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Chapter 45
“Eek, there are more than I thought.”
As I searched through the voting laws, I was shocked at the significant difference one’s status made in the weight of a vote.
A common citizen with voting rights had only a single vote.
They were the most numerous, yet since they were busy with their own livelihoods, few actually attended.
“Common citizens with voting rights” didn’t mean all subjects of the empire.
It referred to people with special occupations, or those officially recognised by the state.
They were an elite class within the masses.
Next were the semi-nobles, who held two votes.
Knights, the Imperial Court’s physicians, the head maid, royal wet nurses, and the children of nobles who had yet to receive a title fell into this group.
Then barons had three votes, viscounts had four, counts held as many as five, marquises had six, and from there the gap widened, with dukes commanding ten votes.
Thankfully, there weren’t many dukes.
The crown prince also had ten votes, equal to a duke.
Wow.
Lastly, the emperor had twenty votes.
Which meant, in theory, twenty citizens or two dukes held the same decision-making power as the emperor.
But these numbers are only symbolic.
In practice, the emperor rarely exercised his vote.
And if he strongly wished for something, then unless it was absurd, his will would spread in advance, and the majority would vote in favour.
That was true even among the noble faction.
This unique voting structure reminded me of corporate decision-making in the world I used to live in.
You know, like in dramas, when everyone fights over how much company stock they own, and then suddenly the casting vote appears and sides with the protagonist.
In any case, I had found the information I needed, so I closed the book and slid it back into place.
Vincent would know how these events would play out, since he had already experienced them before returning.
That’s why, when I caught a glimpse earlier, he seemed intent on winning over the citizen and semi-noble classes.
And he was also trying to draw in nobles who hadn’t yet taken sides, reaching out to them through every possible channel to bring them under the emperor’s faction.
In the past, he must have lost because of the emperor and that person.
Before the return, the emperor had not cast his votes.
Vincent lost by nineteen votes.
After the return, the emperor again did not vote, but this time Vincent won by a margin of five.
At least in the original story.
Back then, Duke Wentworth hadn’t cared much about those slipping away from his side.
But now, the Wentworth faction was pouring all its strength into winning people over.
If you counted only the nobility, he already commanded far more votes.
The citizen class Vincent was targeting was full of variables, so it was hardly favourable.
The only reason things were unfolding differently from the original was because of me.
Because I… haven’t done anything?
Of course, Vincent must be frustrated by the emperor’s votes as well.
It was twenty votes, after all.
He just doesn’t have the nerve for it.
It had become almost a custom for the emperor to remain neutral, and no one dared to move him.
And aside from the emperor, there was someone else important.
The class with the most votes after the emperor was the dukes, with ten each.
Duke Wentworth and Duke Royce were the leaders of the noble and imperial factions respectively, so their votes were already decided.
But Duke Preum was different.
In the original, after Vincent’s return, Duke Preum suddenly appears.
And he cast his ten votes for Wentworth before vanishing again.
Even Vincent hadn’t expected it.
Though he still barely managed to win against Wentworth, it was by the slimmest of margins—five votes.
Had Duke Preum not sided with Wentworth, Vincent would have won far more comfortably.
But now, the gap in votes was even smaller, and Vincent seemed to be ignoring Duke Preum’s existence entirely.
Or maybe he has considered it, but can’t make a move.
Perhaps he doubts the man will even show up.
Duke Preum seldom appeared in the capital.
If Vincent tried to approach him, it might only backfire and earn him a rejection.
Either way, securing the emperor or Duke Preum would be advantageous.
Though, as for how, I had no immediate ideas myself.
The original story never covered this either.
At this point, the heroine was busy elsewhere, carrying out her own role.
I skimmed briefly through a book on history and geography, then set it back and stepped outside.
At the entrance, Tina greeted me again with a cheerful smile.
“Have you finished reading?
Are you leaving now?”
“Yes, I’ll be going.”
“Then it was a pleasure to meet you, Lady Wentworth. May infinite blessings of the divine be with you.”
“…? Thank you, and the same to you, Miss Tina.”
I figured she must be quite devout, and stepped outside.
But waiting there was a most unexpected group of people.
Derek was a given.
Beside him, Vincent and Oscar stood shoulder to shoulder.
“Amelia.”
The moment I stepped out, Vincent called me with a pleased expression.
Oscar, beside him, looked half-dead, his head hanging low.
Hmm, I suppose Vincent told him? That I wasn’t lying?
I could get angry here, but there was no need.
“Um, Lady Amelia. About earlier…”
“Your Highness.”
I cut Oscar off and called Vincent instead.
“Not here. Let’s go somewhere else.”
There were too many people passing by, and we had to be careful.
Vincent seemed to understand and nodded.
“Very well.”
He escorted me toward the rear garden.
It was airy enough there, and the foot traffic was lighter.
None of us spoke along the way.
But the moment we sat at the tea table in the centre of the garden, Oscar stepped forward and bowed his head deeply before me.
“I apologise, my lady. I was terribly rude before. I never imagined I could hurt you that deeply.”
What does he mean?
“I’m sorry as well.”
This time, Vincent was the one to apologise to me, and I widened my eyes.
“Your Highness, why would you apologise?”
“Because I was late, and so you…”
You…?
Vincent trailed off, then turned his head toward Derek, who stood a little ways away.
“I thank you for comforting my fiancée. But in public, you should be careful. Such gestures may cause misunderstanding.”
Derek blinked as though he didn’t quite understand.
But Vincent didn’t seem concerned with his reaction.
He turned back to me.
“I scolded Oscar as well. He won’t speak so carelessly again. Were you very upset? Enough to… cry?”
Only then did I realise why the two of them were acting so meekly.
Someone must have seen my reddened eyes—when an eyelash had gotten in—and assumed I had been crying.
And they had passed that story along.
So that’s why they came to apologise, so nervous and cautious.
Of course, Amelia had already shown them many unexpected sides.
But now, seeing them like this, I too was discovering aspects of them that didn’t match the images I had in my head.
This wasn’t about Amelia and Vincent’s relationship, but about their character as human beings.
“Amelia.”
At the sound of his voice calling me again, I smiled to reassure him.
“I’m fine now.”
Seeing my smile, both men finally looked relieved.
They seemed almost endearing.
And yet, I couldn’t help but feel a faint bitterness.
If only these relationships had been peaceful, if only we could have spoken honestly to one another.
They weren’t bad people.
Whether they knew my thoughts or not, Vincent gave me a warm smile as he sat across from me.
“By the way, Amelia, I heard you said something to Oscar.”
So that was the real reason they had sought me out.
It made me glad I had stopped
by the library before meeting them.
