Chapter 81

Lehan was looking through some documents when he came across something unbelievable.

“Marquis Joerne Brill. …Marquis?”

Joerne Brill, the Empress’s father, was listed as a Marquis on the document he submitted. Joerne Brill was his father-in-law. The father of Empress Edelis Cronad. And he was clearly a Count. That was certain. But a Marquis? Impersonating a Marquis was not a light offense. He had to bring Joerne Brill in immediately. No matter that he was the Empress’s father, this was an unforgivable crime that disturbed the order. When Lehan rang the bell, the chief attendant, who had been waiting outside, immediately came in.

“Call the Imperial Knights Commander.”

“Should I tell him to stop the search for the Saintess, or to continue the search while he comes?”

“…Who is the Commander searching for now?”

If the Imperial Knights Commander had moved, Emperor Lehan would have given the order. So, if he asked this, the chief attendant would surely find it strange. Still, Lehan couldn’t help but ask again. Why would they pursue the Saintess, who had dedicated so much to the Empire?

“They are searching for the Saintess.”

“Why the Saintess?”

“Didn’t she escape after being confined in the palace on suspicion of instigating the assassination of Her Majesty the Empress?”

“…Ah, yes. That’s right.”

Lehan’s face was clearly flustered. He knew the chief attendant would find it odd, but he couldn’t control his expression.

‘The person called the Saintess involved in murder, confinement, and escape. Could there be a more mismatched combination?’

Moreover, it was again related to the ‘Empress.’ Of course, the Empress was the only one left in the Imperial family besides himself, but this was too strange. Before one strange question could be resolved, new questions poured out. Lehan decided it was more important to understand the current situation before calling the Imperial Knights Commander.

“I will call the Imperial Knights Commander later. You may leave.”

“Yes.”

The chief attendant bowed deeply and left. Lehan placed something to memo beside him and first looked through the noble’s almanac. The contents of the almanac did not differ much from what he knew. The biggest difference was that Joerne Brill, the father of Empress Edelis Cronad, was indeed a Marquis.

“Is Joerne Brill really a Marquis?”

What did Joerne Brill do to become a Marquis? The Joerne Brill in his memory was just a noble who managed his territory well. He was one of the few neutral nobles left after many were purged. The reason his daughter became Empress was a purely political calculation. He was worried that if he married the daughter of a meritorious subject as Empress, strong power would go to the maternal relatives. So, he took the daughters of neutral factions as Empress and concubines, respectively, to seek political stability. Among them, he took Edelis, from a Count’s family, not a Duke or Marquis family that could easily have other intentions, as Empress. Therefore, it was impossible for him to have bestowed power upon Joerne Brill. But the Joerne Brill in the noble’s almanac was clearly a Marquis.

“What on earth happened…?”

That wasn’t the end of it. His concubines and consorts were all listed as Countesses or Marchionesses somewhere. Unable to believe this, he checked the Imperial genealogy and found that truly, only he and the Empress existed as members of the Imperial family.

“Am I truly going mad?”

Lehan was about to contact the Cronad Intelligence Agency to request a compilation of recent years’ events concerning himself. But with his surroundings changed like this, he wasn’t sure if he could trust the Cronad Intelligence Agency.

‘Who can I discuss this with?’

He had worked so hard to strengthen imperial power, and if he spoke of this wrongly, he feared he would instantly be underestimated as an emperor with an unsound mind. He wondered if the Saintess might know about these strange phenomena occurring around him. Hadn’t she solved the plague using precognition and divine power? Although it might differ from the reality unfolding before his eyes, at least the Saintess in his memory clearly possessed such power. He was about to send someone to the temple to ask for the Saintess when he remembered the story of her being pursued by the Imperial Knights Commander. So many things were happening that he almost made a big mistake. Perhaps it would be better for him to go to the temple himself to find the Saintess.

‘The temple would know the Saintess’s location.’

***

Edelis, who had been contemplating Lehan, remained in her room until it was almost mealtime. She had unconsciously expected Lehan to escort her as usual. Edelis got up and headed for the Emerald Palace. Even if he didn’t come to pick her up, she could go herself. If asked if she was afraid of the current Lehan, she couldn’t confidently say no. He was the emperor who had killed the empress, after all.

‘But if I avoid Lehan, I’ll lose him to the Saintess.’

It was clearly the Saintess’s doing, so she would surely return to the Imperial Palace when the time was right. So, she needed to talk to Lehan to some extent before that. When Edelis arrived in front of the Emperor’s office, the chief attendant, who was waiting outside, knocked on the door.

“Your Majesty, Her Majesty the Empress has arrived.”

“…”

“Your Majesty?”

Normally, the Emperor would have opened the door immediately, but since there was no response, the chief attendant found it odd. When Edelis tried to open the door herself, the chief attendant restrained her.

