"I, Carson von Raymond, declare that in the year 351 of the Imperial Calendar, I will ascend to the throne of the Crown Prince and reside in Granzaim Castle, cherishing the imperial line that will continue for ten thousand years."
At those words, the judge knelt down before him.
"I, Carson von Raymond, solemnly declare that I, the future Emperor of this country, will stand in the highest position, but look down on my people and my subjects as the lowest."
At those last words, both the Emperor's knights on the platform and Carson's knights below the platform knelt down on one knee toward the imperial people, paying homage to the royal family.
The people cheered him as if they were welcoming a God who had come down to earth. The cheers seemed to reach the heavens. There was not a single doubt in their faces, expecting that a new world would soon open.
At that very moment, Ines was looking at Carson, her faith, and the Emperor, shining brightly like day and night. Her face was no different from the countless crowds.
Carson smiled more brilliantly than ever. The moonlight illuminated his face whitely.
“Your Majesty is now perfectly safe.”
Even though he could not hear her, Ines somehow felt that her words would reach him.
When she looked at him again, his aura was so dazzling that Ines closed her eyes instead.
The intense afterimage that did not disappear even when she closed her eyes continued to hover before her eyes no matter how tightly she closed them.
“How should I describe this feeling I have right now?”
The moment she looked again, Ines thought that she had met his eyes.
Like a shadow that disappears when the sunlight suddenly pours down, she unconsciously hid behind the tall man.
Unable to turn away, she stuck her head out and saw Carson personally raising each of the subjects who had knelt before him.
He occasionally smiled a smile that only Ines could see.
For a moment, her heart pounded hard against her chest, unable to keep track of the direction.
There was never a time when her heart did not pound whenever she saw him. But what she felt now was a sharpness different from the emotions she had felt when she met him before.
Her heart was beating rapidly without stopping, beating against her will. And its pulse followed Carson’s movements.
What on earth was this absurd palpitation?
Unable to open or close her eyes, she made an expression as if she was about to cry.
“No...”
When had it been?
When had she foolishly wanted to reach out to a man she could never reach?
Ines finally couldn’t bear it and covered her mouth. As she carelessly stretched out her hands to support her staggering body, she recalled the Bible verse she had held onto as if it were her life.
“But he who desires too much... will return empty-handed. He who desires too much will surely return empty-handed.”
“I will now live the rest of my life for you, my lord.”
The words she had said echoed in her ears.
“Is that your goal?”
Carson’s playful, smiling voice was also heard.
“Yes.”
Ines answered softly, unable to hear, and tried to straighten her body with both legs.
Even if her heart was that of a foolish person who wanted a world she could not reach, nothing changed. Like the waves, the sun restlessly settled over her head every day. Without delaying even once, without disappointment.
Ines looked at Carson again. And she made a promise.
Who in this world can live without the sun? She just had to walk more diligently as he grew farther away. With her God smiling so happily, Ines had nothing more to wish for.
So now Ines just went out to find him.
Towards the man who had saved Ines from this cruel world filled with malice and contempt for her, and who might still be waiting for her.
Three days had passed since the night at Jacohena Square, but the scheduled investiture ceremony of Carson’s Crown Prince had not been held separately.
What happened in the square was no longer called a riot. It couldn’t be called a revolution, because it wasn’t a case of overthrowing the previous imperial line and replacing it with another imperial line.
People simply called that day’s events the victory of Jacohena Square.
After Carson finished executing the Empress, the Emperor appeared right away.
The Emperor announced his abdication on the spot. It was a sudden event, but no one objected. The palace gates opened right away, and Carson entered with a triumphant air.
And from that day until now, Carson hasn’t slept properly for even a single hour.
The problems were literally piling up.
Along with that, Noah, who couldn’t sleep and was exhausted from his work, came to see Carson with a sullen face.
When Noah tried to be polite, Carson untied the tie that was hanging around his neck and waved his hand.
“Stop it.”
He nodded and sat down on the sofa in the Granzyme Castle office. Then he looked at Carson, who was now the Emperor. And soon he thought that God was truly unfair.
