NOVEL NEXT Chapter 118
[I will become Emperor, Daphne.And I will never look for Daphne again. I’m still afraid now without Daphne.Daphne is the one who saved me no matter what anyone says, and I have always depended on you.But now I’m trying to walk on my own two feet.I don’t even depend on my father.] It was kind of weird.I felt like I was seeing a character that had grown up, and I felt like I was really getting closer to the ending. [Just look and see, Daphne.Everything I do will be an apology to you. I’ll make sure I look as good as you wish.Daphne, thank you for everything, and I’m sorry.Take care of yourself.Goodbye] The letter ended simply.“… I guess really Gabriel let me go.”Something was terrifying.“Even Prince Gabriel has to face the fact that he’s losing track of things like this.”“That’s true, but… Tell Gabriel goodbye. Don’t be sick and be happy.”“Are you forgiving him?”“I don’t know about forgiveness… Still, I think I would feel bad if Gabriel and I didn’t get along well.”“I will tell him that.”Lee Jong-woo smiled brightly.I folded the neatly finished letter and placed it on the desk.Later on, I was thinking of giving this to Gabriel, even if it was a whim.Oh, by the way, there was a letter from Gabriel’s mother.I wasn’t sure what to do with it. The letter would only be useful until Gabriel was about to become Emperor.Or when Gabriel’s silence faded.And soon the Empress and the Marquis of Gallard would be completely overthrown, and they would be punished for their crimes.If so, maybe that letter is the most useful now.What I was going to hand over to the Emperor directly was to pressure Gabriel.But since I received a letter like this…“I have something to give you. Shannet. Bring that letter.”“Yes, madam!”Shannet left the drawing room for a while.Lee Jong-woo tilted his head with a puzzled face.“A letter?”“Yes.”“Did you write a letter to Gabriel?”“It’s not like that… Remember that? A necklace from Gabriel’s mother and a letter from the former Empress.”“Ah!”Lee Jong-woo clapped his hand.He had completely forgotten about it until now.“I remember it now! Did you find it?”“I can’t just sit still. I have to find a way to live.”“Hey… You’ve grown up.”“Huh?”Lee Jong-woo shook his head.Shannet returned with a letter quickly.I handed out an old letter to Lee Jong-woo.“With this, no one will be able to ignore Gabriel. Because the former Empress recognized Gabriel.”“… Gabriel will feel a little more comfortable with this.”“Yes, and now the Empress and Marquis Gallard will disappear.”Lee Jong-woo smiled.“So it’s like the original story after all. Gabriel and Cesare went in separate ways, but…”“That’s right. Cesare will be the Duke, and Gabriel will be the Emperor. This is the ending I made. What do you think?”“I think it’s ……good, and besides, Daphne looks happy too.”“Because she’s loved.”“They say being loved makes you prettier, so maybe that’s why.”Did I become more beautiful? That’s a bit awkward.“Am I that pretty? Of course I knew.”I touch my face, and he shakes his head.“Gabriel is prettier.”He’s right again, and I can’t argue with it. ***** The letter was delivered to Gabriel.“She said the necklace belongs to the former Empress, my friend.”Gabriel read the letter over and over again.Daphne had been waiting for Gabriel even with these cards.Daphne is really…“Daphne is a good person. Really.”Lee Jong-woo also shrugged. He had neither the words nor the will to refute Gabriel’s words.“I thought even the gods had abandoned me. But after Daphne, you also come… Now even the Duke of Burstoad, who hates me, helps me.”Gabriel’s eyes were fixed on the newspaper.Articles were pouring out every day about the injustices that the Marquis Gallard and Empress had committed in the past.When the Duke of Burstoad said that the two of them would be brought to court, people rose up like wildfire.There must have been lies mixed in with them, but that didn’t matter.No one will listen to the injustice of the target who is criticized by everyone.“Daphne thinks you should read the letter at the end of the trial, in front of everyone.”“Good idea.”Gabriel nodded.It felt like the world revolved around Gabriel.Feeling like fate dragging Gabriel by the collar.