Chaise a la Reine

“No, you cannot.”

As if there was no room for reconsideration, a short and decisive type of answer fell over his bowed head. Eugène was taken aback by the unexpected answer and involuntarily looked up. 

“… Your Majesty?”

“You have been so distracted by chaotic matters that you are forgetting something really important. Do you think We can actually grant that request?”

When he was returned with not only an unexpected refusal but also criticism for being pathetic, Eugène could not understand the situation and was puzzled for a moment.

“What is that supposed to mean?” 

“Do you truly not know?”

“No, Your Majesty.”

Eugène was flustered and reflected on what he was thinking wrong, but It was difficult to guess what the Emperor had in mind when he said such a thing.

“It is unlike you to be this frustrating. Let Us give you an example. We asked you about the suspect earlier, did We not? But if others were asked the same question, what would they say?”

It was only after the Emperor kindly explained to him that Eugène realized what mistake he had made. After realizing what he was missing out on, he lowered his gaze as if he was ashamed and answered in a low voice.

“… Most people would point at me.”

He replied and smiled wryly at his stupidity.

It was as the Emperor pointed out. Since he was completely innocent, he didn’t think of it that way, but from an objective point of view, he was the prime suspect in Louise Dumont’s attempted murder. In other people’s eyes, who could be more suspicious than her former husband who was divorced and suddenly lost his job because of his wife’s adultery? 

Most people were unaware of the existence of a fetus in her womb, let alone what was truly in Eugène’s heart. If the other courtiers were asked the same question as he had been asked, they would have pointed at him with as much confidence as Eugène, who had pointed at Grand Duchess Alienor.

“Even though you realized it late, it is still a relief.”

“I apologize, Your Majesty. I did not think it through.”

Though his deep empathy prevented him from analyzing the situation objectively, that didn’t mean his brain had stopped working. Eugène, after learning why he was not qualified, simply stepped back and withdrew his request. This was not a problem to be resolved by stubbornness. Even the Emperor could be framed for covering up the truth in order to protect Eugène. 

“You are indeed… a difficult person to understand.”

The Emperor tilted his head to one side and muttered after seeing Eugène being truly discouraged at the thought that he would not be able to help his former wife with his own strength. He was observing Eugène in amusement as if he were the most novel animal he had ever seen.

“Personally, We think it is foolish, but risking your life for a past love is understandable. There are people in the world who insist on romance in unexpected places, and a stiff soldier like you may think the weight of loyalty is heavier than the weight of life. But to go this far for the sake of your former wife, who only humiliated you? It is hard to understand you regarding this. It is a noble act, but it is not honest. Do you not think your actions are extremely hypocritical?”

The Emperor, as always, expressed his doubts in a not only straightforward but also goading manner. Hypocrisy. At the expression of the Emperor, which was insulting but difficult to refute, Eugène smiled bitterly and lowered his gaze. 

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

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“Why do you act like that when you know? Is there any special reason for doing so?”

“Must there be any special reason? It is simply that I felt like I should.” 

“Is that what you thought? Why?”

“I am not sure. I do not exactly know why. But there is no doubt that I still feel a sense of responsibility for her”

“Do you still feel responsible for the woman who caused you so much disgrace, betrayed you, and even left you?”

“… There is no need to be so harsh, Your Majesty. I remember what she did.” 

Despite knowing that all of her actions were not purely arbitrary, the Emperor’s question was as intense as an interrogation. Eugène, hurt by his tenacious questioning, looked at the Emperor with a more hardened face than before.

There was no anger in his eyes toward the Emperor, but instead, the gleam of calm reproach took its place. Are we not responsible, both of us? Who is to blame for her current situation? Eugène asked with his eyes. Even though he knew exactly who he was facing, he wasn’t afraid to ask questions.

“… This is the only thing We disapprove of you.”

That straight, strong gaze was not something that even the Emperor could easily overlook. The Emperor, who had been receiving that gaze for a while without avoiding it, rested his chin with one hand, and suddenly let out a deep sigh. 

“Even though you are normally fine, when something like this happens, you stand upright as if it does not matter if you end up breaking in the process. Again, you are mistaking your priorities. The first person you should value is not your former wife, but the one to whom you swore allegiance. And your devotion is for Us and Us alone. We are not generous enough to be willing to share what is Ours with others.”

