Chapter 184
Chapter 184
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 184
Chapter Title: The Next Emperor
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Dillaina let out a ragged breath as she looked around the Grand Council chamber. Her silver hair was a total mess from rushing over the moment she came to. Ian stood from his seat and pulled out a chair for her.
“You must have hurried here.”
There was no reason to.
Perhaps catching on to Ian’s intent, Dillaina approached him and whispered quietly.
“I heard about His Majesty the Emperor’s condition from Captain Beols. But tell me, what kind of malice drove you to separate me from my sons?”
Her labored breath trembled faintly at the end. It was a question laced with doubt and fear.
Romandro nodded while whispering with the mage who had brought her from outside, then gave Ian a signal. As if to say there was no cause for alarm.
“Malice? That’s an unfounded assumption.”
Ian replied softly upon receiving Romandro’s cue. Dillaina bit her lip hard at Ian’s audacity in meeting her gaze directly.
“I tried to see Arsen and Jin, but your subordinates blocked the way and wouldn’t let me through. Such treatment in a situation like this. How am I supposed to interpret that?”
“It’s to protect the twin princes. In this chaotic time, we judged someone desperate to survive might try to harm them.”
A bright smile, but the meaning behind it was brutal and merciless. Wasn’t she the mother who had driven her own son into danger to beg for her life from Marib? He had seen it with his own eyes, so he couldn’t entrust the princes’ safety to her.
Dillaina paled, squeezing out her voice. Her eyes grew moist, as if she were unjustly furious.
“I, I did it for Bariel.”
“Ah. Does Bariel command you to do so?”
“Insolent!”
“Or perhaps I should ask why you stood by silently when Marib used your life to lure out the child.”
Jin, held in Ian’s arms. Marib threatening to kill Dillaina if the child didn’t return. Dillaina screaming as she watched her child.
Ian furrowed his brow as if it were abhorrent. He hadn’t seen what expression Jin wore in that moment of lost humanity.
“You must know the oracle that says if Arsen dies, the imperial line ends. Arsen is still young. He needs someone to support him from behind. Before being a mother, I am of the imperial house. Who would dare condemn me, me?”
Dillaina muttered bitterly, emphasizing each syllable as if outraged. It was behavior driven by necessity, and she believed it without doubt. Ian met her gaze with a flat look before countering.
“…You may avoid condemnation, but gaining understanding won’t be so easy. Isn’t Prince Jin your son before he is of the imperial house?”
It was then. Quintana approached Dillaina and grabbed her shoulder without decorum. Startled, she turned, and Quintana let out a faint sigh. Her breath carried the scent of a mana cigarette.
“Lady Dillaina. I don’t know what’s going on, but calm down and take a seat. We have much to discuss.”
At Quintana’s words, Dillaina collected herself and stepped back. She sat in the chair Ian had pulled out and tried to compose her mind.
“Are you alright? It’s a relief you don’t seem hurt.”
“We were just discussing the succession.”
“We’ll have to choose between Prince Arsen and Prince Jin. What’s your opinion, Lady Dillaina?”
The officials looked at Dillaina and tossed in their comments. She fell silent for a moment before speaking.
“By birth order, and as the firstborn, Arsen should take the successor’s position.”
“I think so too, actually…….”
“He has a bright disposition and is quick-witted, isn’t he? And above all, there’s the oracle. ‘The one closest to the throne dies, and the imperial line ends.’ If Prince Marib and Prince Gail are expelled from the imperial house, doesn’t that make Prince Arsen the closest to the throne?”
“Exactly. Things are unfolding as the oracle foretold.”
“Didn’t Prince Marib hesitate to harm Prince Arsen because he was mindful of it in the end?”
As high officials from various departments like Ian, they all knew the hidden oracle. Amid the voices supporting Arsen, just as Ian raised his hand.
“I oppose.”
It was Quintana. She tapped the table with an unlit mana cigarette. As if she wanted to light it but was holding back because of Dillaina.
“Do you not know how this situation arose? It’s the disaster brought by those unqualified grasping for power. Birth order means nothing anymore. And above all, it’s just a sequence assigned by a doctor. Too trivial a criterion to entrust Bariel’s future to.”
“Then you support Prince Jin?”
“No. I mean we should elevate a prince with the qualities. It would be best to take some time to verify.”
“His Highness is in critical condition. We don’t have much time.”
An official who didn’t know the emperor was frozen voiced his concern, but Quintana didn’t waver.
“Better to be a little late but certain than rush and ruin it. If something like this happens again in the imperial palace of all places, foreign powers will meddle in.”
Would there ever be another chance like now to devour the great empire of Bariel? The emperor had collapsed, the princes were confined. Nobles had died, and the great empire’s forces were in disarray, weren’t they?
“At any rate, it was fortunate Lord Ian sealed the entrances. I only learned after entering the palace myself.”
Ian nodded at Quintana’s words. It was to protect the people, but ultimately to safeguard Bariel. He took up her words and declared.
“I also oppose Prince Arsen.”
Ian’s declaration carried weight. He was at the center of the palace cleanup, had received the emperor’s decree, and above all, was the one who would consolidate power by dealing with the princes going forward.
“Lord Ian also wants to verify the two princes’ qualities?”
“No. I say Prince Jin should take the next emperor’s seat.”
It was like lightning striking the chamber. At Ian’s endorsement, everyone buzzed in confusion, unable to hide their shock.
Jin, not Arsen. The cursed child branded as one who would kill his brother and sever the imperial line!
“L-Lord Ian? Arsen is the elder of the twins.”
