Became The Son Of The Final Boss [EN]: Chapter 189

189.

The coming-of-age ceremony and the wedding were held on a scale grand enough to be called the largest event since the founding of the Empire.

The capital held a festival for ten days, and even the slums received not only relief rice but also alcohol and meat, which were not usually provided.

“Now all the festivities are over.”

I nodded, listening to Ken’s report in the office.

“The coming-of-age ceremony, the wedding, and the festival all ended yesterday, and Olivia’s entry into the palace has been completed.”

“It has been a very busy ten days. His Highness seems very happy.”

I chuckled at Ken’s words and turned my gaze to Vikan.

“I received a report that the Vikan Merchant Guild used a considerable amount of funds during the festival. In particular, I heard that the Vikan Merchant Guild was responsible for most of the alcohol and meat provided to the slums?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

At Vikan’s cautious reply, I said energetically.

“Thanks to you, I heard that many of the poor in the capital are praising the Crown Prince’s Palace.”

“Thank you. The Merchant Guild is growing rapidly thanks to Your Highness. I wanted to show my gratitude for Your Highness’s grace and my loyalty. The Vikan Merchant Guild considered the best way to repay Your Highness’s grace, and I thought it appropriate to not only distribute food to the poor but also allow them to enjoy Your Highness’s wedding celebration.”

“The poor are also citizens of the Empire. I felt that we had neglected them because the Empire’s circumstances were not favorable, but through this festival, the poor also praised me and the Empire, so Vikan did a very appropriate thing.”

Looking at my subordinates huddled together, I stood up.

“Let’s get up. Let’s all have dinner together today. I would appreciate it if you would welcome the owner of the Crown Prince Palace’s annex.”

My subordinates all bowed their heads.

* * *

The Crown Prince’s Palace dining hall was crowded for the first time in a while.

Olivia and I sat side by side, and Gale, Ken, and Hamilton occupied the seats of honor among the subordinates.

Soris, David, Riorden, and Lillian were also present.

Vikan, who said that he was not a noble and that it was difficult to attend events such as noble banquets, was also made to attend because he was my subordinate.

The dining hall was busy carrying food, not only with the servants and maids belonging to the Crown Prince’s Palace but also with the maids of the White family that Olivia had brought with her after the wedding.

“Let’s have a drink.”

I personally filled the wine glasses of my vassals.

With a light toast, I announced the new beginning of the Crown Prince’s Palace.

‘A new political force called the Crown Prince faction has emerged, and they are all my direct subordinates. Solidarity is important.’

It had been ten days since the wedding, but being with Olivia was still thrilling.

A friendly dinner time continued.

* * *

I woke up with Olivia in the annex, which had become the Crown Princess’s Palace after the wedding.

Olivia always woke up first and greeted me with a bright smile.

Every morning, I realized that I was married to her and spent happy days.

Occasionally, I felt anxious, wondering if this was a dream. Would I suddenly return to the era I lived in?

But such anxiety always disappeared as if washed away when I heard Olivia’s voice.

“Are you awake?”

“Ah, yeah.”

“Ken came by early this morning.”

“Ken?”

Olivia always helps me put on my clothes herself. At first, I felt burdened, but she said that even such trivial things were the duty of the Crown Princess.

I was now quite used to Olivia’s touch as I put on my clothes and continued.

“Ken came all the way here?”

“No. He sent a message through a maid. He asked if we could have a full meeting after breakfast today.”

I nodded.

I left the annex with Olivia and crossed the garden. While strolling through the garden, I subtly looked at the maids and took Olivia’s hand.

Olivia smiled brightly and said.

“The garden seems more beautiful.”

“Usually, I let the lower and middle-grade spirits play in the garden. As Olivia knows, spirits are involved in the cycle of nature. There are more spirits than in other places, and since I like the garden, the spirits manage the garden themselves.”

The Crown Prince’s Palace garden had become a much more vibrant place than when I first opened my eyes here.

“The power of the spirits is truly amazing.”

Feeling the warmth of Olivia’s hand and hearing her voice, I arrived at the Crown Prince’s Palace.

The office was a bit small for a full meeting, so I combined two spaces that were previously used for recreation to create a full conference room.

All the subordinates were already gathered inside.

The meeting began as Olivia and I sat in the seats of honor.

“The lords of the West who attended the coming-of-age ceremony and wedding have all returned to their territories and will soon arrive and wait for Your Highness to come.”

I nodded at Ken’s words.

And I opened my mouth about Magma’s Wrath to my subordinates.

“I have obtained a lot of information about the Reinhardt family. I found traces of them not only in the West but also in some books that only the imperial family can read in the Imperial Palace Library.”

Not only Lillian but also my subordinates were interested in Magma’s Wrath.

“The magic book I promised Lillian is not simply a magic book written by a member of the Reinhardt family. It is a magic book written directly by a dragon, not the Reinhardt family.”

Everyone’s face was filled with shock.

Olivia trembled.

“A dragon?”

“That’s right. The dragon race, who were called the rulers or tyrants of the Middle Realm. The magic book that the dragon race directly gifted to the Reinhardt family is in the Western Forest.”

* * *

The full meeting lasted quite a long time.

We continued the story about the Western Forest while eating lunch in the conference room.

Lillian was naturally very interested and took the most active role, and the other subordinates also understood that the Magma’s Wrath magic book was a necessary asset for us.

