Chapter 21
“The Empress summoned me…?”
The Duchess of Bianchi hurriedly finished dressing and set out for the palace. At a time like this, there was no reason for the imperial family to call on her—unless it was for one reason only.
“The Empress must think Valter is a better match than that Tower Master! Of course—he’s not even a noble.”
The Emperor was planning to bestow a noble title on the Tower Master during a grand banquet in a few weeks, but in her mind, he was still a commoner. The idea of such a man marrying a princess was, to her, utterly outrageous.
As the carriage passed through the palace gates and rolled past the gardens of the Empress’s quarters, the Duchess stepped down with the help of a knight, her face set with a sense of grim determination.
Surrounded by enemies, the Empress felt like her only ray of hope.
As she followed the royal attendant down a long hallway inside the palace, the Duchess considered how she should behave.
“I must not offend Her Majesty. No matter what, I must win her over to our side.”
The Empress could lift Valter’s house arrest with a single word.
At last, they arrived before the Empress’s audience chamber. The attendant gave a subtle signal to the guards by the door, then called out,
“Your Majesty, the Duchess Barbara Bianchi has arrived.”
“…Let her in.”
When the handmaid conveyed the Empress’s words, the doors opened. Inside, the Empress was lounging in a silk robe, reclining gracefully on a sofa.
She was still dazzlingly beautiful. There was a hint of weariness—perhaps from the recent trip—but her elegance was undeniable, the kind that made others lower their gaze without realizing it.
“No wonder the Emperor is so obsessed with her.”
As the Duchess bowed low in greeting, the Empress watched her coolly. If Charlize were more like Roxana, she would have found a way to eliminate this bothersome duke and duchess long ago.
“But that child isn’t like me.”
She didn’t count physical beauty as resemblance. It was only natural for her children to inherit her striking looks. But to think that after birthing two of them, neither child took after her in character—it was baffling.
If Valter had at least been charming in personality, she might have tolerated his parents. But that boy resented them—despised them, even. So why keep them around?
“If only His Majesty hadn’t discovered how greedy they were, he wouldn’t have considered marrying Charlize off to the Tower Master…”
The Bianchi couple had done nothing but interfere with Charlize’s romantic prospects.
“So much ambition, and not even the ability to back it up.”
It was unfortunate, really. Noble blood didn’t guarantee capability. And yet, surprisingly, their son Valter had potential—enough to be tolerable.
“Your Majesty, your long journey—”
The Empress cut her off with a look of obvious boredom. Even when she acted so coldly, most nobles still found her entrancing. Women like the Duchess often looked at her with a mix of envy and fear.
Roxana was simply that kind of woman. The only person who dared oppose her was the Emperor himself—and even he, at times, danced on the strings of her hemline.
“Surely you have something you want to say to me?”
The Duchess flinched slightly at the tone and glanced up nervously. The Empress’s eyes were icy. She didn’t like to wait long.
“Did I summon the wrong person? I’ve heard quite a lot happened while I was away. I imagine you have a few things to say for yourself.”
“M-my son… he’s been placed under house arrest.”
The Duchess finally spoke, her tone urgent. The Empress remained unimpressed.
“House arrest? That was generous, considering he was accused of insulting the royal family. You should be thanking the Crown Prince for that leniency.”
“I understand his wrongdoing, Your Majesty, but… my son acted out of loyalty—out of a deep devotion to the Empire. I hoped Your Majesty would understand his intentions—”
“Loyalty? And that’s what made him storm into the administrative palace and confront the Crown Prince? Let me help you, then. Did you hear what it was he so urgently wanted to say?”
With that pointed question, the Duchess fell silent. The Empress didn’t believe Valter had come bearing some grand revelation or noble message for the crown. She had no illusions about that.
“So he threw a tantrum because he couldn’t see Charlize… what else would it be?”
Until now, their relationship had worked that way—Valter’s tantrums had always been forgiven. As the princess’s childhood friend, he had the privilege of pushing boundaries. But they were adults now, and Charlize was on the verge of marriage.
“It must have been about the Tower Master, Your Majesty. Rumors about him are spreading throughout the social circles.”
