Chapter 62

“Thank you, Your Majesty, for your generous disposition.”

“And I hope that in the future your daughter will not come to see me again without my permission.”

At Kaizen’s cold voice, anxious gazes moved over him.

Everyone here knew that Florin of the Croychen family was the most likely candidate for the Empress seat.

But the emperor was saying that he would not see the daughter of the Croychen family anymore.

Marquis Croychen’s purple eyes fluttered anxiously.

But he obeyed the orders without hesitation.

“Yes, Your Majesty. In the future, my daughter will not cause any concern to you.”

Beyond those terrified eyes, he was thinking of a new strategy to use.

Kaizen trusted and kept this clever and loyal man by his side, but he was too greedy for his own good.

He was trying to make Florin the Empress.

At the time, Kaizen did not pay much attention to who others elected as new empress.

He was too busy dealing with the civil war and running state affairs, so he did not have time to worry about such things.

‘Florin. She is only a little girl who has just reached adulthood.’

Greed would continue to grow without end. Kaizen was planning to cut off the bud before it causes any bigger problems.

If the Marchioness and Marianne were clearly punished, the Marquis would not be able to push Florin in.

The meeting ended in an unsettling atmosphere.

***

“Your Majesty.”

After the meeting was over, Vellian cautiously approached Kaizen who was returning to the office to work.

“Your Majesty, are you really going to keep the assassination a secret without investigating it?”

Kaizen ordered that the assassination at Dentsu Castle remains uninvestigated, he wanted to keep it a secret.

That incident has not been passed on to the ministers of the capital for the time being.

Kaizen answered without taking his eyes off the paperwork,

“Yes. Never let it leak out.”

If the truth of the assassination was revealed, those involved should be punished.

In the past, the culprit would have been identified and executed.

Uncovering the person who instigated the assassination would’ve been a must.

But right now it could not be publicly investigated.

Because if it was, it would be discovered that Astelle was the daughter of a traitor.

If that were to happen, even the emperor’s power would not be able to fully protect her status and honor.

Vellian looked at him with a puzzled expression, but Kaizen gave a firm command.

“The assassination case must never be known to the outside. Keep the work there in moderation and confidentiality.”

***

The next day, Astelle went to the temple early in the morning.

It was a temple not far from the Imperial Palace.

Astelle’s residence was also close by.

Against the background of the dawn sky that was bright, there was a gray temple.

It was still early, so there were not many visitors.

Astelle got out of the carriage and entered the building holding a small bouquet carefully so as not to break it.

“Lady Astelle!”

“Nice to see you after a long time, High priest.”

The elderly high priest welcomed her with a happy face.

He was close to the deceased empress dowager and had known Astelle well from an early age.

“You came early.”

“Yes, I wanted to come in advance and make a dedication to the altar of the Empress Dowager.”

Astelle showed him the bouquet she had cherished and said so.

It was a bouquet made of new white acacia flowers that she had prepared in advance last night.

“How much trouble have you been through? The Empress Dowager was very worried about you.”

The high priest brought tears to his eyes.

Astelle walked with him down the garden path to the sanctuary.

While walking on the white tiled road, the high priest delivered the words of the Empress Dowager.

“Her Majesty the Empress Dowager entrusted me with the will and left a message; ‘The southern estate was originally mine, but I have never managed it with my own hands in my life, so I want to hand it down to Astelle.’ That’s it.”

“… she said so.”

Hearing her will in person, her heart ached with regret.

The Empress Dowager was a pitiful person.

She was born as an heiress to a southern estate, but when she was young she was forced to marry into the imperial family and she never once had her own estate.

“Lady Astelle is a smart woman, and she said that you would use the conditions written in the will wisely.”

“……”

The will of the Empress Dowager made her come here and many things happened.

But Astelle was still grateful to her.

How much did she care for her and how much did she even think about her?

When she thought about it, she couldn’t help but be grateful.

Astelle passed through the small shrine and entered the votive room where the remains of successive emperors and empresses were located.

