As he walked through the geometrically trimmed gardens in line with the latest trends, a splendid mansion that was lit up from every window materialized in front of him. The cheerful sound of music and heightened laughter flowed down like champagne bubbles through the cracks in the open windows, and the fragrant smell of expensive alcohol sweetly colored the night air.
The mansion looked like a gigantic chandelier lit up from within. Even though it was still early in the evening, the atmosphere seemed to have ripened already, and the cheerful energy was oozing out from the mansion.
The front door of the mansion was crowded with guests moving in and out, as on his last visit. Eugène, who was able to get off the carriage without attracting anyone’s attention thanks to the mask that covered half his face, quietly told the servant whom he came to meet.
“Excuse me, but how did you get here?”
“I have come to meet Count d’Estuaire. Where is the Count?”
In lieu of invitations from ordinary guests of the mansion, he showed him the wax seal of letters he had previously exchanged to express his intention to visit. The servant who confirmed the family seal greeted him politely and guided him into the house.
“Oh, I had heard the word. His Excellency is waiting inside.”
Eugène followed his lead and headed to the west side of the mansion without going through the bustling salons. He had expected that the place the Count was waiting in would be the study at best, but as the servant’s footsteps approached the bathroom, he could not help but feel a bit of embarrassment.
Even though he thought it was impossible, he couldn’t help thinking about it was extremely coincidental–probably because he was fully aware of the aftermath of the scandal that hit the court.
Fortunately, he was finally guided to the front of the sliding lambris inside the bathroom. The expensive mahogany wood panels, delicately engraved with the anecdote of Saint Tefylae, who had Eustace’s head resting on his thighs as he was tired from crossing the desert with precious materials such as bronze and ivory, the wooden panel was not merely for decorative purposes. It served as a kind of secret door added to hide the stairs inside.
However, the truth was that it was definitely a secret door, and at best, it was nothing more than a gimmick used to enhance the secret atmosphere of a small room used for secret meetings.
A room like this is called a boudoir, is it not? Eugène had also heard rumors. These days, it was said that it was a new trend in the capital’s high society to decorate such a secret room inside the mansion and invite lovers.
Upon entering the interior through the small stairs that barely went up half a floor, he could see a small, brightly decorated space. The windows, which were too large for the secret room, had no curtains.
“Welcome, Baron Amieux. My apologies for not coming out to meet you.”
Count d’Estuaire, who was waiting, greeted him and offered an apology. Eugène took off the mask that had hidden his face and spoke calmly.
“You have nothing to worry about. It was I who asked for a secret audience with you.”
He sat down in the chair opposite him, as the Count suggested. The chair, wide and soft enough for a lady in a dress to recline, was so comfortable that it reminded him of what this room was originally designed for.
Considering the weight of the conversation they would have to share from now on, there could be no other place more inappropriate than this, but on the contrary, that is exactly why the Count would have chosen this place for the meeting.
“I assume you can guess why I came here.”
Eugène placed the mask on the seat next to him and opened his mouth with a gentle tone. A bitter expression appeared on the beautiful Count’s face upon hearing his blunt question.
He lowered his head in embarrassment and let out a low sigh.
“Yes. I had already guessed that sooner or later someone would come from the court. But I did not know that he would be you. I thought if someone were to come, then it would be Baron Bouilhet.”
Count d’Estuaire looked at Eugène with a cautious gaze.
“What happened?”
“Not long ago, I was entrusted with the position of keeper of the imperial scepter.”
“Does that mean you have ascended to the post of minister plenipotentiary?”
“No need to be surprised. It is a temporary position. Perhaps the appointment was made with this in mind.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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“Pa mbeiv yf. Pa mfgajlcis vbfr cba ibbx ubbv obg Llr Zjpfras’r uejgv jaafcvjca ab lcafgnfcf vlgfmais.”
He boldly admitted to Count d’Estuaire’s cautious conjecture. Eugène was brooding over the situation after meeting the Emperor and had no choice but to admit that he had been swayed by the Emperor in more ways than he imagined.
Now that he thought about it, it was suspicious that a person who could not have known the details of that time had to inquire about the reason for contacting the nobles of the East. Perhaps he deliberately asked such a question to make him consider himself an envoy. The only way a servant who has been questioned about his loyalty could justify himself would be to prove his sincerity through his actions.
