Chapter 9

In the study, Louis swallowed dryly at the familiar voice coming from inside the room. He grasped the finely crafted golden door handle and turned it, pushing the door open with force.

The smallest reception in the imperial palace. Though small, it was the most discreet and intimate space where Emperor Henry of Tapeullon sat side by side with his wife, Empress Annette, on the sofa.

“I present myself before His Imperial Majesty the Emperor and Her Imperial Majesty the Empress of Tapeullon.”

Louis greeted them with princely etiquette.

“Yes. Come in quickly.”

Raising his head at the Emperor’s words, Louis looked at his mother, Annette. Seeing them together after so long, Louis unintentionally stopped in his tracks.

“Your Majesty, the Empress is here as well?”

Louis, who hadn’t expected Annette to be present, smiled faintly, thinking he might end up writing a reflection after a long time, watching his mother set down her teacup.

“Please, have a seat. Alina. Prepare tea for Louis.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Maid Alina quickly poured the fragrant tea into the exquisite teacup that had come from the renowned pottery region of Shurn. The rich rose aroma filled the reception room, and the hot tea emitted wisps of steam.

Looking at the hot tea placed in front of him, Louis wondered how nice it would have been if cold tea had been offered instead. Sipping the slightly scalding tea, Louis looked at his seated parents.

Sitting at a reasonable distance from each other, neither too close nor too far, Louis blinked slowly as he observed the two.

It was a distance he’d seen since he was a very young boy, but today it was even more noticeable.

“The weather is quite pleasant today. It feels quite autumnal. The breeze is refreshing.”

The Emperor was the first to speak.

“Yes, it is. The leaves are starting to change colors.”

“I heard this year’s harvest is abundant, so the Blessing Night festival will be grand.”

“That’s right.”

Blessing Night was an annual festival held in autumn, the grandest event in the Tapeullon Empire. In a month, the entire empire would be bustling with festival fervor.

Because this year was one of the most bountiful harvests in recent years, the festival will be even bigger.

Watching his parents engage in weather and festival talk after summoning him, Louis spoke up.

“I don’t understand why I’m being scolded today.”

Emperor Henry and Empress Annette looked at their son with bewildered expressions. Louis’s demeanor of confidently admitting he didn’t know why he was being scolded, with a face so much like the Emperor’s, was quite bold.

What was most absurd was that the imperial couple hadn’t said anything to him yet.

Scolding him? When exactly?

“I’ve thought about it on the way here, but couldn’t find the reason. So, please enlighten me.” 

Emperor Henry, who had been silently observing his son’s upright demeanor, spoke up.

“It’s about Lady Dinever collapsing.”

Louis flinched.

So, this was what it was about.

Louis groaned inwardly. Naturally, the news must have reached the Emperor and Empress’s ears.

“I happened to see her at the palace one time, and she was unaware that I was the Crown Prince, so, when we met during class, she was surprised and fainted.” 

Louis explained briefly, recounting the events of that day.

“I’ve heard the story. But there’s something else I want to ask you.”

Annette said, nodding as she listened to her son’s explanation.

“You mentioned seeing her at the palace by coincidence. Can you elaborate on that?”

Annette’s question caused Louis’s thick, dark eyebrows to furrow slightly. He pondered over the implications of her question.

Was the reason I was summoned here today not because of the lady’s fainting but because of our previous encounter?

As Louis quickly replayed the events of that day in his mind, Louis hesitated at a certain scene.

“Marriage… I would never… never marry that girl.”

Suddenly, Louis’s own voice echoed in his mind.

“Why don’t you like her?”

This time, it was the little girl’s voice, no, the Lady Dinever’s voice.

“They say she’s ugly.”

“What?”

“Incredibly ugly.”

Oh, my.

Louis almost bit his tongue at his own words.

“Louis?”

“Yes? Uh, yes.”

“Do you have something you can’t tell us?” 

Annette’s question made Louis chew on his lower lip.

“It seems you’ve realized your mistake.”

At the Emperor’s words, Louis rolled his eyes and stared at the corner of the table, avoiding his parents’ gaze.

It had been just the two of them in the library and he wondered if it was the Lady Dinever who had told his parents.

As Louis’s head began to throb, wrinkles formed on his forehead.

“It was a mistake not knowing she was the Lady Dinever.”

“If you didn’t know, does that make it not a mistake?” 

At the Emperor’s stern voice, Louis straightened his posture and bowed to the Emperor and Empress.

“I apologize. As the Crown Prince, my behavior was somewhat improper.”

It was uncharacteristic of Louis. At the age of 12, he had never lost the sense of being a Crown Prince since beginning his princely education. He knew how to look at the world through the eyes of a monarch.

He was a child who understood his rights and responsibilities well, so his mistake with Vivian was truly surprising. Despite seeming somewhat contrite about knowing his mistake, Annette placed her hand on top of the Emperor’s hand, which stopped him from saying something.

“It’s fortunate that you recognize your mistake. But it seems neither His Majesty nor I are the ones you should be apologizing to…”

The Emperor, who had been silenced by Annette’s uncharacteristic grip on his hand, nodded.

“The Empress is right. Louis.”

