Of course, Carson was alive until Ines was released, so he must have avoided the disease. However, the real crisis was not the plague itself.
"What?"
The disease eventually did not escape the imperial family.
"How old is His Highness the Crown Prince now?"
Carson's face eventually crumpled. It was absurd to suddenly ask the Crown Prince's age while talking about going to Monstera. However, he was only absorbed for a moment, and he soon gave his answer.
"Three years older than me."
"Then he is twenty-six."
Ines had clearly benefited from a special pardon that coincided with the new Emperor's ascension to the throne and had been released from Romfield. That was exactly ten years from now.
Even if His Majesty the Emperor were alive, there was no Crown Prince in the Keynes Empire who could not ascend to the throne by the age of thirty-six. Moreover, it was even more natural when the Empress’s power was this great.
The imperial family, swept by the plague, fell into great chaos. When those who were high up in the line of succession to the throne died, civil war broke out as a natural process.
As a result, the number of children in the imperial family was reduced to a few on one hand.
It was unknown whether the Crown Prince would die from the plague or become a victim of the civil war.
However, what was certain was that the Empress would lose her eldest son within a few years.
It was truly a vain thing for a woman who had to keep everything under her feet.
“After the plague passes, the political situation will be covered in chaos, and civil war may even break out.”
“Huh, the more it goes.”
“If that happens, the current Crown Prince will not be able to become the Emperor.”
Carson covered Ines’ mouth in a rare fluster.
It was something the Empress would have fallen for if she had heard it. He hadn’t been particularly surprised when Noah made such a joke in the palace. But this woman shouldn’t be like that.
Shouldn’t she cause as much trouble as she can?
“Ines, please.”
Ines, who knew the seriousness of the situation, nodded with her mouth shut. He had told her not to apologize, so she simply replied in a small voice.
When Noah heard the name Edmont, he thought he must be having a nightmare.
Going to that far away place right now at this hour of the morning. Fortunately as if to prove that this situation was a dream, his lord, who never interrupted his words while alive, stopped his order and fell into thought for a moment.
“No, no.”
Noah let out a sigh of relief and asked.
“Then shouldn’t I go to Edmont right away?”
“Yes. There’s no need to do that.”
After finishing his words, Carson immediately took out a piece of paper and began to scribble on it without hesitation. It was a letter to be sent to the Empress through an unofficial channel.
In the letter, he wrote only one sentence: ‘I will follow the Empress’s wishes, so I will keep the Emperor’s daughter and my younger sister as her brother for a while.’
If it were the original Carson, he would have ordered a thorough investigation of the people who died in Edmont and then proceeded with the matter. However, this time, for some reason, he didn’t want to do that. It was because he completely believed Ines’ words.
“I’m going to Monstera this month.”
Noah finally sighed, “Ah.” He had heard the name but never thought of it. His nightmare was not over yet.
“Monstera?”
“Yes.”
“Are you talking about the territory on the northwestern border farthest from here?”
“You’re definitely smart. I didn’t understand it at first when I first heard the name. I even passed by that land and went to Puldufin.”
“Who told you the name of that land?”
“From the Empress. If I don’t go there, they’ll send our Louis to Puldufin to marry.”
“Yes?”
Carson gave an unfriendly explanation and then straightened up.
“Why are you telling me that now? If you heard it from Her Majesty, it was when you visited the temple last time...”
“I had no intention of going to Monstera then.”
He patted the shoulder of the aide who must have been very surprised. Many people had to go a long way, so he was going to have a hard time.
“But why did you change your mind?”
“How can I stop it?”
“That, that is...”
Even his own aide, who was second to none in the empire, could not come up with an answer. In fact, Carson had no real solution.
He sent someone to the imperial palace to find out, and it turned out that the political marriage proposal from Pulderpin was true. Pulderpin was a country quite hostile to the Keynes Empire. Naturally, there was no way that any relative would come forward to send the Princesses to such a place.
So it was natural that Louis, who had no relatives at all, would be the first choice for the political marriage.
Of course, he did not think about how to deal with it. Since he had said that he would go to war if Louis was not sent, his first alternative was to send his private army to Monstera and provoke the war first.
