A Beautiful Narrative
Early in the morning, as Ipa was on her way to wake Her Imperial Highness the Crown Princess, soldiers suddenly blocked her path.
“Ipa! You are under arrest for espionage.”
“E-Espionage?”
Ipa froze at the sudden appearance of the guards.
“You’ll find out when we get there!”
“Kyaah!”
The soldiers grabbed Ipa's slender arms and dragged her away, while the surrounding servants began to whisper anxiously among themselves.
“Oh no... Ipa must have displeased the Grand Duke...”
“Hurry, someone must inform Her Imperial Highness...”
Listening to the hushed murmurs of her fellow servants, the light in Ipa’s eyes began to fade. With her hands pitifully bound, she was led away by the guards. She looked so much like a helpless calf being dragged to the slaughterhouse that onlookers couldn't help but sigh in pity.
“Sigh... How did this happen...”
“This is terrible...”
The guards escorted her deep into the Imperial Palace's subterranean dungeons, dragging her down a pitch-black tunnel where not a single ray of light could penetrate. Soon, they came to a halt in front of a heavy iron cell door.
Creeeak!
“Kyaah!”
They threw her fragile body onto the cold stone floor of the cell.
Slam! Clang!
As the guards roughly locked the door behind her, despair washed over Ipa.
Is this... the end?
She had served Theodora closely since childhood, and they had grown as close as biological sisters. Despite Ipa being a mere orphan, Theodora had always cared for her like a true friend and family member. The Empress Dowager had always been kind and gentle to her, and Princess Joy had always treated a mere maid like herself with such warmth.
And the Second Prince...
To repay the overwhelming love she had received from them, Ipa had used her connections among the palace maids to monitor Deviang’s every move and report it all back to Theodora. Now, trapped in this dark, damp cell, she knew the truth. She would likely never leave this place alive. The realization that she would never see the bright sunlight again filled her with utter despair.
Your Imperial Highness... what will become of me?
Staring at the flickering torchlight outside her cell, she tried to brace herself for what lay ahead.
I’ll probably... be tortured, won't I?
She had heard rumors that the previous Grand Duke, Valoran, used to lock his political opponents in these very dungeons and torture them. He had even dared to do so to the Emperor and the Princes...
Am I the only one they caught? If so, that's a relief.
Ipa worried that her fellow maids might have been dragged down here as well.
Speaker Charles stepped out of his estate. Today was the day of the Imperial Parliament's plenary session. It was a crucial day when representatives from all over the empire gathered to deliberate on bills and discuss state affairs. Ever diligent, Charles boarded his carriage early in the morning and set off toward the parliament building.
As his morning began smoothly, Charles had no doubt that today would be just another ordinary day. However, his expectations were shattered. There were men bold enough to block the path of the Speaker of the Imperial Parliament. They stood in front of the carriage and shouted.
“Halt!”
“Who goes there?! Do you have any idea who is riding in this carriage?!”
“We know. We are here to deliver a message from His Grace the Grand Duke, who wishes to meet Speaker Charles.”
A message from the Grand Duke?
At those words, Speaker Charles peered out the window. Several men dressed in shabby, ordinary clothes had surrounded the carriage.
If they were the Grand Duke's soldiers... they would be wearing armor...
Frowning at the strange sight, Charles lowered the window and spoke.
“If the Grand Duke wishes to see me, tell him to come to the parliament building. I am busy with parliamentary affairs, so move along.”
But when he spoke to the shabbily dressed men...
“We said His Grace wants to see you.”
With those words, the men flung the carriage door open and climbed inside.
“What... What do you think you are doing?!”
They grabbed Charles by both arms and pinned him to his seat.
Thud! Thud!
“Argh! H-Help me!”
The sound of someone being brutally beaten echoed from outside the carriage.
“You scoundrels! Is this truly the Grand Duke's will?!”
Charles roared in fury, but...
Smack!
“Shut up, old man! If you’d just listened from the start, we could have both had it easy.”
Thud.
The carriage door swung open again.
“Smith!”
Charles’s driver, Smith, was tossed onto the floor of the carriage, completely unconscious.
