# 65
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Throughout his train journey, Kenneth never stopped thinking about Ariana.
He was feeling sorry for not being able to hug her during the trip, and he kept remembering the few days they had spent together recently.
He could hug her by simply extending his hand, clinging to her like a beast.
Even when Ariana was pressing her lips like a child's toy, his patience was quickly evaporating.
'Fortunately, the final goodbye was clean.'
By now, the image of Ariana wearing sparkling earrings was clearly floating in his mind, so he decided to head to his bedroom first.
Kenneth opened a small safe that he thought he would keep locked forever, and smiled wryly upon seeing what was inside.
“He's still here.”
Of course, the Crown would not have escaped alone.
Kenneth held the crown with one hand and turned it slowly. The translucent stones studded on the gently curved crown sparkled like snowflakes.
'It was supposed to be sent to the Aberdeen family before the show started.'
But at that time he wanted to put it on her head himf.
He wanted to see her reaction with his own eyes, so he waited until the show broke.
But the attackers broke in, and he never got to see that moment. This crown was almost lost forever in that chaos...
'It wouldn't be bad if she wore it to the hotel's official opening.'
Kenneth remembers Ariana standing like a painting in the middle of the room, wearing a dark blue dress while fitting.
The pure sunlight filtering through the window illuminated her surroundings as if it were a watercolor painting.
He intended to enjoy that image for a while longer, but when Ariana ran her hand through her side hair in embarrassment, his plan changed.
That move was exactly similar to the time he touched her hair and asked her out in the car...
'How ironic, that I would react the same way.'
He sighed f-deprecatingly, but the crown would go well with the new dress.
Kenneth carefully placed the crown on the side table and stared at it.
He constantly remembered Ariana's tender look as she envied the bride at the wedding in the ballroom.
Whenever he remembered that look, he felt upset. Is it because he realized that there are moments that cannot be recovered, no matter how luxuriously he decorates a woman?
'But with this crown, you won't envy that bride.'
At the opening ceremony, Ariana will undoubtedly be the most glamorous.
Even if Ariana didn't love him, even if he could no longer love her innocently and perfectly, this would be quite a new beginning.
'If things go smoothly from now on...'
He felt like everything would be okay.
Kenneth left the crown behind and headed to the office. With Roger left in the south, the other aides were in the capital waiting for him.
"my lord."
“What's the situation now?”
“The empire seems normal on the surface, but public opinion in the capital has begun to become unstable recently.”
The Empress was involved in the social table, creating an atmosphere of peace. But newspapers in the capital gradually began to publish articles that motivated people.
The allure of expanding territory across the seas, the insidious enemy in other nations, heroic stories of war...
They were stories so fascinating they almost made you laugh.
“It seems His Majesty is trying to buy the press.”
Although Parliament must approve by a majority, the final decision to declare war rests with the Emperor.
Once war is declared, the Emperor's influence in appointing military leaders becomes stronger. Normally, there were no reasons to reject an emperor's appointments.
Moreover, with the eldest son gone, and the second son still a child of twelve, it was clear who would lead the front line.
“It will be easy for His Majesty to get rid of people he doesn’t want to see.”
“Sir...”
The assistants worried and stiffened, but Kenneth shook his head lightly.
In the worst case, he would have to prepare to go to the battlefield. But now, the meeting with the nobles council was more urgent.
“First, we must gather the meeting to clearly understand their intentions.”
“Yes”
“It is also time to meet His Majesty.”
Like his eldest son, his headache provocation is probably hereditary.
But when he opened the drawer to look for the familiar fountain pen, his fingertips touched heavy white paper.
“…what is this?”
Kenneth took out a small card.
When he opened it, he felt as if a soft, flower-like sound was echoing.
[To dear Kenneth]
It was an invitation to Wednesday dinner, which Ariana had previously enthusiastically sent out.
'This is the only card left.'
Because he got rid of all the other messages Ariana sent.
In the days when they were communicating as classmates with Quentin, there was no need to write letters because she was just a classmate's sister.
This handwritten letter was the only one in existence.
‘Should I ask her to write another one and send it?’
Kenneth carefully folded the card and put it in his inside jacket pocket.
* * *
Emperor Alexander came out to meet Kenneth in a grumbling mood like one dealing with demons.
Even though he called them “envoys,” he knew very well that the person who instigated them was only one.
“It's been a long time, but you look fierce as always, Duke Clifford.”
“I apologize, Your Majesty. There is nothing I can do about my normal appearance right now.”
“Haha, Kenneth. You should respond to a joke with a joke.”
The Emperor gritted his teeth inwardly but forced himf to smile at Kenneth.
He wished this was just a normal meeting or a conversation about the weather, but who were the people who sat with Kenneth?
They were all nobles close to him, some of them wealthy members of the House of Commons.
‘I heard from Count Bayern that he discovered everything…!’
How could someone understand the Emperor's plans just because he subtly introduced some high-ranking nobles?
'I even made them have as little in common as possible to avoid tracking.'
Had Kenneth confronted him directly, the Emperor was confident of a response. But Kenneth targeted a different angle.
“In my absence from the capital, articles that mislead the public have abounded, Your Majesty.”
“What do you mean, Duke Clifford?”
Kenneth looked with dark blue eyes at the bulldog-like man.
His willful, all-knowing disregard was so disgusting that it made him want to help the Republicans.
The most annoying thing was that he had to leave Ariana in the south because of this man's plans.
This is the moment when things started to get better for her...
Kenneth suppressed his urge to press on and quickly turned back, mustering what was left of his calm towards the disgusting Emperor.
“The war is depicted in a very dazzling way, but those singing this song do not know the reality.”
“Um...”
“In fact, our naval power is weaker than it was half a century ago, and this is a well-known fact.”
“Duke, isn’t that an arrogant statement? Should we pour cold water on those who are trying to raise the empire’s prestige?”
“I am even more surprised by your talk of arrogance, Your Majesty.”
Kenneth raised his eyebrow slightly as if he was surprised.
The Emperor's vision of war was halted in the era of hand-to-hand combat, and showed no sign of development no matter how much knowledge others provided him with.
If war truly broke out, the empire would lose its current influence.
With the noble officers being the ones leading the front line, the noble families would most likely be destroyed. The Emperor does not realize that the presence of high nobles is necessary to maintain his current power.
“… Therefore, I believe that it is necessary to stop those who mislead the ignorant.”
“I hope Your Majesty sees it that way.”
Even as he said that, Kenneth knew that this stubborn, arrogant man would not understand.
The Emperor gritted his teeth until walnut-like lines appeared around his beard-covered jaw.
'That damned arrogant bastard'
Because of his popularity, he wasn't even his eldest son yet, and yet he was trying to silence the Emperor so openly?
The Emperor secretly looked at a person sitting among the other nobles.
'This cunning mouse. When will it blow up?'