After parting ways with the Crown Prince, I went straight to the Empress's palace.
“Welcome, Duke Leopold.”
Although the sudden visit might have surprised her, the Empress welcomed me warmly without showing any sign of surprise.
I was a little taken aback when she greeted me with sincerity, not with acting or pretense.
I see you have something to say to me.
I had no interest in what it was. I spoke only intending to achieve my goals.
“To quickly restore the duchy, all of the employees of the ducal residence in the capital have been transferred to the Leopold duchy. As such, I have no place to stay for the time being, so I would like to stay at the palace. May I ask you to do so?”
“Of course. I can always accommodate such requests, so feel free to ask me whenever you need it.”
"Thank you."
“So, can I ask you a favor, Duke?”
Is this give and take?
“What can I help you?”
“Break off the engagement with the 4th Prince.”
“...”
What kind of nonsense is this?
It was so absurd that I couldn't even speak.
“You seem quite flustered. I understand. Understandably, you would suddenly ask me to do something like this.”
As I stared silently, the Empress smiled faintly and continued speaking.
“But it wouldn’t be a bad offer for the Duke either. No, it would actually be a very good offer from the Duke’s perspective. After all, the Duke doesn’t want to marry the Fourth Prince either.”
“...I don’t know why you think that.”
When I forced out my still-muffled voice and asked, the Empress asked back, her long eyelashes fluttering lightly.
“Isn’t it?”
"No."
“I thought the Duke didn’t want to marry the Fourth Prince, so you made up all sorts of excuses to postpone the wedding... Is that really not true?”
I was wondering why you were suddenly thinking like that, and that was it.
“I think you’re misunderstanding something. I’ve never postponed my wedding on my own. Every time something happens, I have to postpone it.”
“That’s right. At first, the 4th Prince was too young to get married, and after the 4th Prince became an adult, Chernosser...”
The Empress closed her mouth, unable to continue speaking, and then let out a long sigh and opened her mouth again.
“Then, the counterfeit gold coin incident broke out, and the wedding was postponed indefinitely. With the economy in turmoil and prices soaring, the people of the empire were suffering, so if we had a lavish wedding, their discontent would have exploded.”
“Yes, that’s right. So I hope you don’t have any strange misunderstandings.”
“Hmm, yes.”
The short exclamation seemed to imply, 'I don't believe it, but since you said it, I'll pretend to believe it for now.'
“Still, I want the Duke to break off the engagement with the Fourth Prince.”
“..."
“If you are worried that it might be very difficult to notify the royal family of your break-off engagement, I will take care of it.”
I was curious about how and what she was going to solve, but I didn't want to ask.
Because it was obvious they were going to use dirty numbers anyway.
“So don’t worry and just break off the engagement with the Fourth Prince, Duke.”
“May I ask why you so desperately want me to break off my engagement with the Fourth Prince?”
“What if I can’t tell you now?”
“Then I will decline.”
I was going to refuse no matter what reason the Empress gave me, but I was even less inclined to accept her offer if she didn't give me a reason.
Then the Empress opened her eyes slightly wide as if in surprise.
“I didn’t know that the Duke would so firmly reject my request. I even said I would help you break off the engagement safely...”
“You’re not trying to help me, you’re just trying to use me.”
Even if your mouth is crooked, you should speak straight.
“I have no intention of being Your Majesty the Empress’s chess piece. So I think you’d better find another chess piece.”
“...If I tell you why I’m doing this, will you do me a favor?”
“Well, it depends on the reason.”
“You still won’t give me a definitive answer.”
The Empress said this as if she was a little annoyed, but I did not change my mind.
Because for whatever reason I had no intention of granting the Empress's request.
Of course, I have no intention of marrying Perdes, so I will end my engagement with him someday, but at least not now.
“Yes. Let me tell you why I’m doing this.”
The Empress placed her hand on her chest, took a deep breath for a moment, and then continued speaking in a voice so quiet that only I could hear.
“I don’t know if you know this, but His Majesty the Emperor is planning something using the Duke.”
Any plans?
“I wanted to stop that plan, so I asked the Duke to break off the engagement with the Fourth Prince.”
“What is His Majesty the Emperor’s plan?”
