That day, Fabian wiped Evelyn’s tears silently. Then, he took out his handkerchief from his pocket and handed it over, holding her hands warm to comfort her. But, he looked sad, feeling guilty that he couldn’t stay with her longer because of his official duties.
After Fabian left, Evelyn sat there alone for a while and didn’t move. “I don’t know… … what’s wrong with me?….” She looked confused.
“Your Majesty…..What kind of person is he, really?”
It was a really interesting question. Then, Evelyn felt something strange.
“Ah…”
Just like a meteor shower, suddenly, something seemed like a ray of light passing through in Evelyn’s head. She soon knew what it was. Little by little, scenes from her previous life began to appear in her mind.
[‘There’s no need for the Empress to manage the Palace.’]
It was announced by Fabian shortly after the Empress’s opening ceremony. But still, Evelyn had absolute power in her Palace. In other words, she got rights without the need to carry out obligations. Back then, she couldn’t understand Fabian’s reason.
[‘Do I look so old? I don’t need a successor yet, so you don’t need to listen to the nobles.’]
Fabian was a cold man, so she thought he didn’t have much desire to have children.
[‘The Empress does not need to attend gala dinner in the future.’]
[‘There’s no need for the Empress to host the ball.’]
[‘The Empress doesn’t have to do anything.’]
After the Emperor said so, all the people stopped to expect something from Evelyn. But Fabian still visited her at night.
He was such a blunt man, so Fabian never said words of love to her. Every day, he would ask if she was tired? Did she eat three meals properly? Or if there’s something she didn’t like?
That was all. Fabian went to sleep immediately after he heard her answer. Evelyn never knew what the couple’s conversation was like.
[‘Evelyn.’]
Fabian used to call Evelyn by her name while they were alone in the Empress’ Palace. Around that time, Fabian was the only one who called Evelyn’s name. But in the midst of boredom and loneliness, that fact was easily forgotten.
But, Evelyn still remembered. Her name sounded so sweet and lovely when she was hugged in his arms.
[‘You don’t have to do anything, Evelyn.’]
Since when did it start to get worse?
[‘There’s no need to welcome me or see me off when I come here’]
[‘But, ……..I don’t really have anything to do.] She sobbed in hushed tones one day.
The disappointment gradually became loneliness, and hatred grew as helplessness piled up. At that time, in Evelyn’s eyes, the whole world looked gray and cloudy. It’s just a helpless life just waiting for Fabian to come.
[‘Evelyn, you just need to be there.’]
“And I really died without doing anything. With nothing left……alone.” Evelyn talked to herself in despair. She was nothing at that time. Nothing.
“I don’t want to live like that again.”
A beautiful Empress trapped in a beautiful cage. The life of a woman who waited only for a busy emperor.
“Can a person really change?”
Fabian had changed. He was a different person now. Maybe if he’s now……A cruel hope filled her heart.
“…… it’s a risky gamble.”
He was still an Emperor. He had to live his life in split minutes, and he couldn’t put down the crown before he died.
“And to the end…… he’s someone who breaks my heart.”
In her previous life, that cold man always made her heart ached. Now, he was courting Evelyn, putting down his noble pride.
Evelyn couldn’t even tell which was more painful.
“Well, Princess?”
Evelyn turned her head, and she saw that Nora was standing there, staring worriedly at her.
“I’m sorry, but you didn’t answer my knock.”
“No, it’s fine. What about Adrian?” asked Evelyn.
“Sir Philip said there’s an improvement in his condition, so now he has a goodnight sleep.”
There’s a relief smile on Evelyn’s lips after she heard Nora’s report.
“… … Princess, that’s in your hand… … .”
Evelyn was startled and hid the Queen’s ring in her hand quickly, even though there was nothing wrong with it. It was only beyond common sense that Evelyn, who wasn’t the Empress right now, had the Empress’ seal.
“Nora, please keep quiet about this for a while.”
Nora nodded firmly, “Of course.”
“You’re having a hard time following me these days, aren’t you?” Evelyn tried to change the subject awkwardly.
“It’s all right, Princess. Besides, there’s good news. When His Majesty called the Duke and Lady Akshire, Lily seemed to be coming with them.”
“Really?” Evelyn seemed excited.
While Nora was a nanny maid who raised Evelyn. Lily was the maid who followed Evelyn to the Imperial Palace when she was married. Both of them would be a great help for her.
“Maybe she’ll arrive the day after tomorrow.”
“Yes.”
Evelyn already missed her parents in the Felice Kingdom. But now wasn’t the time to complain about it. The presence of Akshire’s siblings and Lily already warmed her heart.
“Nora.”
“Yes, Princess?”
Evelyn stared into the air for a moment…….. “If I feel anxious because things seem to be going so well… … Am I weird?”
Nora, the old maid, had a deep relationship with Evelyn. Of course, she understood Evelyn’s anxiety. It’s made sense since life was usually like that.
“It must be because you are concerned for the Prince.”
“….Maybe.” Evelyn nodded at Nora’s comfort. Then, she could hear Adrian crying in the bedroom. Both of them ran into him together at once.
At least, Evelyn could leave her complicated mind when she cared for her child. Now, that’s enough.
***
The problems that Fabian directed to Congress hadn’t been resolved until now. It seemed like it was only the Emperor’s tricks to avenge the noble’s shameful behavior while he was away openly, aside from one of his ways of buying time.
“The weather is nice.”
Fabian was in a secret garden that only could be accessed by the Emperor.
“That’s right,” Serus answered, and Logan, who was behind him, bowed his head as if he also agreed.
“But autumn seems very short.”
Fabian had never appreciated the season before. But Serus knew that Fabian always felt sad at the end of autumn. A heart-sick season, when the scent of the golden wood smelled so sweet, and also the season when Evelyn left. And it all happened in this place.
