Published at 21st of November 2020 06:12:41 PM
Chapter 94: 94
When the plan had decided, Evelyn sent a secret letter to the Felice Kingdom . In her letter, Evelyn wrote that she wanted to see her parents as soon as possible, but it wasn’t the time to complain .
Nora was busy preparing Adrian’s personal needs, while Fabian was no different . He was also busy that it was difficult for Evelyn to meet him in person .
“Sir Serus?”
“Princess, I’m here to tell you a few things,” he stated .
When Evelyn gave him a glace, allowing him to speak, Serus took the papers out of his hand and started to pick it carefully one by one .
“First of all, we put great care in the safety of the carriages you will ride on . A large number of escort knights will be stationed to guard your carriages, so you don’t have to worry about the same incident happening again . ” Serus objected to this initially, but Evelyn agreed since she trusted Fabian, who pushed this plan .
“We’re running out of time, so His Majesty will return to the Palace first, riding his horse .
“Yes . ”
Evelyn already predicted that . Fabian must have been preoccupied with handling the raging nobles during his absence .
“His Majesty believes that this will be a huge problem if you get caught . So we’ll use a secret passage to enter the Imperial Palace . To be honest … … we have a lot of confidentiality to keep . So somehow, we have to try it . “
Fabian reassured, considering Evelyn, that he would keep the two of them as secret as possible . But nobody knew how long the secret would last .
“I understand . Because no secret can be kept in the Imperial family . ”
When Evelyn was the Imperial Empress, she was well aware of it . In particular, there was no way to hide a child in the Imperial Palace . Since only the Emperor’s children who could live in the Imperial Palace . So if there was a child who stayed in the Palace, it’s obvious that he was the current Fabian’s child .
Besides, Adrian resembled Fabian very much . The moment his existence was revealed, the secrets would disappear and couldn’t be hidden anymore .
“Your Majesty is worried about the commotion that will ensue after this … I think there will be a lot of disagreement between the council members . ”
“There will be a backlash . ” Evelyn sighed . Even the Empress Dowager, Fabian’s mother, was one of the closest people who bit her . But she could imagine what would happen if divorced Empress brought her child back to the Palace . Nasty rumors would spread . From the gossip about Evelyn to the suspicion of Adrian’s birth
“His Majesty wants to be as quiet as possible . So, Princess, I hope you will act according to your Majesty’s will for a while . ”
In this regard, Evelyn also had the same wish . This secret must be kept as long as possible .
“Okay . Is there anything else?” she asked .
“Oh, there’s one thing . His Majesty…… he had called the Duke and Lady Akshire to the capital . ”
A familiar name came out of Serus’s mouth unexpectedly . But indeed, Fabian didn’t have a favorable impression of Liam . In short terms, he really hated him .
“Why?”
“Well, he needs a nobleman to side with the Princess when her secret is exposed later . ” Explained Serus .
“I know that . I mean… …why is His Majesty?”
Serus was staring at Evelyn in a daze . He expressed by his face that he also didn’t even know why . Suddenly, Evelyn felt like she was the only one who became a fool in here .
“I mean, doesn’t His Majesty hate Duke Akshire?”
“Yes, to be exact, he hated him ve-ry mu-ch . ”
Without a doubt, he was .
“But more than his personal matters, His Majesty put more concern to ‘secure’ the nobleman who would support the Princess . ”
Certainly, it would be the greatest strength for her if the Akshire siblings came to the capital . But it’s hard to believe that Fabian thought such a thing too .
“Isn’t His Majesty really wise?” Serus seemed to have the same opinion about Fabian .
“How did he think that way……it’s out of the ordinary . ” That what she thought, but Evelyn decided to cut the wording . “Thank you for His Majesty’s consideration… Oh, no . ” Evelyn, who accustomed to giving an example, shook her hand .
“Yes?”
