Chapter 70
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Olivia took out the jewelry and fastened it in her hair. The diamonds reflected off her golden hair, shining like jewels of gold.
Not long after arriving at Duke Klaus's residence, she had her hair dyed. From the moment she entered the Duke's residence, she had intended to abandon the disguise of Laila and prepare to reclaim her true identity.
Duke Klaus tenderly stroked her hair and ears.
"It suits you perfectly. Just as I imagined."
"Thank you, Grandfather."
Olivia said sincerely. More than the beautiful ornament itself, it was the deep love he had felt the day he bought it and the long-held, enduring longing that touched her heart most deeply.
"How delighted your mother would have been to see this..."
"I'll be able to see her soon."
"Yes."
Duke Klaus said in a tearful voice.
Adelheid was buried in the imperial family crypt. He had been utterly unwilling to part with his daughter's remains, but it had been unavoidable. Because of this, he rarely visited her grave.
But now, things would change.
How delighted his daughter would be. The young maid had brilliantly executed the scheme devised in her final moments, saving this child's life. Having returned, grown so splendidly, she would surely be happy, even from beyond the grave.
He would protect his only granddaughter at all costs. Duke Klaus vowed silently, stroking Olivia's hand. He would place this child upon the imperial throne and behead every last Schwaben to ensure her safety.
Knock knock knock.
Then came three knocks.
"What is it?"
When Duke Klaus asked, the butler answered in a respectful voice.
"Count Lutgard has arrived."
"Show him in."
The Duke said, clearing his throat.
The House of Lutgard was Olivia's benefactor. The late Count Lutgard had sacrificed his honor and endured disgrace to protect her, raising her so well. He had treated her like his own daughter, he had heard. This wasn't just from Olivia's own words; what Ferdinand had learned confirmed it. There were even rumors that he loved his foster daughter so much he abandoned his own son.
Theodore was that heir, so the Duke owed him a debt of gratitude too. He could easily have harbored resentment over his mother's fate, yet he swore loyalty to Olivia instead—all the more reason to be grateful.
Therefore, it was right to welcome him in a more familial atmosphere rather than making him wait in a formal reception room. Since he had grown up with Olivia since childhood, one could say they were like siblings.
Yet, strangely, an uneasy feeling kept surfacing.
Soon, the butler escorted Theodore into the living room. As the tall, handsome young man entered, his presence seemed to fill the spacious room.
"Good day, Your Grace.”
"Welcome."
"Please sit. I am unworthy to receive Your Grace with proper courtesy."
"Don't stand."
Theodore and Olivia simultaneously stopped Duke Klaus, who was about to rise. Getting up and sitting down again wasn't easy, so the Duke chuckled and ultimately remained seated, merely extending his hand.
Theodore took it and shook it lightly. His gaze shifted toward Olivia.
"Did the princess also sleep well last night?"
“I’m always fine.”
Olivia seemed awkward, brushing her hair back behind her ear and slightly averting her gaze. Theodore’s eyes swept over her earlobe and hair. It seemed like he was looking at her jewelry, but strangely, that gaze made Duke Klaus feel uneasy.
“Hmm.”
Though his demeanor was perfectly proper, the Duke himself knew why he felt this way.
‘With our Via being this beautiful, it’s no wonder men are enchanted. Ferdinand too.’
But Olivia was still young. And getting seriously entangled with some man would bring nothing good. She would marry someday and bear an heir, but that could wait until after she had enjoyed life and achieved her goals.
Before that, she could enjoy a light-hearted romance with someone who wouldn't get in the way. Count Lutgard or Count Zeppelin—they were both men who would bring too much trouble along with them for that. Duke Klaus genuinely believed this.
Soon, the butler brought fresh teacups. Olivia picked up the teapot resting on the table and refilled Theodore’s cup.
Duke Klaus asked, as if testing him for no reason.
"Come to think of it, when do you plan to hold your succession ceremony? I heard you came to the capital for the oath ceremony."
"Yes. Originally, I intended to first swear allegiance to His Imperial Majesty, then return to my fief to hold the succession ceremony..."
"It seems to be taking rather a long time."
"The Imperial Palace said Princess Loella would preside over the oath ceremony instead."
Theodore replied. Duke Klaus let out a sound of disbelief, "Huh!"
"Don't tell me that became standard practice while I was in seclusion."
"Not exactly. Until last year, it was handled by the Emperor's edict instead."
"That's better."
Duke Klaus said in a voice tinged with anger.
Even if the Emperor himself did not appear, an imperial decree represented the Emperor's will, so the oath sworn before it was sworn to the Emperor. But if the Princess acted as proxy, wouldn't the recipient of the oath of loyalty become the Princess?
"It seems they believe it's acceptable now that she's an adult. In fact, after Princess Loella’s coming-of-age ceremony, she presided over one oath-taking ceremony. It was for a minor noble's oath, though."
Duke Klaus frowned. He knew the Emperor had completely stepped back from the front lines, but he hadn't realized they'd stopped even performing the formalities.
"We can't handle Count Lutgard's oath ceremony like that."
"When the initial proposal came, I hadn't considered it. But it seems this was the plan from the moment they suggested holding the title succession ceremony in the capital."
"You refused, of course?"
"Yes."
Theodore answered without hesitation. The very notion that anyone would accept such a proposal was absurd.
"I requested to pledge allegiance directly to His Majesty the Emperor, not through an imperial decree. I thought it would be an opportunity to gauge His Majesty's situation."
"Well done."
Duke Klaus couldn't help but praise him.
This wasn't just any family's ceremony—it was the Count of Lutgard's. Even Schwaben couldn't simply do as he pleased.
"We can do it after our Via finds her place. If the First Princess offers to preside over the ceremony, those who pushed for the Second Princess won't be able to make excuses then."
"Yes, that is my intention."
At last, Duke Klaus's anger subsided. Olivia looked at Theodore and asked.
"But you didn't come all this way just for that matter, did you?"
"Ah, of course not, Your Highness."
Olivia bit down hard on the inside of her cheek, careful not to let anyone notice, at the matter-of-fact tone in Theodore’s reply.
His words brought back memories of her past life. Of the long years spent together, protected, yet never once allowed to draw near. And it felt like a warning of what the future held.
Theodore spoke with a serious expression.
"Last night, Lady Zilke was stabbed."
Olivia wasn't surprised. Instead, it was Duke Klaus who looked at her with a startled expression.
"So this is what you meant by having things arranged?"
"Don't misunderstand, Grandfather. I never specifically ordered an attack on her."
All she had done was discreetly reveal that Lady Zilke was actually a spy for Schwaben.
It might have been of little concern to society or the imperial nobility, but it was not so for the writers and intellectuals who gathered at Zilke's salon. The revelation that the noblewoman they had long regarded as their steadfast supporter and patron, the cradle of their ideas, was actually a spy tracking and monitoring them came as a profound shock.
In truth, Zilke was less a spy and more a honeypot trap, but to those betrayed, the difference was negligible.
Theodore said.
"The Marquis von Berg seemed terribly shocked too. He even confided his shock to me, an unrelated person, for quite some time."
"She was devoted to scholarship... So one of those so-called thinkers stabbed her?"
"Something like that."
Theodore nodded and continued his explanation.
"Quite a few people who frequented Zilke's salon have died or gone missing. Until now, we didn't know how that happened, but this time we've learned the reason. Some of them even had active comrades."
"If they had to be dealt with secretly by Schwaben, they must have been quite radical. Their comrades likely were too."
"Yes."
Though it was he who had instructed them to track and report Zilke's movements, Theodore deliberately avoided mentioning that part.
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