I Became the Master of the Empress

11

A man in his forties sits at a large round table. A crown rests on his head, amidst the black hair streaked with patches of white. Surrounding him are nobles of the Imperial faction. Among them, a man in resplendent armor points to a map and speaks.

“We can establish the headquarters here and deploy the troops like this.”

In response, the man with the crown furrows his brow and says, “You are being too defensive, Pyrro.”

To this, a man named Pyrro replies, “The enemy has a towering 15-meter-high rampart. We should keep a safe distance to avoid their arrows and catapults.”

At that moment, a clanging sound draws near.

-Clang, clang.

A soldier approaches the man with the crown and says, “Your Highness, a messenger from Rome has arrived.”

Upon hearing this, the man with the crown extends his hand, and the soldier hands him a letter.

“Hmm…”

Johannes, lost in thought, strokes his chin. Observing him, the people around him begin to speak.

“Yohanes, what’s the matter?”

“It’s truly going to be an interesting journey… A young lion suggesting reinforcement.”

What kind of family is the Ryan family? A proposal for reinforcement sent by the head of a naive family that does not fear death and considers surrendering disgraceful.

Yohanes, who saw it, felt puzzled, and…

‘He’s not a complete fool.’

Yohanes, who usually thought of people from the Ryan family as fools, had his thoughts slightly changed by the new Duke.

‘Well… still, such a ridiculous proposal.’

Silently ridiculing the new Duke, he handed a paper to the person next to him.

The recipient read it slowly and passed it to the other side.

In no time, a letter returns to Yohanes after everyone has read it.

“What do you all think?”

At Yohanes’s question, the audience is in an uproar.

“That damn lion cub!”

A man in flashy attire shouts.

“Isn’t this only good for the Nicaea Kingdom?!”

Transferring the Ifirus Kingdom to the Nicaea Kingdom won’t sit well.

Agreeing with that statement, another person speaks in a tone that implies the proposal is absurd.

“Indeed. For the well-being of the Empire and the Emperor, we’ve gathered here, and we won’t accept such an absurd proposal.”

A proposal that everyone refuses to accept.

But Yohanes is the only one who sees it as a good proposal.

‘He’s not a complete novice.’

But the moment Johannes agrees to this proposal.

Perhaps the leader of the Emperor’s faction will change.

That’s why Johannes cannot swallow this sweet poison.

“I feel the same way. We’ve all gathered here to repay a great favor to the late Emperor of the Emperor’s faction. But…”

As Johannes clouds the end of his words, the audience falls silent.

“It seems there’s no way to overcome the triple walls.”

Now, the imperial forces are all risen for justice.

But that doesn’t mean they all want to be entangled in a war whose end is uncertain.

Although they bear the grand name of a faction loyal to the Emperor, factional strife is only a means to preserve their privileges.

No noble wants a prolonged war that incurs losses.

“If we reinforce, we’ll need the audacity of that devil, Devian!”

“That’s right! That’s right!”

Although a few people say so…

“I oppose. That’s a condition that the enemy won’t easily accept, and we’ll keep fighting.”

“Then, let’s set the capital on fire!”

“Even if we set the capital on fire, what’s the point if we can’t save Princess Hwanga?”

-Thud!

Johannes feels the atmosphere becoming increasingly fierce.

‘For now… should I wait and see?’

In the midst of the heated debate, Ioannes considered that this might be the case.

If he wasn’t going to see bloodshed here immediately, he thought he might as well take a nap.

“Well, what do you suggest?”

“First, we should try negotiations. Didn’t Representative Alexander mention that he could gain more advantages? If that’s the case, we should start negotiations first and demand a substantial compensation from them.”

Ioannes felt better listening to the words of the relatively young noble.

“Rachio Count’s eldest son, Savinelli, was it?”

Having evaluated him as quite competent, Ioannes decided to delve a bit more into the conversation.

“hahahaha… Are you suggesting we snatch even from the Francesco Duchy?”

At that remark, Savinelli shook his head and said, “No. What I meant was…”

After a brief pause, Savinelli continued, “Let’s ask for Ezeb.”

“Hmm! How can you say such a thing when there’s a rebellion going on? Obviously, the necks of the rebel bandits are needed!”

As the hall became noisy at Savinelli’s words, Ioannes organized his thoughts.

On one hand, there was talk that Debián’s neck was a strengthening condition.

On the other hand, there was a demand for Ezeb.

“Hmm… Ezeb, huh…”

A kingdom known as the Empire’s breadbasket.

It was an area designated by the imperial decree to supply flour in case of famine in certain regions.

It was also one of the reasons why the colossal city of Rome, the capital of the Roman Empire, was maintained.

“If you cut off the supply of flour being sent via ship from Ejeep, then that place becomes a living hell.”

In other words… it’s a region that holds the leash of the future empress and Duke Francesco.

That’s why Johannes thinks to himself.

“I can’t accept that kind of thing.”

Johannes, thinking that Sabinelli had misunderstood something, decides to give him a chance to correct himself.

“Well… do you think they would really give it up, those people…?”

In response to those words, Sabinelli nods confidently.

“Of course. If the young lion were to wage war, he would lose everything except for the capital city of Rome. He is a rational person. He wants to hold the empire in his hands.”

Johannes listens quietly to the logical words.

“He wants the empire. Not just the city of Rome as the capital, so the Duke has no choice but to protect the Duchy of Francesco.”

“Because… if they lose it, they won’t receive any support from outside of Rome anymore.”

Sabinelli nods in agreement with Johannes’ words.

