Stepmothers Are Not Always Evil - Chapter 66
“How could you do this!”
At dawn, when all the banquet guests had returned, there was a loud noise from the Emperor’s bed.
“You saw how rude they were to me, Your Majesty.”
“Empress.”
“How ridiculous they must think of me, since they laughed off such rude behavior.”
“Empress, calm down.”
“How can I calm down? I was humiliated like that in front of my children!”
The Empress raised her voice, dripping with tears.
The Emperor, who was looking at her, had a bitter taste.
“What can I say, it’s an honored audience, so we’ll have to play nice.”
“Your Majesty is too soft. Why don’t you know that they insulted not only me but also His Majesty?”
“Don’t think too badly. Both my sister and the Duke of Anthemion said these words for the sake of the Empire and the Imperial family…”
“I don’t think I am included in that Empire and Imperial family.”
The Empress looked at the Emperor with poisonous eyes.
The Emperor handed her a handkerchief as tears were dripping down her face.
“Don’t be too heartbroken, Empress. I’ll call them in for a stern talk soon.”
“Never mind, you won’t be able to say a word in front of them anyway. If you’re trying to appease me, I don’t need it.”
The Empress wrinkled the handkerchief.
“Then why did you bring up such a topic on a good day? Even the Empress knows that the Duke and Duchess of Anthemion is not easy.”
The Empress quickly turned her head at the rebuking tone.
“You know that Duke Anthemion is not the kind of man who would play a trick with his own child, even if he had no affection for him.”
“Your majesty!”
“In the case of the Duke of Eaton, I’ve gone over all the investigation reports, and there’s nothing out of the ordinary, or he would have made an explanation in the papers.”“Are you blaming me now?”
“I’m not blaming you…”
“Enough!”
The Empress jumped up from her chair and buried her face in the bed.
The Emperor sighed as he looked at her thin, trembling shoulders.
After the engagement ceremony at the age of 13, during the 20 years they were together, the Emperor was consistently weak to the Empress.
Unlike him who was indecisive and cautious, the Empress was smart and quick-witted.
It was the Empress who encouraged him when he was crowned at a young age and was hit by the harsh aristocrats, and it was the Empress who gave more active advice than anyone else when difficult situations came.
Moreover, she had given him three children, all of whom were precious, so his gratitude and apologies were beyond words.
‘The Duke of Eaton must be very upset about this.’
The Emperor cautiously approached the bed and placed a hand on the Empress’s shoulder.
“Don’t be too upset. Even if such a thing happened, who would dare to ridicule the Empress?”
“They are already making fun of me.”
The Empress quickly raised her head and said.
“I am not saying this because I have been insulted. It was at the same time that His Majesty announced the appointment of Frederick as heir to the throne. But who cares about our Fred?”
“That’s because I wanted to talk about it at a political meeting…”
“Few people said congratulations to me and Fred. Don’t you know what that means?”
“……”
“They’re not going to admit my son! It’s the bloodline of the fallen Duke!”
“I doubt it. There was a lot of talk earlier about this and that.”
“You are such a dull person. Yes, think of it that way. If you get kicked out of the palace, it’ll be me and Fred, and your Majesty will be safe.”
“What a scary thing to say, who’s going to kick who out?”
“Will the people who made my brother’s family that way leave me alone? They’re going to try to drive me out somehow.”
The Empress pretended to cry and wiped her tears with the handkerchief.
The Emperor raised his voice.
“Who dares touch you and my son! I will summon the council within a few days, and all those who have been rude to the Empress will be punished.”
“Are you serious?”
“I am, and as a gesture of goodwill, I’ll even look into the Duke of Eton’s investigation.”
“You must keep your promise.”
“Trust me.”
The Emperor beat his chest, assuring.
*****
Two days later, Helios, who received a sudden call from the emperor, hurried to the Imperial Palace.
Dozens of nobles were already seated in the conference room guided by the attendant.
“Welcome, Duke.”
The Marquis of Hallstein welcomed Helios.
Helios, who sat down, lowered his voice and whispered.
“Marquis. What happened all of a sudden?”
“I don’t know exactly, but I think it was called because of the commotion at the Empress’s birthday party.”
“You mean, it’s because of me.”
Helios smiled bitterly, and the Marquis of Hallstein shook his head.
“If that’s the case, so do I. Who here has nothing to do with it?”
The Marquis Hallstein furrowed his eyebrows and pointed to the Count Turner, who sat in the corner of the table.
“Your Majesty the Emperor.”
The Emperor entered the conference room with Count Grenier.
The people gathered in the conference room stood up at once.
The Emperor stood at the head of the table, his sharp eyes scanning the faces of the nobles present.
