episode_0152

Possessed by the Hidden Fantasy Novel

The conspiracy of the Duke of Vallati, which had been brewing in the capital, came to an abrupt end.

Yulian Vallati, who had been a puppet of the rebellion, was subdued by the hands of Duke Dmitri, and the unruly mob that had occupied the imperial city was suppressed by the forces of Baron Baern Changbaek.

It was the combined efforts of the Empire’s sword and shield that protected Galatea.

Before long, the two who had been aiming for the princess apprehended the remnants of the rebel forces scattered throughout the capital.

The rebels who had been blocking the entrances of the administrative offices, the medical hall, and the main noble residences were easily subdued by the forces from the western provinces without much trouble.

And the autumn sun rose three times. In the meantime, the capital, Lutes, returned to its peaceful daily life of autumn, but the scars left by the rebellion did not completely heal.

In the farthest corner of the imperial city, the princess’s secluded palace, Lily Palace.

Thanks to its secluded location, the quiet palace where the nobles who usually followed the princess or visited were gathered today, the audience hall was filled with visitors. Moreover, their demeanor was quite formidable.

“Your Highness has ascended to the throne due to the Duke of Vallati’s actions.”

Dominic’s words caused a stir among those present. Perhaps because it had been kept secret until now, the shock of the nobles hearing those words seemed even greater.

“His Imperial Majesty has ascended to the throne?”

As Dominic’s words ended, the booming voice of a man echoed through the audience hall. The owner of the voice was Duke Reinhardt. A loyal subject who had served the Galatea Empire for generations, a respected figure among the nobles, and their moral compass.

He had also been a neutral figure in the succession to the throne. Not on the side of the Empress, the Crown Prince, or the Princess, so his attitude towards her was not entirely positive.

Dominic nodded solemnly. As he calmly spoke of the massacre of the royal family members, the nobles who had thought the princess must have suffered greatly from her pale appearance and visible minor injuries began to murmur upon hearing the princess celebrating the death of her rivals.

The Emperor, the Empress, and even the Crown Prince had died in the rebellion, yet the princess alone survived in such a dignified manner?

Various thoughts would have crossed the minds of those who knew the taste of power better than anyone else.

“Is that true?”

“The Crown Prince also lost his life?”

The audience hall grew more chaotic. Eventually, Baron Obert, who stood by the princess’s side, spoke up.

“It is true. When we entered the capital with the forces from the western provinces, the imperial city had already been occupied by the rebels.

Even after the situation had ended, Obert still wore his thick armor. Despite his unkempt hair, his imposing figure exuded a sense of intimidation that made the soft nobleman who had never held a sword feel overwhelmed.

“When we defeated the rebels who had taken control of the imperial city and entered the palace, both the Empress and the Crown Prince had already passed away in the underground prison.”

“How are we supposed to believe that!”

The one who boldly spoke out against the intimidation was Lord Arundel, who had a close connection to the Empress. Starting with his words, the nobles who had come to the audience hall began to divide into former nobles and supporters of the Empress, exchanging accusations with each other.

“In the end, it seems that it is not the Empress Dowager who has benefited from this conspiracy.”

“Why would you say such things in front of the Empress Dowager so recklessly!”

“It’s not an incorrect statement!”

“Even so, how can you speak of the Empress Dowager in such a way!”

Thud!

The Grand Duke of Verbrüts raised his boot high and brought it down heavily next to the Empress, creating a loud thud. The noisy Alhyun Hall immediately fell silent.

“It seems that everyone is on edge, so let’s end it here for today,” Dmitry, the Grand Duke of the North, said with a cold voice, looking around the room. The nobles who had been raising their voices just moments ago lowered their heads and remained silent.

After the nobles had left, only Verbrüts, his son Albrice, and Dmitry remained by the Empress’s side.

“There seems to be more resistance than expected,” Dominique said, looking tired as he brought the teacup to his lips. In response to Dominique, Albrice calmly expressed his opinion.

“No matter how much they protest, the only answer lies with Her Majesty. They simply want to play power games with the Empress before she ascends to the throne. So, Your Majesty, you don’t need to engage with them. Just focus on the upcoming funeral and coronation.”

Both Verbrüts and Dmitry nodded quietly in agreement with Albrice.

Sipping on a cup of smooth-bodied black tea, the Empress set down her teacup with a lonely smile.

“I thought I was well-versed in the politics of the capital from living in the palace, but it seems I was mistaken.”

