Chaise a la ReineChapter 52

The astonished Countess Sertois’s face turned pale. It was truly a rare spectacle to see a flushed face turn white and then dramatically blanch.

Eugène was frankly surprised that such a candid person still remained in the court. Like a weather vane, she made sure to express her emotions. mFR4kL

“Even if you did not come to meet me, I would have gone back now. Baron Amieux agreed to escort me to my abode.”

Princess Anne Meredith, who was not witty enough to read other people, misunderstood the atmosphere. She thought Baron Amieux was the sole reason for the instantaneous silence of the ferocious nanny and devised to hold him by her side for as long as possible.

Chrysanthemum Garden.

It was a childish trick, but in this case, it worked quite reasonably. The naive Countess Sertois did not know how to treat Eugène, the Emperor’s lover.

In the imperial court, the Emperor’s favor meant power. It was Eugène who was now known to be loved by the Emperor, and for that reason, the Countess Sertois could not treat him carelessly, even though he was only the Emperor’s paramour. up7bSn

“You are truly kind. On behalf of the princess, I would like to thank you for the goodwill.”

The Countess Sertois figured out the general story through the silk pouch full of flowers and the words of Princess Anne Meredith and expressed her gratitude without hiding her embarrassment. Although he had no children yet, Eugène, who had the experience of disciplining several trainee officers the same age as the princess, could understand her feelings.

He reassured her with a polite smile and lightly stretched out his arm to request to escort. In any case, he made a promise with his mouth first, so why not keep it?

Thanks to this, Countess Sertois, who was accompanied by Eugène on the way home, put her hand on his arm with a light smile. Then, as the ladies-in-waiting who had just caught up with the Countess arrived one after another, a veritable party of the princess was formed.

The excited princess took the lead and walked with strides. And each time Countess Sertois said in an effortlessly softened tone, ‘You must not do that, Your Highness. Ladies, you should walk more gracefully’, adding her little nag. Still, with Eugène by her side, she could not be as tough or nag for long as usual. The young princess was satisfied enough with that alone.

“Her Highness is a bright and lively person.”

Eugène hasn’t met many girls of that age, but even in his eyes, Princess Anne Meredith was clearly brought up with love. Princess Anne Meredith’s biological mother was Marquise Merlin, but according to the imperial law, it must have been this young lady right in front of him who raised her.

Sure enough. As if she had forgotten the tension so far, the Countess Sertois’s eyes narrowed with joy as she heard Eugène’s praise. She smiled fondly as she looked at the back of Princess Anne Meredith as if she were infinitely beautiful. yQdUWh

“Her Highness is the cutest and most lovable person. She is the little treasure of the imperial family.”

Countess Sertois was a widow. She had a sad past where she lost her husband at a young age in her early 20s, and even lost her unborn child due to the shock.

She lost everything in an instant and was deeply heartbroken, but the reason she was able to survive until now was because the imperial family gave her the position of nanny for the newborn princess. Countess Sertois truly loved the young princess, who was entrusted to her as a gift during the most difficult moments of her life.

Although Eugène was completely unaware of such circumstances, Countess Sertois’s affection for the princess was clearly visible in her eyes. Being overly candid about everything, she had no hesitation in showing affection. HuQWvO

It may be against imperial etiquette, but it was a fortunate situation for the princess. It is rare for a child who was raised with such love to grow up wrong. If other nobles were to hear that, they would laugh at what a commoner-like idea that was, but that’s just what Eugène thought.

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.

“Oh, Father!”

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She walked lightly and casually to get close to the Emperor. The Emperor, who was having a headache and was taking a walk in the garden to organize his thoughts, stopped when he saw his cute little daughter approaching and bowing softly.

“Estina’s first daughter, Anne Meredith, greets His Majesty of Infinite Glory.”

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“Anne Meredith.”

The Emperor glanced at the people who paid their respects after the princess and nodded lightly. VKchO6

Eugène suddenly felt puzzled. For the moment the Emperor’s eyes rested on him, he felt his gaze sink as cold as frost. It was a brief moment, so he was confused whether it was real or just a simple illusion, but the Emperor’s gaze had already left Eugène.

