Adele took a look around the Empressās chambers slowly, if anything remainedāeven a small regretābut she felt nothing. Her heart became surprisingly light when she thought about it. Suddenly, she could hear urgent footsteps and the door slammed open with a bang. Only one person had the ability to act in this manner.
The man who appeared beyond the wooden door was insanely handsome, and his shiny blonde hair was disheveled as if he had run. He glared at Adele with sharp, decadent purple eyes. Karl Ulrich is the emperor of the Ehmont Empire and Adeleās ex-husband. He narrowed his eyes at Adeleās attire and gritted his teeth.
āWhat are you doing?ā he asked. His voice was dangerously low and his burning eyes seemed to devour her. Adele shifted her gaze away from him and attempted to leave the room. The emperor blocked her path and growled, āIĀ askedĀ you a question.ā
Adeleās golden eyes flashed defiantly. She had never had the courage to look him straight in the eye. This was what he wanted. She wanted to be brave for onceāeven if it was a farce. Even if it meant being locked up and subjected to bondage.
She took a step back from him and maneuvered toward the door as if she didnāt want to answer his question, but before she could cross the threshold, he grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her around. She utterly despised his behavior, but she knew she was powerless against him.
The two locked their blood-red gazes on each other. Karl took a step closer and divulged the question he had been meaning to ask the entire time.
āAre you going to see him?ā he spat. āAre you crawling to Lionel Baldr?ā
The emperor yelled in despair, but Adeleās face grew even colder. He was ignorant until the very end.
āNo,ā she replied coldly, āThat is unimportant to me. Itās critical that I can no longer stand by your side.ā
āWhere would my Empress be if she couldnāt be with me?ā
Adele burst out laughing at his preposterous question.
āEmpress? You are attempting to dethrone me,ā she scoffed.
Karl was stunned by her accusation. Adele wiped away the sarcastic smile off of her face and looked at him blankly before whispering.
āThatās a lot better,ā she said. Karl froze. He wanted to kneel in front of her and beg her to stop talking. Adele, on the other hand, didnāt even give him a chance. āIf you didnāt,ā she whispered, āI couldnāt have done this.ā
āStop,ā Karl croaked.
Adele gave him the smile he craved, as seductive as a crescent moon as she uttered the words: āIāll throw away the seat next to you.ā
The emperor broke down in front of Adele at those words, and she showed no sympathy.
āNo! You simply cannot. The only place for you is the seat next to mine, and Iāll do whatever it takes to get you back there. Youāre my empress!ā
Adele spoke with firmness to him who dared to call her the empress.
āI will give up my position as the Empress.ā
ļ¼ ļ¼ ļ¼
A group of people was making their way through the vast wilderness. Large wagons carrying various rare items were lined up, and hundreds of soldiers appeared to be escorting the procession. A large, colorful wagon and two flags hanging side by side stood out in the procession. The flags of two massive empires located across the sea hung proudly on both sides of the carriage.
A woman in a brightly colored carriage was looking out her window, seemingly disinterested. She raised her hand and pulled her shiny black hair back, which fluttered in the wind and obscured her vision. Her eyes were then revealed to be a rare gold color that seemed to contain the dazzling sunlight. Adelaide Gottrov is her name. She is the top striker capable of removing the towerās core on her own, and she is the princess of the Imperial High Trough, no, the one who used to be the Crown Princess. The soldiers escorting the wagon kept peering out the open window at the foreign princess. She was a woman whose beauty drew peopleās attention.
āAdelaide Gottrov,ā she muttered.
Adele laughed as she cynically repeated her name.
āIt is a letter of proposal from Emperor Ehmont. Go and make yourself Empress of Ehmont.ā
āYou must have been so worried, mother, that you couldnāt leave me here.ā
āDidnāt you think youād be happy?ā
Adele was deafeningly silent in response to the Empressā question. The Empress approached her silent daughter and spoke in hushed tones.
āDonāt you think about that day at every difficult moment? If I had let Lucio die on that fateful dayā¦ You would have risen to the position of Emperor of Gottrov.ā
āStop it.ā
Adele pushed her mother away, her eyes tired, but the Empress did not budge. Adele stared at her with sad eyes.
āAdele, donāt you owe your only brother something? Of course, you will remain loyal to Lucio, but what about your future children? Your assistants? Is everyone thinking the same thing you are? You, too, are disturbed. To the Gottrov Empire, your existence is like a sword under the chin. Go after the Empire and your brother.ā
Adele shook her head and took out a small box that had been tucked away in the carriageās corner. Inside the box, a red envelope contained a portrait and a document. Adele lifted the portrait; there was a drawing of a man in Ehmontās imperial robes. He was quite lovely.