Chapter 48
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48.
"What?! The Snowland King, that bastard...!"
Merely a week after my conversation with the Second Concubine.
News—or rather, ill tidings—reached the Empire.
None other than the Snowland King's declaration of war.
"A decisive outcome? What nonsense! The madman's lost his mind entirely!"
The Emperor's fury was evident from the very first paragraph of the Snowland King's letter.
"Where's the trap in war? Or is there one, Cassian Artez?"
"Of course, Your Majesty."
My superior merely laughed and agreed with the Emperor's words.
"He refuses to accept his defeat, so he's making excuses! Should I, as Emperor, simply stand by and watch my knights be sacrificed? Hmph!"
The Emperor was subtly emphasizing how deeply he cared for the Knight Order.
The Emperor's brow furrowed deeply.
And at this particular passage, Cassian Artez, myself, and the First and Second Princesses all tensed simultaneously.
The Fourth Prince, who had just celebrated his state marriage mere months ago at only eighteen years old, was not far apart in age from the two princesses at fifteen.
The Snow Kingdom Envoy, sensing the Emperor's mounting fury, continued reading the next passage in a somewhat strained voice.
"How dare you, how dare you! Coveting my daughter?!"
The moment the Snow Kingdom Envoy finished speaking, the Emperor erupted in fury.
"And calling me 'Empire King' no less, with that insolent tone!"
The Emperor drummed the armrest as if he might shatter it, seething with rage.
I found myself genuinely curious about what the Second Concubine had written to the Snowland King.
It was so childish that it actually worked perfectly on the Emperor.
Just as the Second Concubine knew exactly how to manipulate her brother, the Snowland King seemed to have the Emperor's temperament figured out precisely.
Then, the dangerous element we'd been worried about opened her mouth.
"Compose yourself, Your Majesty. After all, he is merely the king of Snowland. How could he possibly stand on equal footing with Your Majesty?"
"First Empress...."
"You must not fall for his provocation."
The First Empress offered him a gentle smile, as if soothing a child.
Then, as if things were working out well, she cast a teasing glance toward Cassian Artez before turning back to address the Emperor.
"Your Majesty is the Emperor of a great empire, while he is merely a king ruling some remote corner of the Northern Region."
The Snow Kingdom Envoy couldn't hide his bristling expression at the First Empress's words.
But the First Empress raised her hand to cover her mouth, laughed lightly with disdain, and spoke to the Emperor with sincere counsel.
"Therefore, sending a prince to deal with him would be more appropriate in rank, would it not?"
Gradually, the anger faded from the Emperor's face.
Soon, he calmed his raging excitement and fell into thought, absently stroking his chin.
"Your words have merit, they do have merit...."
As the Emperor pondered, Cassian Artez seized the moment perfectly, lowering his body as he spoke.
"Leave it to me, Your Majesty. Though it would be regrettable not to settle this with your own hand, as the First Empress suggests, would it not be fitting for me to go?"
"Cassian Artez...."
"A rude man may speak as he pleases, but if he loses to a prince rather than Your Majesty himself, how could he show his face in public?"
Though his words were respectful, the Emperor's brows twitched slightly.
As if trying to discern Cassian Artez's true intentions.
As an Emperor, he had reason to be concerned.
'The Emperor's ears probably heard "speaking as he pleases" as "fleeing in cowardly fear," spreading rumors that he was afraid.'
Indeed, there seemed to be considerable history between the two men, who had frequently clashed on the battlefield before the Emperor ascended the throne.
The Emperor had once withdrawn to prevent unnecessary loss of troops, and the Snowland King had seized that moment to spread rumors that the Emperor was afraid and had fled.
'I'm grateful the Second Concubine informed me beforehand.'
There was no need to know the details of such a humiliating history.
But the moment Cassian Artez stepped forward, the First Empress suddenly panicked and spoke.
"Sending the Second Prince as the Emperor's representative? Surely you should send the eldest, since the Crown Prince's position is vacant, Your Majesty."
Tsk, tsk—she was too eager, far too eager.
Cassian Artez had cleaned things up years ago, so the battlefield wasn't as brutal as it once was—which was why the Emperor had even entertained the mad idea of sending the Fourth Prince—but it seemed the First Empress intended to use this to build the First Prince's accomplishments.
This time, however, was a complete failure for the First Empress.
