CHAPTER 125
I submitted the diary I had taken from Lewis’s mansion.
"Isn't it just blank?"
The diary was passed to the Emperor, who examined it and asked.
"If you hold the pages up to the light, you will see. It's a diary written by the Marquis's father during his time as a palace magician."
As the Emperor held the diary up to the light, his expression changed.
"This is..."
"The truth omitted from the palace archives remained in my father's diary."
Lewis, who had been silent, spoke up.
"The former emperor's personal ambitions should be known to you as well, Your Majesty."
Lewis spoke sarcastically.
It seemed the Emperor truly didn't know. His bewildered expression made that clear.
"I had heard he wanted to learn the secret to immortality, but..."
The Emperor muttered, furrowing his brow.
The former emperor had mentioned it openly to his retainers, so his son, the current emperor, would naturally have heard it.
"It wasn't just idle talk? He must have been out of his mind."
It seemed true that the current emperor did not have a good relationship with his father.
"There are other pieces of evidence besides my father's diary."
"What other evidence?"
Lewis pulled out a small folded document from his pocket.
"It's a handwritten letter from the former emperor to Count Haim, mentioning the summoning of demons."
"Count Haim?"
The Emperor reacted as if hearing a name he hadn't heard in a long time.
'Marquis, there were two others besides your father who received the former emperor's orders.'
This was part of a conversation I had with Lewis a month ago when we decided to search for additional materials.
'Isn't that right?'
'If we search for traces of those people, we might find some clues, just as we found my father's materials!'
That handwritten letter was a clue we found in Count Haim's estate.
It was tucked between books the Count had read during his lifetime, hidden by magic so even his family didn't know of its existence.
Thanks to Lewis randomly casting a search spell like he had in the library, we found it.
"It is indeed the former emperor's handwriting. It says to burn it after reading, but the Count did not."
We couldn't know if the Count kept the letter as a potential insurance.
He had already passed away in an accident.
The Emperor studied the handwritten document and the diary with a serious expression, thinking for a moment.
"I will summon the central nobles tomorrow to discuss this."
Having seemingly gathered his thoughts, the Emperor turned to Lewis.
"No matter if they are no longer with us, they must be held accountable for what they did. Can you come to the palace tomorrow?"
Lewis nodded.
"Contact me at the mage tower."
"Will do."
The diary was handed back to Lewis.
"I will take the letter. Bring the diary tomorrow. We will review it with the other nobles during the meeting."
With those words, the Emperor adjourned the session.
As the Emperor left, the nobles also exited the courtroom, looking like they had witnessed something extraordinary.
It was no wonder they were surprised since both the former emperor and the crown prince had been obsessed with summoning demons!
"Finally, Peter's injustice will be addressed."
The Duke stood up with a look of deep emotion.
Bella giggled and looked at me.
"I thought Lewis would be the only one speaking."
"It's a relief the Emperor seems to be making the right decision."
Michael said with a smile.
Lewis looked at me with a mix of emotions in his eyes.
I responded with a broad smile.
"It's all over now! We've revealed everything about the former emperor to the world."
Only then did Lewis smile faintly and nod.
"You've worked hard. We could have kept my father's affairs quiet."
"Of course, we had to speak up. If we didn't address it here, it would become even harder to bring up later."
That’s why I risked drawing attention to bring it up.
I subtly took Lewis's arm.
"Shall we leave now?"
* * *
The Emperor, who had said he would discuss the former emperor's affairs with the key nobles, held meetings for quite some time.
As a result, the former emperor's status was downgraded to that of a deposed emperor.
For an emperor to demote his own father to a deposed emperor was certainly unprecedented in the history of the empire.
And a new record was inscribed in the palace archives. Detailed accounts of the former emperor's and the crown prince's deeds.
"It's the Emperor's will that the truth should not be hidden."
I told the young ladies.
It had been a fortnight since Philip’s final trial.
The decision came so soon after that Philip's story was still a hot topic in social circles.
The empire had been turned upside down by the failed demon summoning, so I was discussing this even at social gatherings.
"I heard the Emperor apologized to Lewis personally for what the former emperor did."
Bella chimed in from beside me.
"He received an apology?"
"He should!"
The young ladies were engrossed in our story.
"The Empress also received house arrest, right?"
"She claimed not to know about the demon summoning... but she was still involved in the matter."
I answered.
Since it became known that the crown prince selection exam had an ulterior motive, it was natural for the young ladies who genuinely participated to feel disappointed.
"I worked so hard without knowing anything."
I looked at Lady Redmond, who seemed deflated after realizing she had been misled by Philip twice.
After all, Philip was the problem.
Even if he disliked Lewis, how could he give false hope to innocent young ladies who had nothing to do with him?
"At least the truth came out before anyone got married."
Charlotte tried to turn the conversation on a positive note, and Bella agreed.
"Yes, it would have been worse if it was revealed after the marriage."
"That's true."
Lady Redmond admitted quickly.
Lady Host suggested to her.
"How about aiming for the new crown princess position?"
"No way, the age difference is too much!"