They both couldn’t sleep, so how could he explain Carson's tireless energy and glowing face?
“Aren’t you tired?”
Noah asked, rubbing his eyes with his dry hands. Carson grimaced as if he was saying something obvious.
“I’ll postpone the coronation date a little longer.”
“Yes. I’ll be lying in the coffin before I even put the crown on my head.”
Even as the Emperor, his jokes remained the same.
“What about the Empress?”
“She was last seen near the border.”
“She’ll be caught soon.”
“What do you plan to do when you catch her?”
“That’s... out of my hands.”
Carson had expressed his desire to strip the Empress of her title and imprison her in the tower where the royal family was confined, but the crowd and the nobles opposed it. So it wasn’t up to him to decide what punishment she would receive if she was caught. It would probably be difficult to avoid the death penalty.
Duke Anthony von Raymond had avoided death because he had not directly participated in the crime.
However, he had voluntarily relinquished his title and was living in seclusion in the mansion. Carson had been watching to see if anyone was trying to contact him, but in the current situation, not even a rat would want to meet him.
“They say that the money is no longer flowing into the system.”
“That’s right. But it has already lost its value as currency.”
At those words, the judge knelt down before him.
"I, Carson von Raymond, solemnly declare that I, the future Emperor of this country, will stand in the highest position, but look down on my people and my subjects as the lowest."
At those last words, both the Emperor's knights on the platform and Carson's knights below the platform knelt down on one knee toward the imperial people, paying homage to the royal family.
The people cheered him as if they were welcoming a God who had come down to earth. The cheers seemed to reach the heavens. There was not a single doubt in their faces, expecting that a new world would soon open.
At that very moment, Ines was looking at Carson, her faith, and the Emperor, shining brightly like day and night. Her face was no different from the countless crowds.
Carson smiled more brilliantly than ever. The moonlight illuminated his face whitely.
“Your Majesty is now perfectly safe.”
Even though he could not hear her, Ines somehow felt that her words would reach him.
When she looked at him again, his aura was so dazzling that Ines closed her eyes instead.
The intense afterimage that did not disappear even when she closed her eyes continued to hover before her eyes no matter how tightly she closed them.
“How should I describe this feeling I have right now?”
The moment she looked again, Ines thought that she had met his eyes.
Like a shadow that disappears when the sunlight suddenly pours down, she unconsciously hid behind the tall man.
Unable to turn away, she stuck her head out and saw Carson personally raising each of the subjects who had knelt before him.
He occasionally smiled a smile that only Ines could see.
For a moment, her heart pounded hard against her chest, unable to keep track of the direction.
There was never a time when her heart did not pound whenever she saw him. But what she felt now was a sharpness different from the emotions she had felt when she met him before.
Her heart was beating rapidly without stopping, beating against her will. And its pulse followed Carson’s movements.
What on earth was this absurd palpitation?
Unable to open or close her eyes, she made an expression as if she was about to cry.
“No...”
When had it been?
When had she foolishly wanted to reach out to a man she could never reach?
Ines finally couldn’t bear it and covered her mouth. As she carelessly stretched out her hands to support her staggering body, she recalled the Bible verse she had held onto as if it were her life.
“But he who desires too much... will return empty-handed. He who desires too much will surely return empty-handed.”
“I will now live the rest of my life for you, my lord.”
The words she had said echoed in her ears.
“Is that your goal?”
Carson’s playful, smiling voice was also heard.
“Yes.”
Ines answered softly, unable to hear, and tried to straighten her body with both legs.
Even if her heart was that of a foolish person who wanted a world she could not reach, nothing changed. Like the waves, the sun restlessly settled over her head every day. Without delaying even once, without disappointment.
Ines looked at Carson again. And she made a promise.
Who in this world can live without the sun? She just had to walk more diligently as he grew farther away. With her God smiling so happily, Ines had nothing more to wish for.
So now Ines just went out to find him.
Towards the man who had saved Ines from this cruel world filled with malice and contempt for her, and who might still be waiting for her.
***
Three days had passed since the night at Jacohena Square, but the scheduled investiture ceremony of Carson’s Crown Prince had not been held separately.
