Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 449

Eriphony, returning to the drawing-room, immediately loosened her outer garment. Her silence was chilling, and the groans she swallowed as she sprawled on the sofa hinted at the depth of her inner rage.

Her subordinates retreated behind Eldert, heads bowed low, worried about any stray sparks. Only Eldert tidied up the clothes she had thrown off, his expression grim.

“Your Highness, I will bring the Burgos envoy here. Please wait a moment.”

“Very well. If possible, bring only the head of the envoy. He seems weak, but the venom in his eyes is not to be underestimated. They say he is a blood relative of King Damon, so there must be some other scheme hidden within him. If we are lucky, we might be able to communicate easily.”

Eldert nodded and hurried out of the drawing-room. They had only thirty minutes. In that time, they had to either entice the Burgos side or…

‘Twist the necks of those two young ones who are the core of Bariel. That is the only way to overcome this situation.’

Of course, Luswena had no intention of stepping forward. Didn’t she have a royal palace and people to protect? The blood shed by the two children had to flow towards Burgos, and Bariel’s anger had to turn towards them as well.

But it was not an easy task. This was Bariel’s imperial palace. There were eyes and ears everywhere watching Luswena, and most of her soldiers were not even allowed past the main gate, loitering outside the palace.

What about weapons? Aside from the golden bow they were barely able to bring in under the pretext of not having arrows, they did not possess even a small dagger.

Knock knock.

Creak.

A potent poison that could instantly kill even a bear weighing hundreds of pounds with just a single drop. That was the only weapon Eriphony had. It didn’t matter if it only grazed them, but unless the gods gave her an opportunity, the path ahead was bleak.

Eriphony, her temples pressed, was so lost in thought that she didn’t even notice someone entering. It was only when a teacup was placed on the table and her subordinates began to murmur that she finally came to her senses.

Clink.

“What were you thinking so deeply that you didn’t even notice someone coming in?”

“You-!”

It was Zaira. That impudent and arrogant little mage. With the same expression she had when she confidently insulted the king earlier, she was now placing a teacup in front of her.

As Eriphony reflexively reached out to grab Zaira by the collar, the child pulled back and warned her.

“I am no longer a mage of Luswena but a mage of Bariel, so if you treat me so carelessly, you will have to wail when you sign the damage compensation. I also found out after coming here, the value of a mage is enormous.”

“I feel like tearing you to pieces. Who do you think you are to utter such vulgar nonsense in front of me? Luswena is the homeland that gave birth to you and your arrogant grandmother. How dare you betray us?”

“If it is the homeland that gave birth to and raised me, does that mean it can even decide my death?”

“The old woman died on her own. I saw it with my own eyes, yet you keep talking nonsense. You are young and lowly. I may not be able to bring back other mages, but I will surely bring you back to Luswena.”

Eriphony, aware of Zaira’s status, did not reach out directly but slowly pressured her with her massive frame.

The child retreated step by step. Luswena’s subordinates parted to the left and right, making way, and Eriphony’s huge shadow seemed to swallow the child.

Thud.

Finally, the moment Zaira’s head hit the door, the child realized there was nowhere else to retreat and tried to push away Eriphony’s arm.

The queen, as if she had wanted it from the start, willingly waited for the child to reach out.

Creak.

At that moment, the door opened, and the child’s body was pushed back.

It was Ian. Ian, holding Zaira by the shoulder, faced Eriphony from a rather close distance.

“Zaira.”

“L-Lord Ian.”

“Lord Ian.”

Ian glanced at the teacup on the table and quickly grasped the situation. It was the child’s recklessness. She had come to meet the queen directly to vent the resentment she held in her heart.

Ian lightly bowed to Eriphony, showing respect.

“I apologize, Your Highness.”

“…What is there for you to apologize for?”

“Zaira is now part of Bariel’s Magic Department, so she is my subordinate. It is right for me to apologize for my subordinate’s mistake. She is still young and cannot easily forget the sorrows of the past. Please understand.”

Zaira tightly gripped Ian’s sleeve and glared at Eriphony with a defiant look.

‘I understand, but I don’t need to sympathize.’ Eriphony leaned her elbow on the doorframe, slightly bending her waist.

“It is truly amazing. A mage of Luswena has turned into a mage of Bariel in just a few days.”

“One cannot choose their birthplace, but one can choose their nationality, can’t they?”

“Yes. That is not wrong. Very well. It is also an opportunity that we have met like this due to your subordinate’s mistake, so why don’t you come in and have a cup of tea? There are some things we need to discuss.”

It was actually a good thing. With that thought, Eriphony turned her back. Ian saw her smile through the window and pretended to check the time on his pocket watch for a moment.

“If you wish to talk, please do so in the conference room. We will have plenty of time then.”

“Don’t you have time now? It’s enough time to meet someone.”

Eriphony subtly hinted that she might be contacting another country, provoking Ian.

Normally, during a recess, each country would be placed in separate rooms far apart from each other. The guards in front of them would be the same. However, this was a sudden recess, and the Bariel side seemed preoccupied with meeting Clifford. The guards were also at a level where their attention could be easily diverted.

