183 – 187
As the meeting of that day comes to an end and I step out of the conference room.
“Your Highness, I have something to report.”
Sabinele calls me in a low voice, and I turn my head.
“There is something to report regarding an incident that recently occurred in Roman.”
“What is it about?”
Since it’s rare for him to address me after a meeting, curiosity arises.
Sabinele looks around before speaking softly, confirming no one is around.
“Have you heard about the explosion incident at an inn in Roman recently?”
According to the report from the Cabinet meeting a while ago, an adventurer accidentally triggered a Fireball Scroll, causing a major incident.
“Yes, I heard. The adventurer carelessly mishandled the scroll, right?”
Upon my words, Sabinele looks around as if to deny and says,
“No. I was walking nearby at the time of the incident… I witnessed it. A dark purple explosion.”
A dark purple explosion… Isn’t that a characteristic of magic?
“What…? Wh… What are you saying right now?”
“Hush… It’s concerning. I thought the Intelligence or the Grand Duke would be aware of this information… It’s strange. They should have known about it.”
Sabinele’s expression turns uneasy.
“It seems like the information reported during the Cabinet meeting is missing.”
His expression is filled with despair.
“Your Highness… It seems that the Grand Duke…”
“Shut up!”
One can vaguely sense what Sabinele wants to say.
His anger flares up at my words suggesting that he is deliberately concealing the activities of demon worshippers.
“He is never such a person. If you dare bring up such nonsense again… You shouldn’t think it will end well, even if you’re you.”
Saying so, I turn away.
“Your Highness…”
Surely, he wouldn’t do that, right?
Although our intentions differ and he is obsessed with power, he has a strong sense of responsibility.
To think that he, who is trying to resurrect the Demon King, is a demon worshipper. Unbelievable.
As I try to leave the conference room.
“Your Highness, I truly apologize for the impertinence, but may I inquire about the relationship between you and the Grand Duke?”
I turn around to glare at Sabinele for his impertinent question.
“How dare you! Are you mocking me right now?!”
At my words, Sabinele bows deeply and says,
“No, Your Highness. But as you know, once the Demon King’s crown is complete, won’t he need a woman from the royal family? I heard that the purer the woman, the stronger the Demon King becomes, so perhaps…”
Angered by his impertinent words, I slap his cheek.
-Slap!
“Shut up!”
Sabirelli turned his head.
Touching his cheek, he spoke, “The Grand Duke is an unbelievable man.”
“Though I may be trying to ruin him, I do not underestimate his sincerity. If he dares to associate with the vile demon worshippers once more, I will not stand idly by.”
With that, he extinguished his anger and left.
***
Ignoring Sabirelli, he headed to meet the members of the Imperial Faction.
“Your Majesty! It is an immense honor to have you grace us like this.”
“Thank you for saying so.”
The mansion where the members of the Imperial Faction mainly gathered, Louis’ estate. I subtly hinted that I was aware of their recent attempt to poison me. Following my mother’s advice, I sent them a few letters as evidence, and they seemed to have given up on further resistance, at least for now, obediently following my orders.
“Your Majesty, how can you be so gracious? I envy you so much.”
When Louis’ wife looked at me with envy, I replied with gratitude.
“Madam is also quite beautiful.”
In response to my words, Louis’ wife blushed slightly, covering her smile with a fan.
“I am at a loss for words at such kind words coming from someone as old as me.”
I estimated Louis’ wife to be in her forties. She tried to hide her deep wrinkles with makeup, but she couldn’t conceal them completely.
She’s about the same age as my mother… Mother really doesn’t seem to age.
I didn’t realize when I was young, but as I age, it’s truly a big mystery how mother remains so beautiful and doesn’t seem to age.
“Your Majesty! Everyone is waiting inside. Please come in.”
Following Louis’ lead, I made my way to the banquet hall.
The members of the Imperial Faction and their wives gathered there welcomed me.
-We are grateful for Your Majesty’s presence.
I thanked them as if I was grateful.
“You have invited me here, so I should be the one thanking you.”
“No, Your Majesty! Please come this way.”
They led me to the head seat.
“hahahaha! This time, Sabirelli Viscount is set to become the Minister of Justice? I heard that the Grand Duke recommended Sabirelli as the successor to Minister Anthony from the Grand Council.”
At that moment, a servant refilled my glass with wine.
“It’s nothing special.”
It really isn’t.
I can’t help but wonder what exactly he’s thinking.
It’s certain that there’s a sinister scheme afoot, as Sabirelli mentioned…
But I don’t know what it is.
“hahahaha! I feel like the empire is finally standing tall. Isn’t it! How can the ruler of a country govern an empire with just military might?”
“That’s right. I’ve heard that the Lyon family has been known for generations for their prowess in battle. But that doesn’t mean they’re good at fighting. They’re just a pathetic family that once surrendered to the great Emperor Traianus in the past, right?”
