episode_0017

Early in the morning, soldiers block Eepa, who was on her way to wake up Princess Hwantaenyeo.

“Eepa! You are under arrest for espionage.”

“E… espionage?”

Eepa freezes at the sudden appearance of the soldiers.

“You’ll find out once you go!”

“Eek!”

The soldiers grab Eepa’s thin arms and drag her away, as onlookers murmur in shock.

“How… did Eepa manage to escape the eyes of the Grand Duke…”

“Quickly inform Princess Hwantaenyeo…”

Eepa’s eyes grow lifeless as she watches the soldiers dragging her away with her hands bound.

She is thrown into the underground prison of the palace, feeling despair as the soldiers lock the door roughly.

“Is this… the end?”

She had been close to Teodora since she was young, treating her like a sister. Teodora, who had taken care of her like a family friend despite being an orphan. And the always kind and gentle Empress.

“Second Prince…”

To repay the overwhelming love she received from them, Eepa monitored Devian’s activities through the maids and reported them to Teodora.

Now, in the dark prison, she feels that she may not survive to leave this place.

She despairs at the thought of never seeing the bright sunlight again.

“Princess Hwantaenyeo… what will become of me?”

Watching the torches burning in the dark prison, she contemplates what lies ahead.

“Perhaps… I will be tortured?”

She had heard stories of the former Grand Duke imprisoning and torturing those who opposed him in the underground prison.

Even the Emperor and the Princes…

“Am I the only one here? If so, then I am lucky.”

Eepa worries if her colleagues have also been brought here.

***

Charles, the Speaker, leaves his house.

Today is the day of the Imperial Council’s main session.

It is an important day where Imperial members gather from all over the Empire to discuss bills and national affairs.

Charles, diligent as always, rides his carriage early in the morning towards the Council Hall.

Starting the morning smoothly, Charles believes that his day will be as ordinary as yesterday.

But his expectations are shattered.

There are large men blocking the Speaker’s carriage.

They stop the carriage and say,

“Halt!”

“Who are you?! Do you know who is riding in this carriage?!”

“We know, we have received a message from the Grand Duke that he wishes to meet with Charles, the Speaker.”

“The Grand Duke’s message?”

At those words, Charles looks out the window and sees several men in shabby attire surrounding the carriage.

“If they were the Grand Duke’s soldiers… they would be wearing armor…”

Perplexed by their appearance, Charles lowers the window and says,

“If the Grand Duke wishes to see me, tell him to come to the Council Hall, as I am busy with Council matters.”

Saying this to the men in shabby attire…

“The Grand Duke wishes to see you?”

They say, opening the carriage door and forcing Charles to sit inside.

“What… is this?!”

As they grab Charles’ arms and force him into the carriage, sounds of someone being beaten outside the carriage can be heard.

“You scoundrels! Is this the Grand Duke’s will?!”

Charles shouts in anger…

-Thunk!

“Shut up! This old man! If we had listened to each other from the beginning, we would have been on good terms, right?”

-Sigh.

As the carriage door opens…

“Smith!”

Charles’ coachman, Smith, is thrown into the carriage unconscious.

“What… what is this?!”

– Save the person!, Is anyone there?!

-Gu… Guards!

As the surroundings become noisy…

“Hey! Drive the carriage quickly to a quiet place!”

Charles senses someone starting to drive the carriage.

“You! Do you think you can get away with doing this to me, the chairman of the Imperial Council, in the middle of Roman?”

One of the men who looks like the leader among the men says, seemingly unimpressed by Charles’ words.

“Well? It’s what His Grace ordered, right? And don’t worry, he said he’ll release you in a few days.”

Looking at the man who is smirking, Charles feels a sense of seriousness.

***

The moment I step out of the palace.

“Your Grace…”

A handsome blond man approaches me and whispers softly.

“The kidnapping was successful.”

I nod in response and get into the carriage.

-Thud!

The carriage door closes, and I stare blankly out the window.

Is this the right thing to do?

Even though I know what will happen in the future, is what I am doing right now…

I don’t know if I am doing the right thing.

I say to myself.

Isn’t politics about needing strong power to do something and oppressing people for that power?

I won’t become a monster.

Let’s save the world by wielding power, and when we save the world… let’s give up power.

That’s my resolution.

To avoid becoming a monster.

As I feel the carriage slowly moving, fatigue washes over me.

“Sigh…”

Come to think of it… I stayed up all night as soon as I arrived in Roman.

The day before, I slept on the streets, and yesterday, I stayed up all night preparing for today’s tasks with Agrippa…

I am planning to stay up all night today as well.

I don’t remember the last time I slept well after Valerian’s death.

I am doing my best to support the Empire, but does anyone besides Agrippa and Mary know?

Everyone will see me as a usurper or someone obsessed with power.

With a sigh, I head towards the council chamber.

***

Visiting the Imperial Council.

Normally, as the deputy of the Duke, I wouldn’t have to visit the council for voting, but today is a special day, so I visited in person.

“[The chairman hasn’t arrived yet?]”

[Is something wrong?]

[Hmm?]

