Ch.275To the Edge of the Cliff (15)

“Your Majesty, Her Majesty the Empress says she wishes to visit immediately—”

“…”

“—I beg your pardon, Your Majesty. I shall prevent it. Please rest comfortably.”

When I silently glare at the attendant, the one who was reporting quickly closes his mouth, bows his head, and withdraws as if nothing had happened.

I’ve told them countless times not to let anyone in, yet they still come with such reports… tsk.

Well, I can understand the attendant’s position. What was supposed to be a two-day stay has already stretched to a week.

This villa is incredibly peaceful, but the palace must be in absolute chaos by now.

“Haaa…”

Chloe’s face is still so vivid in my mind. Though she was smiling, I had never seen her look so sad before.

I feel like I’ve done something terribly cruel. I want to run to Chloe right now, apologize, and embrace her.

But… I can’t. I mustn’t.

If I gloss over this now, it feels like I would be committing some grave sin.

I’ve already died once and been reborn in another world, so I’m not certain if an afterlife exists, but if it does, I wouldn’t be able to face Claude’s father and mother there.

‘This is surely the life I’ve always wanted… yet why do I feel so unsatisfied?’

For the past week, I’ve literally done nothing.

Since becoming a duke, then a king, and finally an emperor, I’ve always lived frantically busy with work. Throughout that life, I always wished to stop everything and simply live peacefully.

But now that I’m experiencing such days… how should I put it? Is it emptiness?

I never understood why people who earned plenty for retirement would take jobs like taxi driving in their old age, but now I completely get it.

People rot when they have nothing to do.

‘…Or perhaps it’s because I’m resting alone.’

The situation I’m in now is completely different from what I had envisioned.

The days I had imagined weren’t about shutting myself away in a villa alone, but about spending happy times connecting with my family.

…Is that why I feel so empty?

Well, after ending things with Chloe like that, how could I possibly feel at ease?

[Your Majesty, you should return soon. The Empress’s condition…]

‘Damn it.’

Chloe, Ines, Jeanne, Ellen, and all my children must be terribly worried. If I don’t return quickly, the confusion will grow, and my family will be hurt.

But as I said before, if I don’t properly finish what I started and just go back, I won’t be able to face my deceased parents.

Above all… I’m afraid to face Chloe.

What should I say when I see Chloe again? What will she say?

Thinking about it makes me afraid to meet her at all. If something happens again, I truly don’t think I could maintain my sanity.

But what about meeting only the other family members, excluding Chloe?

If I did such a thing, my relationship with Chloe would be completely ruined, so that’s impossible.

It’s laughable to say this now, but… despite my great disappointment in Chloe, I still love her.

Throb—

“Ugh…!”

My head aches terribly from pondering what to do. It feels like needles stabbing into my scalp.

It’s as if my brain is protesting, telling me to stop thinking.

Damn it…

……….

It’s been a week since that incident.

My brother has shut himself in the villa with no intention of coming out, and I’m too afraid to face him to even think about going in.

…I should apologize directly to make him feel better.

[Chloe, go back to the palace. Until I collect myself… stay there quietly, please.]

But that wasn’t what he asked of me.

He wanted me to stay quietly in the palace until he collected himself.

Of course, that’s not his true feeling. If he truly wanted me to stay put, he wouldn’t have had that look in his eyes.

So I should hurry in and face him to apologize… I should, but…

[Chloe, you should have only apologized to me here.]

‘Ugh…’

Those cold eyes and voice are still so vivid.

The thought of them being directed at me again… makes me shudder. The back of my neck trembles with fear.

I shouldn’t have used such shallow tricks.

Instead of trying to divert his attention from the incident, I should have simply bowed my head and offered a sincere apology from the beginning.

[What have you done?! Why is His Majesty…!]

Ines didn’t care about the other attendants around us.

For Ines, who had always maintained appearances and managed her reputation, my brother’s actions must have come as a tremendous shock.

Of course… the same goes for me.

[…I’m sorry.]

[Y-you…! I don’t like this! Talk rudely like you usually do!]

