153. Useless Little Expectation

After Larael returned to Abella Palace, Edward headed to the training ground with Marquis Argen. It had been a very long time since he had visited the training ground, especially with Marquis Argen.

“Doesn’t it remind you of when we were young?”

Edward was somewhat excited to cross swords with Marquis Argen after such a long time.

“Your Majesty, I think you might be overexerting yourself.”

“Overexerting? Don’t go easy on me.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Edward charged toward Marquis Argen with a battle cry. The Marquis received his attacks a few times before launching a counterattack. Although Edward hadn’t fully recovered, his attack power surpassed that of most imperial knights.

However, not being completely recovered yet, he tired easily. He signaled to Marquis Argen to stop, then lay sprawled on the training ground. Edward looked at Marquis Argen, who lay down beside him, while catching his breath. The Marquis was also panting heavily, almost unable to breathe.

“Your Majesty, when you’ve fully recovered your health, I’ll challenge you again. At that time, I truly won’t hold back.”

“You call this holding back? That’s not true, you came at me like you wanted to kill me.”

Edward said with a snort to Marquis Argen.

“…Mo…ther… I should go see the Empress Dowager.”

At the mention of visiting the Empress Dowager, Marquis Argen sat up abruptly and looked at Edward. The emotions in Edward’s eyes were complex.

“But Your Majesty…”

Marquis Argen momentarily thought he should report this to Larael. Why such a thought occurred to him was inexplicable.

“I’ll accompany you.”

Marquis Argen said with a sigh. He couldn’t dare imagine what Edward might be feeling. He judged it better to quietly follow Edward’s wishes rather than oppose them. After all, they would have to face this situation sooner or later.

“Yes, thank you.”

Edward looked at the cloudless sky and smiled desolately. As he was thinking how nice it would be if everything could be resolved as cleanly as that sky, Marquis Argen’s hand entered his field of vision.

Edward smiled, took his hand, and stood up.

“Jayden, if I hadn’t become Emperor, would mother and Herwen have left me alone?”

“Why do you suddenly ask such a thing?”

“Just, I’ve never thought about it before, but I suddenly became curious. Do they dislike me as a person? Or are they doing this because they covet the throne?”

“That’s a pointless thought.”

“I suppose so…”

Edward had wondered if Herwen and the Empress Dowager would have been different if he had given up the throne. Edward hadn’t become Emperor because he wanted to; it was simply natural and expected of him as the eldest son of the Emperor. From childhood, he had naturally assumed he would ascend to the throne and had trained himself accordingly.

If Herwen had been born first and held the position of Crown Prince, would he have been satisfied with his place? Edward was curious about that. Would he, like Herwen, have plotted to take the throne?

The two remained silent, their lips tightly sealed, until they reached the entrance of Edward’s bedroom.

“Marquis Argen, let’s meet again after washing up.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Edward washed his sweat-drenched body and changed his clothes. Then he gazed out the window, lost in thought until Marquis Argen arrived. When he heard a knock, Edward, who had been immersed in his thoughts, turned his head.

“Your Majesty, Marquis Argen is here.”

Edward raised his eyebrows, let out a short sigh, and left the bedroom. Seeing Marquis Argen, who was waiting outside and about to enter, startled by Edward’s sudden appearance, he let out a hollow laugh and walked ahead. Marquis Argen followed right behind.

“Are we going directly to the Empress Dowager’s palace?”

Instead of answering, Edward nodded slowly. The two boarded a carriage waiting in front of the main palace. As the carriage started moving, Marquis Argen looked at Edward and spoke.

“The preparations for the interrogation of the Commander of the Knights are complete. When would be convenient?”

At Marquis Argen’s words, Edward’s monotonously blinking eyes flashed. Edward slightly furrowed his brow.

“What’s my schedule for tomorrow morning?”

“There are no special appointments, so it’s possible.”

“Then schedule it as the first appointment tomorrow.”

“Yes, understood.”