Of course, since the imperial family would not actively help him, it would be difficult to win the war, and it would be a huge blow to him.
However, for now, that was the only way. If his army could hold out on the battlefield for just one year, Louis would be twelve, and from then on, it would be possible to engage in political maneuvering among the nobles.
If he could bring in a suitable family’s vassal and make him his brother-in-law, at least he wouldn’t have to send Louis to another country.
“We can either send Louis to Pulderpin or start a war.”
Of course, that was too dangerous an idea.
He could not send all his men to the other side of the world and hoped that his castle would be safe. The Empress would have her eyes lit up and come running.
“Should I tear up all the railroad tracks I’m building and make weapons?”
“Are you kidding me?”
"We... are going to Monstera."
"What?"
The disease eventually did not escape the imperial family.
"How old is His Highness the Crown Prince now?"
Carson's face eventually crumpled. It was absurd to suddenly ask the Crown Prince's age while talking about going to Monstera. However, he was only absorbed for a moment, and he soon gave his answer.
"Three years older than me."
"Then he is twenty-six."
Ines had clearly benefited from a special pardon that coincided with the new Emperor's ascension to the throne and had been released from Romfield. That was exactly ten years from now.
Even if His Majesty the Emperor were alive, there was no Crown Prince in the Keynes Empire who could not ascend to the throne by the age of thirty-six. Moreover, it was even more natural when the Empress’s power was this great.
The imperial family, swept by the plague, fell into great chaos. When those who were high up in the line of succession to the throne died, civil war broke out as a natural process.
As a result, the number of children in the imperial family was reduced to a few on one hand.
It was unknown whether the Crown Prince would die from the plague or become a victim of the civil war.
However, what was certain was that the Empress would lose her eldest son within a few years.
It was truly a vain thing for a woman who had to keep everything under her feet.
“After the plague passes, the political situation will be covered in chaos, and civil war may even break out.”
“Huh, the more it goes.”
“If that happens, the current Crown Prince will not be able to become the Emperor.”
Carson covered Ines’ mouth in a rare fluster.
It was something the Empress would have fallen for if she had heard it. He hadn’t been particularly surprised when Noah made such a joke in the palace. But this woman shouldn’t be like that.
Shouldn’t she cause as much trouble as she can?
“Ines, please.”
Ines, who knew the seriousness of the situation, nodded with her mouth shut. He had told her not to apologize, so she simply replied in a small voice.
“I’ll be careful.”
Carson listened to her story, which sounded ridiculous even to her.
“I got the feeling that Her Majesty was very wary of you, my lord.”
In her life, Carson had been the lord of the unified Lesonia, not Landhill. Given that Joseph had safely received the title of Viscount, Graham’s downfall had been a long time coming.
That meant that the situation now was completely different from then.
Also, Carson had survived the illness, but there was no way to know what would happen to Louis. Even if she had survived the illness, there was no way that this castle, with two members in the line of succession to the throne, would not have become a target for enemies.
In addition, the Keynes Empire was now keeping a close eye on Carson, not only the Empress but also all the nobles and the people of the Empire.
“So we should go to Monstera.”
That was the conclusion of Ines’s worries.
“You said that this territory cannot be taken away carelessly anyway.”
To avoid this battlefield where everyone was killing each other for the time being. And to catch their breath and build up their strength to fight against the Empress who had blasphemed their divinity.
That might not be the best decision for now, but it was definitely the best decision.
When Ines arrived, he couldn’t approach her because he was worried about what other people thought.
What do you mean by worrying about Carson von Raymond?
It was different from he having to lower himself because Louis was in the Empress’s hands.
As he followed Ines’s back as she hurriedly followed the butler, he heard Noah coughing behind him.
Even if it wasn’t because of Noah, he couldn’t help but notice. He couldn’t embarrass her as a maid.
However, he couldn’t wait until tomorrow and went to find her.
There was still a year left between them, but today, he wanted to stand before Ines as just a man, not as the goddess Heclesia. He sent a letter to Swenden to find out what kind of flower Ines liked. She could not have imagined it, but he had the balcony expanded and even brought garden plants directly from Swenden.