“I don’t know the details, but I know for sure that it has something to do with Duke Leopold, or rather, something hidden in the basement of Duke Leopold’s house.”
The Empress's expression suddenly distorted into a grim expression.
“So the Emperor is struggling to obtain that item by any means necessary, even sacrificing his own son’s life.”
Not His Majesty the Emperor, but the Emperor.
Well, now that she knows that the person who killed her beloved son is his biological father, the Empress can no longer use honorifics.
It was a great feat just to have suppressed the anger that had been surging up until now.
“I believe Duke Leopold is thinking the same thing as I am, aren't you?”
“I will remain silent.”
“It doesn’t matter. Even if the Duke didn’t know about this, and even if you didn’t think the same way as me, you just had to break off the engagement with the Fourth Prince.”
The Empress smiled eerily, her bloodshot eyes widening.
“The reason the Emperor was so anxious to marry the Prince to the Duke was to make the Prince as Duke Leopold and take the things in the Duke’s basement. Duke Leopold was the only one who could freely use the Duke’s basement.”
It was a little off, but it was pretty close to the correct answer.
Who would have thought the Empress would find out this much?
Surprisingly, she has kept her position as Empress even though she has been so persistent in following the Emperor.
“So, break off the engagement with the Fourth Prince immediately. That would be good for the Duke as well.”
“I refuse.”
“Why!”
When I flatly refused, the Empress got angry and suddenly stood up from her seat and shouted.
Bam!
“Your Majesty the Empress. What is it?”
The maid heard the sound from outside the door and asked worriedly as if she had shouted so loudly.
Only then did the Empress come to her senses and shake her head, mercilessly crushing her beautifully painted lips.
“It’s nothing, don’t come in.”
She sat back down and asked me.
“Even after I told you this, do you still not understand how serious the situation is?”
“I understand.”
It was something I already knew.
“But why are you rejecting me? Are you really in love with the Fourth Prince?”
The word 'love' strangely lingered in my ears.
“He’s a stupid idiot, so you were going to use him and throw him away, but then you ended up giving him your heart?”
There are still people who think Perdes is stupid.
Of course, it is not easy to shed an image that has once become entrenched.
“Answer me, Duke. Is that really so?”
“Let’s say that’s true.”
As I answered indifferently and stood up, the Empress glared at me with bloodshot eyes.
“Don’t worry too much, Your Majesty the Empress. The Emperor won’t be able to achieve what he wants anyway.”
“...How can the Duke guarantee that?”
“That part is a secret.”
The Empress glared at me with her eyebrows furrowed, but I didn't look scared at all.
“Instead, let me tell you something else good.”
If you were going to use me as a chess piece, I would use you as a chess piece too.
I was already annoyed by the headache, but this solved it neatly.
“The Duke of Lucien has found a new note written by His Highness the Second Prince. It contains information suggesting that His Highness the Second Prince may be alive.”
“...!”
“So, instead of telling me this story, why don’t you contact the Duke of Lucien?”
After talking with Leo and returning, Perdes asked Byblos what he had seen and if there was anything special.
“There was nothing special about it. It was just an ordinary slave trade.”
"Is it so?"
“Yeah. By the way, do you humans still buy and sell your own kind? You are an inferior species, after all.”
Byblos clicked his tongue in disappointment.
Perdes, who had suddenly become a lower race, was slightly angry, but he couldn't say anything because it was true.
And soon after, Perdes joined the upper ranks of Cosmos as an escort mercenary with Leo's help.
On the other hand, Byblos was worried about what to do since he couldn't join as a mercenary because he didn't have a mercenary license, but Byblos answered refreshingly.
“I’ll take care of it, you worry about it.”
Well, he's a dragon, so this level of inspection wouldn't be anything.
“I will believe you.”
“Yes. Then let’s meet again later.”
After being separated from Byblos for a while, Perdes focused on the slaves he had brought with him from the top of Cosmos and a man named Flanky Lloyd.
“Our schedule is...”
In particular, I was constantly bothered by Frankie Lloyd's accent.
It doesn't seem to be the accent used in the Empire, so where is it used?
Perdes, who had been chewing on his words and imitating them, noticed something peculiar in less than half a day.
It just so happened that slaves also had the same accent as Frankie Lloyd.
