The person sitting at the highest seat in this conference room was Carson, but the one sitting on top of his head was Manisut.
“I would like to speak to His Majesty the Emperor.”
At those words, Carson stood up as if he had been waiting.
“Of course. Since I am thirsty, let’s have a drink.”
The two soon headed to the balcony of a bedroom on the second floor.
This was the place where the late Emperor had come alone to drink after announcing that he would appoint Carson as the Crown Prince at the Crown Prince’s investiture ceremony. The sunset he saw while sitting there as the late Emperor had said was quite spectacular.
“Sit down. Would you like a drink?”
Duke Manisut had a kind-hearted face. He had been a childhood friend of his father.
He was also the one who had put the currently pursued Empress in that position. So in his eyes, Carson must have looked like a hot-blooded brat.
He treated the young Emperor with a relaxed expression the whole time.
“What kind of alcohol were you drinking?”
There was definitely something to learn from the natural behavior of Duke Manisut, who flowed like water. Instead of answering, Carson held up the bottle of alcohol.
“It’s Monstera’s alcohol. It’s not too strong, so I enjoy it too.”
Carson filled his glass. Then he took a sip of the alcohol placed in front of him. Manisut, who was watching him, raised the corners of his mouth.
“It may be presumptuous of me to say this, but you look a lot like me.”
Carson snickered. It was because he immediately understood what he wanted to say.
“Of course, you look a little more beautiful than His Majesty the Emperor, because you resemble your mother.”
The one who placed the Emperor on his palm and held it was none other than Manisut. So, he must have wanted to say that Carson, who resembles the Emperor, is also in the palm of his hand.
If someone asked if he was a villain, Carson would not be able to answer easily.
The former Empress was a villain. She would even get her hands dirty for her own selfish desires.
However, Manisut was a little different.
He was a high-ranking noble who clearly pursued what he wanted. What he wanted was a solid aristocratic government that would be on equal footing with the imperial government.
He would do anything for what he wanted, just like the Empress, so was he also a sinner?
“If you're good, I'll stroke your hair.”
It was hard to endure the lukewarm alcohol that had been brewing for a while.
“Well, I’ve had three or four of those experiences that made my teeth shiver.”
The sun had already set in the sky. Looking at the setting sun, Carson became immersed in sentimentality that didn’t fit the situation.
“I would like to speak to His Majesty the Emperor.”
At those words, Carson stood up as if he had been waiting.
“Of course. Since I am thirsty, let’s have a drink.”
The two soon headed to the balcony of a bedroom on the second floor.
This was the place where the late Emperor had come alone to drink after announcing that he would appoint Carson as the Crown Prince at the Crown Prince’s investiture ceremony. The sunset he saw while sitting there as the late Emperor had said was quite spectacular.
“Sit down. Would you like a drink?”
Duke Manisut had a kind-hearted face. He had been a childhood friend of his father.
He was also the one who had put the currently pursued Empress in that position. So in his eyes, Carson must have looked like a hot-blooded brat.
He treated the young Emperor with a relaxed expression the whole time.
“What kind of alcohol were you drinking?”
There was definitely something to learn from the natural behavior of Duke Manisut, who flowed like water. Instead of answering, Carson held up the bottle of alcohol.
“It’s Monstera’s alcohol. It’s not too strong, so I enjoy it too.”
Carson filled his glass. Then he took a sip of the alcohol placed in front of him. Manisut, who was watching him, raised the corners of his mouth.
“It may be presumptuous of me to say this, but you look a lot like me.”
Carson snickered. It was because he immediately understood what he wanted to say.
“Of course, you look a little more beautiful than His Majesty the Emperor, because you resemble your mother.”
The one who placed the Emperor on his palm and held it was none other than Manisut. So, he must have wanted to say that Carson, who resembles the Emperor, is also in the palm of his hand.
If someone asked if he was a villain, Carson would not be able to answer easily.
The former Empress was a villain. She would even get her hands dirty for her own selfish desires.
However, Manisut was a little different.
He was a high-ranking noble who clearly pursued what he wanted. What he wanted was a solid aristocratic government that would be on equal footing with the imperial government.
He would do anything for what he wanted, just like the Empress, so was he also a sinner?
