“How should one go about overturning an agenda that has already been processed?”
“If you wish to retract a document over which you hold sole approval authority, you may personally retrieve the document. Retrieve it, and then issue the order again.”
At those words, Adele broke into a grin. Her golden eyes curved enticingly like crescent moons. The answer clearly pleased her greatly. The Empress gave an order to Madam Giggs in a whisper.
“Madam, go at once and bring the Ivory Palace residence permit for Diane Poitiers.”
Madam Giggs bowed her head politely with a faint smile on her lips.
“Yes, Your Majesty the Empress.”
＊ ＊ ＊
From where does an empress’s power originate?
There is no single, definitive answer to this question, because countless variables exist.
In most cases, an empress gains power through the strength of her natal family and through producing an heir. Empress Ehrmont supplemented this with the institution of aides. On rare occasions, an empress herself built an independent power base, but this was only possible when the empress possessed exceptional abilities worthy of recognition.
Ideally, the relationship between the empress and the emperor would be good, with each benefiting the other, but throughout Ehrmont’s history, such exemplary imperial couples were rare.
“Strength of my natal family? None.”
Adele discarded the first option without hesitation.
“Producing an heir? ……”
‘If you ask me to hold you, I will.’
That damned line echoed in her ears once again. Adele roughly shook her head and curled her fingers.
“For now, it seems impossible.”
The two fastest, easiest, and most common methods were eliminated in the blink of an eye.
That left two options.
“An aide, or the establishment of an independent power base.”
Adele nodded.
She had intended to consider either taking on an aide or building her own power base after first maintaining a good relationship with the emperor, but as of dawn today, her resolve had hardened. Like fanning flames in a burning house, the supplementary budget proposal that flew in from the Ivory Palace solidified her decision.
Adele had been born into the imperial family and had once been raised as the heir of the Gotthrop Empire. Her father, the former Emperor of Gotthrop, cherished her so much that he always took her along when attending to state affairs.
The wedding, the first night, the wedding banquet, and then yesterday’s incident—Adele had endured as much as she could. Of course, there had been no other options, but still.
Adele began carefully reading through the compendium of palace law, selecting clauses that could be put to use. She also organized, in clear terms, the various ways she could launch a counterattack.
“I apologize for calling it a dogfight. To think you even specified the shape of the toilet in the law.”
This was exactly why one had to experience things firsthand to truly understand them.
Adele lifted her quill to write another passage. However, just before the black-inked pen touched the paper, her movement froze. Her gaze, which had been lowered to the page, slowly lifted. A single drop of ink fell from the quill’s tip, leaving a black stain, but Adele did not move. With sharp eyes, she turned her head to stare out the window.
A faint jolt—zzzt—ran from her head to her toes in an instant. The mana that had lain dormant deep within her body and blood vessels reacted to something. Adele set down the pen and hurried to the window.
The clear blue sky looked as though it were already preparing for autumn. It was a peaceful scene.
“I’m certain it was that just now……”
Adele tilted her head with a grave expression, scanning the sky more widely.
Knock, knock, knock.
A maid knocked briefly and heavily, then carefully entered to announce a visitor.
“Your Majesty the Empress, the young lady of Count Poitiers, Diane Poitiers, wishes to see you.”
At those words, one of Adele’s eyebrows arched sharply.
She came in person, even after I sent an attendant?
After a brief moment of thought, Adele straightened her attire and granted the visitor permission to enter.
“Guide her to the reception room.”
＊ ＊ ＊
Before entering the reception room, Adele cooled her head.
In Gotthrop, her mother never sat at the same table as her father’s mistresses. The mistresses themselves likely did not wish to face a mother whose eyes burned so fiercely, but from her mother’s perspective as well, there was nothing to gain from confronting them. If she smiled and treated them kindly, she would be called indulgent or lacking; if she sharpened her edge, she would be called petty. Seeing each other’s faces did no good at all, so her mother had simply treated them as though they did not exist.
Therefore, Adele had to be cautious now.
She seriously considered turning Diane away, but Diane Poitiers would surely have brought an answer to the order to resubmit an increased amount. It would be difficult to avoid criticism that the empress had avoided the meeting.
