Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 468

“It’s nice to see you, Bibi. I’ve missed you.”

“Me? You missed me?”

Bibi’s eyes widened at the unexpected greeting. She was so surprised that her heavy glasses slid down her nose a little. Jin gestured for her to sit on the sofa, and the child awkwardly adjusted her skirt.

Meanwhile, Romandro placed three stacks of reports on the desk. They were titled ‘Coming-of-Age Ceremony Progress,’ ‘Burgos Material Support,’ and ‘Regular Rift Report – Zaira,’ respectively.

“Yes. I heard you look just like Vivianna, and I was curious to see how much.”

“Ah, yes. Everyone says so. They say it’s a good thing I take after my mother. Even my father said so.”

“Ahem, Bibi.”

Romandro cleared his throat, reminding her to be respectful. The person they were facing was not just any noble, but a member of the Imperial family, and one who was very close to becoming Emperor. Regardless of how long Romandro had known him, it seemed necessary to be more careful with her word choices.

But Jin didn’t seem to mind.

“Bibi. Actually, I was the first one to say that.”

“Your Highness?”

“Yes. That’s why I was even more curious.”

“How did you know I looked like my mother when you haven’t seen me?”

Bibi turned to Romandro and muttered in confusion.

It was Prince Jin, no less. If he wanted to see her, he could have done so at any time. And yet, he was saying such contradictory things. She couldn’t understand what was going on. What did it mean? Ah, was this the kind of speech only used by the most esteemed people? It was certainly difficult, just as she had heard!

Romandro noticed his daughter’s thoughts deepening and quickly changed the subject.

“Your Highness, the Bariel Central Elementary School has published a collection of writings in deep celebration of Your Highness’s coming-of-age ceremony. Bibi participated, and she was fortunate enough to have her work selected as the title piece. She insisted on presenting it to you, so I requested an audience for her. Please, say a few words of encouragement.”

Oh! Bibi was startled and presented the book she was holding to Jin. She looked both hopeful and worried.

Every day, gifts poured into the capital from all over Bariel. Huge statues, fabrics of thousands of colors, rare foods from foreign lands, and so on. Compared to those, a collection of writings by children seemed so insignificant, didn’t it?

“Hmm.”

*Rustle.*

As Jin turned the pages, small beads of sweat formed on Bibi’s hands. If he were to be displeased, it would be her father’s fault! Seeing the child’s worried expression, Romandro winked one eye.

“Here it is, Bibi’s work.”

“H-Huh! Yes! That’s it!”

“…The writing style is very clean and clear, just like Bibi. I will keep it in my bedroom and read it whenever I have time. Shall we have lunch together sometime and talk about it?”

The child’s mouth dropped open, and then she nodded her head enthusiastically, as if she were broken [meaning she was overwhelmed with joy].

Romandro gestured to a servant while scolding the young lady, who had no sense of decorum.

“Bibi, now thank His Highness and go wait outside. Quietly, understand?”

“Yes, Father. Thank you, Your Highness!”

“Yes, yes. Study hard.”

“Wow! Yay! Awesome.”

“Bibi!”

*Squeak.*

It was as if a storm had swept through the office, even though the child had only gotten up and left. Romandro bowed to Jin, beads of sweat dripping down his face.

“I apologize, Your Highness. Bibi is still young. Haha. Raising children is so difficult.”

“What for? I received such a wonderful book. She seems like a child of her age, and it’s good to see.”

A child of her age. Romandro realized that if he went back in time as much as Bibi’s age, there would be a Jin of the same age as Bibi. How strange. He was clearly the same age as Bibi now, but how could Prince Jin have been so mature back then?

“I’ve been hinting that I wanted to see the child several times, and you’re only showing her to me now. You’re quite cruel.”

*Thud.* Jin closed the book and moved to the desk.

He knew why Romandro hadn’t brought Bibi to the palace. For the past ten years, the Imperial Palace had been filled with a cold, heavy, and silent bloodbath. How could he bring his precious daughter, as delicate as a flower, into such a place?

“Report.”

“Yes, Your Highness. First, regarding the coming-of-age ceremony. There are no changes to the schedule, and everything is proceeding smoothly. In addition to the central nobles, twelve families from all over Bariel have announced their attendance at the coming-of-age ceremony.”

“More than I expected. It’s just a coming-of-age ceremony, not a coronation.”

“…Including Hielo.”

Jin, who was flipping through the report, paused.

The name that had filled nearly half of his life. He could not forget it, nor did he want to. That name appeared before Jin again today. Jin smiled faintly and asked,

“Are Philia and Nersarn, and Sir Ian’s younger sibling coming as well?”

“Yes, they are.”

“I heard they are a year younger than Bibi.”

“Yes. When the child was born, the chief of the Thousand-Reeds tribe passed away, so they spent five years in the Great Desert. We have only communicated through letters, so this is the first time I will see them in person as well.”

“…Do they look a lot like Sir Ian?”

Romandro only smiled at Jin’s question. He had asked Philia the same thing. The answer was-

“They say it’s a female Ian.”

“A female Ian? In appearance? Or in other ways?”

“I don’t know about that.”

Jin fiddled with the edge of the report, trying to imagine what they looked like. Blonde hair, green eyes, and fair skin. What else was there? When the details didn’t come to mind easily, Jin turned to Romandro, seemingly surprised himself.

“Why are you looking like that?”

“Romandro.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

His words were cut short by Romandro’s bright, oblivious smile. It was as if Ian’s face had become faint, like a person standing with the sun behind them.

Jin frowned irritably and snapped his fingers, signaling for the report to continue.

“Ah, yes! And next is the Burgos material support. The Royalists have reported securing a tiara believed to be an Imperial treasure. In return, they have requested additional weapons, which we are currently reviewing.”

