Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 243

“Your Highness.”

“Umm…”

“It’s time to wake up.”

Siaoshi gently roused Jin from his sleep. As always, she was kneeling at the bedside, her voice soft and careful.

Jin buried his face in the pillow, feigning sleep. Even a royal child couldn’t completely control their unconscious instincts. Siaoshi watched him for a moment before speaking again.

“They say Ian woke up in the early hours.”

“…Huh?”

“He asked that you come to his office as soon as you’re ready. He said he has a favor to ask.”

His half-closed eyes snapped open. The lingering drowsiness vanished as if washed away by cold water. The boy threw off the covers and quickly slipped on his slippers.

“Ian woke up? How is he?”

“He seemed fine. Your Highness, are you going in your pajamas?”

“Oh, right. Wait a moment. Washbasin! Bring the washbasin.”

Jin was unusually flustered and hurried.

Meanwhile, Siaoshi calmly prepared his clothes, checked the temperature of the water, and neatly arranged the boy’s hair accessories.

Jin sat on the edge of the bed, watching her. The brief wait calmed his excited heart.

“What did Ian ask for?”

“I didn’t hear the details, but it seemed he had something for you to handle.”

“Is that so?”

While being groomed, Jin kept glancing at the door. Although he was trying to restrain himself, the servants could tell that the boy was itching to move. Their hands moved faster as a result.

“Your Highness, you’re all set.”

“Thank you.”

“Sia, let’s go.”

Jin dismissed the servants with a dignified gesture and left the bedroom. At first, his steps were light, but they grew more forceful with each step. Tap-tap-tap! By the time they reached Ian’s office, he was breathing heavily.

Squeak.

The door was half-open, as if people were constantly coming and going for work. Jin cautiously made his presence known and peeked inside.

“Ian?”

“Your Highness.”

Ian was sitting at his desk with a blanket draped over his shoulders. He still looked pale, but he was definitely more stable than when he had been coughing up blood.

Ian put down his papers and greeted Jin.

“Good morning, Your Highness.”

“Good, good morning!”

“Yes. I heard from Commander Hale’s report that you did great things at the conference. I don’t know how to thank you for doing what I couldn’t.”

Jin’s dimples slowly deepened. It was like a blooming flower bud bursting open, or the sunset coloring white clouds. Jin smiled brightly, showing his teeth.

“No need for thanks! How are you feeling?”

“Thanks to you.”

Ian’s gaze flickered to the sofa in the corner. Commander Hale was sprawled there, half out of it. It was because he hadn’t been able to take a break for hours while injecting magic, but the boy didn’t know that.

“But what is it? You said you had a favor to ask?”

“Before the Ministry of Justice sets a trial date for Haiman, there are many things to prepare. As you know, the granting and revocation of noble titles is the sole authority of His Majesty the Emperor.”

In the early days of the nation, especially when the Emperor’s power was at its peak and the country’s foundations were not yet established, the granting and revocation of titles happened frequently. It was a way to demonstrate the Emperor’s favor.

“As generations passed, the country stabilized, and land, titles, and noble rights were inherited. Unless they were involved in serious crimes, His Majesty could not take away their benefits without justification.”

Rustle.

Ian slid several documents in front of Jin. The seals of the Prime Minister and Ian himself were stamped at the bottom.

“Now that Haiman and his nobles’ charges are clear, the main opinion is that legal sanctions should be imposed in advance. If you allow it, Your Highness, the Prime Minister will handle it. We can pressure the nobles in various ways, such as freezing assets, lifting restrictions on detention days, and enforcing the reduction of private armies.”

It wasn’t limited to Haiman. It was a way to suppress all the forces tied to him at once.

In particular, the forced reduction of private armies would be effective in preventing any potential armed conflicts.

“Is it possible?”

It was a question of whether it was okay for the representatives to make a decision that even the Emperor couldn’t easily make. Ian told him not to worry and dipped his pen in ink.

