CH 61

It was still a burden for me to look him in the face and not feel anything.

Having been a victim of unrequited love for so long, it would be a lie to say that I remained completely insensitive to our reunion with him.

So, in order to ignore him as naturally as possible, I had to gather all my will into a fist.

If he gets angry with my manners, he will immediately kick me out of here. It is even for the best. It would be nice to get out of this stuffy place as soon as possible.

But Raymond wasn’t angry.

For a while, he just stared at me in silence.

His eyes were persistent, apparently, he was trying to look right through me and catch my intentions.

Obviously, I couldn’t be friends with him anymore. I drew a line and left. Did he think that everything would return to the same when I got back?

So he opened his mouth, looking at me with his tenacious eyes.

“The reason I asked you to come here is to discuss the outcome of the trial and future events. Before, I talked directly with the Duke, but… he is in disrepair now.”

“That’s right. I’ve taken over all of my father’s work, so just contact me.”

“Yesterday’s court proved the Duke’s innocence, so all the seized property of the Duke will be released tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

It was expected that it would take another three to four days to free it.

This is due to the fact that the process of processing each document and obtaining approval has always been rather complicated.

It seems that he personally ordered to speed up the process.

“Thank you for your attention, sire.”

“And today the imperial family will officially declare the Duke Croft’s innocence. Duke Croft, who, being slandered, still didn’t run away due to a strong sense of responsibility, even when he was on the verge of execution.”

“Yes?”

I opened my eyes in surprise.

“Sire. If you make such a statement, there could be rumors of favoritism.”

All decisions of the Emperor must be fair, at least on the surface.

The mere postponement of the trial gave rise to talk of ‘special treatment’.

But if you make such a pretentious announcement… Raymond’s reputation won’t be good.

A slight smile appeared on Raymond’s lips.

“Hmm… Are you worried about me now?”

I was confused for a moment.

I’m worry?

“No. I just…”

“What just? If your only concern is for the well-being of the Duke, then nothing will be lost from my official statement from your family. On the contrary, this will be the best way to regain the prestige lost by the Duke.”

And Raymond was right.

He looked at me embarrassedly and gently lifted the corners of his lips. This smile made me come to my senses.

He almost managed to fool me.

“I just thought my father wouldn’t want that. The Duke is not the kind of person who obstructs His Majesty for his own benefit.”

“Are you trying to say that you’re here just looking out for the interests of the Duke?”

“Right. Otherwise, why else should I be in your company…”

“Right.”

He laughed and spoke again.

“Even if the Duke were against, I will still do as I please.”

“Sire.”

“His guilt has been refuted. The nobles will all bite their tongues.”

There was meaning in his words, but it wasn’t entirely correct.

It didn’t suit me. I hesitated.

Of course, not because I was worried about him… I just had to worry about the Emperor on behalf of his loyal Duke.

But Raymond looked like he didn’t want to listen to my arguments.

And I resigned myself, because I knew better than anyone else that he would never change what he had already decided once.

“Okay.”

“And I’m going to include your story in the official statement… If you don’t like it, I won’t.”

“My story… What are you talking about, Your Majesty?”

“I heard you donated 4 000 gold at the trial. So, I want to attach this fact to the official statement. The Duke was slandered and framed, but his only heiress made a large donation to the treasury.”

Hearing his words, I stopped and turned to Raymond.

Such a gesture would be more necessary for my own reputation than for the Duke.

So this is what Raymond is up to.

Let the rumor go through the upper class. My reputation will only grow when rumors spread throughout the Empire. Then the nobles will want to contact me.

I lived away for a long time, so all my connections were practically cut off.

In addition, before my departure, the news broke out about our divorce and the appearance of Lisa, which cost me a lot of honor.

Although I always had the Phoenix organization close at hand, that wouldn’t have encouraged important nobles to return to Duke Croft’s camp.

In addition, I still need support to end Marquis Sios.

But mentioning me in an official statement…

After all, it makes no sense to look after my honor as reverently as my father?

Even when I was his Empress, he didn’t often think of me.

Raymond was a smart man. And even though the Croft family had been on his side all this time, he didn’t give something for nothing.

If he throws me a bone, then he demands two in return.

And in our case, the bone was the Phoenix organization.

On the night before the trial, he found out that Lumont, whom he met on the road, was the head of the Phoenix branch.

Now he also knew that the man who brought 4 000 gold to the court was the same Lumont.

The conclusion about my connection to Phoenix was so easy to draw.

Do you want to work with our organization?

It would benefit both Raymond and the order.

Then it made sense for him to restore my honor, so that I was again on top.

I quickly brushed aside unnecessary thoughts and lowered my gaze to the floor.

“…If you do that, I will be grateful.”

When I lowered my head, I heard an unpleasant voice above me, containing a double meaning.

“My courtesy won’t end there.”

“But what will people say to such gestures towards an unmarried young lady?”

“Ellie, we are…”

“I am now a person who has nothing to do with His Majesty. The Emperor should have kept me at a distance.”

7 years have passed since our divorce. It’s funny now to have such dialogues.

The breakup was tough and there was no need for me to be friends.

“…I didn’t suggest you go back in time.”

He said it, but it sounded somehow unnatural. I smiled, looking up dubiously.

“I have no purpose to inconvenience you. But still I will act according to my will.”

“How dare I argue with your will?”

“Okay. Then, as I said earlier, the Duke’s property will be unfrozen tomorrow. If you need money urgently, I will give it to you.”

“No. I have a lot of money.”

“This is all thanks to the Phoenix organization, right?”

“Yes.”

“So, about Count Barten’s servant… What is the name of the person I met on the road the night before the trial?”