“They said there’s a civil war going on in the capital, Kalamat. How did they get it?”

The Burgos civil war had been going on for ten years.

The war between the Royalists and the Anti-Royalists was, in fact, a puppet show orchestrated by Bariel. When one side seemed to be at a disadvantage, they would provide support, and when the other side was losing, they would help to balance the scales. Outwardly, it was called humanitarian aid to Burgos, but in the end, it was the driving force that kept the war going.

Now, no one in Burgos would know why the war started or why it was continuing. In a cycle of meaningless killing, they were only glaring at each other, wearing the shell of ideology.

“This is an outer area where you can bypass the capital, and they say a mineral deposit has been discovered. So, we first pushed support to the Royalists to investigate, and they found a buried box.”

“You don’t know yet if it’s an Imperial jewel or not?”

“Yes. It could be from Burgos. Since it’s a gateway to the capital, we will close it again as soon as the investigation is complete. The deposit is located in a high altitude area, which is advantageous for combat, so it would be best to minimize weapon support.”

Jin nodded, indicating that he understood. As the signature was drawn on the approval line, Romandro cautiously suggested,

“Your Highness, shouldn’t we start wrapping up Burgos soon?”

“Not yet. It’s a matter to be decided after the coronation.”

Several other officials had also voiced their opinions. They suggested that it was time to stop orchestrating the Burgos civil war and absorb it into Bariel. But Jin’s position was firm.

“Bariel and Burgos have been bordering each other for a long time, but their history and culture are clearly different. If Bariel tries to step in and resolve the civil war now, it could actually unite the divided people. The backlash from the people of Burgos is certain.”

Jin smiled. There was so much to gain from Burgos, which seemed to be on the verge of collapse but never did. Why should he clean it up now? At that cold smile, Romandro pursed his dry lips and bowed his head.

“And if I expand the territory now, wouldn’t it be my father’s achievement, not mine?”

He was the de facto ruler of the Empire, but the Emperor was still alive. So, if Bariel were to occupy Burgos now, it would be recorded in his father’s history books, not Jin’s. That could not happen.

“The coming-of-age ceremony is approaching, so tell the officials not to rush me. If they keep sending messages to you, tell them I will select them as the governing policy officer and send them to Burgos.”

“…Yes, Your Highness.”

“What about the magic stones needed for the construction of the Magic Department’s annex?”

“Ten more boxes are scheduled to arrive by this season.”

“Tsk. It’s slow. It’s too slow.”

The only downside of the Burgos civil war was this. The magic stones needed for the construction of the Magic Department’s annex were buried in Burgos, but they were not being officially exported. There were no mining personnel, and even if there were, they were mainly used for their own civil war. He had considered sending people from Bariel, but it was not easy since the whole country was at war.

“But it’s almost finished, so please don’t worry too much, Your Highness. It should be completed within this year.”

…This year. If the Magic Department’s annex was completed, would Sir Ian really return? After ten years of being submerged underground without any trace or echo, would he really return?

Jin rested his chin on his hand and remained silent. Even Ian’s voice, which had said he would return, had faded. Was it possible that he, at the age of ten, was too young and had believed his parents’ lie that they would be back in ten nights without question?

“Your Highness.”

Romandro reminded Jin, who had become quite serious. There were still documents to review.

“This is the regular report from Clifford.”

“……”

Half of the Magic Department had left, and then half of that half had been dispatched to the rifts in Clifford. The mages were suppressing and investigating the rifts, and researching their origins, but unfortunately, there were no results. Not for nearly ten years.

“Any special issues?”

“No. It’s the same as always.”

-No abnormalities found. No findings. No reports.

Jin sometimes wondered if all his past memories were just his imagination. That Ian, who had been so brilliant, had disappeared in an instant. Yes, it was unacceptable, but he could understand it in his head.

But not Rutherford. He had disappeared into the black moon with his gang, but there was no other movement, which was strange. Considering that he had tried to take control of Burgos and had moved a large merchant group, he had disappeared without a trace. The Anti-Royalists were also related to Rutherford, but now, even that trace had been washed away by time.

At that moment, a sound came from outside.

*Knock knock.*

“It’s Acorella, Your Highness. I’ve made what you asked for!”

“Come in.”

As soon as Jin gave his permission, the door opened, and Acorella limped in. Whenever he doubted if it was all a dream, the real world would shout back. No. Everything that happened that day was real.

“It didn’t take long, did it?”

“…The crutches?”

“They’re annoying. I can walk just fine without them.”

“Did you blow them up again while experimenting?”

“Do you think I’m Beric? Blowing things up all the time?”

Acorella’s ankle had been completely crushed by Rutherford’s gang. Since it could not be healed with magic, she entered the office slowly, with a slower pace than before.

“Here it is, Your Highness.”

“Yes. Thank you for your hard work. You two can go home now. Romandro, Bibi must be waiting.”

“Huh? Bibi came? I didn’t see her outside?”

“What!? Oh dear, where is she wandering off to again!”

“Sia.”

*Squeak.*

At Jin’s call, Siaoshi, who had been waiting outside, nodded. He was answering that he would prepare the carriage. Jin put the potion Acorella had made in his pocket and left the office.

“But Acorella, what did His Highness order? I didn’t hear anything.”

“It’s nothing much. Here, a potion to unfreeze something.”

“Unfreeze?”

“I don’t know. I guess he has a use for it. Go find Bibi, I’m leaving!”

Unfreezing his father, the Emperor.

A natural death. A more natural succession to the throne.

The first step Jin had to take to become a true Emperor, to take a step closer to history, and to one day meet Ian.