Chapter 64
“I apologize. Since Countess Kiret, lady-in-waiting to Her Majesty the Empress, could not move quickly, my impatient nature led me to enter first.”
“Well then, what brings you here? For you to come in without even waiting for my lady-in-waiting’s reply, it must be quite urgent, mustn’t it?”
Even at her subtly mocking words, Tirchen’s faint smile did not leave his lips, which only made the Empress regard him with greater suspicion.
“I heard that someone I longed to see was here, so I could not help but come.”
“Someone you longed to see?”
Tilting her head back to glance at Tirchen, the Empress turned her gaze toward Ellicia, who was seated beside her. Other than the newly arrived maid, the only people in the Empress’s inner court were the Empress herself and Ellicia.
“Surely… you don’t mean Ellicia is the one you wanted to see?”
“And why not?”
The Empress’s eyes flicked busily between the two of them.
Despite Tirchen’s subtle gaze and meaningful smile, Ellicia offered no rebuttal at all.
Trying to hide her own unease, the Empress rubbed the back of her neck.
“Ah, my neck aches. Sit down, Duke. With you standing there, I keep looking back and forth and my neck is sore. Countess Kiret, you may withdraw.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Once Countess Kiret had left, Ellicia’s heart pounded nervously. Their relationship was indeed something the Empress should know, but not like this—not so suddenly, not in this manner.
As if it were the most natural thing, Tirchen drew a chair close and sat right next to Ellicia.
“You didn’t say you’d be at the palace today.”
His voice dripped with honey, as though he were truly her lover. Even to Ellicia, the tone sounded tender and romantic; to the Empress, it would be doubly so.
Ellicia chose her words carefully so the Empress would not take it strangely.
“Your Grace is a busy man, after all.”
In the Empress’s presence, she had to be cautious even with how she addressed him.
Tirchen frowned, dissatisfied, but since he could not demand she use his name in front of the Empress, he feigned ignorance.
“No matter how busy I am, I can always make time to see you. Their Majesties are generous enough to permit that, wouldn’t you say, Your Majesty the Empress?”
Ellicia clenched her hands and feet tightly, trying to control the squirming embarrassment that his words and tone caused.
She could feel the Empress’s sharp gaze.
“I think you greatly overestimate my generosity, Duke. Do you mean to threaten Ellicia in front of me?”
“Expressing my feelings is a threat?”
“When one uses power and authority to force unwanted feelings on someone, what else is it but a threat?”
“It seems, then, that Your Majesty the Empress not only lacks tact but also has a poor way with words.”
Though both their tones remained soft, the words exchanged between Tirchen and the Empress grew sharper and more hostile. Ellicia’s heart burned with worry that the two might erupt in open conflict at any moment.
“Please, calm your anger, Your Majesty. There seems to be a misunderstanding.”
“Do not worry, Ellicia. I will not be swayed by such nonsense.”
“Nonsense, is it? That is quite the expression, Your Majesty.”
“Duke, I let it pass once, but I will not overlook it a second time.”
“A second time?”
Tirchen arched an eyebrow, his displeasure evident.
Unlike Ellicia, whose heart was shrinking in dread, the Empress showed no loss of composure. After all, there was no one she needed to fear.
People often said this:
“The Netoer Empire may be beneath the feet of Emperor Tabio, but Empress Asta is the one person who could crush that great emperor under a single foot.”
If she wished to crush Tirchen underfoot, he would not escape unscathed. That thought worried Ellicia.
As she pictured Tirchen being trampled by the Empress, Ellicia gathered herself at the Empress’s next words.
“… I could not intervene before, but now it is different. If you marry the Duke, Ellicia, you will become Crown Princess, which gives me every right to interfere.”
“Are you saying you mean to oppose the bond between us?”
“One marriage with an ill-suited partner is more than enough. This time, you must find the right person. We must be careful.”
“Are you implying, then, that I am unworthy?”
At Tirchen’s emotional retort, the Empress let out a deep sigh.
She knew better than anyone that he was a man of fine character. When the Emperor had chosen him as Crown Prince, she had truly rejoiced, and though she bore no children, she regarded him as no less than a son.
“Do not twist my words. I do not mean to belittle you. Ellicia is the daughter of my dearest friend, now departed. That friend wished, more than anything, that Ellicia would meet someone who, regardless of power or wealth, would let her live a simple, happy life.”
“Do you believe Ellicia cannot live such a life if she marries me?”
“A woman’s happiness is not determined by the power or riches of her husband. And you, Duke, are a man who has never spared a thought for what truly makes a woman happy.”
Ignoring Ellicia, the two continued their tense standoff.
