episode_0173

“This is Ernst. mother. Let’s talk for a moment.”

“Ernst… ? Isn’t it rude to come to visit at a time like this, even if it is between parents and children? Mom is a bit busy right now… .”

In the meantime, a gasping sound escapes as if they are continuing their love affair.

The creaky bed let out a soft sound.

“Hmm… . Or, do you also miss your mother’s embrace? If you want, you can hug me tight. Much darker than when I was young.”

Isabella chuckled and laughed.

From inside the room, soft laughter was heard one after another.

Ernst put his hand on the hilt of the sword.

“This is an important story. If there is someone who gets in your way, you have no choice but to put up with everything.”

The sneer stopped at the cold voice full of murderous intent.

Only then did they realize that the man on the other side of the door was the son of the empress, the prince of the empire, and a powerful figure who could cut them all to death and get away with it.

“Hu… . Okay, let’s hear it. You guys, just put on your clothes and go to the next room.”

Isabella’s voice also turned a little colder.

I heard the sound of clothes being picked up and put on, and soon the door was wide open.

Six men and a woman walked out one by one with their heads bowed.

There are four royal guards and two black-skinned slaves who are often used in the Panam region.

The woman was the maid of honor who still retained her girlish appearance.

Ernst glared coldly at them.

They walked into the next room, trembling like aspen trees, as if they were afraid of the prince’s gaze as if he were staring at them as if they were going to kill them.

“Are you going to keep standing like that? Come in. I’m really curious as to what on earth they were trying to say so recklessly.”

Isabella, still wearing nothing, sat down on the soaked bed and smiled as she looked at Ernst.

Ernst met her gaze directly and walked into the room.

It was time to find out her true intentions and make a final deal.

—-

“Okay, let me tell you now. What was the reason you came at me so unexpectedly?”

Unlike Ernst, who had a stiff expression, Isabella had a relaxed attitude throughout.

With my pale white legs slightly apart, I use my fingertips to sweep the drippings from my heated skin and bring them to my mouth.

Even when faced with a lewd appearance that would put even a worn-out courtesan to shame, Ernst was not even shaken in the slightest.

“Mathias is dead. Mother.”

“Mathias? Yeah, that’s really sad. You always cared for your younger siblings, so it must be even sadder… .But, if you came here to report it to the mother, wouldn’t it be a two-day late visit? ? There’s no way I wouldn’t know that.”

“You don’t look particularly sad. It looks like they are busy making new children.”

Ernst pointed to the soaked bed.

Judging by the looks of it, she was at least capable of conceiving triplets.

If the emperor dies and the empress’s stomach begins to swell, or even if the child born has black skin… Wouldn’t this be a disgraceful act that will remain forever in the history of the empire?

“Hmm… I’m glad I learned how to be sarcastic. Did you really come to this mother to ask her to shed tears? Like this?”

Isabella touched her eyes with her fingertips as if wiping away tears.

Thin liquid flows from the corner of the eye.

What was flowing down my cheeks were not tears; this was also a mockery.

“Is that possible? Matthias wouldn’t want you to shed tears either.”

“Is that so? If it’s that kid… .”

“How could the person who killed himself welcome the sight of him expressing false condolences?”

Blatant criticism. Ernst glared harshly at Isabella, revealing his hostility.

Isabella snorted and crossed her legs.

“… That’s a bold statement, Ernst. Do you really think this mother killed Matthias? I don’t know if you know, but that was actually Leopold’s bodyguard-”

“Isn’t that what his mother did by taking advantage of him? Don’t make excuses. I didn’t come here to hear excuses.”

Resolutely cutting off the nonsense, Ernst took a step forward.

Isabella stuck out her tongue and licked her lips. There was a charming smile on her shiny lips.

“Hehe… so? Then why did you come here? . You’re interrogating your mother with those scary eyes that make you want to eat her, but what kind of answer do you want? Say as much as you want.”

“… … First of all, I would like to ask whether there are any measures in place. With the loss of Matthias, our link to the Archbishops is weakened, and Palun and Landenburg will soon arrive on the Islands.”

Ernst first asked common sense questions.

To confirm this woman’s true purpose one last time before the catastrophe begins.

“Yes, I guess so.”

Isabella nodded calmly.

“The scheme to frame the culprit as Leopold also did not have much effect on high-ranking nobles. The people might not know this, because they don’t believe such rumors to begin with. In particular, the secular electors would be convinced that this was the work, as they know the imperial family well. In fact, the Duke of Vienne made up his mind.”

“Vien? Have you tried to persuade him?”

Isabella tilts her head. The narrow eyes were laughing at Ernst.

It’s as if he’s being needlessly eager to do something that’s impossible from the beginning.