The Emperor, in his most natural manner, declared that everything of Eugène belonged to him. He wasn’t as overbearing as he used to be, but his attitude was intentionally much more gentle, speaking very clearly and softly as if he were teaching a naive child the natural truth of the world.

Eugène couldn’t figure out what to answer when he heard this. It was true that he swore allegiance to the Emperor, but the depth of devotion the Emperor demanded was far beyond what he had initially expected.

“What in the world does Your Majesty desire from me?” 

To the Emperor who casually demanded more devotion than can be expected between a sovereign and liege, Eugène asked a question as he felt like he couldn’t take it anymore. The Emperor looked at his liege, who could not understand what he meant and smiled softly.

“Did We not tell you already? If you risked your life for a past lover, give Us something more. It is you, not Us, who should think about what that could be. You have chosen the wrong person to ask the question.”

The Emperor said with an extremely patronizing attitude. There was an unmistakable vigor subtly flowing under his demeanor, like the master of the world who accomplished everything he said. Eugène felt excessively overwhelmed as he looked at the Emperor who seemed to rule over his existence.

In a good or bad sense, Eugène had never met anyone like the Emperor. It would be quite terrifying if there were two people like this in the world. 

This man will somehow leave his name in history.

Eugène thought as more of a lamentation than admiration, and quietly held back a sigh.

“If you understood what We just said, you would have guessed what We want. We will take care of the investigation, so you should stay completely out of this. Because if you do not, then you, who has nothing to do with it, may be doused with the muddy water too.”

The Emperor, who had been talking up to that point, suddenly raised the corners of his mouth as something came to his mind, looked down at Eugène, and added a few words. 

“Just in case you do not know, We shall warn you in advance. If you risk your own safety by hasty meddling, then you should fear Our wrath more than the ones behind the scenes.”

The Emperor threatened with a gentle smile and signaled for him to leave if he had finished everything he wanted to say. Eugène looked at the Emperor for a while, and finally, bowed his head and stepped back after being unable to find anything to say.

The Emperor’s standpoint, as concerned about his safety as much as restraining him, was subtle enough that he could not easily get the hang of it. However, what was truly subtle was not the Emperor’s last words, but his previous declaration.

Eugène was genuinely troubled by the fact that he did not know how to interpret that declaration, which even showed a blatant desire for monopoly. He went back to his room, wondering if the Emperor’s other vassals, such as Baron Bouilhet or Victor Adelphe, would also require such a relentless and one-sided devotion. 

Even though he thought about it over and over again, the Emperor’s favor was too extreme and spontaneous to risk a person’s life. The life required of him was nothing more than a perilous tightrope walk. Wasn’t it a life where he offered everything of his to the Emperor and live at the expense of doing so? For Eugène, who had always been responsible for his own safety, such a deal seemed extremely unfair and dangerous.

But now there was no way back. Whether he liked it or not, he was already on the rope and the one and only audience sat across from him and never took his eyes off him.

***

Despite the Emperor’s warning, Eugène did not cut off contact with Louise at once. 

It was too cruel to leave Louise, who did not know the reason, without any explanation. Now that she knew that he was the only one she could trust, he had no intention of disturbing her with his irresponsible behavior.

He went on another unauthorized short night trip, and while Louise was away, he left a letter explaining the general situation on her desk and quietly disappeared.

After a while, a letter flew to him from Baron Dumont’s private residence. When he opened the letter in curiosity, he found out that it was from none other than Louise. It was difficult to guess from the outside that the letter was from Louise, thanks to the tactful way it had been sent, which had been sealed twice; sent to her family residence first, and then decorated as if the letter was sent to him from her family residence.

She must have gained a lot of energy to showcase such wits. He opened it as soon as he discovered that the letter was from Louise, and as he expected, Louise’s letter was much brighter and more hopeful than before. 

The letter that began with, ‘To my friend whom I will always love and respect. Thank you for your letter’, disclosed her personal circumstances in detail.

She still hadn’t figured out who could do ‘such an insensitive thing’ to him, and the condition of the spots was only getting worse. So, instead of the pearl powder, she became interested in a new kind of powder that could consistently cover the color of the skin. She was ashamed that she didn’t seem to be adjusting properly to life in the imperial court. She was still writing replies for Countess Patrí every night…

Eugène noticed that her friendly letter was, in fact, an expression of her feelings that could not be expressed anywhere else. As she had confessed before, she really had no one to open her heart to.