I didn’t have a strong bond with Lillian yet, but everyone acknowledged that she was a colleague, and although the way she pledged allegiance was different from theirs, the subordinates understood that part as well.

“In the end, the fairies will be the problem. And to solve the fairy problem, we need the help of the Western lords.”

The conclusion of the long meeting led to one thing.

I nodded at Ken’s words.

“That’s right.”

Ken also brought up political issues.

“The Western lords are the central force of the Crown Prince faction. The people gathered here can be said to be Your Highness’s direct vassals, but their influence in the Imperial Palace is virtually non-existent, except for Lord Gale and Commander Hamilton.”

Only nobles can attend the Imperial Palace Conference.

In the case of Ken, Riorden, David, and Soris, their status itself became a problem, so they had no choice but to become my personal vassals.

They were not particularly upset about that part.

“Duke James will likely play the role of the head of the Crown Prince faction, and the Western lords will form the mainstream and support him. Marquis Mike’s influence is also considerable, but his territory is in the West, so there is a limit to his influence in the center.”

Although it started with the fairy problem, the topic naturally flowed to the role of the Western lords.

In order to solve the fairy problem, the role of the Western lords must be addressed first.

Everyone focused on Ken’s words.

Not only I but also the others acknowledged that Ken was the brain of the Crown Prince’s Palace, and they realized Ken’s abilities through various events over the past time.

“When Your Highness and the Crown Princess leave for the West, only Duke James will remain in the center.”

Ken paused for a moment before continuing.

“Commander Hamilton has been promoted to Count, so it would be good for him to work with Duke James in the center, but the role he plays is not linked to central politics.”

Hamilton nodded, and Ken said.

“Count Hamilton is already active in the intelligence organization.”

I summarized the gist of what Ken was trying to say.

“Are you saying that we need someone who can support Duke James so that we can maintain the influence of the Crown Prince faction while we are not in the capital?”

Ken nodded.

“Yes. Not only the West but also Your Highness must take care of your direct territory. You will probably be doing more external activities than being in the Imperial Palace. But leaving the Imperial Palace empty is not a bad thing.”

Soris said with regret.

“It would have been nice if I had a title, but it’s a pity.”

Soris is not saying this because of personal greed. Soris is purely saying that he feels sorry that the situation does not match Ken’s intentions.

From Soris’s point of view, who is always in the palace, if he were a high-ranking noble, he would have enough time to support Duke James in the Imperial Palace Conference.

‘No matter how much influence I have, only my father can give me a title.’

There were already many words about accepting people who were not nobles as my direct subordinates, but if I gave them titles, I could not avoid a head-on collision with the noble factions.

Even though Hamilton had achieved so much in the Eastern Expedition, there was a lot of noise in the process of succeeding from Baron to Count.

The noble factions often yielded when my father showed a strong attitude, but they often raised their voices in opposition to the awarding or promotion of titles.

I asked Ken.

“Is there a way?”

“Originally, I thought Marquis Mike would be in charge of the Western Alliance, but since the situation has changed, how about having Marquis Mike come up to the capital?”

I was lost in thought.

If there were Duke James and Marquis Mike, they could raise their voices enough in the Imperial Palace Conference.

Duke James goes without saying, and Marquis Mike is also one of the few Marquises in the Empire in terms of title.

Although their influence is less than that of the border counts in the border regions, considering the characteristics of having a territory with the Dark Forest, Marquis Mike is also a person who has made great contributions to the Empire.

‘Moreover, Marquis Mike also made many contributions in the process of my father’s founding. He is older than the other dukes, so he did not necessarily work in the center and went down to his hometown.’

I thought that Marquis Mike’s intentions were important first.

“I’ll go down to the West and discuss it with the Marquis. I’ll also discuss it with the Duke.”

Ken bowed his head at my decision.

“Thank you.”

“It was a good idea. If Marquis Mike comes up, we need a replacement in the West. Commander Hamilton.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“I will receive your recommendation.”

“This is not a matter that I can decide right away. I know the Western lords well, but choosing the head of the alliance needs to be done carefully, so I will review the information about the lords once again and then report it.”

“Good.”

I clapped my hands and focused the people.

“The outline has been set to some extent. The future is important. With the end of the coming-of-age ceremony, I officially proved my qualifications as my father’s successor.”

Successfully holding the coming-of-age ceremony was the first thing I decided after coming to the Empire, and I achieved my goal.

“A political force called the Crown Prince faction has also been created, and I have also obtained a direct territory. I also promised His Majesty about the kingdom alliance. There is a mountain of work to do in the future. We need more people and more funds.”

In the end, the most important things in work were people and money.

“The political landscape in the center has changed, and there are more things to do outside. Still, what hasn’t changed is that if the people gathered here do their part, the situation will improve in the future.”

I stood up.

It wasn’t exactly for a speech, but I spoke as if I were giving a speech.

“If I live only for my personal glory and power, I will end up gaining nothing. I think it is the path of a monarch to make my glory and power lead to the ideals, power, and glory of my vassals.”

Everyone was focused on my words.

“I believe that if I, as the Crown Prince, prosper the Empire and move one step for the glory of my subordinates, it will eventually benefit me as well.”

My subordinates bowed their heads.

I confirmed their loyalty and pledged.

“Let’s go to the West. We will solve the problems in the West and head to Grenian.”

The time had come to leave the Imperial Palace, where I had stayed for a long time after the Eastern Expedition.