Chapter 15
“…Do you know how much I missed you?”
“Oh, Cecile.”
Arsène felt his chest tighten with emotion as he pulled Cecilia into a hug.
“I thought you’d forgotten about me. That you’d abandoned me…”
“I’m sorry. I never expected things to turn out this way. But I’ll do better now. Better than before. I can—because I’m the Emperor.”
“…”
Cecilia’s heart began to pound at those words.
Could this be a heaven-sent opportunity? If this wasn’t a dream…
‘Could I become Empress?’
Arsène was completely captivated by her. If that was the case, claiming the position of Empress wouldn’t be difficult at all.
But then, her rosy daydream was shattered.
“…But right now, I’m powerless. I’m just a puppet. No, the Emperor has always been a puppet.”
“Huh? What do you mean…?”
A flustered Cecilia listened as Arsène explained what had been happening to him in the imperial palace—how he had been mistreated.
“My god, how could they?!”
Cecilia feigned outrage and sympathy for Arsène. Arsène sighed heavily, visibly upset.
“As long as the Chancellor exists, I won’t be free. Even when I tried to bring you here, he pointed a sword at me.”
“…”
Indeed, the Chancellor had shown open hostility toward Arsène. But still, the Emperor’s authority didn’t just vanish. Even if he claimed to be a puppet, the trust of the empire’s people was still with him.
Cecilia’s mind raced. Everyone in the empire knew of the three major ducal houses: Bonaparte, Chesscon, and Laurent.
The Chancellor’s power clearly stemmed from being of House Bonaparte. So, to combat power, one needed equal power.
‘Arsène’s wife is from House Laurent, wasn’t she?’
So if she excluded House Laurent from the equation, what if they gained support from House Chesscon instead? If they could add the people’s trust to that, it might be possible to completely neutralize Bonaparte’s influence.
Having finished her thoughts, Cecilia spoke.
“…Maybe I have a way.”
“What?”
A surprised Arsène watched as Cecilia, her face alight, explained.
“Tomorrow morning, set up a meeting with the Duke of Chesscon as soon as you wake.”
“And then…?”
“Give him whatever he wants. In return, ask him to join forces with us.”
“But…”
Arsène looked hesitant. Cecilia leaned in and persuaded him enthusiastically.
“We have nothing to lose. You said it yourself—you’re just a puppet emperor. But if Duke Chesscon helps us… we might be able to render the Chancellor powerless.”
“Do you really think so, Cecile?”
“Yes. I have a good plan.”
Staring at Cecilia’s confident face, Arsène exclaimed in awe.
“…Ha! I knew you were different!”
Excited, Arsène pulled her into another hug. She was quick-witted, clever, and even knew how to use charm at the right time… She truly was a gem.
‘Bringing her here was the right move.’
And recognizing her value had also been spot-on. Arsène began dreaming golden dreams of reclaiming his imperial glory.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Noah, I baked your favorite—earl grey madeleines. Try some.”
“Gladly.”
Noah smiled brightly even as he looked at the tray of charred, ash-like madeleines his cousin sister handed him. Just as he brought what resembled coal rather than cake to his lips, Tiago unconsciously furrowed his brow.
‘There’s no way that tastes good…’
And yet—
“They’re so crispy. Were these baked or fried?”
Crunch! Noah’s master chewed the unpleasant treat with a happy grin on his face.
“Ar…sène.”
“What on earth are you doing?”
Even as Eve looked flustered and Noah’s voice turned cold, Charles remained calm and composed.
Tiago screamed internally. Yes, Your Majesty, what are you doing?!
“Brother-in-law, why don’t you try this madeleine instead?”
Charles swiftly swapped the plate with a beautifully baked batch, as if he had them prepared in advance. This sneaky move set Noah off.
“You—!”
“Noah, don’t.”
At Eve’s intervention, Noah quietly sat back down like a tamed lamb, though his face was still clearly displeased.
“Thank you, Arsène. Noah, try this one instead. The ones I made are a mess… You know I have no talent for cooking.”
“Sister, not at all. Back before your marriage, eating your cooking was one of my greatest joys.”
‘So this is what it takes to become a duke in the frontier. A stomach made of iron.’
Tiago, captain of the Imperial Guard and arguably the strongest after the Emperor in combat, was genuinely impressed.
“It’s a unique flavor. Just like always.”
