episode_0158

As Theodora leaves, the imperial faction members sigh.

“I won! What is this about Ioanes?”

Representative Lewis sighs and says.

“That’s right, it’s like a young girl claiming to be the emperor.”

As Rep. Lewis speaks, a slightly younger-looking congressman steps forward.

“No, do we really have to just watch the imperial faction disintegrate?”

Rep. Enrique answers those words.

“Paulo. I don’t know what the emperor will send, but it cannot be easily dismantled.”

Many small and medium-sized nobles are angry at the tyrannical behavior of the great nobles.

Aren’t these people who invoked events from hundreds of years ago and committed severe tyranny by asking people to give up their fiefdoms or become vassals?

Therefore, in the political arena where small and medium-sized nobles gather to form marriage alliances and keep the great nobles in check, if the imperial faction made up of great nobles collapses…

Rather, they may be looking for every opportunity to regain previously lost territory.

“Representative Lewis, what about the method you mentioned last time?”

As Rep. Enrique cautiously opens his mouth, Rep. Luis glances at the other lawmakers.

“Oh! Do you have any solution?”

“I heard you two meet often these days. Do you have a good plan?”

As the imperial faction members looked at the two with expectant eyes, Representative Luis carefully interrogated Enrique.

“Rep. Enrique. It is not right to bring up a sensitive story that has not yet been confirmed.”

But Enrique shrugs his shoulders and says he doesn’t know.

“The fate of all of us depends on it. And shouldn’t you know that these people are also involved in this issue in some way?”

“That’s right. You must also let us know.”

“That’s right, aren’t we the emperor faction? Do not forget the precedent of Ioannes.”

When even an older member of the council came forward to speak, Lewis sighed and said,

“Phew… I understand. Last time, Representative Enrique and I thought about various things to save the Emperor faction. Currently, the Archduke wants to disband us and reassign us under his command, and the Emperor is trying to crush us and turn us into his behemoths.”

Luis and Enrique believe that Debian gave Ioanes territory he could not handle and tempted him to rebel.

‘Probably… it was probably a plan from the beginning to deal with the imperial faction when it was weakened by internal strife. ‘You mean bastard.’

“Now we are powerless to stop him. But it is possible to kill one person, take away his power, and send him to the abyss.”

At those words, there is silence among the imperial faction.

“How do you mean it?”

A grand duke who holds more power than the emperor in the current empire.

Everyone feels strange hearing that there is a way to get him out of office.

Everyone knows, but when you fail.

Because I know there will be bigger repercussions…

“Could it be… you mean to assassinate the emperor?”

Lewis nods at those words.

“Yes, the reason he can exert enormous influence on the empire is because he is only the emperor’s husband. So just kill the emperor and frame him.”

***

So, I leave the imperial faction’s mansion and head to the duke’s residence to see my grandfather.

Is it because they sent me the news in advance? Grandfather is coming to meet you.

“Your Majesty, are you here?”

I speak bluntly to my grandfather, who looks at me and speaks respectfully.

“Grandpa, please speak comfortably when we are together.”

Saying that, let’s grab Grandfather’s left arm and drag him into the mansion.

Grandpa says with a hearty laugh.

“If this old man talks down, the security guard behind him will scold him.”

I puff out my cheeks at those words.

“I am the emperor, and I asked you to do it. Who would dare do that?”

“Hehehe… Isn’t it polite to treat an emperor with honor, no matter how much he is a child?”

I shake my head and say that.

“My mother says she does it to me?”

The grandfather burst out laughing at those words.

“Hehe, Dike is still young.”

My mother is already over 40, but she is still young.

Theodora thinks to herself as she sees her grandfather looking at her mother as young.

Grandpa… you’re such an idiot.

I once heard that an 80-year-old man was worried about his 60-year-old child.

Perhaps my mother is still a child in my grandfather’s eyes.

“I was so surprised when a unicorn appeared to Dicke that I quickly married him off, but I am worried about this empire because the childish Dicke is an adult of the imperial family.”

Come to think of it.

“That’s right, my mother is telling me to have grandchildren these days?”

It wasn’t like that before. It’s disturbing that he’s been showing such a childish side lately.

Although I understand your mother’s situation…

Since Debian and I are not animals, shouldn’t we have those same feelings when doing something like that?

“Hehe, Dike has a grandson… Time flies so quickly.”

Grandpa’s expression brightens at my words.

“By the way, did you have a good time meeting the people from the imperial faction?”

I answer that with a snort.

“Yes, I returned all the insults I had received so far.”

