Chapter 102: An Afternoon Without Him
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 102: An Afternoon Without Him
"Ivan."
As Ivan stepped out of his room to attend the State Council Meeting, he ran into Katrina, who had come looking for him. A sigh escaped his lips.
This was the first time he had faced Katrina properly since yesterday's trial.
He had been avoiding her, claiming he was too busy with state affairs and promising to visit her at the Palace of the Grand Empress Dowager as soon as things settled down. In truth, he wasn't busy; he simply dreaded facing his mother, knowing she would weep and cling to him over the trial's outcome.
But now that Katrina had come to find him in person, he could no longer avoid her.
Ivan quickly smoothed his expression and greeted her, playing his usual role of the affectionate son.
"What brings you here so early, Mother? I was planning to visit you as soon as today's meeting was over."
"...Please spare me a moment. It won't take long. Just a brief moment is all I need."
Just as Ivan had expected, Katrina showed no intention of backing down until they spoke. He could have brushed past her on the pretext of state affairs, but he didn't want to tarnish his image as a dutiful son.
Ivan gestured for his aide to wait, then entered the drawing room with Katrina.
Katrina got straight to the point.
"Ivan, yesterday's trial was a setup. I did not kill that woman."
Ivan sighed, his face growing weary at the predictable response.
"Then how do you explain the evidence Duke Delmark brought forward?"
"He must have fabricated it to frame me. In any case, it wasn't me. I had no intention of killing her—"
"If Duke Delmark had intended to fabricate evidence for a retrial, he would have done so long ago. Why would he invent false evidence and bring it forward only now? It makes no sense."
At Ivan's irrefutable logic, Katrina fell silent. Her face looked as if she might burst into tears at any moment.
Ivan utterly detested that expression, which always made him feel like a disloyal son.
Swallowing another sigh, he forced his voice to soften. "If it wasn't you, Mother, then who on earth killed Her Majesty the Late Empress?"
"That..."
"If you truly had nothing to do with it, why did you frame Her Majesty the Late Empress as the one who tried to assassinate Blair?"
"Because everyone would have suspected me first!" Katrina cried out hysterically, as if she were the one who had been wronged.
That day, Esmeralda had been found hanged. Whether it was murder or suicide, the scene had been destroyed by a fire, making it impossible to know the truth. In that situation, who would be the first suspect? It was highly probable they would suspect Katrina, who had constantly coveted the Empress's position and stood in political opposition to Esmeralda.
That woman couldn't even die peacefully. She had to torment me to the very end.
So Katrina had made the first move. The dead, after all, could not refute a false accusation.
"You think so too, don't you?"
As she looked at Ivan, Katrina's expression twisted with pain.
"In the end, it was all for you, Ivan. I worried how you, having lost your mother, would survive in this harsh Imperial Palace if I were to die so unjustly."
"..."
"I simply chose the only way to save us both."
Ivan rubbed his face wearily as he watched Katrina rationalize her choices. He was sick and tired of her excuses, of her claiming everything she did was for his sake. Whatever the truth was, the ultimate consequence of Katrina's choice was the collapse of the Imperial Family's authority.
Looking at Katrina with cold, indifferent eyes, Ivan finally spoke.
"...We will treat Countess Magrid as the culprit and punish her. Acting alone out of loyalty to you, Mother—that should be a convincing enough motive."
At Ivan's cold pronouncement, Katrina's eyes shook with shock.
"She has absolutely nothing to do with this!"
"Please, Mother!" Ivan cut her off, his voice sharp with annoyance. "Who would believe that at this point?"
"If you just refuse to accept Duke Delmark's claims..."
"No. What matters is not the truth, but what the people believe."
"..."
"Since clear evidence has come to light, we have no choice but to overturn the verdict. Now, there is only one thing left for me to do."
"..."
"Protect the dignity and authority of the Imperial Family."
"..."
"This is the method I have chosen to save us both."
As Katrina stared, lips parted in a daze at her son's cold response, a knock sounded at the door, followed by the aide's voice.
"Your Majesty. Forgive me, but it is time for the meeting."
Ivan glanced at Katrina, who was weeping silently, then sighed and left the drawing room.
The moment the door clicked shut, Katrina collapsed to the floor. A sound that was half-laugh, half-sob escaped her lips.
