The imperial court at early dawn, before daybreak, was as quiet as the dream of the dead. Even those who enjoyed the banquet until late at night were all asleep. In the darkness that fell as deeply as a widow’s veil, the rather low clopping of the horses’ hooves resounded.
The sound of the steps dragging slowly, as if exhausted, hit the stone road wet with the night dew. The true nature of the noise that was getting closer, as if unwillingly, was slowly revealed through the light fog. An ordinary carriage led by two horses was approaching the palace.
Even though it was a two-horse carriage, it had a shoddy appearance. The two old and infirm horses, matching in color, were extremely worn-out in terms of coat, and the poorly maintained tack showed signs of peeling even in the dark. Above all, what stood out more than anything else was that there was no crest or sign indicating a specific family. Presumably, it was a rental carriage borrowed with money.
As the carriage stopped in front of the back door, the attendant, who had been unable to sleep at dawn, rushed to greet this special guest. Since it was dark, it was impossible to tell who was inside. One could only guess that there was someone inside since the attendant bowed his head inside the carriage and made gestures as if he were speaking to the person inside.
But after a while, the attendant, who finished the conversation signaled to the inside, and the workers went in the open door and came out carrying the promised item.
What the four men brought with them was a small and plain coffin. The simple black coffin, without any special decorations, was carried into the carriage without any relatives to follow and mourn for the eternal separation.
It was such a pitiful sight.
Eugène, standing by the dark window where there was no light, was the only guest to see her off on her last journey. It was not that he did not understand how her family, who were afraid of gossip, sought secretly from the eyes of others, nevertheless, he could not hide his evaluation out of dismay.
‘I have no friends here.’
The lonely confession of a woman who could not find anyone to confide in even in a life-threatening situation hovered around his ears. Sadly, what she said was true. In this huge and majestic court of the Emperor, she was completely alone. Even the one whom she held onto like her last salvation wasn’t fully on her side.
How did she feel when she stood alone in the face of death?
Eugène remembered the last tragic image and swallowed the growing regret. It’s been a long time since he had felt so utterly helpless.
Suddenly, a picture of a summer day came to his mind. Even then, he stood by the window like this and looked down at her.
That day, he visited the mansion of the Marquis of La Baille after receiving a message that said that he missed him. The butler, who announced the situation in a businesslike tone, led him to the living room, and Eugène spent a boring time alone in the room without anyone to entertain him.
It was only a few years later that he heard that it was a ploy by the Marquis to arrange a natural first meeting with Louise, but he couldn’t have known that then. Eugène had only heard a brief message that the Marquis would return in a while but did not know the details and found her when he unintentionally headed to the window at the sound of a carriage coming from outside.
The first thing he saw after the newly arrived carriage’s door had opened was a girl in a yellow dress like a spring flower in full bloom stepping out. Curly hair dangling under a lovely white bonnet eloquently proclaimed that she was a maiden.
Vtf kjr tbivlcu atf vgfrr klat tfg tfjv vbkc, rb tf mbeivc’a rff tfg ojmf, yea tfg oluegf kjr lwqgfrrlnf fcbeut ab ibbx jr lo la kfgf j qjlcalcu.
A small foot wrapped in a soft mule of velvet and ribbon was revealed under the lush hemline of her dress, followed by a delicate white hand reaching out and holding the butler’s hand, who came out to greet her.
Vtf uba boo atf mjggljuf ktlif yflcu rfgnfv ys atf yeaifg, ibbxfv eq ja atf wjcrlbc klat jc bvv fzqgfrrlbc wlzfv klat meglbrlas jcv ofjg, jcv wfa tlr fsfr. Seuècf ofia agbeyifv obg j wbwfca ktfc tf obecv lccbmfca ygbkc fsfr klvfclcu bnfg tfg qegf ktlaf ojmf atja rffwfv ab tjnf cfnfg abemtfv atf rec.
He didn’t do anything bad, but he felt guilty. The girl was so excessively startled that he felt uncomfortable.
She was terribly surprised and quickly lowered her gaze and turned around in embarrassment as if it were the first time she had seen a creature called a man. Eugène, feeling awkward by the unexpected situation, nodded his head slightly as if to apologize for the discourtesy and stepped back from the window, but Louise left without seeing it.