What happened in the square was no longer called a riot. It couldn’t be called a revolution, because it wasn’t a case of overthrowing the previous imperial line and replacing it with another imperial line.
People simply called that day’s events the victory of Jacohena Square.
After Carson finished executing the Empress, the Emperor appeared right away.
The Emperor announced his abdication on the spot. It was a sudden event, but no one objected. The palace gates opened right away, and Carson entered with a triumphant air.
And from that day until now, Carson hasn’t slept properly for even a single hour.
The problems were literally piling up.
Along with that, Noah, who couldn’t sleep and was exhausted from his work, came to see Carson with a sullen face.
When Noah tried to be polite, Carson untied the tie that was hanging around his neck and waved his hand.
“Stop it.”
He nodded and sat down on the sofa in the Granzyme Castle office. Then he looked at Carson, who was now the Emperor. And soon he thought that God was truly unfair.
They both couldn’t sleep, so how could he explain Carson's tireless energy and glowing face?
“Aren’t you tired?”
Noah asked, rubbing his eyes with his dry hands. Carson grimaced as if he was saying something obvious.
“I’ll postpone the coronation date a little longer.”
“Yes. I’ll be lying in the coffin before I even put the crown on my head.”
Even as the Emperor, his jokes remained the same.
“What about the Empress?”
“She was last seen near the border.”
“She’ll be caught soon.”
“What do you plan to do when you catch her?”
“That’s... out of my hands.”
Carson had expressed his desire to strip the Empress of her title and imprison her in the tower where the royal family was confined, but the crowd and the nobles opposed it. So it wasn’t up to him to decide what punishment she would receive if she was caught. It would probably be difficult to avoid the death penalty.
Duke Anthony von Raymond had avoided death because he had not directly participated in the crime.
However, he had voluntarily relinquished his title and was living in seclusion in the mansion. Carson had been watching to see if anyone was trying to contact him, but in the current situation, not even a rat would want to meet him.
“They say that the money is no longer flowing into the system.”
“That’s right. But it has already lost its value as currency.”
It was clear that Ines had planned it. And that wasn’t all.
As if by magic, grain began to overflow in the relief camp the day after Carson entered. It was a temporary relief measure, but it was enough to fill hungry stomachs and appease angry people.
“Have you started disposing of the items in the Wolluming Castle?”
“Yes, but they are so expensive that it would be difficult to dispose of them within the empire.”
“Do not sell any of the paintings and statues of the Keynes Empire.”
“Why?”
“The Empress thought she could move the people of the empire with fear, but I think differently.”
Carson decided to exhibit the works created by renowned artists in the country.
He meant to build a huge museum in the center of the system and allow anyone who wanted to visit for free. Just imagining the sight of nobles and commoners visiting the museum made Noah’s heart tremble.
The two continued their discussion.
Noah, who had been reporting on this and that, suddenly let out a sigh as he looked at the piled-up documents.
“What’s wrong?”
“There’s so much to do that I have no idea where to start.”
“Really?”
However, there was no trace of such agony on Carson’s face. He stood up and patted Noah on the shoulder. Then he hung the tie he had taken off around his neck.
“Where are you going?”
“To see His Majesty the Emperor.”
“For what?”
“Unlike you, I know exactly what to do first.”
“Is there something urgent? I will prepare and follow.”
“No, you don’t have to come forward.”
Noah tilted his head as if there was nothing he had not done so far. Carson snickered.
“Isn’t it time to make the woman who made me the Emperor the Empress?”
“You mean...?”
“Yes, I will send a marriage proposal to the Swenden family. But how does the Emperor get married?”
“You mean you are going to get married first in this situation?”
“Of course. It would be useless if the Empress’s Palace were empty.”
As if by magic, grain began to overflow in the relief camp the day after Carson entered. It was a temporary relief measure, but it was enough to fill hungry stomachs and appease angry people.
“Have you started disposing of the items in the Wolluming Castle?”
“Yes, but they are so expensive that it would be difficult to dispose of them within the empire.”
“Do not sell any of the paintings and statues of the Keynes Empire.”
