Chapter 42

42. Rosaline Harper

Judging by the beads of sweat on his brow and the spurs on the heels of his shoes, Callion had only just arrived at the manor.

Adelaide replied calmly.

“I went to the temple.”

“I was worried that something had happened to you because when I asked around, no one knew where you had gone.”

“Oh, it wasn’t far, so I thought I’d go quietly… Did you come looking for me?”

Without any guards, and not even realizing how dangerous it could be.

The scolding about what could have happened if something had gone wrong was on the tip of his tongue.

“It’s dangerous, don’t wander around alone.”

“Don’t worry. No one in the capital can touch me.”

Callion sighed at the answer, for who would dare to touch the Emperor’s mistress and the wife of the Duke of Tiflis, no matter how high their position is?

“Still, next time, be sure to take Lucid with you.”

“I will.”

Although it would be too conspicuous to have a bodyguard with her, accompanying the duchess would ensure safety.

Adelaide nodded slightly, then asked.

“And where have you been, my lord?”

“I… I met someone.”

He trailed off. Adelaida smiled teasingly and urged him to continue,

“Who?”

“I met Duke Lephisto.”

“Oh.”

The answer came out of Adelaide’s mouth like a gasp, and for some reason, she smiled strangely.

“Well done.”

If Callion were to ask anyone for updates after his long absence from the capital, it would be the Duke of Lephisto.

As a prominent noble, he would have a lot of information, and since he was Lucid’s father, contacting him would be easy. There was no better person to consult with.

Though knowing and understanding are always two different things.

Adelaide hid her agitation, hoping it was due to her meeting with Shayla Lephisto earlier.

“Did you get the information you wanted?”

“It wasn’t much, but it was useful.”

Sensing this was going to be a long story, Callion led her back to the parlor. Once they were alone, he spoke.

“It seems that the emperor doesn’t get along well with the high-ranking nobles. He has completely turned his back on Duke Lephisto.”

“Isn’t the Duke of Lephisto the chairman of the Imperial Council?”

“The emperor has dismissed the Duke of Lephisto and installed the Marquis of Flanders in his place.”

“What?”

As the Emperor’s advisory body, the Imperial Council is the most important institution in the Empire.

Composed of twenty key figures from various fields, the Imperial Council not only managed the affairs of the Empire but also had the authority to appoint and remove the Emperor and Empress. Among them, the position of the chairman of the council was appointed by carefully considering one’s rank, power, wealth, age, and contribution to the Empire. It was not a position to be taken lightly, and it was unimaginable for a viscount in his early thirties like Marquis Flanders to hold such a position.

“Even the Emperor can’t interfere in the selection of the Chairman Imperial Council, can he?”

“I’ve heard that the emperor has enlisted some of the council members and is pushing hard.”

“Elkius must be in a hurry.”

If someone like Elkius, who was extremely cautious, was willing to cause friction, it was evidence that there was considerable resistance among the nobility.

“And there’s one more thing I heard…”

Callion hesitated, then spoke with difficulty.

“It seems that the emperor has a woman.”

“……A woman?”

Adelaide’s eyes widened.

“That can’t be…… no.”

Unconvinced. Adelaide retracted her hasty conclusion.

Since meeting Elkius at sixteen, Adelaide had been his only woman.

Before meeting her and after, Elkius had never caused any scandals, nor had he brought any women to public events.

So Adelaide never suspected him of having a woman. But just because she didn’t know, didn’t mean it didn’t exist.

“Adele.”

Adelaide looked up at the cautious call. He didn’t look happy to see her, and she knew he misunderstood.

“Who is she?”

“They said she was a maid at the Emperor’s palace, Rosaline Harper, or something like that.”

“If it’s Rosaline Harper, then…… was the maid of the Duke of Roxus…….”

Adelaide thought hard. She had seen Rosaline Harper a few times when she came and went from Duke Roxus’s estate.

She remembers being unpleasantly surprised when the maid gave her a sour stare every time we crossed paths, but she can’t believe she’s Elkius’ secret lover…….

Is she the reason Elkius hasn’t married yet?

Adelaide thought the reason Elkius didn’t marry was because of her.

Not because he loved her, but because it would make it harder for him to manipulate her father.

In retrospect, this is ridiculous.