“You have done something quite audacious.”
But what matters now is not how the Emperor treated him. Whatever the reason, Eugène took on the task and was responsible for carrying it out.
Eugène got straight to the point. Count d’Estuaire, who was sitting right across him to discuss an important matter, had only been picking on the external parts, and responded helplessly, holding a complaint against his straightforward words and actions.
“As an excuse, it is not what I started. But the ending will be up to me.”
“Do you think it is possible for House d’Estuaire to rise to the rank of Prince-Elector again?”
“It will not be exactly the same as it used to be, but it is not completely impossible. Baron, be honest. If there truly was no hope, would we have sat face to face like this?”
Count d’Estuaire declared so with a complex expression of intertwined hope and anxiety. He looked terribly restless, like a young child who had committed an unacceptable mistake and waited for the punishment.
Eugène silently faced the sight of the dark green eyes bearing the greenery of summer.
If it was the first time they met, he might have believed in the innocent appearance of an inexperienced young man. That was, if he didn’t know that he was basically a pimp, ran an overtly private gambling place in his mansion, and was secretly wielding influence with the money and information borne from it.
Nevertheless, Count d’Estuaire had a not-so-bad reputation, and he interacted casually with many people beyond factions. It was not something one could even dare to do without any skill. On top of that, he also had the guts to strike the back of His Majesty the Emperor.
If His Majesty’s method was to press down on the opponent with overwhelming authority and dignity, Count d’Estuaire seemed to prefer to let his opponent be vigilant by revealing his weak side. Though their modus operandis were different, they were both difficult to deal with, so Eugène, being caught in the middle, was bitter about it.
“Though it is not completely hopeless, it can get so complicated that it would be almost impossible if you set your mind to it. Even the lower judges of the courthouse can do it to postpone the processing of documents or to give minor procedural disadvantages to those who are out of sight. Not to mention – face reality, Count d’Estuaire. Your opponent is His Majesty.”
Eugène warned the Count in a dry tone, free of any personal feelings. As he said, the Emperor is the absolute ruler who holds the power and system of this huge empire in one hand.
Even if he could not move directly, he was a being who could thoroughly crush his opponents in a legal and indirect way if he made up his mind to do so.
“Moreover, I think you are misunderstanding an important matter here, since technically speaking, your real enemy is not His Majesty. Imagine if this was known to the outside world right now. What do you think the situation will be?”
The young Count could not readily answer.
Under normal circumstances, most nobles would have sided with House d’Estuaire. Conservative aristocratic families reacted sensitively to the issue of dealing with innate privileges, and in order to ensure their rights were reliably guaranteed, they would be willing to take the risk of raising the honor of a fallen family without real power.
However, the situation changed when the huge interest of the Eastern territories was entangled with it. The re-establishment of the Prince-Elector House in the Eastern part of the empire, which was like a door wide open, would be an unpleasant situation for not only the Emperor but also for the other prestigious noble families.
“… I will roll down into the mud. It would be nice to see. I will become prey and be bitten by hordes of dogs.”
“Not only House d’Estuaire, but the entirety of the East will fall into a quagmire together. It would be a terrible mess.”
According to his words, if he made a mistake, the entire empire might be engulfed in internal strife.
However, how could he let it be like that when it was a territory that he had just regained? The Emperor was frustrated by the treatment of House d’Estuaire and had no choice but to send Eugène because he was ultimately concerned about such a situation.
“You mean a stalemate.”
Neither the Emperor nor House d’Estuaire could directly attack each other, and the Count muttered to himself. He did not say anything for a while, as if lost in despair, and only after a while did he finally open his mouth and ask a heavy question.
“You probably did not come all the way here to scare me. Please tell me. What is His Majesty going to propose to our family?”
“He is a reasonable man. He is not the kind of person who makes unnecessary enemies with ‘an offer you cannot refuse’. His Majesty has granted your family the first glory of the Grand Feaute.”
Blood slowly drained from the face of Count d’Estuaire, who for a moment didn’t know what the offer meant. He closed his trembling lips tightly and looked at Eugène in disbelief.
