episode_0115

The documents inside the envelope were once again lifted onto the table by the rough and rugged hands of the two men.

The silence filled Yulrian’s office, engulfing it in a quiet stillness. The red glow of the fountain pen-shaped artifact, brought out to prevent eavesdropping, seemed to dim slightly.

However, the silence that filled the office was different from the one on the carriage ride to work. After all, the main characters were not Yulrian, but Christian and Ernst.

“Sigh… a conspiracy…”

The long silence came to an end with a deep sigh from Christian. Staring at the documents on the table for a long time, Christian still seemed unable to believe the truth. He ran his hand over his stubbled chin, taking another deep breath.

Was it because of his parents’ death? Christian grasped the documents on the table and began to carefully review their contents.

But no matter how much he looked, the contents written on the documents would not change.

In contrast, Ernst, the large man with a stoic expression, was a bit different. Always deep in thought with a blank expression, Ernst finally spoke in a low voice, holding a glass with droplets of water in his hand.

“I was aware that the Emperor’s eyes were moving diligently lately…”

There was no hint of surprise in his sunken eyes. Sipping his cold tea with a blank expression, he was simply hiding his emotions and organizing his thoughts as usual.

Ernst slowly raised his head. With lifeless eyes, he faced his master.

“Your Highness, it seems to be true. The documents you provided…”

Yulrian nodded silently.

“Yes. Most likely, these documents have been forged.”

Yulrian’s low voice filled the office. He quickly finished his cold tea, which had become lukewarm due to the hot weather.

The reason for disturbing Yulrian’s sleep last night was because of this fact.

No matter how much he thought about it, there was no need for the Empress to throw such a big gamble like accusing her of treason.

Of course, it was true that the balance had shifted towards the side of the next Empress, as the rumors circulated among the courtiers. The possibility of the next Empress becoming the Empress was high. The powerful rulers of the border regions, who were keen on the scent of power, had begun to protect their sons.

However, that did not mean that the game was completely decided.

The wealth and power accumulated by the Empress and Viscount Edmund were still in their hands.

Although the power of the Western forces had entered the hands of the Empress, it was only a strengthening of the Empress’s faction, not a weakening of the Empress’s power.

So the Empress still had a chance. There was still plenty of time for them to make their final move on the tilted game board.

For this reason, the Empress, who had been quiet since the founding celebration, had begun to move again. Viscount Edmund was also quietly recruiting people behind the scenes.

It was too early to play the card of treason. Even if they prepared a trump card and then sought treason, it would not be too late.

Moreover, there was not a single piece of definite information in the documents received from the Emperor.

The information regarding treason in the documents was as follows:

– Complaints have been pouring in at gatherings of the Empress and Viscount Edmund’s factions, stating that His Majesty the Emperor does not publicly support the Empress’s rival, the Crown Prince.

The documents contained information about the individuals present at the gathering and the radical statements they made.

– Suspicious movements were detected in the territory of the Edmund Viscount family, located to the east of the capital.

It was confirmed that dozens of suspicious figures had moved within the territory, and several covered wagons had entered the territory, their contents hidden by cloth. The documents detailed the time the suspicious figures moved in and out of the territory, as well as the number and time of the wagons entering the territory.

– Due to the anxiety caused by the closeness between the Baron of Beorn and the Crown Princess, Viscount Edmund, who had been dismissed, was observed to have used his exiled son to order the kidnapping of the youngest daughter of the Baron of Beorn.

Although the culprit had died and the definite information had disappeared, the documents did not contain any other information on this matter.

– Information was obtained that the antidote for the Shilov poison was being exchanged in the capital recently.

From the past, Shilov’s poison was known for its specialization in targeted assassinations. There were also rumors circulating about large spiders roaming around in a coal mine on the outskirts of the capital.

In the documents, it was written about the transactions involving Shilov’s poison and the rumors of giant spiders in a certain region.

