54. Something to Say
54. Something to Say
'Baran is dead.'
Salaban let out a sigh.
His death didn't have that big an impact.
It was just one chess piece disappearing from the board.
It didn't matter that he was dead. He was a man who had plenty of enemies. The Wiesent Family could have killed him, or there were many other suspects.
But there was something he was curious about.
'Who killed him?'
If he had to die, I should have been the one to do it.
So I could pin all the things that happened, and everything Baran had done, onto him.
It happened so quickly that there was no time for me to intervene, and it was already settled.
One person who could do such a thing.
"Salaban, Salaban!!"
"Your Majesty. Did you call for me?"
His thoughts were soon awakened by the Emperor's call.
Burying a sigh inwardly, he headed to where the Emperor was, and suddenly an object flew at him.
"Did you call for me? How dare you speak so carelessly at a time like this!"
The thrown object was a paper knife.
It grazed his cheek, and blood dripped down.
But more than that, Salaban's gaze turned toward the Emperor.
At the Emperor, whose face was flushed bright red as he breathed heavily.
"Did you not say it! That we would get what we wanted!!"
He had indeed said that. Instead of bowing our heads and apologizing to Wiesent, we could humiliate those proud people.
At this point in time, the Emperor believed that the Imperial Family must stand even taller.
Recently, the Windelof Grand Duchy had shown signs of loyalty to them, but the most important thing was Wiesent.
The shield that had protected the Empire long before the Grand Duchy appeared.
"But what have we gained now!"
As a result of believing and following Salaban's words, the situation had turned out completely differently from what they had thought.
They had planned to raise suspicions about Allen's fraudulent admission, drag him out of the Academy, and shift public opinion.
But instead, all suspicions about Allen disappeared, and public opinion of the Wiesent Family improved.
"Articles criticizing us, asking what the Imperial Family is even doing, are flooding in!"
On the other hand, the image of the Imperial Family had worsened.
The Imperialist nobles who attended the banquet had submitted accounts of what happened to the newspapers.
They had been completely defeated in the war of public opinion.
Naturally, people insulted the Imperial Family.
Even those from the Imperialist faction, watching the Wiesents' reactions, did not express unconditional support.
The Emperor was very displeased with this situation.
"Isn't there still a way, Your Majesty?"
But Salaban didn't care much.
After all, things were still flowing the way he wanted.
He re-lit the incense that had gone out.
The Emperor, smelling the incense, calmed down as if nothing had happened.
"What way?"
"To offer an apology befitting the situation."
"An apology."
The Emperor nodded as if to tell him to continue.
"Proceed with a marriage engagement between His Highness the 1st Imperial Prince Yuri and that bastard child of theirs."
What Salaban wanted was an alliance between the 1st Imperial Prince and the Grand Duchy.
That would naturally ruin the relationship between Lucia and the Grand Duchy.
But for some reason, the 1st Imperial Prince had firmly refused. On the other hand, the Grand Duchy also seemed reluctant.
'If the Grand Duchy won't work, I can just bring in the Margrave.'
What he earnestly desired was the destruction of the Empire.
Even if they were a noble faction, if they built a deep relationship with the Imperial Family, they too would step up to make Yuri the Emperor.
It wouldn't be bad for Wiesent either. It was an opportunity for them to extend their power into central politics.
It was a kind of calculation.
"Then it will indeed be smoothed over."
The Emperor, already drowsy, was not thinking clearly.
Normally, he would have objected, saying how could an Imperial Prince marry a bastard.
"We give up some flesh to protect the bone."
"Hmm, I see..."
"And I have one more suggestion."
Taking advantage of the momentum, Salaban decided to go a step further.
"Let's also marry off Her Highness Imperial Princess Lucia."
Let's marry off Lucia too.
"The negative attention will instantly shift to the news of Her Highness Imperial Princess Lucia's marriage."
He even crafted a plausible reason.
So he thought the Emperor would not oppose it.
"... No."
"Your Majesty?"
An unexpected situation occurred.
"Lucia is not allowed..."
The Emperor, who would do anything for the authority of the Imperial Family and himself, opposed Lucia's marriage.
The very man who had just given up on his son.
Salaban, finding it absurd enough to laugh, pressed forward firmly.
"Your Majesty. Are you being childish at a time like this?"
