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Chapter 37
The next day at noon, the Round Table conference room in the imperial palace was unusually busy.
A group of elderly nobles with long white beards was seated together, and other nobles gathered around them, chatting quietly.
These older men were veteran nobles, rarely seen due to their age, but today, every one of them had shown up.
They only gathered for matters of great importance.
And today, that matter was:
“Is Princess Isabella attending today?”
“She can barely care for herself. I doubt she’ll come.”
“Hoho, finally something interesting is on the table.”
The “interesting matter” they referred to was most likely:
The Crown Prince Appointment.
But there was another topic:
‘Killian Orfeo’s tax evasion scandal.’
This was just as good for entertainment—or leverage.
Both items had been submitted anonymously.
Normally, something like appointing a crown prince would be blocked by the emperor himself—but not this time.
Ever since Princess Isabella collapsed, the issue was pushed forward.
Given that the emperor had his first child, Isabella, in his 50s, it made sense to secure a successor quickly.
This was the first power struggle over succession in nearly 30 years.
Even the old nobles—faces carved with deep wrinkles—were excited.
‘One successor is terminally ill. The other isn’t even born yet.’
A noble commented:
“Isn’t this all going exactly as expected?”
No one responded out loud, but everyone agreed silently.
One minute before the meeting began, Killian Orfeo entered the room.
The old nobles were already there, chatting among themselves.
Usually, nobles arriving late would walk around apologizing, using greetings as an excuse to show respect.
But Killian?
He walked in arrogantly, long legs striding confidently to his seat, ignoring everyone else.
Everyone’s attention turned toward Duke Orfeo.
‘Arrogant… but it suits him.’
Some nobles expected him to at least greet the senior council first—but he didn’t.
“Insolent brat. Just as I thought—he’s of low birth and lacks manners,” thought Duke Adelheid, snorting.
Still, no one dared to speak up.
Even if they wanted to criticize him, Killian would only smile and say:
“I arrived on time, didn’t I?”
What could they say to that?
Nothing—except earn his resentment.
And that was what they feared most.
No one in that room wanted to be on Killian Orfeo’s bad side.
So the senior nobles said nothing. At most, their expressions turned sour.
“His Majesty the Emperor and Her Majesty the Empress enter!”
With a loud announcement, the emperor and empress entered the room side by side.
Everyone stood up and placed their hands over their hearts as a sign of respect.
“You may all sit,” said the emperor.
He nodded to a royal clerk, who began reading the day’s agenda.
“Your Majesty, Count Alphon is suspected of manipulating transport fees in the iron mine trade to evade taxes.”
Immediately, an elder noble spoke up:
“This old man couldn’t sleep last night, disturbed by the fact that our country’s foundation is being eroded like this.”
Another noble added:
“Based on experience, anything involving the nation’s finances must be handled with strict care.”
Thus, the meeting officially began with the tax evasion issue.
Though it seemed like they were targeting Count Alphon, their true goal was obvious:
Bring up Killian Orfeo’s alleged tax evasion as quickly as possible.
Killian, completely unfazed, calmly sipped his tea.
It was a picture of relaxed confidence.
After some back-and-forth, the clerk finally addressed Killian’s case.
“Regarding the obsidian mining business, wine trade, and Buchanan coffee distribution rights… Duke Orfeo is suspected of 58 cases of tax evasion.”Fifty-eight.
Nobles gasped. Even for Killian Orfeo, this was serious.
Killian glanced at Russ Marty, his aide, who looked exhausted. The dark circles under his eyes were proof of sleepless nights.
Seeing this, Duke Adelheid and his followers felt sure of their victory.
“Here are the detailed ledgers, verified by former government tax officers,” the clerk added.
The documents were passed to the emperor. As he flipped through them, deep lines appeared around his eyes—but his lips curled into a faint smile.
Everyone else looked nervous—except Killian.
“…Perfect. Hah! Of course, Duke Orfeo wouldn’t do such a thing!”
“Were you doubting me, Your Majesty? I’m hurt,” Killian replied with a smirk.
The emperor chuckled.
“Once it’s on the agenda, I can’t just ignore it. Please be understanding.”
“Of course. Oh, by the way—”
Killian looked at Russ Marty again. Marty stepped forward and handed more documents to the emperor.
Killian then shot a sharp smile at Duke Adelheid.
‘What’s that smile…?’ the Duke thought, uneasily.“While preparing my tax report, we found something very interesting. Please take a look.”
The emperor’s eyes widened as he read the document. Then he turned sharply toward Duke Adelheid.
“Duke! What is the meaning of this?!”
The empress, startled, looked over the papers too.
[Duke Adelheid’s Tax Evasion Records]“Duke, can you explain this?”
Feigning surprise, the empress pushed the papers toward the duke—urging him to respond quickly and cleanly.
The duke immediately scanned the documents. When he saw the contents, his eyes reddened with anger.
“This is outrageous! It’s not true, Your Majesty!”
He shouted in protest. But unlike fabricated evidence in court trials, this document was all factual.
And it just happened to come up today…
His face turned red, then pale, then red again.
“Isn’t that something you should explain in writing, Duke?”
Killian finally spoke.
“Just like I did today.”
He was openly admitting this was retaliation—and yet, no one could call him out.
Because everyone knew: Killian Orfeo wouldn’t move unless he had absolute proof.
Duke Adelheid’s face flushed even deeper.
‘That bastard did this on purpose!’
The emperor stepped in.
“Please do so, Duke. If you are truly innocent, this is your chance to prove it.”
“…Understood, Your Majesty.”
The duke sat down, barely controlling his fury.
‘This humiliation… I’ll repay you, Killian Orfeo. One day.’
At that moment—
“Princess Isabella enters!”
