Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 245

Eldert, the representative of Ruthwena’s delegation, glanced at his battered subordinates before moving closer to the window to look outside. He saw several servants rushing about, their backs disappearing quickly. And that wasn’t all. Doctors, carrying their medical bags, were constantly going back and forth, wearing down the doorsteps. No matter how he thought about it, this didn’t seem like the usual Imperial Palace. But everyone was keeping their mouths shut, so he couldn’t guess what was going on.

“Ugh, I’m really going to die. Seriously.”

“I chewed on powder. I chewed it. Ugh, I’m going crazy.”

“Everyone, be quiet.”

By taking the stomach-churning medicine, they were able to move to a separate building near the infirmary instead of being sent out of the palace. Eldert checked the tightly closed door and cautioned his subordinates. Cold sweat, pale faces, and trembling bodies. Even at a glance, their condition looked serious.

“You won’t die. You’ll just be in pain.”

“That’s why I’m going to die. When we return to Ruthwena, you have to give us plenty of paid leave. What kind of hardship is this? Ugh, it’s so hard to make a living.”

“We’re still stuck here, do you know anything?”

“We should have just picked one person to eat it.”

Instead of answering, Eldert sipped his tea and shook his head. Could they have stayed in the palace because of one person’s problem? It would have been dismissed as a personal issue. Because they didn’t make a special protest, the Imperial Palace didn’t escalate the matter and accepted their request.

‘Still, it’s really strange.’

Eldert looked at the Imperial Palace garden far outside the window. A long bench was visible between the long branches and fresh leaves. Since he had arrived, he had never seen people gathering to rest. Not only were they not sitting down to rest, but no one even entered the garden for that purpose.

“There aren’t enough doctors, the servants and guards seem unusually busy, and the ministers, including the Prime Minister, are even more so.”

They were a diplomatic delegation. Even though there was a problem, they didn’t have a doctor assigned to them 24 hours a day. Instead, as they had seen, they were just moving back and forth.

“They say Duke Haiman is detained, so isn’t it because of that? It’s Haiman. Haiman.”

“If that’s the case, then that can also be classified as an internal rebellion.”

“Two internal rebellions in a row in the Imperial Palace. It’s a sign of doom. Haha! Oh, my stomach hurts.”

“The report said that Arsen is a mana user. If we just look at that, the Duke wouldn’t be detained like that. It seems like something is wrong, doesn’t it? Prince Jin’s faction is the Magic Department, so…”

Knock knock.

“Representative Eldert. His Highness Prince Jin and Minister Ian Hielo are here. Please move to the reception room next door.”

It was as if they had heard their conversation and arrived at the perfect time. Eldert gestured with his finger to be cautious, then opened the door and stepped out. He couldn’t meet them in the room where his subordinates were lying down.

Squeak.

“Oh, welcome, Representative Eldert.”

“Greetings, Your Highness Jin. It is an honor to meet you.”

“I am Minister Ian Hielo.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Eldert paused when he saw the scar across the child’s face. The young prince couldn’t have been in battle, so it must be a trace of the rebellion. He could tell that the turmoil was more intense than he had thought.

“So, you drank the wrong tea in the Imperial Palace?”

Jin’s eyebrows were furrowed. His concern was genuine, but Ian next to him was coldly scanning Eldert with an unchanging expression.

Under the two extreme gazes, Eldert coughed briefly and regained his composure.

“No, it’s not that. The tea was excellent, but it seems my body couldn’t handle the strenuous schedule. Everyone is grateful for your kindness.”

“Oh, is that so? Is that so.”

“Representative Eldert.”

Tap.

Ian called his name softly as he picked up a teacup.

How old was he? He didn’t seem to be of age yet, but the tone of his voice and the way he held the teacup showed a refined elegance.

‘I only heard that he was a noble from the borderlands.’

“Yes, Minister Hielo.”

