episode_0139

Mother’s room.

A familiar room that I come to every day since I was young.

This is a place I have fond memories of visiting often when I was young, playing with my older brothers and crying over the mischievous pranks of my second older brother.

Every time, my mother comforted me and scolded Anthony.

Well… Even now, coming to this room to scold someone is the same as then and now.

“Mother. I want to overthrow him.”

At my words, my mother stiffens slightly while holding the teacup.

“Is it because of that?”

“Yes. I can’t leave the political situation to him anymore.”

My mother frowns at my brief words.

“Terra. I know your heart well. But now there is war. If Debian is toppled now, there will be no one to fight the war on his behalf.”

What my mother said makes sense.

Born as a woman, I have never commanded a war… No, I don’t know much about war.

Because I didn’t receive the typical military education.

“Not right now, but we have to get him out of office someday.”

Me and him have a symbiotic relationship.

If he loses the war now, I will be dethroned, and he will not survive either.

The war now is… a war where my life and his life depend on it.

In other words, we will not try to overthrow him during the war, but after the war is over.

In return for giving him power, I am guaranteed the safety of the imperial family, and in return for guaranteeing the safety of the imperial family, he controls the empire.

However, if he achieves many achievements and maintains power in the future, my position will decrease accordingly.

If the symbiotic relationship is broken in that way, it will be me who ultimately suffers the loss.

In other words, Debian must be taken out of office before that happens.

“You think you will rule directly as emperor. I’m proud of you. But right now, there is no power that can drive him out of Roman.”

Devian takes control of Roman City.

It’s obvious that when the war is over, everyone will be so flattered by him that they won’t even care about me.

Debian will also become increasingly tyrannical.

But that doesn’t mean we can just sit back and do nothing.

I am the emperor of this empire and the true master of the empire.

“That’s right. It won’t be easy to drive him out. But we have to drive it out.”

My mother says with a worried expression as she looks at my stiff expression.

“If… you drive out Devian… are you going to kill that kid? ”

I shake my head at those words.

“No. I only want to dethrone him, but I don’t really want to kill him.”

This is true.

Whether it’s power or something else, it’s true that he almost died on my behalf.

And… as much as I hate him.

I love him too.

No matter what anyone says, it doesn’t change that he is my only husband, so I don’t want to take his life.

The next emperor will be my son and I, so I will have to sleep with him.

If he refuses to sleep with me after his fall from power, I plan to subdue him and have him sleep with me.

That way, the child born between me and him will also be the heir to the Grand Duchy.

He will become a powerful emperor in the future.

Unlike me.

That was a long time later. In a situation where there is no guarantee that we will succeed in removing him from office, it is only a wild imagination.

“Okay… then that’s a good thing.”

The relieved mother sighs and continues speaking.

“If you want to take down Debian, why not ask your grandfather for help?”

“Grandfather?”

My grandfather was Jans Tribian, Duke of Lombardy in the Montdic Mountains.

Although he was stern to his brothers, he was infinitely kind to me and Joy.

“Your grandfather is famous and wealthy among the nobles, so he will be a great help to you, who currently has no support from anyone.”

In addition, he often visits the imperial palace to see his mother.

In the past, my mother went to see my grandfather in person, but since Debian’s outing restrictions were implemented, she is one of the few people who can enter and exit the imperial palace.

“Gather the support of the council and nobles through him. Then, the nobles who treat you with the title of emperor will give you power.”

Looking at my mother with a soft smile, I also smile softly and say.

“Like a nobleman who pesters you to dance at a ball?”

Here, refusing to dance at a ball is considered dishonorable.

That’s why I remember dancing all day long with many nobles who wanted to dance with me, which brings a smile to my face.

At that time, I really hated it. Now, I think that was the most comfortable time.

“Yes, my daughter. To use them, you need to create your own power by creating a balance among them and use that power to drive out Debian.”

I nod my head at those words.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

My mother spoke with a slightly serious expression on my face.

“But be careful. The reason they come to you and give you strength is because they want to get something. If Debian is toppled, the authority he had must be given away.”

I know that too.

I’ve seen Debian negotiate with Alexander several times to pass the bills he needs.

“Don’t worry. I saw how he roasted the empire’s lawmakers.”

“Yes. You will do well. No matter what anyone says… it’s Seonggun and my daughter. Your ancestors will protect you.”

Looking at my mother with a bright smile, I nod brightly.

***

-smart.

“Who?”

“General Agrippa has arrived.”

ah? Have you arrived already?

With that thought in mind, I looked at the clock and realized that it was already evening time.

“Tell them to come in quickly.”

As soon as I said that, the door opened and I saw the face of a familiar friend.

Agrippa, my brother-in-law and best friend, greets me brightly.

