Chapter 122

The place I was summoned to early this morning was the ceremonial hall of the Imperial Palace.

It was a location where events like medal awarding ceremonies and ministerial appointments took place.

The walls were lined with portraits of former emperors, the ceiling adorned with splendid frescoes, and even the floor was elaborately decorated using precious materials like metal and turtle shells. One could probably buy a mansion just by selling the floor alone.

Despite the opulent decorations, the atmosphere was somber.

“Alan Medoff, principal shareholder of Medoff Pharmaceuticals and former captain of the 3rd Imperial Guard squadron. Pay your respects to His Majesty.”

Following the instruction, I completed the necessary ceremonial procedures and entered.

The Emperor sat on his throne looking weak.

Behind him stood three women, each with black, platinum, and silver hair respectively. Naturally, they were the Empress and the two Imperial Princesses.

The Empress seemed fatigued, her eyes slightly drooping. Victoria wore a look of satisfaction. Siena, upon seeing me, greeted with a playful smile.

From their reactions alone, I could guess the punishment that awaited me. Still, I had to remain quietly waiting until the official imperial decree was issued.

However, despite waiting for a considerable time, the Emperor didn’t say a word.

After a prolonged pause, he nodded slightly towards a chief steward holding the orb.

It seemed he didn’t even want to speak to me, or perhaps he restrained himself out of fear that speaking would unleash his anger. The steward hesitated, gauged the situation, and finally cautiously began to speak.

“I humbly… convey the words of Your Most Honored Majesty.”

“I shall listen respectfully.”

“…Alan Medoff. In recognition of your great service, I hereby confer upon you the title of Comte of Madway in the Bruyen Grand Contest and the Viscount of Taraha Gorge. Furthermore, the right to pass these two titles to your lawful heirs is also hereby granted.”

Suddenly, two titles were bestowed upon me.

Moreover, these were no ordinary titles—far above the usual rank given to successful businessmen.

Comte of Madway in the Bruyen Grand Contest.

This was once a royal title held by a royal relative. It was now treated as a title for those who distinguished themselves in service or were known for their martial arts prowess within the royal family’s lineage. And now it was being offered to me.

And the Viscount of Taraha Gorge.

It was reportedly newly established as of yesterday. The Taraha Gorge and its surrounding areas were among the most water-abundant regions in the Great Forest.

A new viscount title had been created using the gorge’s name, and it came with the special privilege of using the surrounding land at discretion.

Though it’s true that I had given half of the Great Forest to the Empire, I couldn’t understand why they chose to bestow these titles on me. I could only guess that one of Victoria or Siena had petitioned the Emperor on my behalf.

‘I’ll find out eventually.’

What was important now wasn’t the titles themselves, but the reason for granting me two of them.

I soon found out, again through the steward.

“Um, Lord Comte?”

“Yes?”

“His Majesty has expressed that the issue of engagement… will be left to your discretion. There was just a working meeting under the Chief Steward, and it seems that an engagement ceremony is unlikely to take place within a month, even with haste. …His Majesty suggests you adjust your arrangements with the two princesses.”

“Did His Majesty say this?”

“He didn’t issue a direct command but allowed that the content discussed by the two princesses could be directly documented. …And he said he would stamp it with his seal to ratify it.”

So, the Emperor was essentially giving us free rein to act, provided we affixed his seal. I could imagine the kind of argument that probably took place within the palace last night.

Engagement to the princesses.

That was the real reason behind granting me these titles. There’s no way the marriage of a former knight to an Imperial Princess could be made public without some form of legitimization.

Although, when you consider that two princesses wanted to marry me, it does seem a bit absurd to even dwell on ranks. Still, it felt like someone was trying to put a semblance of order to the situation.

‘Of course, the Emperor had probably left everything in their hands.’

The Emperor still sat there with a vacant expression. The two titles bestowed upon me were most likely decided by Victoria. Many bureaucrats must have spent the night working (and will continue to do so for a while) to handle this sudden, massive event, and it made me feel a bit sympathetic.

Still, formally speaking, they were titles granted by the Emperor.

I respectfully bowed to the Emperor.

“I humbly accept the Emperor’s decree and will dedicate all my efforts to the prosperity of the Imperial Court.”

For some time, the Emperor blankly stared at me.

What he was thinking, I couldn’t tell, but then he calmly removed the crown symbolizing the authority of the Britannia Empire from his head and placed it on his lap. Then, with a somewhat sorrowful gaze, he looked towards Victoria.

The tension in the hall rose momentarily.

Thankfully, no shocking declarations were made.

“I am very tired. I must rest.”

