TTCF 26

Chapter 26.

A Single Chance

2023.08.26

Kareem had no other choice. He took René’s hand, and René handed him the object resting upon it. Only then was Kareem released from Ruben’s grip.

Once it was certain that Kareem had accepted the proposal, René continued his explanation.

“I know you’re aiming for the emperor. But unlike Monique Montmorency, you don’t need a fake Lowell, do you? You have a daughter.”

“…Just how much do you know?”

“Not much, so you don’t have to worry. At the very least, I know your goal is to make your daughter the emperor’s consort.”

And René knew that Kareem had become the leader of the noble faction, and that his alliance with Monique, were both for that very purpose.

“What I gave you is a drug that stimulates human impulses. It’s commonly used in the arena. Even those who fear violence, even those paralyzed by terror—if they take this, they can become fighters.”

And if someone who must constantly restrain their impulses were to take it, the effect was obvious. René didn’t need to say who he meant.

The current emperor, Peter von Derayen Velfa.

“I believe you’ll easily find the right time and method to make him take it. How you use it afterward is entirely up to you. Ah, perhaps your daughter may even gain an opportunity to approach the emperor.”

“…Truly, there’s nothing else you want of me?”

Kareem asked, somewhat dazed. After being cornered and threatened so much, he had expected to be forced into something extremely unjust or dangerous. But this… this was something that could even benefit him.

René smirked at Kareem’s question.

“What, does it seem like I’m being overly generous? How amusing. You’re nothing more than a chess piece. Or perhaps like a cat brought into a house to chase out the mice.”

No matter how many mice the cat devoured and how full it became, the master of the house had no reason to care.

In fact, if the cat’s belly was full and it required less feeding, all the better.

“So do as you please.”

Until all the mice are caught.

With those words, René left. Kareem hurriedly followed and opened the door, but no one was there. It was suspicious how René could vanish so quickly.

The encounter had happened so suddenly and without warning that Kareem wondered if it had all been a dream.

But the vial in his hand proved otherwise.

Thus, Kareem decided to follow René’s advice. Or rather—he half-believed it, half-doubted it.

If the late empress’s method works well, then attention will be diverted toward the fake Lowell for a while.

Naturally, Kareem never intended to create a fake Lowell and push them toward the emperor as Monique did.

But once the fake Lowell was almost accepted as real, he planned to cut ties, reveal the truth, and use it to elevate his own standing. Every truth and every lie could be used as a card to play.

The one thing that set Kareem apart from Monique was that he had no need for a fake Lowell.

So, whatever happened today didn’t matter much to him.

And just as René had said, the outcome came to pass. Remembering Monique being dragged away, Kareem let out a hollow laugh.

René Martineque, I’ll forgive you for treating me like a cat this once.

He headed straight for the carriage bearing the Grotaire family crest. Waiting there was a woman with hair as soft and pink as cherry blossoms. His daughter, Claire Grotaire.

“Father! Are you all right? I was so worried when I couldn’t find you…”

“Claire.”

Though worried words poured from Claire’s lips, Kareem cut her off sharply.

Ambition surged in his eyes.

“My daughter. Do you remember saying you wanted to become empress?”

“Wh-what? Why are you suddenly bringing that up…”

The question was so abrupt that Claire’s face filled with bewilderment.

“Answer me. Do you remember?”

“Of course I remember, but… why? His Majesty already has a bride, doesn’t he?”

“A bride in name only.”

Kareem recalled the utterly empty figure of Annette Martineque and let out a short laugh.

She was nothing at all. What threat was a reed by the river?

Even if the color was similar, one must harvest wheat in the fields to fill the belly, not reeds by the riverside.

And Kareem believed without doubt that his daughter could be the emperor’s wheat field. He gripped Claire’s shoulders tightly and said:

“Our chance has come, Claire. The emperor’s judgment is clouded right now—so go to him at once.”

“What? But His Majesty… he didn’t look well.”

“Exactly why you must go now! If you stay by his side, he will surely see you differently. You said yourself you had feelings for the emperor, didn’t you? This is your chance.”

He pressed a handkerchief into Claire’s hand, holding it firmly.

“This could change your life—and mine. Do you understand?”

“…Yes.”

Kareem’s ambition-twisted face looked no different from that of a madman, but Claire couldn’t bring herself to speak.

His Majesty… should be this way.

Claire walked deeper into the palace corridors, tilting her head slightly.

For her, finding the emperor wasn’t difficult.

She was the distinguished daughter of the noble Grotaire family, and one of the empire’s few magic users.

Not a half-user who could only channel aura through a sword, but a complete one, who could manipulate magic even with bare hands.

Magic users could somewhat sense one another, and for Claire, sensing the emperor’s magic was not difficult at all.

From this alone, one might expect her to hold some great post. Yet apart from being the Grotaire family’s daughter, she held nothing.

She lacked the arrogance, ambition, and even cruelty that noble bloodlines often bore.

Perhaps it was because she was the late-born daughter who received abundant love from her parents. She liked when people were kind to her, and she thought living happily as she was now was enough. She had no interest in competing or standing above others.

At least, not until she met the current emperor, Peter von Derayen Velfa.

Then… will I be able to speak with His Majesty again tonight?

Claire was among those who secretly cherished feelings for him.

Though she had been pushed forward by her father, her heart was secretly pounding. If she had truly despised her father’s urging, she would have only pretended to search, then returned saying she could not find the emperor.

Her secret affection was not new—it had lasted for years.

It’s been about three years, hasn’t it?

Marriage talks with other families had come and gone, but she rejected them all for that reason. No one could compare to the man she held in her heart.

Her unrequited love began on a night like this. The chandelier in the ballroom shone, the orchestra played a beautiful melody. Unable to endure the hollow laughter and empty words of the crowd, Claire had stepped outside.

Everyone just says things they don’t mean. It’s so uncomfortable.

Though she knew the rules of society, she never learned to enjoy them. She could never like smiling while slandering others or mocking them to their faces.

And since she, the daughter of the Grotaire family head and leader of the nobles, didn’t much enjoy society, few people bothered to approach her at all.

She only wished to return home, wind up her music box, and read while listening to its song.

But Father won’t allow it before it’s over.

Pouting, she sought out a quiet place. At the far corner of the garden stood a large building. She didn’t know its purpose, but she knew no one went near it.

So as usual, she went there—only to find a man standing there that night.

A man whose pale blond hair blended beautifully with the moonlight. A man who looked as though he’d stepped out of the romantic novels she loved.

[Who are you? This place rarely has visitors.]

[…Indeed. But then why are you here? As you said, no one comes here.]

[Because no one comes here.]

Question and answer were the same. At her innocent reply, the man raised an eyebrow slightly, then listed a few more places that rarely had people. It was a polite suggestion not to come here again.

Claire understood, yet somehow, she couldn’t stop her eyes from lingering on the man standing alone in the garden.

It was midsummer, roses blooming in full scarlet all around. Perhaps that was why—the roses and the man together looked like a painting.

And so, she voiced her thought aloud.

[Um… the red roses suit you very well.]

[…Do they? Thank you.]

For the first time, the expressionless man smiled. It looked faintly wistful.

[They suit you as well.]

And that was the beginning of her first love.