Was it because the sharp memories of the first meeting were too vivid? For a long time since then, Eugène could hardly deepen his relationship with her. She was such an unfamiliar existence to him. The hands wearing the white gloves were small, and her neck was thin enough to hold it in one hand.
Louise was a typical socialite lady, as pictured. Although she was quite pretty, she was not an admirably beautiful woman, so her typicality was even more pronounced. Louise was a naive maiden who grew up loved in a normal aristocratic family, and Eugène had a hard time with her because of that. He had no knowledge of the life she had lived except for a vague impression.
Seen from the opposite perspective, her situation would have been the same. Although she was a noblewoman, she was of fallen nobility, had never been taught how to develop aristocratic qualities, and did not know how to treat a man who was fundamentally more like a sailor than a gentleman.
Even if those two were married, there was no way they could truly understand each other. They treated their spouses with care and tried to be as polite as possible, but never got any closer than that. Rather than treating each other as family, they treated the other person as if they were a precious guest who they invited to their home, but thought that it was the best thing to do.
But there must have been more between us, Louise. Neither you nor I knew until it actually happened.
The more he recalled the old memories, the more bitter the complaint that stayed on his lips. Ironically, it was only after the two divorced that he realized the existence of these ambiguous feelings he had for his wife.
Eugène did not know whether these emotions were newly created by desperate circumstances, or whether they existed from the beginning and he was simply unaware of them. It was unfortunate but was also useless to question them now.
The feelings between them were only seeds, and they disappeared without even sprouting. No one can tell if those feelings would have grown into love or friendship. They could have been more than an uncertain and distant feeling of goodwill, or maybe they could have just stayed there without sprouting till the very end.
It was an opportunity that had passed. It was a barren wasteland that had nothing left but vague imagination and regrets.
“As per the request of Baron Dumont, the funeral will be held in the Baron’s territory, instead of the capital. It is said that there is a charnel house of the family in the Diocese of Denosa, where Baron Dumont’s territory lies.”
Eugène turned his attention to the low voice coming from behind him.
There stood a man who had informed him that Louise’s body would be delivered to the family early this morning. The comment was interposed so naturally that some would mistakenly think that they were Eugène’s company, but in fact, the person was an uninvited guest. However, Eugène did not react like so as if he had expected it in advance, even though his extremely personal moment was invaded.
“Did the Duke of Fernand agree?”
Eugène asked quietly, looking back at the carriage that was rushing away after they were done carrying the coffin without sincerity as if loading cargo. The man who had been hiding silently as if submerged in darkness affirmed his question.
“Yes.”
“… Not surprising. Even when she was alive, the Duke could not triumph over Her Highness The Grand Duchess.”
Louise died as the Duke’s fiancée, but that was all. She was meant to marry the Duke but did not actually get married to him, and Grand Duchess Alienor would have objected to accepting her into the charnel house of the Duke of Fernand by citing that point.
Even if the Duke’s blood was growing inside her stomach, few people knew about it. So, from an external point of view, it is not an unreasonable treatment.
I see. Even after losing his fiancée and child, the one who benefitted the most from this, in the end, was the Duke of Fernand.
Ten days ago. Eugène vividly remembered the Duke’s frenzy for revenge the very night she died and sighed deeply at this contradictory reality.
The Duke of Fernand was a young man as senseless as Louise, but their naivety was no advantage in the insidious and complicated world of politics. The imperial court was a cruel and cunning place. Those who did not properly grasp their circumstances were often used as tools, and human virtues were only useful when one found a justification to attack one’s enemy.
Though he believed she was not directly the one who killed her due to the brutal method, he still suspected that Grand Duchess Alienor was the culprit. Assassination always takes precedence over purpose. If someone was killed intentionally, the culprit was usually someone who would benefit from it. Therefore, Eugène believed that she was most likely connected to Louise’s death in some way.
She is not the only one.
But now, there was someone else he was seriously bothered about. There was someone else. Between Grand Duchess Alienor and Louise, someone unknown.
That may be why, at first glance, there seemed to be a contradiction between the outcome and course of events related to her death.
Louise’s murder seemed to be for the Duke of Fernand on the surface, but it wasn’t for him alone. The culprit’s intentions were never meant to be simple. If the culprit had only moved for the sake of the Duke, they would not have attracted everyone’s attention by using such conspicuous means.
