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144 확

“Kashmir Princess. I heard you went to the countryside for a while because you were sick.”

While my focus was on El, another voice whispered in my ear. It was certainly kind and melodious, but there was something strange about it, almost like gritted teeth.

Cold sweat trickled down my spine. I turned my head with movements so stiff that I could’ve applied for a job saving robots right then and there.

“……I meet the Empire’s little sun.”

The one sitting next to the Emperor, with sparkling blue eyes beneath a gentle gaze, was none other than Diego.

To those who knew I was Mir, the fact that the Kashmir Crisis had gone to recuperate due to illness must have sounded like a ridiculous lie.

There was no way I, someone who couldn’t even perform the replication technique like Sun Wukong, could both stop a bomb and be recuperating at the same time.

“If you were healthy enough to need recovery, I can’t even begin to gauge how terribly sick you must have been. I was very, really, extremely, greatly worried about you, but are you alright now?”

Diego’s words pierced through, bizarrely tormenting me.

He was essentially asking how could I not have contacted him when he was worried sick, and all he heard were false rumors about my condition—what had happened?

“……I just had a slight malaise. Thanks to your concern, I’m perfectly fine now.”

I responded, shivering slightly as though I had caught a drizzle. My usual calm eyes now resembled a turbulent Bermuda Triangle that could swallow sailors whole, making eye contact difficult.

“Well… I fretted terribly, but it’s good to hear you’re well. I’m relieved.”

Diego’s eyes glimmered. I felt a sudden urge to cry, but it was clearly my fault, so I had no excuses to offer.

“Please don’t push the princess too hard, Your Highness.”

Was El feeling pity for my flustered state? Leaning languidly in her chair with her gaze fixed on me, she finally spoke up. Up until now, she had maintained her expressionless demeanor, but for the first time in this moment, she smiled. It was a gentle smile that traced a soft curve, reminiscent of the angelic smiles I knew well.

“How sick must you have been to not send a single message? I can’t help but think you’ve narrowly escaped death. You wouldn’t just avoid sending a message that could’ve been as simple as a little wave, you know. We must understand.”

Correction: It was a devilish smile, as if gritting teeth in hellfire. Her low, deep voice seemed to carry immense dissatisfaction.

‘This is bad…

I had a hunch this would not be easy to brush off.

Honestly, if Diego or El had gone through a near-death experience and ignored responding to my message, I would have had them by the neck already, leaving me with no excuses at all.

Caught between El and Diego, unable to move right or left while I was flustered.

“How long will you keep me and my daughter standing? Are you planning to punish us?”

Caesar, facing Helios severely, draped an arm over my shoulder. He cast a disapproving glance at El and Diego, then whispered in my ear.

“If those brats are bothering you, it’d be okay to knock a few teeth out. I’ll take care of the aftermath.”

I sighed inwardly, marveling at how few people in the world would let loose on a crown prince and a pope just for being bothersome. They weren’t even that bothersome, and besides, this whole situation was entirely my fault, so I awkwardly smiled instead.

“Haha. If it were up to me, I’d want to administer punishments. But if I did that, I might have to hand over the throne to my son sooner than expected… so let’s just sit down. We should be starting soon.”

While laughing, Helios spoke without a hint of mirth in his eyes.

Regardless, Caesar led me, confidently strolling towards the chairs designated for the Emperor and the Pope, boldly heading for the one marked with ‘House of Crisis.’

“Then shall we begin the meeting now?”

Once Caesar and I were seated, Helios spread his hands and spoke. I took a short breath, inhaling and exhaling.

The Great Noble Assembly.

As the name suggests, this meeting was attended by great nobles.

The definition of great nobles extended from dukes to marquises. When a serious national affair arose, the heads and heirs of these families gathered.

Since there was only one duke’s family and two marquisates in the Empire, it came down to just three noble houses alongside the imperial house and the pope. However, since these five powers were the backbone of the Empire, the matters discussed here were of extreme importance.

I quietly surveyed the room.

The Emperor and the Crown Prince. The Pope. As the House of Crisis had not appointed an heir yet, Caesar was supposed to be the only one attending, but I was here as a witness.

Due to the Deckardo house not having an appointed heir either, only Deckardo Marquis was present.

I felt a slight tension as I locked eyes with a man possessing striking red hair like Leuwelin, with sky-colored eyes looking straight at me.

The current head of the Deckardo family, Chesler Deckardo.

‘He must know that Leuwelin and I are close.’

The information-sensitive Deckardo would surely know this much. However, with Chesler’s solid poker face, I couldn’t read what he thought of me, adding to my tension. It felt eerily similar to unexpectedly running into a friend’s parents while strolling down the street without a care.

‘Leuwelin said she was preparing step by step to become the head of the family.’

The long time apart from Leuwelin was partly because I was busy, but she was busy as well. She was striving to establish her own position, surpassing the realm of mere fairy tales.

‘She must be doing well.’

Seeing those striking red locks automatically reminded me of Leuwelin, and as I briefly lost myself in thought, I waved at Chesler with a nod before turning my gaze back around.

Noa Einhart was in attendance from the Einhart family. Initially, Reiner should have also been attending as the head heir, but it seemed he couldn’t participate due to rumors surrounding the recent terrorist incident.

‘Reiner…

Thinking of Reiner made my face hot, and I wiped my cheeks with the back of my hand.

On the last day of the festival when we were enjoying the lake together, for reasons unknown, just recalling that moment gave me a rather peculiar feeling. I took a short breath again and surveyed the room. As I did, I suddenly narrowed my eyes.

