~Chapter 95~
“Camilla.”
As she stepped through the door, Dane was waiting for her.
She took his hand, and together they walked toward the Emperor to pay their respects.
“Have you arrived, Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Escalus?”
Emperor Iojif’s face looked slightly pale, but he seemed alert. Camilla held her dress with both hands and bowed respectfully.
“I pay homage to the Sun of the Empire.”
“Ah, yes. Welcome, Grand Duchess. You know, every time I tried to meet you before, your husband would block me like catching a mouse.”
‘……?!’
Hearing this for the first time, Camilla glanced at Dane out of the corner of her eye.
“Is my testimony not sufficient, Your Majesty?”
She had thought her earlier interview as a witness was enough, but apparently not.
Dane had blocked the Emperor from contacting her directly, and Camilla’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Tsk, tsk. Overprotective, and yet talented at it. Well, so… you request to leave the palace?”
“Yes. We have located Kabul, and it seems the investigation is complete, so we would like to request to depart.”
Technically, there was no rule requiring the Emperor’s audience before leaving.
But Dane had intervened to keep Camilla from unnecessary trouble, and as a result, the Emperor had declared that she must meet him before her departure.
“Hmm. Before that, I have something to give you, and something to ask.”
With that, the Emperor gestured to his attendant. The attendant approached Camilla politely and presented an elegant box.
Click.
The lid opened, revealing none other than the Grand Duchess’ signet ring.
‘Ah!’
It had been taken by the Empress Dowager.
Camilla’s face lit up with joy as she looked toward the Emperor.
“Take it. It belongs to you.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
It was the precious ring Renelia had given her, later placed on her finger by Dane.
“No matter how I look at it, it seems too rough to be a Grand Duchess’ ring.”
“It belonged to the first Grand Duchess.”
Dane whispered.
Back then, jewelry craftsmanship was not advanced; robust, simple designs were popular.
Later, Grand Dukes’ signet rings became ornate, but the first Grand Duchess had refused any embellishment.
She wanted to preserve the symbol of love her husband had given her.
Out of respect for her wishes, all subsequent Grand Duchesses had kept the same tradition.
“…The Escalus family is remarkably romantic. Couldn’t it be changed if one wanted? Does the current Grand Duchess not care?”
“Its simple design made it easy to hide, even from searching soldiers.”
That was why she had been able to keep it until the Empress Dowager seized it.
“Adding more decoration wouldn’t be bad, but I like it as it is, Your Majesty.”
“Hmm. Hahaha! Your wife is truly lovely!”
The Emperor’s praise made Dane’s eyes flash cold.
“She had quite the reputation, so I was curious, but she’s nothing like the rumors. Haha… Dane, I see why you spread them now…”
“Your Majesty.”
Dane’s lips curved slightly in a polite smile, but his eyes were icy as he spoke.
“Will you allow us to leave the palace?”
“Hmm, hmm. No, my words aren’t finished yet. Aren’t you my secret knight? Why so cold?”
“I was only a temporary secret knight. Now, His Majesty’s new knight is Sir Romulus. Please treat him well.”
Romulus had been formally appointed as the Emperor’s knight after the audience, his loyalty to the Emperor now recognized.
When the Emperor asked what reward he desired, he requested only one thing:
“Your Majesty, from my son’s generation onward, I wish him to be a proper knight, not merely a servant of Your Majesty.”
Unlike before, when he had been labeled the Emperor’s dog, he asked that his descendants serve as true knights.
The Emperor accepted.
“Hmm. I’m considering elevating the Everett family’s rank. Perhaps a two-rank promotion to count… enough for my knight…”
“Very well. May we now depart, Your Majesty?”
“Not yet! The main discussion hasn’t even started! Even Duke Raul didn’t make such a face, you know!”
Dane’s gaze darkened.
He wanted nothing more than to leave this chatter behind and return to Camilla and the Grand Ducal residence.
They hadn’t even had a proper wedding, and there were still countless things he wanted to do with her as newlyweds. This felt like such a waste of time.
“I will speak only to you two. I will not live long.”
Camilla’s eyes widened.
He had just recovered from his madness, and now he said he would not live long? Could the aftereffects be so severe?
“Your Majesty, Lady Hayden’s child hasn’t even been born yet.”
Yet he claimed he wouldn’t live, even though the child wasn’t yet a being of flesh.
“Yes, yes. But I am nearing the end.”
“May I ask what you mean, Your Majesty?”
Dane’s expression grew serious.
This was a personal, delicate matter. Even a Grand Duke should not pry too deeply into the Emperor’s private life.
“…Hehe, this is a secret few know. I have had a long-standing illness.”
A chronic illness.
Camilla’s chest sank.
“A chronic illness? You mean not the madness, but something else?”
“Yes. I likely won’t live long. Leaving my beloved Anita and our children is regrettable…”
The Emperor’s eyes shone with calm determination.
Unlike before, there was no trace of humor—only seriousness.
“If one can prepare in advance, all measures must be prepared.”
Camilla flinched.
If the Emperor died suddenly, the heir would be Anita’s child—unborn yet—but the next highest claim would be:
‘Dane.’
This was why the Empress Dowager had said, if Anita had a daughter, Dane should be paired with her.
The Emperor then whispered to Dane:
“I ask the new Grand Duke of Escalus. Do you intend to become Emperor?”
Camilla’s heart plummeted.
‘Emperor?’
If Dane became Emperor, what would become of her?
She had never even dreamed of being a Grand Duchess. And now, if Dane ascended to the throne…
‘Would I be Empress?’
Her foundations were fragile.
The Emperor also addressed Camilla:
“Of course, if the Grand Duke becomes Emperor, you, Grand Duchess, will become Empress. You two are inseparable.”
The unfamiliar weight of this world shocked Camilla.
And her immediate thought was simple:
‘No.’
The place once controlled by the Empress Dowager—the palace full of scheming and the site of her mother’s death—
The idea of living in this cold palace filled her with rejection.
Her gaze met Dane’s.
Understanding her feelings, Dane gently held her hand.
Warmth spread through her.
“We are newlyweds, Your Majesty.”
‘……?’
Camilla paused, puzzled. That statement sounded strange.
“With all the commotion of being Grand Duke, being Emperor would mean even less time together with the Grand Duchess.”
“Dane!”
Camilla was shocked by the unexpected reply.
Hahaha!
The Emperor laughed, slapping the desk handle.
“Hehe, how amusing. Also reassuring.”
Camilla gripped Dane’s hand tightly.
Had he really considered harming them if necessary?
“No, no. I never intended to harm my benefactors. I even considered granting the throne to you both.”
It sounded unbelievable, yet the Emperor laughed heartily as he spoke.
“But somehow… I trust you, Grand Duke. Even if I were to die suddenly, I doubt you would harm my young child. Isn’t that reassuring?”
“Your Majesty!”
Camilla exclaimed, alarmed.
“For the sake of the child, you must think of staying healthy.”
The Emperor’s words, spoken as if giving up, angered her.
Seeing her firm expression, the Emperor laughed again.
“The Grand Duchess is truly kind. In fact, the reason the traitorous… my grandmother, could influence the court for so long… was partly due to my illness.”
“She knew, then?”
“Yes. She knew everything. And used my heart condition as leverage to control me.”
‘…Heart condition?’
Camilla felt an odd weight at that phrase.
‘Wait… could it be…?’