As His Majesty himself pointed out, there were many more effective means than arsenic for poisoning. The way they killed Louise was also not something someone who wanted to avoid others’ eyes would do. Killing the court lady like a pig in the slaughterhouse. The murderer aimed for nothing more than a deliberate display of her death.
“Could you deliver my gratitude to His Majesty?”
Eugène had been staring anxiously at the darkness outside the window, where there was not even a trace of the carriage that had left, but finally regained his composure and looked back at Baron Bouilhet.
A Baron with no acquaintance with him could not have appeared here on a personal basis. In the first place, to be informed of today’s events could have only been possible on his orders.
It was frankly unexpected that the person who openly expressed his displeasure showed this kind of consideration, but Eugène did not decline his favor. This was his last chance to face Louise, whose funeral he would not be able to attend.
“His Majesty will likely not be pleased, but I understand. The word will be delivered.”
Eugène smiled bitterly at the blunt reply. He also understood Baron Bouilhet’s words. In the political imbroglio, a useless scandal was created to cover up the vassal’s error.
The circumstances around him were as complicated as the secret behind Louise’s death. Considering the nature of the person who dealt with it skillfully, Eugène could only imagine how immense his temper must have been, as he calmed himself down without fully expressing his feelings. Half of those circumstances had been provided by Eugène himself, apologetically, so he was too ashamed to face him.
“Is there anything else you would like to relay?”
Ten days after the incident.
Eugène stayed in his room and did not appear until her body was brought out of the palace. He didn’t know what kind of ripple the action would bring, but he also needed time to clear his mind.
His Majesty has been silently serving as a shield for him, so now it was his turn to repay him. Eugène opened his mouth, looking at Baron Bouilhet with a calm gaze.
“I will abide by my promise. I will surely survive as commanded, so please relay that.”
Baron Bouilhet, who had his eyes fixed on Eugène as if he were observing him, nodded slightly and left. When he left, the Emperor’s presence casting over him in the room also disappeared. Eugène, alone in the dark room, watched the dawn approaching from afar.
The bright yellow light of that hot summer day kept flickering around his eyes.
The imperial court at early dawn, before daybreak, was as quiet as the dream of the dead. Even those who enjoyed the banquet until late at night were all asleep. In the darkness that fell as deeply as a widow’s veil, the rather low clopping of the horses’ hooves resounded.
The sound of the steps dragging slowly, as if exhausted, hit the stone road wet with the night dew. The true nature of the noise that was getting closer, as if unwillingly, was slowly revealed through the light fog. An ordinary carriage led by two horses was approaching the palace.
Even though it was a two-horse carriage, it had a shoddy appearance. The two old and infirm horses, matching in color, were extremely worn-out in terms of coat, and the poorly maintained tack showed signs of peeling even in the dark. Above all, what stood out more than anything else was that there was no crest or sign indicating a specific family. Presumably, it was a rental carriage borrowed with money.
As the carriage stopped in front of the back door, the attendant, who had been unable to sleep at dawn, rushed to greet this special guest. Since it was dark, it was impossible to tell who was inside. One could only guess that there was someone inside since the attendant bowed his head inside the carriage and made gestures as if he were speaking to the person inside.
But after a while, the attendant, who finished the conversation signaled to the inside, and the workers went in the open door and came out carrying the promised item.
What the four men brought with them was a small and plain coffin. The simple black coffin, without any special decorations, was carried into the carriage without any relatives to follow and mourn for the eternal separation.
It was such a pitiful sight.
Eugène, standing by the dark window where there was no light, was the only guest to see her off on her last journey. It was not that he did not understand how her family, who were afraid of gossip, sought secretly from the eyes of others, nevertheless, he could not hide his evaluation out of dismay.
‘I have no friends here.’
The lonely confession of a woman who could not find anyone to confide in even in a life-threatening situation hovered around his ears. Sadly, what she said was true. In this huge and majestic court of the Emperor, she was completely alone. Even the one whom she held onto like her last salvation wasn’t fully on her side.
How did she feel when she stood alone in the face of death?
Eugène remembered the last tragic image and swallowed the growing regret. It’s been a long time since he had felt so utterly helpless.
Suddenly, a picture of a summer day came to his mind. Even then, he stood by the window like this and looked down at her.
