Side Story 1.3

“We’ll be seeing each other in the conference hall soon anyway, so why did you call me here so unnecessarily?”

“Haha, you’re so blunt. Meeting in the conference hall and meeting like this are not the same thing, are they?”

Kedrian, the current Emperor of the Borrestian Empire, looked at the Grand Duke across from him with a friendly expression.

His old friend, who had been famous for his outstanding looks in his youth, was still the same. His straight posture and sharp eyes were unchanged.

The only thing that showed the passage of time was his own body, which was weakening with each passing day.

“I called you because it seems we haven’t even had a proper cup of tea since you came to the capital. I heard you’ve been busy?”

“Yes. I’ve been incredibly busy. A certain fly has gotten attached to my daughter, you see.”

‘A fly…’

Kedrian cleared his throat. There was no one other than Robellus who could call the Crown Prince of the Empire a “fly.”

Kedrian was well aware of Robellus’s love for his daughter, and he was in a position where he had to ask for his permission. He smiled subtly, without showing any displeasure.

“You must be very worried. There are more than a few men who desire the intelligent and beautiful Princess of Kilmaria.”

“The fly is flapping his wings so loudly that no one else is making a move. That’s the problem.”

“Ha ha ha…”

“Stop beating around the bush and get to the point. I am a busy man.”

A line of cold sweat ran down Kedrian’s back. He watched Robellus, who was on edge. He looked ready to draw his sword with a wrong word.

“The capital’s restoration is almost finished, so I’m thinking of holding the Crown Prince’s investiture ceremony soon.”

“Yes, I’m aware. And?”

“And… there have been some gruesome events, so I want the Crown Prince to appear trustworthy to the people.”

“And? Why are you telling me this when the Crown Prince can handle it himself?”

“…Haa. Fine. I’ll be frank. It would be great if the Princess and the Crown Prince could finalize their engagement before the investiture ceremony.”

As expected, Robellus let out a murderous aura. Kedrian flinched. But he couldn’t back down either.

As Kieryk was stripped of his title as a Prince, the voices of concern for the future of the Empire grew louder. Even though there was an unspoken agreement that Jeras would succeed the throne, there was a big difference between having one Prince and two.

On top of that, an unimaginable being had just laid waste to the capital. The atmosphere was bound to be tense.

The surest way to calm anxious hearts was union with the Grand Duchy of Kilmaria.

And that was why Robellus was even angrier. Jeras had not even married her yet, and they were already trying to use his daughter for political reasons.

He could already imagine what would happen if she became the Crown Princess and, in the distant future, the Empress.

“I have one question for you.”

“Ask away.”

“Is what you just said His Highness’s opinion?”

“No. He hates it when I interfere with his marriage. He doesn’t even answer me when I ask him how things are going.”

Hoh. Robellus narrowed his eyes. Kedrian leaned back in his chair and sighed.

“I won’t say there are no political reasons. You wouldn’t believe me anyway. But that’s not all there is to it.”

After Empress Florese’s death and Kieryk’s departure from the Imperial Palace, Kedrian had reflected on his past.

It was the life of a foolish man who had fallen into grief after losing his Empress and had neglected his surroundings.

Many people were hurt because of him. It was a sin too great to be forgiven.

But even so, he couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. He didn’t want to see a tragedy caused by his inaction again.

“He is different from me. He knows exactly what he wants. He may seem like a troublemaker, but he’s also responsible. It’s awkward for me to say it myself, but…”

“If it’s awkward to say, then don’t.”

“Haha… Just listen to me. Jeras is a good kid.”

“I know that His Highness is a good person. I have been watching him for a long time.”

Even this morning, Jeras had endured his beating in silence. Although he was annoyed by Jeras’s exaggerated complaints about how much it hurt, he had to admit that Jeras’s patience and persistence were commendable.

Oh, that didn’t mean he liked him. Absolutely not.

“I know what you are worried about.”

“No, you do not. How could Your Majesty, who does not have a daughter, know the heart of a father?”

“I don’t have a daughter, but I do have a son. As a father of a child…”

“A father of a child? My daughter is an angel descended from heaven. How can my daughter be the same as your dark son?”

Robellus’s veins stood out on his forehead and neck. Kedrian wiped away the cold sweat running down his back.

He had tried to help his son but had only ended up causing more trouble. Kedrian quietly closed his mouth.

***

After a useless tea time with the Emperor, the Grand Duke attended a conference.

Jeras at the conference hall was a completely different person. He led the conference skillfully. He was a cunning politician who showed no signs of his passionate youth or fiery temper.

As a bonus, he was able to distinguish between friend and foe with his beast-like intuition. Few people, except for a couple of quick-witted ones, had noticed this.

“The conference ended early today, didn’t it?”

“It’s because His Highness is so capable.”

“The future of the Empire is bright!”

After the final agenda was dealt with, the nobles began to flatter Jeras. Jeras, who was sitting at the head of the table, rested his chin on his hand and smiled meaningfully.

“There is still one thing left.”

“Didn’t we just deal with the last agenda?”

