Chapter 2 – Part 8

After work, as usual, Leonard visited Tenere’s bedroom.

Tenere welcomed him with a familiar smile. The sight of her gentle smile seemed to ease the tension in his heart.

“I heard you had an embroidery gathering today.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Tenere occasionally held gatherings in the Empress’s private palace, where she managed and hosted meetings with like-minded individuals. About five or six people, regardless of rank, regularly gathered to share their common interests.

Two wives, a young noble, and two young ladies. One of the young ladies was not yet engaged.

“Your Majesty.”

“Yes.”

Leonard answered with a smile. Even without passionate love, being with someone who made you feel comfortable when together was enough.

Without any special conversation, it was not awkward, and in times of difficulty, they could share the burden.

Even with her mother gone, Tenere was his wife and the only family Leonard had.

“I heard there was talk again today about an heir.”

Upon hearing the words, Leonard paused. It wasn’t exactly something she wanted to know, but it wasn’t something she couldn’t hear if she had ears to hear.

“You don’t have to worry about that, by the way…….”

“Your Majesty.”

Trying to change the topic, Tenere grabbed his arm. Lips that were tightly closed slowly moved.

“You’ll have to bring in a concubine.”

It was not what he wanted to hear. Especially not from the Empress.

“Who said such things to you?”

“It’s not unusual for stories from political meetings to reach me.”

Tenere said cuttingly. It was not a false statement, but it was not a pleasant story.

“If I bear a child through a concubine, your position will become complicated.”

It was understandable that they would want to push their daughter as the Emperor’s concubine

If the Empress could not bear a child and eventually the Emperor had a child through the concubine, he knew that they might take the opportunity to drag the Empress down and install the concubine in her place.

Even if she remained the Empress to the end, there was no guarantee that if the concubine’s child were to ascend the throne, he would treat the Empress, who was not his biological mother, well.

However, Tenere shook her head.

“That’s not important.”

“It is important.”

“Isn’t it more important than continuing the imperial bloodline?”

Leonard felt a persistent discomfort in Tenere’s consistently calm voice. His clenched hand was visibly disturbing.

But he had never once hardened his face in front of Tenere.

“I’ll consider it if you bring in a consort first.”

It was a casually thrown remark. Tenere was planning to insist that it was nonsense and that it would be the same if she refused.

It was also her intention to see if there was someone he liked among the unmarried women she met at the embroidery club.

But Tenere didn’t react with anger, only looking at him calmly. She just smiled as she always did.

“It seems I spoke out of turn.”

“Just wait a little longer,” Leonard quickly justified himself, but Tenere didn’t react. She simply turned her gaze away. For some reason, he felt uneasy about it.

“I know you’ve had a long day, so get some sleep. I’ve prepared a sachet to help you sleep.”

On the bedside table lay a sachet of herbs. It looked like something they’d made together while embroidering.

Leonhard stroked the delicately scented sachet.

“Empress.”

Tenere turned to look at him again. Leonard stretched out his hand. He cupped her rosy cheeks.

Pale purple eyes closed slowly. Tenere never refused Leonard.

For some reason, Leonard felt a strange relief at that fact.

***

It was several months later that Eric requested an audience with the empress

When Tenere refused to meet Marquis Evan, he abruptly descended on the estate.

Eric, now in charge of the manor’s affairs in his father’s stead, often visited Tenere and brought her news of their father.

The Marquis seemed secluded in the territory, not meeting other nobles, including Viscount Landerck

Eric would grumble, saying he couldn’t understand what his father was thinking.

Still, from Tenere’s perspective, it was much more comfortable as there was no chance of the Marquis coming to the palace.

Tenere met Eric without any issues, as she had for the past few months. However, today his expression was extremely dark.

“You don’t look well, brother. Is something bothering you?”

Tenere asked with concern. Eric remained silent.

“Brother…”

“Father is acting strangely.”

At the sudden statement, Tenere was puzzled and widened her eyes. Eric tapped the table with his fingertips, lifting his gaze.

“Father is gathering military forces in the territory.”

“What?”

Tenere asked in surprise. Eric, looking perplexed, rubbed his face a few times.

“I don’t know why… damn it. Considering that you don’t know anything about it, it’s probably not for a noble reason.”

Before expanding the military, one needed permission from the imperial court. If it was an authorized conscription, even Tenere, the empress, would have been informed. However, she had never heard such words.

