The Empress Tames the Tyrant - Chapter 44

Three days passed.

The Emperor remained in his study with an indifferent and aloof expression or swung his sword in the garden. He partook of his meals with a face that showed no appetite, and despite his massive frame, he rarely finished a single plate.

“Madame.”

Miller, the Chief Attendant, whispered softly to Emma as they entered an empty parlor. Emma followed him inside and closed the door.

“Sir Miller, has something happened?” Emma asked with a composed face, as if nothing were amiss.

“Please do not tease me as well, Madame. Serving His Majesty right now is enough to make me suffocate.”

Emma offered a small smile at Miller’s blunt honesty. “What are you talking about? You are the most experienced attendant in the palace. His Majesty has always been like this.”

“Yes, but as you know, things were different this time. He was taking all his meals at the Empress’s Palace, and his stay here was lengthening significantly.”

That had been a welcome change that everyone hoped for. Indeed, Cayenne’s mood had been quite pleasant and generous, making the atmosphere among the servants much warmer.

“However, since His Majesty stopped visiting the Empress’s Palace… the air is stifling in a different way than before.”

Cayenne usually had no interest in palace affairs. Serving him as Emperor was always a tense task, but it was one Miller was accustomed to.

“This morning, even Sir Glenn said he could not bear it any longer.”

Everything had changed over the last three days.

“Is there no way you can help, Madame? If this continues, the servants will all suffocate to death.”

Cayenne would stare blankly into space and sigh, or swing his sword violently as if a fire were raging inside him. At mealtimes, his face would turn cold as he merely picked at his food. The air during every moment was so heavy that everyone felt they were walking on thin ice.

“The role of this old woman is finished. The rest is a matter between the two of them.”

“I know. I know, but…”

“It is not for us to worry about. Instead, we should focus on preparing for winter. The seasons change much faster than people realize.”

Emma showed no signs of impatience. Especially after seeing his robe covered in dirt three nights ago and hearing that a tree branch had broken at the Empress’s Palace, she was perfectly at peace.

“Besides, three days is not a long time only for us.” Her wise eyes smiled at Miller.

“If you say so, then I suppose it will be fine.”

The two had spent most of their lives in the palace and were comrades who had managed the place together while waiting for an Emperor who rarely returned. Thus, he could grasp the meaning behind Emma’s smile. At the very least, it meant this suffocating atmosphere would soon end.

“More importantly, I have a request. May I ask a favor?”

“Of course,” Emma replied with a pleasant smile.

The Empress’s Palace remained peaceful, but the atmosphere was certainly different from usual. The banquets had ceased, and Alicia took simple meals alone in the small parlor as she had before. She often skipped those as well, much to Agnes’s distress.

“There, I’ve finished it all. Happy?”

Alicia pointed to her empty plate, and Agnes smiled. Soon, the young maids took the dishes away and brought tea for two, including a cup for Agnes.

“I have recorded everything you inquired about in this notebook. I also made sure to note the sources. They are all from official texts.”

Alicia nodded at Agnes’s reliable words and flipped through the notebook on the table.

“It is mostly as I expected. According to the dates…”

“It is today, Sunday.”

Alicia bit her lip involuntarily. “Today.”

“Yes.”

For the past three days, Alicia had been busy organizing her thoughts. Perhaps because the branch he used to climb had broken, Cayenne had not returned, which gave her the luxury to re-examine the definitions of this marriage.

“Today…”

Yet, the fact that their marriage remained valid only until today did not quite feel real.

“So, if today passes, the marriage becomes completely null and void?”

It was something she had never even considered in her previous life. Even if she had known then and requested it of Cayenne, he likely would have remained silent rather than endure another tedious wedding ceremony.

“If someone raises an issue after today, the legitimacy of this marriage will require reconsideration.”

Customs were strange things; they did not reveal themselves until they became a problem. Because of that, the Alicia of the past life died as an Empress, but now that everything had changed, she could not gauge the future.

“Does His Majesty know this? No, he must.”

Alicia knew that Cayenne had summoned the Minister of Rites. On the day after the terrible misunderstanding was cleared, Emma had sent word through Agnes.

“To maintain the marriage within the set period, we have to perform the… remaining procedures by today, don’t we?”

Agnes offered a troubled smile as Alicia asked the question she had already confirmed several times. Since hearing from Alicia who the culprit behind the broken branch three days ago was, Agnes had found the situation difficult to grasp.

