Chapter 74
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Sponsored chapter by LC (⅘) ❤️
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The emperor angrily dismissed the chamberlain, but he preferred to forget about the couple who was seen posing as the late emperor and the late empress.
After all, they were probably the same ruffians who were secretly supporting the mob and demanding proof of the Prince’s lineage, and they were probably in league with the author of the offending book.
So Emperor Karl intended to root them out through the Count of Nasau's impersonator, who, in a few days' time, would be released, but would be kept under guard with soldiers.
Even the chamberlain, whom he trusted like a rock, had left out a crucial report. The emperor no longer knew whom to trust in this vast imperial city.
He ripped the newspaper off the chamberlain's head as he bowed.
"Leave!"
"Forgive me, Your Majesty. Forgive me once..................."
"Go fuck yourself!"
Eventually, Chamberlain Otto had to pick up the torn pieces of the newspaper and leave the Emperor's office, his wrinkled face filled with tears.
***
Louise and Caius arrived in Burg in two days. They didn't have the luxury of sleeping at the inn, so they traveled through the night.
It wasn't until they reached Burg, where they were surrounded by private soldiers, that Caius breathed easy. He had accomplished a dangerous task without incident, but he was nervous.
He wanted to take back this empire by peaceful means, but that didn’t mean he was short of men.
With Count Nasau firmly on his side, he had enough troops to put pressure on the Central Army in the Imperial Palace.
Hyreth's diplomatic situation had not been favorable as of late.
Margrave of Touln was clearly the middle ground, and if he could just tie down Margrave of Jesenice on the southern border from Domus, the emperor would not receive support from anyone other than the imperial army in case of emergency.
Stepping out of the carriage, Pauline bounced on her toes to greet Louise.
"My lady, how have you been?"
Pauline had no idea what disturbances her master and mistress had caused in the capital, or how they had escaped.
At the sight of her maid's cheerful face, Louise felt the tension in her body ease, so she hugged Pauline tightly and whispered.
"It's been so hard, so tiring, and there's no Pauline........."
Pauline's cheeks flushed bright red.
"Really? Did you miss me? I missed you so much, too, ma'am!"
She looked around and saw Miriam hiding behind the hired help, her lips curling into a small smile. She came out to greet Louise, but she didn't dare step in front of Caius.
Louise approached Miriam next and hugged her tightly.
"How are you, Miriam?"
Miriam's pretty sea-blue eyes sparkled with life.
"I, too..................."
Louise strained her ears to make out Miriam's tiny voice.
"I, I've missed you."
It must have taken a lot of courage to produce a voice that was barely intelligible. Louise replied with a wide smile.
"I've missed you too, Miriam."
A pink flush rose to Miriam's white cheeks.
As the women greeted each other as if they hadn't seen each other for years in just a few days, Caius passed them and beckoned to Michael.
Martin, the butler, followed them with a newspaper.
Louise followed Caius' movements with only her eyes.
As far as she knew, the only thing left on the agenda was the reception.
***
Same time, Imperial palace.
Emperor Karl descended to the dungeons and met with Nasau's impersonator again.
He had been somewhat surprised by the previous day's banquet, but he didn't really regret his absence, as he had gotten some useful information out of the fake Nasau.
"Let me summarize your claim once more. Your master, the Count of Nasau, died some years ago, but he was quite dependent on you for his lonely life in Galicia. So he told you a story of his first love, and I honestly don't know if it's true or not. Is that all?"
The impersonator changed his demeanor after a few days in prison and begged.
"Yes, yes, Your Majesty, I dared to die!"
"Then you became a merchant, and were living quietly in the house your master left you, when some men came and said they wanted to buy your master's information. I'm guessing, but did they use Domus among themselves?"
"Well, I suppose so.................. As I said, I don't speak Domus, but the accent seemed to be similar.................."
But Domus was the only one of the neighboring countries that spoke a different language. The Emperor was both horrified and relieved by the information he had gleaned from the fake Count of Nasau.
The fact that the insolent races of that small country of Domus had dared to pour filth on Hyreth was quickly realized.
It made a lot of sense when you think about it. The mob's desire to drive out Galicia's capital aligned perfectly with Domus' own interests.
Hyreth had been cozying up to Galicia for about twenty years, and the neighboring kingdoms had been trying to keep them apart at every opportunity.
But when the council and the prince were passed over, it's clear that the people had a hand in this, too.
The impersonator slammed his forehead into the stone floor and cried.
"Now that I've told you everything, please spare me! I never dreamed that they would make such a big deal out of selling my information and publishing it in a book! What could I have known.................."
He was foolish enough to claim the Prince as his son, so the emperor couldn’t let him go without punishment. But then he thought he might be able to use him for something bigger.
Otto, the chamberlain who came down with him, had other ideas.
Otto whispered in the emperor's ear.
"Your Majesty, this is a suspicious man, and I think you shouldn’t listen to what he says.................."
"Yes."
Without another word, Emperor Karl left the musty cell. He still felt betrayed by Otto's arbitrary abbreviations of his report from the banquet hall.
"Your Majesty...............! Your Majesty!"
Behind him, the impersonator's cries rang out loud and clear.
The corner of the emperor's mouth twitched upward.
The dead would be silent, and it would be a pity if Nasau, who might have been the Prince’s bloodline, died of his own accord.
The chamberlain nervously followed behind his lord.
***
The next morning, Louise asked Caius.
"By the way, what happened to Lady Hessen?"
Since returning to Burg, she had not heard any further details from the man.
"Find out and report back to me in Trier. If the time is not right, you may report later in Burg."
He had certainly said so, but there were no reports from Trier, so it was likely that news had reached him by now.
Sure enough, Caius smirked.
"I hear she attracted quite a bit of attention, even after all that screaming about her ankle hurting, and it didn't look like she was too badly hurt. It's a shame, because she would have made a big deal out of it if she had been born a man."
"Women can also..... help."
Louise had thought that all her life, but she honestly didn't mean it at this moment.
Of course, Caius was not the kind of man who would recognize such a sentiment, but he quickly dismissed the suggestion.
"Well, it's a bit premature in our times, isn't it? There would be unpleasant gossip if I, a married man, were to be caught flirting with an unmarried woman."
Louise was just about to let herself feel relieved again. Caius didn't miss his chance to nag.
"If you want to lighten your burden by attaching someone else to me, you'd better give up. Like it or not, I'm in a position where I have to be satisfied with you alone now, and I'd rather see you improve your abilities."
Study, develop skills.
It was so obvious. If things had been better, her mother would have said the same thing.
Louise had always been one to jump at any opportunity to learn and improve her skills, so her husband's suggestion was something to be grateful for.
But the words that came out of his mouth were strangely hurtful to her pride.
She had done the best she could for her position, and she was sad that she had fallen short of his expectations.
She knew better than anyone that he was not the one to understand her old past and hardships, but she did it anyway.
"......I'll try."
***
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Write a comment
Virginie (Friday, 22 November 2024 22:08)
Caius loves Louise, even if she thinks that he is only using her as a tool.