My grandfather, who was shaking his head at my words, spoke with a helpless smile.

“Hehe… I told you not to do that.”

“Why? Considering that Alexander forced me to marry Devian… very!”

When I think about that time, I get very angry.

“Tera, in politics you shouldn’t reveal your true feelings. You never know what they might do if you make a mistake, right?”

I shake my head at those words.

“What can these guys do that will disintegrate if I don’t help them?”

At my words, my grandfather strokes my head and says.

“It is said that even earthworms squirm when stepped on. Don’t push them too hard.”

“Phew… If grandpa says that… I understand.”

The grandfather nodded with a kind smile at my words.

“By the way, I also want to see my great-grandchildren. Any news?”

I sigh at those words.

“Nothing like that has happened at all. We don’t even hold hands often?”

He speaks as if he is worried about his grandfather.

“Hehe, it would be better to take the first night early.”

I spoke with a hint of annoyance at my grandfather’s words.

“Is it up to me?”

“Hehe, you’re making such a pretty granddaughter lonely. I guess I’ll have to scold my granddaughter-in-law later when I see her.”

The grandfather’s expression doesn’t look very bright when he says that, so I ask.

“Grandpa, you don’t look very good. Is something wrong?”

“Hehe, it’s just that I suddenly felt anxious, so don’t overthink it. Maybe I’m getting old and worrying for no reason.”

I smile and say what my grandfather said.

“Ah! My grandfather hasn’t aged at all. Is it the same as what I saw when I was young? But what were you thinking?”

Grandpa opens his mouth cautiously at my words.

“I thought that if my grandson dies… there would be a lot of chaos.”

Debian is dead?

Is Debian, a thorough system, dying?

Something I’ve never imagined.

Even though we had a falling out with him, it makes no sense for him to die.

No matter what anyone says, he is my only husband.

Even though I hate him, he is the one I truly love.

“Grandpa, there’s no way something like that could happen, right?”

He nods his head at my words and speaks a little more seriously.

“Hehe, didn’t you say I was old? Anyway, it would be better to celebrate the first night with my granddaughter-in-law quickly.”

“Why is that?”

At my words, my grandfather stopped and looked at me and said.

“Tera, do you know what an annulment of marriage is?”

I shake my head at those words.

“What is that?”

“Marriage is that. It is a blessing given by God to humans so that they may prosper. And once married, divorce is impossible unless the spouse is infertile. Divorce also requires permission from the Holy Father, and it usually takes several years for permission to be granted.”

I know that too.

Therefore, even for an emperor, it is not easy to get a divorce.

Moreover, no matter what you do about divorce, you are stigmatized as a divorced man or a divorced woman, and it is not easy to remarry.

“But there is one condition that can cause a couple to break up very quickly. That is the procedure called annulment of marriage.”

This is the first time I’ve heard my grandfather’s words in my life.

Is there any way for a married couple to break up other than divorce?

“Was there such a procedure?”

“Yes… I know that there have been only a few cases in the thousands of years of empire’s history where marriages have actually been ruled invalid due to conditions, but there is a marriage annulment system.”

“Conditions?”

Grandfather nods his head at my words.

“Yes, it’s only possible if the two of you don’t have to spend the first night together. So, if Devian is assassinated… I think there will be great chaos in this empire.”

“Confusion…?”

“Yes, if your granddaughter-in-law dies and they find out that you didn’t celebrate the first night, the nobles will rise up to take over you. If that happens, your marriage will be invalid. You won’t have to worry about imperial customs.”

There is an imperial custom where the Empress does not remarry after her husband dies.

It is commonly known that empresses miss their dead husbands and do not remarry, but the reality is slightly different.

There is no need to restrict yourself by getting married.

In addition, if a woman gets married, she usually gets pregnant within 1 to 2 years and has 5 to 6 children, so the issue of successors is also resolved, so the empresses did not necessarily get married and enjoyed free, secret love affairs.

But I couldn’t say it as it is, so I packaged it in a good way.

It is not wrong to say that there are quite a few empresses who wear mourning clothes and miss their husbands for the rest of their lives because it is truly a true love.

There is a custom of maintaining chastity while missing one’s husband.

Also, it struck a chord with many of the people of the empire and has almost become a customary law.

Perhaps that is why, in the thousands of years of imperial history, no empress has ever remarried.

In a way, I feel embarrassed by my grandfather’s absurd words.

“Oh no way. Who would want to assassinate him? There are many soldiers guarding it.”

My grandfather bursts into laughter at my words.

“Hehe. Yes, that’s why I said it was just an old man’s resentment.”