‘The house that exceptionally joined this meeting: Cyprus.’

Cyprus was not originally allowed to participate in the Great Noble Assembly. They were merely a count’s family.

But Cyprus supported the empress and gradually gained more power, ultimately leading them to participate here as a member of the imperial family.

I stiffened my face and glared at the brazen Count Havist Cyprus and Count Paulo Sobac, who occupied their seats. Especially Paulo, being a Mir and having a nasty history with me, made me dislike him even more.

‘What are they plotting this time?’

Knowing that the instigators behind the terror were Cyprus, I had to be wary and prepared to watch over them like a hawk.

I tapped my fingers on the table and sighed inwardly.

‘It would have been great if Leuwelin and Tina were here.’

I was left only wondering why they couldn’t come. I briefly sank into a sense of disillusionment but shook my head to clear it, focusing on Helios’s words.

“The Empire is currently under threat from the North. The bombing that occurred recently in the capital is evidence of this. Through various investigations, it’s been confirmed that the bombs were planted by the North, and that they could not have acted alone, implying there is a spy within the imperial nobility.”

Helios, who shed his usual playful demeanor for a chilly one, spoke clearly. As he mentioned the spy, I shifted my gaze to catch the slight tension rising in Paulo’s shoulders, before fixing my eyes back on Helios.

“We are being humiliated by the North.”

The cold, piercing blue eyes of Helios sparkled. His face lacked a hint of a smile, appearing severe and dignified. Despite a lack of muscular prowess, just his presence was enough to repress the atmosphere within the room—truly, he was the Emperor.

“We need to devise a countermeasure.”

This was the reason the Great Noble Assembly was convened.

I silently observed the heavy and serious atmosphere of the room. Since I attended as a witness, I couldn’t casually voice opinions, but I could watch the exchanges.

“There’s nothing more to see. We’ve anticipated their unsettling movements, haven’t we? The North is preparing for war, and we must bolster our defenses.”

The deep voice of an aged man resonated through the enormous hall.

The one who spoke was Noa Einhart. His thick and straight eyebrows hinted at his displeasure over the loss of honor due to this terrorist incident, slightly raised in indignation.

“What do you mean by strengthening defenses?”

“It would be wise to gather the private forces of the noble houses along with the Knights Order of the Imperial Palace and commence regiment training for war readiness.”

In response to Helios’s query, Noa answered with a courageous suggestion that sparked a stir in the hall.

Within the Solarit Empire, barons could command private troops from the counts up. Although maintaining a private army was immensely expensive, not many families possessed them, but their number certainly wasn’t negligible.

Private troops were the pride of noble families. They served as a symbol of how robust and secure their families were. Consequently, many families strained their resources to maintain private troops.

‘The issue is whether these nobles will willingly part with their private forces.’

No matter how much it’s a national order, many would hesitate to give up their pride. If there were to be a war, nobles would wish to keep their private troops for their own protection, making Noa’s suggestion reasonable but unlikely to be realized.

“Hah. A good method… but it doesn’t seem easy.”

Helios had to be aware of what I had grasped. He huffed, looking at Noa while shooting him a charming smile.

“Since you proposed that, you, of course, must adhere to it, right?”

The Einhart family was the second most powerful noble family in the Empire and maintained considerable private troops. It was not surprising for Helios to covet their resources.

Noa nodded dutifully.

“Of course. Einhart is the Empire’s sword. If the Empire is in danger, we must be the first to step forward.”

Apparently, Reiner’s personality was a carbon copy of Noa’s. Noa’s eyes shone brightly as he spoke unflinchingly about the cause for the Empire.

“……Yes. I have no doubt in Einhart’s loyalty. But the problem remains whether other nobles will feel the same…”

“Your Majesty! I have a different opinion!”

Just when Helios expressed his concern, as expected, a hasty rebuttal flew in. I turned my gaze away, feeling coldly indifferent to the expected response.

The one who showed a negative reaction was, indeed, Count Havist Cyprus of the Cyprus family.

“Private troops are a noble’s pride. It makes no sense to remove them carelessly!”

“Is that really the argument you’re making when the nation is in danger?”

Noa coldly interrupted Havist. Though Havist tried to justify himself eloquently, it was obvious he couldn’t let go of his own private army, making it difficult for him to be viewed positively.

“B-but!”

“Alright, alright. Let’s not raise our voices. We don’t plan to forcibly take the private troops; we’ll only gather those willing. Don’t worry, Count Cyprus.”

Helios smiled gently, attempting to diffuse the situation. However, as he cast a cold glance at Havist, his eyes were icy, and the smile felt more like a facade.

“It seems we need to have a proper discussion regarding private troops at the full noble assembly… but before that, there is one person whose opinion I would like to inquire about.”

Helios’s blue gaze slowly moved. Soon, opposing colors of red and blue intersected.

“House of Crisis Duke. The premier noble family and the sole family to command the Knights Order by name. Owner of the ‘Black Dragon Knights’, second only to the Knights Order of the Imperial Palace. The highest authority in national defense.”

My father, Caesar Crisis.

The two fully matured men exchanged glances, maintaining their composure in the face of the Emperor’s overwhelming gaze. Even under the pressure, Caesar retained his usual cold, indifferent expression, unreadable as ever. Helios smoothly rolled his lips as he began to speak.

“Will you readily give up your private forces for the sake of the nation?”

This might have been a test to confirm Crisis’s loyalty.

 

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