episode_0011

A man in his 40s sat at a large round table.

A crown rested atop his black hair, sprinkled with patches of white.

Surrounding him were the nobles of the Imperial faction.

Among them, a man clad in elaborate armor pointed to a map and spoke.

“We should establish our headquarters here and deploy our forces like this.”

The man wearing the crown grimaced in response.

“Too defensive, Pyrro.”

At his words, a man named Pyrro spoke up.

“The enemy has a massive 15m high fortress wall. If we launch arrows and catapults from there, we should be at a distance…”

At that moment,

-Clang clang.

The sound of clashing metal pieces drew closer.

A soldier approached the man with the crown and said,

“Your Highness Johannes, a messenger has arrived from the Roman region.”

Upon hearing this, Johannes extended his hand, and the soldier handed him a piece of paper.

“Hmm…”

Johannes pondered, stroking his chin.

Observing him, the people around him began to speak.

“Your Highness Johannes, what is the matter?”

“To live long enough to see this… A young lion suggesting reinforcement.”

The proposal sent by the head of the Ryan family, a knowledgeable family that does not fear death and considers surrender dishonorable.

Seeing this, Johannes felt puzzled, and…

“He’s not a complete fool.”

Johannes, who usually regarded the Ryan family members as fools, had his opinion slightly changed by the new Duke.

“Well… still, what an absurd proposal.”

Silently mocking the new Duke, Johannes handed the paper to the person next to him.

The recipient read it slowly and passed it to the other side.

Before they knew it, a letter had been read by everyone and returned to Johannes.

“What do you all think?”

Johannes’ question stirred up the crowd.

“This damn young lion!”

A man in elaborate attire shouted.

“This is only beneficial to the Nicaea Kingdom, isn’t it?!”

Transferring the Epirus Kingdom to the Nicaea Kingdom would not sit well with them.

Agreeing with this sentiment, others spoke in disbelief.

“Indeed. We have gathered here for the sake of the Empire and the Emperor’s well-being. We cannot accept such an unreasonable proposal.”

The proposal was not accepted by everyone.

But Johannes saw it as a good proposal.

“He’s not a complete novice.”

However, if Johannes were to accept this proposal.

The leader of the Imperial faction would likely change.

Therefore, Johannes could not swallow this sweet poison.

“I feel the same way. We have all gathered here to repay the great favor to the late Emperor. However…”

As Johannes trailed off, the crowd fell silent.

“No strategy comes to mind to overcome the triple fortress walls.”

The Imperial faction’s army had risen for justice.

But that did not mean they all wanted to be embroiled in a war with an uncertain end.

Although they bore the grand title of factions loyal to the Emperor, the factional strife was merely a means to preserve their privileges.

No noble wanted to suffer losses from a prolonged war.

“If we reinforce, we will need the head of that devil, Devian!”

“Right! Right!”

Several people agreed, but…

“I oppose. That condition is unreasonable for the enemy to accept, and we will continue to fight.”

“In that case, let’s set the Duchy on fire!”

“What meaning does burning the Duchy have if we cannot save the Princess?”

-Bang!

Johannes felt the atmosphere growing more hostile.

“Should I intervene now?”

Johannes wondered if things would escalate further during the debate.

If he did not see bloodshed imminent, he preferred to remain silent.

“What should we do then?”

“First, we should try negotiating. Didn’t Congressman Alexander mention that he could benefit more? In that case, it seems like we should start negotiating first and demand a substantial compensation from them.”

Upon hearing the words of the young noble who seemed somewhat competent, Yohannes felt pleased.

“Wasn’t he the eldest son of Count Lachio, Sabi Nelli?”

Having evaluated him as quite competent, Yohannes decided to listen to the conversation a bit more.

“Haha… Are you suggesting we snatch the Grand Duchy of Francesco?”

At that remark, Sabi Nelli shook his head and said, “No. What I meant is…”

Pausing for a moment, Sabi Nelli continued, “Let’s ask for Ephesus.”

“What! How can you say such a thing when there are rebels present? Of course, the necks of the traitorous bandits need to be cut off!”

As Jangnae became agitated by Sabi Nelli’s words, Yohannes organized his thoughts.

On one side, they said that Devian’s neck was a condition for reinforcement.

On the other side, they demanded Ephesus.

“Ephesus… hmm…”

A kingdom known as the Empire’s breadbasket.

It is a region that supplies flour to areas suffering from famine under the Emperor’s direct command.

It is also the reason why the massive city of Rome, the capital of the Roman Empire, is sustained.

“If we cut off the supply of flour from Ephesus to Rome, that place will turn into a living hell.”

In other words, a region that holds the reins of the future Empress and Grand Duke Francesco.

Therefore, Yohannes thought, “I can’t accept that.”

Thinking that the young noble, Sabi Nelli, had misunderstood, Yohannes decided to give him a chance to correct himself.

“Indeed… do you think they will really give that up…?”

With confidence, Sabi Nelli nodded in agreement and said, “Of course. If the young lion goes to war, he will lose everything except Rome. He is a rational person. He wants to rule the Empire in his hands.”

Listening silently to the reasonable words, Yohannes thought to himself.

“He wants the Empire. Not just the city of Rome, but for that, the Grand Duke must protect the Grand Duchy of Francesco.”

“Because… if he loses that place, he won’t receive any support from outside of Rome.”

Agreeing with Yohannes’ words, Sabi Nelli nodded as if to confirm.

