Chapter 4.4
“From the Imperial Palace? To me?”
“Yes, my lady.”
Who would’ve thought she’d live to see the day she received a personal invitation from the Imperial Palace.
Rosena carefully opened the envelope bearing the royal seal.
Since becoming the Grand Duchess Baltinart, she had received many congratulatory messages and invitations, but Rosena had declined all of them.
This was partly because she had an end in mind for her relationship with Cassian, and partly because she had no particular desire for public appearances.
She was worried that her words and actions might inadvertently cause trouble for the Baltinart family, which she would only be a part of for a short time. Of course, whether a divorce would be possible and what the outcome would be was uncertain, but there was no harm in being careful.
But the fact that the Imperial Family, who had even tried to exterminate her own clan, the ‘Divine Clan,’ was inviting her made Rosena inexplicably uncomfortable.
“…How do I decline an invitation from the Imperial Family?”
“That might be a bit difficult, my lady.”
Ted smiled awkwardly. It was from a member of the Imperial Family, and not just any member…
“It’s an invitation from the Empress Dowager. Do you see the butterfly next to the royal seal here?”
“Yes.”
“That is the emblem used by the Empress Dowager.”
All members of the Imperial Family used the Imperial crest as their base, but each had their own symbolic emblem. The Emperor used the sun, the Empress the crescent moon, and the Empress Dowager the butterfly. These emblems were chosen by the first Emperor, Empress, and Empress Dowager of Agzent, and had been passed down through generations.
“The Agzent Imperial Family is currently in a tense power struggle. And the Empress Dowager’s influence is stronger than the Empress’s. The Empress Dowager’s faction is quite large.”
“So there’s no proper way to refuse?”
“Yes, that’s right. Also, My Lady is the only Grand Duchess in the Empire, so it’s not unusual for the Imperial Family to request a meeting first. The Grand Ducal family has maintained a close relationship with the Imperial Family for generations.”
“Alright, then.”
In other words, according to Ted, she would have to meet someone from the Imperial Family, whether she liked it or not.
“By the way, Ted. I have a question.”
“What is it?”
“You said the balance of power is tense. Which side does the Grand Ducal family support?”
Ted smiled brightly. As expected, our Lady understands many things after being told just one.
“The Baltinart family stands with Emperor Ian Setianne Agzent. The Empress Dowager is on the opposite side.”
Thus, it was indeed a heavy invitation.
* * *
“Your Majesty…! You’re truly too much. How could you break your promise to me?”
“Haa. Empress Aria. The floor is cold.”
“It’s fine. What does it matter what happens to someone like me, who can’t even win Your Majesty’s heart?”
Ian Setianne Agzent had a headache. It was because of the Empress, who had come crying early in the morning.
Fortunately, this wasn’t the Great Hall where all the high-ranking officials gathered. The fact that he found comfort in such a thing made Ian almost let out a cynical laugh for a moment. That’s how outrageous the Empress’s actions had been so far.
‘With so many eyes watching and ears listening around, how thoughtless can she be?’
If she hadn’t been a woman cherished by the Empress Dowager, she would have been expelled from the Imperial Palace long ago. Aria Agzent was the Empress Dowager’s person. She was the woman chosen by the Empress Dowager, backed by the Senicia family, to keep Ian in check.
Ian coldly looked down at Aria, who was wiping away tears sorrowfully.
Her disregard for dignity, sitting collapsed on the cold floor like that, was utterly pathetic.
It was obvious she was acting out this scene at the Empress Dowager’s command. She followed the Empress Dowager’s orders like a lifeline more than her husband, Ian.
If the Empress Dowager told her to die, Aria would gladly pretend to die without hesitation. In a way, one could say she was wise. Ian would never give his heart to Aria in his life.
“When the Empress acts like this, it breaks my heart. So please, get up.”
“Do you really mean that?”
“Of course.”
More precisely, his heart was going to ache because of the Empress Dowager, who would come bothering him upon hearing that he had heartlessly sent Aria away, but there was no need to say all that. When Ian helped her up, Empress Aria stood up from her seat.
“Please compose yourself and return to your palace, Empress.”
“Your Majesty!”
As Ian coldly tried to send her away, Aria’s expression twisted.
“How can you do this to me? It’s been two years, and we still don’t have an heir. What will the high-ranking officials think of me? Will they even consider me… consider me the Empress of the Agzent Empire?”
