93. Deceived, deceived, exploited and overcome (1)
She would have figured out what I wanted.
As expected, a clear answer came back without any hesitation.
“All right.”
How capable is this?
I turned my head and looked at her. Blind eyes met gazes.
…I know she likes me.
The Duke slowly stood up from his seat.
He comes around the desk and stands in front of Saerin, bending down slightly and holding her hand in a gentle gesture. Their gazes met and their purple eyes opened beautifully.
Then his head lowers, his loose purple hair brushing the back of her hand and creating a curtain around him. Meanwhile, the Duke’s lips landed on the back of my hand.
Courtesy towards a noble lady.
It was natural for Saerin, a commoner, to widen her eyes. As I was frozen and just rolling my eyes, not even able to pull my hand away, the Duke calmly raised his head.
The smile that seemed to be painted was aimed solely at her.
“Thank you always.”
“…No, it’s natural.”
As Saerin hurriedly left to complete her duties, the Duke, who had been watching her, quietly adjusted his clothes.
Saerin will succeed. He will cause division among the revolutionary army and send some of them to the emperor. Unless they have a head like Daniel and overwhelming numbers, they are just prey for the emperor.
However, there are things that happen just in case, so you can’t just sit back and relax.
It’s not that I doubt Saerin. The person he suspects is none other than the Emperor.
‘It would be difficult if I even died in their hands.’
The emperor has always lived without being able to die.
The key is the emperor’s desire to survive. You have to make him want to live, even just a little bit.
‘I heard the emperor returned to the palace not long ago.’
The emperor cannot remain empty of the imperial palace day and night.
No matter how well the crown prince was handling things, the current emperor of the empire was Edoardo Desserte, so he would occasionally quietly return to the imperial palace to check how things were being handled.
So, if you go to the imperial palace now, you will be able to meet the emperor.
Prepare the carriage immediately without delay. The early duke walked out of the office.
***
If we had to be honest, Saerin was a supporter of the revolutionary army.
The barrier of status as a commoner in one’s feelings for a duke. In such a situation, the ideology of the revolutionary army, which claimed to abolish the caste system itself, was truly fascinating.
However, that fact was never expressed externally.
She supported the revolutionary army because she loved the Duke.
Because she loved the duke, she was on her way to destroy the revolutionary army.
Because he, who loves me so much, is hoping for that.
“Hello, Mr. Iden.”
“Ah, Saerin.”
“I heard the leader is back? “Where is he?”
“It’s obvious. “I must have gone to see my mother.”
There was a clicking sound at the end of the sentence, as if he didn’t like it.
“The situation is bad, but I can’t even come to my senses and just leave the room.”
“Iknow, right.”
I think I can use this and eat it. Saerin’s eyes sparkled.
Well then, let’s think about it. What was Aiden’s personality like? Was he a greedy person? If you are greedy, which would you rather be: wealth or power? For what purpose did he join the revolutionary army?
Is it easy to use and is it worth using?
“When on earth is he going to commit suicide?”
“I do not know. “How long do you plan on putting it off?”
“this. The duke seems to be hoping that the revolutionary army will soon move. “Isn’t this the leader’s arbitrary choice that has nothing to do with Mr. Aiden’s opinion?”
“of course. “We are going crazy with frustration.”
“Do you know the reason for delaying the coup?”
“The reason is always the same. “I wasn’t ready or the timing wasn’t right.”
“This… seems closer to an excuse.”
He cups one cheek, tilts his head, and asks a question as if muttering in an ambiguous tone.
“Mr. Aiden, have you thought about it? “Why is the leader postponing the rebellion?”
“…I don’t know because I haven’t thought about it deeply.”
He kindly pointed out questions that I had ignored.
“I’ve been thinking about it, and I think it’s because the leader is sad to lose his current position.”
“So…”
“Isn’t that so? A huge alliance made up of people from numerous kingdoms. The head of the federation. “It’s a shame because if the emperor is dealt with, the power may be blown away by a new wind.”
Whispering poison.
Aiden’s face distorted. The firewood of dissatisfaction catches fire and creates another negative emotion.
Saerin didn’t stop there and hurriedly fanned the fan as the fire was about to go out.
I learned about Aiden through conversation and also remembered what was recorded on paper.
He is a greedy person regardless of money or power. The reason he joined the revolutionary army was because he wanted to kill the emperor and because the revolutionary army had a high chance of success.
If the revolution succeeds, the goal is to enhance one’s reputation by emphasizing their participation. As your reputation grows, more things will follow.
He is an easy character to wield, and is worth using in that he leads a fairly large force in the revolutionary army.
Then it’s time to move.
What? Tongue.
“So, how about Mr. Iden deal with the emperor and become the center of the new country?”
“Everyone in the revolutionary army is equal….”
“That’s a good thing to say. But where could such a dream-like world exist? In the first place, it was an absurd argument to eliminate the throne itself. “No, even if it is possible to eliminate it, we ultimately need key personnel to lead the country.”
The ‘brainy’ Saerin is a ‘commoner’.
The good brain and commoner origin twisted the given ideology and brought it down from an ‘ideal’ that did not take into account the ‘evil’ that all humans have, to a ‘reality’ that included more human desires.
An ideal is an ideal only.
I don’t know who came up with this idea, but it was probably an aristocratic scholar somewhere who grew up without much hardship, or a positive person with a flowery mind.
As Saerin, who was a commoner and felt the big and small malice of humans in everything she encountered on the street in the market, she could not help but be negative about the possibility of it going as intended.
