This man, who was furious that the place that held his memories with his wife was attacked, forced his wife to raise his illegitimate child as her legitimate child.
The old man stared at the Emperor with dry eyes, who was running wild without realizing his own contradictions.
He was just in deep silence as if contemplating something.
In Eratosthene's eyes, where neither fear nor respect were present, there was only a cold calm.
"I will have the First Prince raise an army and show that arrogant silver-haired bastard the greatness of Katzen. No matter how hard he runs, he will never reach my toes!"
The Emperor shrugged his shoulders, not even noticing the silent hatred blooming in the old man's eyes.
The old man remained unmoved even as angry voices echoed through the air.
"No."
Instead, he shook his head and directly contradicted the Emperor's words.
"How rude!"
"Your Majesty knows better than anyone else that the Valdinans become stronger the more they are trampled. Besides, Valdina is no longer the powerless small kingdom it once was."
Perdiccas II glared at Eratosthene with piercing eyes.
His gaze was so sharp that it made the rumors of him being possessed by madness seem meaningless.
The sharp gaze that slowly rose upwards from the old monk's toes eventually stopped and stared intently at his face.
It was not just simple anger: it was also the cold gaze of a ruler trying to thoroughly measure Eratosthene's advice.
"..."
The Emperor's silent pressure weighed down the space.
But Eratosthene remained calm and motionless.
He was neither cautious nor wary of Perdiccas II as was the Empress or the Marquis.
Rather, instead of beheading Eratosthene, the Emperor listened to his words and urged him to come up with a solution.
"If you do that, those guys will come rushing at you with poison, but you're telling me to just endure it?!"
Although he was angry, Perdiccas himself knew better.
In the current situation, they will not back down unless the Katzen Empire takes responsibility for what Jared did.
But.
The Strait of El Amuz, which Katzen had given as compensation three years ago, became the springboard for Valdina to leap forward as a new empire.
Every time Perdiccas II remembered that he had raised those who were dying with his own hands, he felt like vomiting blood.
"No, no, no! I won't give them anything more!"
"Your Majesty, it is not the harsh wind and rain that moves travelers, but the warm sunlight. If you wish to gain something, please give them your honor."
"...Honor?"
Perdiccas II's eyebrows furrowed at the unexpected answer.
Eratosthene continued speaking to the Emperor, who looked as if he did not understand at all.
"The current Emperor of Valdina loves his only sister so much."
Perdiccas II hesitated.
He knew that too.
Because Princess Medea was the first culprit that led to the crossing of the strait.
He heard that she was now trusted and loved by the people because of her courage in staying in the palace and confronting the rebels when the rebellion broke out.
But in the eyes of Perdiccas II, she was just a foolish girl full of useless heroism...
As expected from Valdinian, she is a typical hot-blooded person who only has high self-esteem and insults lead to impulses.
"You mean that impudent woman who challenged a duel because of a few words from Angelique? Why would she do something so reckless without knowing her place?"
Perdiccas II was so focused on the young Emperor Peleus that he was completely unaware of the existence of Medea, who was manipulating everything behind the scenes.
Medea also hid her extraordinary talents from the outside world so as not to be discovered by the Emperor.
If the Emperor had not eliminated his loyal subject Kensington, who was the eyes and ears of the continent, he might have finally reached the truth, but now it was spilled milk.
But there were definitely those who could see through the layers of lies and hypocrisy.
"... Yes. Your Majesty, please accept my offer to become the guardian of the Princess of Valdina."
For example, people like Eratosthenes, who was once renowned as the empire's greatest scholar.
"You can promise to bestow upon her the title of member of the Katzen Imperial Family, and to treat her on a par with the imperial family."
"Why should I do this to that greenhorn, my own flesh and blood, whom I hate to even look at!"
"Your Majesty, Think of the practicality. This is nothing more than a superficial honor. Would a Princess of an enemy country really act as royalty in this Katzen?"
Although he clearly understood the circumstances behind the incident, he did not reveal the truth to the Emperor.
