Chapter 20
A single, brief question shattered Clöe. A simple expression of concern pushed away all her distracting thoughts.
“Am I… in trouble…?” Clöe muttered to herself for a long time, clutching the letter, even though no one was listening.
“And I’m not okay at all…”
Her love always ended in failure. Clöe had lost the husband she loved, her family, and her friends.
“To my dear friend.”
The only person left was this man who knew her yet knew nothing at all.
“Yes. There is someone.”
Clöe still didn’t truly know who he was. Was he a wanted criminal? A wealthy foreign noble? Or just an ordinary traveler? She didn’t even know for sure if his name was really Kun, his exact age, or his address. Nor did she know how he sent his letters or how hers reached him.
Yet she had dared to lean on him. Even if Kun wanted to help her, there was nothing he could do. Only the Emperor of the Empire could give her what she wanted.
Perhaps because her friend shared the same name as that wretched Emperor, Clöe allowed herself a rare childish plea.
“So… will you help me? Please.”
She showed this man the lowest depths of herself—a plea for help she had never made even to her family.
As dawn approached, the sky was still pitch black.
A woman cautiously opened the door and checked the room before stepping inside. The room was filled with the even breathing of the person asleep within.
Silently, the woman approached the sleeping figure and reached for the target.
On the bedside table, the long-awaited letter had finally appeared, unsealed. Though reluctant, the woman sealed it with wax herself. Today, too, if the letter didn’t arrive, there would be someone collapsing in despair, clutching their neck.
The woman saw the letter’s contents purely by chance. It wasn’t out of curiosity.
“…If His Majesty sees this, it could overturn the Empire.”
Returning to the kingdom with the letter, she already foresaw the headache it would bring.
The Ducal household had been bustling since morning. It was the day the Duke and Duchess of Arhen were to depart for the Empire.
A few days prior, the Emperor of the Freeheid Empire had invited the couple. Kalys, having contributed to the alliance between the Empire and the kingdom, was often invited to the Imperial Palace, so this wasn’t unusual.
But the schedule had been arranged so hastily this time, unlike usual invitations that allowed plenty of time. They had only a few days’ gap before the trip, forcing everyone to rush preparations. Even acquiring tribute gifts for the Emperor required great effort.
The maids were busy running about, drenched in sweat, and the ladies-in-waiting lingered before mirrors with all kinds of jewelry.
“Do you like this one?”
“Hm…”
For the trip to the Empire, Helena had been added to the party. She stared at herself in the mirror, dissatisfied with the necklace meant to adorn her elegantly exposed nape.
The impatient sigh of the lady-in-waiting prompted her to fetch another necklace. Yet Helena was still unhappy.
“That one.” She pointed a long finger at the Duchess beside her.
Normally, the Duchess would have prepared alone, but due to the important schedule, the ladies-in-waiting helped her in the powder room.
“I’ll take that one.”
All eyes immediately focused on Clöe’s neck, though she calmly continued observing herself in the mirror. The ladies-in-waiting hesitated. Even if the Duchess was treated coldly at home, she was still royalty. Snatching a necklace from a royal neck was impossible.
“If you really want it, I’ll give it to you gladly.”
Clang. Clöe dropped the necklace from her neck onto the floor.
“Ah!” Helena, stunned, exhaled sharply.
The lady-in-waiting responsible for Helena knelt before the fallen necklace.
“Are you trying to drape that trash on me?”
“W-what? N-no… I-I’m sorry!”
“Quickly, go get another necklace to put on her. This is frustrating!”
Helena vented her anger on Clöe, who, pretending not to notice, quickly chose a different necklace. Helena wanted to grab her by the hair on the spot.
‘Just for today…’ she thought, deciding to endure. After all, it was the Emperor who summoned them, so she’d overlook Helena’s rudeness this time.
Kalys had said that during this visit, they would request the Emperor’s permission for Helena’s marriage. Breaking the vow she had sworn to God meant a second wedding was impossible. Thus, the civil marriage could not exist. But even the absolute would change in the presence of the Emperor. If the Emperor approved, the temple would follow. If Kalys secured permission, Helena would officially become part of the Ducal household.
Helena’s mind overflowed with visions of luxury: a lavish wedding carriage, cheering crowds, and the eyes of those who had once ignored her now filled with admiration.
‘Just imagining it makes me happy!’
Clöe and Kalys stopped before the Emperor’s audience hall. The guards retreated as Kalys whispered lowly.
“Clöe, today you must behave properly. It’s the Emperor, after all. Don’t reveal that we’re distant or anything.”
He referred to their previous banquet. Clöe would have had allies there, allowing her freedom, but here, she could not afford rudeness in front of the Emperor.
“Mind your own behavior, Duke.”
Clöe, looking at Kalys’s worried expression, smirked. Though she didn’t say it aloud, the meaning was clear: “You focus on yourself.” Kalys clenched his teeth, frustrated he could not react.
‘I need to act here.’
The last chance for her divorce, at the perfect moment, came in the form of the person she most needed. Clöe thought this was truly the final lifeline sent by God.
They would stay in the Imperial Palace for, at most, a week. Getting divorce approval in that time was impossible; at the very least, she needed to make the Emperor her ally. He must not fall into Kalys’s hands like a minister might.
Taking a deep, tense breath, Clöe knocked. Her elegant knock, like the beat of a percussion instrument, was soon answered by the opening door.
A long red carpet stretched before them, sprinkled with rose petals. Clöe straightened her back and began walking, suppressing all sound, with steps neither too wide nor too narrow.
At the carpet’s end, Clöe and Kalys knelt.
“We pay homage to the Sun of the Empire.”
“Indeed. Thank you for coming on such short notice.”
The Emperor, commander of the Freeheid Empire and ruler of the world, continued.
“You know that the anniversary of peace between our nations is in a few months.”
“Of course.”
“We will hold a festival to commemorate it. You may be needed then.”
In a few months, they would have another chance to meet the Emperor. If they managed the festival well, they could come and go to the Empire multiple times before then.
“If Your Majesty needs us, it is our honor.”
“I’m glad you say so. Rooms have been prepared for you; rest well today.”
Two officials approached, concluding the formalities. They were to return to their assigned rooms.
“Ah, yes.”
At that moment, the Emperor added, as if remembering something.
“I wish to speak with the Duchess separately. Please remain for a moment.”
Clöe looked up. Even Kun, who usually appeared disinterested, kept his eyes open this time.
She glimpsed the abyss behind the mask.
‘…Kun?’
Seeing eyes tinged with blood-red, she suddenly thought of someone else entirely.