Philip’s position was filled faster than expected. The Emperor adopted his nephew and made him the crown prince.
But he was only fourteen years old...
"Now that I think about it, I don't need to be with the crown prince. A good and kind partner can be found nearby."
"Who? Do you have someone in mind?"
Watching Lady Host and Lady Redmond chat, I quietly stood up.
"Are you leaving already?"
"Oh, I have an appointment with the Marquis."
"The Marquis?"
"Then we should let you go!"
They all smiled warmly, letting me go when they heard I had a date with Lewis.
"Why does Lewis always schedule dates on days like this?"
Except for Bella.
A little later, I met Lewis at a café in the bustling part of town. When I entered the booth where Lewis was, he smiled broadly.
"You're here?"
"Lewis!"
I had been calling him by his name for a while now.
I wasn't quite used to it yet, sometimes calling him Marquis and sometimes Lewis.
Would I get completely used to it if I just spoke informally to him?
Lewis, let's drop the formalities and speak casually! ...Of course, I'd never actually say that. Haha...
As I sat down, Lewis shared surprising news with me.
"The noise, it's lasting longer."
"The noise?"
"Yes, it lasts up to a week now."
Wow? I opened my eyes wide in surprise.
"How can it last a week? You’re not straining your brain to keep it at bay, are you?"
"If that were possible, I would have done it long ago."
"But how did you find out it lasts a week?"
"Remember I was on a business trip for a week after the trial."
Right, there was a time when work kept us apart for a week.
"I got used to the quiet in my head, so I didn’t notice it at first. But at some point, I realized it was silent for exactly a week."
The change in his everyday life without the noise was largely due to our relationship evolving.
Just hugging would silence the noise for three days, and now we were a couple.
Holding hands and hugging whenever we met. Of course, that wasn't all we did... ahem.
If it hadn't been for a long business trip, he might not have realized the duration of the silence had increased.
While I was momentarily lost in thought, Lewis speculated.
"It seems the duration is affected by the level of contact."
So it really was true that the duration varied with the degree of contact, as we had suspected before!
Then Lewis tapped his cheek lightly.
"Give me a kiss here."
"Huh? Suddenly?"
"Aren't you curious? I want to see how long this will last."
Lewis smirked.
"You don’t dislike kisses on the cheek?"
"When did I say that?"
"You said you didn't like your father's morning kisses."
"I don't dislike it when it's from you."
Lewis's parents would probably be quite sad to hear that.
But it's nice that he likes my kisses...
Seeing my satisfied smile, Lewis spoke again.
"So, kiss me."
Since we were a couple, there was no reason not to. No one would see us here anyway.
"Okay."
I stood up, placing my hands on the table. Then I leaned over and kissed Lewis's cheek.
Smooch.
Lewis smiled contentedly.
Making him happy is so simple! Of course, it would be a big problem if someone else did it...
"It's a bit unsatisfying. Shall we do it the usual way?"
"Huh?"
"Kiss me on the lips."
Didn't you want to check something?
* * *
Six months later.
"Lady Yaniels, over here. I have something for you."
I met Charlotte in the city, and during our meal, she handed me an invitation.
Bella, who received the same invitation, asked immediately after seeing it.
"Is the Viscount getting married?"
"Yes. He has been in a long-term relationship and they have decided to get married. He said I could invite my friends too."
Wow, the Viscount is finally getting married!
"Lady Yaniels and Lady Yaniels will come, right?"
"Of course, we will. It's been a while since we last saw the Viscount!"
"Oh, and this too."
Charlotte handed me another invitation.
"Please give this to the Marquis."
"Lewis too?"
"Yes, it would be nice if you both came together. You two are special, after all."
We've been dating for over seven months now, so it is a special relationship. It would be nice to go together.
I accepted the invitation.
"We'll come together."
* * *
On the day of Viscount Yaniels' wedding.
Lewis attended with Selina. He wasn't particularly close to the Viscount, but Selina had asked him to come.
Bella and Michael also came to the wedding together.
Following Charlotte, they all went to the bride's waiting room to greet her.
"Are you Charlotte's friends?"
"Congratulations on your wedding!"
Of course, Lewis just nodded behind Selina, who was cheerfully greeting everyone.
He also had the chance to meet Charlotte's parents for the first time.
"Lady Elsner?"
"Hello, ma'am!"
After a brief exchange of greetings, Lewis watched Charlotte's mother and Selina embrace.
"I've heard a lot about you from Lady Yaniels."
It was a reminder of how different Selina's personality was from his own.
How can she be so affectionate?
Even though they were closer than anyone else, Lewis still found it fascinating to watch her.
Even after the wedding started, Lewis kept looking at Selina.
He was simply watching her because his eyes kept drifting towards her, but today, there was something peculiar about her.
'She’s not that close to the Viscount, is she?'
She was beaming as if she were attending a close friend's wedding.
It was Charlotte who was close to the couple, not Selina.
"Are you genuinely happy for them?"
So he whispered only to Selina.
"Anyone would think the Viscount was your brother. You and Lady Yaniels have the same expression."
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