CHAPTER 67……………………………………
. The Emperor’s Plan
‘I shouldn’t be interfering like this again….’
But knowing full well how things were unfolding, there was no way she could simply stay still. She kept telling herself to only do as much as she was paid for — twelve times over, even — yet her resolve crumbled every single time.
Mariana, once separated from Algernon, wasn’t destined to find another chance at marriage for ten years. Considering her timid nature, that wasn’t exactly surprising.
And Algernon — he would wander endlessly across five continents and six seas, just to stay alive. From time to time, he might remember that once, there had been a woman he loved.
It was, in every way, an unsatisfying ending.
“Speak so I can understand you.”
Anje shot a brief, irreverent glance toward the duke, who was now urging her to speak after just telling her to stay silent moments ago.
“Before that, I’d like to ask Your Grace something.”
At Algernon’s nod — permission to ask whatever she wished — Anje continued,
“Have you met Count Frances before?”
“I left the Empire when I was young. How would I have met the count? Only, his late wife once served as my mother’s lady-in-waiting.”
“I see. Then did you visit the Frances estate back then because of Lady Mariana?”
Algernon rubbed his nose awkwardly.
“You already know that. Why ask?”
“The count’s cooperation was willing, wasn’t it? And Sir Jerome, even more so — he gladly took on the task Your Grace gave him.”
“Ahem! You certainly know everything, don’t you, as the duke’s aide.”
At Anje’s words, revealing things Algernon had handled in secret, he looked away with mild embarrassment.
After a moment of thought, Anje spoke slowly.
“…As I see it, His Majesty isn’t waiting patiently or biding his time. Think about it — what would he possibly be afraid of? True, he has no heir yet, but he’s still young. Not that that means he intends to simply let Your Grace live freely.”
“So the reason the Emperor hasn’t killed me is…”
“He’s watching. To see who betrays him. Everyone bows their heads and swears loyalty, but the Emperor isn’t fool enough to take appearances at face value. Yet he can’t accuse them without proof either. Then — suddenly — the archduke thought dead has returned. The Emperor has no heir, and… well, it’s a very delicate situation. The nobles will be watching carefully now.”
Anje smiled faintly.
“Have you been receiving more invitations lately, perhaps since the ball?”
“So that’s why? I had a feeling…”
With an annoyed look, Algernon gestured vaguely toward his desk without even turning.
“They’re piled up over there. I used to keep them in the library, but they became a nuisance. And it’s not just one or two a day. At first, I thought it was out of old affection — but when the invitations kept coming, I started doubting it. Still, they’re mistaken if they think I have any political footing in this Empire.”
“You never know,” said Anje lightly.
The duke’s sharp gaze snapped toward her.
“Say that again — and mind your tongue.”
“It’s too late for that, Your Grace. Even if you watch your words now, it won’t change anything. If you wanted to be cautious, you shouldn’t have acknowledged the young Archduke back then. Even if it was your predecessor’s doing, the Emperor hasn’t forgotten. Betting on Aehendel, then returning it so easily — that was all part of his plan.”
The duke massaged his brow, frowning.
“So you mean the Emperor’s been playing with me like a pawn this whole time.”
“Not exactly. As I said, he’s watching how you act. Even if there’s nothing between you and the Archduke, His Majesty is more than ready to bind House Syde to him. The Frances family as well. Count Frances likely realized that, which is why he so readily accepted the Archduke’s request.”
Anje turned to Algernon.
“May I ask — would you consider leaving the country now, giving up on Lady Mariana?”
For such a serious question, her eyes glimmered with a touch of curiosity and mischief.
Algernon met her gaze and shook his head.
“No. I’m tired. Two-thirds of my life has been spent on the run. Every day, every moment, I feared an assassin’s blade might find my neck. Even now, the fear lingers. That’s why I asked Mariana to come away with me.”
“What? What on earth did you say to that girl?”
“Girl? Mariana is a grown woman, perfectly capable of deciding her own fate, Duke. Relax — she refused me quite decisively. She said she loves House Syde, and she doesn’t want to be separated from her family again.”
Algernon gave a self-deprecating shrug and smile.
“It turns out her family’s ruin was my doing in the first place. To ask her to abandon her second family for love — even I knew that was too cruel. I can’t leave without her, and she won’t leave her family. So what can I do? This time, I stay.”
“Ha!”
The Duke of Syde let out a dry laugh, his expression stiff. If he could have, he might have struck the man across from him.
‘You can’t hit him…! That would count as an offense against royalty. And besides, Lord Algernon is as fragile as a paper doll — even one hit from His Grace would put him in bed for days.’
Worried the duke might actually lose his temper, Anje quietly shifted her position — placing herself between the two men, just in case she had to intervene.
“Your Grace, you heard him. It’s too late to back out now.”
“You’re suggesting I marry Mariana to the Archduke?”
“Do you have a better idea?”
The duke bit his lip when he saw Anje’s expression — clearly implying you don’t.
He felt deeply relieved that Anje had no particular affection for Algernon, yet at the same time, he wanted nothing more than to wrap his hand around her delicate neck.
He hadn’t known until now that so many conflicting feelings could rage inside him all at once — something no book had ever taught him, and no mentor had ever warned him of.
Rising from his seat, the Duke of Syde approached Anje, locking eyes with her.
As he closed the distance, their height difference became clear — Anje had to tilt her head back almost completely to meet his gaze. Yet the brazen “aide” didn’t flinch or look away.
“Do you even realize what you’re saying? Be glad it’s only us and the Archduke here. You want to marry the Archduke and Mariana — what then? Have them join forces against the Emperor? Are you plotting treason?”
Up close, Anje’s dark eyes shimmered faintly, catching the light.
The duke’s gaze drifted briefly down the smooth line of her nose to her slightly pouting lips — and he swallowed without thinking.
By all logic, she should have been the one nervous right now. Yet inexplicably, it was his throat that had gone dry.
If he only leaned down a little, their lips would meet. And after that playful kiss at the last ball, it wouldn’t even be the first time.
But he couldn’t.
Not because Algernon was there — but because he knew Anje felt nothing for him.
The Duke of Syde clenched his fist.
“It was His Majesty who started this. The one who quietly schemed for the throne, who murdered his own brothers, who tried to kill his younger sibling — that was His Majesty first.”
“Succession struggles and treason aren’t the same thing.”
“Treason? Who’s committing treason here, Your Grace? The late Duke, or the nobles who helped? All they did was save a poor prince who’d just lost his mother. No one planned for the future — no one sought to rebel. It isn’t anyone else’s fault that His Majesty has no heir. The late Duke, the nobles who aided Algernon — none of them could have foreseen that. I admit the Emperor could label it treason if he wished. But you, Your Grace — you can’t say that.”
Even if the Emperor had produced an heir, he would still have viewed Algernon and the Duke of Syde as thorns in his side — and sought to eliminate them all the same.
“……”
When Anje finished speaking, the duke said nothing, only glaring at her with a fist still tightly clenched.
“Your Grace?”
As the silence stretched on, Anje frowned slightly and called out to him.
The duke turned away, his expression grim.
“We’ll discuss this later. It’s late — I’m leaving for now.”
