episode_0005

I am sitting in my room, reading a report.

News that the Imperial Army is hastily gathering.

What worries me is that the size of the troops is not insignificant.

“Sigh… Even the neutral faction has turned to the Imperial faction…”

It was something that already happened in the original work. I expected it to happen.

Fortunately, the capital is protected by triple walls and a wide river.

And with the large water fortress built on that river, it is not easy to land by boat. Breaking through the thick triple walls is almost impossible no matter how many numbers there are.

Perhaps this place will be safe.

“But…”

I want to avoid shedding blood as much as possible.

To prevent unnecessary sacrifices, I must fight against the cultists who want to resurrect the Demon King in the darkness and, if necessary, against the resurrected Demon King and his subordinates…

– Members of the Grand Council have arrived.

I respond to the voice of the guards outside.

“Bring them in.”

-Creak.

Three men enter my room with a cheerful sound of the door.

Charles, the representative of the Lwanda Kingdom.

Formpheus, a member of the Imperial Council.

Alexander, the representative of the Nicaea Kingdom in the east.

All three are highly respected members and loyal followers of the former emperor.

They are wise like snakes, so I speak cautiously.

“Welcome.”

As I gesture for them to sit in front of my desk, the three members sit down with cautious expressions.

“Ahem… I heard there was a disturbance yesterday.”

Charles starts.

We need to sever ties with Balorung as much as possible here.

Otherwise… negotiations with the Imperial faction will be in jeopardy.

No matter how safe this side is, negotiations require meeting certain conditions.

Among them… the minimum condition of the other party is not to be involved in Balorung’s rebellion.

“Disturbance… It’s difficult to say that the cunning Balorung is dead.”

I say a little exaggeratedly.

“Is that so? I don’t understand why Balorung is considered cunning.”

Charles looks at me with a puzzled expression.

Since they are affiliated with the Imperial faction and need to negotiate with them…

“First, he killed the former emperor and violated the empire’s laws, mocked them, and persecuted the nobles to plunder the empire.”

And the most important words are spoken after a brief pause.

“And he tried to summon the Demon King in collaboration with the cultists.”

“W-what?!”

“D-Duke, is what you’re saying true?”

I nod at the strong reactions of the members.

The front part is a story that everyone in the empire knows.

But the part about trying to summon the Demon King… is a story known only to me and Agripa.

“Here, take a look at this.”

I hand them a piece of paper with unknown symbols and a decryption table.

“What is this?”

As the members look at what I handed them, I say, “This is evidence of collaboration with the cultists, and there should be a mark of the cultists carved on Balorung’s body. Check it after we finish.”

Stopping them from reading, Formpheus looks at me.

“So… how will the Duke handle the current situation? Will you return to the Grand Duchy of Francesco?”

Formpheus, a member of the council.

Originally a commoner, he became a member of the council with the support of the citizens of the city of Bayren for his great service in the war.

He values honor more than life itself.

Therefore… he must not fear death and speak so directly.

“No, if I withdraw from here now… the Imperial faction will not stay still.”

Duke Balorung deceived Rome with despicable tricks and executed the emperor.

No matter how much I say I killed Balorung, the empire…

Will inevitably be hostile to me and the Grand Duchy.

And… to eliminate the cultists scattered throughout the empire… it is advantageous to control the empire, so I have no intention of returning to the Grand Duchy.

However, Phompeus responded with a tight-lipped, cold gaze, nodding his head.

“So, does this mean that with the death of the Grand Duke who trampled the Empire, now the Devian Grand Duke will finish the job? What a waste of time.”

I shrugged my shoulders in response.

“I am not a fool. It is clear that the Empire and the royal family will stop at nothing to eliminate me and the Grand Duchy. I have a duty to protect the safety of those who believe in and follow me.”

But Phompeus seemed to ignore my words.

“Alright then, are you done? I don’t want to waste any more time.”

And with that, he left.

Well… I somewhat expected this.

Phompeus, with his upright demeanor, always speaks his mind directly.

He is not deeply involved in politics.

Those who are deeply involved in politics would never want to express their true feelings directly.

They would rather hide their true intentions, make the other party feel anxious, and gain as much as possible through deception.

The reason Phompeus was summoned here…

Was to give them the impression that I am a political novice and…

“Ahem… Master, how about this?”

Councilman Alexander smiled broadly and continued.

“If you marry into the royal family, wouldn’t that dispel any doubts?”

