Published at 21st of November 2020 06:13:05 PM
Chapter 71: 71
The great congress soon became an area of dissatisfaction for the nobles, and the conference was quickly dissolved . Duke Metis had a grim look on his face, and he turned away from the people .
“Go back to the official residence . ”
Duke Metis boarded the carriage and ordered it briefly . Initially, the Metis’s estate was far from the capital of the Empire . But taking into account his reputation and honour, he returned that diplomatic estate to the Empire . The Emperor’s attitude, however, had once again trampled on his pride .
“Huh, he’s younger than my sons . ” Duke Metis, who was left alone in the carriage, let out the frustration he had endured all along . “If he’d listened to me at that time, he wouldn’t have suffered a failure, but he’s obsessed with useless stubbornness . ”
From the beginning, the Duke Metis faction opposed a national marriage to the Felice Kingdom . Although Evelyn had a higher status than his daughter, it was difficult for a princess who had grown up freely in the kingdom to adapt to the imperial family . Above all, she had less position within the Empire that might not have been a good picture .
“After being so stubborn and acting like that, he somehow couldn’t come to his senses . ”
Duke Metis kicked his tongue . When he heard the news of the Emperor’s divorce, it seemed like just yesterday that he nodded, saying ‘I knew it’ .
Now that Fabian had realized the truth, he would have been happier if he had taken his daughter as the Empress at that time . Yet it was unexpected that almost two years had passed .
“Welcome, Duke . ” The carriage arrived at his official residence, and the butler opened the door to help him .
Sagan, The Duke of Metis, asked something to the butler . Then the butler spoke to the servant a few words and nodded .
“I’m going to see her right now . ”
Sagan said, and he went to his private room in his residence . The soft smell of tea filled the room with warm autumn sunshine . It smelled like a thick woman’s perfume, too .
“You’re not late today,” Sagan said as he entered the private room . The woman who looked out at the window turned her back . It was the Empress Dowager, Monica, his sister .
“It sounds like I’ve been late before?”
Monica stared at her brother with a sour look on her face . It wasn’t a joy because she was forced to come after staying at the separate southern palace for vacation .
“Well, I’ve already expected Congress today to end early . ”
Though their relationship was awkward, Monica was Fabian’s biological mother . So she knew her son’s temper well .
“That’s why I asked you to persuade him first . ” Sagan looked displeased . His sister, who had served as the Empress and had now become the Empress-mother, was still unreliable .
“You must have seen him today . Do you think he’s a kid who can be persuaded?” she asked .
“But you’re his mother!”
“Sure, I’m her mother, then? I told you that he’s always ignoring my words . ”
First of all, Monica didn’t want to get involved in this conflict . She had a strong knowledge of Fabian’s personality, and she knew his firm meaning when she visited him last time . Monica was promised her position as an Empress anyway, so she was just a woman who wanted to live comfortably .
“What the hell …… that’s not why our father made you an Empress,” said the grey-haired older brother .
“Yes, if there were any choices besides me, our father wouldn’t have chosen me, but I was his only daughter . ”
Sagan was sighing . Seeing Monica’s tantrum, he thought his sister’s rebellious temperament had passed to Fabian .
“You’ve got to think about your family!”
“Then why didn’t you become the Empress?”
Sagan’s eyes were angry, staring at Monica, who smiled calmly . At least his sister, who pretended to be obedient, had become a Mother-Empress . It was a natural order as she was the only mother of the current Emperor .
“Don’t talk nonsense, it’s also your responsibility . ”
“But I did . I went to see my son before that . ”
“Have you met him, so why haven’t you persuaded him?”
Monica frowned . Her frowning eyebrows were almost the same as Fabian, which meant that she was annoying and irritated .
“He won’t listen to me anyway . His Highness has even threatened me that he’s not going to give money to the Southern Palace . ”
“Is money a problem now? Are you a Metis?”
Monica closed her mouth for fear of being scolded by her older brother if she answered honestly . Looking back, the term “Metis” was used as their family-sacred-word since she was a child and lived a very annoying life .
Now her son had become an Emperor, she lived in a different palace, enjoying a free life without problems . But her son’s divorce seemed to be a new problem for her .
“I’ll take Stella to the palace . I’ll tell her to show her face and turn His Majesty’s heart . ”
“I’ve already told him, But His Majesty… . . ”
“He didn’t really reject Stella . ”
Monica thought about it all of a sudden . They just said she was the daughter of Metis . But they never said she was the youngest, Stella .
At first, Fabian’s national marriage candidate was Sagan’s first daughter, Irina . So she was sure that Fabian naturally, would have thought the candidate was Irina .
“I also heard in today’s congress that His Majesty still has feelings for the former Empress . ”
“What?” Monica had a really embarrassing expression this time . “Don’t worry, I know him well because he’s my son, he’s not going to do that . ”
‘But Fabian, whom Monica knew, did it already . ’
“Yeah, there was no such romantic man in the Imperial family . ” Sagan agreed, “Anyway, no matter who becomes the Empress, it’s the same thing . I know from experience . ”
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“Yes . It’s been such a heartless time,” she said .