“Please sit down.”
As soon as the Emperor sat down, he immediately brought up the main topic.
“I’m calling you today to discuss the ceremonial ceremonies of the Crown Prince of my eldest son, Frederick Hastings.”
“You said a crowning ceremony?”
“Yes. I want it to be solemnized according to the liturgy, so please have the Ministry of Protocol and the Privy Council set a time and place as soon as possible.”
At the Emperor’s words, Count Grenier restrained him in a low voice.
“Your Majesty, I am sorry, but it will take an estimated month to prepare the report.”
“The Imperial chief judge is vacant, how are you going to write a report?”
Count Turner coughed and raised his hand.
“If Your Majesty permits, I will finish writing the report and leave.”
“I can’t leave such a job to someone who is leaving. Your resignation will be processed later today, and you can rest easy.”
As Helios had guessed, it was a statement that clearly revealed his intention to prevent the report itself from being written.
The Emperor’s remarks didn’t stop there.
“And I’ve spent the last few days poring over Baron Rockefeller’s investigation, and there are a few things that are bothering me.”
Helios’ eyebrows twitched.
“Duke of Anthemion, are you sure that the evidence you’ve submitted is indeed the books that Baron Rockefeller and the Duke of Eaton have been keeping?”
“Yes?”
“I’m asking if you’ve made any arbitrary omissions or additions.”
“Not a single piece of evidence has been touched.”
“Well, I want to believe so too, but doesn’t the Duke already have a history?”
“……”
He was referring to the deal with the Marquis of Melks to take over Escal’s custody.
The Emperor looked at Helios and said.
“As you know, this is such a serious matter, I don’t think there should be any doubt about it. So, I would like to re-investigate with the authority of the Emperor.”
“……..”
“Leave the re-investigation to the Marquis of Kensington.”
The Marquis of Kensington jumped up from his seat and bowed his head.
“I will do my best, Your Majesty.”
“Please tell me everything so that no one is wronged.”
“Yes.”
The Marquis Kensington bowed his head as if he was touching the table.
Helios looked at him with a strange feeling.
The Marquis of Kensington was a close friend of the Duke of Eton and the man whose name appeared on Baron Rockefeller’s book.
His wife is the Empress’s maid, and he himself is an aide to the Empress, so there is no possibility of a fair re-investigation in the first place.
Seeing the nobles who couldn’t keep up with the ridiculous instructions, the Emperor opened his mouth.
“In addition, from now on, I will personally inspect the status of each estate.”
“…….”
“As we have seen in the case of the Duke of Eton, a large number of private soldiers can lead to corruption, so I will regulate the number of private soldiers so that they do not exceed the limits set forth in the law.”
The Emperor looked slowly to his left.
Even his aide, Count Grenier, was hesitant to write down the Emperor’s instructions.
It was then.
“Your majesty.”
After making up his mind, Helios got up and knelt on the floor.
“Helios Anthemion, I will relinquish all of the titles you have bestowed upon me and descend to my estate.”
“… What does that mean?”
“Your Majesty trusted me and entrusted the investigation of Baron Rockefeller, but I don’t have the right to serve you, because I haven’t been able to give satisfactory results, and I have brought trouble to Your Majesty, and I have also burdened the Marquis of Kensington with a heavy burden. so I will descend to my estate as a penance.”
“Duke Anthemion?”
The Emperor looked down at Helios as if in bewilderment.
It was unexpected that Helios would come out like this.
Although the power of the Duke Anthemion was a threat, the Emperor knew well that Helios was not a greedy person for wealth or power.
Rather, if he leaves, it becomes difficult to keep the threatening nobles in check.
He’s trying to come up with a reasonable excuse to find an excuse to hold on to.
“Your Majesty, I, too, am resigning my office and going to the estate.”
“Marquess Hallstein, what are you talking about?”
“As Your Majesty rebuked it, it is a great sin to send an enlisted soldier to the Duke of Eaton’s estate without permission. I will leave the Imperial capital and live on my own.”
“If you leave, who will conduct the crowning ceremony?”
“There are many talented people among the vassals who follow His Majesty, so I think they will do well.”
As soon as Marquis Hallstein finished speaking, voices came from all over the place.
“I will also agree with you two.”
“I don’t think I will be able to fulfill my position due to poor health.”
“I will leave the Imperial capital and live quietly.”
“Look at this, what are you all doing!”
The emperor pounded the table in anger, but the requests for resignations didn’t stop.
He was about to shout that he would drag them all out if they didn’t quiet down
“Your Majesty, as an aide, I am guilty for not serving Your Majesty properly, so please allow me to resign.”
Count Grenier was the finale of this long procession of resignations.
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