Regardless of which side he leaned toward, Manisut was truly at the top of the nobles. Those who followed and followed him did not appear overnight. The Duke had been holding on for years, engaging in a tense tug-of-war between the imperial family and the nobles. He was a seasoned politician who gave and took, giving and taking.
So it was natural that Carson, who had the absolute support of the imperial people, was a thorn in the Duke’s neck.
“Just say what you want. There’s no need to waste time.”
Carson decided not to fight him. The more he did, the more Manisut would see Carson as a child who was too young to fight.
“You brought Swenden’s daughter in as your secretary’s maid.”
“You said there was no need to waste time, so why are you bringing that up right away?”
Carson smiled faintly, and Manisut shrugged.
“You are very clever to think of bringing her in first.”
“Clever...”
Carson tilted his head for a moment, then smiled with a sharp look in his eyes.
“How presumptuous.”
Manisut’s relaxed face froze for a moment as if she had made a mistake. It was hard for him to tell whether it was an act or not.
So it was natural that Carson, who had the absolute support of the imperial people, was a thorn in the Duke’s neck.
“Just say what you want. There’s no need to waste time.”
Carson decided not to fight him. The more he did, the more Manisut would see Carson as a child who was too young to fight.
“You brought Swenden’s daughter in as your secretary’s maid.”
“You said there was no need to waste time, so why are you bringing that up right away?”
Carson smiled faintly, and Manisut shrugged.
“You are very clever to think of bringing her in first.”
“Clever...”
Carson tilted his head for a moment, then smiled with a sharp look in his eyes.
“How presumptuous.”
Manisut’s relaxed face froze for a moment as if she had made a mistake. It was hard for him to tell whether it was an act or not.
“If you're good, I'll stroke your hair.”
He straightened up in his seat and immediately bowed his head.
“I apologize, Your Majesty.”
“Even for someone as experienced as you, I seem to be quite irritating. Seeing you rushing in like this and making such a fuss.”
“Do not doubt the loyalty of your subjects.”
Carson lifted his glass and tapped it against his. Manisut lifted his glass in response.
“Have you ever had a drink with the former Emperor here?”
“Yes.”
“Even if the Emperor changes, you are the one sitting in front of him, so it’s not that I don’t understand being so presumptuous. However... If you want to sit in that seat in my generation after me, you’d better watch your mouth a bit.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
The answer came out cleanly.
“Now, tell me what you want. It looks like it’s going to get dark soon.”
“I have a daughter. She’s eighteen now.”
Carson shook his head at the obvious.
“Why have you been so quiet all this time? I’m not the only one in this royal family who would make you the father of an Empress.”
“There was no need for that. And I won’t risk my life in an unstable position.”
“Ha.”
In the end, Carson ended up laughing in vain.
The former Crown Prince’s position was solid, but when the Crown Princess was chosen, Manisut’s daughter was young.
And the empire lost the Crown Prince to an unexpected illness.
Since then, Manisut has just watched the royal family fight each other. They fought each other and died, and he waited for the last one to survive.
“I wonder if I should be grateful since you acknowledged me.”
Manisut knew almost everything the former Empress did. Like a wild dog that sensitively picks up the signs of an earthquake even when no one else noticed the shaking, he had already watched the precarious tower the Empress had built slowly crumble.
“The Emperor has become the only Emperor. No one can challenge your position.”
“So now make you the Empress’s father. Is that what you mean?”
“If you don’t like my daughter, you can choose a daughter from another noble family that I choose to be the Empress. One, Your Majesty should accept my daughter as Empress.”
“Why?”
“The Emperor is too much supported by the people of the empire.”
Carson asked with a mischievous smile.
“So?”
“It’s a matter of balance. It doesn’t really matter whether Your Majesty wanted it or not. There can never be an imperial government in the Keynes Empire. If the Emperor doesn’t show support for the nobles now, there will be no other tree to stand on and they will fall to the ground.”
“So balance it?”
“Yes.”
The absolute imperial power of the Flambeur era left an indelible scar on the empire and its people. Since then, the nobles have stood on equal footing with the imperial family and built the country. There was no denying that.
However, that too was bound to rot away over time. They were the only ones who couldn’t smell the stench.
“No.”
“Yes?”
For the first time, a real crack appeared on the Duke's face at the answer that fell without a moment’s pause.
“No.”
“Your Majesty, this is not the time to be whining. You need to face the situation.”
