see her face…! Hyung, what the—! What?! Let me see her face, gaaah!」
My body felt light, but my mental state was anything but, so it was a relief for me.
Anyway, gathering the situation roughly, I really had nearly died. The Castline family had brought me to the Lilac Palace and kidnapped the High Priest….
No, they had “forcibly invited” him and procured all sorts of things to save my life.
That was exactly a week ago.
My body itself had healed completely in less than a day, and the High Priest and other doctors testified that my body was “perfectly healthy.”
However, because I hadn’t regained consciousness, everyone had been on edge, with someone waiting by my bedside 24 hours a day.
Because no one knew when I would open my eyes or if something would go wrong.
The Emperor hadn’t even dared to touch the members of the Duchy who had nested in the Empress’s palace to treat a member of the Imperial Family, completely ignoring the Emperor’s presence.
Though everyone knew the engagement was nominal, they insisted, 「Is there a problem with a fiancé looking after his fiancée?」 Since it was inside the Empress’s palace and not anywhere else, the Emperor couldn’t force his way in.
In other words, this palace had been in a state of quasi-blockade.
Naturally, not a single piece of information regarding my condition had leaked out… or so they say.
I gave a hollow laugh.
「So that’s why that shit-show is happening over there….」
Adrian laughed at my somewhat enlightened expression.
「I suppose so!」
Hey, mister.
Now is not the time to be giving such a bright and cheerful 「I suppose so!」 as an answer.
