A Sweet Poison
A man in his forties sat at a large round table. A crown rested upon his black hair, which was flecked with strands of silver. Seated around him were the nobles of the Emperor's Faction. Among them, a man clad in ornate armor pointed at a map and spoke.
“I believe we should establish our headquarters here and deploy our forces like this.”
At those words, the crowned man frowned.
“Too defensive, Pirlo.”
The man named Pirlo replied,
“The enemy possesses a massive wall fifteen meters high. If they rain down arrows and ballista bolts from up there, we must maintain at least this much distance—”
At that moment,
Clank, clank. The sound of clashing metal drew near.
A soldier approached the crowned man and spoke.
“Your Highness Yohanes, a carrier pigeon has arrived from Roman.”
When the crowned man reached out his hand, the soldier handed him a slip of paper.
“Hmm...”
Yohanes stroked his chin, lost in thought. Watching him, the gathered nobles began to murmur.
“Your Highness Yohanes, what is it?”
“I have truly lived long enough to see everything... The young lion cub is proposing peace.”
What kind of family was the Lion family? They were a stubborn, unyielding house that did not fear death and viewed surrender as the ultimate disgrace. Yet, the head of such a family had sent a peace proposal.
Reading it, Yohanes felt a sense of wonder, and...
He is not a complete fool.
Yohanes, who had always dismissed the members of the Lion family as mere blockheads, found his opinion shifting slightly because of the new Grand Duke.
Still... what a preposterous proposal.
Sneering inwardly at the new Grand Duke, he handed the paper to the man beside him.
The recipient read it slowly before passing it across the table. Soon, the letter made its way back to Yohanes, having been read by everyone.
“What do you all think?”
At Yohanes's question, the room erupted into a clamor.
“That wretched little lion cub!”
A man dressed in flamboyant attire shouted.
“Isn't this proposal only beneficial to the Nicaea Kingdom?!”
Naturally, he was displeased with the idea of ceding Epirus to the Nicaea Kingdom.
Nodding in agreement, another noble spoke up in an incredulous tone.
“Indeed! We have gathered here for the peace of the Empire and the Emperor. We must not fall for such an absurd proposal.”
It was a proposal that no one else could accept. However, for Yohanes alone, it was an incredibly favorable offer.
He is certainly no mere greenhorn.
But the moment Yohanes declared his acceptance of this proposal, the leadership of the Emperor's Faction would likely shift. Therefore, Yohanes could not simply swallow this sweet poison.
“I feel the same. We have united here to repay the immense grace bestowed upon us by the late Emperor. However...”
As Yohanes trailed off, the room fell silent.
“I cannot think of a way to breach the triple walls.”
The grand army of the Emperor's Faction had risen in the name of justice. However, that did not mean they wanted to be dragged into a war with no end in sight.
Though they bore the grand title of a faction loyal to the Emperor, to them, factional warfare was merely a tool to protect their own vested interests. No noble wished to suffer losses from a prolonged war.
“If we are to make peace... we must have Deviang's head!”
“Hear, hear!”
A few others chimed in, but...
“I oppose that. The enemy will never accept such a condition, and it will only force them to keep fighting.”
“Then we shall burn the Grand Duchy to the ground!”
“Even if we burn the Grand Duchy, what is the point if we fail to rescue Her Imperial Highness the Crown Princess?”
Slam!
Yohanes sensed the atmosphere growing increasingly hostile.
For now... shall I wait and see?
Yohanes figured such heated debates were only natural. As long as blood wasn't spilled right here and now, he was content to listen quietly.
“Then what do you propose we do?”
“We must negotiate first. Didn't Representative Alexander say we could extract more benefits? We should initiate negotiations and demand a massive indemnity from them.”
The words of the relatively young-looking noble pleased Yohanes.
The eldest son of the Count of Lazio... Savinelli, was it?
Deeming him quite capable, Yohanes decided to listen a bit longer.
“Haha... Are you suggesting we seize the Grand Duchy of Francesco itself?”
At that, Savinelli shook his head.
“No. What I mean is...”
Savinelli paused for a moment before continuing.
“Let us demand Egypt as well.”
“What! How can you say such a thing when there is an active rebellion? We absolutely need the head of the rebel leader!”
As the room grew noisy at Savinelli's words, Yohanes organized his thoughts.
On one side, they demanded Deviang's head as a condition for peace. On the other, they demanded Egypt.
Hmm... Egypt...
The kingdom known as the breadbasket of the Empire. Currently a direct territory of the Emperor, it was a fertile granary that supplied flour to any region suffering from famine. It was also the very reason the massive capital city of Roman could sustain itself.
If we simply cut off the grain ships sailing from Egypt to Roman, the capital will turn into a living hell.
In other words, it was the region that held the leash of the future Empress and the Grand Duke of Francesco. Thus, Yohanes thought:
There is no way they would agree to that.
Believing the young noble, Savinelli, was mistaken, Yohanes decided to give him a chance to correct himself.
“Indeed... Do you truly believe they will hand it over?”
Savinelli nodded with absolute confidence.
“Of course. If a war breaks out now, the young lion will lose everything except the capital city of Roman. He is a rational man. He wishes to hold the entire Empire in his grasp.”
Finding merit in his words, Yohanes listened in silence.
“He wants the Empire, not just the city of Roman. Therefore, to achieve that, the Grand Duke has no choice but to protect the Grand Duchy of Francesco.”
“Because... if he loses that territory, he can no longer receive support from outside Roman.”
Savinelli nodded in agreement.
“The Grand Duchy of Francesco possesses abundant resources, fertile lands, and immense tax revenues from maritime trade with seafaring nations. The Grand Duke can never afford to lose it. The moment he does... he will have nothing left but the soldiers currently stationed in Roman.”