“If the evidence of treason is only written on the documents, there is no concrete proof at all,” Ernst nodded in agreement with Yulrian’s voice.

That’s right.

There was not a single substantial evidence among the written contents. All of it was circumstantial evidence, and the people’s vehement statements were all there was.

Furthermore, among the things written, Shilov’s actions were their own doing.

Even the kidnapping incident of Princess Bearen was something Ernst did alone without his lord’s knowledge.

“The Emperor handed me this document and told me that if I were to accept it, many things would change,” Yulrian continued, looking at Ernst nodding his head. Christien, who was examining the documents, put them down on the table and shifted his gaze to Yulrian.

“As you all know, the Emperor is not someone who easily relinquishes his power to others. Whether it’s his own daughter or his wife,” Yulrian’s eyes towards the two men were completely different. Ernst seemed to have some idea of this fact, while Christien still seemed clueless.

Alternating between the eyes of the two completely different men, Yulrian continued to express his opinion.

“And it seems that our Emperor is not very pleased with the current power structure and the upcoming power struggle. He mentioned several times that he does not like the Crown Prince.”

Yulrian smiled slyly.

Ernst silently nodded his head.

Christien stammered, struggling to speak, and raised his lips with difficulty.

“Well, wait… Yulrian, are you saying that-”

“The Emperor seems to be trying to elevate someone to the race in place of the Crown Prince,” Ernst interrupted Christien’s words. Yulrian nodded in response to his emotionless voice.

“So, what do you plan to do?” Christien asked.

“Well… No matter how much I think about it, a clear answer doesn’t come to mind,” Yulrian replied.

“Yulrian… Are you willing to accept this?” Christien’s voice was absent-minded.

Yulrian tapped the stack of documents on the desk with his fingertips and replied, “It’s not a matter of accepting or not. This matter has already begun from the moment I received these documents.”

Ernst also nodded and added a word.

“Moreover, we are not in a position to refuse right now.”

That’s right.

As Ernst said, Yulrian’s situation was not very good at the moment.

In their plan to bring down the Emperor, the power of the west was essential. Even though the Emperor’s hand did not reach them immediately, the only place within the Empire where they could confront his influence was in the west.

And the link to that west was Yulrian and Eleonore.

Before falling ill, Eleonore was deeply in love with Yulrian. She followed him without hesitation, sending him letters regularly even when he went to the eastern front.

That’s why even the meticulous Ernst pushed forward with a sloppy plan. Even in Ernst’s cold eyes devoid of emotion, Eleonore was nothing more than a bouquet already in Yulrian’s grasp.

However, by choosing Dimitri instead of Yulrian, who had lost her memory, a significant obstacle was placed in their plan.

Yulrian was still denying it, but Ernst, even his close friend Christien, knew. The fact that the west would no longer stand by their side.

In the end, all they had left were the military factions of commoners without any real power. Moreover, as they were scattered throughout the Empire, it was difficult to gather their strength.

The reason why Ernst, who recently entered the Ministry of the Interior, was busy gathering his own power within it was precisely because of this.

“So, the most important thing for us right now is to use this information to frame the Empress as a traitor,” Yulrian said. Using the Emperor’s hand to build up his own power. And using the Emperor’s hand to bring down the Emperor.

It was an ironic situation, but that was the only choice they had left.

“May I take the documents with me?” Ernst asked, tidying up the papers spread out on the table. The red light of the fountain pen tip had faded beneath the silver hair swaying up and down.

“Then I’ll excuse myself.”

“I’ll go catch some fresh air too.”

Ernst, holding the envelope in his hand, left with his usual expression. However, Christian’s face following behind was filled with worry.

Julian watched the two leaving the office in silence.

In truth, Julian did not bring up all the conversations he had with the Emperor last night.

By handling this matter well, the Emperor’s sinister smile, promising to release his mother and help with his relationship with Ellie, Julian did not bring up in front of the two.

That’s why.

Julian’s red eyes towards the backs of the two men were trembling in a place where they couldn’t notice.