"Ha! When did I ever say I would send someone as my representative? Does the First Empress presume to decide my will?"
With those words, the Emperor gestured to Cassian Artez.
It was a signal that he was dismissed.
"Is there any shame greater than a father abandoning his duty to protect his daughter by sending his child in his stead?"
Yet you were perfectly willing to drive Cassian Artez and the Fourth Prince to their deaths?
"So take heart, my daughters. I swear I shall never send you to that cold and treacherous Snowland!"
At that confident declaration, the First Princess and Second Princess.
Unlike the brief moment of relief that had crossed their faces when Cassian Artez stepped forward, they now wore expressions of deep anxiety.
Of course, I had no intention of leaving them to their misfortune.
As the Second Concubine had said, children need not bear the burden of their parents' failures.
*
Once the Emperor's expedition was decided.
"...Here it is, Advisor Salice."
The Winter Palace had descended into a frenzy of activity unlike any before.
"You've worked hard, Advisor Ashwood."
Of course, I was accustomed to this.
But Francis Ashwood's situation was different—the meticulous appearance that had always been irritatingly pristine now looked hollow and worn.
His silver hair, which had once gleamed brilliantly from careful grooming, had lost its luster and appeared almost gray.
"Rose, how are the supply plans progressing?"
"Plan D is complete. Should I draft one or two more contingencies?"
"Yes, that would be wise. The expedition roster still isn't finalized."
Advisor Ashwood regarded me and Cassian Artez—who remained unfazed despite the chaos—with eyes that made us seem like monsters, then barely managed to straighten himself before leaving the office.
"What if he submits a resignation?"
I said this while busily moving my pen, and Cassian Artez let out a small laugh.
"He won't."
"Do you have some information?"
"Not exactly."
What an irresponsible thing to say!
If he left, I'd lose five precious administrative officials as well.
I'd finally gotten the new recruits trained to be useful, and the moment they were released, another palace would snatch them away without hesitation.
"But Rose, this plan here."
Cassian Artez pointed to one of the supply plans I'd drafted.
It was a plan not included in any of Plans A through D.
"It looks like you're preparing for the possibility that you and I will participate in the expedition?"
At his mischievous remark, I simply offered a smile.
This plan would likely become reality.
'Once the Emperor departs, the significance of this entire expedition changes completely.'
In other words, the center of attention would shift.
And I had learned something.
Very useful information from the Second Concubine.
'In truth, there's a hidden reason why my brother decided to undertake this expedition.'
As I listened to her story, I made my decision.
I would seize this expedition and make full use of the stage someone else had so carefully prepared for me.
*
By the time rumors spread that First Prince Charlie would be included in the expedition thanks to the First Empress's strong recommendation,
[The Emperor's Personal Campaign After 20 Years! What's the Significance of This Northern Demonic Beast Subjugation?]
[Demonic Beast Subjugation—Who Will Support His Majesty? Is This a Prelude to Crown Prince Selection?]
Just as I'd anticipated, the First Empress's article made front-page headlines.
And that wasn't all.
[The Temple Expresses Support for the Large-Scale Subjugation Campaign—Will the Veiled Saint Finally Reveal Herself?]
The First Empress had even pushed the reluctant Temple to participate, determined to eliminate every last source of uncertainty from this expedition.
'Before First Prince Charlie was even included, she'd already massively expanded the expedition's forces under the pretense of His Majesty's safety.'
If Cassian or Fourth Prince had gone instead, she would have sent them with less than half this military strength.
"Roselita, you look far too happy."
"Of course, Your Highness. How could I not be delighted that His Highness has gained an opportunity to demonstrate filial piety to His Majesty?"
I smiled wickedly and reviewed the reports from the knights who had conducted advance reconnaissance of the expedition site.
Among the findings was one of the reasons the Snowland King had moved,
[Flare Dragon Confirmed Showing Signs of Awakening from Hibernation.]
The report contained perfectly timed information—a golden opportunity to send Cassian along the flower-strewn path the First Empress had personally laid out for us.
"Indeed, once you have children, you should indulge in a bit of filial piety tourism yourself."
As I spoke with a bright smile, Cassian nodded as if he found the whole thing amusing.
Your Majesty, please wait.
I'll prepare an absolutely spectacular filial piety tourism package for you, complete with my fire-attribute dutiful son.
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