For an emperor like Elkius, strategic marriages with powerful families were essential. Like other noble marriages, strategic marriages were an efficient means of stabilizing power.

But Elkius had repeatedly postponed marriage despite the urging of his advisers. If the reason was because of that woman, everything made sense.

“I can’t be sure, I barely know any information about her and…….”

“No. It seems likely. It must be true.”

Adelaide said with conviction.

“Every time I visited Duke Roxus, she was always there. Whether it was in the drawing room or his room, she always followed Elkius around, saying she was attending to him…”

“She could have been spying.”

Adelaide laughed bitterly at Callion’s comment.

Maybe it was because of her that Elkius hadn’t touched her.

“I’ll check it out.”

“How are you going to confirm it?”

“If the maid is really Elkius’s lover, maybe we can use that to get him in trouble.”

“It’s not a pretty story, but it’s not uncommon for emperors to have concubines, and that’s not going to put the emperor in a bad position…….”

“What if two men were interested in the same woman?”

Callion’s eyes widened as he realized the implications of that statement. Adelaide nodded slowly.

“The woman is the Duke Roxus’s mistress.”

⚜ ⚜ ⚜ ⚜

“Elki.”

A cold hand wrapped around his neck. Rosaline’s hands dug into his shirt. Elkius, who was checking a report, grabbed her wrist, stopping her.

“Not now. I’ll play with you later.”

“What’s keeping you so busy?”

“The pesky things are here, and I need to get ready.”

“Do you have to prepare because of that woman?”

Rosaline said pointedly. Elkius put down the report and turned, his piercing eyes damp with moisture. Elkius wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into his lap.

“Don’t be like that. You know it’s not true.”

“I don’t need to. Let go. I know, she’s younger and prettier than me.”

“Who cares if she’s younger and prettier, she’s not Rosaline Harper.”

Elkius whispered sweetly, nibbling painfully on Rosaline’s earlobe. Oh, how she squealed, her nails scraping painfully across his thigh.

It was an obvious ploy, but Elkius laughed nonetheless.

He buried his head in the scented nape of her neck and sank his teeth into it.

“Don’t, I’m not in the mood.”

“Who was the person who was pestering me just a moment ago?”

“If she comes anyway, I’ll be pushed to the background again.”

“Who said that? No.”

“Lies. I don’t believe you.”

Rosaline, her eyes glazed over, rose to her feet in defiance. Elkius raised one corner of his mouth.

“Are you that unsure of yourself?”

“I’m not unsure, I’m just-“

Rosaline trailed off and looked at Elkius. The man was smiling slowly. He smiled lazily, like a man everyone admired. Then all the anger disappeared.

Elkius gestures for her to speak. Rosaline crouched at her feet and curled up in his lap.

“I don’t like the idea of you having someone special besides me.”

“You’re the only woman who’s special to me.”

“Then can you throw away that picture of her on your locket?”

No wonder she had been so petulant these past few days.

Elkius pulled the locket out of the drawer.

“Do as you wish. Throw it away or burn it.”

Since there were dozens of identical lockets, disposing of one wouldn’t matter.

Rosaline took the locket, smiled, threw her arms around his neck, and kissed him. Elkius, who had accepted it graciously, looked up first.

“What?”

“Stop it. If you continue, I won’t be able to resist.”

“So what if you can’t resist?”

Elkius pushed Rosaline away from him and sat back down at his desk, her lips pouting as she wrapped her legs around him.

Elkius smirked at the languid way she looked up at him like a well-behaved cat and picked up the report.

It detailed the movements of Callion Tiflis. It was enough to show how busy he was. Not that it would pay off.

He needs an excuse to catch him in the act.

Since he was a cunning fellow, he wouldn’t easily step into a trap.

The easiest way to do that is through Adelaide Cornwall. …….

Elkius’s gaze traveled to the locket he had given to Rosaline. Noticing the stare, Rosaline asked sharply.

“When will she come?”

“In three days.”

“Can I be there when she meets her?”

“Do you think that’s possible?”

“…I was just asking.”

Elkius seemed to be infinitely generous, but he wouldn’t let her cross the line.

She was the only woman who could accommodate him, but she would never obtain a formal position higher than a maid.

“I’ll wait for you in your room.”

She barely swallowed her disappointment.