“She said she’d think about forgiveness, though.”It was so Daphne-like that Gabriel burst into laughter.In fact, even if Daphne didn’t forgive him, Gabriel couldn’t help it.He’d done the deed.It was his duty to apologize, but forgiveness was her choice.Gabriel smiled bitterly.Still yearning for Daphne.I wanted to feel the warmth by her side.But the obsessive and violent emotions did not soar as before.Perhaps it was that Gabriel had grown up.“But why don’t you apologize to the Duke of Burstoad, you imprisoned him unjustly?”Gabriel frowned in an instant.Apologies to Cesare?Why?Strangely, he didn’t like Cesare.Maybe it was because he was the one with Daphne. Maybe it was more like disgust, but that was how he felt.“There seems to be no reason for that. He should have done better with Daphne. He deserved the punishment! Now I’m going to do better for Daphne than before. Rather, shouldn’t you thank me for making him realize it?”Lee Jong-woo swallowed a laugh when he saw Gabriel’s reaction.He was clearly expressing his dislike.I thought maybe it was because of the original novel.I thought that Gabriel’s dislike of Cesare to such an extent could be that the love-hate that had worked between them had changed and remained as hatred.While the overall storyline follows the original, the details are not the same as the original.Even if it was a small change in the beginning, the result made a big difference.And from Lee Jong-woo’s point of view, the result made so far was a happy ending.Lee Jong-woo looked at Gabriel, who had calmed down.When Daphne was imprisoned in the mansion, Gabriel seemed to be terrified even after he had her in his hand.He was like a child afraid of losing his favorite toy at any moment.But now that Daphne escapes and is free, Gabriel also breaks out of the hard egg that surrounds him.“I got a call from Count Siege. He has something to tell me about the Marquis Gallard. If I can break free from the Empress’s influence, he’s willing to cooperate.”I think it was an opportunity to become more mature.Gabriel, who spoke of the future, seemed to shine in itself.It is only a seedling now, but it will soon grow into a large tree.Not to mention Daphne, who seems to be doing well with Cesare.In the end, it may be that such a small possibility creates a magic that can be reckless.“That’s good. Count Siege didn’t say that he was originally an aristocrat associated with the Empress and Marquis Gallard, my friend?”“That’s right. Maybe this opportunity will help us destroy the Empress’s power.”The Burstoad momentum was indeed strong.When you look at how the aristocratic forces, which had been tightly concentrated, directly contacted Gabriel and became shaken like this.Judging from the flow, it seemed that the Duke of Burstoad was determined to destroy the Empress’s power, not just disrupting them.His strokes were fierce, as if to signal that he was no longer able to hit Gabrielle and needed to take out his anger in other ways.It was the same with Daphne.Daphne, whom Lee Jong-woo met, was very excited. ‘There is a lot of evidence of unfair contracts and fraudulent contracts. When it comes to bariols, you’ll never be able to get away with it. Besides, it’s never going to be easy for the Empress to kill her own son, the Crown Prince, right?’‘The princess is addicted to drugs, so wouldn’t the testimony lack credibility?’‘There’s one more person who died because of drugs.’ He was referring to Daphne’s biological mother.It is said that Count Peliard promised to testify in person at trial.She said she would save his life, so Daphne said he was flabbergasted.All arrows were directed at the Empress and Marquis Gallard.“I look forward to the trial.”Lee Jong-woo agreed with Gabriel’s words. ***** Today is the day of the trial of the Empress and Marquis Gallard.Last time there was Cesare’s trial, I couldn’t even see him off in the morning.But today is different.I woke up early in the morning and prepared breakfast.I’m a terrible cook, so I didn’t do any of it myself, but I stood behind the chef and directed him with a hawk’s eye.That’s enough to cheer me up.“Duchess. Shall we prepare it with easily digestible food?”“No! Always make sure to be reliable! Prepare it for me with meat.”It’s the day of the battle between the Empress and the Marquis Gallard, and I shouldn’t be hungry.Eat well to fight hard!Thanks to this, the meal that encompasses land, sea, and air was prepared.Anyone who sees it will think that it’s Cesare’s birthday.Even Cesare looked a little surprised when he saw the breakfast.