“No, it’s nothing . You must be busy, so you can leave now . ”
“Okay . ”
Gladly, Serus was an insensitive person . Then, Evelyn looked out the window with a raging thought . The time for her to see the vast green plains was already over . The Imperial Palace, which she was about to occupy, was a desolate place with no open spaces . It would be a frustrating life, as she had to hide and go out secretly .
“… … Let’s not think about it now . ”
Evelyn shook her head and tied her mind . It was useless to think about whether this choice was right or not . Above all, there was no other choice since Adrian’s life depended on it . Therefore, it was meaningless to think about it .
“It’s the important thing from now on . ” Evelyn pledged . Now that she had returned to the Imperial Palace, her enemy wasn’t just David alone . Everyone except Fabian and the people on her side would turn into enemies and target Adrian . But it was something that couldn’t be avoided . Because that’s the fate that must be faced for the child to be alive .
“I won’t let anyone hurt you . ” Her blue eyes were dyed with determination . “Anyone… … I won’t forgive them . ”
This time, Evelyn wouldn’t be patient anymore . If she had enemies, she would attack them back . If she were criticized, she would punish and humiliate her opponents . Evelyn had the confidence to be a vicious person so that no one dared to looked down on her easily . Now, she had a reason to do that .
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“I am no longer the pathetic and easy-going Empress like before . ” She voiced . Evelyn’s expression reflected in the window glass was fearless . She already experienced the consequences of patience . Her good-life ended in vain at the age of thirty . And it was a meaningless life .
“I have Adrian . ”
But everything had changed now .
“So, no one can stand in my way . ”
There was a tender strength in Evelyn’s voice as she spoke . This life would be different . Everything had to be different for the sake of her lovely being .
The parliament’s atmosphere was different from usual . Duke Metis, who acted as chairman of the day, rose to the podium on behalf of the Emperor who left without being sanctioned .
“Everybody, attention! Today’s chairman, Duke Metis, wants to speak!”
It wasn’t the Palace’s Chief but the Duke’s aide who said that . The nobles chattered among themselves and paid attention to the Duke .
“His Majesty has disappeared for an urgent matter, but the congress can’t just be left alone like this … I’m forced to take this difficult role as the oldest among the Duke . ”
The nobles had to endure laughter at the hypocrisy of Duke Metis, who claimed to be ‘forced’ to take over difficult positions .
Everyone here was well aware of Duke Metis’ intentions . However, they didn’t have the courage or authority to oppose him . Because they all had the same ulterior motive, to pass laws when the Emperor, who had always limited their actions, wasn’t here .
“I’m very concerned about His Majesty’s absence, but there’s an urgent matter, so I will try to resolve it first . ” Duke Metis chatted well without raising a single eye . He didn’t look at the other noblemen at all . He was very arrogant because he felt he had the upper hand . Although Sagan-Duke Metis couldn’t sit on the throne, he currently had the authority to be on the same level as the Emperor .
“Those who oppose speak up now . After that, as a chairman, I can’t stop this congress . ”
The parliament, which had been opened by the chairman’s board, couldn’t be stopped in the middle . It was Imperial law . The nobles only could be wary of him, but no one could stop Duke Metis right now .
“It’s disappointing!” shouted someone from behind .
Duke Metis clearly heard that voice in the silence and raged, “Who dares to talk?”
In this case, the ominous atmosphere and unpleasant premonition couldn’t be wrong .
“I am disappointed that no one has objected . ”
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From the place where the voice was heard, the nobles retreated to either side of the room . This time, it’s no exception . It was him . Fabian looked exhausted after the long walk, but his atmosphere was still powerful .
“Your Majesty!” Duke Metis was startled, but he wasn’t frightened . And that was the evidence of his arrogance .
“If no one against it, then I will . ”
“Will there be any? How can I lead the congress when Your Majesty is already here?”
Once he saw Duke Metis didn’t change his facial expression, Fabian spat and laughed . He felt that his life as Emperor was very hard . After Fabian ran back and forth, the first thing he saw was his uncle-hypocritical-face . Even the hardest thing was that he couldn’t punish or kick him out .