“I heard from the Prime Minister. You have a professorship at the National University at a young age, and you are currently serving as an advisor to King Eriphony. You are truly remarkable.”

“No, it’s an overstatement.”

Is he kidding? It’s not something someone who has the badge of the Minister of Magic at that age should say.

Ian continued to size him up, slowly lowering and raising his gaze.

“So, is your professorial experience helpful in your advisory work?”

“With my limited knowledge, I am helping with city planning, reorganization, palace architecture, and construction.”

“Hmm. That’s right. The architecture of the Ruthwena Palace is famous for its beauty. By the way, you didn’t come because you received a message from Haiman, but simply because you were worried about His Majesty’s grief due to the rebellion.”

“That’s correct.”

A lie that both the speaker and the listener knew. It was a question that abruptly changed the topic, but Eldert gave a concise answer.

Then.

‘Wait a minute.’

Eldert suddenly felt something strange in Ian’s words.

‘Haiman’? Why was the title ‘Duke’ missing from his name? No matter how much of a Minister of Magic he was, there was a clear difference in status, wasn’t there?

As Eldert tried to continue his thoughts, Ian added.

“That’s fortunate. Haiman is currently detained for blasphemy and disturbing the peace. His title has also been temporarily revoked, so he is not a noble. He probably won’t be able to leave the Imperial Palace until the trial regarding the rebellion is held.”

He knew about the detention.

But the revocation of his title? Duke Haiman?

It was such an unrealistic combination of words that it was hard to grasp. What were the other nobles doing while he was being treated like that?

Eldert could naturally deduce the result.

‘The central nobles as well—’

They must all have been broken.

The revocation of a title was something that all nobles, not just Haiman’s faction, would be sensitive to. But would the person who could bring down Haiman have left the other nobles alone? It meant that the core had all been broken.

‘How on earth? Is it the power of the Magic Department?’

With the failure of the aging Emperor and the two grown princes, what was the Imperial Palace but a toothless beast? If the nobles joined forces, it was not impossible for the Emperor’s surname to be changed.

He realized that the situation in the Imperial Palace was more peculiar than he had thought. If they didn’t realize the existence of the absolute evil called ‘monsters,’ it would remain a question forever.

“So, the delegation should not mention Haiman’s name. I heard that the King of Ruthwena has a letter to deliver to his wife. You understand that it cannot be delivered directly. Will you hand it over? Or will you take it back?”

“…I will take it back.”

Eldert refused Ian’s offer, sweating profusely. He couldn’t get on a sinking ship. If they continued to get involved with Haiman here, they would be providing a diplomatic pretext.

‘My guess was right.’

The reason why the Imperial Palace was in such disarray. It was because it was in a lull after suppressing the central nobles. They must be too busy just trying to clean up the mess.

The intention behind mentioning Haiman was to minimize friction between them. In other words, it was a way of saying, ‘This is how it is, so let’s just go back peacefully.’ To avoid being tired of each other.

“Once Haiman’s trial is over, Prince Jin’s appointment as successor will proceed to stabilize the Imperial Family. We will send an envoy to Ruthwena, so please come again and grace the occasion.”

“Of course, it would be an honor. Your Highness Jin, I offer my congratulations in advance.”

“…Thank you.”

As Eldert bowed politely, Jin just smiled awkwardly.

He wanted to ask where the Fourth Prince Arsen had gone, but he knew it was not appropriate. Above all, if Jin was to be appointed as the successor, it meant that the victor of the Imperial Palace had been clearly decided, didn’t it?

To be precise, it was not Jin but the man sitting next to him, Ian, who was extraordinary…

“Is there any gift you would like? Your Highness. I will convey your words to the King and select something with all my heart.”

As the next Emperor, Ruthwena needed to pay special attention. Jin smiled brightly as if he had been waiting for the question and answered.

“I don’t need anything else, but I wish the King would come and enjoy it himself.”

