The Empress Tames the Tyrant - Chapter 69

The Great Sage and his grandson, staying in the annex of the Imperial Palace’s inner court, quietly packed their belongings. In any case, there was no one in this palace interested in them, nor anyone to hold them back.

“Are you certain you do not need to meet her again?”

“Ray, did you not see for yourself? That child will only try to avoid us by hiding behind her status as Empress.”

The beautiful boy nodded at the Great Sage’s words.

“We have already achieved our purpose. There is no need to listen to that girl’s stories any longer.”

He did not think of Alicia as a human being, neither then nor now. To him, she was like the Lucan proverb: One exists for the sake of the All.

“Ray, you confirmed it clearly, did you not? That the energy of the Fever of Wisdom resides within her.”

“Yes.”

“You are the closest to perfection in our Lucan. To me, you are a blessing.”

The Great Sage stroked the boy’s head. Throughout his long life, Ray was the only person toward whom he showed such a human side.

“Since you have confirmed it, we only need to find a way to obtain her.”

There was nothing left for the Great Sage to do in this palace. Alicia would hide behind the name of the Empress’s palace, and the Emperor would remain as hostile to Lucan as ever.

“Truly, all things in the world move in cycles.”

The Great Sage let out a short, dry laugh and stood up, leaning on his staff.

“It was Duke Nigel and I who made that girl the Empress. Therefore, it is only right that the two of us bring that to an end as well.”

“Yes.”

Ray nodded politely and picked up their meager luggage.

“The next time we come here, it will be to retrieve her.”

The Great Sage narrowed his eyes and wore a peculiar smile. Soon, the carriage sent by Duke Nigel would arrive. He had no more business in this palace. For the time being, at least.

The news that the Great Sage had departed spread quickly, but no one paid it much attention. In fact, Alicia felt much more at ease simply knowing he was no longer in the inner court.

“Agnes, we must be cautious with this.”

“I know. We cannot afford to be careless when dealing with Lucan.”

Alicia nodded. Having reorganized the suspicious conversation between the Great Sage and Ray, the two of them thought of the right person to consult. As the saying goes about the light being darkest under the lamp, he was protected right under the shadow of Blake, the man Cayenne had appointed as Chancellor.

“Will he help us even if I do not step forward personally?”

Currently, Alicia could not budge from the Empress’s palace. If she took even one step out, there was a chance she might not be able to return. Furthermore, letters were also a delicate matter.

“Yes. I have occasionally exchanged greetings with him.”

“I have no memory of him. Is he someone we can trust?”

“If he were not, I would not have mentioned him to you, Your Majesty.”

At Agnes’s reassuring words, Alicia nodded once more.

“Sir Maynard once went so far as to abandon his family name to devote himself to the teachings of Lucan, but now he is the one who doubts Lucan more than anyone.”

Back when she stayed in Lucan with a young Alicia, Maynard was the person she interacted with as a fellow outsider in the blood-thick community of Lucan.

“He left Lucan three years before we did. I only found out after coming to the Imperial Palace that he was under the protection of the House of Tiers.”

“What was his original family?”

“Sir Maynard is currently the only younger brother of the Marquis of Byte.”

“Why did he not return to the House of Byte?”

Agnes remembered that Maynard had shown a very anxious attitude before he disappeared.

“I suspect his safety was at risk. When I last met him in Lucan, something was not right. He was terrified, saying he had discovered something that must never be known.”

“Something that must never be known?”

“Yes. It was immediately after that that he vanished from Lucan.”

The conversation between the Great Sage and Ray reeked of something suspicious. Perhaps Maynard had discovered the truth regarding that.

“As you know, Duke Nigel, who has been leading state affairs until now, is on the same side as the Great Sage of Lucan.”

“I suppose so. Since they conspired to make me the Empress.”

Now Alicia felt she understood why Maynard relied on the House of Tiers. Until recently, the House of Tiers had lost all its power and lived in seclusion, and as Duke Nigel’s political rival, their interests would have aligned.

“The House of Tiers was ousted during the reign of the late Emperor because they were the family of the Empress Dowager. Furthermore, the House of the Marquis of Byte is privately related to the House of Tiers.”

“Right. Then, at least he is not on the side of Duke Nigel or the Great Sage.”

“Yes. Sir Maynard has even hidden himself completely under the identity of the maternal uncle of the Duke of Tiers, who is now the Chancellor.”

