Chapter 138

Kling leaned back in his chair, smiling bitterly. The glowing sun shining from the back of his head shone and reddened the desk. He felt tired after a long day’s work. As he was almost done, Kling could go back home, but he didn’t feel like it at all.

At the moment he recalled someone’s voice, which tormented him for the past several days.

The voice was neither that of Duke Hubble nor Mrs. Chester, nor Ober. Rather, it was that of his most beloved daughter in the world.

Just recalling her voice made him feel vividly as if she was standing before him with trembling eyes and voice. With a long sigh, he dropped his hand helplessly.

Riding the carriage that Curtis drove hurriedly to the capital, he realized immediately that the time would come soon when he had to tell his daughter everything.

The imperial capital was such a place. It was a city without eternal secrets. It was a place where even compassion and love were the means of power, and it was difficult to distinguish sweet lies from the cold truth.

Anyway, Marianne would now be the new owner of that ferocious castle.

Regardless of the type and purpose of the war, the victory and defeat in all battles depended on good intelligence. Duke Kling was prepared to give any information that would benefit Eckart once he entered the battle. It didn’t even matter if it hurt his honor or power.

Besides good intelligence, he would also spare no efforts to spend his wealth, estates, people and even the remainder of his life to help Eckart. In fact, he had been saving up all this for this very purpose. But there was one thing he didn’t want to sacrifice under any circumstances.

“Please don’t worry too much. Okay? I won’t be hurt. Never. If I think it’s dangerous, I’ll run away immediately.”

What he absolutely wanted to make sure of was his daughter’s safety and her safe and calm daily life. He also promised to guarantee her safety during her life, without any wounds or danger for the rest of her life.

On the very same day when Duke Kling came up to the capital, Marianne vowed before her reunited father that she would never be hurt. He did not believe her entirely. He knew well that it was not true. It was only natural that she would inevitably lose something while standing in the vortex of a strong political strife in central politics.

And Marianne was threatened many times as if she was going to prove his distrust in her words. The snake on the eve of the ball, the accident in Roshan, and even the Adenium pot that she received from Mrs. Chester as her engagement gift were swords pointed at her at the end of the day.

The reason she survived until now was because someone who wanted to harm her didn’t yet want to kill her or she was lucky enough to survive with God’s grace.

Kling raised his body after leaning against the chair.

‘I was too complacent. Fortunately, this time it stopped here…It was too reckless of a trick from the beginning. If things go wrong, is it the same as myself being thrown away to die first?’

He swallowed dry saliva once, closing his lips tight.

‘I haven’t told him yet, but they’re moving faster than expected. I need to hurry up. Mrs. Chester won’t give the same warning twice.’

As far as he knew, Marianne was too good and Mrs. Chester was too wicked and cunning. Simply comparing their temperaments, Marianne could not win the fight.

What if she really falls in love with the emperor…

Duke Kling arose from his seat as if he vowed something.

***

Estelle, Duke Kling’s dead wife a long time ago, was an honest and righteous woman.

When she moved, based on the power of faith and affection, she was more reckless and foolhardy than any courageous knight. She even risked her own safety for what she believed to be right. And Marianne resembled Estelle too much, which always bothered him.

“Sir Edgedio.”

“Yes, sir.”

Edgedio, who was finishing the document to send out to the Public Affairs Bureau, responded quickly.

“Where is Sir Kloud right now?”

“Well. He told me he would stop by the Treasury Department and be back quickly. But as it’s about time to report to the emperor, he might have headed straight to the emperor’s office.”

“Then bring in a servant outside.”

Edgedio stood up, nodding gently.

Even before he left the room, however, the closed door of Kling’s office was opened gently.

“Sir Kloud!”

It was none other than Kloud who came in at the moment. Edgedio welcomed him very much as he came in at the right time.

“Oh, you didn’t go straight to the palace, did you?”

“Well, I was just leave the emperor’s office and came back here. I stopped by because the emperor asked me for additional documents.”

Kloud suddenly stopped walking while passing through the desks with documents piled up like a mountain, and suddenly stopped walking because not only Edgedio but also Duke Kloud were looking at him intensely.

“What’s going on? The atmosphere is a bit strange here…”

Kloud glanced around. He quickly noticed he was the focus of their attention.

“No, there’s nothing special…” Duke Kling said, fumbling his last words and stooping down.

He took out a small key from his pocket and opened the second drawer of the desk.

He hesitated for a moment, and took out what was in the drawer.

“Sir Kloud. Leave the office early today. Since I’m now free after a long time, let me report to the emperor in person this evening.”

He smiled graciously and approached Kloud.

The sunset behind him created a deep backlight along his slender cheeks.

* * *

“What? He is not here?” Cordelli asked with a sad look.

“No, He just went to the palace to give the emperor an evening report…” Kloud replied with a smile. He now looked over Cordelli’s shoulder to stare at Marianne, who was turning her eyes toward him blankly.

“I think I came here at the wrong time.”

“Well, I usually go to report to the emperor, but I couldn’t stop him because it seemed like he wanted to have an exclusive meeting with the emperor. I’m sorry.”

“No, that’s alright. As he is the chief of internal affairs of the palace, I think that’s Duke Kling’s rightful duty. It’s me, not Duke Kling, who did wrong because I came here without any notice.” Marianne shook her head and smiled superficially.

“What should I do? I had them prepare a meal for him at the mansion… Does it take long for him to report to the emperor? Well, they may have a meal together after he is done reporting, because it’s dinner time anyway. You told me he would have an exclusive meeting with the emperor. I think he might have lots of things to say, right?” Cordelli said, with a sigh of regret.

“Well… Maybe or maybe not. ”

Marianne’s reply was a bit surprisingly cold. Cordelli gazed at her with a sullen expression.

Marianne was weak throughout the morning because she wept until the pale morning moon set last night. She stayed in bed until noon. She refused any meal or tea, let alone decorating herself. She just took a deep breath with blank eyes.

But in the afternoon she became fine and felt okay as if nothing had happened to her. She reduced swelling of her eyes with an ice pack as much as possible. She searched for a nice dress and instructed Mrs. Charlotte to prepare a dinner like she did yesterday.

Then she had them prepare a wagon to take her to the Imperial Palace. She felt that her father, even though he was crazily busy, would take time out for her if she made an unexpected visit. But it was Sir Kloud, not Duke Kling, who greeted her and Cordelli.

“Shall we go back?” Cordelli asked cautiously, trying to read her mind.

In her eyes, Marianne’s innocence was like huge bubbles, something like a barrier that would break apart and burst with the slight touch, completely shielding the world from the surroundings. And that’s why no one could dare to touch the bubbles.

All she could do was wait while watching Marianne. As it turned out, she had to go back empty-handed because her plan to meet her father suddenly failed. Cordelli was wondering how to comfort her who must have been very disappointed.

“It’s hard for me to predict when he will be done reporting, but it won’t take long if you wait,” Kloud said in a polite tone, suggesting indirectly to her that she wait until Kling’s return.

But she replied, “Well, I don’t like your suggestion. I don’t want to bother them to satisfy my own desires. Besides, dinner at the mansion is not enough to invite the emperor as a guest.”