“Duke Metis. Did he already move?”
“Yes. Your Majesty’s prediction was right.”
“How far do you think he’s found out?” Fabian gave him a sour look. It was unpleasant that only his bad predictions were correct.
“First of all, I think he’s been spying on Sir Philip. I pretended I didn’t know at Your Majesty’s command.”
“It’s obvious what he’s doing.”
There was no way that Sagan, who was quick-witted, didn’t know that Philip was in the Imperial Palace. That old Duke was a veteran-opponent, and it was impossible for Fabian to keep this secret until the end.
“He probably thought there’s something wrong with my health.” Actually, at first, Fabian had intended to pretend that he was ill to avert his attention for a moment.
“But I can’t do that.”
“Because Your Majesty stills young and looks healthy.”
The Emperor’s stamina was far beyond ordinary humans like nobles. If there were rumors about a fatal abnormality in the young Emperor’s health, the parliament would be filled with people seeking power here and there. If that happened, Fabian wouldn’t be able to control it even though he still ruled the roost.
“And Sir Phillip has called his students as well. because he said he was understaffed in research and treatment alone … so Duke Metis must have been suspicious about the blood treatment.” Serus sighed.
Originally, Sagan wasn’t supposed to know about the existence of blood medicine. But Monica, Fabian’s mother, quickly passed the secret to her family.
“If I delay time like this …… the clever Duke Metis will quickly figure out immediately what’s going on.”
Serus didn’t dare to give a response.
“What will happen after that is clear. He will drive Evelyn into an insane woman, take her to death, and treat Adrian as an illegitimate child. Only then can he push her daughter to become an Empress.” Just thought about it, Fabian’s dark eyes were filled with anger. “I must take a leap first.” He said firmly.
“……..No, I’ll have to root out all the problems at this point.”
Serus, who kept silent since the beginning, looked surprised but was also filled with doubts.
“During my reign, I don’t think there will be any other chance my enemies to bite me apart from this.”
From young aristocrats, including Duke Metis and the Vatican, who had been hostile to him since Fabian ascended the throne. And the minister who often opposed the Emperor’s orders. When it came to the Imperial successor’s matter from the divorced Empress, they could all unite on this battlefield.
“…… it’s going to be a difficult job.” Serus wasn’t wrong. Fabian had to deal with totally different enemy forces alone. Perhaps it would be the biggest ordeal since his crowning.
“But I have to face it.” Fabian had made up his mind. “I also have a weapon.”
His weapon was the Black Hawk Knight. In history, only Fabian, the Emperor who had such a private organization. He had created a special knight squad for himself even before he was crowned. No one could argue that he was an extraordinary Emperor.
“Logan.”
When his name was called, Logan bent his knees with an honorable face, “Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Everyone, be it Duke Metis or the Vatican, don’t let them interfere in Senate’s matter.”
It was a warning that there was a danger of attempted murder.
“…… I’ll send competent knights to escort the journey of Five Elders.” asserted Logan. Fabian then nodded as if he was satisfied with his answer.
“Go and carry it out at once.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Logan withdrew with courtesy. Then Fabian turned his back and looked at Serus.
“What about the thing that I asked you to find out.”
There was a story that had been bothering Fabian all this time. It was the first time he heard the legend about demons who hated the Imperial family’s descendants and craved for their blood. But, there was no reason for Evelyn to lie.
“There’s a similar story, but it’s too old to interpret. But, it might be possible when the Elders come.”
“But the Elders won’t help. They don’t obey the Imperial family.”
“Duke Akshire will soon arrive in the capital,” reported Serus.
Fabian then asked him back with his sharp eyes as if saying, ‘why did you mention him?’
“Oh…., he said he would bring a book that the Princess had seen.”
“……it seems your sensitivity has improved.”
“Yes, Your Majesty, Duke Akshire, is basically a very sensitive person.”
“Serus, you…….” Fabian sighed.
The two of them weren’t aware, but the people in this Imperial family had changed little by little. However, it wasn’t because of their own will, but because they met their rival and ex-family member.
“The edict will be issued as soon as tomorrow arrives.”
“What…?!”
“I will deprive the current- Empress-position.”
“What’s that… … Are you serious, Your Majesty?” Serus’s brain was unable to grasp the meaning of Fabian’s words.
“The Palace will be preserved, and only the Empress-title will be deprived.”
Nevertheless, Serus’ face was full of questions. He still didn’t know the Emperor’s plan.
“The Empress Palace is a palace where the Empress is the owner. Even so, all of the palaces in this Imperial Palace belong to me and under my control.”
With Fabian’s intuition, the time for Evelyn and Adrian to stay in the Chamber of Secret would be over soon. If he postponed the edict any longer, it would be too late to prepare for this.
“Since the founding of the Empire, a divorced-Empress can’t be the Empress again. I know about that.”
But, it wouldn’t be a problem for Fabian since it could be easily handled.
Only
“But if it’s for the birth-mother who gave birth to my successor …… With my sincerity, she can live in a better place.”
“I see. If it weren’t for the Empress, then, there won’t be a problem with Your Majesty’s orders.”
Fabian thought so, too. At first, he was hesitant to put Evelyn in a secret room and hide her from the Imperial people. Moreover, it was only a matter of time before their identities were revealed. So, it would be best to deprive the Empress’s position first and give the Palace to Evelyn.
“Just take care of it immediately.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Serus stepped back with an example. Fabian only glanced dimly towards the garden at night. Maybe all the reasons just now weren’t the main reason. Because above all, Fabian had his own reason.
It was one of his wishes.
One day, he wanted to see Evelyn return to the Empress’s Palace, where they had slept side by side together.
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