Countess Magrid was her right hand. If she was punished, the incident would be put to rest, but that was merely a temporary fix. People would still assume that the true culprit who killed Esmeralda was Katrina.
There was no way Ivan had made this choice without knowing that.
In other words, Ivan had cut her loose.
All to remain a benevolent Emperor who fairly punishes even his own guilty mother. All to protect his own prestige.
Back then... should I not have listened to him?
As a hollow laugh escaped her, the advice Gerard had given her right after the incident ten years ago flashed through her mind.
'Even if it was an accident, people will naturally suspect Your Highness. You have a clear motive, after all.'
'Then what should I...'
'You must control the narrative first, Your Highness. Conveniently, the Imperial Princess is also a victim, and she has lost her memories of that time. This will lend credibility to your claims.'
'But...'
'She is already dead. Shouldn't the living be allowed to live?'
If she had ignored his advice and tried to reveal the truth back then, would things have turned out differently? The thought crossed her mind, but it was a regret that came far too late.
* * *
In the late afternoon, as the sunlight began to deepen, Blair opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was not the canopy bed of the Ducal Mansion, but the ceiling of a worn, shabby house.
Only then did she fully awaken, and the memories from before she fell asleep came rushing back.
'In your current state, you cannot ride a horse. If you take a carriage, the knights pursuing us will catch you quickly. In truth, it's only a matter of time either way.'
'...I suppose so.'
'So, we will use that to our advantage.'
'How?'
'Right now, they are blocking all routes out of the Imperial Capital. But in two days at most, they will assume we have escaped and expand their search beyond the city. The Knights of Delmark stationed in the capital are limited in number.'
'If the search area expands... a gap will open up.'
'Exactly. We will escape the Imperial Capital through that gap.'
For that plan, they needed a place to hide. Mikhail had brought Blair to a private house located a short distance from the center of the capital. It was the home of an old woman who lived alone, someone Mikhail had once helped by chance. It was a hiding place chosen on the assumption that no one would expect the escaped Blair to still be so close to the heart of the city.
Mikhail had told her to rest, as it would be a long journey once they left. Blair, who had barely slept the night before, had fallen asleep the moment she lay down.
When she finally woke, it was already late afternoon.
Blair stared blankly at the lazy sunlight filtering through the window.
It's so peaceful...
A worn-out room, an old bed that creaked whenever she moved, and a cozy blanket patched together from scraps of fabric that smelled of warm sunlight. It wasn't a luxurious environment, but it felt far cozier than her time at the Ducal Mansion.
It was the first time since her pregnancy that she could lie in bed and idle away with such peace of mind. At the Ducal Mansion, she had always been on edge, constantly worrying about when Herdin might suddenly return. Whenever he was free, he would stay by her side, obsessing over her and the child in her womb. It had been terrifying, suffocating.
But what frightened her even more was... even while feeling those emotions, she had been gradually growing accustomed to his embrace, to his warmth.
But he was not here.
The absence of his warmth felt strangely empty, yet it was also a profound relief. Only after escaping him could her mind truly find peace.
Just as Blair, staring blankly at the lazy scenery, was about to drift off to sleep again—
...Something smells delicious.
A mouth-watering aroma wafted up from downstairs. Her stomach growled, as if her forgotten appetite had suddenly returned.
Blair slipped out of the room and went downstairs, where preparations for a meal were in full swing.
Mikhail, who was helping the old woman carry dishes, spotted her and greeted her with a smile.
"Did you sleep well?"
"...Yes. If I had known you were preparing a meal, I would have come down to help."
The old woman only knew Mikhail as a polite young man who had helped her in the past; she knew nothing of their true relationship. They had decided to keep her in the dark for her own protection, just in case the House of Delmark came to question her. For that reason, Blair was speaking formally to Mikhail.
Just then, the old woman, overhearing their conversation as she brought out more food, waved her hands dismissively.
"What do you mean, help? The baby's father can do enough for the both of you. The mother just needs to eat well!"
The old woman beamed at Mikhail as she spoke. She had clearly mistaken him for the baby's father.
The two of them froze, embarrassed by the unexpected misunderstanding and unsure whether to correct her or play along.
Knock, knock.
Suddenly, a sharp knock echoed from the front door.