“Yes. I believe it is possible. We need your permission, Your Highness, as the sole heir to the Imperial Family.”

Who would dare oppose the revocation of a noble’s title? This was not a power struggle between the Imperial Family and the nobles. It was a unilateral purge by the Imperial Family, a way to solidify power, and anyone who interfered would not survive.

“The Prime Minister and the administration are waiting for your decision, Your Highness.”

“The administration too?”

“The confiscation of the nobles’ assets will benefit the national treasury. The Imperial Defense Department is waiting for the nobles’ private armies and weapons, and the Ministry of Culture wants their artworks.”

Everyone in the Imperial Palace was baring their teeth, waiting for an opportunity. If they broke the stiff necks of the nobles now, what better example could there be?

Jin took the pen in front of Ian and was about to sign without hesitation. But Ian’s hand lightly stopped him.

“Your Highness.”

“Yes?”

“A signature is a commitment, so even if it’s from someone you trust, you shouldn’t do it lightly. Check every letter, every meaning, and every nuance thoroughly.”

Ah, Jin scratched his cheek with the pen tip and nodded.

“Read it slowly, and ask if there’s anything you don’t understand.”

“Okay, I will.”

The boy sat next to the sprawled-out Hale and began to read the documents. The little Emperor didn’t know it, but this was the first task he had undertaken as a prince, the first part that would appear when ‘Jin Verosion’ was mentioned in history.

And it was this. He would be recorded as the one who suppressed the central nobles at the age of ten.

“Um, Ian?”

Jin seemed to be stuck on the first page, smiling sheepishly as he raised his hand.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Could you explain this part?”

Ian was about to get up, lowering his blanket, when suddenly the door was flung open and a mage burst in.

Bang!

Crash!

Jin froze, and Hale, who had been sprawled out, reflexively moved behind the boy to protect him. But soon, he realized that the intruder was a mage who ‘used to be’ their colleague, and he let out a sigh of relief.

“Patrick, what’s all the commotion?”

“I-Ian, sir. I think there’s been a misunderstanding.”

He was one of the traitors listed on Gale’s note. The guards and mages who had followed him immediately subdued him and tried to drag him away, but he struggled, grabbing the doorknob and holding on.

“Ian, sir! Ian, sir!”

“Damn it, Patrick! You’re only making it worse for yourself!”

“I’m not a traitor. I swear I’m not!”

“His Highness is here too! Are you trying to commit more crimes?”

“I’m sorry, Ian, sir. I was on my way to the interrogation room, and then…”

“Please, just listen to me! Please, please!”

What on earth was going on? Jin was startled, covering his mouth with the documents, his eyes darting around. What was Ian thinking? His expression didn’t change.

“…That’s enough. Stop.”

“Ian, sir! I swear, I’m not.”

“Patrick, if you’re not a traitor, then you should cooperate with the investigation. You’re part of the Magic Department, so you know better than anyone how capable your colleagues are, right? And even if you were a traitor, I would understand. Pursuing profit is human nature.”

Ian thought of Crony and the traitors. They must have been the same. Under their own judgment, they chose a better path.

But-

“So you should understand me too, and pay the price.”

This was also Ian’s judgment.

“Ian, sir, please, please…”

“Take responsibility for your choices. Are those who keep their faith all fools who don’t know how to pursue profit? If you wanted to gain, you should have been prepared to lose. Patrick.”

Patrick prostrated himself and begged, but Ian added firmly. The mage colleagues watching from behind could only sigh in dismay.

“If you can’t stay in the Magic Department, you can leave the palace. But you know what that means.”

He was a talented individual who knew the situation in the Imperial Palace and had magical abilities. If he was cast out for a matter of faith, he had the potential to grow into a dangerous threat. It was inevitable that he would have a tracking device and a magic-sealing stone implanted.

“Take him away.”

“Ah, yes. I’m sorry. Patrick, get up.”

