Chapter 113
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Chapter 113
"That was quite an amusing rumor."
"Right? ...Or rather, is it actually true?"
"It's not."
"It's not?"
I listened carefully before answering directly that it wasn't.
"The Emperor and I broke off the engagement because we needed each other. You could say it was a choice for the greater good."
"The greater good?"
"Yes."
I spoke plainly to prevent speculation from engulfing The Emperor in scandal.
It was better to explain it clearly so Nicola would understand.
"How much benefit do you think The Emperor could gain now from forming a marriage alliance with the Hexagon Family?"
"Hmm... now that I think about it, I'm not sure."
"Nothing except absorbing the Old Nobility Faction. But the Old Nobility Faction has no power right now, does it?"
"That's right."
Nicola, thinking seriously as she followed my reasoning, nodded her head.
"Do you know what our house was originally, before it became a duchy?"
"It was a Marquis House! I heard that even then House Lockhart was an ancient family, but it wasn't one that took the forefront of politics, right?"
"Right. There's quite a difference in power compared to now, isn't there?"
"It's delicate to say, but in terms of authority, it does seem somewhat different."
Nicola's eyes widened as she grasped the reason I had brought this up.
"Do you mean, Miss Enya, that The Emperor could elevate a new family like he did with House Lockhart and form a marriage alliance with them?"
"You understand well, as expected."
"Wow... could that really happen?"
"I cannot presume The Emperor's intentions, but it's possible."
"I see...."
Nicola exclaimed, perking up her ears.
"The Emperor gains no benefit from forming an alliance with the Hexagon Family. Rather, just as he elevated our house to a duchy, it would be more efficient for him to raise a third family and marry into it."
With imperial authority now strong, he was no longer the precarious Emperor of his early reign.
I had once wondered what I would do if The Emperor formed a connection with Hexagon, but that has changed now.
He was someone capable of making wise decisions on his own.
"I don't know why the adopted daughter came, but it's probably nothing special."
"Is that so?"
"More than that, it was more unusual that Duke Hexagon himself came."
"What! Duke Hexagon visited?"
Miss Portnum, Nicola, looked around nervously.
"He left earlier."
"Ah, phew...."
Nicola visibly relaxed. Come to think of it, both Emma and Nicola had connections to the Hexagon Family.
They shared the common point of having escaped from it now.
The reason I gave her a chance was partly because she overlapped with Emma in my mind.
"It's fortunate that Hexagon's second daughter didn't become Empress. After all, he erased everything related to the Previous Emperor, so how could he marry the Hexagon Duchess?"
"Why the Previous Emperor?"
"This is something I heard when I came as a servant...."
Nicola glanced around again. Then she led me to a more secluded place.
"There's really no one here, right? This is something I couldn't even write in letters, just in case."
"Tell me."
"The current Emperor became Emperor by beheading the Previous Emperor, didn't he?"
It was the only flaw in him, who was now praised as Emperor by the Empire's people.
Ordinary people didn't consider it a flaw, but it gave some of the Old Nobility Faction grounds not to support the current Emperor. They cited that the Emperor was a parricide who killed his father.
'It was the reason they viewed my father's change of heart unfavorably, he who had once been the Previous Emperor's Knights Commander.'
It wasn't the sort of story to spread in the Imperial Palace, which was why Nicola lowered her voice.
"But from what I heard from the palace staff...the Emperor apparently didn't actually commit parricide."
"...? What do you mean?"
"Ah, of course I don't normally think the Emperor committed parricide. What I mean is, the Emperor...."
Nicola cupped her hands over her mouth and whispered into my ear.
"Apparently, he's not the Previous Emperor's biological son."
"!"
"So the claim that he killed his father is false, they say?"
"Who told you that?"
"It's a rumor going around. The source isn't clear."
"But I've never heard of such a thing. We shouldn't make assumptions carelessly."
