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Chapter 31
Julian narrowed his eyes gently and spoke softly.
“I’ve been reflecting on all the kindness Your Majesty has shown me. And yet… it seems I’ve never once done anything to truly bring you joy.”
“Well, from the standpoint of the Rotanders Empire, your very existence is joy itself, so don’t trouble yourself with such thoughts.”
Jahidra leaned back into his chair with a reluctant expression. He simply couldn’t decipher what it meant for Julian to be approaching him in such a submissive manner.
It was something that had never happened before.
Whether Julian knew what was going through Jahidra’s mind or not, he calmly lifted his coffee cup.
“This aroma is unfamiliar. Quite unique.”
“It’s brewed from a new bean out of Bongani. A tribute sent before being released to the market. The more I drink it, the more I find the scent delightful.”
“Indeed. It’s a flavor that lingers in one’s thoughts.”
Julian kept circling around, talking in vague circles.
Finally, unable to bear his evasiveness any longer, Jahidra pressed him.
“So then, what is the true reason you came to see me? You’re not the type to act like this without cause.”
“How could I not care for Your Majesty, and yet you speak so coldly of me?”
Flattery? Was this Julian Johannes, the Duke himself, actually flattering him?
Jahidra stared in shock at Julian’s bewitching smile.
He wore his usual crisp white shirt, topped with a black vest that emphasized his fine physique.
But what differed from usual was that instead of a tie, he wore a thin red ribbon.
It was the latest fashion in the capital, but Julian was not the type to follow trends.
I thought it looked ridiculous, but on Julian, it feels entirely different.
As Jahidra was silently admiring his appearance, Julian finally stopped the suspense and got to the point.
“The reason I came today, Your Majesty, is to tell you that I have finally made up my mind.”
“You’ve… made up your mind?”
“Yes. As of today, I have resolved to turn my back on the Temple and stand at Your Majesty’s side.”
“You? Turn your back on the Temple?”
For a moment, Jahidra thought he must have misheard, and so he asked again.
Julian, as if to confirm, repeated each word more clearly.
“That is correct. I intend to renounce the blessing of the goddess Dephria.”
“What… You think you can defy the will of the gods so easily?”
“If I were in Your Majesty’s place right now, I would be so overjoyed I could hardly contain myself. Though, you’re not entirely wrong—whether the goddess withdraws her blessing from me or not is beyond my power. That lies solely in the realm of the divine.”
“You never budged when I tried to persuade you before. What’s the special reason you’ve changed your mind now?”
“Let’s just say… someone gave me a spark.”
The truth was, Julian had long been preparing to dismantle the Temple’s power.
The preparations were nearly complete, yet he had never been able to take that first step. A lingering fear held him back.
If the gods are gone from me… what am I then?
It was fear that bound him.
If the Temple’s influence weakened, the people’s faith in the goddess Dephria would falter as well.
He wouldn’t be immune to the fallout.
He might lose everything he had enjoyed as the “blessed Duke Johannes.”
Absurd, wasn’t it?
He had spent his whole life trying to break free from the gods’ shadow, and when the chance finally came, he found himself clinging to the few coins in his hand.
Look at you, cowering like a child.
Julian was ashamed of his own weakness.
He thought he had already sacrificed much for the sake of the House of Johannes.
But when he heard that Rebecca had deliberately thrown herself down the stairs, it was like a blow to the head.
Rebecca never hesitated. The only thing she had was her body, and yet she had given that up without a second thought.
He realized then that he had never truly sacrificed anything for what he desired.
If I say it’s for the sake of freedom, will they understand?
Rebecca had spoken with composure, wearing a smile as sharp and unyielding as forged steel.
The strength radiating from her small frame was astonishing.
Before her, Julian shrank, reverting to the boy he had been on the day he lost his nursemaid.
Thinking of Rebecca again made his heart pound, pain searing through his chest.
The thought crossed his mind that he might collapse at any moment.
And so, like Rebecca, he chose to cast everything he had aside.
Without letting go, nothing can ever be gained.
Julian was more afraid than ever—but also more alive.
“Julian, why are you dazing off like that? So who is it that inspired you?”
Jahidra urged him to answer.
There was something undeniably unusual about him today.
The greenhouse was neither too warm nor too cold, yet Julian’s cheeks were suddenly flushed red.
When Jahidra had a servant bring chilled drinks, they soon arrived with cold herbal tea and lemonade.
Julian chose the herbal tea and smiled meaningfully.
“It’s still a secret. But someday, Your Majesty will know.”