The words Diane had whispered the night before surfaced again. The surging anger was so dark and viscous that if she lost her grip for even a moment, she felt it might consume her entirely.
Adele tightened her abdomen firmly and took a deep breath. Then, to avoid being consumed by anger, she pushed aside the memories of the night before and sharpened her reason.
‘Get a hold of yourself, Adelaide. Like a lion unmoved by loud noises, like a lotus unstained by mud.’
Repeating the maxim once more, Adele squared her shoulders and gave a concise order.
“Open the door.”
At her command, the maids bowed respectfully and opened the doors. It felt as though she were stepping onto a battlefield. Her mother’s words—that she had never rested from war her entire life—were true.
The wide, splendid reception room of the empress.
“Your Majesty the Empress.”
As Adele entered, Diane rose gracefully and called to her in a gentle tone. Adele slowly turned her body to face Diane head-on. Everything except Diane seemed to fade into the background.
“Lady Diane Poitiers.”
A heavy, forceful address.
The situation was the same for Diane. The empress, her jet-black hair draped to one side, overwhelmed everything in the room. The expression that had completely crumbled the night before was nowhere to be found. Not even the slightest displeasure toward a mistress could be seen.
Diane bowed lightly in greeting, and the empress passed by her to sit in the seat of honor.
“Sit.”
Adele watched Diane take her seat lightly, her eyes devoid of emotion. Carefully ensuring that her eyebrows and brow did not move to reveal her feelings, she spoke in a flat, colorless tone. There was no need for embellishment.
“Did you bring the answer to the matter for which I sent an attendant, in person?”
“Yes, Your Majesty the Empress. I did.”
Meeting the empress’s gaze, which seemed to urge her to continue, Diane pressed her lips together briefly, then asked in a respectful tone.
“Forgive me, Your Majesty the Empress. ……What is it that displeases you?”
“…….”
She barely managed to restrain her eyebrows from moving. She must not get angry, nor excited. Adele deliberately asked again, slowly, afraid her voice might tremble.
“What displeases me?”
“Yes.”
Diane tilted her head with an innocent-looking, clear face. Adele pressed her tongue firmly against the roof of her mouth, holding her expression in place.
It was a question perfectly designed to corner someone. If she explained at length, she would seem petty; if she got angry, she would appear narrow-minded. Moreover, the essence of this question was to clearly establish who currently held the upper hand in this relationship.
Adele took the total budget statement and the palace lawbook from the maid standing beside her with a businesslike demeanor. Diane scrutinized the empress with a sharp gaze, checking whether she was trembling or agitated.
“…….”
But regrettably for her, not the slightest sign of disturbance could be seen in the empress.
When Adele unfolded the list of allocated funds for the Ivory Palace and extended it toward Diane, Madam Giggs returned.
“Your Majesty the Empress. I have returned.”
“You have worked hard. Come here for a moment.”
Madam Giggs, reading the situation, concealed the document against her chest and took her place standing to the empress’s right. Diane did not spare Madam Giggs—whom she was seeing again after a long time—even a glance, fixing her gaze instead on the budget proposal the empress had presented.
After reading its contents, Diane scoffed inwardly at the empress. In the end, the empress was trying to use her position to officially pressure Diane.
But would that really be so easy? If status and law were enough, Diane Poitiers would never have been able to become the master of the Ivory Palace.
Whose Ehrmont was this, after all? The empress’s inherent authority had been transferred to her the moment she ascended the throne, but the authority of the Imperial Household Department, which belonged to the emperor, was still in Diane’s hands. Of course, the emperor had said he would reclaim it, but as of today, his thinking would change.
Moreover, there was not a single noble anywhere in Ehrmont who would stand up to defend the empress. Therefore, now—this very moment—was the decisive opportunity to break the empress’s momentum.
“Your Majesty the Empress. If I may be so bold, why are you showing these to me?”
“There is one thing I wish to ask you.”
“What is it?”
“Why is it that the total budget proposal for the Ivory Palace contains no details of expenditures?”