He sighed and scolded Carson as if he were an adult in the family.
“If I have the absolute support of the people of the empire, what’s the big deal about whining?”
Manisut shook his head.
“I know that you have no great purpose for this position. I also know that you have a deep connection with the daughter of the Viscount Swenden. So keep her by your side as a woman. Do you want to give her father the position of Lord of Landhill? I will yield to that as well. However, the position of Empress is not allowed.”
In principle, the Keynes Empire does not have any other women as the Emperor’s wife except the Empress. However, whether or not she is recognized as the Emperor’s wife is determined by her status, whether or not she has children, and only by the Emperor’s will.
They were also appointed as such, that is, the child of a second wife. Such a second wife’s child could rise to the ranks of Prince or Princess. However, the mother was ultimately a shadow. Such wives were not given any titles.
However, the Empress was a status that could not be raised or lowered by the Emperor’s appointment.
When Carson didn’t answer, Manisut continued.
“You don’t know how clever the Emperor was. He was an Emperor from birth. Even he always followed everyone’s wishes.”
Carson just tilted his head and laughed.
“Was it because he was incompetent? Or was it because he was lacking?”
“...”
“Because he had no choice.”
“Are you trying to brag to me about how you’ve been able to achieve everything you wanted by blackmailing the Emperor?”
The Duke neither confirmed nor denied.
“And didn’t you spare Anthony von Raymond?”
Carson couldn’t hold back his laughter. With this, the logic and ambition that aristocratic politics should be on equal footing with the imperial family were nothing more than a shallow trick.
“So if I don’t listen to the Duke, you’ll dethrone me and put Anthony back on the throne, is that what you’re saying?”
If anyone else had heard, they would have knelt down and begged for their lives. But there was not a hint of embarrassment on Manisut’s face.
“And that’s not all.”
Carson raised his eyebrows.
“Viscount Swenden, oh, now he’s going to be a Count. He’s not going to be safe.”
“...”
“Do you think you can avoid political isolation, indiscriminate attacks on the press, public pressure to step down, death threats, conspiracies that will lead nowhere, economic crises, all these terrible things?”
The Duke certainly was the kind of person who could make all the situations he had just described a reality. Carson had also watched the process tirelessly.
But instead of getting angry, Carson drank. He felt foolish for telling someone like that to be careful with his words.
“Now that I think about it, you just left the former Empress alone.”
“What good would it do to catch someone who is just being greedy and playing around in the palace?”
It must have been so. A woman who was squandering the imperial treasury and drawing resentment from the people of the empire must have been a good prey to Manisut.
“Do you think this only applies to the former Empress or the Swenden family?”
Manisut’s expression was stern as if he was going to punish Carson if he didn’t do his homework. Looking at those faded blue eyes, Carson thought for a moment. Averting his gaze from him, Carson slowly closed his eyelids and looked into the garden.
“I apologize, Your Majesty.”
“Even for someone as experienced as you, I seem to be quite irritating. Seeing you rushing in like this and making such a fuss.”
“Do not doubt the loyalty of your subjects.”
Carson lifted his glass and tapped it against his. Manisut lifted his glass in response.
“Have you ever had a drink with the former Emperor here?”
“Yes.”
“Even if the Emperor changes, you are the one sitting in front of him, so it’s not that I don’t understand being so presumptuous. However... If you want to sit in that seat in my generation after me, you’d better watch your mouth a bit.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
The answer came out cleanly.
“Now, tell me what you want. It looks like it’s going to get dark soon.”
“I have a daughter. She’s eighteen now.”
Carson shook his head at the obvious.
“Why have you been so quiet all this time? I’m not the only one in this royal family who would make you the father of an Empress.”
“There was no need for that. And I won’t risk my life in an unstable position.”
“Ha.”
In the end, Carson ended up laughing in vain.
The former Crown Prince’s position was solid, but when the Crown Princess was chosen, Manisut’s daughter was young.
And the empire lost the Crown Prince to an unexpected illness.
Since then, Manisut has just watched the royal family fight each other. They fought each other and died, and he waited for the last one to survive.
“I wonder if I should be grateful since you acknowledged me.”
Manisut knew almost everything the former Empress did. Like a wild dog that sensitively picks up the signs of an earthquake even when no one else noticed the shaking, he had already watched the precarious tower the Empress had built slowly crumble.
