episode_0075

An unexpected remark from the Duke’s mouth.

The moment Rosetta finished calculating what it meant, a sentence automatically popped out of her head.

‘This fucking lizard…’

He said that he would pass on the title of Duke to himself, not to Katlena or Helios.

It was enough to overturn public opinion that existed there.

“Rosebetta?”

“Hmm.. It’s definitely something I never thought of”

“But if you think about it, that doesn’t seem so bad.. He has the ability and character to lead this country just like the Duke, and he also has the legitimacy as the founder of this country.”

“I completely agree. To be honest, Princess Elios is capable, but isn’t she still no match for Lady Rosebeta?”

“That’s right. Strictly speaking, there is no law that says a child must become the successor, especially in our case.”

Until just now, the public opinion that Roseveta had created was divided into 40% of the lords supporting the Duke and 60% supporting herself or acting according to natural order.

However, the story the Duke came up with.

There was virtually no one here who could oppose the proposal to appoint his wife, Rosetta, as successor.

Unfortunately, there is still no force that supports only Elios, and the current public opinion about her is entirely in the hands of Rosebetta.

Sam, who had been working hard to create this situation, ended up strangling her.

And above all, what Elios said after hearing these words…

“Well… Now that I think about it, that might not be such a bad thing.”

“..Elios? Ha.. But..”

“It’s okay. Honestly, if my mother becomes the next duke, I have no reason to oppose it.”

“But..still..this..”

“Really. It’s okay. Accept it. If it comes down to it, it’s possible for my mother to pass the throne to me.”

“… .sigh… ”

Elios’ attitude is filled with regret, but at the same time, it also contains a look of acceptance.

This ended up destroying the last bit of Rosetta’s will to fight back.

‘In the end… I guess he has no intention of doing anything for his eldest daughter even if he dies by his own hand.’

At face value, it was a story that was no different from a mere rumor.

Depending on how you look at it, it could be seen that if Rosebetta inherited the throne, she would have just handed it over to Elios.

Politically speaking, it could be said that even if things went a bit differently, in the end, she got what she wanted.

However, for Rosetta, as a mother and not a duchess, this was not such a simple story.

The Duke’s actions could be interpreted as a final message that he had no intention of doing anything to Elios.

That is, he had no intention of giving Elios his fatherly love until the end.

“Then, since there seems to be no one against it, I think it would be best to wrap up this issue here. I will hold the successor appointment ceremony soon, so let’s meet again then. Then, I will call today’s meeting to a close.”

The Duke leaves the meeting room with those words.

So, without any particular problems, the appointment of the successor ended up as the Duke wanted, and while Rosetta achieved a complete victory politically, she suffered a complete defeat as her mother.

‘I never thought I’d end up kneeling like this… As expected… you’re the kind of person…’

*

His beloved wife.

Duke Radu designated Duchess Mina Rosebetta Dragona as his successor.

The reason he made this choice was not simply because, in the current situation, she was the only person he could choose other than Elios.

No matter how much I thought about it, the only person who was most suitable for the current situation was his wife.

A being with great power that surpasses even herself as the strongest witch in existence, not to mention ability and legitimacy.

And above all, she was also a subject who had come to this position as a vassal of the empire, just like me.

Although his loyalty was not as strong as his own, Radu judged that at least he was not someone who would openly oppose the empire like Elios.

Of course, there was a possibility that Roseveta would immediately hand over the throne to Elios, but the Duke had his own thoughts on that matter.

‘Elios’s support base is still weak, but there are quite a few people in the duchy who are loyal to only Roseveta. At this time, it would not be easy for even Roseveta to abdicate and withdraw from politics. With this, a safety device has been established that could last at least several years… or even longer.’

Of course, it was only a stopgap measure with limitations and could not be said to be perfect, but with this, he did his best as a loyal subject of the empire, and what happened after that was out of his control.

Also, this is the thing that Rosetta is most worried about.

It would have been possible to prevent discord between the daughters due to a fight over succession.

‘Elios also showed a satisfactory reaction right away, so there won’t be any major problems between the children. This is it… I’ve kept the peace in my home, and at least I won’t be putting the empire in danger with my own hands.’

The Duke who fulfilled his duty in his own way

A peaceful smile began to appear on his lips.

*

“You are..a really bad person..”

“Why are you saying this now?”

The Duke responded with a slight smile to the words of his wife and now heir, Rosetta.

Now, he was just happy that he had easily solved a difficult problem, but… on the other hand, Rosebetta, who was watching this, was just feeling frustrated and perplexed.

“Did you really have to do that? As a father, you had to… ”

“I’ve always said this, but I was just doing what I had to do as a loyal subject of the empire. You probably know better than anyone else that I am a person who is not entangled in personal feelings when it comes to national affairs, right?”

“… Sigh..”

At the Duke’s words, Rosetta was left speechless.

Since Elios was born, Roseveta has been trying to solve this problem, and this incident could be seen as an extension of that.

So this ended up being another failure.

Just as it has always been.

Rather, this incident only served to clearly prove once again that the two could not become closer, or to be precise, that Duke Dragona could not love Elios.

“Well, would you like a drink? To celebrate your appointment as your successor.”

“… That shamelessness is almost admirable now.”

“It’s much better to quickly forget about problems that can’t be solved and do constructive things. Don’t you already know this?”

“That’s true, but…”

“As you may already know from experience, Elios and I have very different personalities. We both have very strong personalities, so the closer we get, the more conflict will arise.”

“I think it is your duty as a father to overcome that difference?”

“I’m sorry, but unlike you, I don’t have the ability to do that.”

“… Sigh..”

Rosebetta sighs deeply at the Duke’s words.

Although she had a lot more to say, she felt that talking any further would only tire her out.

I knew from experience that it was of little use.

‘Really… He’s a really good person, except for his excessive loyalty to Elios.’

Although he was the worst father to Elios, other than that, the Duke was a very impeccable husband to Rosebetta.

He was certainly a devoted father to his other two daughters, and this was especially true for his wife, Rosetta.

Even for this moment, from Rosetta’s perspective, there was room for some positivity in that at least he had neatly resolved the issue of succession, which could have been a source of conflict among the children.

If she had been such a worthless person to begin with, she would not have been able to have a happy married life with her husband.

Because of this, Rosebetta also loved such a husband, and because of these things, she had no choice but to make some concessions in her relationship with Elios.

Above all, she always felt guilty that it was her fault that things had come to this point, so Rosebetta slowly accepted the bitter drink her husband offered her, feeling sorry for her daughter.

“Please take care of me in the future. After the successor appointment ceremony, the succession ceremony will be held soon.”

“.. If this is the case, I don’t think I’ll be able to keep that promise. After you retire, we were supposed to travel the world leisurely together..”

“That is truly regrettable.”

As she felt the leisurely life she had always longed for slipping away, Rosebetta spoke with a bitter voice, and the Duke also expressed his regret about that.

The eventful process of appointing a successor to the Duchy of Dragona ultimately resulted in the Duke of Dragona designating his wife as his successor.

At first glance, it may seem like a petty struggle by a father who is trying to avoid passing down his title to his daughter.

But… at this moment, the Duke did not know.

This decision he later decided was the best option.

About the fact that it will be the starting point of something unimaginable and enormous.

At the same time, it would remain the worst for the Empire and the greatest achievement for the Duchy of Dragona.