The Emperor looked back at the princess, not paying attention to the confusion of his vassal. The princess, whose cheeks were reddened at his permission, straightened her bent knees. The Emperor looked down at his young daughter with warm eyes and stroked her cheek playfully with the back of his hand. Princess Anne Meredith shrugged her shoulders as if she was being tickled, and then burst into a light smile like a bubble.

“Where are you coming from this early in the morning?”

“I went for a walk since the air was clear this morning.” ZcUmon

The princess roughly answered the Emperor’s question and smiled brightly. Eugène was bragging to himself that he didn’t ask about the minutest details but wondered why she didn’t tell her father the full reason for the walk clearly. He noticed the general situation when he saw the princess hiding her sachet of flowers behind her skirt while she was talking.

The Emperor was also a person who was a step further than Eugène when it came to grasping the situation, so there was no way he could not have seen that. When the gaze that was on the princess’s flower sachet shifts and meets the Emperor, a glance from the other side tells him to just keep playing along. The beautiful smiling eyes were dangerously sweet and mischievous.

“Did you come out alone? You wanted to go for a walk, but you did not even call your mother.”

“I have a nanny. And Baron Amieux here was willing to escort me.” 8dQ tm

“How dare the Baron do such an outrageous thing? We thought it was a father’s prerogative to escort his unmarried daughter?”

“Oh my. Father is the busiest person in the world, so how could I insist on you escorting me every time I go for a walk? Now that I am eight years old, I cannot be so immature.”

The princess, who had left the palace alone in the morning and brought her nanny to the verge of fainting, exclaimed.

The Emperor’s eyes lit up as if he wanted to burst out laughing, but he struggled to hold back and extended one wrist to his young daughter. WRV6kJ

“I like my immature daughter, but my princess is so proud, there’s nothing I can do about it. So, would you like to accompany Us for a walk this morning? Father will take you to your residence.”

“Okay, since I did not ask first today, Father.”

Anne Meredith replied with a fluttering expression and then quickly embraced her father’s arm. The princess was so small and the Emperor was taller than average, so it was more like holding hands rather than escorting, but they didn’t care at all. They had a friendly conversation and walked towards the princess’s residence.

Was he such a person who could make a face like that? 0d4 5P

When Eugène first saw the Emperor smiling all over his eyes, he followed them with a strange feeling. He had seen the Emperor’s smile countless times, but he thought it was the first time he had seen him really smile. The fact that even the cold monarch was just a father in front of his children made him feel very refreshed.

“They seem to have a good relationship with each other.”

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

Eugène spoke to himself involuntarily. It was Countess Sertois, who was walking with him, who answered that question, which was not really a question. She evaluated the Emperor’s behavior towards his children with a gentle tone.

“His Majesty is a kind person. He is always fair and kind to the concubines as well as to the imperial children.” jneXrp

Not only the imperial family but also among the nobles, there were very few such people, Countess Sertois whispered with a sigh. Eugène, who was listening to her, suddenly thought of the Duke of Fernand.

Although a member of the imperial family similar to the Emperor, the Duke of Fernand had no illegitimate children yet. If the child in Louise’s womb had been born safely, could the Duke of Fernand become such a father?

… But no matter how much Eugène thought about it, he couldn’t find the exact answer. He had a strong feeling that it wouldn’t have happened, but he couldn’t make hasty conclusions about something that never happened. For better or for worse, the Duke has never been a father.

He wasn’t even given a chance to be one. K2y1Iv

***

As he was drawn into the situation, he also ended up in front of Princess Anne Meredith’s residence.

When the short walk was over, the princess was very sad, but she couldn’t make any unreasonable demands, and was led by her nanny to pay her respects to the Emperor. The Emperor bid her farewell with a smile and sent his daughter into the palace.

The back view of the child, who was slowly dragged with an unwilling attitude, looked as sad as if she were saying a permanent goodbye, never to see the Emperor again in her life, so a smile also hung on the corners of Eugène’s lips as he watched the scene. 5gLESm

“Let us walk a little longer.”

