Ch.241Interlude Addition) Conflict (8)

“Until I got entangled with the Bastard King, I had never once felt such powerless emotions—”

On the night when the treaty to be imposed on both the Holy Empire and the Kingdom of Albion was explained, the Emperor returns to his private chamber—essentially a solitary cell—and heaves a deep sigh.

Even for an Emperor unfamiliar with modern treaties of national subjugation, it wasn’t difficult to sense that if he accepted the treaty as Claude suggested, the Empire would soon face a tremendous crisis.

“—And after becoming entangled with him, every day has been filled with powerlessness and despair.”

But even with this intuition, there was nothing the Emperor could do when faced with the alternative of surrendering territory.

After all, selling the future to buy the present is obviously better than having no present at all.

Moreover, for the Emperor who held the perspective of a medieval lord, preserving the national body at the expense of other concessions was clearly the right choice. Even if they suffered economic losses, as long as the land remained, they could someday repay this humiliation.

“…Now the question is what to say tomorrow.”

It had been decided that the treaties to be concluded with each country, apart from the common treaty, would receive separate questions and explanations. Today had been the Albion King’s turn, so tomorrow would be the Empire’s Emperor’s turn.

If tomorrow’s separate treaty between the Holy Empire and the Kingdom of Lotharing contained particularly horrific terms, the Emperor’s only remaining option would be to choose death over humiliation by committing suicide.

However, suicide is a mortal sin that, no matter how many good deeds one has performed, prevents one from seeking God’s mercy and condemns one to rot eternally in hell even on Judgment Day. So in reality, there was essentially no choice left.

‘…Being entangled with the Bastard King has driven me mad too, to even consider suicide as an option.’

Besides, a monarch dying for his country? Such a thing belongs to the realm of unheard-of madness.

The country should sacrifice for the monarch, not the monarch for the country, shouldn’t it?

In this world where treason naturally means an attack against the monarch, a ruler who dies for what is merely his personal property—his country—is a madman whose actions cannot be explained by any reasoning.

Knock, knock—

As the Emperor was organizing his thoughts about the current situation and considering how to proceed, a knocking sound reached his ears.

“…I believe it’s not yet time for bed.”

Accustomed to the long imprisonment and familiar with the schedule of when things happen, the Emperor recognizes it’s not bedtime without even looking at the position of the moon.

Of course, that’s not the only reason. This sound is different from the knocking he usually hears.

All the servants here ignore the Emperor, but even so, they knock very carefully, as if touching something that would become extremely troublesome if they became entangled with it.

But this knock… is not like that.

It carries an overwhelming pressure, as if becoming entangled wouldn’t be troublesome at all, or rather, as if daring him to try. So much so that the Emperor would prefer not to get involved.

“Enter.”

As soon as the Emperor finishes speaking, the door swings open abruptly. It’s more disrespectful than any servant in this Dijon Castle has ever been.

But the Emperor cannot point out this disrespect.

“You…!”

“Excuse my intrusion, Your Majesty.”

Because it’s Chloe, the high chambermaid who had come to warn him to stop harassing the servants.

Despite having seen her for only a few dozen seconds before, that beautiful and seductive appearance, those golden eyes like pure gold, are impossible to forget.

“What is it now? Since your warning, I haven’t said a single word to the servants… though.”

Overwhelmed by Chloe’s presence, the Emperor finds himself making excuses without realizing it.

The Emperor recognizes how unseemly his behavior is, but by the time he realizes it, his words are already trailing off.

“Hehe, it’s not about that. I’ve simply come to propose a small deal.”

“…!”

Having seized control of the conversation, Chloe continues with a satisfied smile, and seeing that seductive smile, the Emperor unconsciously holds his breath, his thoughts becoming paralyzed.

If this woman weren’t a servant of the Lotharing royal family, he might have impulsively pounced on her.

“Ugh… Did you say a deal…?”

But the Emperor restrains that impulse with superhuman patience. It’s because of the last word that lingered in his ears—deal.

No matter how beautiful she may be, this is hardly something a chambermaid should be discussing.

While the position of head chambermaid who oversees all the maids would certainly come with a correspondingly high status, it still could never reach the position of the King of Lotharing or the Emperor of the Holy Empire.

Yet she dares to propose a deal to the Emperor? This would be an unprecedented level of insult to the Emperor, and at the same time, the highest level of disrespect possible to her master.

“…You don’t seem to be in a position to propose deals to me. Are you mocking me?”

Realizing this fact, the Emperor feels his head suddenly grow cold.

Even though he is confined and practically a prisoner, his final shred of dignity—that he hasn’t fallen so low as to be insulted by a mere chambermaid—helps him regain his composure.

“Hmm… Mockery? It’s nothing like that.”

“Then are you saying you hold a position lofty enough to match your master, the King of Lotharing?”

“Not that either. I’m merely a woman of common birth.”

“…Even though I was once dethroned and forcibly restored to power by foreign forces, I haven’t fallen so low as to associate with someone of your position. Considering my confined state, I’ll refrain from hasty words, but I don’t wish to continue this conversation, so please leave immediately—”

The Emperor’s angry words are cut short.