“Your Majesty…?”

“I must rest. You’ve obtained everything you wanted, haven’t you…?”

With the crown in one hand, the Emperor slowly rose to his feet. It almost sounded like there was a creaking noise.

And with that, the title-granting ceremony ended.

My assignment as the newly minted Comte was not as an envoy, but rather the engagement to the two princesses.

…

After the short ceremony concluded,

Amidst the ensuing silence, someone approached me willingly. It was Siena, who had been happily smiling throughout the ceremony.

“Come on, Alan.”

“Siena?”

“It was super exhausting matching my mom and sister’s tempo.”

Siena gently gripped my wrist and urged me forward.

It was easy to guess that she wanted to celebrate her victory over her parents with a feast, though such an occasion would usually be cause for concern for ordinary people. Siena had a different mindset altogether. To her, even her parents were objects of compassion.

Then, Siena suddenly handed me an accessory. A slender velvet chain, perfectly sized to fit around someone’s neck.

Why was she suddenly giving me something like this…

‘Ah.’

Upon closer inspection, it was a choker. Without any bells, it was almost indistinguishable from a dog collar. I understood the implication. Siena was acknowledging my work according to her script and asking for recognition.

I was grateful she didn’t simply deliver a leash.

“It was fun, Alan. Actually, last night Dad summoned Lord Grant and urged him to take your life. But Lord Grant looked at my and sister and questioned if he could really go through with it, which made Dad laugh it off as a joke…”

“Siena.”

“Anyway, it was fun. So, here.”

It was true; I had tamed Siena.

However, just because I tamed her didn’t mean I always had the upper hand. Siena decided to be tamed because I satisfied her preference. To think it was purely out of attachment…

‘No. It’s better to just leave without questioning the reasons.’

The Emperor’s weary face still lingered in my mind. Though he was in his late 40s, he looked like an old man.

To me, the Emperor seemed to be in a perilous condition. Compared to the Empress he used to pine for, his state was no better.

There was no need to unnecessarily provoke an already troubled man. If word got out that Siena had given me a choker, he’d probably be even more devastated.

“I understand. Let’s go.”

Together with Siena, I slowly left the audience chamber.

Instead of holding hands, we gripped the choker she had given me. I also nodded awkwardly in Victoria’s direction to indicate that I wasn’t running away but rather being dragged by Siena. After all, I had more than one woman I had to deal with.

***

‘Where are they going?’

In this crucial moment.

Victoria anxiously watched Alan and Siena as they slowly distanced themselves.

I could guess. Siena probably pressured Alan into giving her compensation for accumulated grievances. Alan, being unable to refuse her, gave in. Given Siena’s character, she did need to be consoled, if only for practical reasons.

‘I have many things to discuss with Sir Alan as well.’

Getting the Emperor’s approval wasn’t the end of it.

There was still much to do. I needed to find ways to ease the Emperor’s burden, decide on how to honor Alan’s family, and I even wanted to plan the business venture that had come to mind due to the Empress’s influence—selling narcotics to Chinguk.

This wasn’t the time for Siena’s tantrums.

Still, she couldn’t follow immediately.

“Wait… Victoria. I have something to say.”

The Empress, whose face had grown pale from staying up all night, stopped her.

She was already frail, and her fatigue seemed heightened by her recent altercation with the Emperor.

Why would she bother to stop someone so occupied with important matters when she was this worn out? Victoria couldn’t understand.

“Victoria. It isn’t that I want to harm your relationship, but I’m concerned about something. Let me explain for a moment.”

“Your Majesty, another time.”

“Just a minute. Please give me your time.”

“There will be a time for a calm discussion. And Your Majesty… if you plan to criticize Sir Alan or interfere in our relationship, I must say no. We have so much to handle that Your Majesty must not do this.”

“…”

“I apologize, but Your Majesty’s actions today are not without blame.”

Upon hearing this, the Empress showed a troubled expression.

Victoria almost wanted to remind the Empress to maintain her dignity from now on but decided against it. The Empress was a princess of Chinguk before being the Empress of the Empire, and Victoria was currently developing a certain plan targeting her homeland.

‘There’s no need to blush or feel embarrassed.’

Naturally, Victoria had no intention of revealing her schemes to the Empress.

She’ll find out soon enough.

Leaving the Empress behind, Victoria quickened her steps.

Though Alan had been granted two titles, he didn’t look particularly pleased. On his left stood Siena with a bright smile. Victoria naturally—and with effort to appear so—moved to his right.

“Shall we go together, Sir Alan?”

As there were many pressing matters to discuss with Alan.

She had no intentions beyond that.

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