Episode 43
Carlisle erased the tired look from his face. He had reached the audience chamber, so he had essentially made a preemptive move before the Emperor could scold him. But there had been no real need to go that far. To begin with, if the Emperor hadn't sent people to Everett Mansion since morning, he would have dallied and been late.
Lucas Drifton, who had become Emperor at the youngest age of twenty-three, was truly an industrious man. Carlisle found himself looking forward to yet another rebuke from his old friend and liege lord today.
Well, he had a rough idea.
His head throbbed from looking over documents until past midnight the day before. A physician had recommended he rest for the time being two days ago, but he had already been maintaining a regular routine for over a week. The tasks assigned by the Emperor outweighed the work of tending to House Everett. If he were to collapse and lose consciousness at this rate, Lucas Drifton would likely be the one to grieve the most.
Rubbing his temple with his fingertips, Carlisle paced the corridor. Five steps ahead, a left turn would lead to the audience chamber. However, he stopped two paces short of the corner.
Marquis Viante appeared from around the corner. He seemed to be on his way out after an audience with the Emperor. Before Carlisle could even consider turning around and fleeing as though some urgent matter had arisen, the man called out to him.
“Your Grace the Duke.”
“Ah, it has been a while. I am glad you look well. I shall take my leave, then.”
The Everett and Viante families had no significant ties. They had no joint business ventures underway, and there was even less connection by family. Nevertheless, the reason Marquis Viante did not continue on his way was obvious.
“I have heard rumors that marriage proposals are raining down upon Everett Mansion, even reaching this old man’s ears.”
“They are absurd rumors; you would do well to forget them.”
“That it is false information is a relief indeed. I had feared that because you could not read all the proposals piled up at the mansion, you had not yet opened the one I sent.”
He should have left while he was being let off politely. Carlisle looked at Marquis Viante, who was crossing the line, with eyes stripped of all warmth.
Of all places, inside the Imperial Palace. Had this been the hunting grounds, he would not have hesitated. He did not wish to wring the man’s throat even if it meant getting blood on his hands. Nor would she have wanted that. Yet he no longer had any intention of letting him off easily. He had meant to offer at least a warning before leaving.
“That is the truly absurd thing. I am the one who has not received a proposal from House Viante. No, I have not received one from any house. Or perhaps they turned to ash before they could reach me. Who would dare covet my wife’s position? Is that not so, Marquis Viante?”
From Carlisle, who looked down at him from considerably greater height, Marquis Viante saw the war hero, the Duke of Blood. It was said he cut down enemies without hesitation with agile movements. They said a small castle could be surrounded solely by the necks of his slain foes.
The only man in the empire who could be compared to the Emperor. At this moment, Carlisle simply did not have a sword in his hand. His words, his gaze, and the wealth and power of House Everett alone were more than sufficient to contend with House Viante.
“I must hurry away now… I hope we meet again soon.”
“I wonder. I am not sure there will be any cause to meet again.”
Carlisle needed alcohol instead of tea with ice floating in it. The stronger, the better. The nearly melted ice would soon disappear without a trace, yet the very man responsible for him going to the trouble of coming here had emptied his teacup without a word.
A strong floral fragrance wafted from the entrance of the audience chamber. He must have been drinking this same tea while conversing with Marquis Viante, whom he had encountered just moments before.
Lucas set down his cleanly emptied teacup and finally opened his mouth.
“I hear Marquis Viante’s granddaughter is still unmarried. A sly old fox like him wouldn’t have come to me first. A proposal letter must have gone from House Viante, but I suppose you don’t even know where you put it?”
As expected, he had been summoned merely to ask that. It was neither urgent nor important enough to call him since morning. If one had to classify it, it was a matter not worth a speck of concern.
“I know. It has become ash at the bottom of the stove.”
Having said that, he realized that by now, the piled ash had likely been cleared away to add new firewood.
Lucas pushed a proposal letter that had been sitting at the edge of the table toward Carlisle. Before he could even say whose proposal it was, Carlisle’s expression hardened.
“Do not throw this one away.”
“Do you truly wish me to go mad?”
“No. I want you to live.”
“Then please throw it away.”
When Lucas did not budge despite being asked to discard it, Carlisle tore the proposal letter in half himself. Without needing to tear it a second time, he crumpled it until its form was unrecognizable. He even considered placing the mangled scraps on the floor and stomping on them. Had he not been before the Emperor, he would have done so immediately.
“I hope you will not summon me again for such a trivial matter.”
“It is fine to rot away alone for a lifetime, but I wish to avoid scandal befalling House Everett, you see.”
“I will handle my own household’s affairs.”
“It is because I want you to stay alive.”
Had he forgotten in the past half year? Lucas was quite composed. He had found neither the magical beast’s tracks nor even a clump of its fur. On the contrary, Carlisle had nearly died before even reaching the northern forest. If Lucas had wanted him to stay alive, he should not have sent him to lead the expedition half a year ago.
