Episode 23: The Vanished Merit of Ella
After several days of travel, the duke arrived at the capital and immediately prepared to meet the emperor, entering the imperial palace at once. The emperor had ordered him to come to the palace as soon as he returned, saying he wished to commend the duke for his achievements.
However, when the duke arrived, the chief attendant guided him not to the office, but to the dining hall.
“Why are you bringing me here? If His Majesty is dining, I shall wait in the drawing room.”
The duke didn’t wish to interrupt the emperor’s meal and spoke politely.
“Ah, Duke. His Majesty says that since it is mealtime, you should join him.”
At the servant’s words, the duke frowned. The thought of dining with the emperor, whom he found unbearably uncomfortable, already made him feel indigestion coming on.
Oblivious or unconcerned about the duke’s discomfort, the attendant hurried his pace so they wouldn’t be late.
“Your Majesty, Duke Glois has arrived.”
The ornate doors opened, and the emperor was informed of the duke’s arrival.
“Oh! Duke Glois! Come, sit here.”
The emperor warmly greeted him, praising him for swiftly resolving the plague incident. The second prince and Empress Sophia, seated beside the emperor, exchanged displeased looks as the emperor welcomed him enthusiastically.
“You have done great work indeed. To think you handled the plague so quickly—remarkable, Duke! Ha ha!”
Servants placed an appetizer and soup in front of the duke, beautifully arranged in silverware. The emperor was already eating the main dish. Even though he had invited the duke to dine with him, he had begun eating without waiting—an impolite act—yet the duke concealed his feelings and began his meal smoothly.
Sitting in the seat closest to the emperor’s right—where the empress would have been—Empress Sophia personally attended to the emperor during the meal and spoke to the duke.
“I didn’t realize the duke’s capabilities were so exceptional.”
“I hardly did anything. Her Highness the Princess helped greatly.”
The empress froze as if startled. The emperor, likewise surprised mid-meal, looked at the duke.
“Duke, the princess?”
“Her Highness identified the cause of the plague and greatly assisted in supplying medicine to the people.”
“That’s impossible! The princess has been in the palace all this time!”
Sophia dropped her silver knife with a loud clatter.
“Her Highness couldn’t come personally to the central region, but she sent Viscount Simon, who helped a great deal. I will detail everything in my report.”
The emperor turned to the princess, who was dining elegantly.
“Is this true, Lea?”
The emperor spoke softly, calling her by name. The princess blushed shyly and nodded.
“Yes, Father. I asked that the duke not be told, but now that you’ve found out, I’m embarrassed.”
The duke coughed awkwardly and took a drink of water, thrown off by the princess’s performance.
“How did you come up with such commendable thoughts?”
“I couldn’t stand seeing Father suffering because of the plague. I met Viscount Simon during the gift exchange with the Brevis Kingdom and requested his help.”
After the empress died, the first princess Lea had taken over duties that the empress would have handled. Empress Sophia had repeatedly pleaded tearfully to be granted those duties, but the council strongly opposed, so the princess continued managing them.
“Did Viscount Simon willingly assist you?”
Viscount Simon was a noble, but merchants acted for profit, so the emperor asked suspiciously.
“Yes. In truth, I offered half of the princess palace’s budget. And I promised that all future jewelry and dresses I wear at social events would be supplied exclusively by Simon’s trading company.”
The princess smoothly delivered the lie, as though she had anticipated His Majesty’s doubts.
The princess and Sophia led high-society trends together. Nobles eagerly imitated whatever new dresses or accessories they wore to social events, believing it elevated their own status. Thus, an exclusive contract with the princess would bring Simon great profit.
Hearing her explanation, the emperor finally relaxed, his suspicion fading, and he addressed her kindly.
“Jewelry and clothing are fine—but you gave away half your palace budget? Why? The imperial palace already sent support funds.”
The duke’s expression tightened. The support they sent was merely symbolic, insufficient for anything meaningful, yet the emperor spoke as if he had fulfilled his duty.