It was to lure this political veteran.

I raised an incredulous expression at his words.

“If you mean the royal family…”

Councilman Alexander nodded.

“Princess Joy is known for her beauty and kindness… and isn’t she famous as the beloved younger sister of the next Empress, Princess Theodora?”

Hmm… I didn’t want Joy.

Princess Joy is ranked second in the imperial succession and unlike Theodora, she is gentle and kind.

If I were to marry her, I might not want to make my beloved sister a widow, and she might not try to kill me.

No… Theodora would definitely try to kill me.

She would try to kill me in a way that wouldn’t reveal her identity.

She might even try to poison me.

Well, for now, I have to refuse.

“If there is such a good way, Councilman Alexander, can you mediate with the royal family?”

“Haha! Of course! I will convey the Grand Duke’s intentions to the Empress Mother.”

I nodded anxiously and said, “But I am not reassured by Princess Joy. The world is so cruel, you know.”

Princess Joy is kind and beautiful.

And personally, I hope she lives happily.

In the original work, Theodora, who escaped and suffered under Balor, eventually became a sacrifice to the Demon King.

So… I don’t want to involve her in this chaotic political struggle.

Moreover, Theodora currently holds strong legitimacy as the imperial Princess, so I have to support her.

But perhaps knowing my intentions, Speaker Charles, with a troubled expression, said, “Then…?”

“I would prefer… something safer.”

My words made Speaker Charles and Councilman Alexander stiffen their faces.

“Surely…”

“Are you perhaps considering… the Princess?”

At their words, I smiled brightly and said, “Yes, I have admired her for a long time.”

Admired her? I’ve only seen her face twice in my life.

And the second time, she was already my prospective mother-in-law.

“What… What nonsense! Isn’t the Grand Duke going too far?”

Charles retorted with anger.

As if there was no problem.

“What do you mean?”

“Are you trying to deceive us?! Are you planning to marry the Princess and seize the Empire?”

“No, I have no ambition for the throne. I only intend to marry her, I have no desire for the throne.”

At that moment…

Alexander whispered into Chairman Charles’ ear.

“Hmm… Let’s talk together for a moment.”

*Squeak!*

With that, the two of them left the room for a moment.

So… what will they be thinking?

Will they go in the direction Baloran thought of?

What choice will they make…

If it’s not the direction I want, things will get complicated.

I need to buy time.

I need to make it seem like I have no ambition towards the imperial faction, appearing like a young innocent boy so they will ignore me and give me time.

But by then, their power will slowly be dying like a frog in a pot of slowly boiling water.

How much time has passed?

Maybe they are considering troop deployments in case they have to confront the imperial faction.

*Squeak!*

Alexander and Chairman Charles enter.

“Hmm… Your Highness, we believe your suspicions are reasonable, so we will arrange a marriage with the Empress Mother on your behalf.”

It’s going too smoothly according to my plan, isn’t it?

Are they all just corrupt politicians who value their own lives?

At that moment, Chairman Charles speaks with a glint in his eyes.

“However, Your Highness, you must enter as a son-in-law to Princess Teodora.”

Son-in-law…

In simple terms, it means changing my surname, Ryan, to the imperial family’s surname, Augustus.

The reason being…

“This way, the offspring of Princess Teodora and Your Highness can become the next emperor smoothly.”

According to imperial law, only the Augustus family can become the emperor.

I expected this.

Well… actually, it was Baloran who first anticipated this kind of scenario.

I will use the plan Baloran devised to rebel and seize the empire.

“That’s ridiculous. I saved the empire from the clutches of the wicked demons. How dare you ask me to do such a thing?”

In reality, when a man and a woman marry here, the woman’s surname changes to the man’s surname.

Unless it’s a marriage like this, where the man enters the woman’s family.

But the truth is, since the man is inferior to the woman, he cannot pass on his surname to the offspring.

So, I have to show my displeasure here.

Don’t smile. Even if things are going according to my plan, don’t smile.

So, I suppress my smile and show my anger.

“Do you think of me as a mere commodity? Do you find the Ryan family ridiculous?”

The two of them show no reaction to my words.

Perhaps they thought I would get angry and call off the marriage with Teodora if I heard such words.

Fortunately, seeing things go as I expected, I continue speaking.

“And it sounds like you’re saying that the Francesco Grand Duchy will be taken over by the Augustus family!”