“Even knowing that, he gave all decision-making power to me.”

Alicia felt a flicker of resentment toward that fact. Choice naturally came with responsibility. But to decide whether to continue this marriage and proceed with the wedding night before they even truly knew each other was too much of a burden.

“It is already three o’clock.”

There was no news from Cayenne.

“And His Majesty has not summoned His Holiness the Pope.”

According to the laws Agnes had researched, the Pope who officiated the wedding had to preside over the prayers before the wedding night and announce the finalization the next morning for it to be recognized. However, it was already three in the afternoon with no news of the Pope’s arrival, so Cayenne’s intention seemed clear.

“Your Majesty, even if a year has passed since the wedding, it does not mean a massive change will occur immediately.”

Agnes spoke earnestly, seeing the dejected look Alicia unconsciously wore.

“Well, that’s true.”

In her previous life, she had lived ten years as an unquestioned Empress only to die a lonely death. Moreover, since their marriage was held as a grand imperial wedding, people wouldn’t start whispering immediately just because a date passed.

“I have no idea what His Majesty is thinking.”

Cayenne had done nothing since stating he would give Alicia all the power. Of course, it wasn’t something to be resentful about. In fact, she should have highly valued the fact that he admitted his ignorance and came to clear the misunderstanding.

“Then, why not ask him yourself?” Agnes suggested softly.

“Me?”

“His Majesty is likely waiting.”

What Alicia needed now was not comfort or a legal interpretation, but a light, warm push on her back.

“Maybe he just forgot because he is busy with official business.” Her voice sounded tart, belying her true feelings.

“No, he is surely waiting. How could the Emperor of the Empire go back on his word?”

The actions of Cayenne, who snapped a sturdy branch on that night of fierce winds, could not have been possible without sincerity. Alicia stared blankly at the broken branch outside the window again. If she wanted to meet and talk, she only needed to send a single word, yet for three days, her blue eyes had looked lonely as she stared at that branch.

“I…”

Alicia began to speak to organize her complex heart, but she stopped when a knock sounded on the parlor door.

“Enter.”

Howard, the Chief Attendant, and the servants following him entered in unison and bowed.

“I greet the Empress with urgent word.”

“What is it?” Agnes asked on her behalf.

Howard smiled and gestured to the servant behind him. A young servant stepped forward politely, carrying a large basket in his arms, and placed it on the table.

“What… is this?”

Alicia stared at the contents filling the basket with a bewildered expression.

“His Imperial Majesty has sent this.”

Indeed, an envelope with the Emperor’s seal was placed in the center of the basket.

“I can see that. What I am asking is…”

Alicia looked at Agnes’s face with a questioning gaze, but Agnes was equally flustered. The basket, which looked like it should have been filled with flowers, was instead filled to the brim with pinecones.

“Is there some meaning to pinecones in the Empire that I am unaware of?”

She asked Howard this time, but he only offered a troubled smile.

“Looking closely, there are acorns too. How cute,” Agnes said, trying to sound as natural as possible. But everyone had to pause for a moment at the sight of the giant basket of pinecones dominating the table.

[To Alicia, with my apologies and gratitude for the past year.]

Even in the letter, which Cayenne had clearly written himself, no meaning for the pinecones could be found. Alicia let out a long breath as she looked at his scribbled signature at the bottom.

“As expected… I have no idea what he’s thinking.”

If there was one thing that hadn’t changed from her past life to now, it was the fact that she could not comprehend Cayenne’s inner thoughts.

Two hours before the confusing gift arrived at the Empress’s Palace, Cayenne had spent the entire morning pacing restlessly before seeking out Emma.

“Forgive me, Sire. Madame Emma has left for personal business today.”

“What for?”

Miller, the Chief Attendant, bowed his head, trying his best to endure the suffocating atmosphere. “She went to the chapel to pray.”

“Suddenly? To the point of leaving her post?”

Cayenne frowned at the rare occurrence. Though there were many head maids in the Emperor’s quarters besides Emma, he felt her absence keenly just when he needed her.

“Madame Emma is deeply devout. She mentioned she was going to pray for her late parents and for a niece who is soon to give birth.”

Since Cayenne himself returned every year to commemorate his mother despite hating the palace, there was nothing more he could say.

“However, if you seek her, Sire, I shall bring her here immediately.”

“No. Do not disturb her. Just summon Glenn instead.”

And so, the combination of these two men from Rubeo became the origin of the giant basket of pinecones.