Seeing her sister saying bitter words, Sagan came up and patted her shoulder, “I know you’ve tried, and everyone in Metis is grateful to you . ”
Still, Monica’s life ended when she became the Empress and gave birth to the Imperial successor . What a trivial and meaningless life, as she ended up spending time in a separate palace .
“Only for this one will I ask you . Next time, I won’t bother you . ”
“…… . Okay, but you have to keep your promises . ”
Sagan smiled back at his sister . Monica suddenly remembered her father, looking at her brother’s face whose hair had already turned grey .
It was just a cold face same like her father, saying, ‘It doesn’t matter what’s happens to my daughter’s life as long as she can become the Empress and give birth to a successor . ’
Fabian was broken at heart . There were no more hawks to send because he had already sent three hawks in a row . An anxious and restless heart was a very strange thing to him .
“Your Majesty, it seems like there was a lot of discontent at the congress today . ”
“So, I’m sure . Any other news?
“The future Empress from the Metis family has already come to the palace residence . ”
“I don’t want to hear about that . Is there anything else?
Serus looked in trouble . No matter how much Fabian asked him back, the answer he wanted wasn’t ready .
“Can’t you send another hawk?”
“Beside three of them, there was no hawk trained in the sky -route from Imperial Palace to the Felice Kingdom… . . ”
“You should have trained many, why did you train only three?”
Serus could only lower his head when he heard those absurd words . Fabian himself selected the three birds and instructed him to train them .
“How long would it take if you ride a horse and run nonstop?”
It was two days, and Fabian already knew the answer .
“If you’re going to run all day and all night, it’ll be possible in a day, but …… your Majesty . ”
“Why ?”
“Aren’t we need to get a reply first before we could send another letter?”
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Surprisingly, Serus gave a flashy answer that made sense . Fabian stared at Serus as if his heart had been stabbed .
“The hawk is supposed to come back now, but they’re not . ”
The atmosphere of the letter was good . It’s been better than all the rest of the years combined . Evelyn was worried about his health . And the warmth was buried in her handwriting as if she was next to him . Then suddenly, she stopped, and Fabian had no choice but to feel broken and behave like a child .
“Your Majesty, may I speak nonsense words?”
“No,” he said .
That was a moment of silence . But Fabian opened his mouth again, “… let’s hear it now . ”
“This is the lesson I’ve got from Lady Akshire . ”
Fabian’s eyebrows were frowning .
“Honestly, I didn’t understand it either, but I remember one thing . I was impressed when Lady Akshire said that all the men of the Empire were heartless and insensitive and that it was much easier to deal with a stone . ”
“What!” asked Fabian absurdly again .
“So … maybe, that’s what the common sense of the people of the south-continent is about us . ”
“What’s common sense?”
“The Empire’s men are heartless and insensitive… . ”
“Stop it! That’s nonsense . ”
This was the first time Fabian heard such a word . Well, all this time, no one was able to say this directly to him . The same was true with Serus, but Rebecca bravely crossed the line . Fabian finally knew the truth, thanks to this .
“I’m not heartless . ” Fabian replied back for no reason, as if making excuses, “Of course, I’m busy . I can’t help because I’m an emperor!”
“Yes . ”
“I’m human . It’s impossible if I have no feelings! Where in the world is such prejudice-filled bullshit coming from?”
“I don’t know . ”
It was a poignant sight if Evelyn and Rebecca saw it . The two men, who looked at each other seriously for a moment and wondered, then sighed almost at the same time .
“What will happen if… that bullshit is heard by Evelyn?” In rare cases, there was worry in Fabian’s eyes .
“I think . . ”
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“Not your opinion . ” Fortunately, Fabian seemed to know that Serus had no idea .
“It’s like dealing with a rock or a wooden block, according to Lady Rebecca . ”
“That’s right… . . then?”
“Well …” Serus tried hard to remember his conversation with Rebecca, “Oh, yes . Lady Rebecca said that breaking up with such a man is the only solution!”
It was great when he actually remembered, but it wasn’t pleasant to say it excitedly . And Serus was too late to notice Fabian’s annoyance .
“Akshire ……” Thankfully, Fabian’s rage was directed at Akshire, not at Serus .
“Did you say that Lady Rebecca is the Duke’s older sister?”
“Yeah, she is, she’s divorced from my brother . ”
“Oh, I remember that . ”
Fabian didn’t like to hear that this woman was on Evelyn’s side . But because Fabian had a smart idea, it wasn’t too bad .
“Yes! Earlier, Duke Akshire was at the Grand Congress . ” Fabian vividly recalled his annoying green eyes .
“He’s going back to Akshire anyway, but can he send her my regards?”
“Ah… I see It’s not a letter, so I think it’s a good idea . ”
“Yes, that’s a great idea . ”
The two men didn’t know it wasn’t possible .
“Call the Duke right now . ”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Serus answered quickly and stepped back .
A moment alone, Fabian nervously tapped the table with his finger, then took the paper and started to write something .
“Even though it’s not related to the letter, it’s still … . ”
His intention was to say hello to her naturally . Yet, at the time of imagining it, Fabian didn’t know it was already unnatural .
“Funny, which part of the Imperial man is heartless, huh?”
Fabian laughed . It’s just a subjective judgment . Just a moment later, he had a quiet, happy smile . Because the fact seemed to prove that no wise emperor could be perfect in anything .