Chapter 84 – Have You Ever Served The Emperor?
Although Marquis Grochester did not visit the Imperial Palace, he knew the going-ons there very well.
“How did you know about that?” Patrizia asked.
“Just because I’m living quietly, doesn’t mean that I have my ears blocked, too, Rizi.” Marquis Grochester gave a deep laugh, and continued. “And I heard that His Majesty is interested in you these days.”
“…Did you plant a spy in the palace?” Patrizia laughed teasingly, but Marquis Grochester just shrugged his shoulders.
“Everyone knows about it. It’s not that big of a deal. So is what I said true, and not a rumor?”
“It’s just a passing interest, Father. Even if I gain his favor, I don’t know when I’ll fall out of it, just like Marchioness Ethylaire.”
“That is a wise perspective, Rizi. That is how monarchs should be.”
Patrizia simply smiled at the Marquis’ advice. She fell into thought for a second, then spoke a moment later.
“But this fight may end soon.”
“Why? Does the concubine have a deadly disease?” Marquis Grochester joked.
‘How good would that be?’ she muttered to herself as she considered the impossible wish. “It’s not that. I have something that can trap her.”
“You’re talented.”
“It’s all thanks to Nilla.”
“This is good news.” Marquis Grochester seemed quite pleased. The kindness and support of the sisters were a joy to their parents.
“But I have to make sure that no harm will come to the family,” Patrizia said.
“But if you insist on being harmed for our sake, Rizi, I want to tell you that you don’t have to.”
“…Yes. Of course.” Patrizia smiled.“How has our family been?”
“You know better than Nilla… We are really fine, my dear. No news is good news,” he said, chortling like a fool. Her father was the same as always, and Patrizia laughed along with him.
“That’s a relief.”
“So do not worry. We may not be able to help you, but we will not stand in your way.” Then, Marquis Grochester hesitated for a moment before asking a question. “Do you really have no feelings for His Majesty?”
“…”
Patrizia said nothing, then soon spoke casually. “Well. If you consider hatred, sympathy, and pity as feelings, then yes.”
“Why sympathy and pity?”
“…Do you know about his weakness?”
“What are you talking about?”
“He has a weakness,” Patrizia said quietly. “I’m sympathetic to him because of it. But that will never be love.”
“I see.”
“It seems to me that you want me to have feelings for him. Am I wrong?” she asked.
“It’s up to you. But as a parent, if the Emperor doesn’t love you, I hope you don’t give him your heart, either,” Marquis Grochester said. “But if that’s not the case, I want you to live in a happy family.”
Patrizia sighed inwardly. “If that’s my duty as a daughter to my parents, I cannot fulfill that now.” It was all because of Marchioness Ethylaire’s presence. “Fortunately, I don’t think the situation is bad. I have my sister and I can meet my family sometimes like this…”
“Yes, this is alright.” Marquis Grochester nodded with a warm smile. “There is more than one kind of happiness.”
“Yes.” Patrizia smiled. “By the way, have you prepared a birthday present for Mother?”
“Have you prepared one?”
“Of course. No way… You didn’t forget about it, right?” Patrizia said, shocked.
“I’m not that kind of trash. Don’t worry,” Marquis Grochester said to her with a gracious smile. “Let’s open presents after dinner. I’m curious about what you have prepared.”
“It’s nothing much,” Patrizia demurred with a shy blush, and Marquis Grochester looked at his daughter with loving eyes. Fortunately, his daughter did not seem to have changed much after entering the palace. He spoke to Patrizia in a friendly tone.
“Let’s go see the rest of the family.”
*
“There should be no mistakes this time,” Rosemond shrilled to Glara, and the lady-in-waiting answered in a low voice.
“Don’t worry, My Lady. The results will be positive this time.”
“We have to finish everything now. If I wait any longer, the damage will be even greater.”
Rosemond was twenty-seven this year, already past her prime to have a baby. She had to give birth to a son before thirty, and she had to position him as crown prince and secure her position as Queen Mother in advance. That was the only thing she desired now.
“I’m sure she cleaned up everything properly, right?” Rosemond asked.
“Madam January is not a fool, My Lady. Do not worry.”
“You’re right. She’s not stupid,” Rosemond muttered, her brow furrowing in thought. “If the Queen dies, the arrow of doubt will be directed to me. But what can they do? No one can accuse me as the criminal unless there’s clear evidence.”
“If Madame January remains quiet, everything will go as you wish.”
“January cannot betray me. If I go down, it will be the end for Duke Ephreney too, and where else would Janny go?”
Rosemond downed her entire cup of green tea in one gulp. The hot tea seared her throat, but even that pain was ignored, overshadowed by the victory she would soon take.