[Wait… isn’t the author the Duke of Francesco?]

[What’s going to happen today…]

The buzzing noise from the entrance of the council chamber suddenly quiets down.

Their thoughts are not wrong. From today onwards, the political structure of the Empire will completely change.

When I think about that…

“Your… Your Grace, why did you visit the council today?”

An old man rushes over and says in a fluster.

“Is everything alright, Victor?”

This person is Victor, the representative sent by our Francesco Duchy.

“Thanks to you, I’ve been well. But… without any notice…”

I smile brightly at the perplexed Victor.

“I’ve come to observe how the Empire Council operates after a long time.”

With that, I head to the office with Victor.

“Haha, if you had given me a heads-up, I would have gone to greet you.”

“It was a sudden decision, so I couldn’t inform you in advance.”

Victor nods in agreement with my words.

-Creak!

As Victor opens the door to his office, I enter inside.

A luxurious carpet with impressive patterns, a sofa, and an elegant desk.

“Haha, please have a seat first.”

I sit down and speak.

“I came here for a significant announcement at today’s council meeting,” Victor says, nodding solemnly at my words.

“W-what announcement?”

“That is…”

***

After finishing the conversation with Victor, I head towards the Grand Assembly Hall.

It seems like all the attending members have already arrived.

And there, a noticeable empty seat.

“Ahem… Well then, since Chairman Charles is unable to attend on time, I will proceed as the acting chairman,” says Alexander, taking his seat at the chairman’s podium.

“Today, we will review the emergency bill proposed by His Majesty, King Johannes of Nicaea, to the Imperial Council.”

“An emergency bill from King Johannes?”

“This is the first I’ve heard of it. Have any of you heard anything?”

“I am also hearing of this for the first time, Representative Tiberius.”

The members start to murmur at the news.

But without paying attention to the commotion, Alexander nods to the people around him and they begin distributing papers to the seated members.

And soon…

I glance through the paper handed to me.

[Greetings, esteemed members of the Imperial Council.

I am King Johannes of Nicaea, leading the Imperial faction with some measure of success.

It is an infinite honor to be able to inform you about the agreement reached between the Imperial and Anti-Imperial factions.

This decision was made out of a desperate desire to avoid a war that would only bring harm to all, led by the resolute decision of Duke Francesco, who possesses a young but strong leadership. I hope that the members working for the Empire will understand this.

Furthermore, after meeting the young man, Devian Lyon, I have come to realize that he is a valuable presence who will illuminate the future of the Empire.

As the matter at hand is the only way to save the Empire from the turmoil of civil war, I urgently request your consideration of this bill.]

I quickly skim through the lengthy introduction and turn the page.

This is where it gets interesting.

From the next page onwards, it contains the details of the alliance between me and Johannes, a declaration of support for me and Theodora, and an appeal for unity.

As I smile and turn the page, the main content is revealed.

Before I can finish reading the main content…

“A-are you kidding me?! How can the Imperial faction…”

“This is outrageous! This is treason!”

“We cannot pass this bill! It is invalid!”

The hall becomes chaotic.

Well… that’s to be expected…

The bill proposes changing the existing imperial-centric system to be centered around me.

As I think about it, changing the foundation of the Empire’s laws is no small matter.

It could stir up opposition from the Empire’s citizens, lead to a complete break with the neutral factions, and cause unnecessary notoriety and scrutiny.

For someone like me who desires long-term stability in governance, this is not a very beneficial choice.

Therefore, instead of amending the Imperial Charter, I decided to add a new law to the Empire’s laws.

“Are you saying a new department called the Grand Council will be established?”

Exactly…

By creating new departments like the Treasury Department and the Foreign Affairs Department, we can create a superior institution above all departments.

And by formally placing the Emperor at the top, I gain the right to intervene in all policies without changing the Imperial Charter.

Well, if the Emperor interferes, I can just ignore it, it’s just a formality.

Since I have the authority to appoint and dismiss all department heads, which I will take from Theodora, they will have no choice but to follow my orders over the Emperor’s.

Well… if they don’t comply, a little coercion should do the trick.

After all, I am the only one in Roman with a military.

However, I cannot personally propose such a bill.

If someone who seems to have a bad relationship with me proposes it, it can add a dramatic effect.

For example… the leader of the Imperial Faction…

The bill was already carefully crafted by Agrippa, myself, and the chief justices through an all-night deliberation, and we requested Johannes’ name during the last joint session.

Of course, instead of the Imperial Faction, I personally appointed Johannes by the Emperor’s name to confer honors upon Epirus and Ezeb.

Well, the nobles of the Imperial Faction will surely tremble with betrayal, but what can they do?

They are called the Imperial Faction. If the Emperor gives, they cannot openly oppose the Emperor.

They will slowly try to target Johannes with various excuses.

Well, that’s just a side note, the most important thing is…

The fact that Johannes, who is famously hostile towards me, proposed a bill for my sake is crucial.

The idea of former enemies acknowledging and helping each other…

It’s quite a beautiful picture.

It’s a wonderful image of people who were known for their hostile relationship acknowledging each other.