Instead, he gave wings to the Princess of Valdina.
"As long as she doesn't set foot on Katzen soil, why should you be unforgiving of something that won't happen?"
Even though he expected that the winged Princess would eventually target his homeland.
"But Valdina would be happy with even such a vain honor. In a newly -formed empire that had just left its kingdom, the only royal lineage was siblings."
It was the result of his deep-rooted hatred for the Emperor, who was going mad with madness.
"Besides, since the Princess has been criticized for her status since she was young, the Emperor would also be sorry to miss the opportunity to raise his sister's name on the continent."
"..."
Perdiccas II stroked his beard.
Then, he slowly nodded as if he found it interesting.
This incident happened because Jared was after the princess of Valdina.
So the old man's words that the Katzen Imperial Family had sufficient justification to compensate the Princess, who was the direct victim, were surprisingly valid.
"...Hmm... Then how much exactly?"
"Shouldn't it be enough to resolve the old feelings? Enough to make the Emperor of Valdina not reject Your Majesty's proposal out of pride."
"..."
The Emperor still hesitated.
Profit and pride were fiercely competing in his head.
"I wonder if there is a way to ease Your Majesty's worries. I just brought it up once, so don't worry too much."
Eratosthene bowed his head indifferently.
It seemed as though he was not particularly interested in whether the Emperor accepted his proposal or not.
'The Empress or Leniar would not have left so easily. They would have insisted on their intentions through my mouth.'
By backing off so lightly, Perdiccas II was forced to think more carefully about his proposal.
Moreover, Eratosthene renounced all his titles and devoted himself to religion several years after the death of the Empress.
Even if he had his own ulterior motives, this meant that they were not much of a threat to the current Perdiccas II.
'Of course, rather than giving up our bloody territory to those Valdina."
There was no denying that it would be a great idea if they could get those guys out of Katzen as a guardian.
'I can certainly treat you like an adopted daughter.'
He already has more children than he can count on one hand. What good is adding a fake one to that number?
'I will never leave Katzen, and that woman will never leave Valdina, so we will never have the chance to see each other again in the first place.'
The words of his subordinates that even if Katzen is a great power, he should avoid continuing to prolong the diplomatic tension between the two countries flashed through his mind.
In fact, both the Emperor and Katzen had already expended considerable mental energy due to the sudden threat of Valdina, who had already occupied the trade route.
The Emperor, who had finally made up his mind, took Eratosthene's wrinkled hand.
"Penterus, you are right. I will do so."
"I am ashamed, Your Majesty."
"You are the only one who can tell us how to overcome this crisis. You are the true loyal servant who wilI fight for this country!"
"..."
Eratosthene's gaze absently passed over the unfocused Emperor.
The age difference between the two men, who were once son-in-law and father-in-law, was close to twenty years.
But unlike Eratosthenia, who appeared to be mentally clear despite his dryness, Perdiccas II appeared worn-out and weak.
The Emperor's fingertips trembled intermittently as he held the old man's wrinkled hand.
The collar near his neck had long since turned a dark color from the cold sweat.
The Emperor's madness was still ongoing.
"Put your worries to rest. Katzen will prosper under Your Majesty's rule, and no one will be able to surpass Your Majesty's majesty."
Eratosthene's low, calm voice shook the Emperor's heart like a returning echo.
Those were the words that Perdiccas II had been longing for, the words that scratched his thirsty stomach.
The Emperor's eyes overflowed with emotion.
Eratosthene voice was indifferent, but there was a silent loyalty towards him.
Yeah, he always has.
"Believe in your potential. Your Majesty, you can defy fate and seize the throne."
Perdiccas II suddenly remembered.
The youth of those days was young and full of passion.
How brilliant and great he was at that time.
He was not afraid of anything, and no one dared to surpass him.
Youth and strength created limitless power, but its best time was long gone.
"Penterus, stay in the palace."
Maybe that's why.
If Eratosthenes was by his side, he felt like he could get back to who he was back then.
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