That day, he visited the mansion of the Marquis of La Baille after receiving a message that said that he missed him. The butler, who announced the situation in a businesslike tone, led him to the living room, and Eugène spent a boring time alone in the room without anyone to entertain him.
It was only a few years later that he heard that it was a ploy by the Marquis to arrange a natural first meeting with Louise, but he couldn’t have known that then. Eugène had only heard a brief message that the Marquis would return in a while but did not know the details and found her when he unintentionally headed to the window at the sound of a carriage coming from outside.
The first thing he saw after the newly arrived carriage’s door had opened was a girl in a yellow dress like a spring flower in full bloom stepping out. Curly hair dangling under a lovely white bonnet eloquently proclaimed that she was a maiden.
Vtf kjr tbivlcu atf vgfrr klat tfg tfjv vbkc, rb tf mbeivc’a rff tfg ojmf, yea tfg oluegf kjr lwqgfrrlnf fcbeut ab ibbx jr lo la kfgf j qjlcalcu.
A small foot wrapped in a soft mule of velvet and ribbon was revealed under the lush hemline of her dress, followed by a delicate white hand reaching out and holding the butler’s hand, who came out to greet her.
Vtf uba boo atf mjggljuf ktlif yflcu rfgnfv ys atf yeaifg, ibbxfv eq ja atf wjcrlbc klat jc bvv fzqgfrrlbc wlzfv klat meglbrlas jcv ofjg, jcv wfa tlr fsfr. Seuècf ofia agbeyifv obg j wbwfca ktfc tf obecv lccbmfca ygbkc fsfr klvfclcu bnfg tfg qegf ktlaf ojmf atja rffwfv ab tjnf cfnfg abemtfv atf rec.
He didn’t do anything bad, but he felt guilty. The girl was so excessively startled that he felt uncomfortable.
She was terribly surprised and quickly lowered her gaze and turned around in embarrassment as if it were the first time she had seen a creature called a man. Eugène, feeling awkward by the unexpected situation, nodded his head slightly as if to apologize for the discourtesy and stepped back from the window, but Louise left without seeing it.
Was it because the sharp memories of the first meeting were too vivid? For a long time since then, Eugène could hardly deepen his relationship with her. She was such an unfamiliar existence to him. The hands wearing the white gloves were small, and her neck was thin enough to hold it in one hand.
Louise was a typical socialite lady, as pictured. Although she was quite pretty, she was not an admirably beautiful woman, so her typicality was even more pronounced. Louise was a naive maiden who grew up loved in a normal aristocratic family, and Eugène had a hard time with her because of that. He had no knowledge of the life she had lived except for a vague impression.
Seen from the opposite perspective, her situation would have been the same. Although she was a noblewoman, she was of fallen nobility, had never been taught how to develop aristocratic qualities, and did not know how to treat a man who was fundamentally more like a sailor than a gentleman.
Even if those two were married, there was no way they could truly understand each other. They treated their spouses with care and tried to be as polite as possible, but never got any closer than that. Rather than treating each other as family, they treated the other person as if they were a precious guest who they invited to their home, but thought that it was the best thing to do.
But there must have been more between us, Louise. Neither you nor I knew until it actually happened.
The more he recalled the old memories, the more bitter the complaint that stayed on his lips. Ironically, it was only after the two divorced that he realized the existence of these ambiguous feelings he had for his wife.
Eugène did not know whether these emotions were newly created by desperate circumstances, or whether they existed from the beginning and he was simply unaware of them. It was unfortunate but was also useless to question them now.
The feelings between them were only seeds, and they disappeared without even sprouting. No one can tell if those feelings would have grown into love or friendship. They could have been more than an uncertain and distant feeling of goodwill, or maybe they could have just stayed there without sprouting till the very end.
It was an opportunity that had passed. It was a barren wasteland that had nothing left but vague imagination and regrets.
“As per the request of Baron Dumont, the funeral will be held in the Baron’s territory, instead of the capital. It is said that there is a charnel house of the family in the Diocese of Denosa, where Baron Dumont’s territory lies.”
Eugène turned his attention to the low voice coming from behind him.
