The evening of the day before, when Mariv’s execution took place.
Dilaina stood at the reception room door, newly adorned in her dress. Her makeup, heavier than usual, and elaborate jewelry seemed to somewhat mask her diminished spirits.
The servants glanced furtively at Dilaina standing before the door. As she listened to the voices of the ministers leaking from inside, Dilaina resolutely kept her gaze fixed on the door. The servants had no way of knowing why she wasn’t entering.
‘Now it truly begins.’
Mariv’s death was not just a single event. It was the intersection point that everyone in the imperial palace, friend and foe alike, had been aiming for. Now that they had passed it, each would have to set off on their own path.
The destination was singular: the imperial throne.
Since victory belonged to whoever arrived first, even the slightest gap or carelessness could prove fatal.
“Mother.”
Arsen, who stood by her side. Noticing his mother’s tension, he quietly comforted her. Dilaina nodded, as if she had quickly composed herself.
“Announce me.”“Lady Dilaina enters!”
“Lady Dilaina enters!”
Creak.
As the door slowly opened to the relatively dark corridor, the ministers’ chatter died down, replaced by the bright light streaming out. Dilaina took a step forward with an utterly rigid expression.
“Lady Dilaina. Welcome.”
“We’ve been waiting for you.”
“His Highness Arsen is with you as well. It’s an honor.”
Men in formal attire were scattered freely around the reception room. The gazes that had been encompassing the room all poured onto Dilaina and Arsen. Their eyes were loyal, as if they had met the future master of Bariel, the next emperor.
Dilaina walked among them with her chin held high and sat on the sofa. Her thick dress rustled, creating a beautiful silhouette.
“Some of you I’ve seen earlier, and some I haven’t.”
Dilaina looked around at the ministers. Duke Hayman, who was sitting nearby, called over a few people and introduced them.
“This person is helping with business in the House of Hayman. I ordered him to enter the palace, thinking he might be of help to Lady Dilaina and His Highness Arsen.”
All gathered in one place were the core nobility centered around Hayman, high-ranking officials from various departments, and renowned wealthy individuals from society. All for Dilaina, or more precisely, for Arsen.
“There’s a rumor that Lord Ian will present an indictment to Hayman. From what I’ve heard, all preparations are already complete, and they were just waiting for the trial of former Prince Mariv.”
Although he said he had heard it, no one believed him. Hayman’s wealth was like water that seeped into everything. It was also like the air one breathed without realizing it. It was reasonable to assume that he had surely planted people in the Ministry of Magic as well.
“What’s the content of the indictment?”
“As you know, the charge of treason due to collusion with Prince Gale will be at the center. There might be other minor things, but they’re not important.”
“Duke, does it include the disturbance in the Chetur district?”
“Hmm, it seems Ian thinks I’m the owner of that place. So he’ll probably try to make an issue out of even small matters.”
Hayman deflected the question smoothly, without directly admitting anything. The bond between those entangled by greed should always be viewed with caution. Just as he had planted people, who’s to say Ian hadn’t done the same?
“There aren’t many talented individuals in the judiciary…”
Someone muttered. It meant that there weren’t many of Arsen’s forces within the judiciary. Although there were a few from the judiciary among those gathered here, none had enough authority to dismiss the indictment. Since the law was supposed to be a realm of fairness and justice, even the imperial palace carefully considered appointments to positions there.
“Once it’s accepted, won’t a general assembly be convened and a trial date set immediately? In a few days, there’s His Highness Arsen’s magic confirmation ceremony. Shouldn’t we try to block it until then?”
“I agree. If the Ministry of Magic officially recognizes His Highness’s magic, there will be nothing to fear. We might even be able to pressure the judiciary.”
“We don’t even need to go to trial. If we reach a majority, we can cut it off at the general assembly.”
If Arsen could just be reborn as a mage, the next emperor would be as good as decided. The foolish followers clinging to Jin would fall away, and the head of the judiciary would lean towards Arsen’s side for next year’s reappointment.
The nobles turned to Arsen and cautiously asked.
“Your Highness, are you feeling alright?”
“We were very worried when we heard you were attacked by Prince Gale.”
In truth, while rumors were rampant, no one had seen it directly. Only the Ministry of Magic’s preparation for the magic confirmation ceremony proved that it wasn’t just a baseless rumor.
Isn’t it truly strange? That those who oppose Arsen are supporting his position.
“Your Highness, if it’s not too presumptuous, could you show us your magic? It’s the first blessing of the imperial family. Please grant us such an honor.”
One noble pleaded as if he had honey on his tongue. While everyone else had been just watching, they brightened at his bold request.
If they could see it directly, they would be even more certain and willing to side with Arsen. They silently waited for Arsen’s response.
“I too wish to grant you this honor, but as you know, during the magic confirmation ceremony, the light of the oracle shines beautifully according to one’s power. For that day, which comes only once in a lifetime, I am keeping myself in strict discipline. Please understand.”
“…Of course, Your Highness.”
It was a clear refusal. But since there was truly nothing they could do about it, the noble just smiled and bowed his head. Then, an official from the administrative department, trying to change the atmosphere, threw out a new topic.
“By the way, have you heard the news? They say there’s been a message from the Carbo Temple. The light of the oracle has safely departed, and a new oracle has also been received.”
A new oracle!
Those hearing it for the first time were surprised and stirred, and Arsen’s pupils also widened. When the child looked at Dilaina, she shook her head as if she didn’t know either.
‘How could she not know, when it’s her own family?’
