Chapter 171

Proofreader: somnium

A fact-finding was being carried out within the Empire, but in the South, it was not important in itself why Madame Lexen assassinated Queen Eimmel.

Cadriol didn’t even care. It must have been Artizea’s trick anyway. Digging around was not advantageous to the Kingdom of Eimmel.

What was important to him was that the king was grieving, and at this moment all power over the Eimmel Kingdom army was in his hands.

And that he had in his hands a justification to attack the Duchy of Riagan.

“Aren’t you going to get rid of it right away?”

Cadriol’s subordinate asked so. Contrary to his initial momentum, he was puzzled that Cadriol did not attack the Duchy of Riagan.

“I’m not going to go to war against the Empire.”

Cadriol said, looking down at the army that surrounded the Duchy of Riagan.

“It would feel good to hit and remove the Duchy of Riagan, but if there is a real war with the Empire, it will be a headache. Don’t stroke your pride too much.”

Above all, it is impossible to occupy all the assets of the Duchy of Riagan anyway. Because it will be a battle on land.

“Anyway, at the right time, I will retreat. There’s the Empire’s face, there’s no way they’ll let us go and wait for the disposal just because we have a justification.”

Of course, this place was too far away for the Emperor to react promptly right now.

So his subordinate asked again.

“Are you worried about incurring the wrath of the Krates Empire?”

“Emperor Gregor is old, but he is still Emperor.”

Cadriol kicked the stone stuck at the tip of his toes as a joke.

“It’s scary to touch an old man’s pride. Especially if that old man had the greatest power in the world. Even so, if we run away before then, we’ll be fine.”

“It’s a cause you’ve been working on for a long time.”

“It’s impossible to take the southern part of the Empire anyway. I got everything I deserved.”

Cardriol chuckled and laughed.

Although the Riagan Ducal Couple did not have such outstanding abilities, they knew the southern region very well.

The fact that they tried to create their own power base means that they have gained that much confidence.

After the downfall of the Ducal couple, who will be the next ruler from the Empire to occupy this place?

There was no way for the Empress to stand up again, and there was no way for the old Duke of Riagan, whose great roots had been cut off, to stand up again.

Can the Emperor’s new chosen subject be able to control the complicated situation in the southern part of the country in a short time?

It will be difficult.

In the meantime, the power map of the South will be turned upside down.

Cadriol has already laid the foundation for that.

He eliminated the enemy within the royal family, took full power over the Kingdom’s army, and took over the real power in place of the dejected father.

The crown prince’s appointment will also go smoothly.

The Krates Empire will be busy with internal maintenance for the time being. In the meantime, he was planning to reap all the real gains.

‘But I never really thought that Marquis Rosan had already planted people there.’

It’s not about an assassin.

Cadriol was able to get a glimpse of the Eimmel Kingdom and Artizea’s organization planted in the southern part of the Empire this time.

The skill of concealing rumors of the Empress’ relatives and dispelling them before the incident started was still unusual.

Judging from the time his memory returned, it hasn’t even been such a long time.

‘Would it have been much more beneficial to kidnap her?’

Cadriol thought about that for a moment, then smiled.

Even if he forced to bring her, Artizea wouldn’t have been his own. Either as a woman or as a strategist.

Well, hiding her and looking into her alone was also a way to enjoy a treasure.

‘It’s a pity.’

The words of his subordinate interrupted his thoughts.

“The carrier pigeon is flying. Shall I catch it?”

“Leave it alone. I’m not really going to get rid of the Duchy of Riagan, so if the Duke keeps talking nonsense, the internal affairs of the Empire will be in chaos.”

“Will the Empire really send troops? Didn’t they say that the Southern Conquest Army was formed?”

“By the time they send it, we will have already run away. We don’t even have to be ashamed of running away from the enemy again.”

“That’s true.”

“The Duke of Riagan’s candle burns on both ends* . That old man’s frightened face, just thinking about it makes me happy.”

“Of course.”

His men giggled and laughed.

Originally, the neighboring countries were not on good terms with each other, but the Duchy of Riagan and the Kingdom of Eimmel were even more so.

The Duchy of Riagan saw the Kingdom of Eimmel as a group of bandits.

In the Kingdom of Eimmel, the Duchy of Riagan was viewed as an idiot. They had thought that it was absurd to try to become the lord of the southern provinces, on a subject that they could not even exert their strength at sea.

To say that they were actually a bunch of bandits, they weren’t.

＊＊＊

It was about a week after Lawrence returned that the Countess Eunice had an audience with the Emperor.

This audience was arranged by the chief attendant.

A letter came from the Duchy of Riagan asking for salvation every day.

But the justification lies with the Kingdom of Eimmel. Nothing else, but to find the culprit of the Queen’s assassination and hold them accountable.

Accepting that request and having them investigate the Duchy of Riagan will not save them in any respect.

In addition, whatever the cause, the Kingdom of Eimmel dares to raise troops, occupy the ports of the Empire, and attack the Duchy of Riagan.