“W-What is the meaning of this?!”
“Help! Is anyone there?!”
“G-Guards!”
As the commotion drew attention from the street...
“Hey! Drive the carriage to a quiet place, fast!”
Charles felt the carriage suddenly lurch forward as someone took the reins.
“You scoundrels! Do you think you will get away with doing this to the Speaker of the Imperial Parliament in the middle of Roman?!”
Unfazed by Charles's threats, the man who appeared to be the leader of the group smirked.
“Who knows? We're just doing what His Grace ordered. And don't worry, he told us to let you go in a few days.”
Watching the man's sinister grin, Charles felt a cold dread settle in his chest. Something was gravely wrong.
Just as I was about to leave the Imperial Palace.
“Your Grace...”
A handsome blonde man approached me and whispered softly.
“The kidnapping was a success.”
I nodded at Agrippa's words and boarded my carriage.
Click.
The door closed, and I stared blankly out the window. Am I doing the right thing? Even if I'm acting on knowledge of the future... I honestly don't know if what I'm doing is right. I tell myself it's for the sake of peace, but to anyone else, don't I just look like a power-mad tyrant?
I let out a bitter chuckle.
I suppose this is politics. To accomplish anything, one needs absolute power, and to secure that power, one must suppress others. Is this how one slowly turns into a monster...?
No, I won't become a monster.
I will wield power to save the world, rather than letting power wield me. And once the world is safe... I will lay it all down. I made a silent vow. That was the only way to keep my humanity intact.
As the carriage slowly began to move, a wave of exhaustion washed over me.
“Sigh...”
Come to think of it... I haven't slept a wink since arriving in Roman. The night before last, I slept outdoors. Last night, I stayed up preparing reports and coordinating today's agenda with Agrippa... And I'll probably have to pull another all-nighter tonight. I couldn't remember the last time I had a decent night's sleep since Valoran died.
I'm doing my absolute best to keep this empire afloat... But no one besides Agrippa and Mary will ever know. To everyone else, I'm just a usurper, a man blinded by greed.
Lamenting my fate, I rode onward toward the parliament building.
A visit to the Imperial Parliament. Normally, I would have no reason to visit in person, as the representative representing the Grand Duchy would cast votes on my behalf... But today was a special day, so I decided to make an appearance.
“The Speaker hasn't arrived yet?”
“I hope nothing has happened to him.”
“Who knows?”
“Wait... isn't that the Grand Duke of Francesco?”
“Something big is bound to happen today...”
The murmurs that had filled the entrance of the parliament building suddenly died down. Their instincts were correct. Starting today, the political landscape of the empire would be completely rewritten.
As I was lost in thought,
“Y-Your Grace, what brings you to the Parliament today...”
An elderly man ran up to me, catching his breath. This man was Victor, the Member of Parliament representing the Grand Duchy of Francesco.
“Representative Victor, have you been well?”
“I have been well, thanks to you. But... to come all this way without any notice...”
I offered a bright smile to the flustered Victor.
“I simply came to observe how the Imperial Parliament is running after all this time.”
With that, I walked with Victor toward his office.
“Haha, if you had only let me know in advance, I would have come out to greet you.”
“It was a sudden decision, so I didn't have the chance to inform you.”
Victor nodded understandingly.
Creeeak!
Victor opened the door to his office, and I stepped inside. The room was furnished with an impressively patterned carpet, comfortable sofas, and a luxurious desk.
“Haha, please, take a seat.”
I sat down and got straight to the point.
“The reason I am here today... is to make a major announcement in Parliament.”
Victor's expression turned grave as he nodded.
“W-What kind of announcement?”
“It is...”
After my conversation with Victor, I headed to the main assembly hall. It seemed all the attending representatives had already arrived. My eyes drifted to a particularly prominent spot. The high podium overlooking the assembly hall was empty.
“Ahem... Since Speaker Charles has failed to arrive on time, I, the Deputy Speaker, will proceed with today's session in his stead.”
With those words, Representative Alexander took the Speaker's chair.
“Today, we will deliberate on an urgent bill proposed to the Imperial Parliament by His Highness Ioannes, the King of Nicaea.”
