Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 350

Damon remained silent, his chin resting on his hand.

Tap, tap. With each tap of his fingertip on the table, the ministers felt the air grow heavy, their eyes darting towards Timothy, as if begging him to say something, anything.

Timothy sighed inwardly and slowly turned the page.

“Your Majesty, it’s been long enough for a response from Cliffopord. The fact that there’s been no word suggests they intend to bury the envoy’s sudden death. Perhaps we should send a new one.”

“I agree. They’re likely avoiding any mention of the death to prevent problems. If we delay, they might find a way to slip out of this. We should send another envoy.”

“Rumors are spreading that a black moon rose and set over the Cliffopord royal palace. We should consider the possibility that one or two people have died…”

Knock, knock.

It was then. A sound from outside. Damon immediately straightened up and ordered them to enter. A minister, looking flustered, handed a neatly folded paper to Timothy.

“A dispatch from Cliffopord, Your Majesty.”

“How many have died?”

“Ah, well…”

Timothy glanced at Damon before cautiously reading.

“It says the envoys are suffering from high fever and chills, and are being treated in Cliffopord. There’s no mention of death.”

The ministers frowned in disbelief, whispering amongst themselves. What was going on? Had the poison failed to kill them? Or had something gone wrong in the middle?

Damon read the letter with his piercing violet eyes, then chuckled.

“Such an elaborate lie.”

“A lie, you say…”

“The envoys are likely dead. They’re just trying to avoid responsibility. It seems Cliffopord has realized Vergos is hiding its fangs.”

“Th-then what should we do? Should we send another envoy to gather evidence and find fault…”

“No. They won’t return anyway. It’s pointless. Instead, we should recall our eyes and ears in the palace. We also need to gather the rumors circulating in Cliffopord and figure out exactly what’s happening inside.”

“Understood, Your Majesty. I’ll contact them. We should assume there are mages involved, correct?”

“It’s almost certain. But there’s something I find strange.”

Damon lightly touched his swaying bobbed hair, muttering to himself.

He knew that Cliffopord and the Bariel mages had caused a commotion at the border. He also knew, through Ruswena’s words, that this led to them entering the Cliffopord royal palace and that most of the magic department had gone to support them.

But why aren’t the mages returning to Bariel?

The excuse of protecting Cliffopord was too weak. They weren’t even official allies yet, and leaving the imperial palace empty was a critical situation.

‘I heard something happened to Ian, but I don’t know what it is.’

He couldn’t understand why the man who had become the head of the magic department at such a young age had suddenly lost his edge.

‘…Should I send Timothy?’

It was a muddy situation. He couldn’t see an inch ahead, and he had to navigate by the feeling in his fingertips.

If he threw Timothy into that mess, wouldn’t he be able to pull something out? Besides, Ian’s attitude towards Timothy seemed to be more than that of a simple diplomat.

“Your Majesty?”

“Ah.”

Timothy called out to Damon with concern, and Damon snapped out of his thoughts, nodding slightly.

“Securing evidence that the envoys are dead is our priority. It seems Bariel is trying to find a way to intervene through Cliffopord, so we must be thorough. I trust you all understand.”

“Yes, Your Majesty, of course. We will obey.”

“Leave it to us.”

“But, Your Majesty, I…”

Just as the meeting was about to end, a minister raised his hand. He hesitated, fiddling with the memorials that were coming in from the provinces.

“The gathering of the nobles’ private armies is progressing smoothly, but some families want their family heirlooms returned first. They seem worried about management and loss if they go to war.”

The Vergos royal palace’s power alone was not enough. Especially since there was a significant difference in population compared to Cliffopord.

The only way for Vergos to overcome this was to gather all the military power of the nobles scattered throughout the provinces. To do that, they needed to ensure the proper handling of the jewels that had been given to Bariel as tribute.

“They sure are worried. Did you tell them they’d be returned when they came to the capital?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Send them letters with the royal palace seal as proof. Honestly, these nobles.”

Damon muttered, rummaging through his desk drawer.

Soon, he found a small box. It contained a golden diamond that should have been kept in Cliffopord.

It was clear that the heavens were helping him in his second life. He had secured a large amount of Idgal [a type of currency or resource] and even recovered the jewel that was about to be taken away. This was a sign from fate to start the war quickly.

‘Rutherford.’

The mysterious man from Rutherford. He didn’t know how, but he had taken the jewel from Prince Noah’s carriage and given it to him. The price he paid was negligible.

Damon realized that what Rutherford truly wanted was not material gain. It was war and destruction. Furthermore, the tension between countries, and perhaps even the downfall of Bariel.

Regardless of the merchant guild’s intentions, it was fortunate that Vergos was heading in the same direction. This allowed him to gather the nobles in the center without any problems.

