Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 800

“Open this! Let me out!”Thud! Bang!Davion County Estate.The servants subtly turned their heads away from the constant roar echoing from behind the locked door. It hadn’t been like this when the news of the war’s end had arrived…And that was because all the mansion’s staff had witnessed Count Reglid’s wailing.“How could you go to the battlefield, of all places! How did I raise you!”As she said, Chloe was the youngest daughter who had never even held a knife properly. She had been raised with the utmost care, the most precious in the world, but she was going to the battlefield with the ambition of becoming an empress. It was like a bolt from the blue.Moreover, after leaving the mansion, there was no way to know if her daughter was even alive for a while. Now that she had returned safely, the entire county estate should have been celebrating.However, recently, the atmosphere had turned frigid again.“Won’t you open it? I’m really going to break it down!”Thud!War is truly terrifying. How could the young lady, who was so delicate that she had trouble even combing her own hair, become so violent? The servants pretended not to hear and kept sweeping.“You guys, really!”Thud! Bang!At that moment, the Countess, Chloe’s mother, cautiously approached. She, too, had never done any hard work, but her face was gaunt. The Countess lowered her voice as if a wicked monster was trapped here.“How is Chloe?”“She’s still the same.”“Oh, my goodness.”“Madam! Oh dear.”The Countess staggered and leaned against the wall. Chloe, sensing the presence, shouted even louder.“Mom! Are you there?”“Call me Mother!”“Mother! Please open this. Seriously, what kind of family treats their daughter, who has suffered so much in the war, like this? This isn’t some backwater family; this is the prestigious Davion!”“Look at your language! Where did you learn all that?”“His Majesty is rewarding the soldiers who participated in the war with all kinds of support, so it’s not right to treat me like this! First, open the door, Mom.”“Not Mom, Mother!”“Does that matter between us?!”Thud! Bang!Ah. How could Davion’s pride, who was as noble as a rose and as haughty as a holly, have changed so much? Her way of speaking was as rough as a street thug who had nothing to do but show off his strength, and her actions were as clumsy as a man carrying rocks in a mine.As the Countess staggered, the servants rushed to support her.“Mom, didn’t you say you just wanted me to come back safely?”“Yes. I said come back safely, not come back with your mind completely twisted like this! Why did you go to war? With Lady Kayla gone, and the Empress’s seat right in front of you, why! Why!”“Oh, seriously! I told you the Empress’s seat isn’t mine! His Majesty has someone else. And what’s wrong with our Siao-shi!”“O-our?”The Countess’s hand trembled. She knew very well that all of this was her daughter’s provocation to get the door open. She knew it, but she couldn’t stand it.If the servants hadn’t held her arms tightly, she would have kicked the door open and grabbed her by the collar.“He’s capable!”“He’s not even a minister, just a mere officer. And a former slave!”“All the ministers are old men, what are you talking about? Were you going to marry me off to such an old man?”“O-old…? Watch your words! And, isn’t Ian Hielo a minister? What are you saying, some low-level gatekeeper? Nonsense! If it were Ian, I wouldn’t be this upset.”“I hate younger men!”Although he was a bastard from a border count, he had noble blood, was a mage, and was the current minister. But Chloe snorted and retorted.“And Siao-shi is as trusted by His Majesty as Ian Hielo. He has a future! You’ll see later!”“Ha! A baron with no territory, what?”“He’s handsome!”“……!”At that moment, the Countess couldn’t think of a counterargument and was speechless. It was true that rumors of his handsome appearance were widespread in society.

“Damn it! Siao-shi Enlow, that handsome face of yours has bewitched my daughter!” As the Countess spoke, the servants gently tried to placate her.

“Your Majesty is also handsome, they say.”

“That’s right. There are plenty of men with good backgrounds and good looks… well, not plenty, but there are some.”

“Indeed. It’s not like you can live off looks alone.”

“Y-y-yes, that’s right. His Majesty is very handsome. But to bring a former slave with unknown origins into the Davion family? Absolutely not!”

“Mom! I told you to give up on the Empress position! His Majesty already has someone he favors. Do you want to see your daughter grow old alone and unloved?”

“Chloe, the Empress position isn’t decided by such things. And even if you don’t become the Empress, Siao-shi Enlow is out of the question. I’d rather find you another match. There are plenty of suitable men in the world.”

“No! I’ll die if it’s not Siao-shi!”

“Where did you learn such dreadful language!”

The Countess turned away, once again fighting the urge to kick the door open. She could hear sobbing from inside, but she knew it wouldn’t last long. Still, how could her daughter be so immature? Marriage wasn’t just about love, especially not in a prestigious family like the Davions.

“Excuse me, Madam.”

The Countess, having descended the stairs, heard the butler’s troubled call. She knew what he was going to say without even hearing it. Siao-shi Enlow had come again.

She didn’t want to let him into the mansion, but she had to maintain appearances. It was also true that he was someone trusted by His Majesty.

“Tell him that I am not feeling well again and cannot meet him.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Thus, the only place he was allowed was the reception room, the furthest room from Chloe’s. The Countess sighed deeply, as if the ground was collapsing beneath her, and returned to her bedroom. In fact, not feeling well wasn’t entirely an excuse; her head was truly about to explode.

And so, a few days passed.

“What? Chloe isn’t responding?”