“I had thought you wished for me to be buried in a blizzard. How unexpected.”
Carlisle picked up the teacup, visibly diluted by completely melted ice. Floral tea was not to his taste, but surprisingly, the flavor was not unpleasant.
Whether Carlisle had taken a liking to the floral tea, he emptied the cup with a satisfied expression, and Lucas did not miss the opportunity, clearing his throat.
“I hear Count Platini’s eldest daughter is also unmarried.”
“Hexelov……”
Startled by the words he had muttered without realizing it, Carlisle set down the teacup.
“Do you already know each other?”
He knew her well enough to immediately associate her with Hexelov. Lucas would know from reports about the magical beast subjugation expedition, but he owed her his life. And at the end of winter, she too had owed her life to him. They had each received and repaid a debt of gratitude once.
He had met her at the national wedding ceremony and had not seen her even once since. There had been many opportunities to see her, yet for some reason, he had fled from each one. Just as he was doing now.
“I do not know her well.”
At the bland answer, Lucas crossed his legs and scoffed.
“So you do know her.”
“If you are going to engage in such trivial talk, you might as well order me to exterminate the magical beasts hiding in the northern forest.”
“Very well. Since you wish it so much, it would be no use for me to dissuade you. Go to the training grounds in Hexelov as soon as you are prepared.”
Unable to process the unexpected order, Carlisle asked with a bewildered expression.
“Pardon?”
“Why? Did you not ask me to send you?”
Lucas shrugged his shoulders and slowly rose from his seat. He turned his head and took in the sun gradually climbing toward its zenith. His eyes stung from the intense sunlight.
“No, that is……!”
Flusteredness showed on Carlisle’s face as he rose as well. Lucas’s words were not wrong, so he could not refute them. Because of this, the words begging him to retract the order would not leave his mouth.
Lucas approached Carlisle, who was pressing his lower lip tightly with both hands clenched into fists. He observed with interest the narrowed brow and the black eyes brimming with surging emotion. Then he placed a hand on Carlisle’s shoulder and patted it a couple of times.
“Go and endure some hardship. Stay strong. Thanks to you, I too am being pressed by Marquis Viante and other nobles in various ways.”
“Your Majesty!”
The moment Carlisle burst out, raising his voice, Lucas strode out of the audience chamber with measured steps. Before departing, he did not forget to wave his hand in farewell to his old friend.
Finally, the door to the audience chamber shut firmly, and Carlisle, left alone, slumped heavily into a chair. He let out a long sigh and buried his face in both hands.
“You madman.”
Was he determined to kill his friend? No, there was no room for doubt; it was certain. Otherwise, he would not have sent him north on the verge of winter. And Hexelov, of all places!
Carlisle struck the table with both hands that had covered his face. Though his palms did not tingle in the slightest, the two teacups sitting still rattled.
He could not ignore an Imperial command. As for household affairs, as always, there were capable and loyal retainers, so even if he were away from his post for a long time for various reasons, there was no need to worry.
He could depart for Hexelov immediately upon receiving the order, but the one thing holding him back was the same reason he had not gone to Hexelov even once since last winter.
Carlisle had been the very person who promoted the relocation of the Imperial Knights’ training grounds to Hexelov and served as the chief overseer of its construction. Therefore, he should have visited regularly to check on the situation until the training grounds were completed, but he had always avoided it with plausible excuses.
Because of the red-haired woman.
“Helen Platini.”
Count Platini’s eldest daughter—contrary to rumors of her frail health, she was bold enough to refuse the Emperor’s proposal. At the same time, she was a tender person prone to tears. Also, a woman who felt strangely familiar despite them not being acquainted.
Whenever he thought he had taken one step closer, he was two steps farther away. He had thought Violet, who had saved his meaningless life, was his everything, but looking back on recent events, it seemed that was not necessarily the case. Damn it all.
Her anxious eyes, her voice, her home, her family—everything was different, yet when he faced Helen, Violet would suddenly come to mind. He had dismissed it as a sense of déjà vu born from missing her too much, but was that truly the reason?
“I simply miss you… yet when I think of you, another person keeps coming to mind.”
He did not know how to atone for this sin. Carlisle squeezed his eyes shut and erased the light. The Princess beloved by all, with hair black as pitch, soft white skin, lips always bearing a smile, and blue eyes.
The image of Violet, drawn from tangled fragments of memories, would vanish as if it had never existed just when he thought it had finally become perfect. He would rather even his memories with her disappear, but spitefully, they remained vivid.
When complete darkness returned, bright crimson paint would draw another person over it. As had happened last night, Carlisle opened his eyes before the woman in the darkness could smile. The sun, not yet at its zenith, shone with blinding intensity.