Chapter 14: 14
“Daisy Miller, you are permitted to answer directly. Do you understand your crime?”
As her eyes met the Emperor’s, Daisy’s body jolted in fright.
Her knees trembled so badly that it looked as though she could not remain standing on her own.
“M-My crime… um, is it that I b-brought Princess Belinda here?”
“That as well. You recklessly brought a foreign princess into the Imperial Palace, and on top of that, you left the designated meeting room without permission and wandered through the palace grounds.”
“B-But, she was just a single woman.”
“Even a single woman can easily carry poison. Daisy Miller, you placed His Majesty in danger.”
“Not only me, but everyone within this palace was put at risk.”
At Eugene and Aurelia’s words, Daisy collapsed to the floor where she stood.
“That wasn’t my intention at all. It’s just that Lady Belinda said she wanted to meet His Majesty… she said it would be fine if she did.”
“And what was the result of meeting me?”
There had been no punishment involving physical pain, but Belinda had been forbidden from ever entering the Empire again, and her homeland was left to be ignored.
On what grounds had she been told it would be fine?
“I-I’m so sorry.”
All Daisy could do was apologize.
Even if she were told to take responsibility, she had no idea how.
Besides, Daisy was merely the daughter of a count’s house and did not serve within the palace.
She glanced briefly at her brother, then at her sister-in-law standing beside Aurelia with no expression on her face.
If responsibility were demanded, would her brother, as head of the count’s house, bear it?
Or would her sister-in-law bear it, since the pretext had been coming to meet her?
…If possible, she wanted it to end with just her sister-in-law.
After all, her brother had only told her not to get involved with Princess Belinda.
He had nothing to do with her coming to the palace.
That’s right. This was all Dorothy’s fault.
If Dorothy had not been working at the palace, there would have been no excuse to come here in the first place.
“I only came to see my sister-in-law Dorothy, so I really—”
Trying to push all the blame onto Dorothy, Daisy spoke her name.
If she cried like this, surely His Majesty would understand.
She had only come to see her sister-in-law Dorothy, and she had only brought Princess Belinda along because she insisted.
Dorothy was already an adult, and Daisy was still a child.
“So, I—”
“Daisy Miller, when we employed Dorothy, we conducted a complete background investigation. She would be serving constantly at Aurelia’s side. That is only natural, is it not? Your family was investigated as well. Including exactly how you treated Dorothy as family. With that in mind, I will ask you this. Were you close enough to Dorothy to come see her?”
“Huh?”
“Why would you go out of your way to see someone you disliked?”
“T-That’s—”
They know?
Everything?
…Even that I was always interfering with their marriage?
As the color drained further from Daisy’s face and she fell silent, Eugene looked down at her with cold eyes.
“Cyrus Miller, as I said earlier, your sister is banned indefinitely from entering the Imperial Palace. Naturally, she is not to attend evening parties either. Had she admitted her fault honestly, I might have considered a limited term. However, seeing her desperately try to pin her crime on Dorothy, I judge that she has no intention of changing. If she is so weak of body, then send her somewhere to recuperate.”
Before Daisy could attempt another excuse, Eugene had already decided her punishment.
“Yes. I will confine my sister to the estate immediately.”
“Very well. Dorothy.”
“Yes.”
Eugene’s gaze had been cold toward Cyrus and Daisy, but the sharpness was gone when he looked at Dorothy.
“Your name was merely used, but from now on, the way meetings are handled will need to change somewhat.”
“I apologize.”
“There were lax points. This time there was no harm, but we must tighten security.”
“Yes.”
“Do you have any objections regarding your sister-in-law’s punishment?”
“None at all. Her actions endangered the Imperial Palace and became the catalyst for severing relations with the Lind Kingdom. Daisy Miller’s conduct was not befitting a count’s daughter of the Empire. Those who do not understand that a single action can endanger their house or even a nation are unfit for the Imperial Palace. Moreover, marrying such a poorly educated daughter into another house would be nothing but a disgrace for a count’s family.”
Hearing that from the person she had always looked down upon, Daisy’s face grew even paler.
You didn’t have to go that far.
When she thought that and looked to her brother, his face was equally pale.
Daisy’s lack of education was partly due to her own dislike of studying, but more than that, it was because her parents and Cyrus had indulged her without limit.
The entire count’s house had failed in educating Daisy.
That was what Dorothy had just declared to the Emperor.
“Count Miller.”
“Yes.”
“Make sure you do not fail again. That is all. You may withdraw.”
“Yes.”
As Cyrus led Daisy out of the room, he glanced briefly at Dorothy.
Their eyes did not meet.
On her profile there was neither pity nor contempt, nor any hint of triumph.
She was simply looking straight ahead.
“Was that punishment sufficient?”
That night, in the marital bedchamber, Eugene asked Aurelia that question.
Aurelia nodded and replied, “Yes.”
“If we were to impose a harsher punishment, it could lead to further misunderstandings.”
“Ah, I see. If I had acted in anger and handed down a severe punishment, then even if I made Lind part of the empress’s domain, they would interpret it as the Empire desiring Lind and punishing the princess heavily. There are fools who would convince themselves that Lind’s land has such value.”
“Banning the princess from entering the Empire. Imposing no further punishment and offering no interference. Naturally, we will also refuse to mediate the trade adjustments with other nations that Lind desired. For Lind, that will be the greatest punishment.”
“A country that receives no favoritism, no expectations, and no interest even if it deteriorates or collapses. To think that being the homeland of the Empire’s empress would bring no benefit at all.”
Chuckling maliciously, Eugene laughed.
When Eugene once asked Aurelia whether she wanted Lind, she had replied that she did not need it.
The talented individuals worth saving had come to the Empire of their own accord and now worked for it.
The only competent royal, the queen, had remained in Lind to see it through to the end.
There was nothing left in that land, and it had been abandoned by the Empire.
“Will Belinda behave herself?”
“I do not know. She holds no power in the Empire, nor do I believe Lind can do anything to the Empire. She is already married, so she has no value as a princess. I think she has no choice but to live quietly in Lind for the rest of her life, but…”
“She’s the sort with an unpredictable streak. She might even run away from home.”
“Even if she does, living among commoners in Lind would be difficult for her. I cannot imagine her enduring such a life. I struggled myself at first.”
“Well, she can live however she likes somewhere we do not see. By the way, Aurelia.”
“Yes?”
“As a duke’s daughter, have you ever lived among commoners?”
“Yes. My father told me to learn the lives of common people firsthand, so I lived disguised for about three months. The first meal I cooked was burned, but my father ate it happily.”
It was a fond memory.
Though it lasted only three months, she handled everything herself and even went shopping.
It was not a completely ordinary commoner’s life, but it was still a precious experience.
“When I came to the Empire, I intended to live quietly with my father if you ever abandoned me, Eugene-sama.”
“Unfortunately, I have no intention of abandoning you for the rest of my life. But if we lived alone together, would I get to eat your cooking?”
“…It would be something barely edible, you know? I don’t know how to control the heat and burn things easily. I haven’t cooked since then either.”
“I don’t like that only my father-in-law got to eat it. Make some for me as well. I don’t care if it’s burned.”
“What would you do if you got a stomachache?”
“At the very least, I believe I have a sturdier body than my father-in-law. If he could eat it, so can I.”
“What kind of logic is that…”
Laughing softly, Aurelia leaned against Eugene.
“If I am to serve food to you, Eugene-sama, then I want to present something I can be satisfied with. So please wait a little. I will practice.”
“I’ll help by tasting it.”
“My, then there would be no point in asking you to wait if you eat even the practice dishes.”
Eugene pulled his beloved wife into his arms.