The Count and Countess paused during their breakfast. To be honest, they hadn’t expected it to last this long. Chloe was the youngest daughter of the prestigious Bariel family, Davion. In extreme environments like the battlefield, even trivial things can feel like fate, and even the dung beetle next to you can seem trustworthy. They thought their intelligent daughter would quickly realize that this wasn’t love but an infatuation—

“Yes, she has been quiet for days. She hasn’t been eating either.”

It seemed they were mistaken.

The Countess turned pale and dropped her fork with a clatter. She suddenly remembered her last conversation with Chloe.

“Honey!”

“Ch, Chloe!”

Her voice, crying that she would die, was vivid in her mind.

The Countess jumped up and hurried up the stairs. Servants, worried about Chloe, were gathered in front of her door, whispering through the gaps.

“Chloe!”

“M, Madam.”

“Open the door. Quickly! Butler, bring the doctor!”

How could that frail child endure not eating and being in a frenzy for days? At the Countess’s urging, the servants brought the key.

Creak.

The lock finally opened. At the same time, the door swung wide open.

All that could be seen through the gap was darkness. They had even blocked the windows from the outside, just in case. As the servants cautiously stepped inside—

Flash!

‘Flash?’

Chloe’s eyes gleamed as if she had seized an opportunity. She pushed past the servants and ran down the hallway. She was surprisingly strong, considering she hadn’t eaten for so long.

The Countess leaned over the stair railing and shouted.

“Ch, Chloe! You’re deceiving your mother?”

“The battlefield is better than this! How can you lock up your daughter like this? If this is how it’s going to be, I’ll just enlist!”

“Wh, what? What nonsense are you talking about! How can you enlist?”

“I’ve rolled around on the battlefield [referring to her past experiences], what can’t I do?”

“Hey, hurry, hurry, catch Chloe!”

Thump! Bang!

The servants below rushed towards Chloe. Chloe grabbed whatever she could and threw it, then wielded a broom like a weapon, driving the servants back. Perhaps it was because she was desperate, but her clumsy attacks were surprisingly effective. The Countess held her forehead in shock.

“Chloe! Have some decorum!”

“I don’t care about that, just don’t interfere between me and Siao-shi. I’m serious, I won’t let it slide!”

“Are you trying to disgrace the family!”

“If I’m going to disgrace it, just remove me from the family register!”

“Oh, oh, oh-”

“Madam! Madam!”

The Madam ended up falling backward. Because of that, the servants stopped chasing Chloe and all rushed to the Madam.

In that gap, Chloe succeeded in escaping the mansion and immediately urged the waiting coachman.

Hee-ing!

“Ah, Miss, if you do this, I’ll die.”

“It’ll be better than dying by my hand, won’t it?! Just you wait and see! If you don’t help me now, see what I’ll do later!”

“No, so where are you telling me to go……”

“To Siao-shi’s place!”

“Yes? Where?”

“Siao-shi’s place!”

But, where is that? If it were a mansion known to ministers or in the central area, it would be one thing, but how would one know the address of individual officers?

At the coachman’s question, Chloe froze for a moment. But soon, hearing the sounds of people chasing her from the mansion, she grabbed the whip instead, telling him to leave immediately.

“Go! Hurry!”

“Miss!”

“To the Imperial Palace! Let’s go to the Imperial Palace!”

He must be there! There will be people from the Davion family, but they won’t be able to forcefully drag me away due to their reputation. Chloe pointed straight ahead with her finger as if she had made up her mind.

“Let’s gooo!”

“Miss!”

“Chloe!”

The coachman had no choice but to move the carriage and leave the mansion. The servants followed behind, but it was in vain; they were quickly left behind.

Swoosh, the cool breeze that she felt after a long time. Chloe roughly swept her messy hair back and took a deep breath.

Wait for me, Siao-shi. Chloe is coming!

* * *

“It’s a mess.”

“It’s literally the love of the century.”

“Wow, Lady Chloe is more headstrong than she looks.”

“The Count himself came to take her back, but she blatantly resisted. It’s really fun to watch someone else’s family drama.”

As soon as Chloe stormed into the Imperial Palace, it was literally turned upside down. The Davion people pleaded with her to return to the mansion, but she didn’t even blink an eye, pretending not to hear them and turning her head away.

Ian, who was listening to the mages’ chatter, put down his teacup. Jin also had an amused look on his face.

“So, where are they both now?”

“After spending a day at the Imperial Palace, they disappeared.”

“Disappeared?”

“The Davion family was said to have been guarding Siao-shi’s office with their eyes wide open, but the next day, he took a leave of absence and disappeared. It seems they went to Siao’s mansion.”

Siao had a house? Ian raised his eyebrows as if he was a little surprised. In fact, it was natural since he had been working as an officer for 10 years, but he was surprised because he had never been aware of it.

‘So that’s why Beric was so upset.’

Romandro nodded, now understanding. He was already dying from the lack of manpower in the Imperial Guard, and now that Siao-shi was also absent, he was furious. It was understandable that he would insist on getting Siao-shi married off quickly.

“Your Majesty.”

“Hmm?”

“I believe that if Siao-shi becomes a member of the Davion family, it will surely be a strength to Your Majesty.”

“I think so too. After all, Chloe is the youngest daughter of the Davion family, so the relationship with the ministers will also improve.”

“Then, how about bestowing a new title upon Siao-shi at this time?”

“Hmm……”

He would like to do that if he could. However, Ian, the hero of the victory, also refused a title, and above all, objectively speaking, it was an excessive reward.

But Ian shook his head, telling him not to worry.

“I have an idea, would you like to hear it?”