Normally, I would have snapped back at Ines for her disrespectful behavior rather than apologizing, but my mind was too devastated to do even that.

I still don’t understand why I acted that way then.

Was I afraid to apologize to my brother? Did I try to show my beautiful side to divert his attention? Was it hard to apologize because I felt no guilt for killing the former duke, so I emphasized that I did it for him?

Looking back now, I really… had such foolish thoughts.

“Lady Chloe…”

The concerned voice of the agents breaks through my eardrums, dispersing the thoughts that had filled my mind.

…Tsk.

Why are these guys still hanging around here? How long has it been since I told them to leave?

“Enough, I’m really fine, so go inside. And just in case, discard all those strange plans of yours.”

“But… Yes, I understand. Please rest well.”

When I glare at them for proposing various solutions to resolve the current situation, they immediately close their mouths and withdraw.

Despite everything I’ve said, they still haven’t come to their senses and keep bringing up such plans?

Gifts and displays of affection to improve my brother’s mood, tears and acting to induce his guilt—such nonsense they propose. The quality of agents has really deteriorated since I stopped managing them directly.

There’s only one solution to the current situation.

Just my sincere apology.

But… how do I do it?

[…No, forget it. There’s nothing cheaper than an apology given on demand.]

“Ugh…”

Will my brother accept my apology?

Will he think it’s just momentary acting to appease his anger?

Even I doubt myself.

Am I truly sorry to my brother? Or is it just an act out of consideration for his feelings, to avoid his anger?

…It’s terrifying to think about what expression I’ll make, what feelings I’ll have, if he says such things again.

“Still, I have to go.”

But it’s certainly better than doing nothing. Even though I doubt myself, the unchanging truth is that taking action is better than staying still.

Whether my brother doubts me or not, I need to apologize. That’s the only way to resolve this situation.

I should… go now.

……….

“Stop right there… I mean, please stop, stop!”

“…”

The soldiers guarding the villa stop the approaching carriage.

The soldiers, who initially spoke casually upon seeing the carriage, immediately become respectful when they see Chloe through the window.

‘…Huh.’

Watching this from inside, Chloe lets out a short, incredulous sigh.

Really, the guards who should have the strongest authority when it comes to security become this polite—what would they have done if it had been an intruder disguised as me?

But… I’m not in a position to point that out right now.

I’m just here to apologize. I’m not a member of the Bourgogne family here, but merely a sinner who has wronged His Majesty.

“Lady Chloe, what brings you here?”

“Obviously, I’m here to see His Majesty.”

“Um… Lady Chloe, the villa is currently sealed by the Emperor’s orders. We cannot let anyone in.”

“…At least tell him that I’ve come.”

The guard’s face twists strangely.

According to information from my agents, my brother had ordered that no one be allowed in, and he would become furious when anyone tried to report visitors.

So this guard is afraid of being reprimanded if he reports my arrival to my brother.

But if he doesn’t report it when I’ve already come to the villa in person, that would be a problem in itself, making the situation even more troublesome.

“…Please wait a moment. I will inform His Majesty of your arrival.”

“Thank you.”

It seems the guard has decided, after some deliberation, to report my arrival.

Well… he has no choice. It’s not just my brother’s family who have been shocked by his seclusion.

Ordinary attendants, nobles, and even commoners have been speculating about my brother’s isolation, so it’s impossible that the guards who have witnessed his severity firsthand wouldn’t have their own thoughts—

Creeeeak—

‘…What?’

Suddenly, the villa’s gate begins to open with a strange sound.

Not the small door for people to pass through, but the massive gate meant for vehicle traffic.

“What? I didn’t give the order to open the gate… ugh!”

The guard, startled by the sudden opening of the gate, is momentarily confused, then immediately drops to his knees and lowers his gaze to the ground as if nothing had happened.

He has no choice.

What appears beyond the villa gate is the imperial carriage, splendidly decorated with the Bourgogne family crest.

And the person inside… can only be one.

“…!”

After a long week, their gazes meet.

Of course, unlike before when they were close enough for their noses to touch, the two gazes are now quite far apart.