“Welcome, Duke Leopold.”
Although the sudden visit might have surprised her, the Empress welcomed me warmly without showing any sign of surprise.
I was a little taken aback when she greeted me with sincerity, not with acting or pretense.
I see you have something to say to me.
I had no interest in what it was. I spoke only intending to achieve my goals.
“To quickly restore the duchy, all of the employees of the ducal residence in the capital have been transferred to the Leopold duchy. As such, I have no place to stay for the time being, so I would like to stay at the palace. May I ask you to do so?”
“Of course. I can always accommodate such requests, so feel free to ask me whenever you need it.”
"Thank you."
“So, can I ask you a favor, Duke?”
Is this give and take?
“What can I help you?”
“Break off the engagement with the 4th Prince.”
“...”
What kind of nonsense is this?
It was so absurd that I couldn't even speak.
“You seem quite flustered. I understand. Understandably, you would suddenly ask me to do something like this.”
As I stared silently, the Empress smiled faintly and continued speaking.
“But it wouldn’t be a bad offer for the Duke either. No, it would actually be a very good offer from the Duke’s perspective. After all, the Duke doesn’t want to marry the Fourth Prince either.”
“...I don’t know why you think that.”
When I forced out my still-muffled voice and asked, the Empress asked back, her long eyelashes fluttering lightly.
“Isn’t it?”
"No."
“I thought the Duke didn’t want to marry the Fourth Prince, so you made up all sorts of excuses to postpone the wedding... Is that really not true?”
I was wondering why you were suddenly thinking like that, and that was it.
“I think you’re misunderstanding something. I’ve never postponed my wedding on my own. Every time something happens, I have to postpone it.”
“That’s right. At first, the 4th Prince was too young to get married, and after the 4th Prince became an adult, Chernosser...”
The Empress closed her mouth, unable to continue speaking, and then let out a long sigh and opened her mouth again.
“Then, the counterfeit gold coin incident broke out, and the wedding was postponed indefinitely. With the economy in turmoil and prices soaring, the people of the empire were suffering, so if we had a lavish wedding, their discontent would have exploded.”
“Yes, that’s right. So I hope you don’t have any strange misunderstandings.”
“Hmm, yes.”
The short exclamation seemed to imply, 'I don't believe it, but since you said it, I'll pretend to believe it for now.'
“Still, I want the Duke to break off the engagement with the Fourth Prince.”
“..."
“If you are worried that it might be very difficult to notify the royal family of your break-off engagement, I will take care of it.”
I was curious about how and what she was going to solve, but I didn't want to ask.
Because it was obvious they were going to use dirty numbers anyway.
“So don’t worry and just break off the engagement with the Fourth Prince, Duke.”
“May I ask why you so desperately want me to break off my engagement with the Fourth Prince?”
“What if I can’t tell you now?”
“Then I will decline.”
I was going to refuse no matter what reason the Empress gave me, but I was even less inclined to accept her offer if she didn't give me a reason.
Then the Empress opened her eyes slightly wide as if in surprise.
“I didn’t know that the Duke would so firmly reject my request. I even said I would help you break off the engagement safely...”
“You’re not trying to help me, you’re just trying to use me.”
Even if your mouth is crooked, you should speak straight.
“I have no intention of being Your Majesty the Empress’s chess piece. So I think you’d better find another chess piece.”
“...If I tell you why I’m doing this, will you do me a favor?”
“Well, it depends on the reason.”
“You still won’t give me a definitive answer.”
The Empress said this as if she was a little annoyed, but I did not change my mind.
Because for whatever reason I had no intention of granting the Empress's request.
Of course, I have no intention of marrying Perdes, so I will end my engagement with him someday, but at least not now.
“Yes. Let me tell you why I’m doing this.”
The Empress placed her hand on her chest, took a deep breath for a moment, and then continued speaking in a voice so quiet that only I could hear.
“I don’t know if you know this, but His Majesty the Emperor is planning something using the Duke.”
Any plans?
“I wanted to stop that plan, so I asked the Duke to break off the engagement with the Fourth Prince.”
“What is His Majesty the Emperor’s plan?”