Hmm... That makes sense.
Yohanes pondered what he would do if he were in Deviang's shoes.
Surrendering the Emperor's direct territory to the Emperor's Faction to establish good relations? It wasn't a bad trade. After all, the strength of the Lion family stemmed from the Grand Duchy.
A sudden noise shattered Yohanes's deep contemplation.
Thud!
“But in the end, doesn't this just mean the Nicaea Kingdom will swallow both Epirus and Egypt?”
At that, Yohanes shook his head with a solemn expression.
“I swear here and now. If we obtain Epirus and Egypt, I will divide them fairly with everyone present.”
Only then... can I exert my influence as the leader of the Emperor's Faction.
To say he didn't covet them would be a lie. If they acquired those two territories, over time, he wouldn't have to care about the opinions of other factions. They were incredibly wealthy kingdoms, but if he monopolized them, the rest of the Emperor's Faction would never stand for it.
These men are no fools; they won't let me keep it all to myself. Perhaps such internal strife is exactly what the young lion cub is hoping for.
Admiring Deviang's cunning in his heart, Yohanes fell deep into thought.
Hmm... This is not enough.
The reason the Emperor's Faction currently overwhelmed the Anti-Emperor Faction was...
Because the nobles of the Anti-Emperor Faction are rapidly defecting, and the neutral factions have all aligned with us...
But if the Emperor's Faction secured Epirus and Egypt, the neutral factions would no longer matter. The Emperor's Faction alone would be powerful enough to crush the Anti-Emperor Faction even at its peak.
In that case... I must paint a picture for the future.
“Very well. Then, how about we set Epirus, Egypt, and custody of Princess Joy as our minimum conditions, just to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances?”
At Yohanes's suggestion, the nobles fell silent one by one, seemingly calculating which outcome would bring the greatest benefit to their respective houses.
“That sounds excellent!”
“Indeed! Who knows if another Emperor might be assassinated in the future? It is only natural.”
Sensing that a consensus had been reached, Yohanes looked at his scribe.
“Send a letter to Representative Alexander. Inform him that our minimum demands are Epirus, Egypt, and Princess Joy.”
Having said that, Yohanes looked around at the men seated at the round table.
“Let us first hear their response before we decide whether to finalize the peace treaty.”
Everyone nodded in unanimous agreement.
“Y-Your Imperial Highness!”
A clamorous voice echoed through the corridor.
“Let go of me! You dogs of the Grand Duke!”
“No one is permitted entry here without the express permission of His Grace the Grand Duke.”
Driven by curiosity, I directed my steps toward the source of the commotion. I spotted Speaker Charles, who was desperately trying to force his way into the imperial family's quarters, being held back by a guard.
“What is going on here?”
“Y-Your Imperial Highness?!”
At my words, the guard raised the tip of his spear toward the ceiling and saluted.
Thud.
“Your Imperial Highness! That tyrannical Grand Duke has committed an outrage!”
Falling to his knees as if this were his only chance to vent his grievances, Speaker Charles wept.
“The Grand Duke... that bastard pressured the Supreme Court into handing down an utterly preposterous ruling!”
His words left me bewildered.
“An utterly preposterous ruling?”
At that moment, his past words flashed through my mind.
—We are going to get married.
I didn't know why those words surfaced now, but a sudden wave of anxiety washed over me.
“C-Could it be...?”
Speaker Charles nodded, confirming my worst fears.
“That bastard! He has made it possible to change the Emperor's imperial surname!”
T-That's impossible... How could he...?
As I stood frozen in disbelief, he handed me a few sheets of paper.
“Please look at this, Your Highness...”
I quickly scanned the document, which was written in elegant calligraphy and titled "Supreme Court Ruling."
[ORDER]
Article 12, Paragraph 2 of the Imperial Law is in violation of the Imperial Constitution and is hereby declared NULL AND VOID effective immediately.
My body trembled as I read the contents. A volatile mix of deep betrayal, rage, and humiliation surged within me.
Tremble, tremble...
I violently crumpled the paper and threw it to the floor.
“Do you think I will tolerate such a sham of a ruling? I will exercise the Emperor's veto power to nullify this decision.”
The veto power was the absolute privilege of the Emperor, allowing them to invalidate any law or ruling before it was finalized and implemented. I would use it to overturn this absurd judgment.
“Y-Your Highness... about that...”
Speaker Charles wore a look of utter despair.
“What is the problem?”
“Under... under Imperial Law... a Crown Prince or Crown Princess... cannot exercise the veto power...”
I stared at Speaker Charles with a blank, hollow gaze.
“Then... what if we hold the coronation ceremony...?”
At my suggestion, Speaker Charles shook his head.
“To hold the coronation, we must invite His Holiness the Pope here... but that insidious Grand Duke will never allow it.”
“T-That's absurd... How can such a law even exist?”
The Speaker lowered his head and replied,
“There is a Supreme Court precedent... stating that the Emperor's privileges can only be exercised... after the coronation ceremony has been completed...”
The strength drained from my legs.
Thud.
“Then... can we at least pass a resolution of condemnation in Parliament? This was clearly a rushed, sham trial!”
“We tried to convene Parliament to denounce it... but the parliamentary building has been closed under the pretext of safety concerns, claiming cracks were found in the structure.”
That despicable bastard... He plays incredibly dirty...
The memory of his smug, irritating smile flashed in my mind, making me grind my teeth.
Grit...
To mock the sacred Parliament like this?
“I won't let him get away with this!”
With that, I stormed toward the Grand Duke's office.
“Y-Your Imperial Highness?!”