I Married the Mad Duke Who Killed My Husband - Chapter 80
“Huh? You left all dressed up. Why are you back so soon…?”
“Change your clothes, Lorang. We need to meet His Majesty.”
“What? Why do I need to change to meet His Majesty the Emperor…?”
“You need to come with us to meet His Majesty as well.”
“What?”
“Pia, help him.”
After looking over Lorang, who seemed to be either unable or unwilling to believe the reality, I gestured to Pia, thinking that since he seemed to have washed in the morning, we’d only need to change his clothes.
There’s no time to explain the situation and get him ready.
“Why, why are you doing this! No! What’s going on! I’ll, I’ll dress myself!”
“This is all to keep our heads intact. You don’t want to die being asked why you’re coming so late when you were called ages ago, do you? We need to get to the palace before sunset!”
As I grabbed Lorang’s arms from behind and lifted them up, Pia swiftly removed his clothes. While the undressing and dressing happened in an instant, I held the struggling Lorang firmly and racked my brain which felt like it was about to burst.
Although the letter Cassion checked was from the Second Prince, it was essentially as good as a letter from the Emperor. The message that Father wanted to see Lorang and the Yeager ducal couple to resolve this matter was as close as it could get to telling all three of us to rush to the palace immediately.
Of course, even though the expression was earnest and the sender was the Second Prince, we couldn’t leisurely take half a day to mull things over and organize our thoughts.
What should we say when we get there? What does the Emperor want to tell us by calling us?
Knock knock-
“Asil. Can I come in?”
“Yes! Come in quickly and help us, Cassion!”
“No, I can really put on the pants myself…!”
Even for someone as slow as Lorang, his resistance intensifies when hands reach for his waist. As I held his body, Pia held out the pants, and Cassion, who had just entered, frowned fiercely. Lorang finally hurriedly removed his lower garments and slipped into the new pants with crisp, ironed creases.
“Now that I’ve changed, please explain!”
“I’ve been explaining from the start. We need to go see His Majesty the Emperor, remember?”
“But why me? Is there going to be another trial?”
“No. The First Prince has escaped, and they need you to interrogate the Empress. Let’s go, Cassion! Is the carriage still waiting outside?”
“The palace security is tight now, so I switched to a carriage with the ducal seal prominently displayed.”
“Good!”
We practically dragged Lorang out. My mind was still racing, but I couldn’t think of anything particularly useful to say.
“What’s good about this! By First Prince, you mean my s-son has escaped? They’re going to interrogate the Empress? Using me?”
“I told you we’re in a hurry, why do you keep asking questions! Get in quickly! Don’t wrinkle your clothes!”
“Let’s go!”
As soon as I shoved Lorang in, Cassion hopped into the carriage and banged on the wall to signal. The carriage started moving as if it had been waiting for this moment.
Only Lorang, who hadn’t found his balance, screamed as he tilted forward, while I closed my eyes briefly to organize my thoughts, catching my breath.
“Phew… I thought things were going too smoothly.”
“Both the Empress and the First Prince were too compliant.”
“What do you mean compliant? He was raging about killing me in the courtroom!”
Ignoring Lorang’s words as he finally sat up straight, we exchanged glances.
Just like the First Prince, who had just started to act out, the Emperor’s response is also unprecedented.
Until recently, he thought of him as his own blood, but as soon as he learned of his escape, he’s calling us in.
“…It seems His Majesty has definitely turned his heart.”
“The Emperor never had his heart set on anyone to begin with. I suppose he thinks there’s no need to hold onto a useless part for even a moment longer.”
“To secretly remove the First Prince, could it be that the Empress is planning a rebellion? Even though her personality was cold, she didn’t seem… that proactive.”
The Empress is like a clockwork doll made of ice. Cold and swift in her actions, but everything she did was to protect herself and the First Prince. She didn’t seem like someone who would take the initiative to scheme something.
“It’s probably not the Empress’s plan. It must be her family acting on their own. They’ve been enjoying all sorts of power by putting the Empress and First Prince forward, and now they’re about to lose everything in an instant.”
I think so, too.