The bald man in his fifties, who insults the De Vivian family, is known as a minor member of the Imperial Faction.
Since the establishment of the empire… it has grown by subjugating countless peoples and nations.
It’s not just the Ryan family… Do you not remember that even your lord’s family surrendered?
I’m not particularly pleased with the disrespectful words about Devian and the Ryan family, so I hold back a bit.
Listening with one ear and sipping wine with the other.
“hahahaha, even though we’ve taken the Minister of Justice, next we must snatch the Minister of War or the Minister of the Interior.”
“Both Gaston and Marcus are still in power, so it won’t be easy.”
“hahahaha! This time, we’ll hire assassins to eliminate Gaston or Marcus!”
At the words that ruffled his feathers, the bald man in his fifties almost spat out his wine.
-Cough! Cough!
The idea of eliminating a perfectly fine minister from that foolish fool’s mouth naturally furrows my brow.
Both Gaston and Marcus were appointed ministers by Devian.
Perhaps that’s why neither of them has any issues in handling their duties.
I simply relay the orders to Devian to control them.
“hahahaha! Your Majesty! Are you pleased at the thought of two ministers dying?”
That bald man keeps blabbering without understanding my sentiments, irritating me.
“hahahaha! Why not just swipe at the Grand Duke. I’ve seen the Grand Duke several times recently when I went to the night market. Seems like he sneaks around secretly, so if we target that time, we can easily kill him.”
Devian visits the palace every other week in the evenings.
“Oh?! Really? Without any guards?”
“That’s right. I was so surprised when I saw it. And he was accompanied by those pretty young ladies with black hair.”
Black-haired young ladies?
At that moment, anger surges through me, but I manage to contain it.
“When was that…?”
I speak with a dignified voice, but my hands tremble slightly.
“When was that…? I saw one of those pretty young ladies with black hair during the performance at the opera house, and the second time was before Lady Mary’s wedding. The first lady looked like a sophisticated noble lady, but the second one seemed like a cute girl. And I saw her at the night market last month. She was alone then.”
What? I went to see the opera… with her?
She knows that lady with black hair was me, and…
I went out with Joy before Lady Mary’s wedding?
Did she just call me a sophisticated noble lady? Is she out of her mind?
I almost let out a curse, but I suppress my anger.
“hahahaha… running affairs outside the palace. No different from a lecher, pretending to be innocent on the outside! Your Majesty! Such a person should not be spared!”
The wives of the officials respond to her words.
“Oh… exposing such lewdness… no different from a tyrant.”
“It seems worse than the rumors we heard.”
What… How do you know?
Devian, who resembles a fox, hears such words, and my anger rises as if my head will explode.
I would have been satisfied if they had just exposed her lewdness, but I feel like I might go mad hearing them speak of that wretched woman in such a way.
“Hoho, it’s not a bad idea. If a child is born between Your Majesty and the Grand Duke, then you can go and kill the Grand Duke at that time in the night market.”
“hahahaha! Is that the trick? Then everything will be resolved.”
“That’s right. If the Grand Duke dies at that time, there won’t be any problem.”
I watch those who are having a conversation that I find incomprehensible and ask, feeling uneasy.
“What does that mean?”
The bald man in his fifties stepped forward in response to my question.
“The reason we can’t assassinate the Grand Duke right now is that if he dies, he won’t be able to control the soldiers who have occupied the Roman Empire. They only obey the Grand Duke’s orders. The next presumed heir at the moment would be Lady Mary.”
I understand that. But the idea that we could kill him if a child is conceived between me and Devian is just absurd…
Surely…
These bastards!
As I grasp what they are implying, it becomes increasingly difficult to endure.
“hehehehe! If His Majesty and the Grand Duke have a child, then when the Grand Duke dies, the presumed heir would be the future Grand Duke through that child. At that time, after killing the Grand Duke, wouldn’t Your Majesty be able to command the soldiers of the Grand Duchy as the regent?”
As my face reddens with anger…
The fifty-year-old councilor tilts his head with a bright smile.
“Of course, with such a despicable person…”
Unable to bear it any longer, I slam my hand down on the table.
-Thunk!
“Your Majesty?”
“Are you trying to mock me and the Empire right now?! Are there guards outside?!”
-Bang!
-Receive my command! No one move!
As I speak, the door of the banquet hall opens, and armed soldiers enter.
Pointing at the bald man in his fifties with my finger, I say to them:
“This man has insulted the dignity! Punish him according to the law!”
“Your… Your Majesty?!”
As I give the order, the guards nod their heads.
-We receive Your Majesty’s command!
“S… Save… me!”
The bald man starts to be struck by the guards with long spears.
Soon, a soldier binds him with a rope under his armor and drags him out.
“I tell you this, never again… insult me, my child, or my descendants… for then you and your lord will both vanish in the dew of the gallows.”
Saying so, I leave the banquet hall.
From Noble mtl dot com