The Emperor called his son. Finally, Louis raised his head to meet their gaze.

“Formally apologize to the Lady Dinever by sending a letter and personally visiting her.”

“I will do so.”

Louis obediently agreed, alternating his gaze between Henry and Annette before hesitating.

“But there’s something I want to ask.”

Henry, who had softened slightly since the beginning, lifted the steaming teacup.

“Why specifically the Lady Dinever?”

There’s mutual benefit in arranged marriages and Louis was asking about that.

“You know the character of Duke Terrence… And recently, large deposits of crystals were found on the Duke of Dinever’s estate. We can exert some control over the increasingly arrogant Mage towers.”

The mountain filled with crystals was said to have been found on the Duke of Dinever’s estate. The high purity and quantity of the stones caused quite a stir among the imperial family and nobility.

While the Duchy of Dinever would never trade the crystals separately to the Mages, it was a marriage of convenience to strengthen the alliance of the Duchy to the Imperial House.

The Mages and the Imperial House had been at odds for quite some time. They were only precariously maintaining peace within the peace treaty.

A crystal stone was essential to magic. The fact that it was found in the pro-imperial Duke of Dinever was quite a sensitive matter.

“I see.”

Louis replied tersely and stood up.

“You’re leaving already without even finishing your tea?”

“Yes, I should apologize as soon as possible.”

Louis replied, bowing and leaving the reception. As the door clicked shut, Annette let out a small sigh.

“Shall we let him go like this?”

Seeing the worry in Annette’s eyes, Henry nodded, as if telling her not to worry, and took a sip of the remaining tea. But Annette still couldn’t shake off her concerned expression.

“He may seem clever, but he’s still young. There are things he’ll learn through trial and error.” Henry remarked.

“I’m worried not only about the Crown Prince but also that Lady Vivian might get hurt.”

“Hmm…” 

At Annette’s words, the Emperor’s expression hardened slightly.

“The Crown Prince has never disappointed us before, so I’m sure he’ll handle this well.”

“…”

The Empress silently watched the Emperor.

“Well then, I shall take my leave now.”

Henry said as he finished his tea and stood up without hesitation. Seeing the Emperor stand, Annette also rose from her chair.

“If you don’t say it, he won’t know.” 

Annette said just as Henry was about to open the door to leave the reception. The Emperor, who had been about to exit, paused at the Empress’ words.

“No matter how much you cherish and trust your son, if you don’t tell him, Louis won’t know.”

Looking at the Empress, who was behaving unusually today, the Emperor turned to face her directly.

“If he doesn’t know, there’s nothing we can do about it. If he’s the kind of child who will be corrupted because he didn’t receive his father’s trust, then he doesn’t deserve to be the Emperor.”

“Your Majesty!”

“You, Empress, shouldn’t coddle him too much either. He’s going to bear the burden of the empire someday, so he needs to be raised strong.”

With those final words, the Emperor turned and left the reception room without a second thought. Annette stood there for a long time, silently staring at the firmly closed door.

***

“My Lady! Aren’t you looking even more adorable than usual today?”

Tia was diligently styling Vivian’s hair. Lately, Vivian had been looking dejected, and since an important guest was coming today, Tia had paid extra attention to her hairstyle.

Satisfied with the completed hairstyle, Tia looked up, only to see Vivian’s disinterested expression reflected in the mirror.

“Who’s coming to visit today?”

Tia tentatively asked, her voice full of curiosity as she observed Vivian.

“I don’t know.”

Vivian replied, absentmindedly fiddling with the hem of her richly adorned dress. She hadn’t heard anything from Daisy either. She had only been told that an important guest was arriving at the house today and that she should prepare. She hadn’t heard anything specific, just that they had to prepare for an important guest today.

With Vivian having fainted recently and classes postponed, she had been spending her days feeling lethargic.

Whether it was a valuable guest or not, Vivian just wanted to stay in her room and read her books.

“Shall we go for a light stroll after I’m done with your hair?”

At Tia’s suggestion, Vivian shook her head. As Vivian moved her head, some of the nearly finished brown hair slipped out of Tia’s hands. Letting out a short sigh at the disheveled hair, Tia spoke.

“The autumn leaves have become so beautifully vibrant, you know. Let’s go pick some pretty leaves and make bookmarks. Okay, My Lady?”

“Bookmarks?”

“Yes. Let’s make them again this year and give them as gifts to the Duke and Duchess.”

Last year, Vivian had picked leaves of various colors from the estate’s grounds and gifted them to her parents. She had decided to do the same this year but had completely forgotten about it until now. Vivian nodded in agreement.

“Alright, let’s go.”

With Vivian’s approval, Tia’s hands moved more quickly.

After the stroll in the garden with Tia and collecting the colorful autumn leaves in a basket, Vivian felt much better as they returned to the manor.

As they were about to head to the library to press the leaves in the thickest book, a butler hurriedly approached them from the end of the corridor.

“My Lady, where have you been?”

The butler seemed out of breath as if he had been searching for her for a long time.

“I was taking a walk in the garden. What’s the matter?” 

At Vivian’s question, the butler answered in a flustered manner.

“You need to come with me quickly. A guest has arrived.”