“But… I’ve entrusted Larael with the important task of investigating Duke Anderman, why hasn’t she said anything to me?”

Edward suddenly asked Marquis Argen, as if just remembering. It was strange that she was unusually quiet, when normally she would have chattered beside him all day until Edward got annoyed and told her to stop.

“I’ve witnessed how preciously the Empress Consort regards Your Majesty. As someone who observed her desperate state, how could I dare say anything? If the Empress Consort had come from a powerful family, she would have been more than qualified to become Empress.”

At Marquis Argen’s sincere words, which didn’t seem false at all, Edward recalled Larael’s pale face, and a corner of his heart ached as if being torn.

“Yes, she must have suffered greatly.”

Edward murmured as if talking to himself. If power was all she lacked, Edward silently vowed to become her power. He felt terribly sorry for not having done so earlier for Larael. He would never forget the ecstasy that had made his entire body tremble when he faced Larael again at the end of that brief yet long darkness. Edward belonged to Larael, and Larael belonged to Edward.

The carriage arrived in front of the Empress Dowager’s palace. When the carriage door opened, a cold wind rushed in. This winter seemed unusually long. The chilly wind froze his heart as well.

The imperial knights guarding the Empress Dowager’s palace strictly knelt in formation at Edward’s appearance. Edward nodded lightly and immediately entered the palace. The interior, which had always been full of vitality, was as quiet as a tomb. With not a single servant in sight, an eerie atmosphere prevailed.

Edward entered the reception room, which had been the Empress Dowager’s pride. Without the Empress Dowager’s touch, the reception room was desolate, unlike before. Edward and Marquis Argen sat there, waiting for the Empress Dowager to arrive. Despite waiting for a long time, she did not appear.

“Your Majesty, I’ll bring her here.”

“No, let’s just wait.”

He wasn’t particularly eager to meet her quickly. Edward sank into the soft sofa. After quite some time had passed, the Empress Dowager, surrounded by knights, entered with her chin held high and a sneer on her lips. Rather, this appearance seemed to indicate her excessive nervousness, making Edward smile faintly. With a composed expression, she looked at Edward and spoke.

“Emperor, no, Edward, you should have come to your mother first when you regained consciousness.”

At her words, Marquis Argen felt goosebumps all over his body. He looked at Edward to gauge his reaction, but Edward’s expression remained unchanged. He was staring blankly at the Empress Dowager with an expressionless face.

“Don’t you have anything else to say to me? For example, something like ‘I’m sorry’ or ‘I was wrong’—those kinds of words.”

“Why should I??”

The Empress Dowager opened her eyes wide, pushed aside the imperial knights surrounding her, and sat opposite Edward. Then, looking around the reception room, she said regretfully:

“Without my touch, even this place has become just an ordinary space. To think they wouldn’t let me leave my bedroom—I finally came out because my son arrived.”

No matter how little he expected, Edward had wondered if she might feel even a tiny bit of remorse toward him. But there seemed to be no such indication.

“Emperor, imprison the Empress Consort immediately. She is the cause of all this discord.”

The Empress Dowager said, recalling Larael with venomous eyes. Upon hearing those words, Edward closed his eyes and shook his head. As if there was no need to listen further, he placed both hands on his knees and stood up.

“I’ve wasted my time.”

“…Edward?”

“Your Majesty, don’t you understand the situation? Or are you trying to deny and avoid reality?”

“…”

“I’ll see you when the investigation begins soon.”

“Edward, fine. Investigate if you must. But in return, dismiss all the imperial knights. It seems excessive to confine me like this when my crimes haven’t even been proven yet. You can’t treat a member of the imperial family this way. And let me see my son, Herwen.”

“Your Majesty, it is precisely because you are a member of the imperial family that we are showing you this consideration.”

Edward’s previously emotionless eyes suddenly turned cold. Suppressing his anger, Edward clenched his fists and glared at the Empress Dowager. As Edward was about to step out of the reception room, the Empress Dowager urgently called out to him.

“Edward!!”