Chapter 36

36. Elkius Isulandt

Elkius Isulandt, Emperor of the Isulandt Empire, swept a hand through his silver hair.

He brushed the hair out of his eyes and crumpled the paper in his hand. It contained the news that Callion had safely completed the tribute exchange.

“They stayed for five days and then returned…?”

Elkius muttered darkly and burned the paper. Black ash whipped through the air. He clutched the candle in his palm and gritted his teeth.

‘What happened? ’

He thought he had laid the trap perfectly.

The slave auction hadn’t turned into a big deal, judging by the fact that Helenia’s envoys had left after five days.

‘He’s lucky. No, I guess he’s good at it.’

Elkius clenched his reddened palm.

Since the last message about Adelaide mysteriously collapsing and all the spies he had planted around Tiflis Castle being driven out, there has been no news from within the castle.

‘She couldn’t have eaten the Tolaka fruit, could she? ’

The thought flashed through his mind.

Surely, then, she wouldn’t be alive.

The lack of movement from the Earl of Cornwall’s side suggests that Adelaide’s well-being has not been compromised.

Speculation followed speculation, but nothing could be certain.

Castle Tiflis is so heavily guarded that it’s hard to get anyone inside.

Adele should have been able to make contact; is she severely ill?

Elkius furrowed his brow in thought.

Perhaps he should have replied. He had received dozens of letters and never replied. Perhaps she had grown tired of it.

It’s a price to pay for loving the Emperor of the Empire.

He can’t help but feel sorry for her, having forced her into an unwanted marriage under the pretext of making her an empress in the future and then hiding her in the countryside for over a year, but I suppose a kiss on the lips and a whisper of love would do the trick.

He didn’t think Adelaide would betray him.

It had been more than five years since he’d met Adelaide Cornwall. Taming a young, naive sixteen-year-old girl was easier than taming a dog.

After all those years of whispering heartless love and making her look steadfastly at him, she’d never dream of another man.

Not even Callion, that woodsman.

Nevertheless, it’s time to give her some candy.

After gathering his thoughts, Elkius summoned his servant.

“Tell Earl Cornwall to come to the palace immediately.”

⚜ ⚜ ⚜ ⚜

That afternoon, Arnold Cornwall entered the palace. It had been two months since his last appearance.

“You have called for me.”

“Please, have a seat, Earl.”

Elkius greeted Earl Cornwall warmly.

The Earl of Cornwall, who hadn’t looked forward to the Emperor’s summons since they’d argued so bitterly at their last meeting, finally relaxed.

“What brings an unworthy person like me here?”

His words held a prickly edge. Elkius’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

Arrogant old man. He made a commoner a nobleman, and he doesn’t even know his place.

Despite the provocation, Elkius casually offered a high-quality pipe from an elegant box.

“A few days ago, Count Owens brought me a good pipe. It reminded me of you, Earl.”

It was a tobacco pipe that was hard to come by in the Empire. Cornwall looked at the pipe and asked.

“Why are you giving me a gift from the Count of Owens?”

“Doesn’t the Earl like tobacco? I don’t smoke much, and it’s better for someone who needs it to have it.”

At first, it sounded like he was handing over something he didn’t need, but the quick-thinking Earl of Cornwall realized it was a conciliatory gesture from Elkius.

Since their last meeting, the Emperor has kept the Owenses close. They had been on good terms before, but their friendship seemed to have deepened since the Earl of Cornwall’s quarrel with Elkius.

Everyone thought that Cornwall had been abandoned by the Emperor. Cornwall himself thought so too. But that thought was now overturned right in front of his eyes.

Everyone assumed that the Earl of Cornwall had been abandoned by the Emperor. Even the Earl of Cornwall himself thought so, until he was proven wrong.

By giving himself a gift from Count Owens, he is tacitly signaling that he is closer to them than they are to him. Elkius had finally recognized his worth.

The Earl of Cornwall supported the box with both hands and bowed his head.

“I will gratefully accept it, Your Majesty.”

“I hope you put it to good use.”

Elkius laughed softly.

“By the way, have you heard from your daughter?”

…As expected.

The Earl of Cornwall flashed a smile of conversion. As long as he had Adelaide, Elkius would not be able to keep his hands off him.

“We haven’t spoken since she went down to Tiflis. Haven’t you contacted her?”

“I did. But since a few days ago, no letters have come, which is why I am asking you right now.”

“Are you saying you lost contact with Adele? ”

“Well, no. I heard she was ill, but I haven’t heard from her since, and I wonder if it’s anything serious.”

