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Chapter 22
The Marquis only threatened to cut off the Elnash leaves but never followed through. He seemed more worried that Lucretia might collapse from withdrawal before the hunting festival. Instead, he kept nagging and threatening her.
His increasing hysteria was also one of the reasons Lucretia had been so tired lately.
Still, she had done her best during all the preparations over the past two months. She couldn’t access information about the most important demon, and she wouldn’t dare try, but she handled many other tasks. She was just too busy to avoid it.
“Hmm?”
While flipping through some papers, Lucretia paused. The last page of a report was missing.
She looked through the report in frustration and sighed. Someone had clearly made a mistake. Mistakes happen, but the problem was that this document needed approval by tomorrow morning.
“I want to finish this tonight…”
She checked the time. It was already past midnight. The palace staff had likely gone home.
After thinking for a moment, she decided to go herself. She couldn’t ask the servants for help because they wouldn’t know where the papers were.
“Your Majesty?”
As she left her bedroom, a guard at the door looked surprised but followed her. Their footsteps echoed through the dim palace corridor.
When she entered the palace administration office, Lucretia’s eyes widened. The lights were still on. Someone hadn’t left yet. It wasn’t an administrator, but someone she recognized.
‘The butler of Count Elle’s house.’
“Oh!”
The butler, startled by her presence, dropped several documents.
Looking down at her own attire, Lucretia felt slightly embarrassed—her silver hair and white indoor dress made her look like a ghost in the dark.
“Sorry to startle you.”
“Oh, no! Please forgive my rudeness. Your Majesty! May your day be filled with the blessings of the land!”
The butler bowed deeply and collected the fallen papers.
“I was just delivering the documents that Count Elle sent me to pick up.”
Lucretia nodded. Count Elle, the palace chief, was extremely busy, and his butler often ran errands for him.
One of the papers had slid across the polished marble floor and stopped in front of Lucretia. She bent down and picked it up, handing it to the embarrassed butler.
“Thank you, Your Majesty!”
“You’ve worked late enough.”
With that, their exchange ended. Lucretia retrieved the papers she needed and left the office. This was a week before the hunting festival.
Finally, the morning of the hunting festival arrived.
“So, this day has come…”
Lucretia, awake early, gazed at the morning star, lost in thought. Her maids hurried to help her get ready, but her mind was elsewhere.
“Today, I will see His Majesty.”
It had been several days since she last saw him. She could hardly believe that she lived in the same palace but couldn’t meet the emperor. Ever since she had been busy with palace administration, it had been even harder.
“But today…”
Today’s festival honored the emperor. The thought of seeing him made her heart race.
Was it nerves, or something else? She didn’t know.
“Phew, this should be…”
“Perfect. Simply dazzling.”
After hours of preparation, the maids admired her work. They were proud of their effort.
“Even in simple colors, Your Majesty looks beautiful. No decorations needed, yet still stunning.”
“Not even the Goddess of Butterflies could be more elegant than you.”
Lucretia smiled quietly. She admired the maids’ dedication. Preparing someone for hours was exhausting, and they even praised her endlessly.
“The weather is very clear today. A good omen,” said the head maid, Jaina. Lucretia looked at the clear sky. She hoped the event would go smoothly.
And…
“I hope no one gets hurt.”
Naturally, her thoughts went to the emperor’s safety. She smiled wryly at herself—he would surely laugh if he knew she was worrying.
She hadn’t seen him in combat, but the stories were clear. The emperor had been on countless battlefields even as a prince. No knight could match him. If anyone were safe, it would be him.
“Hopefully, nothing goes wrong,” she whispered.
The maids fussed over her again.
“Of course! You’ve prepared this festival yourself; everything will be perfect!”
“Thank you,” she said softly.
Soon, it was time to leave. The journey to the plains where the hunt would take place would be long. Excited, the maids chatted and packed.
Clara, quietly tugging at Lucretia’s arm, whispered:
“Listen carefully, Miss.”
“It’s a message from our master.”
Lucretia lowered her gaze. Her father wouldn’t leave her free on the day of the important hunting festival.
“Behind the camp, near the cliff, there’s a field of tulips. It’s very large, so don’t worry about finding it. Pick the one tulip with purple leaves.”
Lucretia’s eyes widened. Tulips? She had expected a more complicated task—like gathering information from a noble or negotiating with merchants. This made no sense to her.
“Purple tulip… Why?”
“Does the reason matter?” Clara frowned, as if to say it never had for her.
“Remember, if you fail, the master will punish you. Until now, he’s been lenient because he values you.”
Clara tapped her back encouragingly.
“Do not make mistakes this time. If the master is perfect, his servants will follow suit.”
There was a faint mockery in her voice.
Lucretia traveled alone by carriage. Traditionally, the emperor and empress would ride together, but she didn’t expect him to join her. She wasn’t disappointed; the maids were.
“The emperor doesn’t spend time with anyone before a big hunt,” they whispered.
“I heard he smokes a strong calming herbal cigarette that clouds the area. No one can stay near him!”
“The stronger his martial skill, the more sensitive he becomes. He must stay alone to keep calm.”
The maids tried to console her, though they were disappointed themselves—they had hoped the trip would bring the emperor and empress closer.
Lucretia, however, had no such hopes.
‘I’ve given up trying to win His Majesty’s favor before the hunt.’
He refused all conversation with her. Since the day of the prophecy, he avoided her completely.
But having found a perfect substitute for the Elnash leaves, she could plan calmly.
‘After the festival, I’ll try to persuade him again.’
Her efforts were everywhere in the preparations. Count Elle, the palace chief, had witnessed her hard work. She had even stayed up nights, and they had become on somewhat familiar terms.
“Your persistence is remarkable,” Count Elle said after reviewing the report.
“Your diligence and determination are admirable. The people are lucky to have such a capable empress.”
“I’m embarrassed. Stop it,” she replied, though inwardly pleased.
Count Elle was trusted by the emperor, often attending political meetings. If he thought well of her, he might speak favorably to the emperor. After a successful festival, she planned to use this as proof of her loyalty.
‘I want to be your faithful servant, Your Majesty. I’m ready.’
‘Even slowly, if I can win His Majesty’s heart…’
Then, perhaps, she could finally be free—from Marquis Zephyr, and from her desperate longing for her father’s affection.