“The Duchy of Francesco. Abundant resources and fertile lands. And the taxes that come from maritime trade with other maritime nations. The Duke cannot afford to lose the Duchy of Francesco. If he loses it… nothing will remain outside of the soldiers currently in Rome.”

“Hmm… that makes sense.”

Johannes ponders what thoughts he would have if he were Debián.

Direct rule by the emperor.

Giving that to the emperor faction and forming a good relationship with them?

Not a bad idea. After all, the power of the Ryan family comes from the Duchy.

As Johannes contemplates these thoughts, a sound reverberates, breaking his train of thought.

-Thump!

“But in the end, isn’t it that both Ephyrus and Ejev want to seize the Nicaea Kingdom?”

In response to that, Ioannes says with a solemn expression, “I swear here, if we obtain Ephyrus and Ejev, we will fairly share it with everyone here.”

“That’s because… I can exert influence as the leader of the Imperial Faction.”

In truth, it’s a lie if there’s no temptation. If we obtain those two places and time passes, we won’t be able to ignore the factions. They are wealthy kingdoms, but I can’t monopolize them alone. I can’t just stay still within the Imperial Faction.

“These people aren’t fools, and they won’t just let me have it all to myself. Maybe what the young lions want is this internal conflict.”

Thinking so wickedly inside, Ioannes gets lost in thought.

“Hmm… this isn’t enough.”

The reason the Imperial Faction can overwhelm the Anti-Imperial Faction right now is because… “The nobles of the Anti-Imperial Faction are rapidly defecting, and the neutral factions are all siding with us…”

But if the Imperial Faction obtains Ephyrus and Ejev, the neutral factions won’t matter anymore. It’s because we can overwhelm the Anti-Imperial Faction in its prime, when the Imperial Faction itself was strong enough.

“In that case… I should draw the picture of the future.”

“Very well. Then, how about making the safety of Princess Zoe a minimum condition for us, in preparation for any unexpected events related to Ephyrus and Ejev?”

Upon Ioannes’ words, the nobles are lost in thought one by one.

It seems like they are considering what would benefit their own families.

“That sounds good!”

“Yes! There might be another imperial assassination in the future. It’s only natural.”

Feeling that some consensus has been reached, Ioannes looks at the secretary and says.

“Then send a letter to Representative Alexander. Our minimum demands are Epirus and Ezip, and Princess Joy,” said Johannes, looking at the people seated around the table.

“First, let’s hear their demands and consider whether to form an alliance,” he continued.

Everyone agreed with his words.

***

“Princess… Princess Hwang Tae-nyeo!”

A loud voice echoed through the corridor.

“Stand back! You dogs of the Duke!”

“No one is allowed to enter here without the permission of the Duke.”

Curiosity led me to follow the sound.

I saw Chief Charles trying to enter the area where the nobles were staying, and soldiers blocking his way.

“What’s going on?”

“Princess… Princess Hwang Tae-nyeo?!”

The soldier saluted, pointing his spear towards the ceiling, in response to my question.

-Thud.

“Princess Hwang Tae-nyeo!… That bastard Duke has caused an accident.”

Chief Charles, as if this was his chance to pour out his grievances, fell to his knees and shed tears.

“The Duke… that son of a b*tch persecuted the Supreme Court and received an absurd verdict.”

I became puzzled by his words.

“An absurd verdict, you say?”

The words that pass through my mind at that moment.

-We are going to get married.

I don’t know why those words come to mind, but instantly, anxiety engulfs me.

“Wa… wait, what?”

Charles, as if confirming my thoughts, nods his head.

“That kid! He made it possible to change the Emperor’s decree.”

No way… how… what?

Seeing my incredulous expression, he hands me a few sheets of paper.

“Please read…”

I quickly scan the document, written in a splendid hand, titled as a verdict.

[Article 12, Paragraph 2 of the Imperial Law is in violation of the Imperial Law and is null and void from this moment.]

Reading the contents, my body trembles.

A deep sense of betrayal and anger.

And mixed feelings of humiliation…

-Unbelievable… unbelievable…

I crumple the paper roughly and throw it to the ground.

“Will I tolerate such a verdict? No, I will exercise the Emperor’s veto on this decision before it becomes legally binding.”

The Emperor’s absolute privilege, the veto, can nullify this absurd judgment before it is finalized and enforced.

“Your… Your Majesty… that… that is…”

Something about Chief Charles’s expression seems awkward.

“What’s the problem?”

“In… According to imperial law, the crown prince or princess… cannot exercise the right of refusal…”

I look at Chief Charles with a vacant expression at his words.

“T-Then what? If the coronation ceremony is held…?”

In response to my question, Chief Charles shakes his head and says,

“To hold the coronation ceremony, His Holiness the Pope must be brought here… but that cunning Duke will never allow it.”

“N-No way… Is there such a law?”

Chief Charles shakes his head in response to my question.

“There is a precedent in the Supreme Court that the emperor’s privileges… can only be exercised after the coronation ceremony…”

At those words, the strength drains from my legs.

-Thud.

“T-That’s absurd…! I-Is there a way for the assembly to censure? Anyway, this isn’t a speedy trial, is it?”

“We tried to convene the assembly for censure, but… it’s closed, citing safety concerns about cracks in the assembly building.”

You vile child… truly playing dirty…

That unfortunate smile comes to mind, and my teeth grind.

-Squelch…

Ruin the sacred assembly like this?

“I won’t stand idly by!”

And so, I head to the Duke’s office.

“Wha… Empress Hwang Tae-nyeo?!”