Clatter!

Damon closed the drawer and instructed Timothy.

“Timothy.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“I want you to go to Cliffopord and handle things. Go there yourself and find out the situation as quickly and accurately as possible.”

Just as Timothy was about to bow and accept the order, Damon added.

“If you can’t find out on the streets, go into the palace.”

“Yes?”

Didn’t Damon himself say earlier that sending another envoy wouldn’t bring them back? Timothy looked up in confusion, and Damon laughed out loud.

“Hahaha. It’s a joke. A joke.”

“Ah…”

Timothy rubbed his neck uncomfortably. Although he served him, his lord was sometimes too sharp and unfathomable, which made it difficult. As Timothy bowed, Damon turned away without hesitation.

“Let’s watch. What’s happening in Cliffopord.”

* * *

“Is there any reaction?”

“No, there isn’t. No movement either.”

Ian, having received the report from the border, crossed his arms and looked down at the map. A day had already passed. Despite receiving Cliffopord’s message, Vergos had remained silent without any movement.

The fact that there was no reply even though the entire envoy had fallen ill meant that they knew the content was false. Of course, Damon was perceptive enough to realize that.

“Should we maintain the standoff?”

“Yes. Bariel also needs time to move its troops, and more importantly, Vergos will have infiltrated informants into Cliffopord to find fault. It’s only right to give them time to investigate and search.”

“Haa, this is more tense than I thought.”

“There’s no need to be nervous. If you’re nervous, things that should work won’t.”

Tap.

Ian continued to move the stones around, carefully examining the terrain of Cliffopord. The Cliffopord minister could only roll his eyes, not knowing what was going through his head. Prince Noah next to him was also silent, so what could they add?

“Is the rumor spreading smoothly?”

“Yes. They’re already listening to the palace, so the rumor will spread quickly. It’s good for luring Vergos, but it also prepares the people, so it’s like killing two birds with one stone.”

Three Vergos envoys had died in the royal palace. This would become a diplomatic issue, so the royal palace was quietly working hard to clean up the mess. Therefore, the people were also being given an unofficial warning to prepare for a possible conflict with Vergos by stocking up on food, staying with their families, and avoiding going out.

“They don’t get tired of singing all day, so it might spread faster than I thought.”

Tap tap!

Bang!

“Your Highness! Information has come in!”

“What is it?”

“It’s information that Vergos’s envoy Timothy has entered the country.”

Ian’s hand, which was about to place a stone, stopped abruptly. He had expected them to infiltrate and react, but he hadn’t expected it to be Timothy. He was a high-ranking official who was in charge of the envoy delegation, which meant he was one of Damon’s closest aides.

Why would he send such a person to Cliffopord in this situation? Unlike Noah, who seemed oblivious, Ian tilted his head.

‘Is this a bait Damon is throwing at me?’

That’s why you shouldn’t let others see your emotions and the goodwill that comes with them. Damon must have thought there was some unknown meaning in the special connection between Ian and Timothy that he had seen in Bariel. Timothy might not know, but Ian certainly did.

He was a descendant of Naum [a reference to a lineage or group], so he couldn’t let him get caught up in unexpected deaths or accidents.

“Envoy Timothy. Ah, the one I saw in Bariel. Where did he go?”

“His trail was lost after he entered the capital.”

“He’ll approach the royal palace. Keep a close watch.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

If there was a spy in the palace, he would move to make contact with them. Ian moved a stone to one side and asked.

“Is there anyone in the royal palace who could be Vergos’s eyes and ears?”

“Ah, there are a few suspicious people. Our children’s tutors and over there…”

Noah gestured vaguely, unsure how to explain it since the organization charts of the imperial palace and the royal palace were different.

“I’ve narrowed it down to about six people. I’ve put them under surveillance, so we’ll be contacted immediately if they do anything suspicious. It’s good. If it’s Timothy’s report, Damon will accept it without much suspicion. The rumors among the people are not enough, so it would be good to use the spies in reverse.”

What if they fed the spies false information, and Timothy reported it to Damon?

He was already on edge, so he wouldn’t leave Timothy alone. He was a cruel man who used the death of envoys as a signal. Just the fact that he brought back false information could cost Timothy his life.

Ian crossed his arms and chuckled.

‘The bait you threw without knowing what it was is coming in quite deep, Damon.’

Ian stood up and told Noah. At this point, he had no choice but to directly persuade Timothy to defect.

“Please share that list with me.”

“…Alright.”

Noah looked up at Ian as he stood up, then muttered reluctantly. In his answer of agreement, he hid his intention not to tell him.

He didn’t know what Ian was thinking, but information about defectors was top secret. There was no need for Ian to know, and there was no need to take on the risk that would come with it.

Noah pretended to flip through the documents, watching Ian leave.