As if it’s obvious, they both nod in agreement, and Charles steps forward to speak.

“We have never disregarded the Ryan family. But if a woman ascends to the throne, the spouse must naturally give up their surname according to the strict laws of the empire.”

“Indeed. Even the emperor cannot be above the laws of the empire.”

They are considering two scenarios.

First, if I obediently change my surname to Augustus as they demand.

The child born between Teodora and me will bear the Augustus surname.

And… the next emperor born between us will inherit both the Francesco Grand Duchy and the empire.

In that situation, Teodora might be satisfied.

It may be difficult at first, but once a child is born and I die, the young child can rule the Francesco Grand Duchy through regency and may even become the next emperor, gaining immense territories.

But they don’t know. They don’t know that I promised to pass on the Grand Duchy to Mary’s child if I die. That’s why they are making this proposal.

The second scenario is…

I cannot accept this situation and simply give up on marrying Theodora.

This is not bad for them either.

In the end, since I have no justification to station troops in Rome, I have no choice but to lead my troops down obediently.

Even if I do not go down obediently, I have no choice but to watch as the Imperial faction tramples on the Grand Duchy of Francesco.

If I lose the foundation of my power, the Grand Duchy, it will be difficult to manage the empire in the future, so I must prevent it at all costs.

If I withdraw from Rome to save the Grand Duchy…

After that, I will stabilize the situation by focusing on the authority of the Emperor and the Imperial Council.

In other words… if I step back, the situation will flow as they want it to.

Well… realistically, it would be best to negotiate with them and ensure safety, but unfortunately, I have no intention of doing so.

-Sigh.

When I read the Romance of the Three Kingdoms before, I thought Cao Cao was a really bad guy…

A turbulent hero who persecuted Emperor Yuhyeop and laid the foundation for the unification of the Three Kingdoms.

I don’t particularly like him, but now, at this moment, I have become a similar figure.

I feel a bit bitter, realizing that life is truly unpredictable.

I am the only one who knows that the demon worshippers plan to resurrect the Demon King.

And to stop them, the authority of the Emperor is necessary.

That’s why I cannot step back.

My choice is…

“Ha, I cannot acknowledge such absurd laws. How about this instead? I know there is a law that states only those from the Augustus family can become Emperor according to the Imperial Law.”

Charles nods as if it is obvious at my words.

“That’s right, Grand… Unfortunately, if the Grand Duke wishes to marry the Imperial Princess…”

Interrupting Charles, who is about to speak, I say, “Then, we will establish the Augustus-Lion family by combining our Ryan family and the Augustus family. Our descendants will belong to that family in the future.”

At my words…

Both of them look at me as if I am saying something unbelievable.

“Really, Grand Duke, it seems you do not understand because you are young. This is a strict law that has been upheld in our empire for two thousand years.”

“Yes, it doesn’t happen overnight…”

Cutting off their words quickly, I say, “There is no need to follow a wrong law. And whether it is a wrong law or not… that will be judged by the Supreme Court.”

When making laws, there are times when they conflict with other laws.

The right to repeal and judge a wrong law to resolve such contradictions.

Only the Supreme Court has that right.

And…

They would not know that Valoran has recruited a Supreme Court judge to resolve this situation.

“Grand Duke, you seem to know very little about the world’s affairs. Do you think the Supreme Court judges will listen to the Grand Duke’s arguments?”

I smile at their words and nod my head as if to say, “Wait and see.”

“Ugh… Grand Duke! Before the Supreme Court’s ruling is issued, the Imperial faction will surround Rome. It will be irreversible then.”

Do they think I am a fool?

-Sigh.

“Well, I will take care of that myself.”

-Smart!

Someone knocks on the door.

“Grand Duke, Agrippa Kyeong is here.”

I reply, “Bring him in quickly.”

-Creak!

After Agrippa enters my room, I tell Charles and Alexander, “Then let’s stop here for today. I will contact you soon with good news.”

They nod as if understanding and leave.

Agrippa opens his mouth after confirming that they have left.

“Grand Duke, we have collected all the bodies of the late Emperor and the nobles.”

I feel a bitter taste in my mouth at his words.

“Alright…, then prepare the funeral according to the customs of the empire…”

Since I owe a debt to the late Emperor…

I have many feelings of regret for his death.

“Yes. I will do so.”

And after conveying the tasks to Agrippa, I start today’s official duties in earnest.