The Approaching Storm
I walked away from my dinner with Theodora. Retracing my steps, a bitter taste lingered in my mouth. I had expected her to resist, but her sheer, unyielding resolve was far stronger than I had anticipated. "Whew..." Theodora was only twenty. Perhaps I was asking too much of her. To her, I was the son of her sworn enemy—the son of the usurper Valorang, who had slaughtered her beloved family to steal the empire. For such a man to force her into marriage and openly attempt to bend the empire to his will... as the descendant of a dynasty that had ruled for generations, it must have been utterly intolerable. Her reaction was only natural.
Creak. I pushed open the door to my bedchamber. Dragging my exhausted body inside, I collapsed heavily onto the sofa. "Haah... Once she sees what I have to do next, she'll only hate me more." After all, my future plans would inevitably draw her resentment. I intended to systematically dismantle the Emperor's authority. Only then would the bureaucracy shift their loyalty to me.
Because of this... once the political landscape stabilized, and if... if we ever had a child... Theodora might stop at nothing to eliminate me. She would likely be under the illusion that our child would inherit the Grand Duchy. She hadn't tried anything tonight, but next time... or eventually, she would undoubtedly try to poison me. Well, I can prepare for that later. Right now, I'm just too tired. A heavy fatigue weighed down on my limbs. My head throbbed. Feeling a sudden flush of heat, I pressed the back of my hand to my forehead. A burning warmth radiated against my skin. Was I catching a cold? I decided to check my final reports and turn in early.
With that thought, I forced myself up and walked over to my desk. "Huh...?" A fresh report sat waiting for me. It was sealed in a thick paper envelope with an emergency wax stamp, indicating its highly confidential nature. I tore it open roughly. Rip. I began to scan the contents carefully.
"So... they are finally marching?" The report detailed the movements of the Emperor Faction. Their preparations were largely complete, and their troops had begun to mobilize. One force was heading toward Roman, the imperial capital. Though the army marching toward Roman numbered nearly a hundred and fifty thousand, the city's legendary triple-layered walls would not fall easily. They would likely attempt a siege to starve us out rather than a direct assault. But the real problem lay elsewhere.
"This complicates things..." I muttered. Another army was moving in a different direction. Their target was the Grand Duchy of Francesco—my sovereign territory. With the current garrison left behind, it would be nearly impossible to repel a force of fifty thousand. The Grand Duchy's elite forces, including the renowned Giant Legion, were currently stationed here in Roman. No matter how brilliant a commander my sister Mary was, she couldn't perform miracles against those odds.
"Haah..." It looked like sleeping early was out of the question tonight. Sighing, I unrolled the military map across my desk.
Chirp, chirp! The cheerful twitter of birds drifted through the window, accompanied by the bright morning sunlight and the fresh scent of the dawn breeze. "Whew... I ended up staying up the entire night." The sheer scale of the Emperor Faction's forces had far exceeded my estimates, and the anxiety had kept sleep at bay. I had spent the hours drafting logistics for the impending siege of Roman, reviewing troop deployments, refining our opening strategies, and preparing our negotiation cards. But my thoughts kept returning to the vulnerable Grand Duchy and my younger sister, Mary.
"Mary..." If they struck the Grand Duchy of Francesco, even she would struggle to hold the line. My greatest fear was her pride; she was the type to fight to the death to defend her home rather than retreat. Just then, a knock sounded at the door.
Knock, knock. "Come in."
The door swung open, and Agrippa stepped inside. "Did you sleep well, Your Grace?" His usually neat blonde hair was slightly disheveled, suggesting he hadn't slept much either.
"No, I didn't sleep a wink," I replied, sliding the report I had received last night across the desk toward him. "Take a look at this."
Agrippa's face hardened as his eyes scanned the document. "They are moving much faster than we anticipated..."
"Indeed. I was hoping they would buy us a little more time." I had fully expected the three ministers I met previously to leak my marriage proposal to the Emperor Faction, but their mobilization speed was alarming.
"At least they haven't consolidated their entire force yet," Agrippa noted.
I let out a dry chuckle. "True. But even so, matching our thirty thousand in Roman and twenty thousand in the Grand Duchy against their numbers is a massive disadvantage."
"We should recall Lady Mary to Roman."
"And abandon the Grand Duchy of Francesco?" I asked. Agrippa nodded solemnly. "Yes. If negotiations succeed, there won't be an issue. But we must prepare for the worst-case scenario if they fail."
His logic was sound, but... "You know Mary. She will never abandon the Grand Duchy." She was a true noble—not one of those cowards who would flee and leave their people to suffer.
Agrippa smiled bitterly. "Still, wouldn't she obey a direct order from her Grand Duke?"
I fell into deep thought. Keeping the Grand Duchy intact was vital for my long-term plans. It possessed rich mines, a vast labor force, powerful merchant guilds, skilled artisans, and fertile lands that ensured a steady food supply. Most importantly, it housed the empire's only military academy, producing the brilliant officers and staff that allowed us to reign as the undisputed rulers of the north. Losing all of that would be a devastating blow, especially with the impending descent of the Demon King. But... if it comes down to it, saving Mary's life must take priority. After a long silence, I finally spoke.
