Chapter 364

“She refused?”

I blurted out, surprised.

I had discreetly sent someone to arrange a secret meeting with the empress.

I had naturally assumed that she would agree.

After all, she had even confessed her feelings for me.

But she had flatly refused?

What was going on?

This would throw a wrench in my plans…

“Yes, that’s what she said.”

Norman, the person I had sent, replied.

Norman wasn’t someone who would misunderstand or misinterpret things.

He was telling me exactly what had happened.

“Hmm…”

I fell into thought.

I would have understood if she had refused because she was concerned about public opinion, but I had made it clear that I wanted a secret meeting.

So it wasn’t easy to guess her intentions.

‘Did she suddenly change her mind?’

If that was the case, it was a bad sign.

But even though she was unpredictable, it was unlikely that she would suddenly change her mind after going through so much trouble to hold back her emotions for my sake.

“What about her expression and demeanor? Was there anything unusual?”

Norman thought for a moment.

It seemed like he was struggling to find the right words.

“Honestly, this was the first time I’ve met the empress in person…”

“Just tell me what you saw.”

It was almost impossible to read her thoughts, especially for someone who didn’t know her well.

But he could still tell if she was acting differently than usual.

“What I saw… Alright. The most noticeable thing was that she wasn’t smiling at all.”

“Not smiling?”

It was a well-known fact that the empress was always smiling.

So he couldn’t have been mistaken.

‘She’s still upset.’

Well, it was only natural for her to be upset after what had happened.

But I had hoped that she would at least soften her expression when she saw the person I had sent. It seemed like I had been too optimistic.

‘Don’t get ahead of yourself.’

I reminded myself.

Just because she had confessed her feelings for me didn’t mean that everything would go my way.

She was still the empress.

She wasn’t someone I could manipulate with my emotions.

If I had any such thoughts, she would cut me down without hesitation.

The man she had fallen for wouldn’t be that naive.

I had to be careful.

I had to keep acting like the man she had fallen for if I wanted to stay on her good side.

“Go on.”

“Well, other than that… Ah, but…”

Norman’s expression changed, as if he had remembered something.

I narrowed my eyes.

“But what?”

“…Never mind. It was probably just my imagination.”

He tried to brush it off.

But I trusted his observation skills.

He wasn’t someone who would jump to conclusions.

“It’s alright. Tell me.”

“Well… I felt like she was… disappointed.”

Disappointed?

Disappointed?

My eyes widened.

What could she possibly be disappointed about…?

‘Wait a minute.’

A thought suddenly occurred to me.

What the empress wanted from me.

It was… for me to act like the man she had fallen for.

Then what about my actions this time?

‘It wasn’t the right answer.’

It hadn’t seemed like a good idea to meet with the empress openly before the investigation was over, so I had requested a secret meeting.

But that wasn’t what she had wanted.

I finally understood.

“I made a mistake.”

“Huh?”

“I have to go see her myself.”

I didn’t care about public opinion.

That was the right answer.

The man she had fallen for was confident and assertive.

I got dressed.

I was going to see the empress.

* * *

“Halt.”

An imperial knight stopped me as I approached the empress’s chambers.

The guards also looked alert, their hands on their weapons.

It was a natural reaction.

They had to be wary of everyone, especially me.

Even though the empress had dismissed the accusations against me, it didn’t mean that everyone believed her.

There were still people who were suspicious of me.

Both inside and outside the palace.

That’s why we needed to clear my name with irrefutable evidence and show the world that the empress and I had a strong bond.

“What’s your business?”

“I wish to see the empress.”

“Hmm.”

The imperial knight seemed reluctant, considering the situation.

But he didn’t have the authority to make that decision.

All he could do was report my request to the empress.

“Your Majesty, Duke Max Celtrine requests an audience.”

“Let him in.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The imperial knight stared at me for a moment and then stepped aside.

“You may enter.”

“Thank you.”

I entered the empress’s chambers.

In that brief moment,

I imagined many things.

What would her expression be like?

How would she greet me?

*Thud*

The door closed behind me.

And then our eyes met.

Her emerald eyes blinked.

The emotions in her eyes…

Honestly, they were complicated.

There were too many emotions swirling within them.

But I could sense a hint of satisfaction.

I had been right.

She had been waiting for me to come to her.

“Your Majesty.”

I bowed.

“This must be important.”

“It is.”

“Come closer.”

“Yes.”

I stepped closer to her.

“Closer.”

“…Alright.”

I stepped even closer.

We were close enough to see each other’s expressions clearly.

She flicked her hand.

I felt something spread around us.

It was a soundproofing spell.

“Now, tell me.”

As expected, she urged me to speak.

“Yes, then.”

I chose my words carefully.

It was our first meeting since the incident.

She must have been upset, so I had to be extra careful.

But,

*Chuckle*

Huh?

I suddenly heard her chuckle.

She was covering her mouth with her hand.

Our eyes met, mine wide with confusion, hers curved in amusement.

“Why are you looking so serious? Relax.”

What?

Wasn’t she upset?

