Welcome To The Imperial Palace (3)

“Stop staring.”

Alicia spoke softly, furrowing her brows.

She tried to keep her face expressionless, but her displeasure was evident.

“I wasn’t looking with any improper intent.”

Reichardt’s gaze toward Alicia brimmed with curiosity.

His sparkling amber eyes persistently followed her sulky face.

Alicia glanced at him several times, preparing to complain, but avoided his eyes the moment they were about to meet.

She tried to hold back what was leaking through her expression—

Disbelief, frustration, disappointment.

Embarrassment, confusion, regret.

She wanted to appear composed, but it wasn’t working.

“Your Grace.”

Her gloomy voice called out to Reichardt.

“I wasn’t trying to deceive you or break our agreement. It just came out in conversation, and… well, it’s hard not to look when something is right in front of your eyes. Anyway, I’ll stop looking now.”

Reichardt turned his gaze to the window.

There was a faint smile on his face as he feigned distraction.

Alicia let out a deep breath.

At least she could take comfort in not having said everything.

Relaxing her serious expression, she reached for the teacup she had been too awkward to fetch earlier.

“But still.”

Reichardt, pretending to look elsewhere, spoke cautiously.

“You said you weren’t trying to deceive me.”

His voice rang out, dull and pointed.

“…I wasn’t.”

Reichardt, who seemed like he was about to say more, pulled back.

He quickly shut his mouth and glanced sidelong at Alicia as she sipped her tea.

“……”

Alicia forced herself to maintain a pointless calm.

It was inevitable that her gaze would harden under his sidelong glances.

Reichardt looked at her again.

“It’s just… I was thinking, ‘I’m going to have a niece or nephew.’”

He smiled slightly as he spoke, his face brightening.

It wasn’t even his child—yet he looked proud and happy about his half-brother having a child, like a loyal subject.

The gentle look on his face suggested he had many questions.

From Alicia’s earlier words, it was clear he had inferred that the Emperor might have several sons.

Who was she kidding?

Alicia gave up on manners and, annoyed, lay down in her seat.

She piled the soft cushions of the elegant armrest into a makeshift pillow.

She vowed again and again to be more careful with her words in the future.

The imperial capital, Baden, was like the calm before a storm.

The sky was as gloomy as the heavy, oppressive atmosphere.

The palace was strangely quiet.

The Emperor had summoned only a select few to a Small Real Session.

Unlike the Grand Real Session, the Small Real Session had a table where the Emperor and guests sat at equal height.

True to its nickname, the Purple Room was furnished entirely in glossy shades of violet.

Inside, the attendees hesitated to speak.

Everyone was silently hoping someone else would break the ice.

The awkward silence lingered—until the chamberlain entered through the door.

“Your Majesty, the Grand Duke of Tessen requests an audience.”

“Let him in.”

The Emperor responded immediately.

He was seated not at the separate head table, but among the guests, wearing a tired expression.

The others at the table quickly exchanged glances.

There was Lady Maude’s father, Chancellor Marquis Manners.

Marquis Dvav, his supporter.

Then came Count Strahl, Count Combat, and Viscount Koff—each connected to different influential concubines.

Also present were the Emperor’s brothers: Marquis Lennox and Count Estebna.

Finally, Grand Duke Reichardt of Tessen entered the room.

As Reichardt moved to bow, the Emperor gestured for him to sit instead.

“Please, take a seat.”

“My apologies, Your Majesty.”

Reichardt offered his thanks and sat.

Glancing over the seating arrangement, he sighed quietly.

At the head of the table sat the Emperor.

Two seats down was Reichardt.

Beside him were the Emperor’s other brothers, Marquis Lennox and Count Estebna.

Next to them sat Marquis Manners and Marquis Dvav.

Across from them, at the far end of the table, sat Count Strahl, Count Combat, and Viscount Koff.

Catching Lennox’s signal, Count Estebna spoke up.

“Grand Duke of Tessen. What are your thoughts?”

Instantly, all eyes turned to Reichardt.

He had anticipated this.

But he hadn’t expected to be questioned the moment he sat down.

Marquis Manners—the expectant mother’s father—and his supporter Marquis Dvav were part of the pro-palace entry faction.

Even if the child had been conceived outside the palace, it was unthinkable to let the mother give birth away from it.

On the other side, the counts and viscount connected to the concubines opposed her entry.

Yet, due to the sensitive nature of the situation, they couldn’t voice their objections openly.

The real issue was with the royal siblings.

As relatives of the Emperor, they were expected to support his will for appearances.

However, the succession was a delicate topic.

If the Emperor passed without an heir, they or their offspring could be next in line.

Even if suspicions surrounded the birth, the presence or absence of an heir made a significant difference.

Yet they, too, couldn’t oppose openly.

So everyone had avoided taking a stance, saying it was too complicated to decide.

Unlike this quiet meeting with just a few members, the palace—and the capital beyond—was in fierce debate over Lady Maude’s pregnancy and palace entry.

Arguments flared, fingers were pointed, voices raised.

Tensions were escalating.

It was time to settle this.

“Brother, this is His Majesty’s first child.”

Reichardt spoke to Count Estebna.

