I Wasn't Trying to Seduce with the Male Lead - Episode 52

The Emperor stood on the high balcony above the main entrance of the Count of Calabria’s residence, looking down.

Though the people inside the mansion seemed unaware, the square beyond the fence was abuzz.

The sight of the Imperial Guard, a spectacle rarely seen by civilians, was moving, their golden armor shining brilliantly.

While the Imperial Guard was considered a step below the Empire’s most elite knight orders that led the charge in battle, they held symbolic significance. To oppose them was to betray the imperial family.

If the Duchess’s knights were to openly block them, then the great House of Floyd would be branded as traitors.

“Your Majesty. The Guard is almost ready to enter.”

Zeppelin’s voice, reporting the status, was tinged with tension. This was natural, as the situation was on a razor’s edge, one that could change the course of the Empire’s history.

But the Emperor was expressionless. He believed he had already given them more than enough opportunities.

“As soon as they’re ready, begin the search of the residence.”

It was just as the Emperor gave his calm command. A commotion was heard from the room he was in, and then the door opened.

“Your Majesty!”

It was the Duchess.

“Have you finally found a reason to see me?”

The Emperor’s voice was indifferent and cold.

“Many nobles are gathered here. I came to tell you first, so that an unnecessary commotion doesn’t tarnish your dignity.”

It was a sight to behold—the one who had refused to communicate came running in a panic when the situation turned against her. The Emperor didn’t feel the need to listen and didn’t even turn around.

The Duchess spoke again.

“Eleanor Mariche is not in this residence right now.”

The Emperor snorted and furrowed his brow.

“Are you telling me a flimsy lie?”

“I would never dare to lie to Your Majesty.”

“The Guard will find out if that’s true or not. A loyal noble of the Empire wouldn’t stop the Guard from entering.”

He said it sarcastically, and the Duchess’s purple eyes wavered slightly.

“You’ll only be wasting your precious time, Your Majesty.”

The stubborn tone made the Emperor’s brow twitch. When he turned to face her, the Duchess’s eyes were provocative, as if daring him to try.

‘Though they grew through vulgar commerce, without the Empire’s protection, they would be nothing but mere merchants.’

While the power of their wealth was immense, the size of the House of Floyd’s private army was not significant. He wanted to turn the banquet upside down and show his power, but her confident demeanor made him think she might be telling the truth about her leaving the residence.

‘No need to stir up a hornet’s nest.’

As the Duchess had said, too many nobles were gathered there. If he couldn’t find Eleanor, it would be seen as an unprovoked act, putting him at a disadvantage.

“Where did she go?”

The Duchess didn’t answer the Emperor’s question. However, if she had sent Eleanor somewhere for protection, there was only one place she would have gone.

“To the Duchy, then.”

The Duchess’s expression flinched. The Emperor immediately turned to Zeppelin.

“Stop the Guard’s entry. We will head to La Floyd immediately.”

At the Emperor’s command, Zeppelin turned pale and bowed his head. As the Emperor was about to leave the room, the Duchess blocked his way.

“If I prevent the Imperial Guard from entering this residence, I would be forsaking you, Your Majesty.”

The Duchess’s face was completely pale, with only her purple eyes and the area around them tinged with red.

“However, if the Guard enters La Floyd, then you will be forsaking me, Your Majesty.”

Her words were quiet but carried weight.

“Does your Duchy forbid even the imperial family from entering?”

“As a Duke loyal to the Empire and a vassal of the imperial family, a visit from Your Majesty is nothing but an honor.”

‘Now you’re finally being reasonable.’

Even for an autonomous region, no Duchy in the Empire’s history had ever barred the Emperor.

The moment the Emperor raised his chin, the Duchess continued.

“However, I will not allow any knight order not affiliated with the House of Floyd to enter my Duchy.”

“Are you forbidding the Imperial Guard from entering La Floyd?”

“Yes, I am.”

The air in the room rippled. Those who were enjoying themselves in the garden also seemed to sense the ominous atmosphere and were looking up at the balcony.

The Emperor stared at the Duchess without a single blink.

“For me to trust the loyalty of the House of Floyd, I must confirm with my own eyes that Eleanor Mariche, who is guilty of treason, is not in your Duchy.”

The La Floyd Duchy was an estate that included a fortress, mountains, lakes, and numerous cottages, not just the mansion itself. It was absolutely impossible for anyone, let alone the Emperor, to search for a single person alone. The Emperor’s words were a pressure to let the Guard in.

“Are you going to disobey my command?”

While most were swept up in the boisterous banquet, there would be those who were paying attention to the Emperor’s movements. Even if not now, this conversation would surely spread through the mouths of maids or guards.

“La Floyd is the pride and honor of the House of Floyd, passed down through generations, to be invaded by no one. No one, without the permission of me, Christi Floyd, the current Duke and head of the family, can enter La Floyd.”

The Duchess did not back down and instead declared it loudly. The flames illuminating the night cast shadows on her face, highlighting her resolve.

The Emperor was not fazed by her public defiance. He had found a loophole in the Duchess’s words.

“You said you wouldn’t allow any knight order to enter. Your statement must also apply to the Behind Knights.”

There was a slight pause, but the Duchess answered without hesitation.

“Although it is my son’s knight order, the Behind Knights inherited the legacy of Calabria. I will never allow their entry, either.”

This was a self-inflicted trap. Without the Behind Knights, the Floyd Knight Order would not be able to stop the Imperial Guard.