"Send a formal decree to Mary." An official command from the Grand Duke. Perhaps that would carry enough weight to make her listen. "Tell her to monitor the situation closely. If the stronghold cannot be held, she is to retreat, go into hiding, and wait for the right moment. Her safety is the absolute priority." Even if we lost the territory, we had to preserve our finest knight and commander. A heavy sigh escaped my lips as the difficult decision was made. "Haah..." I shook my head and looked up at Agrippa. "Anyway, what brings you here so early?"
Agrippa blinked, realizing he had forgotten his primary errand. He quickly pulled a document from his sleeve and handed it to me. "The Supreme Court handed down its ruling today."
I took the stack of papers and began skimming through the dense legal jargon. The preamble was tedious, but only the final verdict mattered.
Therefore, accepting the arguments of the petitioner, this Court has conducted a judicial review of Article 12, Paragraph 2 of the Imperial Code. The fundamental intent of said law is to prevent treason and preserve the sacred lineage of the great First Emperor. Consequently, the petitioner's assertion that the right of succession is preserved even when a member of the Augustus family establishes a cadet branch is deemed consistent with the spirit of the law.
Thus, as the petitioner argues, the clause in question unlawfully restricts the right to establish cadet branches. Six justices have ruled the clause unconstitutional, while three have ruled it constitutional. Accordingly, the Court hereby pronounces its final order:
[ORDER]
Article 12, Paragraph 2 of the Imperial Code violates the fundamental laws of the Empire and is hereby declared null and void, effective immediately.
"Not bad," I murmured. It had been a rushed, highly irregular trial, but a ruling from the Supreme Court—the ultimate arbiter of the law—gave me the perfect weapon to pressure both the parliament and Theodora. Normally, a judicial review with hearings and testimonies would have dragged on for months, if not years. By then, the Emperor Faction's army would have already laid siege to Roman. Since there was no guarantee they would rule in my favor naturally, I had resorted to bribery to expedite the process. Fortunately, Valorang had already laid the groundwork of corruption, making the task remarkably simple.
"This settles most of our domestic affairs." Of course, the procedural shortcuts were highly questionable, but I could easily suppress any complaints with sheer force. The primary purpose was simply to secure a plausible justification. In politics, having a legal pretext made all the difference in the world. With this matter resolved, I could shift my focus away from the courts. The immediate threat was the approaching army. While I intended to negotiate, if they refused to cooperate, I would have to give them a vivid demonstration of our military might. Only then would they refrain from making absurd demands during the peace talks. I looked at Agrippa. "In our first clash... if we deploy the entire Giant Legion, it should make quite an impression, don't you think?"
Agrippa offered a bright, knowing smile and nodded in agreement.
Later that afternoon, following the release of the Supreme Court's ruling, I sat eating a sandwich while reviewing our negotiation terms. "Agrippa, do you think this will be enough to make them back down?" I pointed to the purple-shaded regions on the imperial map, which represented the crown lands. If we forced them to cede these two territories, the Emperor's direct control would be reduced to nothing more than the immediate vicinity of Roman.
"Epirus and Egypt are incredibly steep terms," Agrippa agreed with a nod. Both Epirus and Egypt were kingdoms held as the personal property of the Emperor. Epirus, a major trade hub rich in mineral resources, accounted for a staggering twenty percent of the empire's total tax revenue. Egypt, on the other hand, was the empire's breadbasket—a vast, fertile agricultural region. In times of famine, the crown would release cheap wheat from Egypt to maintain stability. I planned to hand both of these vital territories over to the leader of the Emperor Faction, King Yohanes of Nicea.
A full-scale civil war would be disastrous, crippling the empire's administrative capacity and leaving us utterly defenseless against the eventual arrival of the Demon King. Therefore, my goal was to cede these territories to Yohanes to satisfy his ambition and secure my own demands. "Well... if we frame the negotiations this way, he should take the bait. He'd be a fool to refuse."
"Indeed," Agrippa replied. "I will begin drafting the proposal to Yohanes."
Suddenly, a thought struck me. "Oh, right! How are the preparations for what I mentioned last time coming along?"
Agrippa nodded. "We have already recruited a large number of bards to spread the song throughout the city."
Lately, I had been working hard to win the hearts of Roman's citizens. One of my initiatives involved hiring bards to perform a romantic ballad detailing a fictional love story between Theodora and myself. The lyrics claimed that I had secretly harbored a deep, passionate love for the beautiful princess, and that I had slain my monstrous father, Valorang, to save her from his cruelty and finally confess my devotion. It was an incredibly cheesy, fabricated tale, but it was absolutely necessary. I had to rehabilitate my public image. Currently, the public viewed me as a power-hungry tyrant who had murdered his own father to usurp the throne. If that reputation persisted, it would severely hinder my future plans. By framing my actions as those of a passionate young Grand Duke driven by love for the beautiful Empress, I hoped to dispel the citizens' suspicion and hostility. The beautiful lyrics and melodies were designed to gently sway the hearts of the common folk. I smiled to myself. After all, the people were the true foundation of the empire. "How is the public reacting?"
Agrippa smiled. "The children and the youth seem to love it. However, the older generation remains highly skeptical."
That was to be expected. The elderly were politically astute and wouldn't be easily swayed by a simple song. "Still... winning over the youth is a solid start. Their favor alone will be a powerful asset in the days to come."