“Yes, Duke is the most loyal to me more than anyone . ” Fabian sneered at him . It was a mockery that contained the truth that was already known by everyone who gathered here .
“If you know, that’s enough . ” Duke Metis, who was retreating politely and calmly, also looked tough . On the contrary, he was currently in a more favorable position . His attitude couldn’t be considered embarrassing at all . And that’s the main reason Fabian hated him .
“Where…… . ” Fabian sat comfortably on his throne as if he wanted to show off in front of the nobles . To tame the wild animals that didn’t know their place, Fabian must continuously tell them who was the strongest .
“Let’s see the loyalty of Duke Metis and his loyal followers . ” A rare smile lingered at Fabian’s lips, where he had almost no expression on his face . That was definitely fear for the nobles .
“I’m glad . Your Majesty came back safely!”
“Everyone’s waiting for Your Majesty!”
Praise for the Emperor was heard shouting to each other in the room . Fabian lifted his chin from the throne . He looked at the ridiculous view before him quietly . Of course, he didn’t forget to glance at Duke Metis, his uncle .
“You will soon find out why I was away . ”
Sagan knitted his eyebrows at that wording . He had sent spies several times to monitor the Emperor’s movement, but he didn’t receive any meaningful reports .
Looking at the skeptical-Duke metis who didn’t believe him, fabian boasted, “For the sake of Empire, I did what only the Emperor could do . ” As Fabian spoke calmly, all the nobles in the room roared for a moment . “It’s a pain in the neck, by the way . ” He added .
“Of course, I believed there must be a reason . ”
Though, until recently, Sagan tended to blame the Emperor for his irresponsible absence . But Fabian immediately settled the controversy first and made the issue non-existent . Duke Metis recalled that Fabian, who was also his nephew, was a quiet-annoying guy .
“But, I can’t put off the congress any longer,” Fabian smirked . “Today, I won’t end this congress until all the past agendas are resolved . ”
That meant no one in this meeting room could go home tonight .
No one knew whether this was his revenge for nobles, or there was another meaning . Anyway, this council wouldn’t be concluded until the Emperor had announced that it was over .
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When the Congress was in full swing, the carriage entered the dark tunnel at night . The underpass that was disguised as a sewer was the entrance to the elaborate-secret passageway .
Guided by Serus, Evelyn was relieved, seeing Adrian slept soundly in Nora’s arms, his maid .
“Come this way . ” Serus led Evelyn and her people carefully . She had to rely on the lamp-light to walk from here .
“The doctor has Sir Philip arrived?” Evelyn asked as she wanted to take care of Adrian’s health first .
“He will arrive soon . He’ll officially come to the Palace . ”
Serus put the hook into the empty wall and turned it . Then the wall opened like a door . Without realized it, Evelyn had passed through the maze and complex passages many times .
“Do you know the existence of a secret chamber in His Majesty’s bedroom?”
“… I’ve heard it before . ”
She believed it was just a historical story since a long time ago . But seeing Serus’s face, it seemed like it wasn’t just a lie . Even for Evelyn, the Empress, Imperial Palace was full of secrets that she didn’t know about .
“It’s literally a hidden chamber downstairs that can only be accessed via a secret staircase from His Majesty’s bedroom . A long time ago, it was a room that was built to hide the Emperor’s mistress . ” Serus said .
“I can stay out of other people’s eyes, then . ”
“Yes… … For a moment . ” Somehow, there was a thorn in Serus’s voice . Evelyn just nodded small as she was ready .
Serus bit his lips before carefully speaking, “Don’t worry . Sir Philip will be here soon . Most importantly, all the nobles are now being held by His Majesty in Congress . ”
“Until late at night?”
“I think His Majesty intends to hold them back until the two of you rest safely . ”
That’s why Fabian spurred his horse faster than usual so that he could get to the Imperial Palace sooner . He couldn’t rest at all, but he still had to work in congress . And Evelyn was grateful for his consideration .
“Princess, this way . ”
Finally, Evelyn stepped into the Chamber of Secrets .