“It is certainly suspicious. But he can become our ally.”

Right now, it was necessary to find even one more ally. Just as Cayenne was fighting alone, Alicia wanted to find something she could do to be of even a little help.

“Then I will send the conversation between the Great Sage and his grandson to Sir Maynard to seek his advice.”

“How did you usually contact him?”

“I sent an attendant to exchange letters directly. Of course, using his false identity.”

“We must be careful this time. I feel bad for Howard, but it would be best if the Seneschal went himself.”

Agnes immediately nodded. Howard, the Seneschal of the Empress’s palace, was a man of few words and very reliable.

“I do not know what they are plotting regarding me in Lucan, but I will never let things go according to their wishes.”

Alicia’s blue eyes sparkled coldly. It was a short meeting, but the way the Great Sage looked at her was unpleasant and murky, as if he were looking at an interesting object rather than a person. And the young boy who stood by him also gave off an atmosphere completely detached from this world.

“Agnes, regarding the Great Sage’s grandson. His name was Ray, was it not?”

“Yes.”

“I intentionally did not even look at the boy, but something is bothering me.”

His beautiful features and mysterious violet eyes were so calm and strange that it was hard to believe his youthful appearance.

” I feel the same. I was already planning to ask Sir Maynard about that grandson.”

“Ask what?”

“How old did that boy look to you?”

Alicia tilted her head at the question, unsure of its intent.

“Roughly, mid-teens, I suppose?”

His refined features were clear in her memory, but he left an impression where his age was strangely difficult to pin down.

“Then why do I not know that boy?”

Alicia looked puzzled at the confusing statement.

“Your Majesty, you suffered a high fever and forgot everything about Lucan, but I have not.”

To be precise, she didn’t know the memories before because she had entered Alicia’s body after she became Empress, but that was not what was important now.

“A grandson so cherished that he follows the Great Sage on his journey, and one so striking. I have never seen such a person.”

It had only been about a year since Alicia had her national wedding and left Lucan. It made no sense that Agnes, who remembered everything, would not know a boy in his mid-teens.

“Lucan prioritizes those who carry the blood of the Great Sage, but as far as I know, such a young grandson did not even exist.”

Looking back, Alicia was the daughter of the youngest son the Great Sage had in his later years. In other words, it was strange for a grandson much younger than Alicia to exist.

“That boy stands out to anyone who sees him. If we did not know of him, it is certainly suspicious.”

“We can only hope Sir Maynard has the answer.”

There was no other way for now. At least it was a relief that the Great Sage had left the Imperial Palace. Of course, even if he went to Duke Nigel—the enemy of Cayenne and herself—it was better than him being nearby.

“Then, I will go deliver the letter to the Seneschal at once.”

Alicia waved her hand as if to tell her to go quickly. The murky gaze of the Great Sage, the dissonance of the boy, and the content of their conversation felt eerie and made her anxious.

“Has there ever been such a person in this world before?”

Alicia murmured to herself as she was left alone. No one knew the unbelievable fact that she, who originally lived in another world, had one day become the Alicia of the story, lived ten more years before dying, and then returned to age twenty.

“But he definitely knew something.”

Even though she had never been able to speak of it because her voice would not come out whenever she tried, the Great Sage appeared to know what had happened to her to some extent.

“For now, I have no choice but to trust my people.”

Alicia tried to soothe her anxiety. Fretting alone would only make her depressed. Is there not something more important to do right now?

“Your Majesty, I have successfully delivered it to the Seneschal.”

Just then, Agnes returned and offered a light bow. Seeing her smiling face, it seemed the Seneschal had accepted the mission loyally.

“Then, let us do our work.”

“Yes, what shall we start with?”

Alicia looked into space for a moment without saying anything. Then, her cheeks turned a very slight shade of pink.

“Prepare what is necessary for when His Majesty returns.”

“All the attendants of the Empress’s palace are always prepared. The banquet, the garden maintenance, and…”

“No.”

There was something more important than that.

“I mean, not things like that, I…”

Alicia’s cheeks grew redder as she unintentionally stuttered. There was no way Agnes did not know what she meant.

“Oh, there is a book regarding the national wedding that I forgot to give you.”

“A book? Suddenly?”

“Yes. I will go check on the maids for a moment, so please read it if you are bored.”

A short while later, Agnes returned to the room with a thin book in her hand. It was a book Alicia should have received that day if Cayenne had not left right before the banquet.