Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 444

Ian tilted his head, fiddling with his cuffs, causing his bangs to fall out of place. A servant’s touch would have ensured perfect styling, but he had done it himself, resulting in a messy look.

Ian lightly blew on his bangs. It wasn’t a good look for a minister, especially at an official meeting, to have his hair down. Even considering he hadn’t had his coming-of-age ceremony yet.

“…Berik.”

“Can’t do it. I can’t do this, no matter what. I don’t even comb my own hair, how am I supposed to do yours?”

“It’s just to fix it back.”

“Exactly. I’d probably end up ripping all your hair out. Do you want to go to the meeting with a patchy hairline?”

Berik, perched on the back of the sofa, made an X with his hands. He’d rather run around and do physical labor than help with hair styling, something he’d never done before. What kind of scolding would he get?

Ian gestured with his head towards the hair styling tools, as if to say it was okay.

“I won’t scold you.”

“No, it’s not you, it’s those annoying people outside that are more bothersome. Just go with it down. What’s the big deal? It looks nice and flowy.”

“Who goes to an official meeting with their hair down?”

“Geez, you’re the one who says you’re going to quit being a minister every day, and now you’re worried about that? Don’t talk nonsense!”

“I know you’re all out there. Bring in a servant.”

“……”

Ian gave a low command, but there was no response from outside. They were all listening, but pretending not to. He could just imagine them running away in surprise if he suddenly threw the door open.

Ian had no choice but to give up on his hair and picked up his jacket. He straightened his clothes while occasionally flipping through documents. His hands moved quickly, but his eyes were focused on reading the text.

How much time had passed? Just as Ian decided it was time to leave and closed the file, the door burst open.

“Whoa, you scared me.”

“Ian! Huff, huff!”

“What is it? Sir Romandro, why are you here?”

Romandro rushed in. His hair was strangely askew, his shirt was untucked, and his shoes were hastily put on. It was clear he had run here in a hurry.

He bent over, catching his breath, and Ian watched the backs of the mages through the door.

“Berik is right. You should be with the baby, why are you here?”

“No… huff, huff, wasn’t today the first international negotiation? I couldn’t assist Ian during the last conference, so this time I must! I must, keep a close watch, no, I mean, I’ll try my best to help.”

“…There’s no need for that. Just approving documents at home is enough help.”

Ian replied as if he knew everything. The mages had called him. Since there was no one to stop Ian’s rampage during the last conference, they intended to have Romandro accompany him this time to prevent any accidents.

Romandro wiped the sweat dripping from his chin, then put his hands on his hips and took a deep breath.

“I can’t do that! I have to work hard to feed and clothe our baby until they come of age. I know it’s a busy time, so I’m grateful for the consideration.”

“Is Vivianna doing well?”

“Oh, she’s too healthy, it’s a problem. She’s so cute.”

“That’s a relief. And it’s not consideration. It’s Romandro’s right to enjoy it.”

“Enough. How can a subordinate stand by and watch their superior go out like this? Come on, this way.”

Romandro sat Ian in front of the mirror, and Berik’s eyes rolled as he watched. He was anti-Ian, but he had come running at the mages’ call. It was hard to understand. He was someone who seemed to help but didn’t.

As Berik’s eyes narrowed, Romandro tilted his head with a stern look.

“Berik. Don’t just lounge around there, go get some gloves from the drawer.”

“Yes, yes. As you command.”

“Ian, should I just sweep all your hair back?”

“Yes, please.”

Romandro styled Ian’s hair as if he was doing his own, very skillfully. Ian closed his eyes lightly, as if he felt good, and Romandro glanced at him in the mirror.

“I’ve been handling work at home, but I’d appreciate it if you could explain a little more.”

“Hmm. There’s nothing much you need to know. Everyone except the northern forces has arrived, Prince Noah is showing signs of the curse, King Eriphony is in conflict with the Luswena mages, and the Burgos…”

Ian’s eyes opened slightly. He suddenly remembered the woman who was said to be the Burgos envoy representative. He had been informed not long ago that she had been given accommodations in the Imperial Palace along with the others, and was quietly preparing for the negotiations.

“The Burgos delegation did not include a single noble from the capital.”

“No nobles? At all?”

“There was one official from the provinces, but he seemed to be a guide from the outskirts of Bariel.”

The fact that not a single noble had come along was very telling. First, it meant that most of the supporters of the current dynasty, Damon, had scattered, and further, it could be inferred that the capital was in chaos due to the power struggle.

They couldn’t let their guard down for even a moment, so they couldn’t dare to travel to Bariel. The moment they showed their backs, they would be devoured by others. What good would it do to protect the end of a collapsing dynasty? Burgos was on the path to ruin.

“Then the origin of the envoy is important. The force that officially dispatched the envoy is practically the next dynasty’s owner, right? As a vassal state of Bariel, they will be the ones directly communicating.”