“Yes. They tried to get him to accept the title of Grand Duke and cede part of the imperial territory to an independent kingdom… It was canceled due to this incident. He said he could not believe the empress and her eldest son, who brutally murdered even their own children.”

I also implicitly revealed my intention to oust Isabella’s group once I ascend to the throne… It was no use.

I can’t hand over the throne of the empire to a madman who takes my own blood lightly.

“It must be a pity.”

“Regret? Is that the end of the matter? If things continue like this, the battle for the throne is inevitable. There is no way to win the succession election.”

Time is running out. A broken link. Soaring doubts.

Everything Isabella had done recently was leading to a defeat in the succession election.

“I guess so?”

Isabella shrugged her shoulders. Her exposed breasts bounced gently.

“As expected… You didn’t even intend to do that in the first place.”

Ernst gritted his teeth.

Until the assassination of Emperor Ferdinand II, there was about 80% suspicion, but this was enough to confirm.

Isabella had no intention of leaving the throne of the empire in the hands of the electors.

And, there was only one way to ignore the election results and ascend to the throne.

“Okay. Isn’t it natural? Because you have no talent to persuade your enemies. That’s what Leopold is good at, not you. If you want to win, shouldn’t you choose the method you are most confident in, rather than fighting in your opponent’s area of expertise? If you want something, get it with force, not words. That’s your talent.”

“… Are you saying we’re going to start a civil war? In this empire? This is crazy. It is impossible to defeat the forces of Palun, Landenburg, and Vienne with our forces alone.”

Yes. There was no other way than to start a civil war and defeat all of Leopold’s forces.

No, it’s gone. By Isabella’s hand.

And that was impossible.

For a prince who disobeys the election results and engages in a fierce war between humans, the archbishops will naturally not help, and the imperial army will be fortunate to remain neutral as well.

In the end, they have to fight only with the troops of nobles that Isabella has gathered… The opponents are the empire’s elite with ample combat experience. The odds of winning were nil.

“There is no need to fight them all, Ernst. Did you really think this mother wasn’t even prepared for that?”

Isabella smiled and placed her hand on Ernst’s chin and stroked it.

It felt disgusting, like maggots from a gutter crawling up his chin, but Ernst didn’t have the presence of mind to care.

Isabella’s words had such sinister implications.

“Preparation? What on earth have you done? !”

She smiled broadly.

A sly look, a sneer full of malice.

It had an expression that didn’t even seem human.

“Failun? If the beastmen start to invade, I’ll have to go and stop them. Landenburg? When Ka’har begins his invasion, he will head to the Wall. Bien? If the empire goes into civil war, will the fairies just wait and see? Bien will be busy stopping them too. In the end, all that remains will be Leopold’s army. That’s how much you can break, right?”

At this moment, Ernst was finally convinced of Isabella’s purpose.

And decided.

“… … okay. I understand mother’s thoughts well from this. Surely, if we do that, we might be able to beat Leopold.”

“If you understood… .”

Ernst slapped Isabella’s arm away and pulled out his sword.

Jin’s sword body flashed coldly.

Isabella looked towards the long sword for a moment, then looked back at Ernst with a slight frown.

“… What do you want to do now? You’re joking too much, pointing a sword at your mother, Ernst.”

“As expected. Your goal wasn’t to become the empire’s leader… . On the contrary, the true purpose would be to tear the empire to pieces… !”

Ernst didn’t even use honorifics anymore.

What the woman in front of me was saying was to drive the empire into ruin.

This is a fact that is now mostly overlooked… These races are strong.

The reason the empire was able to suppress them was because the power of the united empire was greater than that of the countries of different races.

Since other races were hostile among themselves, they did not attack the empire all at once.

However, if three different races invade the divided empire at the same time… .

It was no longer a problem of a struggle for imperial power, but a possible collapse of the imperial order itself.

“Well, isn’t it okay to win?”

“If I leave it to your will, the empire will end even if I win. Never again will we be able to regain the same prowess as before.”

civil war. A great invasion by a different race. Can the throne achieved at the end really be said to be the throne of the empire?

It was definitely not. Even if Ernst were to win by going to such lengths, Palun, Landenburg, and even Vienna would not acknowledge it.

The empire will split into three or four pieces.

It’s too late to be sure.

Could it be possible to imagine that the goal of a woman who rose to the position of being the top of everyone and enjoying all kinds of luxuries and pleasures was to destroy it all by herself?

Ernst, who was closer to a soldier than a politician, never even thought that there would be someone whose goal was defeat.

Common sense tells us that if the empire were to fall after being divided and weakened, it was Isabella who had the most to lose.

The power, wealth, and status that Isabella enjoys. All of that was possible because she was the empress of the empire.

If the empire were to fall, she too would be nothing more than an ordinary woman.

“So?”

Isabella laughed.