Yet the fact that a rumor emerged from the Imperial Palace meant someone knew the truth.
Someone who had been in this palace for a long time would know such a thing.
I silenced Nicola.
"Watch your tongue. You must never tell anyone else about this. Especially not Duke Hexagon."
"Oh! I have virtually no connection to Duke Hexagon anymore. Thanks to the Young Lady, I was able to give my parents a proper burial place, and I didn't have to leave the Empire. I'm always grateful."
Nicola, with her hands clasped together, twisted her body playfully and smiled brightly.
"But it's a plausible rumor. The Previous Emperor was practically a tyrant, wasn't he? Even if he died by rebellion, most people wouldn't have pitied him."
"Right."
"The current Emperor is a sage-king to most of his people. It makes less sense that a tyrant's son would be a sage-king."
I had no interest in the Previous Emperor. He was already dead and didn't appear in the original work anyway. What interested me was the current Emperor.
What I knew about the Previous Emperor was that he was an incompetent emperor who conspired with Hexagon, and also——
That he was incapable.
That he was an emperor swayed by the nobility.
'If it were anyone other than the current Emperor, he would have been assassinated for such conduct.'
Nicola whispered in my ear once more.
"By the way, did you know? There's a theory that the Emperor Before Previous was actually poisoned to death by the Previous Emperor."
"I've heard there were suspicions surrounding the Emperor Before Previous's death, but why?"
"I'm not sure about that. Usually it's because they wanted to become emperor, right?"
I sketched out the Imperial Family's genealogy in my mind.
If I recalled correctly, the Emperor Before Previous and the Previous Emperor were brothers.
"Anyway, time just flies when I'm here—it's so entertaining. If you need my help again in the future, just say the word anytime!"
Nicola brushed off the dust from her clothes as she stood up from the tree.
"No need. Your maid visits the Imperial Palace so frequently that I won't require your assistance, will I?"
"My maid? Who... are you talking about Emma?"
"Yes. I saw her at the Imperial Palace a couple of times before."
"Emma? You're certain it was really Emma?"
"I am. My memory is fairly reliable."
Nicola tilted her head as she traced a rectangular shape with her finger.
"Last time, she was hiding something that looked like this in her bosom. A letter, I think. It was quite small."
"..."
"Oh my, what time is it? I'm terribly sorry, but I've been away far too long. I should go check on things!"
At my nod, Nicola dashed off like an arrow.
'Emma at the Imperial Palace without me?'
Had Father sent her on an errand?
But Father would have assigned that to his Aide, not Emma.
'Why didn't she tell me she was going to the Imperial Palace?'
Emma was a friend I'd spent countless hours with. The chatty Emma who announced even bathroom breaks wouldn't have failed to mention a trip to the Imperial Palace.
I stood quietly with my arms crossed, thinking.
Something felt wrong.
There was something I didn't know.
* * *
"Emma. Come here. Take your medicine."
"Nooo, Miss! This is too much! Again?"
Emma's face crumpled in protest as she squirmed away.
"You're one of the people I'm watching very carefully right now, so you need to be careful."
I handed the medicine bottle to Emma.
"So listen to me."
"Suspicious about Emma? I'm a servant who follows only you, Miss. Please trust me."
Several days had passed since my visit to the Imperial Palace.
I'd assigned someone to watch Emma, but I hadn't seen any strange behavior yet. So I felt somewhat reassured.
"Drink it quickly."
"Sigh... If only the Magic Tower Master hadn't given you those magical potions, Miss."
What I'd given Emma was the same magical potion as before. I took on Emma's appearance, and Emma took on mine.
There was only one reason for doing this.
Today, I was planning to slip out of the house and meet with that person.
"But what do you mean by one of the people you're watching? Who else is there?"
"You."
"I told you it wasn't me?"
"And Dale."
"Didn't we resolve that last time? Again?"
"And."
I exhaled sharply.
"The Emperor."
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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