ALL NOVEL Chapter 202
Lars’s suggestion to Acella to go to the Marquisate together.
Acella felt bewildered.
It took her a moment to figure out what his question meant.
‘Me and Lars… to the Marquisate?’
The Emperor of the Empire would never leave that throne for life. Such a thing would only happen if one of two events occurred.
Either death or imprisonment.
Lars’s suggestion implied, then, that she should not sit on the throne from the beginning.
“Are you telling me to become your wife…?”
Instead of answering, Lars lightly shrugged his shoulders. It seemed a little awkward for him to put it into words.
Acella was taken aback. Of course, she was promised in marriage to Lars. But that was only her accepting him as her husband, not her entering as his wife.
There is a significant difference between the two.
The superiority of families.
Acella was a member of the Imperial Family. To maintain her royal status and claim the position of Emperor, it was only natural that Lars, who was merely a Marquis, would come under her.
Even if she were to take in a concubine for political reasons, that right belonged to her.
Of course, she had no intention of doing so.
“Why should it be that way?”
Acella asked back. Lars thought that even simply asking for a reason without cutting it off was a big step forward.
“We can live together.”
“You can retire and live in the Imperial Palace.”
“Um… I’d prefer the Marquisate.”
With a delicate finger, Acella lifted Lars’s chin.
“Like me more than that.”
Lars thought that was a reply fitting for her.
“Absolutely not.”
“Absolutely not. You’re suggesting I give up my claim to the throne, leave the Moonlight Palace to someone else to manage on my behalf, and come to your Marquisate.”
“That’s the form of it, I suppose.”
“No, it isn’t. By then, I would be the Emperor, so your claim can’t possibly be established, Lars.”
“What if it were possible?”
“Lars.”
Acella asked him in a more serious tone than usual.
“What kind of woman do you think I will be?”
“…I see you as the next Emperor.”
To Lars, Acella being Emperor was as certain as the sun rising in the east, so that answer came out naturally.
“Alright. If you understand, then let’s get some sleep. We need to start the state funeral tomorrow. There won’t be any time to rest.”
“Then, hypothetically, if I were to retire…”
“Why are you talking about such impossible things?”
Finally, Acella slapped Lars’s arm in frustration.
It really was a ridiculous topic. Although Lars had expected this reaction, he barely managed to hold back a sigh when he confirmed it again.
“I’m sorry for worrying you.”
“You should be sorry. Is there any physician who irritates their lord?”
Acella closed her eyes in irritation.
‘There’s no way I’ll just let you go.’
Lars thought.
Acella’s will was incredibly firm.
She was born with a divine destiny to become an Emperor.
No matter how much she liked him, that affection couldn’t break her divine mission and her resolve.
Lars wanted to fulfill what she desired right now.
‘Good ending.’
It was certainly a happy outcome for both Acella and himself.
To reach that, avoiding a bad ending was essential.
Returning to the Marquisate was the bare minimum to create any possibility.
‘…Is that really necessary?’
The contract with Acella, which he had postponed and almost forgotten about, that now seemed unnecessary.
Lars recalled the envelope he had written four years ago and decided to sleep for the night.
*
The Imperial Family returned after nearly two months, and the chilly air created a cold atmosphere.
Of course, it wasn’t just because of the season.
The state funeral for the Emperor, who had ruled the continent and revived the Empire to its peak glory, was taking place.
A procession of those mourning, palace staff, and knights advanced along the road for a week.
I also participated in the procession for a few days while managing the inner palace’s duties, leading to a hectic week.
Acella was hardly seen except during medical consultations. She was busy coordinating the handover of the Imperial Palace with Heike and George.
As the Empire became unsettled, it was no surprise that noble families trying to declare independence began to show movements one by one.
Hearing the news, Heike contacted me secretly.
“Gothberg. I assume you have already heard from His Majesty. There was a will to declare the Gothberg Marquisate as an independent former country.”
“I understand.”
“However, the merits that the Empire gains from this must also be clear. The purpose remains to suppress the rebellious noble families by warning them.”
“I understand that well. After the independence of the former country, it must maintain an alliance that provides the Empire with a positive influence on the coalition by having an advantage in diplomacy.”
“You understand correctly. Only those who can provide considerable political benefits to the Empire, like the Gothberg Former Country, will receive permission for independence. Setting a precedent is the aim. In other words.”
Heike emphasized to me.
“If the independent former country is judged to be detrimental, the Empire will not hesitate to raise troops and attack it. You understand this as well.”
“Of course, Your Majesty.”
“Well. You have been assigned a difficult role.”
“I won’t let you down.”
Heike nodded his head.
“I am not worried because it’s your job, but isn’t the current lord Gothberg Marquis? Isn’t he going to serve as the ruler, while you are to become the Minister of Foreign Affairs?”
“No. That position will be taken by my younger sister, Lady Neria.”
“Oh, the head of the Pharmaceutical Factory? When are you planning to retire from the attending physician position to return?”
