Chapter 82
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Only then will the man of her heart understand how she feels. That she would not betray him, that she would stay by his side.
The man who didn't trust her for a second didn't end up taking her to his final destination, but loyalty could only flow one way.
..................Love, too.
Louise turned to the soldiers as they walked slowly through the city, sitting on the horse’s back.
"Have you.................. been stationed outside of Celle for the past few days?"
The words came out of nowhere, as Caius had told her of the Burg army's plans.
She had been too surprised and impatient to exchange a word of greeting with the soldiers, but now that she had a moment, she was reminded of the hardships they had endured after traveling so far in the night.
One of the soldiers spoke up on their behalf.
"Yes, ma'am."
There was no further explanation.
Louise stopped short of asking for more details. These soldiers were off the capital and would not know much about the affairs of the imperial palace.
The soldiers stopped at a crumbling inn in the middle of nowhere.
Louise was momentarily surprised by the inn's appearance, which was worse than Melk's tin shacks, but she knew she wouldn't have to travel all the way to the center of town to feed her horse and do a quick bath.
After letting the tired horses rest with a drink of water, they all entered the dining room on the first floor.
It was shabby and unsanitary, but the soldiers sat down and ordered their food with ease.
"Three servings of stew, please."
They didn't even ask Louise what she wanted.
She was a little perplexed, but she tried to understand their plight, as these were men who had been through rough training and battlefields.
When the cold stew was served, one of the soldiers remarked afterward.
"I apologize, my lady, for not having time to serve you good food."
It was an awkward tone, as if he were trying to force it, but she had to give him credit for trying; the soldiers were mostly commoners.
Perhaps she had become accustomed to the luxurious life in Burg, but her appetite was not at all satisfied even when she looked at the prepared table. Louise answered with inward reflection.
"..................No. We have a long way to go, and we need to eat quickly."
Since when did she start complaining about food like a noblewoman? Feeling sorry, she picked up her spoon and began to scoop up the stew.
Her stomach was empty from running all night, so she was able to empty the stew, which was salty and barely seasoned, to the bottom of the bowl.
But they were barely finished eating.
There was a loud clatter of carriages outside, and someone shouted.
"Hooray, hooray, there's a new emperor in Hyreth!"
Louise dropped her spoon with a clatter and rushed out of the inn, calling urgently to the coachman, who was already running with his back to her.
"Here, give me a copy of it!"
As soon as the thin newspaper was handed to her, her eyes were drawn to the large headline.
His Majesty Caius the first, Lord of Hyreth.
Caius Albrecht von Heidenberg, the long-lost son of Emperor Wilhelm, has returned to Parma after 21 years to reclaim the throne.
Louise blinked and reread it over and over again, but the saccharine letters were still there.
Louise opened the paper and burst into tears. After sending the soldiers to her, things had apparently turned in his favor.
Her sparkling emerald eyes quickly skimmed over the past few days.
Karl III, the man who had brought abject poverty to Hyreth, had faded into history.
The Emperor Karl Anton Syringus von Heidenberg, who had framed his brother Wilhelm I (the first) for mania and used the black money of Galicia to gain the imperial throne by force, had been stunned into a heart attack when his surviving nephew passed the proof of lineage. Caius Albrecht, who bore the Heidenberg mark, was the natural heir to the throne.
The protesters marching towards Parma rejoiced at the change in the imperial family, and the young new emperor, Caius I (the first), granted the protesters' request to meet with him, much to the people's delight. ...................
This was followed by a series of articles about the fact that Prince Leopold had a biological father, and about the rise and fall of the imperial aristocracy due to this incident.
None of this, of course, caught Louise’s eye.
She didn't see any mention of Albrecht's pearl or Ermoli's name, but she was too grateful for a line of big letters.
His Majesty Caius I (the first), Lord of Hyreth.
He had found his rightful place.
Louise was greatly relieved and held the paper out to the soldiers who stood guard.
"Look at this, we don't have to rush anymore."
But the soldiers' expressions as they shared the newspaper were a little strange. They didn't look very surprised or happy about the news.
Louise felt a strange premonition and asked cautiously.
"What's wrong? Is there something wrong, something I don't know about?"
"That................"
As she looked up at the hesitant soldier, she suddenly felt a cold touch on her side. She looked down to see a jet-black barrel pointed at her.
Louise was startled to the point of gagging, but the soldier's blunt voice was no different than the one he'd used to deliver the letter the day before.
"Do not make a sound. You must stay with us, Madame. His Excellency is looking for you."
Only then did it dawn on her that it was Ferdinand, not Caius, who had sent her the letter, and that the "His Excellency" they were referring to was Ferdinand.
She couldn't even get angry because it was too absurd.
Ferdinand would betray Caius, but he had supported Caius for over twenty years, so why would he do it now?
Especially now that Caius was on the throne.
Louise studied the faces of the soldiers again, more closely.
The way they looked too old to be running errands, the way they sat casually in the ramshackle dining hall, scooping up stew like tramps, and the awkward way they spoke.
She struggled to control her shaky voice and asked.
"..................Are you two Burg soldiers?"
The man in the Burg uniform smiled lazily.
"You're not even noble by birth, so how have you managed to survive in this harsh world if you're so naive?"
When Louise's face turned white and blue, he added.
"But it is true that His Excellency did send us, so please return to the inn, for we have something to receive, and we must take you to the meeting point he requested."
Louise looked down the cold muzzle of the gun once more. Something she had rarely even seen up close was pressed against her body.
If these men were right, would Caius know about this? But if Ferdinand was looking for her, did it have to be this way?
All sorts of what-ifs swirled through her head.
When Louise didn't stir from her reverie, they assumed she thought their cowardice was ridiculous.
The pistol at her side clicked into action.
"Isn't it possible that you may be carrying the imperial seed? Would it be unjust if you were to die violently in the streets?"
Louise flinched at the soldier's threats.
She hadn't taken the pill the night before Caius left.
Of course, the odds of getting pregnant from just one night were low, but................... but there was a small chance that she was carrying the Emperor's bloodline in her womb.
The more so, the less Caius should have anything to do with this.....................
The shrewd soldier noticed Louise's hesitation and squeezed the barrel harder.
"Better move while we’re still nice, come on."
Louise said, turning as the man pushed her away. the man
".................. you mean His Excellency is coming here?"
The man nodded obediently, satisfied that she was moving.
"He will be here soon, for your ladyship said she could ride her horse at a moment's notice, and we arrived a little early."
Louise re-entered the inn, feeling devastated.
Was Ferdinand really behind this?
She hoped that she could trust Caius to her rescue.
"Do you prefer a son or a daughter?"
She could still hear the whispers of that night, his breath and heat so vivid on her lips and skin.
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