Chapter 19
'A visit to her room will certainly stir up some bad rumors.'
Especially considering the housekeeper, Marsha, who was eager to find any reason to undermine her.
'Besides, what am I supposed to say if I meet her? Apologize? What about Linnea then?'
His steps faltered as he searched for Idel.
His mind felt tangled and chaotic.
He wanted to apologize to Idil for belittling her, and there was another strange feeling that he couldn't identify that made him hesitate.
"Ah, let's go back."
He turned around eventually.
Even if he met Edel, there wasn't much to say, and looking for her now might cause her more trouble.
However, feeling frustrated, he went to the backyard where the training fields are located.
The cold winter winds seeped into his shirt, but he felt refreshed.
“Ha…”
A long sigh escaped, and turned into mist.
What else can I do?
He asked himself as he looked out at the dark backyard.
Being the commander of the guard and the emperor's personal bodyguard did not pose any problem.
The reorganization of the mercenary guilds under his leadership and their integration into the military forces of the empire was also progressing well.
After the fall of the Duchy of Lancaster, the other three great families appeared to be plotting behind the scenes, but they were quiet for the time being.
Their strengthening of their opposition was also progressing step by step.
Working only in the palace will not make him feel suffocated or disturbed.
However, maintaining and managing this family was a completely different matter.
'That's why I didn't want titles or a palace. Taking care of Linnea alone is troublesome enough.'
The clicking sound slipped between his teeth.
Despite the emperor's strong insistence, he could have refused the title and the land if he had remained firm in his position.
But the emperor used irrefutable logic to convince him.
“You should be a symbol for mercenaries. Those who gave up on life halfway through need hope of living properly.”
That wasn't all.
“Only if you become a new power, can you protect them from the other power-hungry figures who have their eyes on Calliope. Giving you this high title has a purpose.”
It was impossible not to give in to the emperor's persuasion.
'The damned emperor. His tongue is as smooth as a snake's.'
In the end, he became the new force protecting the emperor, just as the emperor had wanted. Although he still had much to learn, the emperor didn't seem particularly worried.
“You will eventually accept your fate, Laszlo. Just as I had to accept what I had.”
He remembered DeMarcus's friendly smile when he said that Laszlo would never live like a nobleman. But Laszlo couldn't agree.
“I don’t even know what to do with Linnea, so what fate are you talking about?”
I felt wronged to accept this situation as fate. He was simply trapped in troublesome matters because of the emperor's schemes.
Regardless, since he couldn't bring everything down, he had to deal with what was in front of him first.
'I think I'll have to get another recommended tutor within the guards. I'll explain to Rinia that this is her last chance. … Maybe if I send her to the party wearing an expensive necklace, those noisy hens might be a little more careful?'
Laszlo thought of the easiest solution, without taking into account his lack of experience in social gatherings.
—
“Ho…”
The middle-aged man exhaled a long puff of cigar smoke, making the red-carpeted drawing room hazy.
The man, whose silver hair and pale blue eyes gave a cold impression, tasted the cigar remaining on his tongue and said:
“Well, as expected from Vinkov, the quality is excellent.”
“No matter how hard Van Ripple or Mirabar try, they can’t compete with Vinkov cigars. I personally prefer this Olga brand over all others.”
“Thanks to Marquis Tolin, I discovered a good product. I appreciate that.”
“Absolutely. The ‘Moldiva’ you smoke, Marquis Winblier, is also a good product.”
No one in this room regretted seeing a fifty-ring cigar burn.
Only the heads and heirs of the three families, formerly known as the Four Great Families of the Pisfera Empire, were present here.
While the atmosphere was warm with cigar talk, the Marquis Tolin skillfully brought up the main topic.
“By the way… everyone is aware of the social atmosphere since the victory feast, isn’t that right?”
“Ah, those who blindly follow the trend never change.”
“Let’s use the right term. They are simply cowards.”
There is no need to return to the reign of the previous emperor. Before the emperor exterminated the family of the Duke of Lancaster, power was tilted towards the four great families.
Many nobles relied on the power of the four great families, among whom the Duchy of Lancaster had such influence that they almost became kings themselves.
“The fall of the Duchy of Lancaster so easily is the root cause. Seeing a house that seemed more solid than the royal family itself being destroyed by the Emperor frightened everyone.”
“It was unexpected. We didn’t think they would be overcome by such oppressive forces. We thought they would at least hold out until the end of the year…”
“Exactly. If they had held out until then, who knows how things would have changed.”
The Lancaster family was finally defeated about two months ago, on October 15th. Had they been able to hold out until the end of the year, they might have been able to regain their strength during January, when all fighting is prohibited under Dean's military laws.
But Isaac, Marquess Winblayer, had a different point of view.
"Even if they had held out until then, could we have supported the Lancaster family? With the stigma of treason hanging over them?"
At those words, everyone fell silent, and only made murmuring sounds.
The Lancaster Duchy's attempt at independence was not only due to their overconfidence in their authority, but also to their belief in "tradition".
Historically, when a duke's power grows significantly, the royal family recognizes their independence. Instead of two suns in the sky, they choose to reduce the empire's territory.
However, the new emperor DeMarcus, seeking to restore the imperial power that had collapsed under his father, described the Duke of Lancaster’s attempt at independence as “treason” and attacked.
“Once it is described as treason, public opinion cannot be in favor of it. The risks of failure are extremely high.”
“Knowing this, he immediately labeled the Lancaster family’s plans as treason. Moreover, labeling them as treason justifies indiscriminate repression.”
Thus, the remaining families hesitated to come to the aid of the House of Lancaster. While they hesitated, DeMarcus, led by László Crissis, crushed the Duchy of Lancaster completely.
“They greatly underestimated the young emperor.”
“They ignored the Crown Prince who roamed the battlefield. Surviving in that place proves that he is no ordinary man.”
They had to admit that they had greatly underestimated DeMarcus.
“But who would have expected such behavior? Abandoning royal pride to ally with a mercenary…”
That was the most important step.
The emperor did not simply use the “mercenary king” once and get rid of him; he absorbed him as a close aide.
“No one thought the emperor would ally with him, so we didn’t even consider investigating the mercenary guilds. We were in complete shock.”
Everyone in the secret meeting room wore bitter expressions.
“They are birds in the shape of a feather. Not only do their actions resemble each other, but their appearance as well…”
“Both are brutal. Those who live a life in the trenches of war, what will they know of dignity or refinement?”
Demarkus had black hair and golden eyes, while Laszlo had black hair and light brown eyes. Both had large builds suited to knights, giving them a similar impression at a glance.
“If they were just obedient, who would care about their appearance or how rough they were? The problem is that they are not.”
Isaac gestured coldly.
Unlike the previous emperor, who was easily manipulated, Demarcus intended to rebuild Pisfera's empire from the ground up. Any attempts to appease him that deviated from his goal were futile.
The three great families, who had power and acted like kings, ignoring imperial law, saw Demarcus as a thorn in their side.
However, after realizing that DeMarcus had enough power to overthrow the Lancaster Ducale family by recruiting Laszlo, they knew they had to proceed with even greater caution than before.
“In any case, we need to replace the emperor. As long as Demarcus sits on this throne, we will continue to decline.”
“But if we move forward, we will become the next targets, like the Lancaster family. We must use the smaller bush until the right time comes.”
Upon hearing this, Isaac raised his eyebrows slightly.