The warm atmosphere like a spring day seemed to be limited only to his daughter, and as soon as the princess left, the warmth on the Emperor’s face cooled. Eugène followed him without saying a word. The attendants, who were habitually following closely behind their backs, retreated a little distance thanks to the Emperor’s hand gesture.

According to the court etiquette, this scene is almost like a private meeting. He looked at the Emperor’s back, feeling the smile on his lips quickly disappearing.

“Yesterday, the agenda for House d’Estuaire was formally brought to the political meeting. Thanks to that, We were able to see the Duke of Chirac almost lose his senses.” UElwZX

The Emperor opened his mouth, narrowing his eyes due to the gradually stinging sunlight.

A few days ago, Eugène, who had negotiated with Count d’Estuaire as the Emperor’s messenger, immediately informed the Emperor of the outcome of the negotiations. However, even though the Emperor got the result he wanted, he didn’t look very happy.

The ambitious Count seems to think that his family has suffered unilateral damage, but in retrospect, the Emperor conceded as much as House d’Estuaire made concessions.

It would be uncomfortable to return the Prince-Elector position to a family who was trying to shake the game by free-riding on the Eastern Restoration when they had not contributed anything. The Emperor now had to raise the status of the family in order for them to officially participate in Grand Feute, so if possible, he wanted to hold them back in some way at the same time. gRWo5M

“How is it going?”

“What do you think? It is total chaos. Not only the dignitaries and the Premier, but also the great nobles such as the Marquis of Carbo and the Marquis of Calver, are gathering all at once and begging for the decision to be reconsidered. If We reject the request of the Monastery of Saint Eustace in Tuler on such a subject, they will rise up with it as well.”

Chrysanthemum Garden.

The Emperor made a sarcastic remark in a cynical manner. The behavior of the selfish nobles who prioritized the interests of factions and class interests in all matters was an old trouble for the Emperor. The Emperor was a noble among nobles and the pinnacle of a noble lineage, but he must rule not only the nobles but the entire empire.

“Does that mean that they knew what was going on in the Tuler Territory and still opposed it?” PhMCOv

“That is why they are against it. They noticed that We had nowhere to turn in this matter. For them, it is a good opportunity.”

The Emperor was a ruthless, rational monarch, but he was not a tyrant. He was aware of the evils of unilateral power politics, and he put a cause in everything to prevent that. Thanks to this, the foundation of the regime was strong enough to not be shaken in any case, but instead, there was the trouble of arguing over every single trivial matter.

“But do you know what is interesting? Thanks to the commotion, the ministers are beginning to understand your existence. When the rumors first spread, a lot of the “what on earth is going on” stares started flying over as exclamation marks over Our head. They misunderstood arbitrarily, and this time they are accepting in the same way. Well, such a spectacle is not boring to witness, so it is amusing.”

The Emperor, who had spoken up to that point, suddenly looked askance at Eugène and booed what had come to mind. o4OyJA

“Then you are the only one who has benefited from this.”

Eugène had nothing to say.

It was unintentional, but it was certain that he had been helped in this matter. The kind of conspiracy theory that was made up to somehow make an outrageous scandal convincing has, coincidentally, turned into something like an orthodoxy.

Eugène was clearly from the East, and Count d’Estuaire was his maternal relative. As such, Eugène led the negotiations under the pretext of being the Emperor’s messenger, so it was not unreasonable for people to misunderstand his role. 3JKEtb

The court nobles now considered him the perfect imperial aristocrat the Emperor chose. Those who thought the negotiations were too favorable for the Count d’Estuaire often found the reason in Eugène.

The Emperor would have taken that into account in advance and sent Eugène as a messenger, but it seems that he still feels dissatisfied with doing what is necessary and doing it willingly, as there is as much a gap as there is between heaven and earth.

It wasn’t something Eugène couldn’t understand. To make matters worse, the troubling Eastern issue was getting twisted even if he were to sit still, so it must be tiresome for a vassal to step forward and add to the misunderstanding.

“… I am aware that a balanced approach is necessary.” T7j64W