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Chapter 32
The Emperor she met in the audience chamber looked very relaxed.
“Your Majesty, why did you approve Grand Duke Cartelani’s adoption without a single word to me?”
Thud!
The Emperor slammed his fist on the armrest of his chair.
“Do I need to ask for the Grand Duchess’s permission for everything I do?”
“Your Majesty…”
“Grand Duchess, know your place. I am the Emperor of this Empire. It is unprecedented in any country for a Grand Duchess to question a decision I have made.”
“…”
Grand Duchess Kristina gritted her teeth.
“You should have at least given me a heads-up.”
“Are you saying I, the Emperor, must report every single thing to the Grand Duchess?”
“That is not what I meant, Your Majesty…”
“You may leave now. Do not come to me again for something like this.”
“If I have offended you, I am sorry, Your Majesty.”
Grand Duchess Kristina gritted her teeth again and quietly left the office. Returning to the Grand Ducal Residence, she clenched her fists.
‘He’s ignoring me?’
She had felt for some time that she was growing distant from the Emperor. That’s why she clung to power even more. Power that even the Emperor couldn’t ignore. She believed that only power could protect her and her son. If she could have power, she would hold hands with anyone, even those who were a detriment to the Empire.
‘Variables are a nuisance.’
A variable in her future plans was a problem. A variable could cause her plans to go awry. In fact, this food supply incident was also caused by a variable. Even if it was a mistake, a variable was still a variable.
She felt as if Grand Duke Cartelani had hit her from behind.
‘Adoption at a time like this…’
What was he thinking? When Count Gaisa returned, she would have to ask him in detail about the current situation.
The Emperor leaned back in his chair, looking exhausted. His aide, Raven, looked at him with a worried expression.
“You should rest, Your Majesty.”
“Do you also think I’m unreliable?”
“Pardon?”
“Do I seem like an imbecile who can’t handle one Grand Duchess?”
“Those are outrageous words, Your Majesty.” Aide Raven bowed his head as if he didn’t know what to do with himself.
“Isn’t it the truth? It’s a fact that everyone knows.”
“Did you not do it on purpose?”
“Is that what you think?”
“I have served Your Majesty for nearly ten years. You are a monarch stronger than anyone.”
“As I thought, I chose my people well.”
“Your Majesty…”
“How is Noah doing?”
“I believe he is enduring in silence.”
“Enduring, you say…”
The Emperor let out a short, cynical laugh.
“That child is also very tough, just like me.”
“You think that highly of Prince Noah?”
The Emperor recalled the look in Noah’s eyes a few days ago. The child had glared at him with the sharp eyes of a viper. He must have resented him, but he didn’t openly rebel. His attitude was respectful and courteous, but his eyes were ruthless. He liked it very much.
“Grand Duke Cartelani will be coming to the capital soon.”
Aide Raven looked surprised and asked, “The Grand Duke himself is coming?”
“Yes, and when he does, I plan to send Noah to him. You prepare for that.”
“Your Majesty, are you saying…”
The Emperor stood up, walked over to a sofa, and poured himself a cup of tea. It was his favorite black tea.
“This battle for the throne, you see… It has to be fun for the one watching. And right now, it’s not very interesting.”
“…”
There was currently no clear heir to the throne. At a glance, the Second Prince seemed to have the advantage, but the power of the Grand Duchy of Proisen was not to be underestimated. If the Emperor chose Serhi as the next in line to the throne, the Grand Duchy of Proisen would tear Serhi apart by any means necessary. They had that much power. It was power the Emperor had given them in the first place.
And the First Prince had no power at all. Keeping him living as quietly as a mouse was the Emperor’s way of protecting Noah.
Above all, the Emperor had to stop Grand Duchess Kristina’s power from growing any stronger. To do that, he had no choice but to bring in the North.
The Emperor poured another cup of tea and offered it to Raven.
“Have a cup.”
As the Emperor held out the teacup, Aide Raven respectfully received it with both hands.
“Wouldn’t it be interesting if Noah were to join this fight?”
The aide carefully took a sip of the tea. He couldn’t figure out the Emperor’s true intentions at all.
The Emperor asked, “How does it taste?”
“It’s good.”
“Good? Even though I put poison in it?”
Aide Raven smiled faintly. “No matter what is in the tea, I would answer that it is good.”
“How about that? I didn’t mean to question your loyalty.”
“It is my great honor.”
“It’s alright, it was a joke. There’s no poison, so drink it at ease.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Raven drank the tea and thought about the heirs to the throne.
‘The one with the qualities of an emperor is His Highness, the First Prince.’
But Noah had no one to help him. The Emperor must know that.
‘The Grand Duchy of Cartelani…’
This was going to be a very interesting situation, just as the Emperor wanted. The Emperor wished for someone to create a ripple and shatter this boring fight.
“However, Your Majesty. May I ask you one thing?”
“What is it?”
“Was there a reason why you helped Grand Duke Cartelani with the adoption?”
“I can’t entrust Noah to the Grand Duke without any justification. So I had to grant him what he wanted first.”
“I was frankly a bit surprised.”
“Surprised?”
“An unmarried duke adopting a child, isn’t that a surprising thing?”
“I am also curious. What kind of child has captured the heart of the Grand Duke, who was as unmoving as a stone?”
Adoption was a common practice in noble society. It was often done to secure an heir if there was none. However, it was not common for an unmarried noble to adopt. They could just get married and have a child. Adoption could be considered later without it being too late. But the Grand Duke had decided to adopt at the young age of twenty-four. Raven thought that the decision could not have been an easy one.
“It seems we will find out soon enough.”
It would probably become a big issue. He also wanted to see Grand Duchess Kristina get impatient. She would try to get information in her own way. A smile formed on the Emperor’s face, as if he thought many interesting things were about to happen.
Elia was officially registered as a member of the House of Cartelani and became a duchess. It was a sudden rise to fortune, but nothing felt particularly new. Life didn’t feel that different, as the people of the ducal family treated her the same as always.
[Do you like being a duchess?]
Ga-ji was the only exception.
‘Why are you even asking that?’
[Is that not it? The young duke’s chances of getting married are over now.]
‘Don’t worry. I’ll take care of the duke’s bride myself.’
[You will?]
‘Yeah.’
A young, unmarried duke suddenly had a daughter overnight. Elia felt it was her duty to find Alexis a wife since she was the cause of this.
‘This is my fourth life. You think I can’t find a good wife for him?’
[I’m sure you can. But it’s a good thing, then.]
‘What is?’
[You’re a member of the ducal family now, so you can do whatever you want.]
‘You’re right. It all went just as I hoped.’
[Enjoy it to the fullest. I want to see some good stuff, too.]
Stella also congratulated her.
[My Master, congratulations. I hope you only walk on flower paths.]
‘You can say things like that, too?’
[I learn from my Master, too. I’ve definitely learned that things are much different from before.]
Stella realized that things were very different now from when Amanda, the first head of the House of Cartelani, was alive.
Alexis had lost his parents in an accident when he was young. He was an only child and had been raised by Norman. Still, he had inherited the talent of his lineage and became a master who surpassed the previous generation. Being a Sword Master at twenty was something only a genius could achieve.
‘I’ll make the Duke happy.’
[I hope what you wish for comes true, Elie.]
‘Yeah.’
Elia intended to work hard to make her wishes come true.
