The great congress soon became an area of dissatisfaction for the nobles, and the conference was quickly dissolved. Duke Metis had a grim look on his face, and he turned away from the people.
“Go back to the official residence.”
Duke Metis boarded the carriage and ordered it briefly. Initially, the Metis’s estate was far from the capital of the Empire. But taking into account his reputation and honour, he returned that diplomatic estate to the Empire. The Emperor’s attitude, however, had once again trampled on his pride.
“Huh, he’s younger than my sons.” Duke Metis, who was left alone in the carriage, let out the frustration he had endured all along. “If he’d listened to me at that time, he wouldn’t have suffered a failure, but he’s obsessed with useless stubbornness.”
From the beginning, the Duke Metis faction opposed a national marriage to the Felice Kingdom. Although Evelyn had a higher status than his daughter, it was difficult for a princess who had grown up freely in the kingdom to adapt to the imperial family. Above all, she had less position within the Empire that might not have been a good picture.
“After being so stubborn and acting like that, he somehow couldn’t come to his senses.”
Duke Metis kicked his tongue. When he heard the news of the Emperor’s divorce, it seemed like just yesterday that he nodded, saying ‘I knew it’.
Now that Fabian had realized the truth, he would have been happier if he had taken his daughter as the Empress at that time. Yet it was unexpected that almost two years had passed.
“Welcome, Duke.” The carriage arrived at his official residence, and the butler opened the door to help him.
Sagan, The Duke of Metis, asked something to the butler. Then the butler spoke to the servant a few words and nodded.
“I’m going to see her right now.”
Sagan said, and he went to his private room in his residence. The soft smell of tea filled the room with warm autumn sunshine. It smelled like a thick woman’s perfume, too.
“You’re not late today,” Sagan said as he entered the private room. The woman who looked out at the window turned her back. It was the Empress Dowager, Monica, his sister.
“It sounds like I’ve been late before?”
Monica stared at her brother with a sour look on her face. It wasn’t a joy because she was forced to come after staying at the separate southern palace for vacation.
“Well, I’ve already expected Congress today to end early.”
Though their relationship was awkward, Monica was Fabian’s biological mother. So she knew her son’s temper well.
“That’s why I asked you to persuade him first.” Sagan looked displeased. His sister, who had served as the Empress and had now become the Empress-mother, was still unreliable.
“You must have seen him today. Do you think he’s a kid who can be persuaded?” she asked.
“But you’re his mother!”
“Sure, I’m her mother, then? I told you that he’s always ignoring my words.”
First of all, Monica didn’t want to get involved in this conflict. She had a strong knowledge of Fabian’s personality, and she knew his firm meaning when she visited him last time. Monica was promised her position as an Empress anyway, so she was just a woman who wanted to live comfortably.
“What the hell …… that’s not why our father made you an Empress,” said the grey-haired older brother.
“Yes, if there were any choices besides me, our father wouldn’t have chosen me, but I was his only daughter.”
Sagan was sighing. Seeing Monica’s tantrum, he thought his sister’s rebellious temperament had passed to Fabian.
“You’ve got to think about your family!”
“Then why didn’t you become the Empress?”
Sagan’s eyes were angry, staring at Monica, who smiled calmly. At least his sister, who pretended to be obedient, had become a Mother-Empress. It was a natural order as she was the only mother of the current Emperor.
“Don’t talk nonsense, it’s also your responsibility.”
“But I did. I went to see my son before that.”
“Have you met him, so why haven’t you persuaded him?”
Monica frowned. Her frowning eyebrows were almost the same as Fabian, which meant that she was annoying and irritated.
“He won’t listen to me anyway. His Highness has even threatened me that he’s not going to give money to the Southern Palace.”
“Is money a problem now? Are you a Metis?”
Monica closed her mouth for fear of being scolded by her older brother if she answered honestly. Looking back, the term “Metis” was used as their family-sacred-word since she was a child and lived a very annoying life.
Now her son had become an Emperor, she lived in a different palace, enjoying a free life without problems. But her son’s divorce seemed to be a new problem for her.
“I’ll take Stella to the palace. I’ll tell her to show her face and turn His Majesty’s heart.”
“I’ve already told him, But His Majesty…..”
“He didn’t really reject Stella.”
Monica thought about it all of a sudden. They just said she was the daughter of Metis. But they never said she was the youngest, Stella.
At first, Fabian’s national marriage candidate was Sagan’s first daughter, Irina. So she was sure that Fabian naturally, would have thought the candidate was Irina.
“I also heard in today’s congress that His Majesty still has feelings for the former Empress.”
“What?” Monica had a really embarrassing expression this time. “Don’t worry, I know him well because he’s my son, he’s not going to do that.”
‘But Fabian, whom Monica knew, did it already.’
“Yeah, there was no such romantic man in the Imperial family.” Sagan agreed, “Anyway, no matter who becomes the Empress, it’s the same thing. I know from experience.”
“Yes. It’s been such a heartless time,” she said.
Seeing her sister saying bitter words, Sagan came up and patted her shoulder, “I know you’ve tried, and everyone in Metis is grateful to you.”