“The Grand Duchy of Francesco. It has many resources, fertile land, and a lot of taxes from maritime trade with coastal nations. The Grand Duke cannot afford to lose the Grand Duchy of Francesco. If he loses it… nothing will remain except the soldiers in Rome.”

“Hmm… that makes sense.”

Yohannes pondered what Devian would think if he were in his shoes.

The Emperor’s command.

Should he offer it to the Emperor’s faction and establish good relations with them?

Not a bad idea. After all, the power of the Ryan family comes from the Grand Duchy.

As Yohannes contemplated this, a voice interrupted his thoughts.

-Thud!

“But in the end, isn’t it that both Ephesus and Ephesus are what the Nicaean Kingdom wants?”

With a solemn expression, Yohannes shook his head and said, “I swear here, if we obtain Ephesus and Ephesus, we will divide them fairly among everyone present here.”

“That way… I can exert influence as the leader of the Emperor’s faction.”

In truth, if greed doesn’t get in the way, it’s a lie.

If he acquires those two places and time passes, he won’t be able to ignore the factions.

The two kingdoms are wealthy enough, but monopolizing them alone. He can’t just sit still within the Emperor’s faction.

“These fools are not stupid, they won’t let me monopolize it alone. Maybe the young lion wants this internal discord.”

Thinking this way, Yohannes, who considered Devian to be cunning, fell into deep thought.

“Hmm… this is not enough.”

The reason why the Emperor’s faction can currently overwhelm the anti-Emperor faction is…

“The nobles of the anti-imperial faction are rapidly leaving, and all the neutral factions are siding with us…”

However, if the Epirus and Ejeop are obtained by the imperial faction, the neutral factions are no longer important. It’s because the imperial faction alone can overwhelm the anti-imperial faction that was once strong.

“In that case… we must paint the picture of the future.”

“Good. Then, how about we make ensuring Princess Joy’s safety our minimum condition, along with Epirus and Ejeop, and in case of any unforeseen events?”

At Yohannes’ words, the nobles ponder one by one.

It seems like they are considering what would benefit their own families.

“That sounds good!”

“Yes! There might be another purge of the emperor in the future. It’s only natural.”

Feeling that some consensus has been reached, Yohannes looks at the secretary and says, “Then send a letter to Councilor Alexander. Our minimum demand is Epirus, Ejeop, and Princess Joy.”

Yohannes, having said that, looks at the people sitting around the table.

“First, listen to their demands and consider whether to strengthen the alliance or not.”

Everyone agrees with that statement.

***

“Princess… Princess Hwatae!”

A loud voice echoes in the hall.

“Let go! You dogs of the Duke!”

“Except for those permitted by the Duke, no one else can enter here.”

Curious, I change my steps and head towards where the voices are coming from.

I see Chairman Charles trying to enter the area where the nobles are staying, and the soldiers blocking his way.

“What’s going on?”

“Princess Hwatae?!”

The soldier salutes with the tip of his spear pointing towards the ceiling at my words.

-Thud.

“Princess Hwatae!… The foolish Duke has caused an incident.”

As if this is the perfect opportunity, Chairman Charles kneels down with tears in his eyes.

“The Duke… that bastard has persecuted the Imperial Court and received an unreasonable verdict.”

I am puzzled by his words.

“An unreasonable verdict?”

At that moment, his words flash through my mind.

-We are going to get married.

I don’t know why that sentence comes to mind, but I am momentarily engulfed in anxiety.

“Wha… what?”

Chairman Charles nods as if confirming my thoughts.

“That bastard! He made it possible to change the Emperor’s residence.”

No… it can’t be… how… why?

As I make an incredulous expression, he hands me a few sheets of paper.

“Please look at it, Your Highness.”

I quickly scan the document written in fancy handwriting, labeled as a verdict.

[Article 12, Paragraph 2 of the Imperial Law is in violation of the Imperial Law and is henceforth null and void.]

Reading the contents, my body trembles.

A deep sense of betrayal, anger, and humiliation mix in my emotions…

-Thud… thud…

I crumple the paper roughly and throw it on the floor.

“Can I tolerate such a verdict? No, I will exercise the Emperor’s veto on this verdict before it is finalized.”

The Emperor’s absolute privilege to nullify this absurd verdict before it is executed is the right of veto.

I will use that to overturn this unreasonable verdict.

“Your… Highness… th… that…”

Chairman Charles looks dumbfounded.

“What’s the problem?”

“According to the Imperial Law… the Crown Prince or Princess cannot exercise the right of veto…”

I look at Chairman Charles with a blank expression at his words.

“Then? If the coronation ceremony is held…?”

Chairman Charles shakes his head at my words.

“To hold the coronation ceremony, we must bring the Pope here… but that treacherous Duke will never allow it.”

“No… it can’t be… where is that law written?”

I look at the chairman with a bewildered expression.

“The Emperor’s privileges… can only be used after the coronation ceremony… that’s the precedent of the Supreme Court…”

My legs go weak at his words.

-Thud.

“Then… can the Assembly condemn it? After all, this is not a trial by the Supreme Court, right?”

“The council tried to convene to condemn, but… the council building is closed under the excuse of safety due to cracks appearing.”

Those despicable bastards… truly playing dirty…

That unlucky smirk comes to mind, making my teeth grind.

-Thud…

Ravaging a sacred council like this?

“I won’t stand idly by!”

And so, I head towards the Grand Chamber’s office.

“Ha… Princess Hwangtae?!”