TCBCVF 126

~Chapter 126~

After that.

The nobles, who had been arguing heatedly for quite some time, finally took a short break.

‘This much… well, it’s not bad.’

Dietrich recalled the meeting with a satisfied look.

The nobles had thrown out their opinions passionately.

Even if those opinions weren’t always useful—

The fact that their lazy attitude of “let’s just get it over with” was gone made Dietrich very pleased.

Especially since Marquis Evans, who always barked without knowing the subject, was finally quiet.

Every time Dietrich had presided over the Noble Assembly until now, Marquis Evans would always nitpick at him.

As if opposing him was his only purpose.

Of course, every time, Dietrich had shut him up with just a few words.

Still, his persistent attempts to weaken Dietrich’s authority had been annoying.

‘At last, he’s keeping his mouth shut.’

Even so, Evans sometimes still threw resentful glares at him.

But.

‘He can glare all he wants.’

Dietrich coolly stopped caring.

At that moment—

“Duke Claudius.”

The Emperor suddenly spoke to him in a friendly tone.

Dietrich bowed his head politely.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“I’ve heard a rumor recently. They say there’s a lady you’re fond of, that you’ve been seeing often…”

For a moment, his usually cold, icy face turned faintly red.

Like a spring flower blooming in the middle of winter.

A small, but certain change.

“Yes, I have a lover.”

Though a little embarrassed, Dietrich did not hesitate to say it.

‘Am I seeing this right?’

The Emperor was secretly shocked.

‘The Duke himself admitted he has a lover?!’

Normally, Dietrich hated anyone prying into his private life.

He had fiercely protected even his younger sister Evangeline, and never tolerated talk about his marriage or family.

That’s why people were always careful not to bring up such topics around him.

But now—

‘He even looks shy?!’

Dietrich, who seemed like someone who wouldn’t bleed even if pricked with a needle—

That same Dietrich was now embarrassed like this.

‘That must mean he’s truly serious about this lady…’

Unable to resist his curiosity, the Emperor asked again, casually slipping in another question.

“They say her name is Lady Ansie? And there are rumors that you treat her very specially.”

“She’s someone worthy of that.”

Dietrich replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

The Emperor’s jaw dropped.

“Are you really Duke Claudius? You’re not someone else in disguise?”

“……”

Dietrich simply stared at him in silence.

“Ahem, hm.”

The Emperor gave an awkward cough.

“Alright, you are the Duke.”

“……”

Dietrich’s narrowed eyes gave the Emperor a look that said, ‘What a ridiculous question.’

He could speak volumes with just his eyes—so typical of Dietrich.

But this look was a little too much, even for the Emperor to handle.

Unable to endure the piercing gaze, the Emperor quickly changed the subject.

“Well then… do you plan on marrying this lady?”

And in that instant, the Emperor witnessed a miracle.

Dietrich’s sharp, intimidating eyes suddenly softened.

The Duke of Claudius, with such a gentle face—

It was almost impossible to believe.

In a softened voice, Dietrich answered.

“That’s not something I can decide alone. I would need Lady Ansie’s opinion as well.”

“I… I see.”

“Yes. But…”

He paused for a moment, then added shyly:

“If it’s possible, I would like that.”

“……”

The Emperor now seriously wondered if Dietrich was delirious from overwork.

“Duke. Are you very tired?”

“…What?”

“If you’re too tired, you can take on less work, you know?”

“……”

Dietrich only gave him another look.

This one seemed to say: ‘There goes His Majesty, talking nonsense again.’

‘Even when I worry about him, he looks at me like that!’

The Emperor felt strangely wronged.

Meanwhile, the nobles were busy whispering among themselves.

“What do you think His Majesty and Duke Claudius are talking about?”

“They certainly seem close.”

“Remember, the Empress was a close friend of the former Duchess of Claudius. That might be part of the connection…”

From observing the closeness between the Duke and the Emperor—

“To be honest, Marquis Evans looked quite nervous earlier, didn’t he?”

“Well, the Evans family has been facing a lot of troubles lately. Even the High Priest Evans is losing influence in the Great Temple.”

“And I heard the Claudius family is establishing a foundation for child welfare?”

The decline of House Evans because of just one charitable act from Claudius—

“On top of that, they cut off all their regular donations to the Great Temple. I heard even the High Priest was quite shaken by that.”

“If Claudius is directly taking over charity work, of course the Temple’s influence will shrink.”

“And wasn’t the child welfare project managed by High Priest Evans?”

“Yes. That will put him in even more trouble.”

The nobles noted how Isaac’s position was shrinking day by day.

“We too have been donating small amounts regularly to the Temple… but now, I wonder if we should continue.”

“If the Claudius foundation starts up, donating there might be better.”

“Yes, this could be a chance to build ties with Claudius instead.”

They were openly comparing Claudius and Evans right in public.

‘Damn it!’

Hearing their whispers, Marquis Evans gritted his teeth furiously.

‘How long do we have to keep living under Claudius’s shadow?!’

It felt like a heavy boulder was crushing his chest.

His heart felt suffocated.

At that time.

The young lady and I were sitting in the Empress’s reception room.

Thankfully, Her Majesty the Empress had invited us to join her for tea.

She had even sent me a handwritten invitation, saying she had taken a liking to me during the recent charity party.

But still—

‘It’s annoying that Seraphina is here too.’

I glanced sideways at Seraphina.

She was sipping her tea elegantly, and the moment our eyes met, she deliberately turned to the Empress and spoke.

“The tea is truly delicious, Your Majesty.”

“Is it? I’m glad it suits Lady Lopez’s taste.”

The Empress smiled kindly.

Since the charity party ended, Seraphina had been rising higher and higher in the social scene.

That was all thanks to rumors about her close relationship with the Empress.

Of course, those rumors were basically spread by Seraphina herself.

After the charity party, she made sure to flaunt her supposed closeness with the Empress—

Using her clever way with words, she bragged everywhere: “Her Majesty attended our charity party and even praised the Great Temple for being beautifully decorated.”

‘It’s not like she lied, but…’

It really wasn’t something that deserved such fuss or meaning.

And instead of correcting the rumors, the Empress simply invited Seraphina to tea now and then—

Choosing to give some face to the Great Temple instead.

Honestly, correcting every small rumor would only seem petty anyway.

‘And more importantly, Seraphina is close to that High Priest Evans.’

Recently, rumors had even spread that Seraphina and the High Priest were romantically involved.

Though not as high-ranking as the Duke, the High Priest Evans was still one of the most powerful figures in the Empire.

A top-ranking priest of the Great Temple, and the next head of House Evans.

So, because of her ties to the Temple—and for Isaac’s sake—

‘The Empress can’t just ignore Seraphina completely.’

After all, if it only costs a cup or two of tea to keep things polite, it’s not much of a loss.

But still…

‘The one who’s actually much closer to the Empress… is our young lady.’

Feeling dissatisfied, I stabbed my fork deep into the soft sponge cake.

‘Ugh, I just can’t stand how Seraphina parades around, bragging about her “friendship” with the Empress.’

The fluffy cake crumbled mercilessly under my teeth.