40. A Scandal to Shake the Empire (1)

– Grand Duke Vellaus’s new lover is Ariella Nox!! Photos of their secret meeting revealed!!

Herwen tore up the newspaper on the spot.

The photo had been taken at the opera house the night before. It showed Ariella and Herwen facing each other and talking.

He shouted and threw things, as if he was ready to storm the newspaper office immediately. He threw nearly everything in his bedroom that could be thrown, but his anger didn’t subside.

“Send out a rebuttal press release immediately.”

Herwen’s aide, who had been avoiding the door, let out a deep sigh and quickly left the room as soon as Herwen gave the order.

If the photo had been with Larael, he could have spun it to his advantage, but his relationship with Ariella was of no help at all. Ariella’s face wasn’t even well known, so it would have been hard for people to realize she was Lady Nox. That made Herwen suspicious.

“Could it have been Ariella?”

He recalled Ariella’s unpredictable actions lately. It was suspicious how she suddenly stepped out into the theater hallway. No, Ariella wouldn’t do such a thing. She was someone who wanted to hide her relationship with Herwen as much as possible. Hadn’t she often said that if Herwen didn’t become Emperor, she would become the current Emperor’s Empress? Thinking of that, a surge of anger toward Ariella welled up.

“How do you see me!!!”

Herwen never once considered that Larael could have done such a thing.

Sitting blankly in his wrecked bedroom, Herwen eventually left for the palace to meet the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager was just as bewildered. It was the same as with Larael—she hadn’t heard anything about this from Herwen. If it were someone else, she might have accepted it, but she simply couldn’t believe it when it involved Lady Nox, a close ally of Edward. There was no conceivable connection.

The Empress Dowager waited anxiously for Herwen to enter the palace and explain himself.

“Mother!!”

Seeing Herwen enter in such a disheveled state, the Empress Dowager first felt pity.

Whether the article was true or false, she was furious that her son was suffering because of it.

“What is going on, Herwen?”

She tried to speak as gently as possible, worried that her tone might inadvertently hurt him.

With a long sigh, Herwen confessed everything—from threatening Larael to going to meet her at the opera house.

“The Empress Consort intended for the three of you to watch the opera together?”

The Empress Dowager recalled the previous incident. She couldn’t understand how, after the unpleasantness at the tea party and knowing about the Empress’s dress, they could attend the opera together as if nothing had happened.

‘Could the Empress Consort really be that foolish?’

“The matter with Lady Nox isn’t true, is it?”

The Empress Dowager cautiously asked what she truly wanted to know. Herwen frowned and lowered his gaze. Seeing his expression, the Empress Dowager’s right hand, which had been resting comfortably on the armrest, began to tremble.

A heavy silence fell between them.

“Herwen!!!”

Unable to bear it any longer, she broke the silence and shouted at her son, her voice filled with anger. She realized how little she truly knew about him. The same had happened with Larael, and now with Ariella… She always found out too late. The Empress Dowager wanted Herwen to consult her before acting, but Herwen only ever reported to her after the fact.

Even if she didn’t like it, she would nod and praise him as his mother, but she always felt uneasy knowing he was inferior to Edward. This time was no different.

“I’ve been in a relationship with Ariella for a long time.”

“W-what? For a long time?”

The Empress Dowager was so shocked she stuttered.

“It was Ariella and I who came up with the idea of pushing Larael to the Emperor’s side.”

“Does Duke Nox know?”

“Duke Nox does not know.”

She had thought Ariella was no ordinary fox when she wore the Empress’s dress to the tea party, but this was beyond her imagination. If Duke Nox found out, he’d be furious. The thought made her laugh hollowly.

“So what are you going to do?”

“This was truly unexpected.”

The Empress Dowager rolled her eyes and fiddled with her fingers.

“The Nox family…”

As a marriage partner, it wasn’t a bad choice. In fact, the only one who might feel threatened by their union was Edward. But there was no way Duke Nox would willingly give his daughter to Herwen.

“What a mess!!”

Annoyance surged up, and she was about to scold Herwen, but stopped when she saw his disheveled hair. The Empress Dowager closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself.

“Is the Empress Consort involved in this?”

Recalling that Larael had brought everyone together, the Empress Dowager asked, but Herwen shook his head firmly. There was no way naïve Larael could know about their relationship. Thinking of Larael made Herwen’s chest feel tight. He was at a loss for how to explain things to her.

“I’ll meet with Duke Nox myself.”

The Empress Dowager pressed her temples as she spoke. This time, Herwen would see for himself that nothing was impossible once the Empress Dowager got involved.

***

Duke Nox took a leave of absence for several days.

Having seen the morning paper, neither Edward nor the other aides asked him why he had taken sudden leave.

Edward, after reading the article, couldn’t focus on his work out of concern for Larael.

“Your Majesty, are you worried about the Empress Consort?”

Marquis Argen fiddled with his quill, noticing how often Edward stared absently into space.

“Did it show?”

Edward leaned back in his chair and asked Marquis Argen.

“Yes. Leave things to us here and go see Her Highness the Empress Consort.”

At his words, the other aides’ eyes shot up in surprise. Edward, as if he’d been waiting for this, immediately stood and left the office. As soon as he was gone, voices of complaint toward Marquis Argen erupted everywhere.

Edward hurried to Abella Palace.

Larael was elegantly drinking tea in her bedroom, gazing at the photo of Herwen and Ariella together.

“It would have been better if they’d been a little closer together…”

Lillian, who had been watching Larael from afar, caught her gaze and quickly bowed her head the moment their eyes met. Larael called out to her.

“Lillian.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Please ask when Her Majesty the Empress Dowager would be available and let her know I’ll visit soon.”

“Yes.”

After Lillian left the bedroom, Sasha and Joanna, who had been quietly watching Larael, finally spoke in heavy tones.

“Your Highness, perhaps it’s best to stop looking at the newspaper now?”

Sasha spoke, having seen the photo of Herwen and Ariella on the front page. She was worried, seeing Larael stare at the photo and mutter to herself all morning.

“Should I?”

Larael replied calmly and set the newspaper down in front of her. Joanna and Sasha exchanged sympathetic glances.

They, too, had been shocked by the article, but they couldn’t even imagine what Larael must be feeling. Not knowing her true feelings, they found her calm demeanor even sadder.

“Your Highness!! Your Highness!!”

Lillian, who had gone to deliver the message to the Empress Dowager’s palace, rushed back into the bedroom.

“His Majesty the Emperor will arrive shortly.”

Larael set down her teacup and looked at her with a puzzled expression.

As Larael wondered why Edward would come at this hour, the bedroom door opened and Edward appeared.

“Greetings to the Sun of the Empire.”

Larael, who had been lost in thought, quickly stood and greeted Edward. He nodded lightly and smiled at her, studying her expression. To his surprise, Larael looked no different than usual, and he let out a sigh of relief.

Edward sat down on the sofa and, seeing the newspaper on the table, his expression hardened.