“Why?”
“The Empress thought she could move the people of the empire with fear, but I think differently.”
Carson decided to exhibit the works created by renowned artists in the country.
He meant to build a huge museum in the center of the system and allow anyone who wanted to visit for free. Just imagining the sight of nobles and commoners visiting the museum made Noah’s heart tremble.
The two continued their discussion.
Noah, who had been reporting on this and that, suddenly let out a sigh as he looked at the piled-up documents.
“What’s wrong?”
“There’s so much to do that I have no idea where to start.”
“Really?”
However, there was no trace of such agony on Carson’s face. He stood up and patted Noah on the shoulder. Then he hung the tie he had taken off around his neck.
“Where are you going?”
“To see His Majesty the Emperor.”
“For what?”
“Unlike you, I know exactly what to do first.”
“Is there something urgent? I will prepare and follow.”
“No, you don’t have to come forward.”
Noah tilted his head as if there was nothing he had not done so far. Carson snickered.
“Isn’t it time to make the woman who made me the Emperor the Empress?”
“You mean...?”
“Yes, I will send a marriage proposal to the Swenden family. But how does the Emperor get married?”
“You mean you are going to get married first in this situation?”
“Of course. It would be useless if the Empress’s Palace were empty.”
There was no coronation, let alone an enthronement ceremony. Noah could even imagine what kind of repercussions would arise among the nobles if it was known that the Emperor had chosen an Empress and was planning to hold a wedding in this chaotic situation.
In Noah’s memory, no woman had ever ascended to the throne as the Empress.
Most of the time, when the Crown Prince was crowned, the two would be crowned together unless something special happened.
“That’s right.”
Nevertheless, Noah didn’t stop Carson. He had never thought of becoming the Emperor’s aide. That was why he didn’t know exactly how the Emperor’s wedding was going to proceed, and he knew how long his lord had been waiting for the woman.
When Noah tried to get up, Carson pushed him down hard on the shoulder and made him sit back down.
“Don’t get up and work here. Especially in the southern region, the plague isn’t over yet, so prepare some countermeasures.”
Noah gritted his teeth and nodded. He really felt like he was going to die from exhaustion. He had reached the highest position he could get as an aide, but in reality, it was just an extreme job that left the door of death open. Whether he died from exhaustion or died against the Emperor’s orders, he would die anyway. So he had no choice but to take the less dishonorable path.
“Understood.”
“In this palace, no, in this great empire, you are the only subject I trust completely. So just suffer a little longer.”
At that moment, Noah’s eyes sparkled. Noah’s heart sank again at the seemingly careless words.
“I trust completely...”
“Yes, you know that too. I can’t do anything without you.”
Didn’t a man say that he would give his life to someone who acknowledged him?
In Noah’s memory, no woman had ever ascended to the throne as the Empress.
Most of the time, when the Crown Prince was crowned, the two would be crowned together unless something special happened.
“That’s right.”
Nevertheless, Noah didn’t stop Carson. He had never thought of becoming the Emperor’s aide. That was why he didn’t know exactly how the Emperor’s wedding was going to proceed, and he knew how long his lord had been waiting for the woman.
When Noah tried to get up, Carson pushed him down hard on the shoulder and made him sit back down.
“Don’t get up and work here. Especially in the southern region, the plague isn’t over yet, so prepare some countermeasures.”
Noah gritted his teeth and nodded. He really felt like he was going to die from exhaustion. He had reached the highest position he could get as an aide, but in reality, it was just an extreme job that left the door of death open. Whether he died from exhaustion or died against the Emperor’s orders, he would die anyway. So he had no choice but to take the less dishonorable path.
“Understood.”
“In this palace, no, in this great empire, you are the only subject I trust completely. So just suffer a little longer.”
At that moment, Noah’s eyes sparkled. Noah’s heart sank again at the seemingly careless words.
“I trust completely...”
“Yes, you know that too. I can’t do anything without you.”
Didn’t a man say that he would give his life to someone who acknowledged him?
His master would never know this time either. With those few words, Noah has earned at least three more years of loyalty.
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