There stood a man who had informed him that Louise’s body would be delivered to the family early this morning. The comment was interposed so naturally that some would mistakenly think that they were Eugène’s company, but in fact, the person was an uninvited guest. However, Eugène did not react like so as if he had expected it in advance, even though his extremely personal moment was invaded.
“Did the Duke of Fernand agree?”
Eugène asked quietly, looking back at the carriage that was rushing away after they were done carrying the coffin without sincerity as if loading cargo. The man who had been hiding silently as if submerged in darkness affirmed his question.
“Yes.”
“… Not surprising. Even when she was alive, the Duke could not triumph over Her Highness The Grand Duchess.”
Louise died as the Duke’s fiancée, but that was all. She was meant to marry the Duke but did not actually get married to him, and Grand Duchess Alienor would have objected to accepting her into the charnel house of the Duke of Fernand by citing that point.
Even if the Duke’s blood was growing inside her stomach, few people knew about it. So, from an external point of view, it is not an unreasonable treatment.
I see. Even after losing his fiancée and child, the one who benefitted the most from this, in the end, was the Duke of Fernand.
Ten days ago. Eugène vividly remembered the Duke’s frenzy for revenge the very night she died and sighed deeply at this contradictory reality.
The Duke of Fernand was a young man as senseless as Louise, but their naivety was no advantage in the insidious and complicated world of politics. The imperial court was a cruel and cunning place. Those who did not properly grasp their circumstances were often used as tools, and human virtues were only useful when one found a justification to attack one’s enemy.
Though he believed she was not directly the one who killed her due to the brutal method, he still suspected that Grand Duchess Alienor was the culprit. Assassination always takes precedence over purpose. If someone was killed intentionally, the culprit was usually someone who would benefit from it. Therefore, Eugène believed that she was most likely connected to Louise’s death in some way.
She is not the only one.
But now, there was someone else he was seriously bothered about. There was someone else. Between Grand Duchess Alienor and Louise, someone unknown.
That may be why, at first glance, there seemed to be a contradiction between the outcome and course of events related to her death.
Louise’s murder seemed to be for the Duke of Fernand on the surface, but it wasn’t for him alone. The culprit’s intentions were never meant to be simple. If the culprit had only moved for the sake of the Duke, they would not have attracted everyone’s attention by using such conspicuous means.
As His Majesty himself pointed out, there were many more effective means than arsenic for poisoning. The way they killed Louise was also not something someone who wanted to avoid others’ eyes would do. Killing the court lady like a pig in the slaughterhouse. The murderer aimed for nothing more than a deliberate display of her death.
“Could you deliver my gratitude to His Majesty?”
Eugène had been staring anxiously at the darkness outside the window, where there was not even a trace of the carriage that had left, but finally regained his composure and looked back at Baron Bouilhet.
A Baron with no acquaintance with him could not have appeared here on a personal basis. In the first place, to be informed of today’s events could have only been possible on his orders.
It was frankly unexpected that the person who openly expressed his displeasure showed this kind of consideration, but Eugène did not decline his favor. This was his last chance to face Louise, whose funeral he would not be able to attend.
“His Majesty will likely not be pleased, but I understand. The word will be delivered.”
Eugène smiled bitterly at the blunt reply. He also understood Baron Bouilhet’s words. In the political imbroglio, a useless scandal was created to cover up the vassal’s error.
The circumstances around him were as complicated as the secret behind Louise’s death. Considering the nature of the person who dealt with it skillfully, Eugène could only imagine how immense his temper must have been, as he calmed himself down without fully expressing his feelings. Half of those circumstances had been provided by Eugène himself, apologetically, so he was too ashamed to face him.
“Is there anything else you would like to relay?”
Ten days after the incident.
Eugène stayed in his room and did not appear until her body was brought out of the palace. He didn’t know what kind of ripple the action would bring, but he also needed time to clear his mind.
His Majesty has been silently serving as a shield for him, so now it was his turn to repay him. Eugène opened his mouth, looking at Baron Bouilhet with a calm gaze.
“I will abide by my promise. I will surely survive as commanded, so please relay that.”
Baron Bouilhet, who had his eyes fixed on Eugène as if he were observing him, nodded slightly and left. When he left, the Emperor’s presence casting over him in the room also disappeared. Eugène, alone in the dark room, watched the dawn approaching from afar.
The bright yellow light of that hot summer day kept flickering around his eyes.
