The Same Dream (4)
“From the moment His Highness officially steps into the succession struggle, your roles will grow far heavier.”
I looked at Catherine, who was trembling like a leaf.
“Catherine, you can no longer focus solely on managing the prince’s palace. You must also cultivate ties with other palaces and gather every rumor and piece of information circulating through the imperial city.”
“M-me?”
Catherine clutched her head as though struck by sudden panic.
“And you, Sage.”
I turned to the old man and continued.
“There will be a great deal more you must teach Prince Edwin.”
“What’s so difficult about that?”
Sage raised his wine glass with a crooked grin.
“I’ve got nothing to worry about! Our Lady Brown is worth a hundred men on her own……”
He nearly let slip something about my true identity and quickly sealed his lips. My gaze had turned sharp enough to cut.
“Nanny, I…… I’d rather stay out of this.”
Meanwhile, Catherine shook her head, her face drained of color.
“I’m not ready for such a role. And I’m worried about Their Highnesses. Prince Edwin is different from the other princes! He has no preparation, no powerful maternal relatives……”
“What does that matter? Emperor Cabelius III himself slaughtered his own siblings to claim the throne.”
“That…… that may be true, but……”
“Head Maid, do you know what matters most in a power struggle?”
“Pardon? W-what is it?”
“Winning in the very end. By any means necessary.”
At the old sage’s words, Catherine bit her lower lip hard.
“Well, for someone like Prince Edwin, the easiest path would be to follow in his father’s footsteps. Even if it doesn’t suit him.”
He deliberately gave a sinister laugh and glanced my way.
“I can brew poisons that kill with a single drop. Just say the word.”
“Hey!”
Catherine darted glances around the room, terrified someone might overhear, and pressed a finger to her lips.
“How can you say such terrifying things so casually?”
“Hah. Even if I shout it from the rooftops, what’s the worst that could happen? Death? I’ve lived long enough. I fear nothing.”
“Well, I fear it!”
They acted as though they disliked each other, yet somehow they got along remarkably well.
I watched the two bickering back and forth, then lightly struck the desk.
Thud.
The dull sound drew both pairs of eyes to me at once.
“I have one question.”
I looked at them and asked.
“What does one need to become emperor?”
“First, one must possess the proper qualifications.”
The answer came from Sage, as expected.
He raised one hand with elegant poise.
“Imperial blood. That is the most important thing.”
I kept my expression unimpressed. Catherine cut in.
“But not everyone with imperial blood can become emperor.”
Her voice was still heavy with worry.
“The throne belongs only to the one who earns everyone’s recognition.”
The Emperor of the empire appeared to wield absolute power, yet in truth he did not. He was more like a balancing weight, ensuring no faction could shake the foundations of the state.
“Exactly.”
Sage lifted a finger at her words.
“That is why, to become emperor, one must secure the support of three people besides the late emperor. The President of the Senate, who represents the imperial nobility; the Supreme Commander, who holds overall military authority; and the Holy Emperor of the Leon Holy Kingdom. Without the consent of these three, no one can ascend the throne.”
I already know who the Holy Emperor is.
The current Holy Emperor of the Leon Holy Kingdom was the man who had taken the seat before my death. During my time in the organization, I had even seen him in person. I had once infiltrated his enthronement ceremony to assassinate a target.
He never struck me as particularly devout.
How a greedy, potbellied high priest had risen to the position of Holy Emperor was a mystery. Back then, I had paid little attention to the Holy Emperor himself.
But I don’t know who the current President of the Senate or Supreme Commander are.
The Holy Emperor served a seven-year term and stepped down when it ended. The President of the Senate and Supreme Commander, however, were appointed by the emperor and changed frequently. The men I had known before my death might no longer hold those posts.
“Who currently serves as President of the Senate and Supreme Commander?”
“They are people you already know well, Nanny.”
Catherine took a moment to steady her voice before answering.
“The President of the Senate is Marquis Radcliffe. The Supreme Commander is Duke Crowner.”
Damn it. Why did it have to be those two?
Sage burst into laughter at her words.
“Puhahaha! This is going to be a real headache!”
They were, of course, fervent supporters of the Second Prince and First Prince respectively. Winning over men whose allegiances were already fixed was nearly impossible.
This is more than just a headache.
I frowned.
At this point, the board is far too large for Edwin to simply insert himself into.
Catherine seemed to read my thoughts and rushed to speak.
“Nanny, the other princes have been preparing for the throne for years, guided by their closest aides. Prince Edwin has not.”
Imperial language, imperial studies, swordsmanship—nothing was new to Edwin. Even if his growth was rapid, he still lagged behind the other two princes in mastery.
“It’s too reckless.”
“……Even so, I cannot give up without trying.”
Any prince who failed to become emperor was doomed to die. Though it was said that a prince could inherit his maternal family’s status and live as a noble instead of royalty, reality was far crueler.
Leaving behind blood that might one day threaten one’s own position is simply foolish.
Very few princes who inherited their maternal titles had survived. Throughout the entire history of the Ventrum Empire.
For Edwin, the only way to survive would be to flee to the Holy Kingdom……
Yet the boy who refused to be separated from his sister would hardly manage a life as a priest there alone.
I laced my fingers together and spoke again.
“I intend to do everything I can to help Prince Edwin achieve what he desires.”
A servant’s duty was to ensure her master’s will was fulfilled. I had accepted Edwin as my employer and promised to give him the chance to choose anything.
Becoming emperor is Edwin’s dream.
I had sworn before Emma’s grave that I would strive for that boy’s happiness.
If someone who holds a dream cannot fulfill it, they cannot be happy.
I had long since awakened from my own dreams. But I wanted Edwin’s dream to come true.
I also promised Emma. I would protect those children’s happiness.
I recalled Edwin’s eyes when he declared he wanted to become emperor. The light in a dreamer’s gaze was beautiful—like stars in the night sky.
I simply……
……did not want to see that light disappear from his eyes.
“No matter what anyone says, I will devote all my strength to making Prince Edwin emperor.”
I lifted my head toward the two people before me.
“Because I am His Highness’s nanny.”
Perhaps Catherine had already decided that trying to dissuade me would be pointless. She pressed a hand to her forehead and let out a long sigh.
“……Nanny, do you know what will happen to people like us if Prince Edwin joins the succession battle and fails to become emperor?”
I met her gaze in silence.
She looked into my eyes and added in a heavy voice.
“We will be the first to be eliminated if His Highness does not become emperor.”
“I know.”
Catherine’s face twisted in disbelief.
“If you know that, how can you say such things so lightly……”
“That is precisely why we must place Prince Edwin on the throne.”
At my words, Catherine’s mouth fell open, speechless.
Then Sage, seated beside her, gave her shoulder a few hearty pats.
“Oh, come now, worrying is a luxury! Don’t you think Lady Brown has a reason for being this confident? We just need to do our best in our own way.”
“No, why are you siding with her too, Sage?!”
“If you’re going to be born with imperial blood, you might as well aim for the throne. Otherwise, what’s the point of being born at all?”
Catherine pressed her lips shut again at his words. Her clenched fists were as pale as her face.
“……Catherine.”
I spoke quietly to her.
“If you wish, you may step away.”
“……Pardon?”
“You have a family to support. You should also marry a fine man someday.”
I could not demand blind sacrifice from someone who had so much to protect.
I continued to the wide-eyed Catherine.
“Prince Edwin’s dream is important, but so is your life. The choice is yours to make.”