Someone sputtered the absurd remark. Ian replied not with words but by furrowing his fine brow.
“I agree we must consider qualities, so I support Prince Jin.”
Ian’s gaze reached Quintana. In a situation where all cried for Arsen, those with different purposes but the same conclusion needed to band together.
“But there’s the oracle, isn’t there?”
“Oracles aren’t always correct.”
“That doesn’t mean we can ignore it. The oracle for the twin princes came from none other than the Carbo Temple.”
The official subtly glanced at Dillaina as he pressed. The mother’s family of the current twin princes, the sacred house of founding merits. How could one deny an oracle directly from there?
“I will verify that matter again.”
“Verify? How?”
That Jin was the next emperor was something Ian was certain of. The portrait he passed every day in the imperial corridor flashed vividly in his mind. Adult Jin still bore scars, grown so stately it was hard to imagine the child he was now.
History doesn’t change, but oracles spread by human words can.
“‘Closest to the throne’ is ambiguous, isn’t it? Do you know what it means? The sequence etched by a minute’s difference? Or perhaps physical distance?”
The officials didn’t answer. They acknowledged it left ample room for interpretation. Above all, Ian’s attitude was so aggressive they couldn’t rashly rebut.
“Because you just named Prince Arsen, he has drawn closer to the throne.”
Everyone fell silent and drew sharp breaths. The next emperor is one who climbs upon the backs of his subjects. It meant the prince chosen by the subjects was closest to the throne.
Ian set down the list of rebels lightly to lighten the mood.
“As soon as the palace cleanup is roughly finished, we’ll look into the oracle again. Let’s deliberate on the next successor with some time. His Majesty is holding his position, and it’s not urgent yet.”
He won’t die until death is needed.
At Ian’s words, the officials stroked their beards and murmured in disarray. In the confusion, rifts were forming again. Dillaina supporting Arsen, Ian supporting Jin.
“For now, let’s table the succession and discuss the urgent cleanup. The Imperial Defense Minister sided with Marib and died. We must restore discipline quickly, assess remaining forces, and maintain order first.”
“Ahem, y-yes, let’s do that.”
“There’s an order to things. Mm-hm.”
“What about Moreno, the vice minister?”
“He was said to be out of the capital on assignment. Though few compared to the whole, there are disciplined soldiers, so let’s order him to return swiftly.”
Depending on who becomes the successor, the palace power structure will flip again. The officials held the meeting while each calculated and gauged the situation in their minds. Dillaina was no different.
‘Lord Ian, what is that man scheming?’
She couldn’t fathom why he supported Jin. Whichever twin became emperor, Dillaina would stand at the center of power anyway.
But since he saw her abandon Jin, perhaps he was pushing Jin to check her using that as pretext?
‘Using that Jin was abandoned to challenge imperial authority. With Marib and Gail fallen, a new contender steps up.’
Dillaina unconsciously chewed her lip while staring into space. Her mind swirled only with the thought of protecting Arsen.
Ian pretended not to notice and continued the meeting, but he took in all of Dillaina’s actions.
“…Then, let’s adjourn for now.”
How many hours had passed? Dawn was breaking outside. The officials rubbed their tired eyelids and rose.
“If the administration sends directives, dispatch personnel immediately. No delays in supplies.”
“Prepare trials under the Judiciary’s lead, sharing all departmental info.”
“Clean up your buildings and reconvene this afternoon.”
“Yes. Let’s do that. We’ll report needed materials.”
Clatter clatter!
The officials returned to their departments, promising the afternoon meeting. It was the moment Ian rose from his chair. He staggered, clutching his nose. It ached like blood would pour any second.
“Are you alright? You’ve been using mana nonstop and haven’t slept. Rest your eyes at least until lunch. I’ll handle the wrap-up.”
Romandro supported the worried Ian as they headed outside. Dillaina blocked them. Ian grimaced as if fatigued, but she didn’t back down.
“Return Arsen and Jin.”
“Someone might think I’ve done something wicked.”
“I haven’t even seen them once, come to my senses!”
Ian passed Dillaina and boarded the carriage. Just before the door closed, he permitted.
“Very well. But I won’t remove the subordinate by Prince Arsen’s side, and you can see Prince Jin when he allows it.”
“Are you saying right now that Jin refuses to see me?”
“I didn’t say that.”
Ian trailed off and shut the carriage door. Then, as if exhausted, he waved his hand dismissively.
Neigh!
Clatter clatter!
Romandro peered out the rear window at the receding Dillaina and muttered.
“She’s still glaring at us.”
“I must be an eyesore. Naturally.”
“E-even so, what can Lady Dillaina do? Huh? Ri-right? Who in the palace is as important as Ian right now.”
Romandro, needlessly frightened, kept glancing back and wiping cold sweat. Ian, hand over eyes, didn’t reply.
“Who knows.”
“Wh-what do you mean, who knows?”
“If I were Lady Dillaina, there’s one way to turn the situation around… but I doubt she’ll do it.”
Romandro blinked at Ian’s cryptic words. Surprising that Dillaina had a way to turn things, but it sounded like he hoped she would.
“Ian?”
“To where Prince Jin is.”
“Tell me too.”
“…I’ll catch you.”
“Urgh.”
At the single word “sleep,” Romandro clamped his mouth shut and scratched his head. Soon, snores sounded, and he stuck his head out the window to the coachman.
“Go a bit slower.”
“Pardon?”
Slower, so Ian could sleep more.
The coachman loosened the reins gradually, slowing the carriage. Following its sway, Ian’s head nodded lightly.