“An urgent bill from King Ioannes?”
“I've never heard of this. Have you?”
“This is the first I'm hearing of it as well, Representative Tiberius.”
The assembly hall erupted into a flurry of whispers. Paying no heed to the commotion, Alexander nodded to the pages, who began distributing copies of the proposal to the seated representatives. Soon, a copy was handed to me, and I scanned the text.
Greetings, esteemed members of the Parliament. I am Ioannes Angelos, King of Nicaea, and the humble leader of the Emperor's Faction.
Today, it is my absolute honor to announce that the Emperor's Faction and the Anti-Emperor Faction have reached a peace agreement. This decision was made thanks to the resolute determination of the young yet brilliant Grand Duke of Francesco, and the earnest desire of the Emperor's Faction to avoid a devastating war that would only bring ruin to us all. I pray that you, the diligent representatives working for the empire, will understand our intent.
Furthermore, having met Deviang Lion in person, I have realized that this young man is a precious asset who will light the way for the empire's future. As this proposal is the sole path to rescue the empire from the vortex of civil war, I request an urgent review of this bill.
I skimmed through the long-winded introduction and flipped to the next page. This is where the core of the matter lies. The following pages detailed the peace treaty between Ioannes and myself, his declaration of support for me, and an appeal to solidify the bond between Theodora and me.
Smiling, I turned the page to read the actual proposal. But before I could even finish reading...
“A-Are you joking right now?! How could the Emperor's Faction propose such a thing...”
“This is absurd! This is treason!”
“We cannot pass this bill! This is completely invalid!”
The entire hall fell into utter chaos. Well, it was only natural. After all, the bill effectively dismantled the old imperial system centered around the Emperor and restructured it around me.
With that thought, I turned to the next page to review the details.
Under the current imperial system, the Emperor appointed the ministers of each department to govern. This executive authority was guaranteed directly by the Imperial Charter. Of course, since I held the Parliament in the palm of my hand, amending the Imperial Charter itself wouldn't be difficult. However, doing so would bring unnecessary infamy and consume far too much time in deliberations. Altering the very foundation of imperial law would provoke immense backlash. It would alienate the public and leave me with no choice but to completely sever ties with the neutral faction.
For someone like me who desired long-term, stable governance, that was a highly unappealing option. Therefore, I decided to leave the Imperial Charter untouched and simply introduce a new statute to the imperial laws.
“Where on earth did this 'Grand Ducal Department' come from?!”
The solution was simple: establish a new department—the Grand Ducal Department—that would function as a supreme administrative body sitting above all existing ministries, such as the Treasury and Foreign Affairs. By nominally keeping the Emperor above it, I could legally intervene in all state policies without ever touching the Imperial Charter. If the Empress tried to interfere, I could simply ignore her. It was a mere formality.
Since I planned to strip Theodora of her authority to appoint and dismiss ministers anyway, the officials would have no choice but to obey my commands over hers. And if they refused... well, a little intimidation would suffice. After all, I was the only one who possessed an army within the walls of Roman.
However, I couldn't be the one to propose such a bill myself. If someone who was publicly known to be my bitter enemy proposed it, the dramatic effect would be maximized. For instance... the leader of the Emperor's Faction.
The bill had already been meticulously drafted overnight by Agrippa, myself, and the Chief Justices. During our last signing ceremony, I had asked Ioannes to lend his name to it. In return, I promised to have the Empress officially bestow Epirus and Egypt directly upon Ioannes, completely bypassing the rest of the Emperor's Faction.
The other nobles of the Emperor's Faction would undoubtedly seethe with betrayal, but what could they do? He was the leader of the Emperor's Faction. If the Empress herself was bestowing the land, they couldn't openly rebel against her. They would have to find other excuses to slowly target Ioannes.
But that was secondary. The most crucial part was that Ioannes, my most prominent political rival, had proposed a bill that directly benefited me. Two bitter enemies putting aside their differences to acknowledge and support each other... It painted a truly magnificent picture. A beautiful, dramatic narrative of mutual respect between legendary rivals.