“I don’t know the details, but I know for sure that it has something to do with Duke Leopold, or rather, something hidden in the basement of Duke Leopold’s house.”
The Empress's expression suddenly distorted into a grim expression.
“So the Emperor is struggling to obtain that item by any means necessary, even sacrificing his own son’s life.”
Not His Majesty the Emperor, but the Emperor.
Well, now that she knows that the person who killed her beloved son is his biological father, the Empress can no longer use honorifics.
It was a great feat just to have suppressed the anger that had been surging up until now.
“I believe Duke Leopold is thinking the same thing as I am, aren't you?”
“I will remain silent.”
“It doesn’t matter. Even if the Duke didn’t know about this, and even if you didn’t think the same way as me, you just had to break off the engagement with the Fourth Prince.”
The Empress smiled eerily, her bloodshot eyes widening.
“The reason the Emperor was so anxious to marry the Prince to the Duke was to make the Prince as Duke Leopold and take the things in the Duke’s basement. Duke Leopold was the only one who could freely use the Duke’s basement.”
It was a little off, but it was pretty close to the correct answer.
Who would have thought the Empress would find out this much?
Surprisingly, she has kept her position as Empress even though she has been so persistent in following the Emperor.
“So, break off the engagement with the Fourth Prince immediately. That would be good for the Duke as well.”
“I refuse.”
“Why!”
When I flatly refused, the Empress got angry and suddenly stood up from her seat and shouted.
Bam!
“Your Majesty the Empress. What is it?”
The maid heard the sound from outside the door and asked worriedly as if she had shouted so loudly.
Only then did the Empress come to her senses and shake her head, mercilessly crushing her beautifully painted lips.
“It’s nothing, don’t come in.”
She sat back down and asked me.
“Even after I told you this, do you still not understand how serious the situation is?”
“I understand.”
It was something I already knew.
“But why are you rejecting me? Are you really in love with the Fourth Prince?”
The word 'love' strangely lingered in my ears.
“He’s a stupid idiot, so you were going to use him and throw him away, but then you ended up giving him your heart?”
There are still people who think Perdes is stupid.
Of course, it is not easy to shed an image that has once become entrenched.
“Answer me, Duke. Is that really so?”
“Let’s say that’s true.”
As I answered indifferently and stood up, the Empress glared at me with bloodshot eyes.
“Don’t worry too much, Your Majesty the Empress. The Emperor won’t be able to achieve what he wants anyway.”
“...How can the Duke guarantee that?”
“That part is a secret.”
The Empress glared at me with her eyebrows furrowed, but I didn't look scared at all.
“Instead, let me tell you something else good.”
If you were going to use me as a chess piece, I would use you as a chess piece too.
I was already annoyed by the headache, but this solved it neatly.
“The Duke of Lucien has found a new note written by His Highness the Second Prince. It contains information suggesting that His Highness the Second Prince may be alive.”
“...!”
“So, instead of telling me this story, why don’t you contact the Duke of Lucien?”
***
After talking with Leo and returning, Perdes asked Byblos what he had seen and if there was anything special.
“There was nothing special about it. It was just an ordinary slave trade.”
"Is it so?"
“Yeah. By the way, do you humans still buy and sell your own kind? You are an inferior species, after all.”
Byblos clicked his tongue in disappointment.
Perdes, who had suddenly become a lower race, was slightly angry, but he couldn't say anything because it was true.
And soon after, Perdes joined the upper ranks of Cosmos as an escort mercenary with Leo's help.
On the other hand, Byblos was worried about what to do since he couldn't join as a mercenary because he didn't have a mercenary license, but Byblos answered refreshingly.
“I’ll take care of it, you worry about it.”
Well, he's a dragon, so this level of inspection wouldn't be anything.
“I will believe you.”
“Yes. Then let’s meet again later.”
After being separated from Byblos for a while, Perdes focused on the slaves he had brought with him from the top of Cosmos and a man named Flanky Lloyd.
“Our schedule is...”
In particular, I was constantly bothered by Frankie Lloyd's accent.
It doesn't seem to be the accent used in the Empire, so where is it used?
Perdes, who had been chewing on his words and imitating them, noticed something peculiar in less than half a day.
It just so happened that slaves also had the same accent as Frankie Lloyd.
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