The coronation banquet, which should have been the most joyous day of her life, had been ruined.

“Why are you looking at me like that? I told you I didn’t want to play into the culprits’ hands. If I get caught up in my anger, wouldn’t that be exactly what they want? I can’t let that happen.”

She was opening up to me.

I finally felt relieved.

As expected of the empress.

I had been worried that she might be consumed by rage, but she was still calm and collected.

This would make things easier.

“I was worried because I thought you might be in shock.”

“Were you? Honestly, I don’t like being worried about, both as a junior and as an emperor. It makes me feel like I’m not doing my job properly.”

“That’s not what I meant…”

“Ah, I know. I’m just embarrassed. I’ve never relied on anyone for support, even when things were tough. But hearing you say that you were worried about me… I think I understand how it feels to rely on someone. It makes me blush.”

“Cough, cough!”

I coughed in surprise at her unexpected words.

It was hard to get used to this side of the monstrous empress.

Maybe I would never get used to it.

“Oh my, was that unsightly?”

“Cough, n-no… Really, no… Cough!”

…It took me a while to calm down.

“Now, tell me what you wanted to say.”

She said with a smile.

“Well,”

I said, my expression turning serious again.

“I’ve figured out the truth behind the incident, so I came to see you immediately.”

“Huh?”

Her eyes widened in surprise.

* * *

I finished my explanation.

The empress, who had been listening with a serious expression, blinked rapidly.

Fortunately, she believed me.

If she hadn’t, everything I had said would have been meaningless.

But her words during her confession, that she believed me, hadn’t been a lie.

And sincerity deserved sincerity.

That’s why I was being honest with her.

Honestly, it hadn’t been an easy decision for me.

I had never told her anything like this before, not even a single word.

Because she was my enemy.

She was the enemy I had to defeat to survive.

It was a strange situation.

“Red Rain. I can’t believe my foolish brother was involved with such an organization…”

“It was a foolish choice.”

“So they’re targeting you and me now. To create a rift between us and provoke an invasion from the kingdom.”

“That’s right.”

“And their ultimate goal is to obtain the last fragment of the Dark God, which is sealed at the lepheria Academy, and resurrect the Dark God without any interference from the world?”

“It might be hard to believe, but it’s true.”

“No, I believe you. Although it was hard to believe that the principal was actually Saint lepheria.”

“…Anyone would feel that way.”

*Tap, tap.*

She tapped her fingers on the armrest of her chair.

She seemed deep in thought.

“Anyway, so you need my cooperation. To expose Red Rain as the culprits and declare them as enemies of the empire.”

“Yes, that’s what I’m asking for.”

To drag the evil organization that had been operating in the shadows out into the open.

It was an option I hadn’t had before.

But it was possible with the empress’s power and authority.

So I was willing to rely on her.

It was the best way to resolve this situation.

“But you’re missing something.”

“What is it?”

“Evidence.”

As expected of the empress.

She immediately pointed out the most important thing.

Someone in a position of authority couldn’t make empty claims.

We needed evidence, even if it wasn’t conclusive.

Then?

‘I have evidence.’

I wouldn’t have come to her without any evidence.

I had remembered something.

“I believe there is evidence.”

I said confidently.

“‘I believe’ sounds a bit weak, don’t you think?”

“I said that because I haven’t seen it with my own eyes. But you don’t always need to see something to know it’s true. Especially me.”

“Pfft.”

…Why was she laughing?

“Oh, excuse me. I wasn’t laughing at you. It’s just… You finally sound like your usual confident self.”

So that’s how I came across.

It was a compliment, right?

“Hehe, please continue.”

She was smiling, so it must have been a compliment.

“…Alright. I told you earlier that the treacherous prince was working with Red Rain, right?”

“Yes.”

“If we can find evidence of their collaboration, we can link it to this incident.”

Evidence was a powerful weapon.

People were quick to believe that someone was guilty of one crime if there was evidence of another crime.

That’s what I was aiming for.

“Hmm, I don’t remember finding anything in my brother’s room.”

She tilted her head.

It was understandable.

The treacherous prince’s room had already been thoroughly searched and cleaned.

But I wouldn’t have brought it up if I didn’t know something.

“Of course. He wouldn’t have left any evidence of his collaboration with such an organization out in the open. But,”

I smiled and continued, “I doubt that the meticulous treacherous prince and that person handled everything verbally. There must be documents.”

“That person? There’s someone else involved?”

“The treacherous prince’s closest aide, Galbraith, the Sage of Blind Sight.”

“Ah, him. You killed him, didn’t you? His room hasn’t been cleaned yet, has it?”

“It probably has. But,”

My eyes gleamed.

“I’m sure there’s a secret room.”

I was certain.

I remembered it clearly.

There had been a rumor that a secret room belonging to the Sage of Blind Sight had been discovered in the Imperial Palace.

“A secret room?”

She blinked rapidly in surprise.

She seemed flustered by my bold claim.

But I was confident.

“Have Marquis Safia thoroughly search that room and find the secret room. The evidence will be in there. The evidence we need to resolve this situation.”