“I plan to after I sort out the internal palace factions, but that retirement…”
As I trailed off, Heike immediately caught on to the meaning.
“Did Acella refuse? I expected that… with His Majesty’s passing, such problems arise. The authority of the Imperial Palace is dividing, making it hard to execute policies all at once.”
Heike fell into thought.
“If you’re not there, the independence of the Marquisate will be meaningless.”
“You’re right.”
“Resign from your physician position and come back. Then we’ll deal with the remaining cases.”
Heike handed me a folder of documents.
I took it and left the Mokhwi Palace.
*
“You seem to have a lot on your mind.”
Tanya handed me a water bottle as I left Mokhwi Palace.
“What worries? It’s nothing major.”
“Is that so? You need to retire from the physician position, declare the Marquisate as an independent former country, and you need to escape from the Royal Princess.”
“Yeah. None of it is a big deal… except for the last part.”
“Because she’ll be chasing you down with fire in her eyes.”
Tanya shrugged her shoulders.
Hmm, she was right.
“Retiring itself is simple.”
“Is that so? Don’t you think the Royal Princess will absolutely refuse?”
“I just need to ask her to follow the contract.”
“Contract… you say?”
“Something like that exists.”
The seal that Acella held was still protected by her magic at this very moment.
[Acella von Württemberg releases Lars Gothberg from their engagement and discharges him from the physician position, ensuring he is safely sent away from the Imperial Palace.]
The conditions had already been fulfilled, and bound by the Geass, she had no choice but to discharge me from the physician position.
However, there are a few problems with that seal.
‘Ensures he is safely sent from the Imperial Palace. In other words, it doesn’t specify what happens after that.’
“Commander, if I run away, the Royal Princess will definitely chase after me.”
“Of course. She cares about you.”
“What… would she have thought that when she wrote that sentence?”
I had thought Acella hated me when I wrote that.
After all, she tormented me that much in the future.
I genuinely believed she disliked me back then.
“What about you, doctor?”
“Me? Well…”
I… didn’t dislike Acella now.
Seeing my expression, Tanya subtly lifted the corners of her mouth.
“You don’t think you’ll break up forever, do you?”
“…I have things to do for the time being.”
At least until I deleted all bad endings or reduced the chances close enough.
I needed to be patient.
“Since it’s your choice, I won’t advise against it, but is it really necessary?”
“It is necessary.”
“Then why don’t you ask the Royal Princess to come along?”
“I already tried. She said no.”
“Try it one more time. With a bit more sincerity this time.”
“One more time?”
Would she give up the path of the Emperor, though?
Well, since it was Tanya’s advice, it wouldn’t hurt to listen.
“Alright, but Commander, you should also worry a bit. It would be a big deal if you get caught while trying to escape. This time, if you’re caught, you might end up locked in the Moonlight Palace for life without ever being able to see the outside world.”
I’d probably just end up watching the world go to ruin without being able to get involved.
“Can’t we use the Teleport Gate?”
“By law, the gate can only connect to the Empire. By then, the Marquisate will be a former country and will have likely been destroyed.”
“If something big happens to the Marquisate, the Royal Princess will notice this situation. Plus, you need to resign for independence to be possible.”
“You’ve hit the nail on the head. Timing is crucial.”
Once I return only to the Marquisate, Acella won’t be able to chase after me anymore.
There would be diplomatic issues arising from the border separation. If she pressed the issue, Heike would intervene and stop Acella.
The declaration of independence of the former country and my resignation must occur almost simultaneously.
“Can this even work?”
So many tasks to address.
The situation seemed trickier than I had anticipated.
“My head hurts. Let’s tackle them one at a time.”
“Yes.”
Entering the inner palace.
In the Moonlight Palace office, I was warmly welcomed by the members, including Hugo and Chloe.
“Doctor, it’s almost the end of the year.”
“Chloe, you got new glasses.”
“Yikes! Ah, ah, they’re not expensive…”
“I didn’t ask.”
“Ahhh.”
Chloe shut her mouth and squatted in a corner, and Hugo took over to convey the message.
“We’re preparing for the year-end party in the inner palace.”
“Let’s gather by factions just like last year. With the state funeral, it wouldn’t be festive, so let’s not make it a big celebration.”
“Actually, it’s because of the factions. The doctors should be fine, but since the retirement of Baron Falkenhayn, the healers’ unity has weakened.”
“We were out for the martial arts conference and missed out.”
“Taking advantage of that, other factions have snagged our healers, and there’s intel that a new physician, Hartmann, appointed to Hwarang Palace is planning a big party for the year-end to recruit new members.”
“How long is this political struggle going on? I’m so sick of it.”
Now I had to be absent from the inner palace.
If I left, the Moonlight Palace physicians wouldn’t be able to see patients, and I absolutely didn’t want that situation to unfold.
Time to tighten the reins?
“Hugo.”
“Yes.”
“Call the Saint.”