“Could it be… a woman? Don’t tell me it’s that one from before…”
Jahidra recalled seeing Julian dance with Rebecca at the recent victory banquet.
Noticing that Jahidra was thinking of Rebecca, Julian quickly changed the subject.
“By the way, I heard you perfectly carried out the request I made last time. My thanks are overdue.”
“It wasn’t a difficult task, but when will you tell me the reason for it?”
“That’s exactly why I came today. Didn’t I just say I would stand on Your Majesty’s side?”
“Haven’t you always been on my side?”
At Jahidra’s sly smile, Julian frowned briefly before continuing.
“Yes, but now I will prove it beyond doubt.”
“And how will you do that?”
“I have a plan to bring down the Temple.”
In that instant, Jahidra’s gentle gaze sharpened like that of a hawk spotting long-awaited prey.
“Such words are always welcome.”
Julian glanced sidelong at the silent servants standing nearby.
Catching his meaning, Jahidra gave a slight nod.
At that single signal, every servant left the glass greenhouse at once.
When the last one shut the door, Julian folded his hands together on the table.
“Do you remember the Kadir faith?”
“Kadir… That was the religion before Dephria’s, was it not?”
“As Your Majesty already knows, Kadir was not a false faith, despite what people believe. The Dephrian pope of the time roused the masses, and so the stigma lingers to this day.”
“So then, you mean to revive it?”
“Of course not. I lack the power, and the motive. But…”
“But what?”
“We can draw lessons from the past. Just as Kadir declined, so too will Dephria fall.”
It was as though Jahidra’s mind was whirring at full speed.
Julian smiled faintly.
“Kadir collapsed mainly because of its excessively rigid doctrines. Dephria rose so quickly as a state religion precisely because many people were discontent with Kadir.”
Julian sipped the iced tea. The coolness and subtle herbal notes filled his mouth.
Speaking now in a calmer tone, he continued:
“Dephria, too, is walking the same path. They lured followers by promoting indulgence—free pleasure, which is all well and good. But recently, their actions have gone so far as to undermine the discipline of the state.”
“Indeed. Their constant meddling from the temples is a headache.”
“Don’t worry, Your Majesty. Dephria will collapse under the weight of its own unchecked desires.”
“And what do you mean by that?”
“A new faith must arise. Of course, we can’t replace the state religion overnight, but it will be a new Dephria.”
At those words, Jahidra stiffened. His sharp gaze swept over Julian like a cold draft.
Julian met his eyes for a moment, then dropped his voice.
“After all, we have the Montblanc Club, do we not?”
Jahidra’s eyes widened.
The “New Dephrian Order,” commonly called the Montblanc Club, was something he had envisioned since his days as crown prince.
It was why he had showered endless funds on the seminary, despite being known for his hostility toward the Temple.
The more talented men there were, the more voices would rise against corruption.
Just as he expected, the flourishing seminary produced scholars who openly defied the current Dephria order.
He gathered them into a secret club.
At first, when the emperor summoned them, the scholars trembled in fear, not knowing why.
But a single remark from him clarified everything:
“Shouldn’t everyone have the chance to taste the fortune promised by this Montblanc cake?”
The clever ones quickly caught on.
After some debate, they swore their oaths before the Montblanc cake.
From then on, the Montblanc Club became Jahidra’s hands and feet, an excellent tool to counter the Temple.
The club’s mission was to expose the Temple’s misdeeds and restore religion to its true essence.
They began by planting spies in temples across the empire.
They helped those who had suffered under the Temple’s abuses, turning them into allies.
In time, the rising nobility—stifled under the old aristocracy—caught wind of the secret club.
Of course, Jahidra had let that information slip intentionally.
The new nobles rejoiced at the discovery of this new force.
Soon, they too joined the Montblanc Club, happily providing funds for its activities.
Thus, though hidden, a tense balance formed between old nobility and the Temple on one side, and the emperor and the new nobility on the other.
Even before the club’s existence, Julian had dug relentlessly into the Temple’s every weakness.
Eventually, he realized that there was a group pursuing the same secrets, sometimes even ahead of him.
Intrigued, Julian investigated further.
He discovered that the group was the Montblanc Club—and that behind it stood the emperor himself.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Julian, who had long held this truth close, finally opened his hand to reveal it.
“Have you heard of the painter Barinica?”
“Of course. One of the empire’s most renowned artists. But stop dodging. How much do you really know about the Montblanc Club?”
The smile vanished from Jahidra’s face.
His tone turned sharp enough to chill the air.
Julian, having only ever seen his cheerful countenance, found this new face of the emperor… fascinating.