“Ellicia has already promised to bear my heir. Even if Your Majesty opposes it, it is meaningless.”
When Tirchen lowered his voice and said this in a suggestive tone, Ellicia happened to be looking at the Empress. Seeing the Empress’s face stiffen in shock made Ellicia’s own face flush hot.
It wasn’t so much the words as the insinuation in his tone.
Though he merely said Ellicia had promised him an heir, the way he spoke suggested they had already shared intimacies.
Mortified to meet the Empress’s eyes, Ellicia turned away.
“So, the woman you spoke of is Ellicia?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“Don’t you think it is reckless to speak of heirs when you have barely even courted her properly?”
“Our hearts are already steadfast. While staying together at the seaside villa, we confirmed our feelings for one another.”
“The seaside villa? Do you mean the villa where you were said to have stayed with Delina Shuton?”
The Empress’s voice rose in fury.
“Hhhck! Cough—cough!”
At that sudden remark, Ellicia, who had been quietly sipping tea to avoid interrupting, choked and sputtered.
“Oh my! Ellicia, are you all right?”
“Tch. Here, use this.”
The alarmed Empress rubbed Ellicia’s back while Tirchen handed her a handkerchief from his pocket.
“You must be badly shaken, Ellicia. I’m sorry, I did not consider your feelings.”
The Empress stroked Ellicia’s flushed face tenderly, seeing her red from coughing.
“I’ll have them bring fresh tea. Duke, you should leave us now.”
“You mean to dismiss me in the middle of our talk?”
“And you can still say that after seeing Ellicia’s condition?”
When Tirchen refused to leave, the Empress glared at him.
“You suddenly begged leave to dally with Delina Shuton, then had the gall to lure Ellicia to that very villa? Do you think that makes sense? Have you no thought for Ellicia’s shock? I am truly disappointed.”
The Empress’s misunderstanding was spiraling off course.
Ellicia placed a hand on her arm and spoke up.
“Your Majesty, it is true that Delina Shuton came to the villa, but she did not stay there.”
“So you met her too, then?”
“How did you know she came to the villa?”
“Hmm…”
At Tirchen’s question, the Empress coughed awkwardly and averted her eyes, unable to answer. Narrowing his gaze at her, Tirchen found the answer himself.
“So, someone in the palace has a loose tongue.”
At his mocking words, the Empress shot him a glare and turned back to Ellicia.
“Tell me in detail what happened.”
“The villa was not in good condition. On the way, my health worsened, and so I had to rely on His Grace’s care.”
“Ah, the journey by carriage must have strained you after your recent illness?”
“Thanks to his devoted care, I soon recovered. I only stayed longer for the sake of my health.”
In truth, it was Roena and Mervel who nursed her, but Tirchen conveniently omitted that part.
“Did you… perhaps do anything to Ellicia that you must take responsibility for?”
“We did spend good time together, but she is not carrying my heir yet.”
Though his words were true, the tone again left plenty of room for misunderstanding.
“Of course. A child is not conceived by merely holding hands.”
Mortified, Ellicia almost wilted, but at the Empress’s words she relaxed slightly—at least the Empress wasn’t misunderstanding.
Sensing the shift in atmosphere, Ellicia seized the chance to excuse herself.
“Your Majesty, I will take my leave now—”
“I never said we only held hands.”
Ellicia froze before finishing her words.
Well, he had taken off her shoes at the beach and held her feet… and he had carried her when she was too tired to walk. She couldn’t deny it.
She glared at him furiously.
Tirchen only gazed back at her, slowly brushing his thumb across his lips.
Turning to the Empress, Ellicia shook her head desperately, silently pleading that absolutely nothing had happened. But the Empress seemed unconvinced.
“Ellicia.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“I need a private word with the Duke. Please, leave us for a while.”
“… Yes.”
Uneasy about what Tirchen might say, but unable to refuse the command, Ellicia stepped out.
“Well then, shall we speak plainly now?”
As soon as Ellicia was gone, the Empress looked at him as if at a thief.
“What more could I possibly tell you, Your Majesty?”
“Even if you claimed to have kissed a woman, Duke, not even a stray dog would believe it.”
“I never imagined my displays of affection would be so pleasing that even the dogs might smile upon them.”
A crack split across the Empress’s brow.
Has this man suddenly changed, or has he merely been hiding his true nature all along?
The Tirchen smirking before her felt utterly alien, so unlike the cold, expressionless man she had known.
I thought his face was like a mask… but I was wrong. His face itself is the mask. A mask of iron, hiding a pitch-black heart beneath it!
Realizing she had been deceived all this time, the Empress now found him nothing short of outrageous.