[Finally, I have some good news for you. As always, your advice was right this time. Not long ago, I felt a small movement. The movement is so faint that it would be inconceivable if I had not been walking around constantly, but I could definitely feel it. I do not know how many prayers of gratitude I prayed that day. It seemed that the grace of St. Regire was with me, so I was extremely happy. I want to share this overwhelming joy with you as well, so I am sending you a letter without hesitation. If it is you, who is so generous, I am sure you will be delighted with this news.] 

Her letter ended with such a paragraph. Eugène was surprised that the child in her womb was still alive, but as she had hoped, he was certainly delighted. Even for Louise herself and the Emperor, the child had to be alive.

It was not a political necessity, but it was a precious existence in that it was a life already conceived. Eugène regretted not being able to tell Louise that he was really happy with the news. If she knew that not only herself but also others would welcome it, her current loneliness would be filled even a little.

As explained in the letter he left behind, he was unable to contact Louise for the time being. Since if he makes a mistake, as the Emperor pointed out, there was a high possibility that he as well as Louise would get in trouble.

The Emperor had assured Eugène that he would investigate the matter, and he had no doubt about that. For the Emperor, Louise’s life and death were important issues that had to be given special attention. If the Emperor has come forward himself, he will do more than what Eugène would have if he had gone out on his own. Eugène believed in the Emperor’s abilities thoroughly, if nothing else. 

The problem was that there was nothing else for him to do once the matter concerning Louise was dealt with. The Emperor, who was still busy with his affairs with Kayediv, neglected Eugène, and Eugène, who had no specific position, was nothing more than a wastrel fooling around at the court unless the Emperor called him.

Having always lived on a tight schedule, he didn’t know how to spend the leisure time that suddenly began to overflow. Even the transcription that he had been doing to kill time was finished not long ago, and when he delivered it to Professor Bouthiaux through a messenger, there was nothing left in his hands.

All he did these days was to go to the imperial palace’s library and pick out books he had been wanting to read for a long time. From the state-of-the-art studies close by to the handwritten manuscripts of the old kingdom, the imperial palace’s library, where the collections of the Ardi imperial family have been preserved for hundreds of years, had a very good list of books, both qualitatively and quantitatively. Eugène borrowed and read from the rich collection of books to his heart’s content and took advantage of his uncontrollable time.

That day too, Eugène was on his way to the library to return the book he had borrowed the day before yesterday. However, as he passed the hallway, he could see that the door of the annex lounge, which was normally closed, was wide open. 

Some people passing through the hallway couldn’t pass by and looked inside the open door. Eugène felt doubtful and approached them. It wasn’t just that he was driven by curiosity since he had to pass by that door anyway.

“Lyke as a ship that through the ocean wyde

By conduct of some star doth make her way,

Wheneas a storme hath dimd her trusty guyde,  

Out of her course cloth wander far astray.”

After walking a few steps, a musical voice echoing through the hallway reached his ears. As if led by the sound, he looked inside and saw a man leaning by the fireplace in the lounge reading a sonnet in a rich and dramatic voice comparable to that of a professional actor.

Around the man reciting the sonnet, ladies in gorgeous silk dresses sat huddled together and watched the man with stars in their eyes.

“So I whose star, that wont with her bright ray, 

Me to direct, with cloudes is overcast,

Doe wander now in darknesse and dismay,

Through hidden perils round about me plast.”

All the faces of the people gathered in the lounge were familiar. The ladies, who naturally occupied long chairs and posed as hostesses, were the Countess of Shirell and Viscountess Despan, who were companions of Marquise Lamott. 

There are three or four more ladies who are usually close to them sitting on the chairs arranged in a circle around the fireplace, and the identity of the young man reciting the sonnet for the ladies around him was Count d’Estuaire.

… Count d’Estuaire?

Eugène, knowing that he had a close relationship with Marquise Merlin, couldn’t help but feel confused by the sight in front of him.

“Till then I wander carefull comfortlesse, 

In secret sorrow and sad pensivenesse.”

Count d’Estuaire seemed to know exactly how to use his charming voice. His voice, flowing through the rhyme, was as mellow as a song, yet he sounded sincere as if he were facing the woman he truly loved.