“……”

The Emperor was currently 37 years old.

He had long been pressured from both inside and outside the palace over the lack of an heir.

Everyone knew that Lady Maude would eventually enter the palace.

What mattered now was who would dare to express opposition to the Emperor directly, and how the Emperor would override that opposition to fulfill his will.

The Grand Duke of Tessen was a man stricter about propriety than anyone else.

He prioritized efficiency, but when it came to laws and regulations, he was inflexible.

That was why everyone in the room either waited for or felt uncomfortable around Reichardt.

The unexpected turn of events plunged the room into silence.

“Your Grace.”

In place of the flustered count, Marquis Lennox stepped in.

Reichardt turned his gaze aside, avoiding the marquis’s face.

The person most shocked in the room was the Emperor.

Though it was he who summoned the Grand Duke to suppress the uproar caused by a difficult decision, he fully expected Reichardt to become the leader of the opposition.

Even though he was his younger brother, the Emperor couldn’t deny how rigid Reichardt could be.

“Your Majesty. I support our new sister-in-law’s entry into the palace. The birth of an heir to Your Majesty would bring stability to the Empire.”

Reichardt said gently, looking toward the Emperor.

The Emperor was so stunned he couldn’t react in time.

“Your Grace, I…”

Marquis Manners tried to speak, his face moved with emotion.

But Reichardt raised a hand slightly, cutting him off without even glancing at him.

“I heard she’s already eight months along. Rather than adhering to formality, wouldn’t it be better for her to enter the harem as soon as possible and rest in peace? Preparations for the birth should also be made urgently.”

Marquis Manners tried once again to speak up.

Reichardt’s gaze remained on the Emperor.

“Reichardt.”

The Emperor could not find words and simply called his brother’s name.

“However—”

Just as the Emperor and the two marquises were about to feel relieved and touched, and the rest of the group flailed in confusion and surprise, Reichardt spoke ominous words.

“However?”

“I am truly glad that Your Majesty will have an heir, but we cannot ignore the fact that the first nephew or niece was conceived outside the palace. Since there is currently no heir, if the child is a son, the matter of succession can be discussed later. If it’s a daughter, she should not be included in the line of succession. The succession law doesn’t distinguish between genders, but in all these centuries, no princess has ever ascended the throne.”

Reichardt concluded, his gaze circling the Emperor and his brothers.

The expressions of the royal siblings revealed agreement.

Marquis Manners’s eyes shook with confusion.

Marquis Dvav, his supporter, looked shocked but secretly in agreement.

The Emperor’s decision came quickly.

“I understand the Grand Duke’s intent. When unexpected circumstances arise, it’s best to minimize the room for controversy. No one knows what the future holds. I hereby issue a decree.”

The Emperor ordered the admission of Maude Manners into the harem.

Given her unusual health, all formalities were to be waived.

If she gave birth to a son, the line of succession would be discussed in the future.

If it were a daughter, she would not be eligible for the throne.

The imperial decree was issued.

It wasn’t the outcome the factions had expected, but it was a compromise that satisfied both the supporters and opponents of her entry.

Everyone in the room rose and praised the imperial command.

Only Reichardt, when the others returned to their seats, bowed deeply to the Emperor.

“Your Majesty.”

“Speak.”

The Emperor responded kindly.

The situation had been resolved so quickly, it was almost suspicious.

“I am relieved and delighted that Your Majesty will have an heir. Because of the mother’s safety and my desire to see my niece or nephew, I hoped our new sister-in-law would enter the palace as soon as possible. However, if things proceed like this, there will always be questions surrounding the birth of the first heir.”

“That is possible.”

“I trust Your Majesty, and I trust the Manners family. But that trust likely exists only among those present here. For all to celebrate the birth of the first heir, please make it known to the public through a Royal Dot and officially proclaim that the child is Your Majesty’s legitimate offspring.”

At Reichardt’s words, faint smiles appeared on the faces of the two royal siblings.

The nobles, on the other hand, looked puzzled.

“So it shall be.”

The Emperor made another swift decision.

“I am honored.”

Everyone in the room echoed Reichardt’s words.

After bowing to the Emperor, he walked around the table to stand beside Marquis Manners.

“Welcome to the imperial family, Marquis.”

Reichardt offered a greeting and promptly left the Purple Room.

The Empress’s palace was resplendent and grand.

But its luxurious appearance lacked vitality.

Traditionally, emperors married into families with strong political alliances.

While some consorts wielded more influence than the Empress, those cases were rare.

Even within the same alliance faction, internal power struggles meant that the Empress was not always from the most dominant family.

As a result, those who held the greatest power within the harem were often from noble families of significant influence.

Whoever received the most imperial favor ultimately held the greatest sway.

Empress Eleanor had accomplished what none of her predecessors had.

Hailing from the Duchy of Ischtern, the Empire’s oldest ally, she had built a maternal family as influential as those from the grandest noble houses.

Back when she was known simply as Lady Eleanor of Ischtern, her nickname had been “the Sea Fairy Lady.”

When she performed as a prima donna at a cultural gala celebrating relations between the Empire and the Duchy, the Empire had fallen in love with her.