“Hic, ugh…”

Squeak.

Patrick was dragged away by his colleagues, and Hale just tilted his head back on the sofa and clicked his tongue. Jin put down the documents and pressed his lips together slightly.

“Your Highness, I apologize.”

“No, it’s alright.”

“…The additional tax is the amount that is increased when an obligation is violated according to the National Tax Collection Act. It’s usually 10% for nobles, and up to 40% for others.”

Ian explained, pointing to the part Jin had asked about. The boy nodded repeatedly, but it was clear that he wasn’t concentrating. Ian knelt down and carefully examined his face.

“Were you very surprised?”

“I was surprised, but that’s not why.”

“Then why?”

Jin smiled awkwardly.

“Someday, I’ll have to do the same as Ian.”

The Imperial Palace, a place both beautiful and cruel. Where loyalty fades before power, and obedience disguised as order rots overnight.

“I realized that, and it was a bit unsettling.”

Jin would also have to cut off those who had been his people for the sake of survival. Whether it was by his own will or not. Ian met the boy’s gaze and was silent for a moment.

“That’s right. The time will surely come. When it does, don’t forget, don’t hesitate, and cut them off.”

“I understand.”

“But before that, while I’m here, I’ll do it for you.”

Ian smiled gently. He was a child who had lived through one history. Jin was the reason Ian existed, so he would do his best to help him.

Jin’s dimples deepened again. The boy gripped the pen and carefully read through the documents.

Scribble.

And, with his own judgment and will, he signed. When Jin handed the documents to Ian, Ian bowed his head respectfully to receive them.

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

“Do a good job.”

“Yes. Of course. Is anyone out there?”

Knock knock.

“Yes, Ian, sir.”

Ian tightly fastened the leather strap around the command document. The rolled-up documents were sealed in a wooden tube.

“Deliver this to the administration.”

“Yes, I understand. Oh, and they say Romandro has woken up. And Beric keeps crawling out into the hallway and rolling around.”

“He must finally be feeling better.”

The mage just shrugged, looking dumbfounded. He wasn’t some animal, why did he keep escaping his room? Ian gestured for her to leave, and she bowed before turning away.

“What should we do now?”

“Well, the execution will be done by the administration and the Prime Minister, so we’ll wait for news and then act. Before that.”

“Before that?”

Just leave it to me again. Jin’s eyes sparkled.

“A delegation from Lusweena has arrived, and you are the next heir, Your Highness. It would be good for you to see them in person.”

They were claiming to have stomachaches and were refusing to leave, so he had no choice but to personally check on their condition.

“And Your Highness, have you heard?”

“Heard what?”

“Lady Delilah’s condition is not good.”

“She’s so ill that even the servants can’t easily go in.”

“…It would be best to see her soon.”

Jin paused at Ian’s words. Wasn’t he implying that she was at a critical point? The boy’s breathing trembled slightly, but Ian pretended not to notice.

“Okay. I understand.”

Ian reached out his hand to lead the way, and Jin took it.

So that they wouldn’t waver in the storm of blood in the Imperial Palace, firmly.

* * *

Tap-tap-tap!

“This is Prince Jin’s signed approval.”

“Oh, it’s here! The command has been approved!”

“Contact the Imperial Defense Department and the Imperial Guard.”

“From now on, we will go to the named families and order the revocation of their titles. Arm yourselves! Tell them to open the gates wide!”

“It would be best to send Commander Jayrut to Haiman’s place.”

“How many places are there in total?”

“Including Haiman, um, seven families in the center.”

Soon after, the administration, having received Jin’s signature, rushed to carry out the orders. As this was shared and passed on to each department, the Imperial Palace moved in unison for the first time in a long time.

How long had it been since they had turned their swords outward, not inward! The soldiers of the Imperial Palace marched out of the main gate in perfect formation.

The destination was the residences of the central nobles, the core of Haiman’s power.