CH 21.2

Lennox wasted no time once the Duke had departed, sprinting towards the Ivory Palace with determination etched into his features. The Ivory Palace was a hive of activity, filled to the brim with returning refugee employees. Despite the chaos, Lennox barged in with a single-minded purpose, seizing one of the ladies-in-waiting and demanding,

“Where is the princess?!”

“In her office,” the lady-in-waiting replied.

Without another word, Lennox strode up the stairs to the second floor, where the office was located. He moved with the confidence of a man who owned the place, and no one in the Ivory Palace dared to stand in his way. Bang! Lennox slammed open the door without bothering to knock, startling Dian, who was sitting at her desk.

“Please…” Diane began, but Lennox cut her off.

“You, get out,” he ordered, gesturing to Lorraine, who looked at Dian before sighing and stepping outside.

As soon as Lorraine had left, Lennox approached Dian, his gaze locked onto her belly.

“Are you still not pregnant?” he asked, causing Dian to recoil.

“Please, stop saying that! Do you think pregnancy is something that can be forced?!” she exclaimed.

“What are you going to do now?!” Lennox demanded.

“What am I supposed to do?!” Diane retorted.

“The empress is a wizard,” Lennox snarled, his face contorted with anger.

Diane’s eyes widened in shock at the revelation. “Is the empress a wizard?” she asked.

“Indeed,” Lennox confirmed. “And she’s the one who caused the tower to disappear.”

Diane closed her eyes in dismay, unable to believe what she was hearing. It was all so unexpected, and she felt powerless to do anything about it. In that moment, she felt like nothing more than a mere puppet being pulled this way and that.

“Duke Despone said he was a great talent! What if you see me as worthless?” Lennox asked, desperation creeping into his voice.

Diane sneered at her brother’s words, her anxiety mounting.

“If my brother was brought here, it’s because he has potential,” she replied. “Stop doubting yourself and start protecting the wizards. I’ll protect you. Nothing has changed. There have always been mages in Ehmont. Everyone’s just surprised. Don’t waver.”

Lennox’s expression softened at Diane’s words, and he began to feel a sense of calm creeping over him. “You’re right,” he said softly.

Lennox nodded in agreement. “And besides, even if you’re not pregnant, the king is still wrapped around your finger, isn’t he?” he said, trying to lighten the mood.

“Stop saying that!” Diane protested. “And please be careful.”

Lennox grinned at her. “Of course. You know me,” he said.

As they stared at each other, it was as if the world around them faded away, leaving only the two of them in existence. Despite the coldness of the winter sky outside, they found warmth in each other’s company, surviving the harshness of their world through sheer force of will.

“The owner of this empire is gone. Where would the empress go but to protect her own palace?” Diane mused.

Lennox’s shoulders slumped. “But what can we do? I’m just one person.”

Diane’s expression grew dark. “We’ve endured so much already, only to be brought low by this. It’s not fair,” she said bitterly.

Lennox’s eyes simmered with a dark intensity, his mind weighed down by the weight of their endurance, which had now crumbled to ashes. The world’s harshest proposition stared them in the face, an unyielding truth that brooked no argument. Those who had, would have more, and those who had not would lose even what they held onto with desperate claws.

It was a bitter pill to swallow, and yet they had no choice but to face it head-on, to wrestle with it until they could find some semblance of solace. Even now, the truth of it all seems to gnaw at their very being, like a ravenous beast that refuses to be sated.

“This damned world,” Lennox spat, his voice laced with a fury that bordered on madness. “It takes and takes, without a care for those who are born with nothing but the air in their lungs. What does it mean for them to be born holding onto nothing but their own umbilical cords?”

Diane’s voice was a soothing balm, a gentle whisper that quieted Lennox’s rage. She spoke as if he were reciting a spell, her words laced with a quiet conviction that Lennox couldn’t help but believe.

“Have faith, brother,” Diane said, her voice a low murmur that seemed to vibrate with power. “It doesn’t matter if the empress is a wizard or not. In the end, we will be the last ones laughing. The world may take and take, but we will always have each other.”