Ines looked around and was delighted like a child as if his efforts had worked.
However, he had gone out expecting a romantic atmosphere, but he had to return to his office with a blank expression as if he had been hit in the back of the head.
Then he immediately called Noah.
“What are you doing at this hour?”
Even Noah, who had never complained in his life, asked with a pouty face when Carlson woke him up from his peaceful sleep. However, Carson paid him no attention and gave him an order.
“Go to Edmont right now...”
“I got the feeling that Her Majesty was very wary of you, my lord.”
In her life, Carson had been the lord of the unified Lesonia, not Landhill. Given that Joseph had safely received the title of Viscount, Graham’s downfall had been a long time coming.
That meant that the situation now was completely different from then.
Also, Carson had survived the illness, but there was no way to know what would happen to Louis. Even if she had survived the illness, there was no way that this castle, with two members in the line of succession to the throne, would not have become a target for enemies.
In addition, the Keynes Empire was now keeping a close eye on Carson, not only the Empress but also all the nobles and the people of the Empire.
“So we should go to Monstera.”
That was the conclusion of Ines’s worries.
“You said that this territory cannot be taken away carelessly anyway.”
To avoid this battlefield where everyone was killing each other for the time being. And to catch their breath and build up their strength to fight against the Empress who had blasphemed their divinity.
That might not be the best decision for now, but it was definitely the best decision.
***
When Ines arrived, he couldn’t approach her because he was worried about what other people thought.
What do you mean by worrying about Carson von Raymond?
It was different from he having to lower himself because Louis was in the Empress’s hands.
As he followed Ines’s back as she hurriedly followed the butler, he heard Noah coughing behind him.
Even if it wasn’t because of Noah, he couldn’t help but notice. He couldn’t embarrass her as a maid.
However, he couldn’t wait until tomorrow and went to find her.
There was still a year left between them, but today, he wanted to stand before Ines as just a man, not as the goddess Heclesia. He sent a letter to Swenden to find out what kind of flower Ines liked. She could not have imagined it, but he had the balcony expanded and even brought garden plants directly from Swenden.
Ines looked around and was delighted like a child as if his efforts had worked.
However, he had gone out expecting a romantic atmosphere, but he had to return to his office with a blank expression as if he had been hit in the back of the head.
Then he immediately called Noah.
“What are you doing at this hour?”
Even Noah, who had never complained in his life, asked with a pouty face when Carlson woke him up from his peaceful sleep. However, Carson paid him no attention and gave him an order.
“Go to Edmont right now...”
When Noah heard the name Edmont, he thought he must be having a nightmare.
Going to that far away place right now at this hour of the morning. Fortunately as if to prove that this situation was a dream, his lord, who never interrupted his words while alive, stopped his order and fell into thought for a moment.
“No, no.”
Noah let out a sigh of relief and asked.
“Then shouldn’t I go to Edmont right away?”
“Yes. There’s no need to do that.”
After finishing his words, Carson immediately took out a piece of paper and began to scribble on it without hesitation. It was a letter to be sent to the Empress through an unofficial channel.
In the letter, he wrote only one sentence: ‘I will follow the Empress’s wishes, so I will keep the Emperor’s daughter and my younger sister as her brother for a while.’
If it were the original Carson, he would have ordered a thorough investigation of the people who died in Edmont and then proceeded with the matter. However, this time, for some reason, he didn’t want to do that. It was because he completely believed Ines’ words.
“I’m going to Monstera this month.”
Noah finally sighed, “Ah.” He had heard the name but never thought of it. His nightmare was not over yet.
“Monstera?”
“Yes.”
“Are you talking about the territory on the northwestern border farthest from here?”
“You’re definitely smart. I didn’t understand it at first when I first heard the name. I even passed by that land and went to Puldufin.”
“Who told you the name of that land?”
“From the Empress. If I don’t go there, they’ll send our Louis to Puldufin to marry.”
“Yes?”
Carson gave an unfriendly explanation and then straightened up.
“Why are you telling me that now? If you heard it from Her Majesty, it was when you visited the temple last time...”
“I had no intention of going to Monstera then.”
