A Dangerous Invitation

The funeral was drawing to a close as the Emperor's casket was lowered into the subterranean mausoleum. O great Emperor... may you find eternal peace among your ancestors... After a brief silent prayer, I stepped out of the mausoleum. It was then that someone approached me.

"It is an honor to meet you, Your Grace." A woman with an anxious face greeted me from a quiet corner. She had red hair and a dusting of freckles that gave her a cute, endearing impression.

"My name is Ipa. The... Her Imperial Highness, the Crown Princess... requested to see you once the funeral concluded." She handed me a letter, her voice trembling slightly. "She... she asked me to bring back your reply." I glanced at Ipa, who was hesitantly watching my reaction, before shifting my gaze to the letter.

The Crown Princess's seal was stamped clearly in red wax. After scanning the area to ensure we were alone, I broke the seal and opened the letter.

A letter from Theodora. Hmm... I fell into thought as I stared at her neat, elegant handwriting. Well, it was a meeting that had to happen eventually. I looked back at Ipa.

"Tell her I am grateful for the dinner invitation. Inform her that I will arrive on time, if not earlier." Ipa nodded quickly. "I... I will convey your message." I watched her scurry away in a hurry, then looked down at the envelope in my hand. "I suppose... I should bring a gift, shouldn't I?"

"Sigh... the work never ends." Reports were piled high in front of me. Troop deployment charts, urgent civil petitions from the Grand Duchy, and the movements of the Emperor Faction as they prepared to march on Roman... There was simply too much to review and analyze. "Whew..."

Knock, knock. "Your Grace, it's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me." At the sound of the voice outside, I answered weakly. "Come in..." My eyes were throbbing. As I rubbed my left eye with the heel of my hand, the door creaked open. Agrippa entered, carrying the gift I had requested for Theodora.

"What is this?" I had asked Agrippa to prepare a suitable gift for the Crown Princess. "It is a famous chocolate from Roman," Agrippa replied. Chocolate... I had heard that they had begun manufacturing chocolate here using cacao beans imported from the New Continent. But I had been so busy lately that I hadn't even had a spare moment to step outside, let alone try any.

"Thank you... Sigh..." I slumped back into my chair, my body feeling as heavy as waterlogged cotton. "You look as though you haven't slept in days, Your Grace," Agrippa remarked, his tone laced with concern. But...

"Look who's talking. Your dark circles are practically touching your cheeks." Wavy blonde hair, an intellectual-looking monocle, sophisticated attire, and... a strikingly handsome face. Agrippa possessed the kind of dashing looks that belonged in a romance novel, yet even his handsome face was currently marred by deep, dark shadows of exhaustion. "Haha..." he chuckled dryly.

At present, the only people I could truly trust and rely on were Agrippa and Mary. Mary was currently staying behind in the Grand Duchy to prevent any potential unrest or unfortunate incidents, while Agrippa was here with me, deep in the heart of enemy territory, racking his brain to find a way out of this predicament.

"Well, I should get going. I have a dinner date with the Crown Princess." As I pushed myself up from the chair, Agrippa handed me the beautifully wrapped package. "Here you go, Your Grace." "Thanks." Taking the gift in one hand, I set off toward the Crown Princess's quarters.

The sun was slowly dipping below the horizon. I walked along a long, ornate corridor. The Imperial Palace was truly massive. My current quarters were in the guest wing, which was located quite a distance from the imperial family's private residence. Sigh... what should I do? Would I really have to hand over Epirus and Egypt to the Emperor Faction?

Agrippa and I had spent countless hours brainstorming, but we always arrived at the same conclusion: we had to prevent a war at all costs. War is merely the continuation of politics by other means. Conversely, it meant that politics could be used to prevent war.

"Well, since both the Anti-Emperor Faction and the Emperor Faction are ultimately bound to the Empire, political maneuvering is our best bet." The desperate measure Agrippa and I had finally settled on was to surrender the vast crown lands, which the imperial family had held for generations, to the Emperor Faction.

The vast territories of Epirus and Egypt. Neither was an ordinary fiefdom; they were grand, kingdom-sized territories. And they were far from insignificant. Epirus, rich in mines and industrial guilds, was a vital region that accounted for a staggering twenty percent of the empire's total tax revenue. Egypt was the empire's premier breadbasket, ensuring a stable supply of grain to the massive capital of Roman. It was through these two regions that the Emperor had historically maintained control over the loyalist nobles.

"Sigh... the backlash is going to be immense, isn't it?" There would undoubtedly be fierce opposition to a negotiation that involved surrendering such colossal ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠territories. Theodora, in particular, would be furious. After all, it was land that had belonged to her family for generations. However, if I could just weather this immediate crisis, I was confident I could reclaim them within a year.

What I needed right now was time—time to rebuild the Anti-Emperor Faction and win over the neutrals. For that, I was more than willing to bow my head for the moment. "But how do I pacify the internal opposition..." Even if Theodora ascended the throne, she would have no real authority. For now, my priority had to be handling the backlash from my own side.

I pondered ways to quiet the dissenting voices within my faction. Wait a minute. Why did she want to see me in the first place? Just as that thought crossed my mind, I arrived at the Crown Princess's residence.

Ipa, the maid who had delivered the letter at the funeral earlier, bowed deeply to me. "Your Grace, Her Imperial Highness is waiting for you." "Lead the way." Ipa nodded and began guiding me through the residence.

As I followed her, the sound of beautiful music drifted through the air. Just as the elegant, refined notes of a violin began to sound closer, Ipa stopped in front of a set of double doors and knocked.

Knock, knock. "Your Imperial Highness... the Grand Duke has arrived." At her announcement, the violin music ceased. "Let him in," a melodious voice called out from beyond the door.