“I heard from the duke that a public hospital is being built. I donated the palace budget to support it.”
“A public hospital?”
The princess smiled like a benevolent saint, though her eyes gleamed with calculation.
“Yes, Father. A place where commoners may receive medical treatment for free. It will help prevent future plagues.”
“Wonderful. How admirable of you.”
The emperor took her delicate hand atop the table and patted it fondly.
The princess, born of the late empress, was intelligent—an ideal successor in all but gender. Yet because she was a woman, the emperor could not grant her the throne. With regret, he clicked his tongue.
The princess hesitated and spoke.
“Forgive me, Father, but… may I request something?”
The emperor laughed heartily and nodded.
The duke had single-handedly resolved the plague—an achievement so great that the emperor feared the duke’s influence might grow dangerously powerful. But now that the credit was shifting to the princess, that concern faded, leaving him delighted.
“Speak. I shall grant it!”
“Please grant the public hospital a name, Father. Although I gave my palace budget, everything I have comes from you. So the hospital, too, should bear Your Majesty’s grace. Please bestow a name that will let the people remember your benevolence.”
“You wish to yield the credit to me?”
The emperor’s face brightened further. The princess bowed shyly. The pleasant mood between the emperor and princess darkened the expressions of Empress Sophia and the second prince. The emperor had been visibly cold to the second prince ever since he refused to go to the central region.
Sophia clenched her fist so tightly her nails dug into her palm as she glared at the princess.
“Sophia, isn’t Lea commendable?”
When the emperor turned to her, she forced a bright smile.
“It is all thanks to Your Majesty’s excellent upbringing. Our prince, too, is growing into a fine man under your guidance.”
The emperor neither agreed nor disagreed, turning his head away. The prince looked on the verge of tears.
Sophia ground her teeth at the princess. Without the empress’s protection, the princess should have been easy prey—one she could eliminate anytime using her own family. She had spared the princess only because a royal daughter might be useful for political marriage after her son ascended the throne. Yet she never expected the girl would grow to be a threat.
*That cunning fox… I should never have let her live.*
Sophia smiled sweetly at the emperor while secretly glaring daggers at the princess. This time, the princess glared back boldly, as if declaring war. She had built her own faction in secret and was ready.
The duke watched the silent clash between them and exhaled quietly. Soon, an unseen war for the throne would begin.
Feeling suffocated by the tense atmosphere, the duke loosened his cravat slightly.
A senile emperor who saw him only as a watchdog on the border; a greedy, incompetent prince; a loud empress acting like mistress of the palace; and a princess whose true intentions were unreadable—The royal feast tasted bitter despite the finest ingredients.
He sipped the fragrant tea, and his thoughts drifted to Ella.
*What might Ella be doing now? Eating dinner? Or still working tirelessly without rest…?*
Without realizing, a small smile tugged at his lips.
“So, Duke, what do you think? Is the name satisfactory?”
While the duke had been daydreaming, the emperor had decided on a name for the hospital and was now asking his opinion. The duke no longer cared—Ella’s merit had vanished, and the credit now belonged to the greedy, incompetent emperor—so he simply nodded.
“Haha! Then the public hospital shall be officially named **Sedatus**. And we must reward the princess!”
“No, Father. Please accept only my loyalty and filial devotion. A reward is too much for something so natural.”
Her humble reply amused the emperor. He called the attendant.
“Nonsense! The princess upheld the honor of the imperial family—she deserves reward! Allocate additional budget to the princess palace, and gift her the black pearls from Sevilla that were recently delivered as tribute!”
At the mention of Sevilla black pearls, Sophia’s face flushed with anger.
Black pearls from Sevilla were extremely rare and priceless. That such a gift would go only to the princess enraged her, but with her son already out of favor, she couldn’t act rashly. She smiled stiffly.
“Congratulations, Princess. Sevilla black pearls… such a precious gift His Majesty has granted you.”
The princess smiled radiantly.
“Yes. Pearls so precious that *even Your Grace does not possess them.*”
Sophia bit her lip hard.
