6. That Day in Memory

A meeting was suddenly held at the imperial palace.

Meetings summoning all family heads weren’t frequent, so Enoch boarded the carriage with a somewhat reluctant expression.

‘Is there some trouble?’

His mind was complicated since these only happened when something bad occurred.

The servants guided him immediately upon arriving at the imperial palace, like they had been waiting. But they didn’t lead him to the meeting room.

It was the Emperor’s office.

Standing before the luxurious door, Enoch couldn’t hide his confused face.

“Isn’t this His Majesty the Emperor’s office?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“I came because there was supposed to be a meeting today……”

Before Enoch could finish speaking, the office door opened. The Emperor inside commanded him to enter.

Eventually Enoch had to enter the Emperor’s office without even knowing the proper reason.

“I greet His Majesty the Emperor, the sun of the Empire and the most noble one.”

Enoch immediately knelt on one knee, bowed his head, and greeted the Emperor. The Emperor immediately made him stand up.

“It’s been a while, Marquis Walter.”

The elderly Emperor’s golden hair that once sparkled like the sun had turned white with age. Though pale gold remained, it wasn’t like Sejef, the Princess, or the Crown Prince.

The Emperor smiled kindly and welcomed Enoch. But Enoch’s eyes held some suspicion. The perceptive Emperor chuckled softly and continued speaking.

“I’m sorry about this.”

“Pardon? What do you suddenly mean by that……”

“If I sent an invitation by myself, you’d probably postpone the date with various excuses.”

Enoch finally caught on to the Emperor’s playful tone. The meeting was just a lie to summon him.

The sudden meeting summons had seemed suspicious.

Though irritation surged momentarily, Enoch answered with an indifferent expression without showing it.

“Not at all. How could I dare refuse Your Majesty’s command?”

“Haha, well. You find coming to the imperial palace quite bothersome, don’t you? It’s disappointing.”

It was natural. There had never been a single time he was glad to be summoned to the imperial palace. He always ended up taking on piles of troublesome work and returning.

“I’m truly grateful for what you’ve accomplished.”

“Not at all, Your Majesty.”

“You don’t know how many headaches you’ve solved. If it were up to me, I’d want to mark you as the Princess’s match.”

The Emperor always spoke to Enoch this way. But Enoch knew it was purely for appearances.

The profit-minded Emperor would never pair Enoch with the Princess.

“I heard Princess Bert is staying at your estate. You’re preparing for marriage?”

When the Emperor mentioned Luciella, Enoch clenched his fists tightly.

“……Yes, that’s correct.”

“Unfortunately, that news seems to have reached Bert’s new leader too.”

The Emperor clicked his tongue softly and continued.

“A letter arrived from Bert. A letter requesting the former Princess’s repatriation.”

Enoch’s heart sank with a thud. He had expected a repatriation request would come. But it was faster than he had anticipated.

‘I thought they’d be too busy stabilizing their own country……’

Enoch bit the soft flesh inside his mouth, trying to calm his flustered heart.

“But what would happen if we sent Princess Bert back? She’d obviously be executed. Accepting such a repatriation request would feel like participating in an execution, wouldn’t it?”

“……”

“I did send a reply refusing on humanitarian grounds this time……”

The Emperor trailed off mid-sentence. Brief silence flowed, then he opened his mouth again.

“If Bert takes a hard line, it’ll be quite troublesome for me too.”

Enoch barely held back a hollow laugh. Bert’s new leader daring to persistently send hard-line repatriation requests to the Empire’s Emperor? It was nonsense.

They should be trying to maintain smooth diplomatic relations with the Empire first…….

Enoch could guess why the Emperor was drawing out his words this way. He certainly had another favor to ask. Using Luciella as pretext.

Enoch lowered his head and slowly inhaled. Then he apologized in a calm voice.

“I’m sorry for causing trouble.”

“Not at all, what trouble…… This much is naturally what I should do for you.”

Just how troublesome a task was he planning to dump on him? The preamble was particularly long today.

‘This is why I didn’t want to meet the Emperor alone……’

Cunning old man.

Enoch thought this while grinding his teeth inwardly.

“But…… suspicious points were discovered in Bert Kingdom’s coup.”

The Emperor slowly tapped his desk and opened his mouth.

“Why were large quantities of the Empire’s new weapons discovered there? I certainly never supported the Bert revolutionaries with weapons.”

Sejef flashed through Enoch’s mind then. But he didn’t show it before the Emperor.

‘But if the Emperor also knew nothing……’

Had the Grand Duke acted independently without imperial support?

