chapter 19

Two carriages were deployed for their entry into the Imperial Palace. Ruslan and Juju rode in the first, with Nadia and the other servants in the second.

As Juju boarded the carriage, she turned to look back at Angela. In the meantime, Angela had smoothly acquired the position of house physician and blended into the household.

"Find out what else we can plant besides narcissus."

"Yes, Madam. Be careful, as crowded places aren't good for your health."

Angela's expression was meaningful. The other servants believed the young lady suffered from an illness that made her react to certain pollens or bad air, but the real meaning was entirely different.

It meant not to lose her mind in anger and lose her reason.

The carriages set off. The streets of the capital's upper-class district were beautiful in the evening. Gas lamps lit up one by one, casting a soft glow.

Just as Juju was lost in thought, enjoying the long-awaited night view, Ruslan spoke from across the carriage.

"Come sit next to me for a moment."

"Huh? Why?"

As Juju shifted her dress, puffed out by petticoats, Ruslan carefully moved over.

Come to think of it, it had been a while since she'd been this close to him. They had been living almost separately since arriving in the capital. The servants probably thought they were both busy with their new lives.

"It's just us. You can say whatever you need to say."

"Show me your earrings for a moment."

Earrings? Juju brushed her hair aside slightly. Amethysts circled with gold dangled from her ears.

"Ah, they're not pierced, are they? Just hanging on."

"I hadn't thought about it, but I suppose maids don't usually have pierced ears."

"It's safer if they're pierced, but it can't be helped."

Just as she was wondering what he was planning to do, Ruslan's fingers brushed against her hair and then touched her ear, cupping her earlobe and the earring together.

An aura briefly flashed from him along with an unintelligible murmur. Her ear burned as if she had dipped it in hot soup.

"Ah, uh...!"

"Sorry, just bear with me for a moment."

Ruslan held her as she instinctively tried to pull away. His arms tightened around her back. Juju, not knowing what was going on, gripped his shoulders and endured. Her ear felt like it was turning bright red, and she protested softly.

"What is this?"

-It's magic.

Juju was startled by the voice echoing in her head.

"Is this... Can you read my mind...? Oh, no. Your lips are moving slightly."

"I'm whispering with my aura. The enchanted earrings resonate, so the sound only echoes in your head. It's called telepathic magic."

Ruslan brushed his hair aside, revealing his ear. A tiny silver pin was inserted in his earlobe, so small it was barely noticeable.

"It shouldn't be difficult for you to speak with your aura. Use it when you have something you want to say without being overheard. It should work within the same building."

Juju was amazed by the explanation. Usually, speaking with your aura was used for simple volume amplification, such as intimidation or military commands.

Soul extraction and transplantation. Illusions. And now, secret communication. The Ipenian royal family's use of aura was clearly in a highly advanced realm.

Thinking of testing it, she moved her lips slightly.

-Like this?

-Correct.

It was amazing. With this, they could easily have secret conversations.

At that moment, the carriage stopped. Nadia, who had gotten out of the second carriage, opened the door.

"We've arrived... Oh."

Nadia hesitated in embarrassment. The two of them realized that their position might look strange to others and felt awkward.

They looked every bit like lovers who couldn't resist embracing in the carriage.

The Crystal Hall of the Imperial Palace was bustling with preparations for the ball. Early arriving guests were already taking their places and chatting.

The secret conference room was located behind the glass decorations on the high walls of the hall. It was a good place to look down and evaluate the people gathered in the hall.

It was unknown how many people the previous Emperor had allowed into this place during his long reign. In any case, it was now used only by the Emperor and his four closest aides, the Four Heroes.

The round table had been brought in by Emperor Albert. Pascalina, sitting at one side, spoke.

"An acting Grand Duke or whatever, he's just a young Count. Is he worth holding a ball for? Summoning us all here?"

She wore her army uniform even in this setting.

It was partly due to her diligent nature, but more than that, it was out of awareness of being watched. As a member of a minority ethnic group, she was not truly accepted as a lady in the capital's high society. She had given up on dressing up to avoid gossip.

Dietrich retorted.

"He's the man who volunteered to be Licht's pawn, so it's wise to treat him well. But it's still a bit much."

"Pasha, isn't it nice to go out with your husband after a long time? Where's Oscar now?"

"Over there. Talking with the men."

Pascalina gestured towards one side of the hall. Irene, dressed flamboyantly, propped her chin up and scoffed.

"Thanks to having the wife of an army marshal, your husband has an easy life. Should I get married too? What do you think, Dido?"

Irene's glance was subtle, but Dietrich simply looked at his documents impassively.

"Do as you please. More importantly, I'm worried about Count Keitel's intentions. If he's even bringing a partner to the ball, he plans to put down roots here completely."

"I've heard the rumors too. There's been a lot of talk about his lover. He's been hiding her from guests, and they say she's a former maid or that he bought her at an auction."

"Ugh. Count Keitel is handsome, isn't he? Does he have a thing for common women?"

"Lady Irene, weren't you the daughter of a pig butcher?"

Dietrich said casually.

Irene, speechless, blinked. Then, she bit her lip and hid her hands under the table.

Dietrich flipped through the documents he was holding, seemingly indifferent to her reaction.

"Pascalina, you shouldn't be worrying about such things either. Among the goods that Hilarion sold off were also forest people. As you know better than anyone, that's your heritage."

Pascalina frowned openly, bringing her hand up as if to hide the pattern etched into her forehead.

"I don't know if they're my people or not, but I don't care about the affairs of weaklings."

"I expected you to say that. But to others, they're all the same forest people."

Dietrich, having read through the documents, slammed them shut in frustration.