“ya! Agrippa How have you been?”

A blonde handsome man.

“Thanks to you, I had a good time.”

I nod, looking at my handsome appearance that would make even men jealous.

“Did you just arrive? Have you eaten dinner?”

Agrippa shakes his head at my words.

“Ah, then let’s go out and eat for the first time in a while.”

Agrippa nods at my words.

Go out of the palace with him.

“Grand Duke, looking at the current battle situation, I am more satisfied with the situation on the front than I thought.”

Agrippa says with a smile that he is satisfied that the defenses are better than expected and that Eren and Bohemi are holding up well…

I’m thinking just the opposite.

“Well. It’s holding up so well that I’m actually worried.”

Agrippa can be said to be a soldier.

Therefore, winning the war is the most important part, but I am no different from a politician.

If the imperial faction remains strong after the war, they will do whatever it takes to dethrone me.

For them, Ioanes, who started this civil war, would be the first enemy, and then I, who gave Epirus and Ezip to Ioanes without the emperor’s knowledge, would be the second enemy.

So, we need to keep an overwhelming power gap between them.

“Isn’t it good if you hold on well?”

I shake my head at those words.

“No. They must be struck so hard that they can never raise their heads against me again.”

At the very least, I hope that Bohemi and Eren will be destroyed and things will be quiet for the next few decades.

“Your Majesty the Archduke… You have become a powerful person while you haven’t seen him.”

Realizing what Agrippa’s words mean, he smiles bitterly.

He is powerful…

“Yes… he is the one in power.”

It is not an ordinary person in power who consolidates his power on the blood shed by the people.

People often call such powerful people tyrants.

The moment you think like that.

My eyes feel like they’re going to burst…

“Ugh…”

I gently press my left eye with one hand.

“Archduke?”

Agrippa gets up from his carriage seat and grabs my shoulder.

“Haa…haa…”

Tears flow only from my left eye.

“It’s okay… Is it because of stress these days?”

“Are you okay? My face doesn’t look good.”

“Haha… Is it because I’ve been overdoing it these days?”

Since I have not been able to go to the honeymoon room, my workload has recently increased.

I rub my left eye, thinking it’s probably because I’m tired.

“Take a break and do it.”

I shake my head at those words.

“No… there is no time to rest. First of all, about the landing operation. I think I need to act a little bit.”

A little later, the Golden Knights and William will board the ship.

However, apart from that, the plan is to postpone the landing in the Adriatic Sea a little later.

“That’s…”

I say, tilting my head back.

“Yes. Ioannes hired additional mercenaries from Babylon. I guess it’s true that Babylon has a surplus population. They say there are as many as 80,000.”

If a large army of as many as 80,000 men passes through the Plain of Jarl and lays waste to Bohemia, victory can be assured.

Agrippa spoke in a depressed voice at my words.

“Many people will die.”

“I guess so… It’s all my fault.”

If I were more capable… I might be able to finish it without being forced to make these sacrifices.

But… unfortunately, due to my lack of ability, the Emperor faction will not be able to change their intention to oust me after the war.

Their power must be broken in advance.

However, it is impossible to push them away with the imperial army like Ioannes did.

-Squeak.

Before you know it, a carriage stops.

“Let’s talk about the rest inside.”

So we go into a restaurant called Roman’s Night.

The waiter saw us and greeted us politely.

“His Majesty the Archduke. It’s an honor for you to visit us.”

This time, I visited the restaurant where I first met Lucius with Agrippa.

“It’s been a while.”

“Haha, I will take you inside to the VIP room.”

While waiting for the food to be served in the VIP room under his guidance.

“Ah! I have to give you this.”

I take out a small pouch from my pocket.

“Now, this is a wedding gift.”

When I handed over the bag, Agrippa asked with a puzzled look on his face.

“What is this?”

I say, clearing my throat as I look at Agrippa’s innocent face.

“Hmm… That Mary is still young, so she has too much strength. This is a unicorn horn, so I think you know what to use it for.”

At my words, his calm and cool demeanor disappears and his eyes open wide…

“Wow! thank you. Is this… the famous… unicorn horn?”

Agrippa said that and opened his pocket.

“They say that grinding it up and eating it with alcohol is effective.”

I don’t know because I’ve never worked at night, but I’ve eaten it and stayed up all night…

I definitely think the effect will be good.

“I will write well. Archduke…”

He continued speaking as he looked at Agrippa, who was so moved that he almost cried.

“What does writing well mean…”

I’m going to get spanked by Mary tonight. I gave it to you in advance…

Agrippa, who is naive, doesn’t seem to know that fact, so I open my mouth.

“You know that Mary is also coming on board today, right?”

“Yes…?”