*****

Adele had dubbed the act of destroying the tower without aid as using a ‘guest machine’. The tower was the epicenter of magic, and its absence would cause the mana to dissipate, unleashing untold chaos. Adele pushed herself to the limit, struggling up the stairs to her room in the palace, her body feeling as heavy as waterlogged cotton. She collapsed onto the bed and slept as if she were dead, groaning in agony as if her body had been battered. Adele appeared to be undressing and removing her shoes, but she was beyond caring about appearances.

Mrs. Giggs watched the Empress contort and make strange noises with a worried expression etched on her face. Though Adele’s forehead didn’t feel hot to the touch, Mrs. Giggs couldn’t shake her concerns. She left the room, knowing full well what the Empress was up to, and soon others learned of it too. The palace was in turmoil, abuzz with rumors of the Empress destroying the tower alone.

“She did it alone?” someone exclaimed in disbelief.

“It’s true! The guards are practically bursting with excitement,” another said.

“What about the other mage?” someone else asked.

“Late to the party. I heard the Empress arrived after the tower was already destroyed,” yet another voice chimed in.

“If not for Her Majesty, the Royal Guard would have suffered great losses,” someone else added.

Gossip and whispers spread like wildfire, and everyone seemed to be in on the secret. The former general manager of Gwanrok, a sharp-witted woman with a keen sense of the political climate, observed the situation with narrowed eyes. She quickly drafted a letter and handed it to one of her trusted aides.

“Take this to His Highness the Grand Duke immediately,” she commanded, her tone brooking no arguments. “Go quickly while chaos still reigns in the palace.”

Without hesitation, the errand boy slipped out of the palace unnoticed, taking advantage of the confusion and commotion.

*****

As the emperor stood lost in thought, his eyes fixed on the ominous black tower against the blood-red sky, the imperial palace suddenly erupted into chaos. But he remained calm, knowing that a tower of that size could be easily taken down. Perhaps he could order its destruction at the right time. As he pondered his options, a strange feeling washed over him. It was as if the wind had died down and the sky had faded to a lighter shade of red.

Without hesitation, he rose to his feet and approached the window. And there it was – a brilliant white tower crumbling before his eyes. The wizards had done it. Or so he thought. But the news that reached him soon after was nothing like what he expected.

“Who destroyed the tower?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

“It is said that Her Majesty the Empress destroyed it alone,” came the answer.

The emperor was stunned into silence. He stared down at his hand, still tingling from the shock of electricity that had coursed through it when he gripped the empress’ shoulder. All he had been given was the gender and name of the late Empress of Gottrovis’ daughter. But now he had to wonder – was it possible that the Empress Dowager of Gottrov had sent her daughter away to Echmont because she couldn’t handle the responsibility?

Determined to find out the truth, he summoned the shadow responsible for his secret work. “Go to Gottrov,” he commanded. “Find out about Princess Adelaide’s whereabouts.”

****

As the first rays of sunlight peeked through the window, Empress Adelaide stirred from her slumber. The rumors about her latest decision had spread like wildfire throughout the city, and she knew it was time to take action.

With a determined air, she ordered her attendants to stir up the still unquiet capital once more. “I shall issue an aide notice,” she declared, her voice firm and resolute. “The eligibility criteria are unmarried men over the age of 20, except if they have a fiancé. The selection process shall be conducted through interviews, and the number of chosen candidates is yet to be determined.”

There was a hushed silence in the room as everyone waited with bated breath for her next words. “And what shall be the selection criteria, Your Majesty?” one of her attendants asked.

Adelaide paused for a moment, her gaze sweeping across the room. “Only my heart,” she finally replied, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.

Mrs. Giggs closed her eyes and bowed respectfully to the empress, who smiled enchantingly, pleased with her faithful servant’s response. Within three hours of the Empress Adelaide’s announcement, the waves of her decision had collided head-on into the social world of Ehmont, causing a stir that would be felt for months to come.