It wasn’t the Emperor’s coronation, just the appointment of a successor. But to ask the king of a country to come in person.

Eldert was flustered and momentarily flinched. This must be to widely publicize the solid external support within the chaotic internal situation caused by the purge of the central nobles. Or perhaps, it was a stepping stone to exert influence over Ruthwena in the future.

Eldert managed his expression and bowed his head once more.

“I will be sure to convey your words, Your Highness.”

“Good. Please take care. If there is anything uncomfortable, tell the servants at any time.”

“Yes, Your Highness. Thank you.”

But unlike his answer, Eldert immediately decided to return to Ruthwena. Haiman’s downfall was more serious than he had thought. He realized that this was not something that could be resolved at the delegation level.

“Ah, and.”

Ian gestured as if he had remembered something.

“The charges against Haiman include allegations regarding dragon scales. It seems there is an illegal supply source in his territory. Does Ruthwena know anything about this?”

“Dragons? In Ruthwena, we only operate dragons from one certified supply source. If it is related to illegal activities, we know nothing about it.”

“I see. I understand. I’ll take my leave first. It was nice meeting you.”

“It was nice meeting you!”

“It was an honor, Your Highness and Minister Hielo.”

Ian and Jin briefly shook hands with Eldert and then left the reception room.

Eldert returned to the room where his subordinates were lying down and quickly rummaged through his inner pocket. It was medicine to relieve stomach pain.

‘If the Fifth Prince Jin and the Minister of Magic are the real powers, then pressure will somehow come to Ruthwena, which is related to Haiman. Let’s hurry back.’

Squeak.

Meanwhile, Jin, who had come out into the hallway, glanced back. After seeing the door completely closed, he tightly grabbed Ian’s hand.

“He didn’t mention Arsen.”

“That’s right. The King of Ruthwena chose the delegation representative well.”

In a situation where they didn’t know how things were going, the best course of action was to just keep their ears open and their mouths shut. Ruthwena was already in a slightly difficult position due to its connection with Haiman’s wife. If it was revealed that they had rushed here at the Duke’s call, they would be at a great disadvantage by being directly involved in the rebellion.

“But it will surely be mentioned while they are sharing the situation back home.”

Arsen’s mana confirmation ceremony was a closely guarded secret in the Imperial Palace. But to know about it? They could suspect that someone on the scene was in contact with them, and this would highly likely lead them to Haiman, who was related to Ruthwena.

“That’s why secrets are so heavy. So heavy that the more you know, the more it suffocates you.”

They would dig up Arsen in Bariel’s history, but they couldn’t do anything about the fact that the neighboring country knew about it. But what they could take comfort in was that he was a young prince without any achievements, so the recognition itself was faint.

On the other hand, Ruthwena? They must have heard from Haiman’s side that Arsen was a ‘mana user.’ That was the problem.

“If they mention Arsen, you can use that as an excuse to link it to Haiman’s rebellion, right? And then pressure their royal family?”

“Yes, that’s right. And although there won’t be any problems for a while with the confiscation of the family’s assets, the seven noble families will fall. Until other nobles take their place, there will be a period of tax revenue loss. It would be good to open up the kingdom.”

The chaos caused by the Arsen incident was disguised by the revocation of the noble titles. At the same time, they had thrown out bait. All they had to do was wait for Ruthwena to bite.

“Hmm. I see.”

Jin wiggled his fingers on the hand that wasn’t holding Ian’s, carefully organizing his thoughts. At that moment, a servant who had been following them received something and approached Ian.

“Sir Ian.”

“What is it?”

“It is said that Haiman’s wife and her children have entered the palace.”

“Is that so? I understand.”

“But…”

The servant hesitated, glancing at Jin. When Jin frowned slightly, he carefully conveyed the message.

“Lady Melania says she must see Sir Ian. It’s about Bratz.”

Bratz?

Ian’s eyebrows twitched at Melania’s choice of words.