Despite the opposition, even if it tarnished Dominique’s legitimacy as the sole survivor of the rebellion, Galatea would ultimately fall into Dominique’s hands.

The Empire belonged to Galatea, and the remaining Galatea belonged to Dominique. Even if they claimed otherwise, the Verbrüts, a prominent family, now stood by Dominique’s side.

However, Dominique seemed unstable in many ways. Was it because of the madness he faced when captured by Ernst, or was it due to the slightly changed taste of the black tea?

The black tea, which varied in taste and aroma depending on the person pouring it, was honestly deeper in every aspect compared to the tea he had previously drunk. Yet, Dominique now found himself missing the rough black tea served by her maids.

“So, how is Elly’s condition?”

Hiding his expression, Dominique looked at Verbrüts. The expression on Verbrüts’ face darkened immediately.

“She is still unconscious.”

“What do the doctors and priests say?”

“They say there is nothing physically wrong with her. The priests say the same.”

A sigh followed. Verbrüts was not the only one with a troubled expression; his son and son-in-law also hung their heads in response to Verbrüts’ words.

“It’s a situation similar to last spring when she collapsed from fever.”

“You must be very worried in many ways.”

“Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty.”

Dominique cautiously looked at Verbrüts. His blue eyes were so similar to the eyes of the man who had once raised him up that his fingertips trembled slightly.

“How are the movements of the heretics?”

“They will quiet down once the harvest season ends and autumn turns to winter. Besides, my son Etelos has grown considerably, so there is no need to worry too much.”

Dominique nodded in agreement. It was truly time to reestablish relations with the West.

“Please focus on taking care of Elly and don’t worry about the treaties we had with the royal family. Your wife is welcome to come to the capital as well.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

The two men of Bearen bowed their heads towards the princess. Her golden eyes lingered on the blonde man for a while before shifting her gaze towards the Duke.

“Dmitri, what are you going to do?”

The West and the North were different. The heretics of the West quieted down after autumn, but in the North, that was just the beginning. If the barrier was breached, the North would crumble, and with a new emperor now, Galatea would be shaken.

Dmitri still brought the unsuitable black tea to his lips.

“We can’t leave the North empty forever.”

“But…”

Leaving Eli like this…

Even the Duke, Oberth, spoke towards his son-in-law.

“Don’t worry too much, Your Grace will return to the North.”

“Changbaek…”

“Just like in the spring, Eli will wake up. But what if awakened Eli has nowhere to go back to?”

Dmitri couldn’t respond to Changbaek’s words and bowed his head deeply.

Surely Changbaek was also suffering. But his words were also the reality.

#.

Eleanor, who had lost consciousness, had been moved to her room in the townhouse. After the meeting with the princess, Dmitri headed straight to Bearen’s townhouse, to Eleanor’s bedroom.

In Eleanor’s simple bedroom, her lover lay on the bed, eyes closed. The gentle rise and fall of her chest proved that she was still alive.

Beside her, the always attentive foreigner, Roelcerar, was still sitting.

Dmitri entered the room, approached the bed cautiously, and closed his eyes.

Three days passed.

But in Dmitri’s memory, those scenes were vividly replaying.

Eleanor collapsing onto the dead maid.

And Eleanor emitting an overwhelming sacred power.

Reviving her dead maid.

At that moment, the voice that called him was so cold and harsh, unlike the usual Eleanor.

Was he disappointed in him…?

Guilt subtly rose in Dmitri’s heart.

Perhaps Eleanor being in their hands was not a scheme.

He shouldn’t have let his guard down like that.

Just because he defeated the man with red eyes didn’t mean everything was over.

The guilt weighed heavily on Dmitri’s heart.

In the end, he failed to protect his precious lover.

“I’m sorry, Eli.”

Unable to touch her body or hair due to the guilt, Dmitri carefully left Eleanor’s bedroom.

He wanted to stay by her side, but it was time to return to the North.

And the lonely Roelcerar poured out his emotions again.

“Eli… How could I leave you like this…”

I would have given my life to save Eli.

Why did I survive while Eli is lying here like this…

Roelcerar’s weeping filled Eleanor’s room as he tightly held her hand, offering a prayer to the goddess to bring Eleanor back to life.

“I will sacrifice my life, just please wake Eli up.”

But Roelcerar didn’t see Eleanor’s trembling lips as she silently prayed with closed eyes.

#.

And Eleanor… slowly woke up.

“Hey! Snap out of it! What are you doing standing there so blankly?”

She.

No, she stood there with a smartphone in hand, caught off guard by the unfamiliar boredom creeping up behind her.