The child’s brow furrowed with irritation. Wasn’t it entirely thanks to the oracle that he had been able to gain an advantage over Jin? That meant that Jin could also use the oracle to pull the political situation in his favor.
Unaware of Arsen’s concerns, the administrative employee laughed loudly and continued speaking.
“They say it told Jin that he can’t go against fate, so he should kill himself. Hahaha!”
“Oh ho! Is that true? Now that’s good news we haven’t heard in a while.”
“I read the note myself. As expected of Carbo, who has been with us since the founding of the nation. They don’t cling to bloodlines, but only convey the truth, don’t they?”
It was a cause aided by heaven and earth. While everyone in the reception room exhaled sighs of relief, only Dilaina and Arsen remained silent.
“Lady Dilaina?”
At Duke Hayman’s call, Dilaina suddenly came to her senses. Although he had left her, what kind of oracle could there be for a child just barely ten years old! She wanted to shout this, but what came out of Dilaina’s mouth was the opposite, a brutal blessing.
“It seems the gods are watching over Bariel.”
On the other hand, Arsen kept his expression unchanged and just fidgeted with his crossed arms. As he seemed to be deep in thought about something, Hayman quietly watched him.
“Is it certain it came to Jin?”
“Pardon? Ah, yes, yes. It came to the cursed one, and since it mentioned fate, everyone assumed it was for Jin.”
“Is that so?”
“Why do you ask?”
“It’s nothing. It’s right to assume it’s for Jin. It should be. Now, let’s go back to discussing the indictment issue. I think it would be better to follow the earlier suggestion and buy some time so that the general assembly is convened after the magic confirmation ceremony. It’s only four days, so I think we can manage it.”
It was confidence that there would be no problem with the magic confirmation ceremony. Several people agreed with Arsen’s opinion and added:
“Honestly, don’t we just need to prevent the indictment from being stamped for acceptance?”
Until the seal is stamped or the document is sealed, it’s not considered resolved, so they would block it even if they had to throw their bodies in the way. It would be more accurate to see it as a demonstration rather than an armed struggle.
“That’s true, but things are different from before. The atmosphere in the imperial palace is a bit sharp now. We need to handle this as quietly as possible and without giving them anything to grab onto.”
“It’s an indictment related to treason. If we get caught on any technicality, we might end up providing them with an excuse by being implicated.”
“I believe the person in charge there is Eric.”
“Hmm. Eric, you say. Where does he live?”
“Ah, then I’ll take care of it. I have a suitable cousin. Finding someone is easy enough.”
What need is there to distinguish between the main road and side paths in achieving a greater cause? What was important was to block it by any means necessary if they could. As people who had rolled around in noble society, in business, and in politics, their minds worked exceptionally well in these areas.
“Very well. Then let’s start from tomorrow, no. Let’s begin right as midnight passes.”
“Lady Dilaina.”
The clock hands would soon announce the next day. Hayman called out to Dilaina as he wrapped up the situation that was roughly settled. She raised her wine glass, and soon everyone gathered in the room followed suit and picked up their glasses.
“For the glory of Bariel.”
“For the glory of Bariel.”
Dong- Dong!
They all sipped their wine simultaneously. Their glossy lips curved like crescent moons.
***
“What’s the matter?”
“Didn’t I ask to see your ID?”
Romandro held up his hand, signaling not to come any closer. How could there be such a sense of discomfort here? This wasn’t some nameless pawnshop in the market, this was the imperial palace. The judiciary where the emperor’s dignified orders were implemented and Bariel’s laws were enforced!
Everyone stared at Romandro with strange looks. Among them were the two mages who had accompanied him.
“Here’s my ID.”
The employee, seeming a bit dumbfounded, pulled out her ID from her pocket. No matter how he looked at it, it was undoubtedly an imperial palace employee ID. She crossed her arms at her waist and reproached Romandro, appearing displeased.
“Can’t you see we’re busy? We were trying to accommodate you because you came from the Ministry of Magic, but this is too much.”
“…”
Romandro groaned inwardly and handed the ID back to the employee. She received it back but didn’t lower her hand.
“Aren’t you going to file the indictment?”
“Lord Romandro. What’s wrong with you?”
“We’re tired, so let’s just process this and go.”
The mages who had been quietly observing from the side urged Romandro. They even let out a big yawn, as if to say that he was the only one feeling uneasy about the current situation. Romandro ignored the barrage of glares and stumbled backward.
“When is Eric coming?”
“We received a message this morning that he had a carriage accident. It doesn’t seem to be a serious injury, but I’m not sure.”
“Is that so? Then I’ll come back later.”
“Lord Romandro!”
As one of the mages grabbed him, Xiaoshi reflexively pushed him away. He too had sensed that something was off, even if he didn’t know what. Ignoring the dumbfounded mage, Xiaoshi whispered to Romandro.
“Should I draw my sword?”
“Are you crazy? Absolutely, absolutely not.”
He had only felt something was suspicious, but in fact, nothing had been threatened. If Xiaoshi were to draw his sword here, it would only make us look strange.
Romandro shook his head frantically from side to side, stopping Xiaoshi. Fortunately, he was different from Berik, who couldn’t understand words.
“Then what should we do?”
Romandro looked around and grabbed the doorknob leading outside. Ian had assigned Xiaoshi to him. If so, hadn’t he anticipated this kind of situation to some extent? Whatever it was, it would be better to return to the Ministry of Magic.
Romandro gritted his teeth and muttered as if ventriloquizing.
“Run, let’s run.”
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