Chapter 73
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***
Theodore spoke impassively.
"Bring the lady a chair."
One of the men moved swiftly to fetch a chair. Sofia thought it pointless to maintain appearances, yet she brushed her skirt once and sat upright on the chair.
Theodore had someone bring her water, then explained apologetically.
"I had no choice but to swap the bodies. I staged it to look like the entire escort carriage was ambushed."
"No."
Sofia refrained from offering hasty thanks. She still didn't know why Count Lutgard had smuggled her out.
One of the knights handed her a water flask. She gulped down the water, sweet as nectar. It felt like the price of this water alone was enough to repay his kindness.
"What do you want from me?"
She asked plainly. Theodore looked at her as if surprised.
"Aren't you going to propose some kind of deal?"
"You've already shown me my family's faces. You must have wanted something from me, which is why you took me and my family away. I know that if I refuse to grant the Count's wish, both my life and my family's lives will end here."
"I've heard Lady Sofia is wise, but your grasp of the situation is quicker than I expected."
Even a clever person finds it difficult to keep thinking clearly when exhausted and desperate. Sofia was a sufficiently strong and capable person.
Theodore spoke calmly.
"There is someone who needs you."
"Someone who needs me...?"
Sofia repeated the words to herself. More than the fact that someone needed her, she was more concerned about who this person was that Count Lutgard spoke of with such reverence. That he would personally intervene in such a trivial, messy affair.
Complex thoughts swirled in her mind, but they refused to coalesce properly. Her role had been confined to the imperial palace and the social circle; she lacked sufficient information.
Theodore didn't feel the need to test her. He intended to eliminate Sofia here if she refused the proposal anyway. There was no need to hide information.
"The Imperial Highness, the First Princess."
It took Sofia a moment to comprehend the words. But recalling the incident where Duke Klaus had broken his seclusion, her eyes widened.
"Surely not...?"
"Princess Olivia, the daughter of the late Empress Adelheid, will soon be returning to her rightful place."
Theodore spoke as if driving a wedge into her certainty.
"We need information within the palace in preparation for her arrival. Also, I wish to recruit your people."
"I have already been expelled. The maids and senior attendants I personally brought in were likely all driven out with me."
"Not all of them."
"......"
"It's impossible to replace everyone working in the palace at once. And in my opinion, you probably planted your own people separately, beyond the authority or role of a head maid."
Sofia wasn't merely a head maid; she governed the entire palace in Lillian's stead. Even if not to escape Duke Schwaben, she undoubtedly built her own intelligence network and connections to fulfill the role demanded of her.
"Refuse to cooperate, and you die here. Surely you don't need me to spell it out?"
"If you deem me useless, what happens then?"
"That is for Her Imperial Highness to decide, so I cannot answer. But at least you won't be sent to the empty fields."
Sofia drew a deep breath.
"Send my family... far away. I won't ask for their protection. If you simply allow them to abandon their status and live safely far away, I will cooperate."
Theodore nodded. Truthfully, he had no intention of killing her family even if she refused to cooperate, but there was no need to voice that. The mere knowledge that he knew their whereabouts would prevent her from betraying him twice.
"Very well. Entering the capital would be dangerous for now, so rest here. In the meantime, I'd appreciate it if you could write down everything you know about the inner workings of the palace in detail."
"Understood."
Theodore rose from his seat, summoned a knight, and ordered him to provide Sofia with a clean room, meals, and clothing. Then he exited first.
***
The date for the Emperor's outing was decided with great care.
Ezekiel regarded the Emperor as a defeated man and dismissed him, yet he knew full well that the Emperor's mere existence was a powerful justification capable of overturning everything.
To prevent any news of this reaching the outside world, security was tightened to the utmost, in case anyone sought to meet the Emperor. They intended to mobilize the entire Imperial Guard for his protection, but the Emperor refused.
"The Duke is doing something truly ridiculous. He mobilizes the entire Imperial Guard and expects it to remain unknown outside?"
"It is for Your Majesty's safety."
"It's only temporary, but until then, I’ll be perfectly safe. How comforting."
Helmut, caught in the middle, felt like dying.
"We cannot mourn under watchful eyes. Order the entire guard to wait outside the cemetery."
"But Your Majesty—"
"Good heavens! This is the Emperor's guard, yet the Duke of Schwaben gives the orders? "
"Your Majesty…."
"Isn't the goal to prevent me from contacting others? Who would be at the imperial mausoleum anyway? Blocking entry from outside should achieve the same purpose. I wish to meet my wife and daughter privately, so do as I say."
Helmut knew the Emperor had made a significant concession, so he had no choice but to persuade Ezekiel. Ezekiel frowned in displeasure but ultimately had no choice but to nod. The Emperor’s words weren’t wrong.
“Surround the ancestral tomb completely. Not even a single ant should be able to escape.”
He even summoned the captain of the guard personally to issue the order.
On the day of the ancestral tomb visit, the Emperor rose early, excited like a child anticipating a picnic. He went out to the greenhouse and personally picked flowers.
"I used to have no interest in flowers whatsoever. Even when sending flowers to my wife, I'd point at them with my finger, saying 'this one' or 'that one,' without knowing their names."
"Is that so? Now you're an excellent horticulturist."
"When you have nothing to do, you pick up all sorts of hobbies."
The chamberlain looked troubled again. The emperor paid him no mind, gathering the large roses he had grown himself and wrapping them in fine paper.
White for his parents, red for his wife, pink for his daughter. He held the three bouquets close to his chest.
He entrusted them to the chamberlain and went to change his clothes. Though he had no occasion to wear them now, newly made ceremonial robes awaited in his dressing room. From among them, he chose a navy blue ceremonial robe. It was the color his wife had said suited him well.
He then took the bouquets back from the chamberlain, clutched them to his chest, and climbed into the carriage. The chamberlain attempted to follow him in, but before he could, the emperor grasped the carriage door handle himself and said.
"I shall go alone today."
"Your Majesty."
"Even if it puts you in an awkward position, it cannot be helped. However powerless an emperor I may be, I have no desire to show you the sight of me weeping like a child."
"In that case, I shall follow in another carriage."
"Do so, then."
The chamberlain, having received permission, bowed his head and withdrew. The Emperor closed the door himself.
It had been years since he last visited the imperial family mausoleum. His last outing had also been to pay respects at the graves. Whether the late Duke of Schwaben had considered him more human—or perhaps more ridiculous—was unclear, but he hadn't barred him from visiting the graves.
The carriage stopped before the mausoleum. He stepped out, holding a bouquet. The imperial guard stood at regular intervals around the cemetery fence, encircling it.
The Emperor saw this and chuckled. No matter how one looked at it, they resembled soldiers guarding a prison.
But today was a good day. So he wouldn't get angry over such things.
"Wait here."
He coldly ordered his escorting knights. The knights flinched but, having received prior instructions, halted at the entrance.
The Emperor, holding the bouquet, slowly entered the cemetery.
The imperial mausoleum wasn't very large, but it was beautifully landscaped like a garden. Walking along the narrow paths, one could reach any desired grave directly without passing others.
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