The great congress soon beca an area of dissatisfaction for the nobles, and the conference was quickly dissolved. Duke tis had a grim look on his face, and he turned away from the people.
“Go back to the official residence.”
Duke tis boarded the carriage and ordered it briefly. Initially, the tis’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 tis, who was left alone in the carriage, let out the frustration he had endured all along. “If he’d listened to at that ti, he wouldn’t have suffered a failure, but he’s obsessed with useless stubbornness.”
From the beginning, the Duke tis 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 sohow couldn’t co to his senses.”
Duke tis kicked his tongue. When he heard the news of the Emperor’s divorce, it seed 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 ti. Yet it was unexpected that almost two years had passed.
“Welco, Duke.” The carriage arrived at his official residence, and the butler opened the door to help him.
Sagan, The Duke of tis, asked sothing 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 sll of tea filled the room with warm autumn sunshine. It slled like a thick woman’s perfu, 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 co 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 beco 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 aning when she visited him last ti. 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 , our father wouldn’t have chosen , but I was his only daughter.”
Sagan was sighing. Seeing Monica’s tantrum, he thought his sister’s rebellious temperant had passed to Fabian.
“You’ve got to think about your family!”
“Then why didn’t you beco the Empress?”
Sagan’s eyes were angry, staring at Monica, who smiled calmly. At least his sister, who pretended to be obedient, had beco 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 t him, so why haven’t you persuaded him?”
Monica frowned. Her frowning eyebrows were almost the sa as Fabian, which ant that she was annoying and irritated.
“He won’t listen to anyway. His Highness has even threatened that he’s not going to give money to the Southern Palace.”
“Is money a problem now? Are you a tis?”
Monica closed her mouth for fear of being scolded by her older brother if she answered honestly. Looking back, the term “tis” was used as their family-sacred-word since she was a child and lived a very annoying life.
Now her son had beco an Emperor, she lived in a different palace, enjoying a free life without problems. But her son’s divorce seed 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 tis. 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 forr Empress.”
“What?” Monica had a really embarrassing expression this ti. “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 becos the Empress, it’s the sa thing. I know from experience.”
“Yes. It’s been such a heartless ti,” she said.
Seeing her sister saying bitter words, Sagan ca up and patted her shoulder, “I know you’ve tried, and everyone in tis is grateful to you.”
Still, Monica’s life ended when she beca the Empress and gave birth to the Imperial successor. What a trivial and aningless life, as she ended up spending ti in a separate palace.
“Only for this one will I ask you. Next ti, I won’t bother you.”
“…….Okay, but you have to keep your promises.”
Sagan smiled back at his sister. Monica suddenly rembered her father, looking at her brother’s face whose hair had already turned grey.
It was just a cold face sa like her father, saying, ‘It doesn’t matter what’s happens to my daughter’s life as long as she can beco 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 tis family has already co 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 co 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 mont 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 rember one thing. I was impressed when Lady Akshire said that all the n 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 n are heartless and insensitive….”
“Stop it! That’s nonsense.”
This was the first ti Fabian heard such a word. Well, all this ti, no one was able to say this directly to him. The sa 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 n, who looked at each other seriously for a mont and wondered, then sighed almost at the sa ti.
“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 seed 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 rember 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 rembered, 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 rember 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 n didn’t know it wasn’t possible.
Only
“Call the Duke right now.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Serus answered quickly and stepped back.
A mont alone, Fabian nervously tapped the table with his finger, then took the paper and started to write sothing.
“Even though it’s not related to the letter, it’s still ….”
His intention was to say hello to her naturally. Yet, at the ti 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 judgnt. Just a mont later, he had a quiet, happy smile. Because the fact seed to prove that no wise emperor could be perfect in anything.
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