“That’s not all. Those weren’t weapons that mere Bert revolutionaries would possess. There’s definitely a backer……”

This was something Enoch also knew. However, he hadn’t known the Emperor was also interested in this matter.

“The funding source is in the Empire.”

The Emperor said this while slowly scanning the documents scattered on his desk.

“Except for the imperial family, there’s nowhere else that could support funds and weapons on such a large scale.”

Though his voice was calm, his gaze toward the documents lacked focus. The Emperor was taking his time like he had something important to say.

“Unless the weapons were smuggled in.”

Only then could Enoch vaguely anticipate what the Emperor would request.

“Can you resolve this matter? Then I’ll make sure you never have to worry about Princess Bert’s situation again.”

There was no reason to refuse. Even without the Emperor’s request, this was something Enoch had been steadily investigating.

The old man who only bothered him with annoying matters all the time. There are times when he’s helpful. Satisfied that things seemed to be going well, Enoch raised the corners of his mouth.

“Don’t worry, Your Majesty. I’ll check as quickly as possible.”

“You are indeed the only one I can trust with this, Marquis. I’m always grateful.”

He had never considered weapon smuggling……

Enoch’s expression brightened leaving the Emperor’s office.

‘If Grand Duke Winston really did import large quantities of weapons secretly from the imperial family……’

It was serious enough to charge him with treason.

Slight anticipation came to Enoch. But then a familiar voice reached his ears.

“Marquis Walter?”

Turning his head toward the sound’s source, standing there was Sejef Winston, whom Enoch so despised.

“It’s been a while. What brings you to the imperial palace?”

“I came to briefly have an audience with His Majesty.”

“Haha, His Majesty must have another headache.”

Sejef’s tone seemed strangely mocking. Like reminding Enoch that his current position was that of a dog doing the Emperor’s cleanup work.

Enoch didn’t want to have a long conversation with him. So he deliberately stared at Sejef silently without much response.

Then Sejef smiled meaningfully.

“Is Luciella doing well?”

“Yes, don’t worry.”

When Luciella’s name was mentioned, Enoch answered firmly.

“I sent Luciella a simple letter with greetings, but there was no reply, so I was quite worried.”

Sejef brought up the letter topic like he had been waiting.

“You know she’s busy with marriage preparations. She probably didn’t have time to write a reply. Or forgot. Since it’s not particularly important.”

“Haha, is that so?”

Enoch smiled and tried to leave. But one of Sejef’s remarks caught his ankle.

“Then please take good care of Luciella while she’s at the marquis estate.”

The words were subtle. While she’s at the marquis estate. It was a statement like the marquis estate was temporary lodging.

Enoch stopped walking and looked back at Sejef again.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, what do you think I mean?”

An unreadable smile hung on Sejef’s lips.

Dangerous silence descended between the two men. Then Sejef was the first to speak.

“Well, I can show my generous magnanimity for moderate tasting…… but be careful not to scratch that precious face.”

Sejef whispered to Enoch in a very small, gentle voice. Then he patted his shoulder a couple times and passed by.

“Ha.”

He could tell what the subject of those words was without thinking deeply.

‘How dare he say such nonsense about whom……’

Enoch stood there and quietly glared at Sejef’s retreating figure. He wanted to beat him to a pulp, but he couldn’t.

What did that damned background matter.

Enoch clenched his fists tightly and suppressed his anger.

And on the way back to the estate. Anxiety suddenly rushed over him.

‘But what was the Grand Duke thinking when he said that to me?’

If the Princess marries me, there would be no way to forcibly take her away…….

Was there something else he didn’t know? Anxious, Enoch immediately summoned Zek upon returning to the estate.

What he wanted to ask him was already decided.

* * *

Time passed quickly.

Enoch, whose anxiety had amplified from the incident with Sejef, began pushing marriage preparations even more urgently.

But what was this? Luciella, who had refused marriage until recently, was somehow no longer showing particular resistance. She didn’t ask him to withdraw the proposal saying she didn’t want to marry, nor did she avoid marriage preparations with an indifferent attitude.

When he showed her the wedding ring, when the completed wedding dress arrived, when trying on the wedding shoes, she accepted everything with a different face than before.

Watching Luciella, Enoch could feel relieved momentarily. But that didn’t mean his complicated feelings improved.

Sitting in his office, Enoch was sighing while clutching his innocent head.

“Ha……”

‘Then all the reasons she told me to cancel the marriage and that it would harm me……’

Was it all because of infertility?

Otherwise, there was no reason for her to suddenly become favorable after that day.

When he applied the puzzle piece of infertility to Luciella’s frustrating behavior, the situation fit perfectly. He felt pathetic for thinking she avoided him because of his origins.