Seeing what Chloe holds in her hand, the Emperor feels his head grow cold again, just as before. The blood that had rushed to his head suddenly disperses throughout his body, making him slightly dizzy.

“—That…! Where, where did you get that!”

The Emperor exclaims in shock upon seeing the broken arrow—a treasure he holds dear that shouldn’t be here—in Chloe’s hand.

Objectively, it’s just a worthless broken arrow, but that arrow is a memento from his first successful hunt as a child.

“Now, are you willing to make a deal?”

The presence of an item that should be in his palace treasury implies two things:

First, she knows enough about him to recognize what he values, even if it has no monetary worth.

Second, her intelligence network is robust enough to access the palace treasury freely.

Having made the Emperor realize this, Chloe smiles as if looking at a mouse in a box that she can play with as she pleases.

“…Does the King of Lotharing know about this?”

“He does not.”

“Who are you?”

“Chloe de Bourgogne. The proud sister of a magnificent brother, the lawful wife of the greatest man, and the agent who has killed all political enemies for Your Majesty’s glory and achievements.”

“…”

It’s a dizzying array of words and sentences.

Sister and wife? Such things were only possible in myths believed by distant ancestors. Moreover, the Queen of Lotharing is Ines of Lorel, so what nonsense is this about being the lawful wife?

And to say she has killed all political enemies for His Majesty’s glory and achievements—why would she suddenly tell me such things—

‘…Reason?’

A realization flashes through the Emperor’s mind.

If she killed the Bastard King’s political enemies… wouldn’t that include his father, the late Emperor?

“…The late Emperor?”

“He met an unfortunate end.”

“You, you…!”

The Emperor suppresses the urge to strangle this woman with superhuman patience.

He needs to know why this villainess has come to him. He needs to know what this deal is.

“—So, will you make the deal?”

“…What do you want?”

The Emperor continues, feeling as if he’s making a deal with the devil.

“My son… Jean-Claude. Appoint him as a lord of the Empire. Soon, vacant territories will appear everywhere as the fake Emperor dies, so you can choose any masterless territory among them.”

“…Huh.”

The Emperor feels as if he’s been hit on the back of the head with a hammer.

The king’s concubine wants to make her son a noble of the Empire—what could this mean?

“You want the throne of Lotharing?”

Currently, all the nobles of Lotharing and Caroling are completely subjugated before the King’s authority. No, not just subjugated—they’ve been utterly crushed.

Traditionally, a successor of lower priority needs their own power base to gain a title. With all the noble factions in the country completely crushed, building one’s own power base is extremely difficult, if not impossible.

‘So this woman wants to borrow the Empire’s power to make her son the King of Lotharing?’

Of course, she might simply not want her son to live as an idle man without a title, but the Emperor, who has observed all kinds of people from his birth as Crown Prince until becoming Emperor, instinctively knows that the woman before him is not that type. The killing intent in her eyes is different.

“Yes, of course. I am His Majesty’s lawful wife, so I cannot allow the throne to be stolen by a concubine’s child.”

“…You speak quickly, which is good. So what can you offer me?”

“Don’t you already know enough?”

“Kuk, indeed.”

What Chloe can offer is sufficient.

Isn’t it the final dagger that can be thrust into the unstoppably growing Kingdom of Lotharing?

The stronger the foundation of this woman’s son becomes, the more difficult the situation will be for the Kingdom of Lotharing.

“Before that, let me ask one thing. You say you’ve eliminated all political enemies for the King of Lotharing until now. What happens to the intelligence network used to eliminate those enemies?”

“Naturally, it goes to Jean-Claude, doesn’t it?”

“Kuk… Very well, the Margrave of Meissen’s territory will soon be vacant, so I’ll give that to him. However, if your son obtains the throne of Lotharing, that margraviate must be returned to my child—that’s the contract.”

“…You’re more generous than I expected.”

“Well, it’s not my territory anyway. Is it my land or the Meissen family’s land?”

“Hehe, that’s true.”

The Emperor surprisingly accepts Chloe’s proposal readily.

The succession law of the Kingdom of Lotharing may dictate that everything goes to the eldest son, but that’s just words on paper. It’s just a recently created text, isn’t it?

Moreover, although he’s not the child of the lawful wife, unlike a bastard born to a mistress, he’s a recognized illegitimate son born to a concubine, acknowledged by the King and everyone else, so he can certainly claim succession rights to Lotharing.

Then… one can reasonably expect that the Kingdom of Lotharing might split in two in the somewhat distant future.

Since he’s not giving away his own territory anyway, he would be a fool like no other to miss such an opportunity.

“It was a good deal. Others might see, so you should go now.”

“There’s no need to hurry. No one comes at this hour anyway… and even if they did see, they would act as if they saw nothing.”

“…”

Seeing Chloe, who exemplifies the perfect villainess, the Emperor is relieved that she is not one of his own people, and Chloe, though not showing it, is equally relieved.

‘…Good thing he fell for it so easily.’

Because she succeeded in deceiving the Emperor.

The woman who intends to give her beloved son the Imperial throne instead if he cannot inherit the throne of Lotharing merely rejoices inwardly.