Chapter 48

In the emperor's office of the empire, it was about time for the day's work to end.

A message came to Emperor Christhardt, informing him that his younger brother, Erenfried, was requesting an audience.

"To go so far as to request an audience. I wonder if something has happened."

The emperor, like his brother, was tall and slender with eyes as pale blue as frozen seas, but while his brother had bright blonde hair, the emperor had soft brown hair.

When he returned to his private chambers, his brother and son were standing there, their postures stiff and straight.

"Shall we sit? It's rare to see the two of you together like this."

"Brother, I have something I wish to discuss with you today."

Erenfried began, and Claudius, who was listening, turned pale, clearly very nervous.

"What do you wish to discuss?"

"Actually, Prince Claudius has expressed a desire to leave the country and go to the Union. I tried to dissuade him and instead proposed that he become the king of Sanlouan. I acted on my own without consulting you, but what do you think of this proposal? I know you have long wanted to annex Sanlouan, haven't you?"

"…Hold on."

Emperor Christhardt had heard the same story not long ago.

"Eren, do you perhaps have any contact with Cecil?"

"Do you mean Cecil, the representative of the Union?"

"Yes."

"No, I don't."

"Are you sure you're not lying?"

"Yes."

Claudius's head was full of question marks as he listened to the conversation between his father and uncle.

"Actually, a few days ago, Cecil came to our castle, saying he had a secret matter to discuss regarding the tariffs on minerals. But what he really wanted to talk about was something else. He proposed that Claudius become the king of the Kingdom of Sanlouan."

"Huh?"

"Really?"

Claudius and Erenfried exclaimed in surprise at the same time.

"I thought you might have somehow connected with Cecil because you said the same thing."

"Are you saying that Mr. Cecil wants me to become the king of Sanlouan?"

"Yes. Cecil says he is angry with the attitude of the Sanlouan royal family, but that's not all. He even offered to support you as the king of Sanlouan."

Claudius listened in astonishment.

"Cecil, like me, wants to avoid war between the empire and the Union. He has long wished to place the Union on an equal footing with the empire. Then, the Sanlouan royal family refused to pay the reparations and even forced the prime minister's daughter upon them. The Sanlouan side might have foolishly believed the rumor that 'Cecil is a womanizer.'"

Claudius frowned. Although he had only met Cecil for a short time, he admired the fiery and passionate man, who was completely different from his ice-cold father.

"So, Cecil thought of making you king without resorting to war to abolish that royal family. At the same time, he thought that by supporting you, he could protect the Union from the empire's invasion. It's a two-for-one deal."

Claudius was surprised. When he told his uncle that he wanted to leave the country and go to the Union, his uncle said, "I understand how you feel." He was surprised because he thought his uncle would try to stop him outright, but then his uncle suggested, "If you are determined to leave the country, why not become the king of Sanlouan?"

If it meant his mother would no longer be bullied and suffer, he was willing to do it. He would be a king who served his people, not a corrupt king like the one in Sanlouan who forced the prime minister's daughter upon them. This resolve gradually grew stronger.

Then, he learned that even the respected Mr. Cecil wanted him to be the king of Sanlouan.

"Claudius, listen carefully."

"Yes."

"You are excellent, but the first prince, Felix, is not a fool. If there were a difference so overwhelming that no one could object, I would choose you over Felix as the next emperor. However, I do not believe the difference between you and Felix is that great."

"…Yes."

"In this case, the discord that would arise from choosing you would outweigh the benefits. The nobles would split into factions supporting the first and second princes, causing chaos in the country. However, your idea of going to Sanlouan is not bad."

"Then!"

"However, it's too early. At least wait until you come of age. Can you achieve this without leaving a grudge with the people of Sanlouan? What will you do with the royal family? Think about these things. When you have an answer, we can discuss it again."

"I will definitely give you an answer to Father's task!"

"Very well. I look forward to it. I still have things to discuss with Erenfried. You may leave now."

"Yes. Thank you for listening, Father."

After his son left, Emperor Christhardt spoke.

"I'm surprised, Eren. What does it mean that the boy wants to leave the country? And he consulted you, not me?"

"Probably, Claudius's thoughts are influenced by the alchemist's daughter."

"Do you mean the prime minister's daughter, Berteine?"

"Yes."

At this point, Erenfried revealed that he had gone to the Union and talked to Berteine directly.

"Hey, I didn't receive any such report."

"I went in secret without telling you. I made them think I was a disguised noble at the border. The inspection was lax. We should review it."

"You are always… Don't do dangerous things."

"I brought guards. More importantly, Claudius is influenced by Berteine, but half of his wish is to protect Princess Diana."

The emperor, who understood this, narrowed his eyes slightly.

"People around the empress will act on her intentions even if she doesn't do it herself. Claudius is a perceptive child. He probably wants to take his mother out of this country and protect her."

"I see… I've asked Diana many times, but for thirteen years, she has always said, 'Nothing has happened. Don't worry.'"

"That's her pride. She has endured for thirteen years, saying, 'I won't lose.' A weak woman would have broken down and died long ago. Since I have her, I should protect her properly until the end."

"The fact that a twelve-year-old child has been driven to the point of wanting to leave the country… is my responsibility."

(Still, Diana's pride? For thirteen years?)

The emperor recalled Diana's seemingly frail appearance.

(I thought I knew her well, but perhaps I didn't understand her struggles or her strength at all.)

That night, Emperor Christhardt had a long conversation with his concubine, Diana. Diana repeated, "Nothing has happened," with a smile, no matter how many times he asked.

However, the next day, the emperor's attendant called the maids serving Diana one by one and asked,

"Have you been treated unfairly? You can speak freely; your name will not be revealed."

The maids then took this opportunity to complain about the mistreatment and bullying they had suffered from the empress's maids.

The attendant wrote down everything and reported it to the emperor. Frowning at the content, the emperor ordered all the empress's maids to be reassigned. He regretted not taking more concrete action earlier, having taken Diana's words and smile at face value.

Since all the reassigned maids were daughters or wives of prominent nobles, the real reason was not made public, but those who understood the situation could see the reason behind the reassignments.

That night, after the reassignments, the emperor visited Empress Ekaterina's private chambers.

"Ekaterina."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"I intend to designate Felix as the next emperor."

"Your Majesty! Thank you!"

"However, do not forget that your actions can tarnish Felix's name. Do you understand why the maids were reassigned?"

"…Yes. But…"

"Whether you gave the orders or not, it's the same. If the empress is seen as incapable of controlling her maids, Felix will also be ridiculed."

"Your Majesty, I apologize. I was not careful enough."

Ekaterina bowed her head.

(Who is responsible for this situation in the first place!) She suppressed the urge to confront him. If her son was to be designated the next emperor, she would accept everything with a smile. Here, the emperor was the light, the answer, and the law. And she had only one son.

The next day, the newly assigned maids to the empress received instructions.

"I hope you will serve for a long time. Be careful with your words and actions."

The new maids, of course, knew the reason for the reassignments. They paid close attention to avoid making the same mistakes, knowing that any disrespect to the concubine would result in their demotion from the prestigious position of serving the empress.

The twelve-year-old Prince Claudius's desperate wish to leave the empire not only helped protect his mother, Diana, but also planted the seed for him to become the new king of Sanlouan.

It marked the beginning of the end for the Sanlouan royal family.