However, it was not an easy decision to gather the Southern Army and send a conquest army from the center to wage war.

Subjugating pirates and fighting other countries are different. Since the cause was beyond that, there was bound to be a problem with the morale of the soldiers.

It is a long way to the South where the Duchy of Riagan was. It took twenty days even when the wind blew right.

There was not enough information to make an immediate judgment. Even if the information was available, there was no guarantee that it would be timely when a response was determined and sent down here.

There is a reason why the Duke of Riagan had jurisdiction over the South in the first place.

Waiting for the next information and discussing countermeasures, the Emperor was overworked.

Moreover, he was dismayed by the disappointment of his son.

The chief attendant, who could not bear to see it, had invited his daughter and granddaughters to comfort him.

When Countess Eunice entered the living room, the Emperor was getting a massage.

The scent of lavender filled the room. The masseur was massaging the Emperor’s scalp.

Fatigue that could not be hidden was revealed on the Emperor’s face. As if he had a headache, his closed eyes trembled slightly.

In a matter of a few days, he seemed to have aged several years.

“You look tired, Father.”

“Of course I’m tired. How can I not be tired?”

The emperor muttered, pressing his hand to the corners of his wrinkled eyes.

“Still, it is much better to see you. Come here, kiss your grandfather.”

The two daughters of Countess Eunice approached the Emperor and kissed him on the cheek.

The Emperor seemed to feel better just by that.

The Emperor reached out to the masseur. The masseur placed a warm wet towel on the Emperor’s hand.

The Emperor wiped his face with it once.

“Are you okay, Father?”

“My body is definitely not what it used to be.”

“Can I rub your shoulders a little?”

“Will you?”

The Emperor laughed.

Countess Eunice walked over to the Emperor’s side and began to rub his shoulder.

She couldn’t get her massage better than the masseur’s. But it was much better for the Emperor’s mood.

So he sighed even more.

At a time like this, how good it would have been if he had a cute child as a reliable heir.

Even now, sometimes the Emperor lamented like that. However, he was concerned about political stability, and it was also a story of the future.

But now, he desperately needed an heir who could divide the burden in half right now.

“You seem to be deeply concerned.”

Countess Eunice said cautiously.

“You have raised children too, don’t you know by now? There’s nothing in the world more impossible than raising a child.”

The Emperor groaned with his eyes closed.

Countess Eunice did not answer. So the Emperor laughed.

“You don’t think Lawrence deserves it either?”

“Lawrence is not a stupid kid.”

Countess Eunice answered only that way.

The Emperor also understood the meaning behind the answer.

Had she been inclined to think he deserved to serve as the next Emperor, Countess Eunice would not have answered so bluntly.

Conversely, if she was afraid, she would have responded more cautiously than this.

She knew that Lawrence didn’t have the best qualities. But she also knew he wouldn’t be popular.

He had to be able to instill fear in order to be popular, but he couldn’t.

“The dumb thing was a burden. I was the only one who was in a hurry.”

The Emperor remembered the conversation with Amalie.

“Your Majesty, Sir Lawrence is not dull or foolish, but not generous enough to accept advice, nor wise enough to judge the value of advice.”

But the Emperor rebuked her on why she gave such nonsense advice, Amalie answered without hesitation.

“It is true that he said that in order to win the favor of the Empress, he would have to solve the problem of the Duchy of Riagan. But, couldn’t that have meant that he would disobey Your Majesty’s will and have Duke Riagan be overthrown?”

“Harper.”

“If Sir Lawrence had been wise, he would have come first to ask Your Majesty’s permission. At least, I realized that my words were dangerous, so I turned to someone else for advice.”

“You mean you tested Lawrence?”

“There were several loyal servants of His Majesty. If there had been a truly disloyal suggestion, it would have already been known by His Majesty. He must have thought of that too.”

Amalie said coldly.

“Sir Lawrence doesn’t know exactly where his powers come from, or he thinks that His Majesty’s majesty belongs to him.”

At that, the emperor gave a sullen expression on his face.

“At the same time, he likes sweet stories to his ears, and he doesn’t know how to put down the view that he once thought was right.”

Amalie continued.

“So, among the advice of subordinates, he just picks and chooses the savory one, and he doesn’t know how to judge properly. If not this time, he would have made a failure like this any time.”

“I said he would inherit everything. Dame should have looked after Lawrence.”

“I’m looking for someone to follow, not someone to look after, Your Majesty.”

“Harper.”

“I have become your majesty’s servant because you deserve to be followed. Sir Lawrence was dear to His Majesty, and you wanted to empower him.”

Amalie said with a serious face.

“But I am a soldier, Your Majesty. I am in a place where life comes and goes. Even if there are tens of thousands of troops in front of you, you have to believe that the command you are given is correct and jump in blindly, and you have to command your subordinates to do so.”

“Harper.”

“How can I obey the orders of the one I need to take care of?”

Amalie didn’t care if she was demoted, so she said what she wanted to say.

—

*an idiom, means to be so nervous.