“The Emperor has become the only Emperor. No one can challenge your position.”
“So now make you the Empress’s father. Is that what you mean?”
“If you don’t like my daughter, you can choose a daughter from another noble family that I choose to be the Empress. One, Your Majesty should accept my daughter as Empress.”
“Why?”
“The Emperor is too much supported by the people of the empire.”
Carson asked with a mischievous smile.
“So?”
“It’s a matter of balance. It doesn’t really matter whether Your Majesty wanted it or not. There can never be an imperial government in the Keynes Empire. If the Emperor doesn’t show support for the nobles now, there will be no other tree to stand on and they will fall to the ground.”
“So balance it?”
“Yes.”
The absolute imperial power of the Flambeur era left an indelible scar on the empire and its people. Since then, the nobles have stood on equal footing with the imperial family and built the country. There was no denying that.
However, that too was bound to rot away over time. They were the only ones who couldn’t smell the stench.
“No.”
“Yes?”
For the first time, a real crack appeared on the Duke's face at the answer that fell without a moment’s pause.
“No.”
“Your Majesty, this is not the time to be whining. You need to face the situation.”
He sighed and scolded Carson as if he were an adult in the family.
“If I have the absolute support of the people of the empire, what’s the big deal about whining?”
Manisut shook his head.
“I know that you have no great purpose for this position. I also know that you have a deep connection with the daughter of the Viscount Swenden. So keep her by your side as a woman. Do you want to give her father the position of Lord of Landhill? I will yield to that as well. However, the position of Empress is not allowed.”
In principle, the Keynes Empire does not have any other women as the Emperor’s wife except the Empress. However, whether or not she is recognized as the Emperor’s wife is determined by her status, whether or not she has children, and only by the Emperor’s will.
They were also appointed as such, that is, the child of a second wife. Such a second wife’s child could rise to the ranks of Prince or Princess. However, the mother was ultimately a shadow. Such wives were not given any titles.
However, the Empress was a status that could not be raised or lowered by the Emperor’s appointment.
When Carson didn’t answer, Manisut continued.
“You don’t know how clever the Emperor was. He was an Emperor from birth. Even he always followed everyone’s wishes.”
Carson just tilted his head and laughed.
“Was it because he was incompetent? Or was it because he was lacking?”
“...”
“Because he had no choice.”
“Are you trying to brag to me about how you’ve been able to achieve everything you wanted by blackmailing the Emperor?”
The Duke neither confirmed nor denied.
“And didn’t you spare Anthony von Raymond?”
Carson couldn’t hold back his laughter. With this, the logic and ambition that aristocratic politics should be on equal footing with the imperial family were nothing more than a shallow trick.
“So if I don’t listen to the Duke, you’ll dethrone me and put Anthony back on the throne, is that what you’re saying?”
If anyone else had heard, they would have knelt down and begged for their lives. But there was not a hint of embarrassment on Manisut’s face.
“And that’s not all.”
Carson raised his eyebrows.
“Viscount Swenden, oh, now he’s going to be a Count. He’s not going to be safe.”
“...”
“Do you think you can avoid political isolation, indiscriminate attacks on the press, public pressure to step down, death threats, conspiracies that will lead nowhere, economic crises, all these terrible things?”
The Duke certainly was the kind of person who could make all the situations he had just described a reality. Carson had also watched the process tirelessly.
But instead of getting angry, Carson drank. He felt foolish for telling someone like that to be careful with his words.
“Now that I think about it, you just left the former Empress alone.”
“What good would it do to catch someone who is just being greedy and playing around in the palace?”
It must have been so. A woman who was squandering the imperial treasury and drawing resentment from the people of the empire must have been a good prey to Manisut.
“Do you think this only applies to the former Empress or the Swenden family?”
Manisut’s expression was stern as if he was going to punish Carson if he didn’t do his homework. Looking at those faded blue eyes, Carson thought for a moment. Averting his gaze from him, Carson slowly closed his eyelids and looked into the garden.
It was hard to endure the lukewarm alcohol that had been brewing for a while.
“Well, I’ve had three or four of those experiences that made my teeth shiver.”
The sun had already set in the sky. Looking at the setting sun, Carson became immersed in sentimentality that didn’t fit the situation.
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