Elkius gave the Earl of Cornwall a worried look.

“She’s a frail child, even if she is…….”

The reaction seemed to confirm that there really had been no contact. Elkius subtly stoked his anxiety.

“I’m afraid the climate in Tiflis isn’t good, so she might have fallen seriously ill. There are probably no good doctors in such a remote area, so I’m worried if she’s getting proper treatment.”

The Earl of Cornwall cupped his face in his hands.

“How lonely that little girl must be all alone in a place where she has no one to turn to…….”

“It’s all because of my incompetence. Speaking of which, how would you like me to call her to the capital?”

“What?”

“It’s been a year since Adele went to Tiflis, I’m sure she misses you, and I think it would be better for her health if she stayed in the capital.”

Elkius pulled a locket necklace from his pocket. A portrait of Adelaide was embedded in the locket.

“Of course, I miss her too.”

Elkius muttered bitterly as he put the locket back in.

“I just don’t know if she’ll agree. She’s too responsible, and she might refuse to come back until things are underway.”

“Well, she’s a spoiled brat, that one.”

“Perhaps the Earl should try to contact Adele, for I too would send word to Duke Tiflis, but it is not the first time he has disregarded my orders.”

“I will do as you say, Your Majesty.”

The Earl of Cornwall, his fists balled, nodded.

“I will issue an imperial decree tomorrow, and I hope your message reaches him before mine.”

“I understand.”

“You may go.”

Elkius leant back in his chair after sending away the Earl of Cornwall.

Fooling an old man like that was easy.

To be fooled by mere words without knowing he’s being played like a puppet.

“Are you going to call that woman?”

Elkius chuckled at the sudden sound of a woman’s voice and turned his head. A woman with red hair had emerged from behind a bookcase.

“……Rose, how long have you been there?”

“Since before the Earl came. I’m disappointed if you didn’t know, Elki.”

“How could I not have known? The rose smells so strong.”

The woman’s lips drew up, and she straddled Elkius’s lap, her sharp jawline brushing his, and she wrapped her arms around his neck and licked his lips. Elkius covered her lips with his hand.

“You smell like roses, Rose.”

“Why? Afraid of being caught by that woman?”

“It’s not even night yet, but I feel like I won’t be able to work if you provoke me already.”

“Still lying.”

Rose, Rosaline Harper, smiled bewitchingly.

She had been a maid in the House of Roxus before Elkius became Emperor, and she was the unofficial concubine of the Emperor.

Rosaline obediently raised her head, took out the locket from Elkius’s pocket, and threw it on the floor.

“No, Rose. Pick it up.”

“No. Why do you have it?”

“Because it’s useful.”

“More than me?”

“No way.”

Elkius, his piercing eyes narrowing, pulled the back of Rosaline’s head and kissed her. Spiky rose vines wrapped around the emperor.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜ ⚜

Adelaide took the letter in front of her and sat down on the terrace that overlooked the training grounds. As she watched the Callion train, she opened the envelope, and dried petals fell out.

Adelaide picked up the scattered petals, fearing the breeze would blow them away.

“What a cute guy.”

Adelaide smiled as she read the letter from Siegfried.

The letter was simple. He had returned to the kingdom safely, received a scolding from his mother, and thanks to Adelaide, he had been able to stay with the king comfortably. It was a brief message of greetings, reassuring her not to worry.

The thought of Siegfried scribbling down the letter in his crooked handwriting made her chuckle.

“What’s so amusing?”

Callion’s voice suddenly sounded.

She wondered when the man from the training ground had gotten here.

Adelaide briefly glanced at the soldiers training and then turned to answer.

“It’s a letter from the Eighth Prince. Would you like to read it?”

“No thank you; I’m not so ill-mannered as to read someone else’s love letter.”

Callion, who had settled into the chair across from her, said it in a playful tone.

“It’s not a love letter, it’s from Zeke…….”

Adelaide’s mouth dropped open as a smile spread across her face.

“Stop teasing me.”

Adelaide grumbled, her cheeks puffy, and held out another letter.

“What’s this one about?”

“It’s from the Second Prince.”

The Second Prince’s letter contained a brief message from the king congratulating them on the successful tribute exchange, the state of the kingdom, and his personal payment for the tribute, along with a checkbook.

“I said I didn’t need the money.”

“Keep it. You can pay it back later.”

“If the debt is big, the compensation you have to return will be big too.”

“Don’t worry about it. If they send a checkbook, that means things are going well.”

Adelaide spoke confidently with a determined face.