Chapter 92: Chapter 92

She couldn’t believe the horseman was dead. Nobody told her about it. Neither the emperor, nor Curtis, the cardinal, or the priests. Even Beatrice, who informed her about Kloud’s multiple wounds, didn’t tell her about it.

However, she did not want to blame anyone. In fact, she was not qualified to blame anyone for not having told her about the ominous story because she didn’t pay much attention to his survival or death after the accident.

The accident was urgent and imminent, and she herself had no time to check for the horseman at the last minute. Her selective indifference, however, severely tore up her conscience.

It was indeed an excruciating pain for her.

‘If he wasn’t responsible for the wicked scheme, he was innocently sacrificed. I really hoped this kind of thing would never happen again since the countess was bitten by the snake…’

Marianne was helplessly lost in sadness. She was friendly and kind by nature. In the face of the death of a man of whom she had never conversed with, she imagined the sorrow of the man who left this world and the man who was still alive in this world.

He must have had a family, a friend, and a beloved one. He must have had a cute horse, colleagues who worked together, and maybe he had an old friend he hated because of their quarreling. They could no longer see him in this world. They were deprived of the opportunity to tell him they loved him, missed him, and even hated him.

“Gosh, I wonder if made any mistakes…”

Barton tried to read her mind because she looked bad so quickly.

“Oh, no. I just believed he was still alive. As you said he was not, I was surprised. Oh, that’s too bad…I just hope you can wish Jason for his rest.”

“Yes, I’ll pray for his rest on your behalf, too. Don’t be so sad. Don’t you think the lives of poor creatures like me are the same? You have to have dry firewood for the fire to burn well. There are people born to be fire while there are others born to be firewood.”

Barton’s words displayed harsh and familiar logic. Even Cardinal Helena, following the divine providence, said that it was the working principles of the world.

“Her Eminence Cardinal Helena said something is helpless even if it is unfair.”

She recalled Hilde’s clear voice.

Something unfair but inevitable. Unfair, but helpless. Something inevitable…

It was sweet talk to disguise a cause that could not be accomplished without sacrifice.

It was also a common and sobering reality that it was impossible to have everything one wanted without losing anything. It would be the nasty shades of life she would have to go through again and again.

“Barton. I have to go as I have something to do. If you find something else, don’t delay and come to see me. I really want you to see me first, if possible.”

Marianne feigned a smile after she was done with her cowardly rationalization.

“Of course, will do. Have a good rest then. Let me leave now. Oh, by the way…”

“…? ”

Marianne blinked her green eyes curiously. Barton scratched the back of his neck as if he was shy.

“Well, I know many have already congratulated you. I would like to congratulate you, too. As you are good and beautiful, I’m sure you’ll lead a happy life.”

“… Oh, thanks.” Marianne replied with a gentle smile.

Barton bowed to her deeply and left. He straddled the green grass with a heavy step and walked away.

“… Lady, are you okay?”

Cordelli, who was still listening to their conversation quietly, hugged her shoulders and asked anxiously.

“…”

Marianne did not answer. Instead of feigning a smile, she exhaled a deep, long sigh.

She felt bitter.

* * *

Leaving the garden, Marianne had Cordelli go on errands and while she headed for the third floor of the annex alone. The bedrooms of the party members were evenly distributed on the first and second floors, and the fourth and fifth floors. On the third floor were the emperor’s bedroom and Marianne’s.

She walked through the long hallway and stopped in front of the closed door of the emperor’s room. When the party returned, the chief servant was supposed to wait outside the door, but there was no one at the door. Ironically, he seemed to be away at the moment.

Marianne looked around and raised her hand.

Knock, knock, knock.

The wooden door, whose color had faded after some time, rang twice at the knocking.

“…”

There was no answer from inside.

“It’s Marianne, Your Majesty!”

Marianne revealed her identity in a slightly subdued voice. Nevertheless, there was no reply from inside.

‘Is there nobody in the room? I wonder whether all the people in this room are now.’

She hesitated for a while and finally decided to open the door.

But as soon as she held the doorknob with her white hand, the door suddenly opened.

“You scared me!”

Stunned, Marianne stepped back. Barely holding back a scream, she was frightened out of her wits. She even yelped as if she was astonished.

“What’s the matter, Lady Marianne?”

It was Kloud who popped out like a ghost.

“I’ve got something to tell the emperor. Is he sleeping?”

“No, he’s awake…” he murmured as if he was a bit embarrassed.

His jacket was slightly undressed, with the front of his white shirt rolled up to the elbows.

He had small drops of sweat on the forehead..

She narrowed her eyes slightly. She looked at his unusual posture with suspicious eyes. He looked very serious.

“It looks like you can’t see him now. If you can wait here, let me escort him here as soon as he is ready.”

Glancing backwards quickly, he replied politely.

At that moment, some warm air came through the slightly open door. The air rushing in like the tide was mixed with the bitter smell of herbs. Humid, fluffy heat tickled her cheeks and the tip of her nose. It was the temperature and smell of herbs boiling in a pot in the room.

“I wonder if he is very sick like he was at dawn. Did his wounds get infected? Does he have a high fever”

Marianne concluded a reasonable guess during that short moment.

Obviously he got sick again, she thought. In her eyes, he was overworking himself when he met the Grand Duke’s party. When he was discussing with the Grand Duke about the accident, she noticed the unstable cycle of his breathing and his tightened fingertips.

“Pardon? Oh, no, no.” Kloud hastily denied.

She narrowed her brows and stood on tiptoes to take a look around the room. As Kloud was taller than her, she couldn’t see anything in the back.

This time, when she moved to the side to see left and right, Kloud, smiling awkwardly, followed her and got around her to close the door gap.

“You look so suspicious. Did he tell you not to inform me?”

“Lady Marianne, no, that’s not…” Kloud sweated and tried to explain.

But Marianne had no intention of hearing him out. She already suspected that he would lie anyway.

It was a kind of side effect the emperor was suffering from now. She now knew better than anyone that Eckart and his aides frequently abused the words, ‘It’s okay.’ So, as far as the emperor’s safety was concerned, she decided that she would not believe anybody unless she confirmed it herself.

“Would you please make way for me?”

“I’m very sorry, but you can’t right now.”

“I see. I can’t if you insist,” she nodded, pretending to understand him.

Feeling relaxed, Kloud slipped his hand holding the doorknob. And his body, which got pretty close to the door, was apart from it slightly.

At that moment, she grabbed the opposite doorknob that had been closed all along, not blocked by Kloud, and opened it quickly.

“Lady Marianne!”

Leaving him behind, who was embarrassed, she quickly grabbed the hem of her dress and pushed in her upper body first.

Although she acted unreasonably sometimes, she was the daughter of Duke Kling anyway as well as the emperor’s fiancee. Unless she rushed with a weapon, he couldn’t touch her body. He helplessly moved back.

“Lady Marianne! The emperor is now…”

He tried to dissuade her out of it by talking, but he finally failed.

Staggering a bit, she stumbled into the room. She suddenly felt the muggy air inside.

Even before she adjusted the hem of her tangled dress, she stiffened like a stone statue.

The first thing that caught her eye was his back with no bandages, but there was nothing bandaged around it.

When she looked around, she could see him sitting in a spacious bathtub, leaning slightly.

“He has been taking a bath…”

Heavy silence fell after Kloud’s belated explanation.

Marianne slowly blinked her big eyes.

At that moment, Eckart turned his eyes at her. She could see his trembling blue eyes and his feet were slightly drenched in water. He did not cover his body with anything except for a white towel in the pelvic area. Thanks to this, even the slightest muscle movement was easily noticed.