The Emperor was already thoroughly intoxicated by the drug.
Watching the Emperor grow increasingly emaciated and struggling to maintain his sanity, Salaban thought of Baran.
He too had held out quite a while, befitting a man who fought on the front lines, but in the end, he succumbed to his suggestion.
"Her Highness Imperial Princess Lucia's marriage will proceed. As for the partner... how about the nephew Your Majesty despises so much, Albert Robiesh?"
A marriage between cousins.
It was an incestuous marriage, but what of it?
It's not as if there are no cases of consanguineous marriage to preserve the nobility and bloodline of the Imperial Family.
"Come now, Your Majesty. Say it quickly."
Say that you will do so.
'This is serious.'
Meanwhile, there was someone watching from a distance.
'I thought something was strange, but for this to be happening...'
The Captain of the Imperial Guard, and Iris's father.
Jess Teira.
'I must inform Her Highness the Princess of this immediately.'
I read a letter that had come from my younger sister after a long time.
The letter was quite long, spanning several pages.
It said things like: Are you doing well? I'm very disappointed you haven't contacted me. I miss you so much. I wish vacation would come soon.
'My little sister isn't a brocon, is she?'
She was a younger sister who always wanted to stay by my side when we were young.
As she grew up little by little, there were moments we grew apart, but aside from training or other times, she was by my side.
I thought it might get a little better once I went to the Academy, but then I heard someone's voice beside me.
"Who's the letter from?"
When class and training were over and it was break time, Iris would often come over and talk to me.
If Aniel was nearby, she would watch nervously from a distance, but now she came to me cautiously.
"My younger sister."
"... Younger sister?"
Aniel, who had been looking elsewhere, also reacted.
Is it strange that my younger sister sent a letter?
Twenty years old, a fresh age.
In modern times, she'd be in college eating cafeteria food, but in this era, it wouldn't be strange for her to get married at any time.
"If it's your younger sister, you mean Mary Wiesent?"
"You know her."
"Of course I know her. The famous Mary Wiesent."
Iris said excitedly.
Mary Wiesent, the Guardian of the Wiesent Territory.
Together with the head of the family, Adrian Wiesent, she participated in major battles and earned merits.
They say she once faced hundreds of demons alone to protect fleeing allies and buy them time to escape.
"She might not match the Grand Duchess, but she's still an incredible person."
Is this how fathers with daughters feel?
For some reason, I felt very happy, as if I had been praised myself.
"So, what did she say?"
Unlike Iris, who was like this, Aniel beside me was more focused on the letter.
Come to think of it, I hadn't finished reading the letter yet, so I read it again.
"Well, let's see."
My eyes went to the last part.
"The person who will become the Margrave's wife must meet the standards I set. So, please don't decide on your own, orabeoni."
"......?"
What is this supposed to mean, Mary?
"What's wrong?"
Did my embarrassment show?
Iris asked what was going on, but I immediately hid the letter behind my back.
"... It's nothing."
It's nothing. Surely it's nothing to be too concerned about.
I am past the age of twenty.
In modern times, I'd be in college eating cafeteria food, but here, it wouldn't be strange for me to get married and have children at any time.
In fact, there are couples who meet at the Academy and go on to get married.
"Hand it over."
But somehow, I felt like I shouldn't show it to these two.
Especially when I saw Aniel, who looked like she was about to pounce and snatch the letter from me any moment.
"It really is nothing!"
"If it's nothing, you can show it."
"There are things that can only be shown between family members...!"
As if that excuse wouldn't work at all, Aniel was about to snatch it from me.
"Help me, Iris!"
"Help you with what? I'm always on the Grand Duchess's side."
Well, I suppose I shouldn't expect help from you, who's crazy about Aniel.
There was no one around who could help me.
It was truly a situation surrounded on all sides.
As I was thinking about what to do.
"Huh? Huh?"
"What is this...!"
Suddenly, light wrapped around my body. I was stunned by the surprising situation for a moment, but it was too bright, so I closed my eyes.
A few minutes passed.
"My magic worked. I didn't think I could teleport even a distant target."
"Lucia?"
As soon as I heard Lucia's voice, which couldn't possibly be here, I opened my eyes.
The surroundings had also changed. It was not the training ground where class was being held, but a completely unfamiliar place.
"Allen. I called you because I have something to say to you alone."