episode_0160

“So, did the story end well?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Then, you can give me the answer.”

After finishing his story with Iolin, Rupert arrived at the throne to meet the Emperor again.

The Emperor was waiting for Rupert’s answer.

Are you a royalist or a nobleman?

The Emperor considered the two scenarios and wondered which choice Rupert would make.

“I will marry Iolin.”

Rupert answered after a moment’s hesitation.

And at those words the emperor jumped up from his seat,

“Okay! Make a decision… .”

“And I will also marry Miss Amelia, the daughter of Bluewell.”

“What? This is crazy… .”

The emperor was speechless twice in a short period of time.

At first, it was because he was cut off unintentionally by Rupert’s continued speech, and then because he had a superhuman ability to hold back from using foul language, no matter how absurd it might be.

“Are you in your right mind?!”

Of course, it was common for nobles to have multiple wives.

But in that case, the distinction between wife and concubine was clear.

A proud noble woman would not accept being taken in as a concubine unless absolutely necessary.

Moreover, marrying both the princess and the young lady of the Bluewell Duke family meant that he would take one of them as his concubine.

This is a bombshell statement that literally turns both the royal family and the nobility into enemies.

Even Rupert, whom he had viewed with favor, was on the verge of incurring the Emperor’s wrath at his remarks, which were absolutely intolerable.

But just before he got angry, someone appeared and the Emperor had to stop talking again.

“I agree with that too.”

“Iolin! Are you out of your mind?”

The Emperor was dumbfounded by the words of Iolin, who suddenly appeared and stood next to Rupert.

The emperor felt dizzy when he heard that it was he, and no one else, who agreed to the statement.

“Your Majesty, please give Rupert a chance to speak.”

“Haa… So tell me what on earth you were thinking when you said that.”

Rupert, who had been tense at the sight of the Emperor’s angry expression, took a moment to catch his breath.

please.

Iolin holding Rupert’s hand.

As her warmth touched his hand, Rupert found his courage again and began to speak.

“Your Majesty, I understand that two victories in one generation are impossible.”

“Why are you suddenly asking that? It is true that a win is possible only if you skip at least one.”

The Emperor, who had said that he would marry both Iolin and Amelia, answered the question out of the blue.

“I will become the head of the Somerset family in ten years.”

“What does it matter now?”

“And then, if I achieve something that is of great help to the Empire, please grant me a promotion.”

“What?”

The Emperor was puzzled several times today by Rupert’s words.

And now I understand why Rupert brought up marrying them both.

“Duke, and you wanted the position of honorary duke at that?”

“Yes.”

The Emperor recalled the precedent of the honorary dukedom, which was now no exaggeration to say a dead letter.

‘In the case of an honorary duke, he can have up to three legal wives.’

Among the imperial titles, there was a title between marquis and duke, called honorary duke, which was not included in the fifth degree.

Although he was treated as a duke, he actually lacked the power and territory of a duke, so strictly speaking, he was in a similar position to a marquis.

But the only thing that he has over the Duke is the freedom to marry.

In the case of noble families, to prevent conflict over the succession structure, they were only allowed to have one wife, regardless of title.

Imperial law permitted an honorary duke to have up to three wives.

‘Are you following in the footsteps of the romantic Duke Schuller Bell?’

The reason the unique title of Honorary Duke came into being in the Empire was none other than the imperial family known as Schuller Bell.

When the original crown prince died in an accident, Schuler, who was second in line for succession, had to take over as emperor.

‘I’m sorry, but I have two women I love. Choosing one of them to be my empress is harder than death for me.’

He declared that he would renounce the succession.

Afterwards, Schuller’s younger brother, who was third in line, ascended to the throne, and the emperor at the time, who was concerned about the treatment of Schuller Behl, created a special title.

He gave up the throne to himself and created the honorary title of Duke, which allowed him to have multiple wives, especially for his brother who had neither ambition nor the potential to become a threat.

Schuller lived happily ever after as an honorary duke with the two women he loved.

This story was so famous that even the commoners of the empire knew it, but of course, since then, the title of Honorary Duke has never been awarded separately, so it is a title that has disappeared.

“If you are indeed an honorary duke, then what you said is not entirely nonsense.”

The Emperor also learned why Rupert remained calm after making such a bombshell statement, but the matter was not over yet.

“But do you know how difficult it is for you to become the head of a household and win?”

“Of course I know.”

It was unprecedented in the history of the empire for a succession to occur once in a generation and then immediately again in the next generation.

