Chapter 141

Given that she hated Cassius in her bones, it was never strange that she could think of using the crown prince to revive the ruined empire of Lennox.

However, Blair already sensed his suspicion and ridiculed it, saying, “Don’t waste your breath. If I actually tried to rebel, why would I leak my plan to you? You’re Cassius’s trusted advisor and a prominent nobleman in Aslan. I’ve never thought that your sense of guilt would overcome your solid loyalty to the emperor.”

“… ”

“Duke, the Romanov family has already been exterminated. I’m not thinking such a mean idea of breaking Aslan to revive Lennox. Although I hate this land ruled by Cassius so much, I have nowhere to return…”

She murmured as if she was completely resigned to the hopeless situation surrounding her.

“Besides, the people of Lennox were only recently freed from the war. Perhaps they could have settled down and found new homes and workplaces by now. I don’t want to make them suffer again because of my own greed.”

“…”

“Lenox was destroyed, I was dumb, and other members of the Romanov family were foolish. What is going to change even if I blame it?” Blair asked, smiling faintly. It was kind of the self-mocking smile of a woman who had already suffered too much self-hatred.

“I just… I just don’t want to lose even my son Eckart.”

Her blue eyes looked sad when she confessed to him finally.

***

Blair recalled the face of the crown prince who was only four years old. As if to prove that he shared his ancestor Frei’s bloodline, he had vivid golden hair. With his blue eyes resembling hers, he used to jump into her arms with his sparkling eyes.

On the day she ended up living like a corpse in the palace and reopened the doors, she called in the prince after a long time. Of course, she did not expect any great or touching reunion. Rather she was afraid he might cry and run away, feeling that she was strange because he was forced to stay away from her for a long time.

But Eckart did not cry. He repeatedly looked back at the door again and again for fear the door would be closed again, and presented her with a garden flower he hid behind his back.

“Mom, I missed you.”

“…”

“Can I come again tomorrow?”

“Of course, Karl.”

“Wow, I’m so glad…”

” …?”

“Because you remember my name, Mom…”

Blair cried for a very long time that day. The world around her shone with sorrow. It was the pain that she could not bear without crying because her whole life was focused on this child who she could not help but love and her husband Cassius who she had no choice but to curse.

“Although he has Cassius’s blood, he is still my son, the legitimate successor of the Romanov family. I can’t compare my son with that dirty illegitimate son.”

Duke Kling stared at Blair with a gloomy expression. He sensed the disgrace and bitterness contained in her words. Her cold frozen eyes were the crystal of sorrow that no one could comfort.

“Yes. I don’t want to hand Lennox over to them. If that land falls into their hands, that’s going to be a dagger with which they will point at Eckart’s neck all the time.”

“…”

“You know that, right? Lennox is the most important land among several annexed lands. You will never know how many treasures and great history were hidden there, or how many people were left behind during the war. Only I know that.”

“Your Majesty.”

“But look, I can’t even hand over the land I was born and grew up with my son. I can’t go there in person and touch one clump of grass or a flower even though I’m the only survivor of the Romanov family and Aslan’s most respected empress…”

Blair trembled as if she had been stabbed by a spear. Her eyes, which were sorrowful for a while, gleamed like daggers.

“Duke, are you really sorry for me? Did you really not know his ruthless plot?”

The end of her dress wet with rainwater left a wet trail along with her steps. Blair walked straight and stopped in front of Duke Kling who knelt before her.

“Then please defend the land completely on my behalf by using all means. Even if you are blamed for being disloyal to the emperor or even if you are subject to many peoples’ jealousy and suspicion, you have to defend Lennox.”

She raised him up with her cold hands. And she took off the three Kimmel rings which were put on the ring finger of her left hand. When she opened her both hands, there appeared her sapphire ring shining blue as if her blue eyes had been pulled into it.

“If Eckart successfully takes the throne after Cassius, give it back to me.”

Blair put the two other Kimmel rings back on her ring finger with the middle ring missing.

The Kimmel rings looked fine despite the disappearance of the middle ring, the core of the three, just like her who was still sticking it out, as if nothing had happened, when she had part of her life completely torn away.

“This is a sign of promise between you and me. Although you can assume our meeting tonight never happened, someday you may have a chance to make excuses…”

Duke Kling did not receive the ring readily, though.

Few people understood her tragedy with this vast land. Among them, he was the one with the greatest sense of guilt. Though all the people regarded her order as harsh, he could not show disobedience to her at this moment, and he should not.

But as soon as he received the ring, he would stay with a secret that he would hide for a long, long time. Perseverance would be as long as death, and its fruit would never be sweet.

As she knew it very well, Blair was ordering him to atone for his sins by keeping the promise.

“… Your Majesty. I will obey your order by all means. I swear solemnly in the name of our Lord.”

At that moment, Estelle blocked him.

She took Blair’s ring in lieu of him and put it directly back into his hand.

Blair turned back after a short silence. She tightened the heavy cloak wet with rain.

“I wish you good luck wherever you go, Your Majesty,” she said.

Estelle handed Blair the hat and gloves she had taken off. Blair’s green eyes were wet with tears as if she sensed that perhaps this was the last chance Estelle could confirm her true eyes.

“… Estelle, I hope everything goes well with the delivery.”

Blair whispered her wishes. Her eyes mixed with longing, regret and slight resentment were hidden under her black veil.

Soon, the shadow disappeared into the dark rain.

The only thing she left behind was a blue jewel ring that was as clear as her sharp eyes.

Nobody knew where the ring disappeared and never recovered it even until the day of Empress Blair’s death.

And twenty years later, Kling was the only one who knew that the ring was not lost but kept by somebody, who was the lord of Lennox hidden in the shadow of the north, the selfish bystander during the previous emperor’s reign.

He was the only one who waited a long time until now, enduring the undue injustice.

* * *

Soon after Marianne nodded, Kloud led her to the parlor deep inside the main palace.

“Please wait here, and I will come back to you as soon as dinner is ready.”

“Sure.”

“Would you like to have tea in the meantime?”

“No, it’s fine. By the way…”

Marianne looked around slowly, supported by Cordelli. Her lace skirt which was as soft like a petals spread around and swelled. After she circled once, she could get a good glimpse of the room.

“Can I take a look around here?” Marianne asked a bit shyly.

Although she asked the same thing when she was in Ober’s room in the past, her reason this time was different. At that time, her main purpose was to gather information about him, and now it was her pure curiosity.

“It’s my first time seeing this room. Awesome.”

Kloud smiled lovingly at her honest request.

Because of her father’s overprotection, Marianne was not exposed to the capital as she didn’t have a chance to come to the capital like the daughters of other noble families. After returning to Milan this spring, she had little opportunity to look around the palace.

When she and Eckart devised a plan, she used mainly his study, and she didn’t often come to the palace as she was conscious of the suspicious eyes of those around her. That’s why she usually spent more time outside the palace, such as the Elior Mansion or Roshan’s great temple or a wagon on the road.

“This room is used as the parlor when the emperor meets his friends or acquaintances. The atmosphere is a bit different from the main reception room on the outside of the main palace.

It’s a bit more simple but it still has an elegant atmosphere.”