Creak. As Ipa opened the door, I saw a tall, slender woman dressed in a black gown, her long grey hair cascading down her back. She was in the middle of putting away her violin. Click. She closed the instrument case.

"Welcome, Grand Duke." She turned around, her expression cold and unreadable. With her long grey hair, statuesque figure, and breathtakingly beautiful face, Theodora was a vision. Her sharp, crimson eyes—the hallmark of the imperial bloodline—and her equally red lips held an alluring charm. She stared at me with a chilling gaze.

I offered a polite, shallow bow. "Thank you for the invitation, Your Imperial Highness." Reaching into my coat, I pulled out the gift Agrippa had prepared. "I apologize for the modesty of this offering; the invitation was rather sudden, and I had little time to prepare anything grander."

Theodora dismissed my apology with a wave of her hand. "Not at all. I am the one who is honored that you accepted my invitation on such short notice." Though her words were polite, her expression remained as cold as ice. "I appreciate your kind words," I replied.

At that moment, Ipa stepped forward. "I will take the gift, Your Grace, and present it to Her Highness later." I handed the package to her. "Please, have a seat, Grand Duke," Theodora said, gesturing toward the dining table. I complied.

She took her seat directly opposite me and spoke in her lovely voice. "I must thank you for allowing the late Emperor's funeral to proceed." "Think nothing of it. His late Majesty was... a paragon of virtue to us all. I merely did what was proper."

As I gave my calm, measured response, Theodora stared at me intently. Her crimson eyes swept over me with a chilling scrutiny. It was incredibly stifling. Knowing from the novel just how consumed by vengeance she would eventually become, her gaze felt heavy and oppressive.

"Is that so... I am glad to hear you say that." *Clap, clap.* She lightly clapped her hands twice. *Creak.* The dining room doors opened, and servants began filing in, carrying various dishes.

"I must apologize; we have prepared a rather simple spread tonight." The servants began setting the dishes before us. "Please, do not apologize. I am merely grateful for the invitation." "Are you?" Theodora countered, her face entirely devoid of emotion. Her reaction struck me as slightly odd.

Why invite me if she's going to act like this? Her expression and tone made it seem as though she had been forced to invite me against her will. Sigh... well, I suppose I should have expected it. I had heard that the imperial family was exceptionally close. They had never engaged in the typical, bloody succession struggles, and the late Crown Prince had deeply cherished his younger siblings.

To Theodora, I was likely nothing short of a mortal enemy. It was Valorang who had shattered her peaceful family. Even though I was the one who had killed Valorang, the fact remained that I was still his son. From her perspective, her cold hostility was entirely justified.

"Please, eat. The food will get cold," she said, picking up her utensils with a blank face. "Yes, let us." And so, a deeply uncomfortable dinner began. Her constant, furtive glances were incredibly distracting. She seemed to think she was being subtle, but those striking crimson eyes of hers made it impossible not to notice.

Just as I was debating how to break the silence, Theodora spoke. "Grand Duke. Tell me, what would you do if I had laced this food with poison? You seem to be eating rather carelessly."

At her sudden, ominous question, I replied with casual nonchalance. "Did you?" For the first time, a smile played on Theodora's lips—a thoroughly frigid one. "Who is to say?" She glanced around the room before continuing.

"Your house assassinated the late Emperor and the former Crown Prince. Given the gravity of such a crime, who could possibly blame me if I were to poison you here and now?" "Perhaps. But you are not a fool, Your Highness, so I doubt you would resort to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠such a clumsy plot."

She adopted a slightly playful expression. "And what does my intelligence have to do with whether your food is poisoned?" Her smile was a strange mix of playfulness and ice. She was likely bringing this up in an attempt to intimidate me—and perhaps to signal her opposition to our impending marriage. She wanted to threaten me, to show that she could easily end my life if she wished. But was it because of her youth? It felt incredibly amateurish.

"It has everything to do with it. Currently, the capital is occupied by the forces of my Grand Duchy. The Golden Knights, who once protected the Emperor, have been banished from the city..." I spoke in a tone that bordered on dismissive. I had to make the reality clear to her so she wouldn't attempt anything foolish.

"If I were to die, my soldiers would run rampant. Would you truly be able to handle the aftermath of that chaos?" The political landscape was already highly volatile; if I were to be assassinated, the nobles and soldiers of the Grand Duchy would undoubtedly lose all restraint. "Running rampant" was a polite way of putting it—they would essentially turn into a massive horde of bandits. An army and a political faction that had lost their head... No one could predict the exact nature of the devastation they would cause, but anyone could foresee that it would plunge this beautiful city of Roman into absolute ruin.

These were soldiers prepared to fight the Emperor Faction. Would they simply let the Crown Princess go after she murdered their lord? Absolutely not. The Crown Princess and every remaining member of the imperial family would meet a gruesome end. The soldiers' fury would manifest as raw, unchecked violence, sweeping through the Imperial Palace like a tidal wave. The Assembly would be utterly destroyed. Afterward, they would sack Roman—a city overflowing with unimaginable wealth—reducing it to ashes before fleeing back to the Grand Duchy. It would be a catastrophe akin to the historical sack of Roman.

If that happened, the centuries ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of peace the Empire had enjoyed would come to a violent end. Even if Theodora somehow miraculously survived such chaos, what could she possibly do? She would only end up captured and humiliated once more by a second Valorang, or a second version of me. That was why I laid out the cold, hard truth so calmly. She was intelligent enough to understand the reality of the situation.

"..." Her silence confirmed it. She glared at me, her face flushed with indignation. Ignoring her hostile gaze, I quietly went back to enjoying my meal.