Chapter 139
“What is going on here?”
Mikhail’s face immediately darkened.
“Why are you here?”
Idel shrugged and answered indirectly.
“Please, sit in front of me. Our conversation will take some time.”
“…So you lured me here with Mother’s letter.”
The letter that had called Mikhail here was clearly written in the Empress’s handwriting.
The woman he had seen just now outside the greenhouse was unmistakably a loyal aide who had served the Empress for many years.
In other words, this meeting could not have occurred without the Empress’s assistance.
‘Now that I think about it, the Velord family needed an enormous amount of mana stones for their business.’
Mother had ultimately been swayed by that woman’s temptation because of the mana stones.
Gritting his teeth, Mikhail turned his steps.
“Where are you going?”
“Judging by the looks of it, your father and mother won’t be coming. In that case, I see no reason for me to stay here either.”
“I recommend that you speak with me.”
“I refuse. I have nothing to say to you.”
Despite Mikhail’s cold refusal, Idel politely nodded without showing the slightest hesitation.
“Then, farewell.”
Mikhail glanced at her, then stormed toward the greenhouse exit.
However, not long after, he had no choice but to return to the pavilion where Idel was waiting.
“Ah, we meet again.”
Idel smiled warmly, but Mikhail’s voice trembled with rage.
“How dare you trap me here…!”
For some reason, the greenhouse door was firmly locked, and the maid and knight who had been standing there moments ago had vanished.
If this had been an ordinary greenhouse, Mikhail would have smashed the lock without hesitation.
But this place was more like a shelter designed to withstand foreign invasions, long-range magical attacks, or monster raids.
It had a spring for water, and not just decorative plants but also crops and fruits were cultivated—enough to survive here for several days.
Of course, the lock and the walls were carefully crafted artifacts.
Even if Mikhail exhausted all his royal power, there was no guarantee he could destroy them.
“Open the door immediately!”
“Oh my, the door is locked?”
Idel asked, widening her eyes.
“Are you pretending not to know?”
“Even if you say that… how could I open a door Your Highness yourself cannot?”
Idel lowered her eyebrows but sipped her tea calmly.
“What audacity. You’re trapped here in an enclosed space with me, and you’re not afraid?”
“Afraid of what? Your Highness is a gentleman.”
“……”
Mikhail had no response.
Even in anger, he was rational enough not to use force against Marquis Luciviu, whom the Emperor valued highly.
And by all appearances, she was a victim trapped here with him.
Any rash action would have left him at a disadvantage.
In truth, Mikhail had only intended to intimidate her into opening the door—not to do anything else.
“Ha… you did say we would talk, right?”
Sighing, Mikhail sat opposite Idel beneath the pavilion.
“Though I don’t want to, I’ll listen. I am at least a little curious why you went through all this to summon me.”
“By chance, there is another cup of tea.”
“Chance, my foot. Get to the point.”
“Do you remember this book?”
Idel showed him the cover of a book laid open before her.
The worn book was titled The Way of the Ruler, a title familiar to him.
Mikhail carefully examined the books on the table for the first time.
They were all subjects he had studied as a child: political theory, military science, imperial etiquette, the history of the empire, world affairs—each one a book he had once read.
“How do you have this…!”
Idel handed it to him, and it was indeed the book he had read.
“I requested it, and the Empress kindly lent it. She had kept it carefully all this time.”
Irritated by her incomprehensible behavior, Mikhail slammed the table.
“What is the meaning of this?”
“You studied very diligently. Especially The Way of the Ruler—its pages were worn and the book well-used.”
“What does that have to do with you?”
“Your Highness…”
Idel closed her eyes briefly, then opened them, and Mikhail stiffened at the unusual feeling.
It was her divine power reaching him, though Mikhail had no way of knowing it.
“Is the ruler you dreamed of as a child the same as you are now?”
“…I don’t understand your meaning.”
“This book states that a ruler must always put the state first.”
“Are you saying I do not put the state first?”
“I believe you yourself know the answer better than anyone.”
