Chapter 5
***
"Claude? Unless you're crazy!"
A heavy atmosphere hung in the parlor where the Emperor's family was gathered.
The Empress's eyes were fixed on the unmoving Emperor, who was buried in his chair.
Now he wanted to pretend to be a father who loved his son?
He seemed more distraught over the loss of his favorite chess piece than over the loss of his child, but the twisted Empress didn't think so.
She had chosen her husband out of love.
She stood by him, even though he was the youngest in the line of succession, and never once doubted that he felt the same way.
Even when he betrayed her out of greed, even when he married a woman of higher status, even when they had a son together, even when she went from being his lover to his mistress in an instant, she trusted his heart.
In the end, Flora's death and her own ascension to the empress proved that she had made the right choice.
But at this moment, her husband was so irritated that she cursed that choice.
Claude von Killiatzman was dead.
More important than that irreversible death was the direction Claude’s vast legacy would take.
The booty and the huge bounties awarded to him personally. Dukedom from foreign families, gold mines, and estates containing all manner of precious things. It was a fortune of astronomical proportions.
And Claude was the Emperor's son. He was entitled to his share of the imperial inheritance.
It would be more valuable to throw money into thin air than to give it to the son of the hated Empress Flora.
With that in mind, the Empress had been delaying his inheritance, using one excuse or another, but she could no longer put it off.
And now the money belonged to Claude, not to her.....................
She thought she was finally going to get rid of him. Even after death, he's still a pain in her side.
As the empress was lamenting, a voice rang in her ear.
“Why are you thinking so hard, Your Majesty the Empress?”
The Emperor's second son, Count Hans von Tauscher, who had been sipping from a wine glass, spoke up.
“Just a little bit. It just needs to be modified.”
***
The light returned.
With her husband's death.
Dazed, feeling as if she'd been hit over the head, Elise didn't leave the bed.
She rubbed the corners of her eyes in disbelief. It wasn't until she felt her eyelids and eyelashes flutter that she realized she was actually awake.
Leaning heavily against the head of the bed, Elise stared silently at Nella as she drew the curtains.
The curtains creaked unnaturally as she drew them and opened the window for ventilation.
Nella kept glancing in Elise's direction, like a child caught in the act of sneaking around.
Was that how Nella always moved? Elise wondered, but shook her head to clear her mind. Now was not the time to think about that.
With Nella's help, Elise got into a car and headed for the palace.
Shw didn't even have time to say anything when she heard the sudden news of her husband’s death.
The car sped off. Elise pressed hard against her temples, which were still burning from earlier.
She held her cane, which she carried out of habit, to her eyes.
Dark walnut in color and decorated with gold, it was the most frequently used of her husband's gifts.
The name engraved on one side of the cane, like an alter ego, was unfamiliar.
Elise von Killiatzman.
Von Killiatzman.
Claude von Killiatzman….
"..."
Was the man really dead?
It had come out of the maid's mouth again and again, but it was hard to believe.
But in the back of her mind, she knew it was undeniably true.
Otherwise, there was no way to explain her sudden change vision.
The car carrying the confused Elise soon arrived at the palace.
***
Once in the drawing room, Elise sat up straight, her hands resting gently on her thighs.
Over the Empress's shoulder, the garden outside the window looked like it was about to sprout, as if to prove that spring was on its way.
"I'm sorry for your loss."
The emperor didn't sound like a father who had lost his son.
A long explanation followed, but little of it stuck in her mind.
The odds were stacked against Claude.
The tide of battle was turning, and there weren't many options left.
Claude volunteered to go up in the bomber and it crashed.
They were still searching for the crash site, but it was not easy because it was so close to enemy lines. His body had not yet been found.
However, the fact that the plane caught fire shortly after takeoff suggests that there was something wrong with the plane, so perhaps......
His plane was loaded with shells to be dropped on enemy territory.
His death would remain classified for the time being, as there were many enemies who would rush to crush this country if his death were publicized at this time of war.
"Poor thing.........."
The Empress's voice trembled and she dabbed at her eyes with her handkerchief.
Her hand trembling was a masterful performance. Of course, her eyes were as dry as the land in a drought.
The imperial courtiers, who were busy talking about their own things, didn't seem to notice, as usual, because they weren't paying much attention to Elise.
"Princess, are you all right? You don't look well."
"...."
Elise paused, unsure of what to say.
"I’m okay," was all that came out of her mouth.
"Oh, by the way. The will is here."
The Empress's voice changed, as if to say that the conversation up to this point was just a shell, and that the real work was about to begin.
It was customary for soldiers serving in the field to have their wills written in advance.
At the top of the paper she held out, his name was written in neat cursive. The handwriting was sharp, like a soldier's.
Opening the envelope and seeing the will, Elise felt her heart drop to her feet with a thud.
"Claude Adrian Victor Robertson von Killiatzman….”
The Empress, still believing she was blind, snatched the letter from her grasp and read it out loud in a voice tinged with abominable sobs.
Horror slowly filled Elise's face.
"The contract is valid for three years, and I will pay you a generous alimony upon the termination of this marriage."
He definitely had said that, but….
"So I've decided that all my inheritance will go to the national treasury."
The Empress hammered home that Claude had left his wife nothing.
Elise felt as if she had been hit on the back of her head, and for a moment she was dizzy.
She didn’t remember how she got out of the drawing room.
She did remember getting up to go make the funeral arrangements. When she woke up, she was walking down the hallway.
Walking with a limp, Elise leaned against the wall as if her whole body was failing her.
She didn't know whether to grieve for her husband's death or for the betrayal of his promise to her, even in death.
Just when she wanted to wallow in her confusion, she heard footsteps approaching from behind.
"I'm sorry. Lady Winterdell."
The Emperor's second son. Hans von Tauscher.
The son of the Emperor and a maid of the late empress, Claude’s mother, he had been denied an imperial surname due to the dirty blood that made up half of his body.
"If you had inherited your husband's inheritance, every gentleman in the capital would have been in and out of your house to court you... But now you're penniless."
In the few times they had met face to face, this man had not been very friendly to her.
"Do I need to thank you for calling me Young Lady Winterdell to prepare me for this?"
"You should be grateful."
Hans flashed her a blossoming smile and took a step toward her, Elise’s back stiffening in response.
"Be careful, Elise. I'd save myself if I were you. Wouldn't it be a shame to go blind again after all that hard work?"
"...!"
"You're asking me how I know? It's easy, your steps are less wobbly than usual."
As their gazes met, Hans' eyes softened.
"I'll let you go, then, so you can prepare my brother's departure. He died alone, and wouldn't he want his wife's touch on his way home?"
With that, he turned and walked away down the hall, leaving behind a dubious smile.
***
When Elise returned to the mansion, each of the people who greeted her had tears in their eyes.
The maid silently followed Elise as she headed inside.
......What?
The maid frowned as she watched Elise's back.
She walked with a cane and a limp, but her gait was strangely steady.
As if she could see.
Was she able to see now?
As she pondered this, she remembered how the Princess had looked at her strangely when she was delivering the obituary.
......Really?
"Your Grace."
The maid asked cautiously as Elise entered the bedroom and tiredly removed her outer garments.
"Can you see me...?"
***
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