She also found the ashes of the deceased Empress Dowager in this place.

The high priest, who guided her, withdrew from the entrance in consideration of Astelle.

“I will first return to the temple now. Lady Astelle, when His Majesty arrives, you can sign the will in the temple.”

“Yes, thank you for your guidance .”

Astelle went inside and noticed a chiseled statue.

Beneath it was an altar for offering sacrifices.

She placed the bouquet of acacia on an altar intricately carved with sacred flowers.

“It’s an acacia flower.”

She was startled by the sudden voice and turned around to see Kaizen standing behind her.

***

Kaizen approached Astelle.

She spoke to him politely and in a calm voice.

“Yes, the Empress Dowager liked it.”

The garden of this temple was also full of pure white acacia.

Empress Dowager used to come here to pray and watch the garden that was covered with pure white flowers.

But after her health deteriorated, she could not come here.

Astelle made a painting of the acacia that filled the garden of the temple to appease the grieving empress dowager because she could not come to the temple, and she presented it to her.

She can still clearly remember the empress dowager’s childish delight when she received the painting.

“Yeah. She liked the flowers.”

It wasn’t just because she liked the picture.

Because it was a gift from Astelle, she was overjoyed.

Kaizen’s grandmother, Empress Dowager, was very fond of Astelle.

‘Pay more attention to Astelle.’

Empress Dowager nagged whenever she saw Kaizen. She once said this as if she felt sorry for her.

She said, ‘Astelle is so smart but she doesn’t look happy.’

At the time, Kaizen responded with, ‘What does it have to do with me whether Astelle is happy or unhappy?.’

When Empress Dowager heard that, she was upset and shed tears.

Even after the two divorced and Astelle left the capital, Empress Dowager continued to annoy Kaizen to find out Astelle’s whereabouts.

Kaizen didn’t care.

The useless tenderness of his old grandmother only bothered him.

He was so busy back then that he did not have time to care.

But now, Kaizen deeply regretted his actions at that time.

Each time he recalled the past when he ignored his grandmother’s words and disrespected Astelle, bitter regrets came to him.

“You should stop now. Everyone is waiting.”

“Already? Isn’t it too early?”

“You said you will arrive early, so I advanced the schedule.”

The two went to the former main building instead.

Some nobles and ministers had come in advance and were waiting.

Half of them must have come to see the expelled empress, not to see them sign the will.

None of them was familiar to Astelle.

The situation has changed a lot in the past six years.

Astelle stood before the altar in front of everyone.

The priest laid out the papers in front of her.

“Then sign this power of attorney.”

Saying so, the priest handed Astelle the pen.

It took her such a long time to get here, but all she had to do was sign the documents.

It was a document that transferred the rights of the will to the emperor.

It will be over when Astelle signs it.

She took the pen and wrote her signature in a cursive style that looked like it would appear in a textbook.

The priest who confirmed the signature asked Astelle,

“Do you really agree to delegate all authority to the Emperor without any conditions, Lady?”

“Yes, I do.”

The terms of the transaction had already been received.

Astelle got her grandfather’s pension back, and she was given permission to leave the capital right away.

The priest presented the papers to the emperor.

“It’s done. Your Majesty is now the legal lord of all southern estates.”

Finally, the paperwork for the will was finished.

The flame of the candles has filled the temple with a subtle golden light.

Kaizen stood under it.

Astelle suddenly remembered vividly the night after the assassination.

She did not know why she felt so uncomfortable with just one hug from Kaizen.

They were once married and have been through the first night.

From now on, they would never see each other again.

Astelle expected that it would not be difficult, but she is satisfied because she found the work easier than she thought. She hurriedly escaped from the temple before anyone caught her.

It was a time when the sun was warm.

The garden road without people was quiet and secluded.

“Astelle.”

Kaizen, who followed, called for her.

“Are you going back now?”

“Yes. If your majesty allows me, I will leave tomorrow.”

Kaizen stared at Astelle with complicated eyes.

“Can’t you stay here?”