Charles cheerfully crunched on the burnt madeleine. Eve looked at him, unimpressed.
“Your teeth must be strong.”
“Of course. I realized while eating eel that your cooking is addictive.”
“…Thank you.”
Eve wasn’t sure if it was something to be thankful for, but she said it anyway.
“By the way, Arsène. I have something important to discuss.”
“Something to discuss?”
“Would you spare some time after lunch?”
“Gladly.”
At Charles’s kind smile, Noah put down his madeleine with a sour expression.
“Sister, didn’t you say we were going for a walk in the garden today? Let’s go.”
“Huh? Oh, right.”
Noah took her hand and led her away. Eve, caught off guard, gave Charles a polite nod as she was pulled along. Charles returned her smile and popped another madeleine in his mouth.
Once the two had disappeared, Tiago snatched away the madeleines from Charles.
“Why do you keep eating these? You’ll get sick.”
“I’ve survived war eating things I shouldn’t and shouldn’t have.”
“But didn’t you learn last time that this duke’s body isn’t as sturdy as Your Majesty’s?”
“Oh, right.”
Charles casually replied and popped another one in his mouth, then took a sip of tea.
“I told you. Anything Eve makes belongs to me.”
“…Are you perhaps… fond of the Duchess of Fontaine?”
Tiago, puzzled by Charles’s unusual possessiveness, was about to ask when a bird flew to the window—a messenger pigeon from Bonaparte.
Tiago retrieved the letter and read it. His expression darkened as he went through the contents.
“Your Majesty.”
He handed over the letter, and Charles quickly scanned it.
The shocking report detailed how Arsène, ever since meeting a woman named Cecilia, had been recklessly spending the national treasury on her and his own luxuries. Worse yet, he had even won over Duke Chesscon by giving him enormous rewards and was now spreading damaging rumors about Bonaparte.
Bonaparte was doing everything he could to stop it, but with Chesscon’s interference, it was becoming increasingly difficult to restrain Arsène’s abuses of power.
“He’s completely lost it! Just like a womanizer—loses his mind over some girl!”
“…”
“What do we do? We still haven’t found a way to return Your Majesty to your original body…”
Bonaparte’s strength was the Emperor’s strength. If he was shaken, Charles would inevitably be at risk too.
“We’ll flip the board.”
Charles neatly folded the letter, lit a match, and burned it.
As the letter was quickly consumed by flames, golden fire flickered in Charles’s eyes.
“I must reclaim the throne, Tiago.”
With that, he stood up.
“I need Eve.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Whew.”
Eve took a deep breath, nerves building inside her. Noah sat beside her, holding her hand.
“Sister, are you sure you’ll be okay alone?”
“Yes. It’s not right to talk with you present. This is a matter between husband and wife.”
“…But what if that guy loses his temper and hits you?”
“He’s not that kind of person.”
“How would you know? He’s a lunatic.”
Eve faltered at those words. She had instinctively insisted he wasn’t like that.
‘What do I really know about him?’
She shook her head.
“Okay, then if something happens, I’ll call for you. Please stay nearby, alright?”
“Of course, Sister.”
Noah nodded reassuringly.
Eve was determined to ask Arsène for a divorce. She no longer saw the point of revenge against the fake Arsène. As Noah said, her happiness came first now.
Of course, her decision was also influenced by the realization that the real Arsène was no longer involved in her life—and the concern that the fake Arsène might try to use her family’s power.
Last time, he had even said:
‘I don’t think I’ll ever get my real body back, but I need to reclaim my place. But I can’t do it with just the power of House Fontaine.’
If he meant to use House Laurent’s influence, it could drag them into treason.
She could handle whatever came her way—but her family was off-limits. The best course of action was to get divorced quickly.
‘He’s apparently holed himself up and even skipped lunch. He’ll come, right?’
She was slightly worried something had happened, but more than that, she wasn’t sure if he’d show up. Even if he wasn’t the real Arsène, she’d been stood up by him too many times before to feel confident.
‘Appearance really does matter.’
Realizing that again, Eve sent Noah outside and waited for Charles.
How much time had passed?
Knock, knock.
“It’s me, Eve.”
“…Come in.”
Charles entered the room, wearing his usual warm smile. Somehow, that alone made Eve feel a little at ease.
“Have a seat.”
As soon as he sat down, Charles spoke—