“That’s something better discussed separately later. It doesn’t seem like the right time to talk about it now.”
“But…!”
Aria could not speak further and bit her lip. The reason she couldn’t continue was probably because the Empress Dowager hadn’t allowed her to go any further.
This part also made Ian wonder.
The Empress Dowager, who had Aria in her grasp and manipulated her as she pleased, didn’t actually desire a Crown Prince.
If Aria were to have a child, wouldn’t that be good news for the Empress Dowager as well? If the Empress’s standing in the Imperial Family expanded, the Empress Dowager’s influence over the Empress would also grow stronger.
However, the Empress Dowager didn’t seem to desire that far.
Furthermore, after Ian’s coronation and being completely pushed out of the power structure, the Empress Dowager had been living quietly, only occasionally getting on his nerves.
Thanks to the Empress Dowager’s silence, Ian had been able to breathe a sigh of relief, but seeing Aria return, it seemed she had no intention of staying quiet forever.
This time, Aria was still holding her ground, as if she had no intention of going back quietly.
“Empress… Just go back for now. I will come to you, so wait. Alright?”
“Your Majesty.”
“…Grand Duke?”
Just then, Cassian appeared between the two. He glanced at Ian, then at Aria, before speaking.
“I came to speak with you, but should I come back later?”
“No, there’s no need.”
Ian smiled brightly and waved his hand, inviting him in.
“I was just in a difficult spot, so it’s a great relief that the Grand Duke came. So, what is your business with me?”
As soon as he entered the office where the Emperor handled state affairs, Ian slumped over his desk.
“Huh? What’s your business, Grand Duke?”
Ian, who had been sprawled out, raised his head at Cassian’s hesitation. His crimson eyes gleamed sharply, directed at Cassian.
“I have something to report.”
“Did the priest you captured last time confess anything?”
“Yes.”
“That’s good news. What is it?”
“Do you remember the content of the report I submitted last time? The location where the priest was captured, I mean.”
“I remember. You said it was near a forest on the outskirts of the capital.”
“He said they were waiting for supplies to arrive there using relative coordinates.”
Ian’s expression hardened for a moment at Cassian’s dry report.
“Does that mean information about relative coordinates was leaked to the temple?”
“There’s more unwelcome news.”
Ian’s eyebrow sharply rose at Cassian’s words.
“There’s more?”
“The mastermind is presumed to be Duke Senicia.”
Duke Delroden Senicia.
He was the father of Aria Agzent, the current Empress of the Agzent Empire. He controlled over 30% of the Agzent Empire’s commercial rights and could instantly change the economic flow of the Agzent Empire with his immense financial power.
He was also a highly ambitious man, constantly looking for opportunities to make both of his daughters the Emperor’s official wife and concubine.
“The information is that Duke Senicia recently started a nationwide orphanage sponsorship program. We need to investigate further, but it seems the orphanage managers are affiliated with the temple.”
“Makes sense. That way it would be easier for the temple to operate.”
And Duke Senicia could also gain a good public image while sponsoring temple activities.
Ian muttered with a cold, sunken face.
“No wonder things have been so quiet.”
Even if he was using an old religious group, his intention to shake the royal authority was clear. This was not a scale that a mere Duke could handle, no matter how great Duke Senicia was.
Unless someone with powerful authority in a higher position was backing him, it was judged to be absolutely impossible for him to do this on his own.
However, there was only one person in the Empire who could make this possible.
“You think the Empress Dowager is behind it.”
“Of course.”
Although she had lost her right to participate in state affairs long ago due to Ian, she was by no means an opponent to be underestimated.
Many loyal subordinates, indebted to the Empress Dowager, still remained within the palace, awaiting the moment she would regain power and return.
Ian, who had been lost in thought with his eyes closed, calmly gave instructions.
“Find out when the Empress Dowager started planning this and who she’s been in contact with. And…”
Cassian could easily predict what Ian would say next.
The reason the Empress Dowager allied with the temple was clear. Even if she didn’t show it outwardly, seeing the Empress Dowager trying to achieve her goals by relying on myths that were nothing more than illusions, he could tell how anxious she was about the current situation.
“Find out the whereabouts of the Second Prince.”
“Yes, understood.”
Ian’s half-brother, the Second Prince ‘Caron Eustao Agzent,’ whose whereabouts were currently unknown.
Now was the time to find him.