“Your Majesty! His Majesty the Emperor has not yet given permission.”

“It’s fine.”

“No, but…”

When Edelis looked at the chief attendant, he took a step back from her. Even if His Majesty the Emperor was different from usual, the emperor he knew would surely punish him for restraining her, rather than the empress who opened the door without permission. Edelis gave him a slight nod and entered. But no one was visible inside.

“Lehan?”

Edelis called out to him, pacing the room. Since the chief attendant was waiting outside, Lehan probably hadn’t announced he was going out. The window was also tightly closed. And there was no one visible in the room. His memory was not intact, and him disappearing filled her with anxiety.

“Lehan!”

If he had disappeared, he must have gone through the secret passage. Edelis remembered the entrance to the secret passage she had used to escape from the chasing devotees. There were paths connected to secret passages in the office, reception room, and bedroom. When Edelis turned the decorative sword halfway, the passage opened halfway. And inside, Lehan stood, looking at her with cold eyes.

“Le… Your Majesty.”

She called him “Your Majesty” because she knew he had been displeased when she called him “Lehan.” As expected, his expression softened slightly when she called him “Your Majesty.”

“How do you know this place?”

“Because Your Majesty explained it to me.”

“…”

As Edelis had expected, Lehan did not remember the conversation they had. He must have been about to go out, as he was wearing a sword at his waist and had his robe pulled over his head. Given that he used the secret passage instead of confidently walking out the door, he seemed to be trying to move secretly.

“Were you going out?”

“…Yes.”

“Have you eaten?”

“…”

Edelis’s heart ached at Lehan’s repeated silence. Normally, they would have been happily eating while chatting. But there was no time to be gloomy. If he realized his memory was not intact, the people he could seek out would be limited. Someone who could give him a clue about his memory. Of course, if he got information from others, he would learn how good their relationship was. However, Edelis wanted to tell him before hand. She wanted to tell him herself, not through someone else. About their relationship.

“I know you’re a little confused right now.”

“…Of course, I’m confused when the Empress enters without permission.”

“Your Majesty has never called me Empress before.”

“…”

“And you called my father, who is a Marquis, a Count, and you don’t know that we slept together every day, and you didn’t come to escort me every morning.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“And even the way you speak down to me.”

“…”

“Isn’t your memory… different from reality?”

Lehan’s face clearly showed that he felt this situation was a failure. So, he had been trying to hide it from her, and her heart became complicated.

“Yes, it certainly is.”

“I can help you. I’ll tell you.”

“But so far, everything I’ve confirmed that’s different from my memory is about you.”

“…That’s right.”

She had worked so hard to change the future. She thought it was natural that parts related to her would have changed.

“What on earth have you done to me?”

“Nothing.”

“You did nothing, and now I’m like this?”

Lehan’s cool tone made her tense. To think she would actually experience him speaking like this. She had thought of it as something from a book, but now it was reality. Where had the Lehan who whispered words of love and always cherished her gone?

“Do you think it makes sense that you did nothing, but only your surroundings changed like this?”

“Haven’t you considered that it’s not my surroundings that changed, but Your Majesty’s memory?”

“Do you think that makes sense now?”

As Lehan spoke, his eyes trembled uncontrollably. He seemed to have some inkling of what was going on.

“I can help you.”

“…What kind of help?”

“What the current situation is, and what’s different from your memory.”

“What advantage do I gain by you helping me with that?”

“You can avoid being caught by other nobles.”

“I don’t care if I’m caught.”

“I’ve thought about it too, and if you’re deemed mentally unstable, you’ll be sent to a mental institution.”

She had thought about it before when Lehan proposed marriage. She had tried to say she didn’t want to marry, citing the book’s content, but she had reluctantly agreed because she didn’t want to go to a mental institution.

“Dare to do that to me, the Emperor?”

“If you’re deemed mentally unstable, there will always be nobles who want to depose you.”

“…”

Lehan seemed to agree with her to some extent. She had brought it up because she hadn’t yet caught all the anti-imperial faction members who had attacked her, and it seemed the emperor in the book had the same worries.

“I will answer all your questions to the best of my knowledge.”

“So. What’s in it for you?”

Lehan asked, looking directly at her as if to test her.

“I don’t want Your Majesty to go to a mental institution.”

“Yes, of course. If I’m deposed, you’ll have to step down from your position as Empress too.”

“You always have to say it like that…”

“What did you just say?”

“Nothing.”

Edelis almost pouted. To think he would take her worried words so ungraciously. Lehan, who had heard her small murmurings like a ghost, raised one eyebrow. He seemed full of dissatisfaction. Still, the fact that he didn’t call her rude as he did in the early morning meant he was somewhat willing to accept her offer.

“Alright. I’ll accept your offer.”

“Instead, I also have a condition.”

“A condition? You dare to set a condition with me?”