“Rooting out a traitor is paramount to the dignity of the imperial family. I am going in to find her.”

The Emperor gave his final ultimatum. It would be the first time in the Empire’s history that the Emperor’s army would enter a Duchy.

The Duchess’s mouth twisted in a grimace, facing a great stain on her family’s name.

“What will you do if Eleanor Mariche is not in La Floyd?”

The Duchess’s voice was filled with emotion.

“If you find her, punish me as a traitor who dared to lie to the Emperor.”

The air itself grew cold with the Duchess’s fierce demeanor. She declared in a booming voice,

“But if you do not find her, everyone who dared to enter La Floyd without my permission will not be forgiven.”

The Emperor flinched slightly at her ferocity. No matter what, he could not lose his moral high ground.

“Can you swear that the woman is not in La Floyd?”

A moment of silence passed.

“Try to find her if you can.”

She said she wasn’t lying but refused to swear. If he took his time and searched slowly, she would surely reveal herself in La Floyd. No matter what trick she used, she couldn’t escape the place she belonged to.

“We are heading to La Floyd.”

The Emperor’s voice was muffled, coming through clenched teeth.

“I will capture that woman and return today.”

[You must not fail.]

A voice echoed chaotically in her mind.

[You have only 30 minutes. By any means necessary, meet Lian and confirm the imprint.]

Those were the last words she heard. After that, Eleanor chanted the spell and was immediately enveloped in a brilliant white light that seemed to swallow her whole.

She closed her eyes in surprise, but the blinding light that felt as if it would steal her sight made her unable to think. The shaking continued like an airplane in turbulence, and her ears went numb.

Just as she was about to feel nauseous from the dizzying speed.

Eleanor finally felt the light dissipate.

‘Did I… move?’

Her senses were strange, and the feeling of unease made her afraid. But there was no time to delay, so Eleanor gathered her courage and opened her eyes.

‘This is…’

An astonishing sight unfolded before her.

Barricades and tall watchtowers everywhere. Between them, cast-iron torches, trebuchets, and barracks. The cozy, elegant ducal castle she had been in just moments ago was nowhere to be found.

‘Looks like I came to the right place.’

By all accounts, this was undoubtedly a corner of Basel’s encampment, her destination.

Eleanor hid in the shadows and first looked around.

‘It’s a lot bigger than I thought.’

Even though it was a small city, the encampment was wide and large enough to house tens of thousands of soldiers.

Even if it were small, she couldn’t possibly run around and check every barrack. She didn’t even know if Lian was here.

There was so much to do, even if he were right in front of her.

There was no time to hesitate.

‘Even if I get caught, I’ll be back in 30 minutes anyway…’

She had no choice but to take the risk and check as quickly as possible.

Eleanor looked around and found a watchtower. Since it wasn’t wartime, the center of the encampment seemed to be unguarded and empty.

‘I’ll go there.’

Having an idea, Eleanor immediately started to run. She quickly climbed the watchtower, took a deep breath, and tensed her stomach.

“Count of Calabriiiiiiiiiia!”

Eleanor’s voice echoed loudly throughout the camp.

As befitting a well-trained Imperial Knight Order, lights went up everywhere, and knights began to gather in an instant.

“Intruder! Get her!”

“Where? Is that a woman’s voice?”

“How did she get into the watchtower?!”

The confused shouts of knights and soldiers who had been suddenly breached in the middle of the night could be heard. Eleanor, using the advantage of high ground, shouted even louder.

“Count of Calabria! Please, come out! I’m here! Count!”

After causing a commotion for about 3 minutes, Eleanor was caught by the knights and dragged to the central barrack. She had hoped, but as expected, Lian wasn’t personally on night watch.

The knight in charge of the duty muttered in a daze as he saw Eleanor being dragged in.

“Ha. How did you even get in here?”

Other knights sitting nearby also sighed in exhausted voices.

“As if being hounded all evening wasn’t enough, now they’re storming the encampment.”

“I know he’s handsome, but why are there so many women who risk their lives just to see his face!”

Thanks to her shouting Lian’s name, they seemed to have mistaken her for a village girl who came to see him.

Her dignity was in shambles, but she was greatly relieved. From the conversation, it seemed Lian was here.

“Hey, miss. Could you lift your head…”

The approaching knight didn’t finish his sentence.

“What? What’s wrong?”

As he stood frozen with his mouth agape, other knights came closer, saw Eleanor, and made the exact same expression.

“No, a girl this pretty, why would she, what?”

They muttered blankly, then seemed to regain their senses. The knight in charge awkwardly cleared his throat and began to lecture her.

“You look like a young lady from a high-class family; what are you doing? Please go back at once.”

“I absolutely must meet the Count of Calabria. Please contact him for me.”

“Don’t talk nonsense!”

“I know the Count, I am…”

Seeing the knights’ incredulous expressions, Eleanor bit her lip.

“My name is Eleanor Mariche.”

As soon as they heard that, the knights’ expressions changed completely.

“You’re…?”

The knight in charge, who had been snorting, narrowed his eyes and looked at Eleanor closely. As a member of the Imperial Knight Order who had come from the capital, he seemed to know about the scandal that had shaken Felicity.

“It’s true. There’s no time for this. Please, quickly, the Count…”

Eleanor, who had been pleading, stopped speaking.

A commotion had suddenly started outside the barrack where she was.

A certain intuition made Eleanor get up from the floor abruptly.

“Eleanor?”

Her heart pounded at the familiar voice.

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