Still, Monica’s life ended when she became the Empress and gave birth to the Imperial successor. What a trivial and meaningless life, as she ended up spending time in a separate palace.
“Only for this one will I ask you. Next time, I won’t bother you.”
“…….Okay, but you have to keep your promises.”
Sagan smiled back at his sister. Monica suddenly remembered her father, looking at her brother’s face whose hair had already turned grey.
It was just a cold face same like her father, saying, ‘It doesn’t matter what’s happens to my daughter’s life as long as she can become the Empress and give birth to a successor.’
Fabian was broken at heart. There were no more hawks to send because he had already sent three hawks in a row. An anxious and restless heart was a very strange thing to him.
“Your Majesty, it seems like there was a lot of discontent at the congress today.”
“So, I’m sure. Any other news?
“The future Empress from the Metis family has already come to the palace residence.”
“I don’t want to hear about that. Is there anything else?
Serus looked in trouble. No matter how much Fabian asked him back, the answer he wanted wasn’t ready.
“Can’t you send another hawk?”
“Beside three of them, there was no hawk trained in the sky -route from Imperial Palace to the Felice Kingdom…..”
“You should have trained many, why did you train only three?”
Serus could only lower his head when he heard those absurd words. Fabian himself selected the three birds and instructed him to train them.
“How long would it take if you ride a horse and run nonstop?”
It was two days, and Fabian already knew the answer.
“If you’re going to run all day and all night, it’ll be possible in a day, but …… your Majesty.”
“Why ?”
“Aren’t we need to get a reply first before we could send another letter?”
Surprisingly, Serus gave a flashy answer that made sense. Fabian stared at Serus as if his heart had been stabbed.
“The hawk is supposed to come back now, but they’re not.”
The atmosphere of the letter was good. It’s been better than all the rest of the years combined. Evelyn was worried about his health. And the warmth was buried in her handwriting as if she was next to him. Then suddenly, she stopped, and Fabian had no choice but to feel broken and behave like a child.
“Your Majesty, may I speak nonsense words?”
“No,” he said.
That was a moment of silence. But Fabian opened his mouth again, “… let’s hear it now.”
“This is the lesson I’ve got from Lady Akshire.”
Fabian’s eyebrows were frowning.
“Honestly, I didn’t understand it either, but I remember one thing. I was impressed when Lady Akshire said that all the men of the Empire were heartless and insensitive and that it was much easier to deal with a stone.”
“What!” asked Fabian absurdly again.
“So … maybe, that’s what the common sense of the people of the south-continent is about us.”
“What’s common sense?”
“The Empire’s men are heartless and insensitive….”
“Stop it! That’s nonsense.”
This was the first time Fabian heard such a word. Well, all this time, no one was able to say this directly to him. The same was true with Serus, but Rebecca bravely crossed the line. Fabian finally knew the truth, thanks to this.
“I’m not heartless.” Fabian replied back for no reason, as if making excuses, “Of course, I’m busy. I can’t help because I’m an emperor!”
“Yes.”
“I’m human. It’s impossible if I have no feelings! Where in the world is such prejudice-filled bullshit coming from?”
“I don’t know.”
It was a poignant sight if Evelyn and Rebecca saw it. The two men, who looked at each other seriously for a moment and wondered, then sighed almost at the same time.
“What will happen if… that bullshit is heard by Evelyn?” In rare cases, there was worry in Fabian’s eyes.
“I think..”
“Not your opinion.” Fortunately, Fabian seemed to know that Serus had no idea.
“It’s like dealing with a rock or a wooden block, according to Lady Rebecca.”
“That’s right….. then?”
“Well …” Serus tried hard to remember his conversation with Rebecca, “Oh, yes. Lady Rebecca said that breaking up with such a man is the only solution!”
It was great when he actually remembered, but it wasn’t pleasant to say it excitedly. And Serus was too late to notice Fabian’s annoyance.
“Akshire ……” Thankfully, Fabian’s rage was directed at Akshire, not at Serus.
“Did you say that Lady Rebecca is the Duke’s older sister?”
“Yeah, she is, she’s divorced from my brother.”
“Oh, I remember that.”
Fabian didn’t like to hear that this woman was on Evelyn’s side. But because Fabian had a smart idea, it wasn’t too bad.
“Yes! Earlier, Duke Akshire was at the Grand Congress.” Fabian vividly recalled his annoying green eyes.
“He’s going back to Akshire anyway, but can he send her my regards?”
“Ah… I see It’s not a letter, so I think it’s a good idea.”
“Yes, that’s a great idea.”
The two men didn’t know it wasn’t possible.
Only
“Call the Duke right now.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Serus answered quickly and stepped back.
A moment alone, Fabian nervously tapped the table with his finger, then took the paper and started to write something.
“Even though it’s not related to the letter, it’s still ….”
His intention was to say hello to her naturally. Yet, at the time of imagining it, Fabian didn’t know it was already unnatural.
“Funny, which part of the Imperial man is heartless, huh?”
Fabian laughed. It’s just a subjective judgment. Just a moment later, he had a quiet, happy smile. Because the fact seemed to prove that no wise emperor could be perfect in anything.
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