Grand Feaute was a traditional festival that originated in the early days of the empire when five representative families swore allegiance to the imperial family among the many feudal lords who surrendered to House Ardi, who unified the continent in the early days of the establishment of the empire. In other words, it was a kind of national founding festival, but it was also called ‘Ash Week’ because of the religious color added thanks to the imperial family that took over the divine right following the secular authority.
The highlight of the festival, which usually started in the second week of July and continued until the last week of October, was when the representative feudal lords of each province marched through the streets carrying the first grains of wheat grown in their provinces.
The Prince-Electors, who sealed the first grains of wheat in an ivory chest, marched majestically from the gateways of their territories to the Cathedral of Notre Magnat when allowed.
To be able to lead a procession of hundreds of men and march through the heart of the imperial capital was the highest privilege granted only to the Prince-Electors. No other group of noblemen in history other than the Prince-Electors have ever been granted such an honor.
“Is that truly the only way?”
“As I said, you are not being forced. It is simply the greatest form of tolerance that His Majesty can bestow.”
“… But Grand Feaute is a ceremony of surrender before it is a pledge of allegiance. The families that performed the ceremony must swear by Lex Ardica that they will not secure any more territories!”
The Count, who could not overcome the rising blow, finally raised his voice. Eugène looked at him with a contemplative gaze.
“You have to do it if it is the only way.”
“Baron Amieux!”
“Then do you think there is any other choice?”
Count d’Estuaire’s present condition was like a child who couldn’t get his fist full of candy out of the spout of a narrow jar. No matter how hard you tried, there was no way to get your hands out of the jar unless you let go of what you greedily grabbed. But even though the Count was well aware of that fact, he could hardly give up.
He stared at Eugène with his bloodshot eyes, sighed, and then closed his eyes as if he were despondent. Even when he closed his eyes, his thin, trembling eyelids revealed his complicated feelings.
“… You said it was not an offer I could not refuse? If it were, I would not have been so miserable.”
A Prince-Elector without a land was just a game of words–an empty title. But realistically, Count d’Estuaire was not given the opportunity to make a better choice.
The splendid name of the family, which once stood at the forefront of the empire’s leading prestigious families, had now become a huge burden and weighed on the shoulders of its descendants.
He was only in his late twenties right now. The young man, born only after the fall of the East, would never have experienced a moment when his family was truly great. So, why was he so obsessed with reviving the lost glory?
A familiar face was overlaid over the gloomy young man’s face like a ghost. It was the face of a foolish father who had lived his life buried in his ego until the end. The young Count, carrying so many burdens on his shoulders, was remarkably similar to the man who had suffocated himself to death from the hope he could not give up.
The Count, who had been silent for a long time, finally surrendered. He got up from his seat with a tired look and held out his hand to Eugène.
“Please inform His Majesty that our family appreciates the opportunity to kneel down on the first steps.”
Count d’Estuaire offered generous words of gratitude in a parched voice. Eugène held his hand without saying a word.
After the formal moment had passed, he was about to release his hand, but he raised his eyes as he was surprised by the strength to hold it tighter. The Count looked at him with a complex expression and slowly opened his mouth.
“Baron Amieux.”
The white, delicate hands, which at best would have at most handled a pianoforte, had a surprisingly strong grip. The rough calluses he could feel on his palms were a sign of unexpected hard training.
When he raised his gaze and made eye contact, the grip of the hand holding the other became stronger. Had he been a feeble lady, one finger would have been slightly broken.
“No, Brother Eugène.”
Eugène’s brows frowned slightly at the unsuitably familiar title. They have never been close, and this wasn’t the right moment to form a new relationship either. Eugène did not understand why he was doing this all of a sudden.
“I do not know how to accept that you are the Emperor’s messenger and not someone else. I am glad I did not suffer such humiliation in front of strangers, but I am unbearably ashamed that you were the one to witness this.”
“… Were we supposed to call each other by such titles?”
“You may think not, but yes. What can you do? No one can deny his blood.”
“Quite an unexpected word to say.”
Eugène said a little sarcastically, as though it was too late to talk about such a thing now. However, Count d’Estuaire shone darkly, hinting at something Eugène did not know.
“You do not understand. This is not only about you.”