Human greed is endless, and that applies even to those who started a revolution and participated in it.
“Lead Mr. Aiden’s forces and kill the emperor. And thanks to that, he became the center of the revolutionary army, abolishing the caste system, and was included in the leadership of the country.”
“….”
“Shall we talk a little more explicitly? We are creating a world where everyone is equal except the leadership. If Mr. Iden makes good use of the ‘situation of killing the emperor,’ he may even be able to select the leadership.”
For example, mentioning, ‘The people who helped me a lot in succeeding in this work are…’ These are the words of the person who led the emperor to death, so they will probably be generally respected.
Surprisingly, all of this was something I thought of on the spot.
“The duke is also hoping that the coup will be accomplished as soon as possible. So, even if he can’t actively help, he will save the emperor to some extent.”
Of course, the possibility of Iden killing the emperor—
“…a confirmation is needed.”
0%.
Saerin smiled brightly.
“I will get the emperor’s schedule.”
This is it. Saerin quietly smoothed the back of her hand. The place where the Duke’s lips had touched still seemed to be warm to the touch.
The duke still respected her enough.
…The duke knows that she likes him.
If I had thought of it as something to be used once and thrown away, I would have dragged her into the bedroom as soon as I noticed her feelings. Because it is much easier to use that way.
In fact, among those who had feelings for him, he would drag those he considered to be throwaway losers into his bedroom, regardless of gender.
Sometimes I was jealous of them for no reason, but I knew for sure who the duke valued more.
Without hesitation, Saerin abandoned the brief dream she had.
***
The sudden request for an audience was quickly accepted as if it were a given.
While the servants of the imperial palace were surprised, the duke expected that the emperor would definitely do this, so he accepted this for granted and walked forward following the guidance of the servant.
Because it would be better to listen to any nonsense than to not listen to your political opponents.
Furthermore, if you are confident that you will not be pushed into psychological warfare, it is also an opportunity to find out what the other person is thinking.
There was no way Emperor Guangwu could avoid this.
“Glory to the Empire. Shin Starbe Illuster meets the present-day Empire.”
“Yes, Duke. “What’s going on?”
Instead of answering, the duke looked at the emperor. To be exact, just below the face.
The emperor, who was sitting at an angle with his arms on the armrests as if tired, was looking down at the arrogant duke, who only showed the bare minimum of courtesy, as if he were displeased, but the duke paid him no mind.
There was something more eye-catching than the emperor’s harsh eyes.
“How did your hands get like that?”
“No need to worry about the ball.”
The white bandaged left hand, which was hanging on the armrest, gently clenched into a fist.
The duke narrowed his eyes and examined the figure.
‘Did you get injured on the battlefield? ‘How on earth have you been running around so wildly?’
I examined him carefully to check the extent of the wound, but the clean white bandage, which did not show a single drop of blood, probably because he had changed the bandage on his arrival, completely concealed the extent of the injury.
‘…Well, there’s no way I could show weakness this easily.’
When a faint smile appeared on the Duke’s lips, a cool voice called to him.
A voice that holds your gaze as if it doesn’t want to just watch you obediently examine the wound.
“Are you here to look at Jim’s wounds, Duke?”
“…no. Excuse me. your majesty.”
Okay, now it’s your turn to talk.
To prevent the emperor from dying at the hands of the revolutionary army, and to prevent them from killing him who said these words,
his eyes, which had been closed for a long time, opened. The Ja-an, which was looking at the floor, slowly rose and seemed to stop at the emperor’s chest, then rose further and faced the Golden Eye directly.
The golden eyes resembling a wild beast were still fierce, but the shadows under the eyes contained a fatigue that could not be hidden.
The emperor did not allow him to show his face, but he did not scold the duke for arbitrarily raising his head and seeing his face.
However, the entire throne room was filled with low-level living.
It was a life that would have been difficult for a duke who was far from a sword, but he persevered in the end and brought out the truth that had been buried deep inside.
“Do you remember the death of the former 1st Prince, who was the father of the current Crown Prince and the Princess and the older brother of His Majesty?”
A man with a gentle personality who was the only one among the many brothers who took care of Edoard Desert.
Fortunately, the emperor did not immediately get up from his seat or draw his sword.
He simply patted the back of his bandaged left hand, frowned, and softly ordered those around him to leave.
“Let the police go away too.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. General…”
“I will tell Nemeseus myself.”
“….”
“Do you think Lord Illuster can kill Jim?”
“…I’m leaving.”
The emperor, who had even had his guard bitten, looked at the duke. A lower voice came out calmly.
“Are you referring to the incident that was said to have been caused by the Duke of Gradis, but was actually killed by the Duke?”
“You know very well.”
“You’re crazy.”
When the truth was discovered, the emperor had to cover it up.
Because the Gradis duchy has already become extinct. The name of the family was completely erased because of the assassination of the first prince, but now it was impossible to say that it was not true.
If this fact becomes known, not only the Emperor will suffer, but the Duke will also have to sacrifice his life. But to admit it right in front of my eyes like this?
“I don’t understand why you’re mentioning it now. “What on earth are you planning?”
“Aren’t you curious about why I killed him?”
“….”
“I did it to get to a higher place.”
Did you think he would be satisfied with the position of duke?
If you ascend to the throne, you will have the position of emperor. If you ascend to the throne of emperor, you will have a unified continent at your feet.
Stabe Illuster was that kind of person.