“But there’s something I find a bit strange.”

“What is it?”

“The woman who is the envoy representative, her origin is unclear.”

“Huh? How so?”

“She has an officially registered identity, but there are many suspicious parts. There were discrepancies between what was registered and what the guards found during questioning. It was corrected as a simple mistake, but the fact that it was reported means that even the guards found something odd.”

Shwaaak.

Romandro, who had been smoothing Ian’s hair, picked up the document. The woman’s name was at the top of the list of many envoys. He pondered over the name, but nothing in particular came to mind.

“Well, if a country is in chaos, it’s not unusual for inexperienced newcomers to take on important roles, right? If they’re an official delegation, what does their origin matter? What we should focus on is the official delegation’s position. What did they say? About King Damon.”

“They are saving their words, saying they will speak at the negotiations.”

“Did they have contact with King Damon?”

“I heard that only the envoy representative had a one-on-one meeting with him. There was nothing special, they just exchanged greetings.”

“I don’t know. If they were abandoning Damon, there would be no need for a meeting.”

“I find that strange too. But it doesn’t seem like they will continue the Runkvis dynasty either. As they said, we’ll have to hear their official position at the negotiations.”

Ian had confirmed through the guards and scribes that there were no secret signals or private conversations in the dialogue between the two. The other ministers of the Imperial Palace would have verified this as well.

Since the detailed policies would change depending on Burgos’s position, it was natural to pay attention to the delegation’s actions. Even if Bariel was the predator and Burgos was the prey, that was an unchanging stance. The stronger the beast, the more meticulous it was when it came to devouring its prey.

“Alright, done.”

Romandro focused on styling his hair again, then tapped Ian’s hair with his fingertips. Ian tilted his head to check if it was still in place.

“Thank you.”

“No need for thanks. Between us. Well, let’s go. Is this all the paperwork to submit?”

“There’s a little more, but I sent it to the conference hall first through Berik.”

“I see. Oh, right. What about the others?”

“The others?”

“The northern forces. You said earlier that they haven’t arrived yet. It’s okay to proceed with the negotiations without them, but it would be troublesome if they suddenly spoke up after everything is finalized, wouldn’t it? Do you know how far they’ve come?”

“Ah…”

In fact, Bariel didn’t consider their attendance to be that important. In the case of the Atan tribe, they might be of direct or indirect help with the rifts.

But strictly speaking, it was Clifford’s job to persuade them.

“Bariel is only focused on strengthening its control over Burgos and Luswena, so they won’t care. We’re also short on manpower. Hasha has been getting letters from time to time, but well, there haven’t been any recently.”

“Is that so?”

“Even so, they wouldn’t be absent without a reason. They are all leaders of their respective forces, so there’s nothing more important than understanding the political situation. Especially Epdiram, she…”

Ian turned his head and looked at Berik, who was standing there blankly. The leather gloves he was wearing were pulled taut.

“She will surely come.”

“Why are you looking at me when you say that?”

“Because she’s like you, Berik. If I think of her as I think of you, the answer comes easily.”

“I think you just insulted me.”

“Surely not. It’s a compliment.”

A person who pushes through to the end once they’ve decided on a path. A person who doesn’t need to consider side issues, and sees only what’s in front of them. A person whose depth is transparent, but surprisingly deep, making it difficult to step into.

Ian smiled and nodded at Berik. It was a signal to open the office door and lead the way.

“Let’s go. We’ll be late.”

“There’s still plenty of time, though.”

Screech.

When the door opened, resolute mages stood in two lines to greet Ian. Their eyes were filled with determination. Romandro hid behind Ian, catching his breath.

But Ian walked out of the office as if nothing was wrong and stepped in front of them.

“You were all here, why didn’t you answer when I called? Do you want your superior to appear at an official event looking unkempt?”

“Ah, no!”

“…Lower the things you have on your heads to your necks. Since we are to meet His Highness Crown Prince Jin, no one except His Majesty the Emperor can wear anything on their head.”

“Ah, yes, sir.”

“Ian! If you speak alone at this negotiation again, we’ll really flip out. Okay? You understand?”

“W-we won’t stand for it! Really!”

The mages lowered the red cloths to their necks as Ian instructed, then whispered to Romandro, who was standing behind them.

‘Please make sure Ian doesn’t speak out of turn!’

‘I understand. Don’t worry and relax your eyes!’

‘We can’t. This is a resolution!’

‘Oh, dear. What a fuss…’

The mages seemed to think they were whispering secretly, but their lip movements were clear.

Ian walked through the mages and said,

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, Ian!”

Tap tap!

Woosh!

Dozens of mages followed the young minister. All of them had red cloths around their necks, as if they were marked as Ian’s people. Berik, with a pile of documents under his arm, fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a piece of cloth, wrapping it around his neck.

“I’m going too!”

Berik, with a red cloth fluttering like his hair, pushed his way through the mages.