Even in rapidly growing families, it was common for succession to be skipped by at least two generations.

Moreover, the promotion from marquis to duke required a great deal of merit, no matter how honorary the duke was.

It would be impossible unless you lead your troops in a war against another country and achieve a great victory.

“Your family’s promotion to marquis wasn’t easy either… .”

Although he played a major role in resolving the Abyss Cult incident and the Satanael incident, the reason Somerset, who was neither a main character nor a protagonist, was able to ascend to the position of marquis was because the emperor supported him in order to keep the nobles in check.

“Then let’s do it like this.”

“Please give your order, Your Majesty.”

“Do something that no one in the history of the Empire has ever done. Then I will take responsibility and promote you to Honorary Duke in ten years.”

“What is it?”

“Try to remove the wall blocking the empire.”

Rupert heard the Emperor’s words and immediately realized.

Now the Emperor did not intend for Rupert to invade other countries by waging war or something like that.

The history of the continent, since the birth of the empire, has been a conflict between empires that sought to expand and alliances of kingdoms that sought to stop them.

“In order for the Empire to advance further, it is of the utmost priority to divide their union and also bring them into the Empire’s sphere of influence.”

“Do you mean I want you to do that with the works I created?”

Rupert didn’t think the Emperor would say something like that out of the blue.

From the previous emperors of the empire to the current emperor, the wish of all was the unification of the continent.

However, from the perspective of other countries, this would mean their own destruction, so they formed a strong alliance to prevent the empire, and because of that, it was difficult for even an empire to expand beyond half of the continent.

In order to break this situation, they tried to divide them, but it wasn’t easy.

First of all, since they were people who detested empires, it was difficult to even establish a channel of communication.

It was only recently that the Empire and other countries established special commercial districts to facilitate exchanges, and even these were often destroyed by those who were dissatisfied with trading with the Empire.

“I don’t know how to handle soldiers, and I’m not good at politics, nor do I have the confidence to negotiate with other countries.”

“So, you can do it.”

If one could overcome a wall that could not be overcome by military or diplomatic means, it would be a feat worthy of an honorary title.

But it was clear that this would be the most difficult task Rupert had ever faced.

But he didn’t want to disappoint both Amelia and Iolin, who had told him that they liked him.

Rupert had never known how empowering it was to have someone do something so good for him, but now he does.

Now was the time to do it, if only for the sake of a promise I had made to them.

“I understand. I will be an example to other countries with the culture of the empire, and I will seep into them like ink seeping into paper with a pen, not a sword.”

Rupert’s eyes were filled with confidence as he raised his head and looked at the Emperor.

“10 years. After 10 years, other countries will open their doors to the Empire’s culture, and everyone from commoners to nobles will learn from the Empire’s culture.”

The Emperor found himself nodding his head without realizing it as Rupert spoke with such confidence that it seemed as if he could see the future.

“Afterwards, I will make it a country that is envied rather than feared or dreaded by the Empire.”

-That’s what I can promise you.

Rupert already had a picture of the future ten years from now drawn in his head.

Tourists flock from other countries to visit Somerset Land, which has not yet been built.

People who have read the Empire’s fairy tales and comics, starting with Manapia, which he serializes, and have made them a part of their lives.

Those who are enthusiastic about card games in foreign countries in order to participate in card tournaments held in the Empire.

Rupert figured it would take ten years for that to happen.

***

“I see, that’s why Rupert came to see me in such a hurry.”

Iolin’s quarters in the palace.

The only guest who visited there was usually Rupert.

There were other guests visiting today.

“I didn’t ask for your opinion, but I thought this was the best option under the circumstances.”

Amelia and Xenia, who were listening to the story while drinking tea, could not help but nod.

Certainly, the plan to create an Honorary Duke Rupert, as proposed by Iolin, was to create three winners, not one complete winner.

“I think from now on, we should spend our energy helping Sir Rupert’s plans come to fruition, rather than fighting.”

“Your Highness, of course I will take the lead in helping you since I was the first to confess to Rupert.”

“Yes, I think I will be able to help a lot since I was the first to be engaged.”

As the Emperor and Rupert’s conversation came to a close, Iolin invited her rivals, Amelia and Xenia.

And I tried to inform them of the current situation and take the lead in reviving the relationship to a friendly one where we can now help each other.

‘I am the first of the three.’

‘I guess you don’t intend to give up first place so easily.’

Now it was Iolin and Amelia who were waging a war of nerves over who would come first, rather than marriage.

and,

‘I’m the only one left behind!’

Xenia felt like fire was on her feet.