Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 92

Ian, dumbfounded, pushed Beric’s sword aside with the flat of his hand. How could a guy who got a hole in his stomach fighting one knight in the Great Desert think he could take on three at once?

The knights also glared as if they were looking at a madman, but Ian stood firm, so they seemed to hold back for now.

“Stop talking nonsense and bring Romandro.”

“Ah, is that what you meant? Sorry.”

He didn’t look sorry at all, but it was something that he even said that much. Ian signaled to the Lady with a wink.

“Everyone, get out. Either help that guy bring the advisor or do your jobs. Don’t stand here making a mess.”

“…….”

The knights seemed to have decided that there was no progress to be made by staying here, and they left the door obediently. The butler, caught in the middle, looked around in confusion, and the Lady took out a new cigarette and instructed.

“Butler, go and bring some tea. Even if the situation is a mess, we must keep up appearances since we have a guest.”

“Yes, My Lady.”

One of the knights stood with his arms crossed in the hallway. The way he held his head high even as the door closed showed his intention to confine the Lady against her will.

Squeak.

As the door closed completely, she blew out smoke with a blank stare. Then, she muttered, looking at Ian.

“I’m so out of it.”

“Pull yourself together, even if you have to force it. Before the knights do something rash, you need to secure the rights to the territory. Have you informed the Count’s younger brother of the truth?”

“Not yet.”

“Then it’s best to inform him quickly. Those knights don’t have military control over Mereloff, do they?”

Unlike Bratz, Mereloff didn’t need a large military force. The private army system revolved around a small number of guards and three knights who could be used at the mansion. That was enough to maintain a stable territory. There were no threatening enemies like the Chunryeo.

“Maybe? I think so?”

“Hearing your answer, I understand why they’re acting like that. If you don’t hurry, there’s a chance you’ll end up like the Count.”

Ian nodded his head towards the bedroom where the corpse lay. Now was the perfect time to wipe out the Mereloff line and write a new history.

“If I end up like that, wouldn’t it be difficult for you too, Sir Ian?”

“Difficult, but just annoying. Not as fatal as it would be for you.”

Isn’t it tiresome? That the Imperial Palace is paying attention to Mereloff this time. But by that time, Ian would be in the center, and above all, Ian really had nothing to do with this incident.

‘The Lady could threaten me, though…’

For example, if he didn’t help her now, she could falsely confess to a negative relationship with Ian, dragging him into the mud with her.

“Is that so? I guess.”

However, the Lady didn’t seem to have any intention of doing that. It could be because the shock from the night before was too great, or it could be that she didn’t want to make things bigger since she only wanted freedom in the first place.

‘Or she’s smart.’

She thought that if she provoked Ian now, she wouldn’t get anything out of it. Maybe if she asked for help. She just chewed on her cigarette with a listless look.

“My Lady, until Romandro arrives, have the butler get the seal from the office. The one who has it is the representative of the mansion.”

“Ah, that.”

“And then, handle things according to the rules. If the knights betray you in the middle, we’ll provide military support.”

Beric was there, and there were still warriors who hadn’t returned to Chunryeo. They could easily subdue three knights and some soldiers.

“What do you want?”

The Lady blinked and smiled. She had already realized that there was no such thing as a favor without a price. At her words, Ian just shrugged.

“Not much, nothing comes to mind right now. A tribute?”

“Then that’s doable. But I wish you wanted something other than money. The knights can offer that much.”

A relationship tied by money could easily be broken by money. The Lady wanted a contract that only she could fulfill.

“I don’t have much to give right now. I came to the mansion empty-handed.”

The Lady moved to the vanity. With a light gesture, a drawer opened, and she took out a ring made by a mysterious alchemist. It was the same as Ian’s necklace.

“You said you had a lot of questions. Who knows? Maybe this ring and Sir Ian’s were made on the same day at the same time.”

Considering the timing and the distance between the two territories, if it was the same alchemist from the same merchant guild, it was highly likely. Ian stroked his chin and replied.

“I’d be happy to receive the ring, but I’m not so sure about the thing next to it.”

It was a new type of sleep anesthetic that was smuggled from the Hawan Kingdom. The round, black powder compact was as clean as before. The Lady shrugged, indicating that it was up to him.

“If you don’t want it, that’s fine. I just offered the most valuable thing I have. The choice is yours, Sir Ian.”

When Ian hesitated, Beric, who was standing behind him, took both of them as if there was nothing to think about.

“Why wouldn’t you take it when they’re giving it to you?”

“Beric. Haven’t you left yet?”

“I’m going? Oh, why won’t this come off?”

“You’re really something. Really.”

He had put his index finger in the ring without thinking, and it seemed to have gotten stuck properly. Ian made a pathetic expression, and he just laughed awkwardly.

“…Can I use oil?”

“Cutting off your finger would be faster. My Lady, could you lend me a knife?”

“…I’ll go get Romandro right away. Master. Please wait.”

At Ian’s joke, Beric quickly left the spot. Even then, he didn’t forget to take the powder compact.

