Chapter 21
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During her first foray into the capital's social scene, she heard a rumor. The Empress Lilian had taken a young actor under her wing and removed the necklace she was wearing.
It didn’t sound like a big deal, but the necklace was a famous piece of jewelry, and the Empress was said to have taken it off while she was alone with the actor, leaving her with an empty throat, so it became quite a scandal.
A woman of noble birth taking on a lover was not a big deal, and the emperor was indifferent, so it would have been over in no time. Schwaben would have done something about it.
But the scandal flared up again a few months later. The Empress had tried to elope with a man. The actor was found dead and floating in the Lenoth River, which ran through the capital.
No one knew what made her do such a dangerous thing. Maybe it was love, maybe she just wanted to get away, maybe there was another reason.
What was certain was that it was possible to seduce her.
"It's dangerous."
Olivia said seriously.
She had said so since she first recruited Zion. “I want you to seduce some high and mighty noble lady, and it could get you killed.”
Zion had laughed nonchalantly.
"Great risk, great reward, that's what I'm after, don't worry. I'm a man who enjoys walking a tightrope."
Even though he said it, Olivia warned him again, for she was not the kind of person to push another man into such a dangerous position and be at ease.
Zion laughed again, this time smirking.
"A man who does dangerous things is sexy."
"I don't know if you're kidding or serious...."
Olivia let out a single sigh and looked at him with a searching gaze. She couldn't quite understand him. His eyes were too clear to be simply a risk-addicted gambler.
Perhaps he had an ulterior motive. He was the one who came to the Marel Troupe in the first place. They heard he was headed to the Sirah Empire and asked to join the troupe.
The man was suspicious. But once she decided to trust him, Olivia didn't ask any more questions.
It was hard to develop complete trust in just four months. But there was no one better than Zion. Above all, she couldn’t waste time and opportunity.
After all, the most important part of this job wasn't what he would do, it was what she would do.
"Okay, if you don't mind."
She said, and showed Zion the invitation.
"It's a music salon at the imperial palace, and Her Majesty the Empress and the Princess will be there, and I'm thinking of bringing you and Luna along, because we're going to be performing 'The Curtain Rises,' that's what I know."
"...Is the Empress the one I'm supposed to be seducing?"
Zion asked after a moment's puzzled expression. Olivia replied calmly.
"Yes."
"That’s a very dangerous thing to do."
"If you change your mind now, you can stop."
"No."
He cupped his cheek, his blue-gray eyes darkening slightly in thought.
"You do realize that what I'm looking for is a very big playground, and there's no bigger one than the Imperial House of Sirah."
His tone was still joking, but Olivia could see his eyes sink deeply.
"We don't have to cross too many dangerous bridges, it's enough to attract attention for now."
"Yes."
Zion replied cheerfully.
Olivia decided to stop worrying. She knew how much Schwaben would tolerate, and she'd be able to keep them out of harm's way.
Zion said in an excited voice.
"So, are you going to join us for practice?"
"Me?"
"Yes. You'll have to help me do well, and with Laila, I think I’ll do very well as the man in love."
This was a joke. Olivia could only laugh, knowing full well that Zion didn't have the slightest bit of such feelings for her.
6. The curtain opens
Ezekiel flipped through the last of the papers and pressed a hand to the corners of his tired eyes for a moment. But when he lowered his hand, his blue eyes were clear and cold again.
"What's left?"
His cold voice echoed in the Office. An aide quickly answered.
"You are required to attend a music salon at the imperial palace."
"...Tiresome."
He let out a short exclamation. It wasn't that he had forgotten. It was an appointment that bothered him so much that he couldn't get it out of his head.
But he couldn't miss a salon at the palace, especially one organized by the princess for the Empress.
Meeting Princess Loella was a real hassle; she was quite a beauty, and, to be fair, Ezekiel's type, but his time was too precious to spend hours in tedious meetings just to see a pretty face.
The physical relationship was certainly enjoyable. But when he was dealing with a woman who was his fiancée, he couldn’t spend all his time in bed.
Other than that, there was no fun at all. They didn’t communicate well, and had almost nothing in common. It was an arranged marriage, so it would be nice if they could draw a line under it and be polite and break up early, but Princess Loella was determined to keep him around as long as possible, and she never stopped flirting.
She would look at him with eyes that burned with passion and determination, and it would make him feel uncomfortable, like something sticky had stuck to his back.
'Half of me is of lowly blood, so I can't help it.'
He never said it out loud, but he often thought it.
In any case, it was an invitation he couldn't refuse. He had to meet the Empress at least once. He'd heard she'd been unusually frail lately.
Empress Lillian was an unmotivated woman. He had elevated her to a position that she dared not look up to given her birth, and she was becoming increasingly lethargic in her complaints. He was worried that she might do something stupid.
The Empress must still be kept in her place. Even with Princess Loella, the Empress was still better than the Princess in control of the palace.
"Ha."
He left the office and headed for the mansion.
After a quick wash, Ezekiel changed into an attire appropriate for the evening salon. Suddenly, his gaze met in the mirror and the maid who had been combing his hair flushed and bowed her head. The comb fell from her hand.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
The maid fell to her knees on the floor in a panic.
Ezekiel felt annoyed, but he couldn't punish the maid for dropping the comb, so he turned away and went about his business.
The butler, who was attending to business nearby, quickly dragged the maid outside.
Ezekiel ran a hand through his hair and looked in the mirror. There didn't seem to be anything else that needed to be done.
People were tiresome. Ruling a group was interesting, but individuals generally bored him. Ezekiel often felt the urge to sweep people away like he would bugs, even though he knew he shouldn't.
'They're not much different from bugs.'
With that thought, he held out his hand. The butler quickly placed white gloves on his hands.
Ezekiel left the dressing room and strode briskly out of the manor. An ornate carriage bearing the coat of arms of Schwaben was waiting for him.
He climbed into it. The carriage drove off toward the palace.
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