episode_0010

– Knock knock!

At the sound of a knock on the door, Agripa and I turn our heads.

“Who is it?”

I hear the voice of the guard in response to my question.

[His Excellency, Chief Justice Charles, has arrived.]

At those words, Agripa and I lock eyes.

“Let him in.”

Before I could finish my sentence…

– Creak! Thud!

Chief Justice Charles enters, closing the door roughly behind him.

His face flushed with anger, he strides towards me, ready to reprimand.

“Your Grace! Even if you are wicked, there are limits to be observed!”

I smile as I look at the furious Chief Justice.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Heh… Are you pretending not to know what’s going on?”

In response to my calm demeanor, Charles snorts and pulls out a paper from his pocket.

“The verdict of the Supreme Court. Is this unjust trial not your doing?”

I shrug in response.

“I simply filed a petition for an unlawful judgment trial at the Supreme Court.”

Charles shakes his head in disbelief.

“Lies! Don’t lie! Your Grace! Did you not threaten and pressure the Supreme Court to conduct this unjust trial?”

– Sigh.

“Do you have evidence? And is the Supreme Court a group that can be swayed by my threats?”

The Supreme Court, a prestigious institution responsible for one of the pillars of the Empire.

Ranked third in the Empire’s hierarchy of laws, it cannot be influenced by my threats if the Empire is functioning properly.

“Hah! You’re shameless! Evidence?! You talk about evidence? It hasn’t even been a week since you filed for an unlawful judgment trial, and you expect a verdict already? Evidence?”

I shrug my shoulders.

“I didn’t expect the verdict to come this quickly either, but I trust the Supreme Court to make a wise decision. If you had such concerns, shouldn’t you have gone to the Supreme Court instead of coming here?”

In a fit of rage, Charles tears up the verdict from the Supreme Court.

“I, as the Speaker of the Imperial Council, do not acknowledge this unjust verdict! And you, Your Grace, will come to regret this!”

With those words, Charles storms out.

Watching him leave, Agripa and I…

“Heh.”

“Hahaha!”

We start laughing.

“He truly is an old man who doesn’t understand reality.”

Agripa wipes away a tear as she laughs.

“That’s true.”

Roman is the city I currently manage and rule over.

With 30% of the Imperial Council members belonging to our faction, if this negotiation goes well, even the Emperor’s faction will support us.

We would then secure 70% of the council members…

The council would be at our mercy.

“Well… do as you please for now. And…”

I pause for a moment and look at Agripa.

“Summon Councilor Alexander.”

It’s time to start negotiations with the Emperor’s faction.

***

Afterward, Agripa and I ponder over war plans and prepare for negotiations.

“If a war breaks out…”

I point to the map and continue.

“The most likely location for our command center would be here. It’s a high point where our troops can be easily seen.”

I nod in agreement.

This place is like a modern war game, making it difficult to command troops in real-time.

“In that case, we’ll set up a supply depot here.”

I point to the forest next to it.

“Then, we’ll station knights here for a surprise attack, launching ships at the right time to return them.”

Curious about Agripa’s calm demeanor, I ask her.

“Aren’t you nervous?”

She sighs slightly.

“Well… a little nervous.”

I nod in understanding.

“Me too…”

The priority now is to buy time to control the empire, rather than engaging in the current war.

And we need time to regroup the nobles of the Banhwangje faction who left in shock at Valoran’s actions.

For now, we have no choice but to move defensively…

But I believe that if we can buy time, we can definitely defeat the Imperial faction.

That’s why we need to buy time even if it means handing over the Imperial territory.

Even if it means incurring Theo’s resentment.

If that fails… only war will remain.

At that moment.

-Knock, knock!

“Who is it?”

[Alexander has come to visit.]

At that moment, Agripa and I hastily put away the map and war plans in my desk drawer.

And I clear my throat.

“Come in.”

As the door opens at my words, Alexander enters.

“Did you come to see me, Your Grace?”

I say to the relaxed-looking Alexander.

“Haha. Yes. I heard a report that the Imperial army is advancing towards Roman.”

Alexander smiles at my words and says.

“Is there something wrong? I am only here to correct the injustice in my homeland, nothing more.”

Alexander is a representative envoy sent by the Kingdom of Nicaea.

And since King Johannes of Nicaea is the leader of the Imperial faction, they will be in contact even in such a situation.

“Is that so? Then that’s a relief, but how is King Johannes doing?”

At my words, Alexander makes a troubled expression and says.

“I’m not sure about that either.”

I say.

“There’s no time, so let’s get to the point.”

In the noble world, it may be considered uncultured to get straight to the point, but time is of the essence now.

We need to resolve negotiations without shedding too much blood so that I can lead the country more advantageously in the future.

“I want King Johannes and reinforcement.”

At my words, Alexander looks puzzled.

“Your Grace… that’s quite unexpected.”