The young Count’s greatest weapon was not his handsome looks, but his appealing voice. His voice, as mellow and rich as deep-boiled chocolate, had a rare charm that made no matter what he said sound like the truth. The Count, with such an impressive voice, left an ominous hint. The attitude was too significant to be dismissed as a simple malicious remark.
“What do you want to say?”
“I first met you in the Marquise Merlin’s toilette room, but in fact, I have known you for much longer than that. Believe it or not, I have been watching you for a long time.”
Eugène was not the type of person who didn’t care enough to express distrust after hearing words. Nevertheless, he was not so naïve as to believe it, so he merely listened to the Count with an ambiguous expression on his face.
Perhaps the Count was unaware of that fact, and as he continued his confession, he recalled a self-deprecating smile.
“I have been watching. You are completely different from the relatives around me. You were the only one among the fallen Eastern nobles to live a life of their own, free from the yokes of the past. It is a way of life that I could not choose, but maybe that is why I admired you even more.”
The Count, who had spoken up to that point, slowly pulled up the clasped hands and buried his lips on it. Eugène’s fingertips twitched reflexively at the unexpected action, but the Count’s attitude of kissing the back of his hand looked as faithful as a devotee kissing the hem of a pilgrim’s robe, so he couldn’t easily withdraw his hand.
“I have a piece of advice I would like to give you with those old feelings. It does not matter whether you believe it or not, I want you to always keep it in mind.”
Even after he finished kissing, his lips were still so close that Eugène could feel every word he spoke out on his skin.
“Please do not trust His Majesty.”
The Count whispered those words as if trying to engrave them on the back of Eugène’s hand and then slowly stepped back.
But Eugène was immobilized for a while after being released from him. The Count’s demeanor was very courteous, but his words were poisoned with deadly venom.
Eugène stared at him with a strange uneasiness that he couldn’t put a finger on. He felt as if he had caught a glimpse of a gigantic shadow that lurked quietly beneath the calmly sparkling water.
He wondered what the Count meant, but asked nothing. The Count also calmly gestured for him to leave as if he had nothing more to say.
Eugène picked up the mask that had been removed and gave a brief salute. Then he turned and left the room, never once looking back.
Thanks for the chapter! <3
Such a strong tension chilled my bones. Count d’Estuaire is indeed a character worth watching out for.
Actually, the warning the Count said reminded me of a spoiler where the Emperor knelt in front of Eugene… Is this… Does it mean something…
Also, why is that, every men Eugene meets have this kind of attraction to him? Suddenly kissing his skin😭 is he that irresistible LMAO JK
Thank u for the chapter !!
MIMARI-NIM, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE UPDATE! I HIGHLY APPRECIATE YOUR EFFORTS😭❤️
Eugene is such a candy for men. Imagine your own relative kissing your hand religiously, just because they admired you. He rizzed the Emperor too. And the other Prince. Sigh.
Can I ask what “Man of Balustre” means in the context of this novel? I took a glance at the chapter list and saw the arc title.
That is why, in high society, Baron Doe (Eugene), who was recently found naked in the Emperor’s bathroom, was called by the same name. The reason why he couldn’t overtly be shown affection was the same, and the Emperor didn’t seem to want to acknowledge him officially. ]
Oh, right! I remember now! I forgot about it after all the stories I’ve been through😭
Why am I flooding the comment section😔 I’m sorry
lmaoo ngl its fun reading ur comments so flood the comment section more
Hihi, thank you😍 you’re boosting my confidence ah
aww feel free to do so, i love reading your comments ^_^ (just please avoid mentioning spoilers, tyy)
Omg, sorry😭 okay okay I will definitely avoid it next time! ❤️
Ohhhh! It’s getting 🌶️ now….my baby Eugene is the best. There is a reason why the King puts his trust in him. You know if the King hears the count put his chapped lips on his baby he is going to be upset…LOL! Thnx for the chapter 🥰
Ayy ~~
And the plot thickens ••••
Thank you so much for uploading. ✨
Thank you very much for the update 🤍🤍🤍
OMG thank you for this full-of-tension chapter 😳😳🥰🥰gosh I’m so curious what’s the count word mean🤔🤔
Ok this is getting scarier
Fascinating chapter. I really want to know what the Counts entire Deal is!!
Thanks for this chapter 🙂
Count Destuare is not wrong though; even I wouldn’t trust the emperor completely tbh😅