Mikhail glared at Idel’s calm face, then chuckled.
“Yes. I’ve changed. I have come to know love. And nothing is more important to me than Liena.”
“……”
“But! That does not mean I will forsake the path of the state or the throne. I will take both love and power. I am capable of it.”
“Capable? Do you really think so?”
“Say whatever you like. I’ve only made a few mistakes; in time…”
“You plan to win the Emperor’s heart through Liena and reap the benefits. People don’t usually call that ability.”
Her insight hit him like a blow, and his fists clenched.
“What do you know…?”
“A ruler shines alone at the top, even if lonely. But Your Highness does not. Liena’s light is brighter than yours.”
“What?”
“You yourself voluntarily take the position beneath Liena.”
“She is not beneath me—she is my equal! I walk the same path with her!”
Yet Mikhail’s shout somehow sounded hollow to himself.
“Then I dare ask—what has Liena sacrificed for Your Highness?”
“Are you trying to sow discord between us?”
“You have distanced yourself even from the greatest supporter of Liena and her family, the Velord family, for her sake. Then what has Liena given up to be with you?”
“…Silence.”
“Did you give the Cassius family wealth? Or seriously confront the family opposing your relationship?”
“L-Liena provided me with useful information. She comforted my loneliness and healed my wounds.”
“So you let her commit all sorts of illegal acts to build her guild?”
“To accomplish great things, one cannot always follow the straight path. Liena is not wicked—she is wise.”
“A ruler must not allow personal feelings to corrode justice and the state.”
Suddenly, Idel pulled a sheet of paper from the book and began to read aloud.
“I love my mother and am grateful to my grandfather, but I will never allow the Velord family to interfere with the ruler’s decisions.”
“What is this?”
“When you were a child, Your Highness, you wrote this during composition class. Would you like to see it?”
Mikhail took it with trembling hands and skimmed the content.
The neat, earnest handwriting reminded him of a memory.
He must have been seven or eight—on his first composition assignment, the teacher gave a free topic, and he wrote about what he most wanted.
It was still naïve, filled with idealistic thoughts, but at the time, he had written each word with care.
He had truly believed he could become such a ruler.
His father had patted him on the shoulder and praised him, and his mother had smiled and stroked his hair.
Suppressing the surge of emotions, Mikhail forced himself to speak.
“…I have changed. I have come to know love.”
“You already knew love, Your Highness. Isn’t it written there? That you love the Empress.”
“Occasionally, she was gentle, but my mother was always strict. I hardly remember warm words from her.”
“And yet you loved her, didn’t you?”
“Wrong! The love I discovered after meeting Liena is far greater and nobler than that…”
“The Empress cried.”
“…!”
“You know well, Your Highness. She never shows weakness before others.”
It was true.
Even when Mikhail defied her wishes, she had scolded but never cried, always maintaining her dignity as the imperial mother.
“Do you not understand why the Empress deceived you and called you here?”
Mikhail’s shoulders trembled.
“Do you not realize the thoughts behind her giving me the treasured items from your childhood?”
“To obtain mana stones for the Velords, and to separate you and Liena…”
Mikhail’s head throbbed, leaving him unable to answer properly.
At that moment, Idel stood abruptly.
“It is because she loves Your Highness. For her sake, open your eyes now.”
Her words made Mikhail’s heart pound.
A few hours later, Mikhail was finally able to leave the greenhouse.
When their conversation ended, the doors were wide open, as if they had never been locked.
Mikhail did not return to his palace immediately, instead wandering through the Empress’s residence lost in thought.
As a child, he had lived in the Empress’s residence without a separate palace of his own.
Mikhail reflected blankly on his younger self and returned to his palace near sunset.
“Mikhail, where have you been? We’ve been looking everywhere! Don’t you know how much needs to be prepared for the engagement?”
Seeing Liena greet him cheerfully, Mikhail struggled to speak, his lips barely moving.
“Liena… I’m really sorry, but…”
“Hm?”
“Can we delay our engagement for a while?”