“What do you mean?”

Instead of understanding my words, Alexander looks puzzled.

“Well… Your Grace is from the rough Lion family, right?”

The Lion family…

Our family has a reputation for being cowardly in retreat or negotiation.

Many ancestors fought bravely without fear of death, bringing glory to the family.

So it might be hard to believe that the head of such a family is requesting reinforcement.

“Yes, but isn’t it better for both parties to gain something rather than suffer losses?”

Alexander smiles at my words and says.

“Haha… I heard that Your Grace has a good strategist. Bringing the hasty head of the Lion family to the negotiation table.”

And looking at Agripa, he says.

“I’ll remember you.”

He looks skeptical at my words.

“But as you know, Your Grace, your family killed the Emperor. And you are also trying to force a marriage with the Crown Princess. This is clearly crossing the line. And considering that you even violated imperial laws and persecuted the Supreme Court…”

He pauses for a moment and looks at me sharply.

“In my opinion, negotiations might be difficult.”

The Imperial faction is a group formed under the motto of serving the Emperor.

But… are they really serving the Emperor?

Is it because of the benefits the Emperor provides?

I naturally think it’s because of the benefits.

So I believe that their thoughts will change depending on what I can offer.

“Is that so?”

I smile back at Alexander and say.

“Then I understand. Let’s see it through to the end.”

At my words, Alexander seems amused.

“But… I am personally curious about what you mean by a mutually beneficial deal.”

Looking at Alexander, who seems to be asking out of personal curiosity rather than on behalf of his homeland, I smile inwardly.

It should go smoothly.

“The Emperor intended to hand over the Epirus Kingdom owned by the Emperor to the Imperial faction and also grant special war authorization to the Nikea Kingdom.”

I raise my eyebrow slightly at his words.

“Your Grace… How can you grant the Emperor’s personal territory?”

Whether he is pretending not to know or trying to gauge my intentions, I calmly respond to Alexander’s words.

“Well, if I marry the Crown Princess, she will become the Empress, and in this era, women cannot refuse a man’s words, isn’t that the fate of this era?”

With that statement, my intentions should have been clearly conveyed.

If I marry Theodora, it’s a threat to make her a puppet Empress and give you land.

Showing interest in my words, Alexander continues.

“Hehe… In that case, Your Majesty’s descendants will be criticized, are you okay with that?”

Descendants being criticized?

History is written by the victors.

The ultimate victor wins and gains the honor of the losers.

That’s why.

I can endure any criticism and ridicule as long as I can stop the Demon King’s arrival and bring peace to this place.

“Family… For nobles like us, family is the most important.”

It may sound like a diplomatic response, but I believe it conveys enough meaning to Alexander.

“Family… Hmm…”

Alexander, who seems to be pondering something, cautiously speaks.

“Family is eternal. Thank you for the interesting proposal. I will convey it to Her Majesty Theonas.”

With that, Alexander gets up from his seat, and I smile and say to him.

“I trust Her Majesty Theonas’ wise judgment. If…”

I pause after saying that. And then, in a chilling tone, I continue.

“If there is no negotiation, I will show you why our family is called the Lions, why our Grand Duchy’s army is the best in the Empire.”

I respond with a relaxed expression to my words.

“You should be careful. Well then, I will take my leave.”

And Alexander leaves.

“Is this enough?”

I can only trust the future to know what will happen next.

***

Alexander heads to his office.

A massive circular domed building.

Arriving at his personal office in the Imperial Council where the Empire’s laws are made, he starts brewing tea.

“Unexpected.”

Alexander, who never thought the proud Lion family would bring up negotiations, is taken aback.

They are a tribe that does not fear death.

“Come to think of it…”

The current Grand Duke Devean Lion, whom he has recently met a few times, is a man known as the shame of the Lion family.

Of course, only Baloran called him that.

The Grand Duke he met recently is quite different from Baloran and his grandfather.

They had a charisma that overwhelmed the surroundings.

In contrast, Devean is not a strong knight like them, nor does he possess something as strong as them.

“An oddity…?”

With that thought in mind, Alexander pours the tea into a cup and sits at his desk.

-Slurp.

Alexander scribbles on the paper with a quill pen.

He starts writing neatly and elegantly.

[The Grand Duke proposed reinforcement. Hand over the Epirus Kingdom and grant war authorization to our kingdom. A way to gain trust has been suggested.]

As he writes, Alexander mutters to himself, thinking.

“Hmm… I think I can dig deeper…”

With that thought, he adds a little more to his writing.

[The Grand Duke seems inexperienced in politics or diplomacy and may be able to gain more benefits. Need to confirm if negotiations can be initiated.]

He puts the paper in an envelope and seals it with Alexander’s seal.

“Hehe… If this goes well… I could become the next Foreign Minister.”

Alexander was excited at the thought that he might become the ambassador of the Nikea Kingdom.