“Rumors? That’s it? Does the Crown Prince strike you as so idle that he should waste time entertaining baseless gossip?”
The Empress’s mocking tone made the Duchess of Bianchi shrink in place. Roxana had always found her disappointing—too full of holes to be taken seriously, and not worth long conversation.
“If you’re going to be stupid, at least be charming.”
But no—they were stupid and high-ranking. That combination was nothing but aggravating. Honestly, the Empress sometimes wondered if killing them off would be the best thing she could do for the Empire.
“No! Please forgive me, Your Majesty! I… I haven’t had the chance to speak properly with my son since the incident…”
“Oh, of course. The Empress of the Empire must be forgiving. Isn’t that what I’m meant to be? To show grace—even when your son turns his back on the princess in front of her, even when he prioritizes plans with other ladies after receiving a personal invitation…”
With a cold smile that said “Isn’t that, right?”, the Empress let the words hang in the air. The Duchess paled. She had assumed the Empress wasn’t aware of the tension between Charlize and Valter.
“Y-Your Majesty… it wasn’t like that. My son was merely trying to win Her Highness’s affection… he was trying to make her jealous—”
“Oh, enough. I’m not interested in hearing how pathetic your son’s dating strategies are.”
The Empress’s interruption left the Duchess red-faced. She didn’t dare meet the eyes of the handmaids watching nearby. She was struggling just to keep her composure.
“Still… I’ll admit this much—your son is certainly of matching rank for the princess.”
The Empress’s voice softened. A flicker of hope returned to the Duchess’s face. At a gesture, a handmaid brought over a document and handed it to her.
“What is this…?”
“Some items from the upcoming Lacna Auction that caught my eye. Consider it a reference. If your son’s house arrest is to be lifted soon, he’ll need every advantage to win back the princess’s heart.”
The Lacna Auction—the most elite of elite events, attended only by the wealthiest of nobles. Prices there were astronomical, with items selling for absurd sums.
There were eighteen items listed on the paper. The Duchess’s hand trembled slightly as she took it, barely able to hide it.
“Which of these would Your Majesty prefer?”
“Which do you think?”
Obviously, all of them.
The Empress’s amused smile made the Duchess dizzy. All this… just to lift a simple house arrest?
“You wouldn’t be so stingy, would you? After all, weren’t these the kinds of things you were planning to send with your son as a dowry when he married the princess? But if the Bianchi estate is truly in financial trouble, I suppose there’s nothing to be done…”
“I… I can’t make this decision alone. Please allow me some time.”
“Very well. The auction is in four days. Discuss it with the Duke.”
After dismissing the Duchess, the Empress took a sip of the drink a handmaid handed her. Though she’d spoken as if she supported Valter, she didn’t actually believe there was much chance for him.
“It’s not about whether Valter becomes the princess’s fiancé. What matters is making sure that Tower Master doesn’t take sweet little Charlize away.”
Even if not Valter, there were still plenty of noble heirs across the Empire to consider—perhaps even a royal prince from another country could be brought in as a son-in-law.
“Either way, it can’t be the Tower Master.”
With that final thought, she turned and headed for her bedroom. Beauty, after all, required rest.
“That woman’s practically a robber without a knife!”
Duchess Bianchi was fuming as her carriage rattled back toward the estate. She had known the Empress wasn’t to be taken lightly, but to be hit with this kind of demand—!
“The Lacna Auction… that’s where fortunes are spent.”
She had attended once before. She’d tried to buy a beautiful gem, but gave up—the price was just too outrageous. Sometimes her son had attended as well and successfully won a few items.
“It’s not like our house is poor… but this will cost an obscene amount. And if Charlize doesn’t marry Valter, then all that money just vanishes into thin air!”
She returned home torn between frustration and panic. The Duke was out at a gathering, but her son—under house arrest—would still be in his room. Or maybe in the training grounds.
She entered the parlor and sank into a seat, immediately asking for cold water. As a maid hurried off, she turned to the steward without even looking at him.
“Valter is… no, never mind.”
“Is something wrong, Madam?”
The butler asked cautiously. The entire household already knew she’d gone to meet with the Empress.
