The Emperor Who Was Chapter 99 : Chapter 99

Chapter . 99

"The way she talks, it sounds like she knows my Imperial Father best."

My brother spoke sarcastically, but Rhiannon sneered.

"Otherwise, how could I have stolen His Majesty from your mother? Since His Majesty still favored

during his marriage with your mother."

...How can a person say such things.......

"Even during the marriage with you who say that, he had many favorite concubines! Your mother was only tolerant towards favorite concubines unlike you! Including you!"

Such argunts frequently arose between various Empresses and their favorite concubines, whether made ladies-in-waiting voluntarily or involuntarily, leaving behind various quotes in history.

Still, they were mostly argunts between won or duels between male relatives of both sides, but my brother wasn't one to care about such customs. Only my face burned instead.

"...If you don't believe , do as you please. Take care not to et the sa end as Leontes. As His Majesty said personally, He doesn't love any of you as much as Leontes! Hahaha!"

Rhiannon laughed provocatively. However, under Grimiati's gaze, the laughter didn't last long.

"We will cooperate just this once. But if you deceived us, your son won't be safe either."

My brother, glancing at Grimiati, answered instead. