Chapter 41
One evening, the entire mansion was thrown into an uproar.
“A letter has arrived from the Imperial Palace.”
The butler’s voice echoed through the hallway.
My heart sank.
The Imperial Palace?
I immediately ran to the study.
Carlos had already opened the envelope.
As he read its contents, his brow slowly furrowed.
“…What does it say?”
Without a word, Carlos handed me the letter.
Three days from now, an imperial envoy will visit the Grand Duke’s estate.
The purpose of the visit is to discuss the return of Her Highness, Second Imperial Princess Lorea Friese.
The tips of my fingers turned cold.
Return.
In other words…
They intended to take me back.
“…Three days.”
“They’re moving quickly.”
Carlos casually placed the letter on the desk.
It looked like advance notice, but it was really nothing more than a declaration.
First they had blocked our paperwork at the temple.
Now they were sending an imperial envoy.
I have a bad feeling about this.
* * *
As though the letter had been a formal announcement, exactly three days later an imperial carriage arrived at the gates of the Grand Duke’s estate.
The carriage door opened.
A man stepped out.
He appeared to be in his early forties, with neatly combed-back hair and sharp, intimidating features.
He wore ceremonial robes embroidered with the Imperial crest.
A ceremonial sword hung at his waist.
As he looked up at the Grand Duke’s estate, there was unmistakable arrogance in his eyes.
It was almost as if he were arriving at his own home.
That face…
I searched my memories.
Before I returned to the past, I had crossed paths with him several times in the Imperial Palace.
He was one of the Emperor’s close aides.
He handled diplomatic affairs.
What was his name again…?
“Greetings, Grand Duke Carter.”
The man stopped before Carlos and bowed.
His posture was respectful.
His voice, however, carried unmistakable pressure.
He was smiling…
But his eyes weren’t.
That kind of person.
“By His Majesty’s command, I have come to request the return of Her Highness, Second Imperial Princess Lorea Friese.”
A request.
Not a command.
The wording was carefully chosen.
Within the Grand Duchy, a request was all the Imperial Family was legally allowed to make.
Yet the tone he used sounded exactly like an order.
Carlos finally spoke.
“You’ve traveled a long way.”
“It is only natural. It is His Majesty’s command.”
“I see.”
“The Emperor’s command.”
Carlos let out a faint chuckle.
He was smiling.
His eyes, however, were ice cold.
“So that’s what they’re calling it these days.”
“You march boldly into the Grand Duchy’s territory and make demands, then hide behind the phrase the Emperor’s command.”
The envoy’s eyelids twitched almost imperceptibly.
But he didn’t retreat.
Shamelessness was his greatest weapon.
“I understand why Your Grace is displeased.”
“However, that is a separate matter.”
“Her Highness remains a member of the Imperial Family.”
“It is only natural that His Majesty wishes for her return.”
“Natural?”
Carlos narrowed his eyes.
“How many months has the Princess been here?”
“Not once during that time did the Emperor ask after her.”
“And now, all of a sudden, he wants to take her back?”
“…”
“And he sends an envoy instead of coming himself?”
“If they’re truly father and daughter, shouldn’t the father come in person?”
“Ah.”
“Then again, His Majesty has never been particularly concerned with doing what’s proper.”
The words were as sharp as blades.
The envoy’s face stiffened.
Even so, he quickly regained his composure.
“I know what feelings Your Grace harbors.”
“But those feelings are irrelevant.”
“Irrelevant?”
“Her Highness belongs to the Imperial Family.”
“The Grand Duchy’s extraterritorial rights do not change the ownership of an imperial royal.”
Carlos remained silent.
Seeing that, the envoy stepped forward.
His expression said he believed he had gained the upper hand.
“Her Highness is His Majesty’s daughter.”
“It is not natural for a child to remain separated from her parent.”
“His Majesty is deeply worried about her.”
Worried?
I nearly laughed.
The man who had tried to kill me…
…was worried?
I remembered the hand that had once offered me a poisoned teacup before my regression.
Was that truly the hand of a concerned father?
“I have merely come to deliver His Majesty’s will.”
“If Your Grace wishes to send me back, then I will require a satisfactory answer.”
“A satisfactory answer…”
Carlos folded his arms.
“And if I give you an unsatisfactory one?”
“I cannot leave until I have fulfilled His Majesty’s command.”
What shameless confidence.
He intended to remain here until his request was accepted.
If anyone harmed an imperial envoy, it would be tantamount to declaring war against the Empire.
Our hands were tied.
Carlos’s jaw hardened.
“…You’ve got nerve.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
The envoy smiled slyly.
A smile like a snake’s.
* * *
The envoy truly settled into the Grand Duke’s estate as though he owned the place.
He occupied one of the guest rooms.
Every morning he demanded Carlos’s “answer.”
Carlos ignored him.
Unfortunately, ignoring him didn’t make him disappear.
The atmosphere throughout the estate grew increasingly heavy.
The maids lowered their heads and hurried away whenever they encountered the envoy.
Damian openly glared at him every chance he got.
Mia wandered anxiously outside my room.
Naturally, I shut myself inside.
The last thing I wanted was to run into that envoy.
Then, one day, Mia informed me that Carlos wished to see me.
Curious, I headed to his office.
Inside were not only Carlos…
…but Damian as well.
He was leaning against the window with his arms crossed.
“Sit.”
Carlos, seated behind the desk, gestured toward the sofa with his chin.
As I awkwardly sat down, Damian came over and sat beside me.
He studied my face, which had grown noticeably thinner over the past few days, and frowned.
“Have you actually been eating?”
“…I have.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“You’ve lost all the baby fat in your cheeks.”
How much baby fat can a thirteen-year-old lose anyway?
“Quiet.”
At Carlos’s low command, Damian and I both instantly fell silent.
“You already know the situation.”
Carlos spoke while gazing out the window.
“The envoy has been here for five days.”
“I can’t simply throw him out.”
“But I also can’t hand over the Princess.”
“Father.”
Damian interrupted.
“Why don’t we just kick him out?”
“Isn’t the Grand Duchy protected by extraterritorial law?”
“Extraterritorial rights don’t mean we can kill or expel whoever we please.”
“He is an officially recognized imperial envoy acting under the Emperor’s authority.”
“The moment we lay a hand on him…”
“…it becomes a declaration of all-out war.”
Damian quietly closed his mouth.
Carlos sighed.
“The Imperial Family cannot enforce its laws inside the Grand Duchy.”
“But the Princess still legally belongs to the Imperial Family.”
“So they’re allowed to request her return.”
“And that man intends to stay until we accept.”
“Then what do we do…?”
“I wish we had legitimate grounds to expel him.”
Carlos rubbed the corner of his eyes wearily.
“He didn’t trespass.”
“He came carrying an imperial decree.”
“He can easily claim this is an official diplomatic visit.”
“What a nuisance.”
“He didn’t enter without permission…”
The moment those words left his mouth…
Something flashed through my mind.
“Wait.”
Before I realized it, I had raised my hand.
Carlos and Damian both looked at me.
“What did you just say?”
“…What are you referring to?”
“Permission.”
“You said he didn’t enter without permission.”
“I did.”
“…When the Imperial Palace sent that letter…”
“…did you ever send a reply granting permission for the envoy to come?”
Carlos’s eyes narrowed.
“No.”
“And when the envoy arrived…”
“…did you welcome him inside?”
“Did it look that way?”
Of course not.
You looked like you’d just bitten into something rotten.
But by then…
Everything suddenly clicked.
My heart began pounding.
“Doesn’t the Imperial Constitution’s section on extraterritorial rights include regulations about residence?”
“You know…”
“The clause concerning outsiders who remain within the territory without official permission beyond a certain period…”
“…”
Carlos stared directly at me.
“I don’t remember the exact wording.”
“It’s an old clause.”
“But we need to check.”
I jumped to my feet.
Damian hurriedly stood as well.
“What is it all of a sudden?”
“To the library.”
“We need the Imperial Code.”
“What?”
“Hurry!”
I grabbed Damian by the wrist and dragged him away.
We practically burst through the library doors.
“The Imperial Constitution.”
“We need the section on extraterritorial rights.”
“How should I know where that is?”
“You grew up here!”
“I didn’t spend my childhood reading law books!”
Damian grumbled the entire time, but he still searched between the shelves.
I searched the opposite side.
Dust-covered volumes.
The history of the Grand Duchy.
Treatises on territorial law.
Collections of legal precedents.
“Is this it?”
Damian pulled out a thick volume.
Its worn cover bore the circular emblem identifying the Imperial Code.
My eyes lit up.
“That’s it!”
I hurriedly snatched it from him and frantically flipped through the pages.
The section on extraterritorial rights…
Special provisions…
Exceptions…
…
“…There it is.”
My hand froze on a single page.