The Empress is not proactive and is confined in the tower. Moreover, the First Prince was someone who took pride in his bloodline, so he’s unlikely to be in his right mind after having his entire life denied.
The fact that they were able to deceive the Emperor’s eyes and escape in this situation means that someone must have pulled strings from behind. And at this point, the only people who would help the First Prince are those who enjoyed power under the Empress.
“Either way, it’s become ridiculous. The person who cared most about royal bloodlines is now fleeing the palace to attack the royal family.”
“Then… aren’t we in danger too?”
Thanks to the carriage’s swift pace, we arrived at the palace quickly. After showing our faces to the guards and passing through
the gates, I looked at Lorang. Cassion was also looking at him with an expression of exasperation.
What are you saying such obvious things for? If the First Prince, who’s been pushed into rebellion, takes the throne, we and Lorang would be the first targets for execution.
“Your Grace, Duchess. Mr. Lorang. His Majesty is waiting. I’ll guide you immediately.”
The royal guide who had been waiting for us greeted us briefly and got straight to the point. It might have been a somewhat impolite greeting, but given the urgency of the matter, we followed him without minding.
“Your legs aren’t short, so can’t you walk a bit faster?”
However, we had to stop a couple of times and apologize to the guide because Lorang kept falling behind. Finally, I went behind him and practically pushed him along, which made Cassion frown in disapproval.
“But… I don’t know what to say! I haven’t practiced like I did for the trial. What if I make a mistake?”
“He didn’t call you to punish you. You’re just one of the means to uncover the Empress and First Prince’s plans. Don’t be so frustrating; just answer honestly.”
“Will my son come back if I speak honestly? I don’t understand why I’m being called!”
“Clues can be found in unexpected places. His Majesty probably doesn’t expect you to immediately reveal where the First Prince has gone or make the Empress talk, so come on!”
The royal guide stood in front of what was probably the Emperor’s reception room door, tactfully waiting for us to finish our argument with Lorang before opening it.
After finally calming Lorang down and nodding, the guide then announced our arrival to the Emperor, and permission to enter was granted.
“We greet Your Majesty…”
“Let’s skip the greetings. Follow me. We can talk as we walk.”
Despite his impassive expression, the Emperor’s actions were quick. As soon as he confirmed our presence and Lorang’s, he waved his hand to stop our greetings, rose from the throne, and left through the door we had just entered.
“Where are we…”
As Lorang, bewildered by leaving right after entering, was about to rudely question the Emperor, I quickly elbowed him to stop. But the Emperor, having heard that small trembling voice, responded to Lorang.
“We’re going to the tower. You should meet your lover.”
“Y-Your Majesty! I’m sorry! Please kill me… oof!”
Startled by the Emperor’s answer, Lorang immediately prostrated himself on the palace corridor. But as Cassion and I grabbed his arms on both sides and pulled him up to walk, he ended up being dragged along in a stumbling posture.
“I was going to call just the Empress’s lover, but I called the ducal couple too, and my judgment was right. You two are quick to grasp the situation.”
“…Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“Well, if you and the Second Prince work hard, this small commotion will settle down. But as I’m still the Emperor of the Empire, I can’t help but intervene.”
‘Small commotion,’ he says. Lorang’s mouth gaped open at the Emperor’s nonchalant attitude, but no one paid attention to him. And while he says that, we all know that the Emperor would be the most terrifying entity if things go wrong.
Being indifferent means being able to maintain an objective attitude without leaning to one side in politics, but it also means not having enough interest to harbor personal feelings towards others.
“We’ll have to walk quite a bit. But there won’t be people around, so let’s talk a bit on the way.”
The guards who confirmed the Emperor’s presence bowed deeply in respect and then opened the door leading to the tower. The Emperor smiled, gesturing towards the dark, long, and narrow spiral staircase.
That manufactured smile without any emotion felt somewhat familiar.
“….”
It was the smile I used to see on the First Prince.
I started to try to gauge the feelings of the First Prince, who grew up looking at the Emperor with features identical to Lorang’s, and the Empress, who lived hiding the truth from such a son, but then I stopped.
Since it’s impossible to know anything without being in their shoes, I’ll act for my own reality rather than hasty sympathy and empathy.