He patted the shoulder of the aide who must have been very surprised. Many people had to go a long way, so he was going to have a hard time.
“But why did you change your mind?”
“How can I stop it?”
“That, that is...”
Even his own aide, who was second to none in the empire, could not come up with an answer. In fact, Carson had no real solution.
He sent someone to the imperial palace to find out, and it turned out that the political marriage proposal from Pulderpin was true. Pulderpin was a country quite hostile to the Keynes Empire. Naturally, there was no way that any relative would come forward to send the Princesses to such a place.
So it was natural that Louis, who had no relatives at all, would be the first choice for the political marriage.
Of course, he did not think about how to deal with it. Since he had said that he would go to war if Louis was not sent, his first alternative was to send his private army to Monstera and provoke the war first.
Of course, since the imperial family would not actively help him, it would be difficult to win the war, and it would be a huge blow to him.
However, for now, that was the only way. If his army could hold out on the battlefield for just one year, Louis would be twelve, and from then on, it would be possible to engage in political maneuvering among the nobles.
If he could bring in a suitable family’s vassal and make him his brother-in-law, at least he wouldn’t have to send Louis to another country.
“We can either send Louis to Pulderpin or start a war.”
Of course, that was too dangerous an idea.
He could not send all his men to the other side of the world and hoped that his castle would be safe. The Empress would have her eyes lit up and come running.
He can't let Louis go, so Carson is going to do something about it. Hire mercenaries or bribe Pulderpin with money.
“Should I tear up all the railroad tracks I’m building and make weapons?”
“Are you kidding me?”
Noah looked even more upset than Carson.
“If we don’t have a political marriage, isn’t there going to be war anyway?”
“If I go to Monstera, the imperial family still get married to Pulderpin. Our Louis just won’t go.”
Perhaps there would be a fifth Princess at Pulderpin. She was only three years older than Louis. It was a pity, but it was also unavoidable.
“I’ll start preparing to go to Monstera.”
“Make sure the railroad construction goes smoothly.”
“Yes, I understand. I’ll pick out some nobles to be appointed as agents for the management of the estate.”
“Yes, let’s mix the ages a bit.”
“Then... what are you going to do with Lady Swenden?”
Noah’s question made Carlson briefly recall the conversation he had with Ines. She had dropped a huge bombshell and was urging him to go on a trip to the nearby garden.
“Let’s go to Monstera. They say you can see cactus everywhere along the road there. We can just come back here.”
When he didn’t answer, she twitched her clasped hands as if embarrassed. It wasn’t something a bold woman who had just foreseen the death of the Crown Prince would do.
“I’ve already asked the high priest for permission. He said that I just need to stay where the lord and Princess are staying, whether it’s Monstera or wherever.”
“Are you really okay? Monstera is really far from here.”
Ines smiled with confidence.
“Don’t you remember what I told you back then? I decided to live the rest of my life for you, my lord.”
“I remember.”
“I don’t care where in the world as long as I can be by your side.”
It wasn’t Ines, but Carson who blushed from head to toe at the bold confession. However, she wouldn’t let Carson just blush.
“Me too... Take me with you. I won’t cause too much trouble.”
In the end, he couldn’t meet Ines’ eyes and got up from his seat. And then he spoke, without looking at Ines, but rather gazing into the distance.
When he didn’t answer, she twitched her clasped hands as if embarrassed. It wasn’t something a bold woman who had just foreseen the death of the Crown Prince would do.
“I’ve already asked the high priest for permission. He said that I just need to stay where the lord and Princess are staying, whether it’s Monstera or wherever.”
“Are you really okay? Monstera is really far from here.”
Ines smiled with confidence.
“Don’t you remember what I told you back then? I decided to live the rest of my life for you, my lord.”
“I remember.”
“I don’t care where in the world as long as I can be by your side.”
It wasn’t Ines, but Carson who blushed from head to toe at the bold confession. However, she wouldn’t let Carson just blush.
“Me too... Take me with you. I won’t cause too much trouble.”
In the end, he couldn’t meet Ines’ eyes and got up from his seat. And then he spoke, without looking at Ines, but rather gazing into the distance.
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