"I was going to turn a blind eye to the human trafficking and use it as a secret source of funds, but he died and prevented us from absorbing the organization. What a loss."

"That's enough."

The conference room door opened. The three of them turned in unison.

Albert, dressed in formal attire, stood there in all his splendor.

He pulled the fencing cape off one shoulder as he entered. Despite being right before the ball, he seemed cold and collected.

"Dietrich, your weakness is that you obsessively rehash things that don't go according to plan. If it's already failed, find another alternative."

"Albert, is the alternative you're thinking of the greenhorn you called here today? You're even giving him a chance to be introduced to the capital's nobility?"

"Seeing that greenhorn take over the late Grand Duke's position should make the old men a little nervous."

Albert said sharply.

"He's a fool who made unsolicited contributions just to get ahead, so we should use him as much as possible. The more we promote him, the more it will keep the deeply entrenched central figures in check."

"And when the time comes, we can frame him and cut off his head... Ah."

Irene quickly swallowed her words, seeing Albert's expression.

"Albie, I'm sorry. You haven't been feeling well since Lotte's funeral."

"Irene, is it difficult for you to hold your tongue in front of your lord?"

"Pasha, don't be scary. I cried when I saw Lotte's face too."

Irene grabbed Pascalina's arm with feigned affection. Pascalina shrugged as if she couldn't help it.

Albert, having barely suppressed his anger, changed the subject.

"Come to think of it, one is missing. Where's Jonathan?"

"Yoni says he can't come due to the shock of presiding over Lotte's funeral."

"He refused, saying it wasn't good for a clergyman to attend Imperial Palace events too often."

"Nice excuses. He probably just went to his sister-in-law again."

As an unspoken agreement flowed over the round table, a soft voice was heard from the conference room door.

"Are you still in the middle of an important conversation? It's time to go down to the Crystal Hall now."

It was a beautiful woman with rose-colored hair as fluffy as cotton candy and violet eyes. Her pearl tiara and ivory dress exuded elegance.

Everyone sitting stood up. Only Albert remained seated.

"Empress, there was no need for you to come all the way here."

"Reports are coming in that all the guests are starting to gather."

Empress Bathilde looked around the conference room with hesitant eyes. Her gaze lingered on Irene and Pascalina before returning to her husband.

"Do you still have a lot to talk about with your friends?"

Albert paused for a moment before rising to his feet. His expression, which had been impassive, softened slightly into a smile.

"It's nothing like that. I just meant there was no need for you to go out of your way."

"Ah, that's a relief. I was worried I might be causing trouble without knowing it..."

"How could the Empress cause trouble in the Imperial Palace?"

Albert extended his arm, allowing Bathilde to take it. Pascalina, following behind, said softly to Dietrich.

"I believe the other day was the conjugal night. Does the Empress have any news of pregnancy?"

"It seems not. Not yet."

Irene twisted her lips subtly.

"She can do everything else, but this is the only thing that's difficult."

Albert guessed what they were talking about but said nothing.

Five years had passed since their state wedding. Bathilde, who had been eighteen, was now twenty-three. Her body had fully matured into that of a woman, and she was in good health.

But there was still no news of an heir.

They were both still young, so it wasn't a major crisis yet. Still, those around them gossiped uncomfortably.

Things might change if he visited her more often on nights that weren't conjugal nights...

Because it leads to comparison.

Bathilde was a lady raised in the hothouse of a prestigious family. The same was true in bed. All she knew how to do was lie there demurely.

During their last conjugal night, while dealing with that, he had suddenly missed the girl who had desperately clung to him as if he were her entire world.

Had his first love, who had died in the snowstorm, thought of him at the last moment?

Albert had a groundless belief that she had. The face he had last seen at the funeral lingered in his mind. He couldn't guess what emotion remained in her strange, expressionless face.

Had Charlotte hated him at the moment she closed her eyes?

Or had she been searching for him with tearful eyes, just like when she was a child...?

He naturally felt gloomy. He felt even more depressed knowing that all he had to look forward to were tedious dances, mediocre drinking, and observing the obvious watchfulness of his subordinates.

"His Imperial Majesty, Her Imperial Majesty enter!"

At least, it would be interesting to see how everyone reacted to the new person.

He was also a little curious about the kind of woman the lover he had deliberately brought to the Imperial Palace was.

Albert entered the hall with Bathilde. The officials filling the space bowed their heads in respect.

Count Keitel, today's guest of honor, approached to greet them. His partner next to him was bowing, so her face wasn't visible.

However, everyone was gazing at them with rapt attention. They seemed to have captured the hall's attention early on. Well, to be standing next to the Count, despite being from common birth, she must be quite beautiful.

The woman finished her greeting with the Count and lifted her head.

Unexpectedly, gasps erupted from the side.

"Wow, oh my goodness!!"

Bathilde exclaimed excitedly, her face flushed.

"How can she be so doll-like!"

"I am overwhelmed by your gracious praise, Your Imperial Majesty."

Juju smiled, tilting her head slightly as she had done in her Charlotte days.

Albert in front of her stared at her with a startled expression. Juju continued, putting a lot of emphasis on her words.

"I am deeply grateful for the honor of being invited to this occasion. As I am of humble birth, I have nothing to boast of, but I would be honored if you would call me Juju."

"Ju... Juju?"

Albert stammered. Juju smiled brightly at him.

"Yes, Your Majesty. Do you think it's a funny name?"

"No, I, for a moment I mistook you for someone else, no..."

Albert hastily averted his gaze. Juju secretly smiled coldly.

Ah, finally, finally, finally.

Finally!

It took five years to return here!