“Oh, and for Duke Ephreney…” she started triumphantly, but then paused.
Rustle.
She felt someone’s presence and stopped talking. When she was stripped of her position as baroness in the past, her distrust of people grew worse, and after she became marchioness, she employed only a few ladies-in-waiting in Bain Palace. There was no reason for anyone else to be here right now. A shiver ran down Rosemond’s spine.
“Glara, go check.”
“Yes, My Lady.”
Glara, recognizing the seriousness of the situation, quickly ran to the door and opened it. However, there was no one out there.
“My Lady, no one was here,” Glara said, bewildered.
“They would have run away by now.” Rosemond ground her teeth. “Find them right now. This can never leak out!”
*
Meanwhile, Patrizia was enjoying her reunion with her family after being away from them for a long time. After dinner, each family member presented their birthday gifts to Marchioness Grochester. Patrizia gave a hand-made tea coaster, Petronilla gave a tea set made in an empire in the east, and, finally, Marquis Grochester gave his beloved wife a dress from a high-end designer that had been popular lately. Upon receiving these gifts, Marchioness Grochester was moved by the sincerity of her family.
“My goodness. I didn’t realize I would be this emotional.”
“Happy birthday, darling.”
“Mother, happy birthday.”
“Thank you, everyone,” Marchioness Grochester said with a soft, joyful smile, and Patrizia felt her heart warm for the first time in a while. How long had it been since she had this feeling? She could not even remember. Marchioness Grochester noticed the change in her daughter’s emotion.
“Rizi, when are you going back to the Imperial Palace?”
“I’m going back before midnight,” Patrizia replied.
“Raphaella must be having a hard time.”
“Oh my, I’m quite alright, My Lady,” Raphaella piped up.
Marchioness Grochester smiled at Raphaella’s cheerful demeanor, then she looked around the room.
“I’d like to talk to my second daughter alone, is that alright with everyone?”
“Of course, Mother. We don’t know when we’ll have another chance,” Petronilla said.
“I already talked to her, so of course you should too,” Marquis Grochester added.
“Thank you, everyone.”
After everyone else gave their consent, Marchioness Grochester turned to Patrizia with a warm smile. “Your Majesty, may I speak with you?”
“Yes, Mother.” Patrizia also stood up with a small smile, and they soon moved to the Marchioness’ room. A lady-in-waiting brought them warm chamomile milk tea and butter cookies. The door closed and, finally, they were left alone. Marchioness Grochester spoke first, her tone wistful.
“I am already sad that I’ll have to part ways with you soon, Rizi.”
“Me, too, Mother,” Patrizia said with a somber look. “I thought I’d be able to visit home often even after I became queen, but that was a less than realistic wish.”
“I’m just saying, my child. It doesn’t seem like a good thing for the Queen to visit her parents often,” Marchioness Grochester said. “I wonder what you talked about with your father.”
“It wasn’t really about anything.” Patrizia smiled and shrugged her shoulders. “Just how I lived, how I have been…just petty things.”
“Oh, my child. That’s not true. It’s not petty for us. From a parent’s perspective, nothing is more important than how their children are doing.”
“Really?” Patrizia said. It was a pity that the content was not all that bright. “Actually, there is something I’ve been wanting to hide. As you know, my situation right now is far from objective happiness.”
“Happiness has always been subjective, my child. No matter what other people say, if you’re happy, that’s enough,” Marchioness Grochester reassured her warmly. “You have many good people around you. Of course, there are some bad people as well.”
“Thanks to those few good people, I’m holding on to my life in the Imperial Palace.”
“That’s a relief.” After that, Marchioness Grochester’s voice turned careful. “How’s your relationship…with His Majesty?”
“Hmm…” After a moment of contemplation, Patrizia decided to be honest. “We have hatred, pity.”
“…”
“It’s a relationship to be sympathetic about.”
“I see.”
“Is that a good relationship?” Patrizia asked.
“Well,” Marchioness Grochester said with uncertainty. “That is unusual for a normal couple. As I said before, the most important thing in terms of good and bad standards is your own opinion.”
“…”
“Do you like your relationship?”
“Actually, I’m not sure.” Patrizia shrugged her shoulders once again. Marchioness Grochester did not say anything for a moment, as she knew that was her daughter’s habit when she wanted to avoid something.
Patrizia continued. “I don’t really hate it, but if I were to spend my entire life in this relationship, it would be tiring and difficult.”
“You mean, it’s insecure.”
“Yes, I think so.”
“A stable relationship doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good. Stability is what causes weariness.”
“It’s just that things are going crazy right now, so I’m not sure. I’d rather be weary now.”
“Have you ever served the Emperor?”
“…”
Patrizia blushed at the sudden question.