When Eriphony pointed this out, Ian looked left and right in the hallway before stepping into the drawing-room.

“What is it that you wish to discuss? For a conversation to be established, there must be value for both sides. If it is a one-sided statement from Luswena, it would be more accurate to call it a request rather than a conversation.”

Isn’t it obvious? To reduce the damage compensation, to not hand over the mages who defected from Luswena, and so on. Most of the conversation would be about Luswena asking Bariel, or more precisely, Eriphony asking Ian for leniency.

Yet, her head was held so high. Ian smiled with an amused expression.

Swoosh.

“…With the mass movement of Luswena mages, the Magic Department must be having a festival.”

Eriphony clenched her teeth and brewed the tea herself. Ian was wary and pacing around, but since he wasn’t sitting facing her, an opening was created. Eriphony dripped poison onto the dried leaves and took a moment to catch her breath.

‘Eldert will bring the Burgos envoy soon.’

She would pour the water at that time.

Thinking that, her hands trembled slightly.

It wasn’t because she was nervous before a major event. If she were to act according to her original nature, she would have pierced their hearts with arrows and pierced their necks, but she was so frustrated because she was trying to restrain herself by acting so cautiously. Eriphony placed the teacup down with an annoyed gesture.

Thud.

At that sound, Ian turned around. Eriphony gestured for him to sit, but Ian only leaned against the table and crossed his arms.

“Please, speak. I can hear you well from here. I don’t want any noise before the negotiations.”

“Isn’t the fact that you’ve already entered the room itself a source of noise for the Bariel officials?”

“I only came to pick up my reckless subordinate, so it won’t be difficult to ask for understanding. If you have nothing special to say, I will leave now.”

“Was it calculated by the Bariel administration?”

As Ian was about to turn away, Eriphony urgently added.

“What are you referring to?”

“The damage compensation. Luswena currently does not have the ability to repay it. Especially since the royal palace is in such a mess thanks to some people.”

Eriphony’s three-eyed gaze swept over Zaira. The child clung tightly to Ian’s side and then retorted as if not to be defeated.

“Raid the royal palace treasury. I saw it all. It was full of all sorts of gold, silver, and precious items. How can you say you don’t have money when you have such things piled up?”

“Shut your mouth. What does a child know?”

The treasures of the royal palace were priceless cultural heritages. Each one had its own history, and selling them off would be the same as Eriphony cutting off the royal identity herself.

Above all, there was no way that Bariel, who would receive them, would correctly assess their value.

“I understand that the Luswena mages went to Bariel of their own free will. But before that, I cannot help but point out that they made a mess of the Luswena royal palace. Now, you said you are the superior of ‘that’?”

Just as Clifford had the right to receive damage compensation, Luswena also had the right to receive it. Since the person in charge of the mages was now Ian of the Magic Department, she had no choice but to hold him responsible.

“Strictly speaking, the Luswena mages are traitors and criminals who damaged the royal palace. I cannot hand them over to Bariel without exempting them from this, so if you, Ian, pretend not to know, Luswena will officially raise this issue after the negotiations. The treasury is already empty, so wouldn’t the country be able to function if we brought back at least the mages? Huh?”

Eriphony smiled and made eye contact with Zaira. ‘Little one, did you see? There is still a way to bring you back. If I can bring you back to Luswena, I will put a magic sealing stone on your neck for the rest of your life and make you work only for Luswena until the moment you die.’

Was it because she could hear the curse she was muttering inside? Zaira once again slipped behind Ian.

Knock knock.

At that moment, there was a sound from outside. It was Eldert. He had brought the Burgos delegation. Eriphony ordered them to come in quickly, and Eldert paused when he saw Ian and Zaira inside.

An unexpected situation. He grasped the situation by briefly exchanging glances with his lord, and then naturally guided Bania in.

“This is Bania, the head of the Burgos delegation.”

“Ah.”

She also seemed flustered by Ian’s presence. Ian, as if saying, ‘Look at this,’ narrowed his eyes and looked back and forth between Eriphony and Bania.

“You seem to have a lot to discuss. Judging by how you couldn’t wait even during the break and came here.”

“Please sit down, Representative Bania.”

Clink.

As Eriphony clinked the teacup, Bania cautiously moved her feet. Eriphony sipped her own tea, which she had prepared in advance.

The remaining two teacups contained only dried leaves.

“Minister, please sit down as well. It wouldn’t be the custom of Bariel to stand while everyone else is sitting, would it?”

Bania sat down, but the attendants did not pour her tea. In front of her was the queen of a country, and next to her was the minister of an empire. Perhaps she thought it was natural not to be served, Bania grabbed the teapot herself and poured the water.

Seeing this, Ian sat next to Bania, and Eriphony naturally offered the poisoned tea to Ian.

‘The tea was brought by Zaira, and Ian walked in on his own. Bania also poured the water. Since the body search at the main gate was thorough, if I secretly dispose of the poison pouch, I can’t link Luswena to this situation.’

As if to show off, Eriphony took a sip of the tea first.

Bania and Ian were just watching the steam rising. Ian was silent for a moment, then without hesitation, he put the tea in his mouth.