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Chapter 75
Ian already knew that Betty was coming and going from the Empress’s quarters.
He didn’t want to interfere — she seemed to be doing exactly what she wanted, what she felt she had to do.
Still, he wanted to get close enough to at least greet her. Even just brushing past her in the hallway would have been nice.
But in this enormous imperial palace, their paths could never naturally overlap. So all he could do was quietly linger at a distance and watch.
“I don’t think we can give the position of Grand Duchess to Arken, Your Majesty.”
“I was wondering why you were being so overly formal. So that’s what this was about.”
But that didn’t mean he was simply standing still.
He was taking action in his own way — making sure that nothing would hinder or taint his approach toward Betty.
“Other obstacles might take time to resolve…”
He began with what he could immediately deal with himself — the matter of the Arken princess.
“Have you perhaps found someone else you’d like to grant the title of Grand Duchess to?”
“…I’m not sure yet. It’s not something that can just be forced upon someone because I want it.”
“As far as I know, there isn’t a single noble family or young lady in the empire who would easily refuse you. You must have set your heart on someone with remarkable resolve.”
Ian could only remain silent at the Emperor’s probing.
But as the Emperor said, the moment he invoked his status, it would all be over.
To Betty — who had only just stepped into noble society — attention from the Duke of Dayban would be seen as “an honor,” “something to be humbly accepted,” and “far beyond her reach.”
And that was exactly the kind of approach Ian most despised — using his grand title to draw someone near.
No matter how much he wished to approach her, he didn’t want to shake Betty’s heart in that way.
“I’ll take full responsibility for this matter. No matter how Arken responds…”
“We only agreed to consider the alliance negotiations as a priority, Ian. That was my proposal, not yours. I told you before — I secretly hoped that, at least once, you’d oppose my opinion for your own sake.”
The Emperor lightly tapped Ian’s shoulder — the latter still kneeling on one knee — and with that gesture, he ended the discussion.
“Frankly, even I’ve begun to lose interest in this alliance. I wonder if Arken truly wants it. How could the princess’s entourage be this delayed?”
After that, they spoke briefly about the princess of Arken, who was still inexplicably delayed and hadn’t yet arrived, far later than expected.
And now, the present Ian Dayban had come to the Empress’s quarters — not because it was urgent, but because he was hoping for an accidental meeting while bringing a report to the Emperor about the investigation into Arken.
“Have you been well?”
Ian greeted her and, almost unconsciously, immediately looked Betty over to make sure she was fine.
She looked more vibrant than she had in recent days. He was relieved.
“Yes. Her Majesty the Empress has been very kind to me. I’ve been doing well — she often calls for me these days.”
“The Empress is a good person.”
Once again, the conversation dropped off awkwardly. It felt wasteful to end it there.
Before Ian could think up some trivial topic to prolong it, Betty spoke first.
“You look busy. Were you here to see Her Majesty the Empress? Should I go tell her you’ve arrived?”
In truth, she just wanted to keep talking, happy to see him again after so long. But the rolled-up parchment in his hand stopped her — clearly, he was here on business.
He didn’t have the leisure she did.
“No, that’s not necessary. I came to see His Majesty the Emperor, not the Empress. It’s nothing urgent, though.”
In his haste to deny it, his words contradicted themselves.
Betty either didn’t notice or chose not to mention it — thankfully, she didn’t point it out.
“Actually, I just left the room so Their Majesties could talk privately. It might have been awkward if you interrupted them.”
“…They do tend to get lost in their own world, don’t they?”
Apparently, it wasn’t the first time their closeness had put others in an awkward position.
Betty quietly decided that from now on, she’d make herself scarce whenever the Emperor visited.
“I think I’ll be seeing Her Majesty more often from now on.”
As she said it, she remembered something and smiled faintly.
“I’ll be serving as one of Her Majesty’s maids from now on.”
“You’ve become a lady-in-waiting?”
“Yes. It felt strange to keep coming here just as Her Majesty’s cousin. Besides, I find the work rewarding — and interesting.”
It was good news, yet at the same time, it filled Ian with worry.
Being a lady-in-waiting meant she’d have more freedom to move around the palace — which also meant more chances to see her.
But it also meant more responsibilities… and more dangers.
“If anything happens, you can come find me in my palace office. I’m there most days during the day.”
“…Sorry?”
Ian sighed inwardly. He shouldn’t have said it like that — too sudden. His concern always got ahead of him.
“The nobles’ office building is right next to the council chamber. My room is at the far end of the third floor — the biggest door. You can’t miss it.”
“…I’ll remember that.”
It comforted her, knowing that even in this vast, intimidating palace, there was at least one place she could rely on.
She told herself she would handle everything with composure. But of course, life didn’t always cooperate.
“Even if nothing serious happens, you can still come by.”
Realizing how that might sound, Ian quickly added,
“I mean — if something urgent comes up and it’s difficult to ask Her Majesty directly, you can come to me for help. I’m not far.”
“Oh, thank you. It’s reassuring knowing you’re here, Lord Ian.”
The tension of starting a new role — something any newcomer would feel — eased a little at his words.
Then Betty suddenly remembered something and spoke again, intending to excuse herself this time.
“Come to think of it, I heard you’ve been given authority over the poisoning case. I must be keeping a very busy man occupied.”
She’d heard that the previous investigators had gotten nowhere — or hit a dead end — and were about to close the case by blaming the maid and her family alone.
But the Emperor had reassigned the case to Ian, instructing him to conduct a more thorough investigation. That was all Betty knew.
“Just how much work does he even handle…?”
He always seemed busy — she couldn’t imagine how many burdens rested on his shoulders.
Still, seeing how steady and composed he remained, she could understand why the Emperor trusted him so much.
“That case… takes time, but it’s not too troublesome. I’m going through every detail of Baron Rees’s household and the maid’s life — nothing too small to overlook.”
Betty blinked. That hardly sounded not troublesome.
“…To get poison strong enough to kill someone, a minor noble lady would need help. She couldn’t have done it alone.”
“Exactly. Even on the black market, such poison is hard to come by — and the cost would be astronomical.”
If only the poison’s ingredients had some distinctive trait, he could have tracked it down easily. But no — there was nothing linking it to any specific region or group.
There were a few leads, but too weak to stand on their own. Whoever was behind it had made sure their identity would never be easily revealed.
“You’ve clearly given this a lot of thought.”
“I’ve had plenty of time to think.”
Betty knew the habits of noble ladies and their daughters well.
For them to take such bold action, there always had to be a reason — or someone pushing them.
“For now, until the culprit behind it is revealed, I’ll be extremely careful in case there’s another attempt.”
“If you notice anything suspicious — no matter how trivial — tell me.”
“Yes, I will.”
Their eyes met.
On this matter, they both knew — they would have to stay vigilant together if they wanted a definite conclusion.
Betty, now standing closest to the Empress.
Ian, the man the Emperor trusted most.
“Our positions…”
Just like their eyes meeting now, their stations, too, seemed to face one another — a fateful alignment neither could ignore.