A sense of foreboding chilled her spine instantly.

No way. Though she thought it wouldn’t be true, the grip on the edge of her dress tightened involuntarily.

“I don’t understand.”

“It seems like he’s gone mad.”

Eric said cynically.

“Why would father need military forces in the estate? It’s not like monsters are appearing as before, or there’s a territorial war. Or…”

Both of them avoided saying the words that lingered unspoken.

I hope it’s a ridiculous accusation, and she wants to believe it’s not, but it’s obvious why he’s gathering an army without the imperial family’s knowledge.

“I’ll tell His Majesty.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to meet Father first? There might be some other reason…”

Eric couldn’t finish his sentence. It was because of Tenere’s expression. In her forced smile, there was no trace of anticipation.

“There’s no way my father would listen to me.”

“…”

“He will soon find out anyway, so it’s better to tell him in advance. If, by any chance, Father is really gathering the military for malicious purposes…”

It was an unwanted assumption. Tenere swallowed hard.

“He should receive proper punishment.”

The voice was firm. Uncomfortable but unyielding.

If the Marquis was really plotting treason, he wouldn’t be the only one to bear the guilt.

The price of treason was death. The ringleader would be executed, and his property confiscated, leaving his family in disgrace.

Even if Tenere could somehow shift the blame away from her father, the stigma of having a traitor as a father would never be erased.

* * *

After Eric left, Tenere went to Leonard’s study.

She didn’t hesitate to tell him what she had heard from her brother.

Leonard remained silent for a long time.

“…Is it true?”

“It seems my brother was checking the finances of the estate and found something suspicious.”

Tenere lowered her eyes. Fortunately, she was relieved that Eric had informed her promptly.

Even if her father had impure intentions, it wouldn’t cause significant harm to the imperial court.

“Do you know what that means?”

Tenere nodded slowly. While she might not have known in the days when she was just a noble, living as the empress for several years, she couldn’t be unaware of it.

Leonard opened his mouth heavily.

“He has never received official permission for conscription. However, we can’t conclude that it’s treason because there are many flaws in that assumption.”

It was a clumsy move, detectable by Eric, who was part of the estate.

If he had moved secretly, it might have been considered suspicious. But seeing that he didn’t even make an effort to hide it, perhaps there was some urgent situation in the estate.

But Tenere didn’t nod.

“My father has been acting strangely recently. According to my brother’s words, he seemed to have lost a lot of his judgment lately. He even raised his hand to me…”

She spoke up to that point and glanced at Leonard.

She didn’t want to bring up such a story. However, it was necessary to explain about her father.

When Leonard’s eyebrows formed a thin wrinkle.

“He raised his hand on you?”

“Brother stopped him, so nothing serious happened. But he’s a man of modesty outside of the palace, no matter how angry he is, so I was surprised that he would act like that in the palace…….”

Tenere stiffened and regretted her words a little. But she couldn’t take back the words she’d already said.

“He did such a thing, and why hasn’t it been…?”

“Why did you endure it until now…?”

As Leonard’s tone rose, Tenere was startled and shrank her body.

At that moment, Leonard closed his mouth. His chest rose and fell heavily along with the deep breath he took.

“…I will investigate first.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Even if what you fear is true, I will do my best to minimize the damage to you and your brother”

Barely suppressing his voice, Leonard spoke as if comforting Tenere. She nodded.
***

It didn’t take long for Ludwig Evan to be executed. It was revealed that he had gathered military forces in the territory to plot treason.

Dragged by the soldiers, he stood in front of the emperor, shouting in a mad manner, blaming why the emperor didn’t honor him like a loyal subject even though his daughter had taken her as an empress.

“My daughter served the Empress Dowager like a mother, so why doesn’t the Emperor serve me with the same fervor?”

“A woman born from lowly blood was treated as an empress, while I, who gave birth to and raised her, should bow down and beg for mercy”

“I vowed to fast and lash the Empress for three days for not recognizing her father”

The story he shouted without knowing who he resented and what he wanted was incomprehensible, and the faces of those who watched were distorted.

‘He’s gone mad.’

“That wench will surely run away like her mother. A woman who knows neither grace nor motherhood, who abandoned her own child and ran away……!”

Leonard grimaced, raising his hand. It was the moment when the guards tried to gag him.

“Execute him.”

The severed head rolled on the ground. There was no need for courtesy for a traitor’s death.