“A proposal came in this morning.”

The aide placed the proposal in front of the nobles. The nobles, who had read the title at the top, blinked. The Grand Duke’s expression, which had been bored throughout the conference, changed completely.

“Your Highness, this is…?”

“An amendment to the Imperial Law? Who would make such an absurd proposal…”

“I would.”

“Pardon?”

The eyes of all the nobles turned toward Jeras. All except one, the Grand Duke. The Grand Duke was flipping through the proposal by himself.

Jeras glanced at the Grand Duke and looked at the rest of the room. A deep smile was on his face.

“Since you all don’t seem to want to look at the proposal, I will summarize it for you. After what happened, I thought about whether it was truly appropriate for an Emperor to have concubines besides the Empress.”

“Your Highness, it is the Emperor’s duty to secure a successor to the throne. For that, one Empress is not enough.”

“That is correct. Please also consider that marriage is the most powerful alliance.”

“Well, I disagree.”

Jeras’s words became strangely short, and he began to exude a powerful aura. The nobles, overwhelmed by an invisible force, closed their mouths.

“It is common for conflicts between the children of the Empress and the children of concubines to lead to civil war. You don’t have to look far; my grandfather experienced it.”

“The former Emperor only solidified his imperial power through such a process…!”

“I don’t want to go through such a process. I don’t want my children to go through such a process. Is imperial power only strengthened when brothers who share the same blood point their swords at each other? What a pathetic form of power.”

The smile on Jeras’s face disappeared. The noble, who had received his cold gaze head-on, went pale.

“And an alliance through marriage is only effective when the political situation is unstable. It has been over 300 years since we became the masters of the continent. It would be much more beneficial to solidify our internal power than to rely on an empty alliance. Besides, we have no suitable partner for such an alliance, do we? So, what is your next objection?”

“Ahem, ahem.”

The nobles, unable to speak, cleared their throats to express their displeasure. Jeras, with a smile on his face again, met the Grand Duke’s eyes.

Jeras grinned. The Grand Duke also smiled, but his eyes were not smiling.

‘He is quite something. That brat.’

***

Perhaps it was a little too early to be messing with the law.

Jeras thought to himself as he waited in front of the Kilmaria Duchy’s carriage.

He had even used his aura to pressure them, but the nobles had looked troubled and postponed the amendment to the Imperial Law. He would have to wait for at least the next conference, or the one after that.

‘But if I just stand by and do nothing, I feel like I’ll die without even getting married.’

He didn’t care what the other nobles had to say. The most important thing was the Grand Duke’s reaction.

But the Grand Duke had not said a word and had left the conference room as soon as it was over.

Jeras saw the Grand Duke approaching the carriage.

“Grand Duke.”

“Were you waiting for me again, Your Highness? Aren’t you busy?”

“I also need some time to breathe.”

“If that is the case, I have nothing to say.”

The Grand Duke shrugged and got into the carriage first. The carriage began to move as soon as Jeras took his seat.

“Do you know why Emperor Aurus III, who compiled the code that became the foundation of the Imperial Law, was so great?”

The Grand Duke, who had been silent, suddenly spoke. Jeras straightened his slightly slumped posture. He knew this was related to the amendment to the Imperial Law he had proposed.

“Was it not because he created the foundation of the Imperial Law, as you said?”

“That is not wrong, but it was because Emperor Aurus III’s politics were the essence of rule by law. He was an Emperor who handled law so well that he even compiled a code of law. Have you thought about how to handle the law, Your Highness?”

“No. I have not.”

“I expected as much. If you had, you would not have brought up an amendment to the Imperial Law before your investiture ceremony.”

The Grand Duke smirked, a look that was mocking a young boy. Jeras, in a fit of anger, couldn’t hold back.

“I had no choice! That was my best shot!”

“If this is your best, then the future of the Empire is dark. Your Highness, listen closely. This is my advice to you as the Grand Duke of a Duchy.”

“…Yes.”

“The law is the most conservative element that makes up a country. It is a foundation that should not be shaken. However, it also needs to be the most flexible. As time flows and eras change, the law must change with it.”

The Grand Duke’s voice and eyes were deadly serious. Jeras memorized every word and phrase. It was invaluable advice that he could not get from anyone else.

“Law does not move alone. It moves with the consciousness of the people who actually abide by it, and with their culture. It is not something you can change by being rash, like you were, or because your mind is elsewhere. Do you understand?”

“I wasn’t just trying to satisfy my own selfish desires,”

“Hah. Don’t try to hide behind a flimsy lie. Do you think I don’t know that you’re doing this because you want to marry Eloe as soon as possible?”

“…I will keep that in mind, Grand Duke.”

Jeras could only answer meekly to the Grand Duke, who was glaring at him. To be honest, he wasn’t wrong.

He wanted to marry Eloe as soon as possible. He wanted to reassure her that she had no reason to be anxious about him having concubines.

The Grand Duke, who was done talking, crossed his arms and closed his eyes.

The carriage was silent until it arrived at the Grand Duke’s mansion.