Chapter 77
****
The emperor's attendant returned with a positive response.
Within the palace, a banquet was being hastily prepared, and the attendants bustled about. Helmut, who had just left the palace and changed his clothes, sighed upon hearing the news. It seemed he would have to return to the palace immediately.
"Should we try to stop it now?"
The messenger from the palace asked, but Helmut shook his head.
"Even if we tried to stop her now, would the Princess listen?"
Forcibly stopping her might be possible, but provoking Loella risked causing an even greater uproar.
His reason for entering the palace wasn't to stop Loella, but to accurately grasp the discussions at the banquet and take subsequent action.
"It was bound to happen."
He muttered to himself while changing clothes.
Helmut knew Loella harbored resentment at being excluded from important matters. Until last year, he had apparently convinced himself it was because she wasn't yet an adult, but now he had no such excuse. The real reason wasn't her youth, but the fear that her actions could create political variables.
There was no doubt about Loella's feelings for Ezekiel. But she was impulsive and lacked depth of thought. Given her status, there was little way to control her, and even minor actions caused significant repercussions.
It was best for her to simply remain a quiet doll. Or, failing that, to be a haughty cat who believed the house was her entire world. Schwaben would gladly serve her. Even if she smashed everything and tore down walls, she couldn't bring down the intricately built structure.
Helmut climbed into the carriage, hoping she wouldn't cause any unnecessary trouble.
***
"I don't like it."
Glancing at the tiara the maid had finally secured atop her head in the mirror, Loella said sharply.
"Bring me a better one. That would be better. Emerald!"
Countess Anhalt looked troubled. She understood what Loella meant. The tiara worn on her coming-of-age birthday was a precious, splendid treasure painstakingly prepared over years by the House of Schwaben, hardly fitting for a meal shared between father and daughter.
But Loella growled again.
"I'll wear that one."
"Yes, Your Highness."
It was not a matter to defy the princess's will, so Countess Anhalt hurriedly opened the vault door and retrieved the jewel box.
A splendid tiara studded with dozens of finger-sized emeralds was secured atop Loella's head. The green gems complemented her golden hair beautifully.
At last, Loella's face showed satisfaction.
At first, she had tried to think lightly of the dinner. What mattered was that she might be able to do something for Ezekiel. The Emperor himself was of little consequence.
But as time passed, the awareness that she was meeting her father took root. She felt a surge of rebellion welling up inside her. It wasn't just about her mother; she wanted to prove that she had grown up just fine despite his lack of interest, and that she possessed the authority befitting a princess.
And that it was Schwaben who had made her that way.
"Bring the cloak too."
That too was excessive, but Countess Anhalt obediently fetched the red velvet cloak, draped it over Loella's shoulders, and fastened it with a golden pin.
Loella stared into the mirror with burning eyes. She looked as if she were heading to a formal banquet, but it was just right.
"Let's go now."
Slightly late for their appointment, she promptly left the Princess's Palace.
Outside, night had fully fallen, yet the corridors she traversed were brightly lit, not a trace of darkness to be found. She strode with regal confidence toward the main palace where the Emperor awaited.
The main palace was bright but quiet. A few months ago, there would have been many attendants, but with Lilian's deposition, the number of servants had been reduced, so few remained to guard the palace at night.
The Emperor's quarters were in the most secluded part of the main palace. It was Loella's first time going there.
Instead of the grand banquet hall, she was led to a relatively modest dining room. Yet modest it was not; being the royal family's dining chamber, its size was by no means small.
Emperor Albrecht sat at the head of the table. Entering the room, Loella knelt and bowed respectfully.
"Princess Loella greets Your Majesty the Emperor."
"Raise your head."
The emperor's voice echoed through the dining hall. Loella lifted her head straight and glared at him with eyes that seemed to burn.
His face appeared younger than his years, his features handsome and his skin pale. Unlike Loella, he wore only a vest over his shirt, a relaxed attire that revealed his lean build. His hair was a shade of blond similar to hers.
Realizing she had been unconsciously searching for similarities between herself and him, Loella felt a surge of resentment again. Yet it seemed certain that the features of her appearance not inherited from her mother came from him.
"Sit down."
The Emperor spoke in a calm voice. There was no trace of the emotion or affection one might expect upon meeting a daughter, but he was not hostile either. Nor did he show surprise or admiration at her attire.
Loella's seat was prepared to his right. As she approached, the chamberlain drew out the chair and helped her remove her cloak before she sat.
Loella felt a twinge of regret, thinking she had acted foolishly. The Emperor's overly casual attire made her own elaborate finery seem ridiculous by comparison.
"Do you know how to drink?"
"Yes."
The emperor personally poured her an aperitif. Loella accepted the glass, her guard still up.
"Why did you summon me?"
"Don't rush. If I only wanted to discuss business and send you on your way, I wouldn't have invited you to dinner. I would have sent word via a messenger or written a letter. "
"……."
"After all, you are my daughter, aren't you?"
Loella paused mid-bite of her caviar-topped potato purée. Unable to put it down, she swallowed before looking at the emperor.
"You never considered me your daughter, did you?"
"Yes. I didn't want you to be born. You were conceived because I was deceived."
"……."
"But that was twenty years ago. It's too long ago to dwell on such feelings, and I care more about you now. My heir."
Loella couldn't gauge how much sincerity lay in the emperor's words. Her throat parched, she lifted her wine cup and took a sip to moisten it.
"I do not trust Your Majesty. If you intend to use me to fight Ezekiel, you are gravely mistaken."
"What I desire is to claim you as my daughter, even if it is late."
"I find that difficult to understand."
"It's simple. I want you to become Emperor."
Loella frowned. The Emperor casually dismissed the empty plate and ordered the next course brought in. He likely hadn't dined with others for a long time, yet his table manners were so fluid that conversation and eating seemed entirely separate, causing no disruption whatsoever.
"I..."
"Even if the Duke of Schwaben becomes the Emperor's consort, nothing will change in practice. If you pass the Schwaben name to your children, it wouldn't be disobeying the late Duke's wishes either."
"What does that mean to Your Majesty?"
Loella asked, forgetting to eat. The Emperor inquired in a calm voice.
"It would give you a little more power to protect yourself."
"I..."
"Still, I am your father."
Just as she was about to ask if he thought he could protect her, the Emperor spoke as if reading her mind.
Loella lowered her head slightly and stared at her plate. Noticing she wouldn't eat, the attendant cleared away the appetizer and brought out the soup bowl.
"So you ultimately wish to drive a wedge between Ezekiel and me."
"It is not what the Duke of Schwaben desires."
The emperor admitted it plainly.
"But it won't be meaningless to you either. You already know what kind of being an empress who is merely a decorative doll truly is."
Loella shuddered. She recalled how easily Lilian had been deposed. Had she herself possessed power, it wouldn't have happened.
She hadn't thought Ezekiel would do such a thing to her. Yet her anxiety at being excluded from all matters of importance swelled dramatically, as if the Emperor's words had fanned its flames.
"I will be the best card you can hold. Your legitimacy and authority ultimately stem from me."
The emperor spoke with a relaxed demeanor, as if certain Loella would take his hand.
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