“Grind the container and use it. These days, men wear makeup too, but it’s still awkward in many cases.”

“Where would I use it?”

“You’re going to the center soon. I heard that there are many things you can use it for there?”

He didn’t know where he heard it, but it was quite accurate. As the center of Bariel, it was splendid, chaotic, and full of a fierce tension. Most of those at the center of the power struggle were bound to spend their nights with their eyes open.

Whether it was due to work or the fear of death.

“The lethal dose is more than 2 grams a day, taken continuously for a month. If you stick to that, there won’t be any problems.”

“The side effects will probably occur not in a month, but in a few years. By the way, are you sure about that? No matter how I think about it, I don’t understand how Beric collapsed just from smelling it.”

“I told you, I don’t know? I was fine. Your subordinate must have a strange constitution.”

The Lady’s expression was definitely sincere. Well, he was a guy who could walk around fine even with a hole in his stomach, so he wasn’t normal. Ian turned his head and looked behind him. The doctor was putting away his examination tools.

“Actually, a tribute is the best thing, rather than these small things.”

“I can get it if you tell me to sell the jewelry. But I don’t know if there’s a jeweler nearby who would take it. I think I’d have to go to Shayron to cash it in.”

It seemed that only the head of the family had the authority over finances in Mereloff. At least in Bratz, Mary was in charge of the mansion’s finances, but the Count, who was paranoid, would never have shared power with his wife.

“Anyway, hurry up. It’s best to move first before the knights act.”

“…Clark.”

As Ian was about to leave the room, the Lady stopped him and asked. Unlike her calm and dull expression, her voice was surprisingly tearful. She was a strange and mysterious woman the more he looked at her.

“What will happen to Clark?”

“What do you mean? He’ll be executed without exception.”

Apart from the Imperial Palace’s judgment based on the law, like Derga, a noble being murdered was something that could only happen on the battlefield. Killing a noble was a serious crime, and if the perpetrator was a slave, there was no need for a trial.

“I was surprised that Clark was still alive. The fact that the knights didn’t give him a summary judgment also proves that they have other intentions.”

“…Is there really no exception?”

“A slave killing a noble and surviving? It’s possible, but I’ve never heard of it. Ah, I heard there’s a king from a slave background in another country…”

Ian paused for a moment. To check if the history he remembered was what was happening now. When he looked back at the years, it seemed to match up roughly.

“I heard that the first person he killed was his noble master. If Clark becomes a king, he might be able to survive.”

The Lady lightly flicked her fingernails as if she was thinking about something. It seemed that she wanted to save at least Clark’s life.

“Can you help me?”

“My Lady, I’m sorry, but I have to go to the center soon. I can’t get involved in any more disturbances.”

“I think you can do it, Sir Ian.”

“How can I save a slave who killed a noble?”

“No. You’ve already done it. You survived as a commoner, crossing borders and becoming the head of a family.”

Ian frowned. It seemed like the conversation was going slightly off track. The Lady was muttering to herself, and Ian was answering to himself.

“My Lady.”

“I’ll become the lord.”

“What?”

“Is that not possible?”

Ian paused at her confident question.

“…There’s no law that says only men can be lords. But My Lady, you’re not of the Mereloff family line. If there was at least a young heir, it would be fine, but with the Count dead, you’re an outsider to the Mereloff family.”

Was that all?

The Count’s younger brother, who held the key to support and opposition, would never agree. So, to become the lord…

“There’s no other way but to change the family that rules here.”

Just like in Bratz, erasing the name of Mereloff. It was no different from what the knights were trying to do. The Lady sat back in her chair as if she was lost in thought and looked out the window.

“If I become the lord, the head of the family, I won’t be able to leave here, right?”

She could leave her position, but in essence, she would be bound to one place. It wouldn’t be any better than the situation Lady Rienne wanted to escape from so badly.

‘No. It would be better since the Count is gone.’

Freedom and love.

Ian could guess the two tangled worries in the Lady’s head. Honestly, it would be more beneficial for Ian if the Lady became the lord than the brother he had never met. He had some relationship with her, knew her secrets, and didn’t seem greedy for territorial expansion.

If the knights or the Count’s younger brother became the lord, who knew what they would do while Ian was in the center.

‘Still, since there’s the Count’s younger brother, if I act rashly, my position could become difficult.’

It was a kind of power struggle.

If Ian absorbed Mereloff here, it could give Gale a chance to intervene again, using the pretext of the expansion of the oversized forces in the border region. But conversely, he could also make Marib clearly recognize his value.

‘First, it would be good to meet the Count’s younger brother.’

Ian straightened his coat and turned to the Lady. She still seemed to be lost in her own thoughts.

“I’ll go inform the Count’s younger brother of the matter. I heard he lives in a mansion on the outskirts of the village, what’s his name?”

“Dive Mereloff.”

“I’ll be right back.”

Ian muttered, checking his pocket watch. If he hurried, he could be back before Beric brought Romandro.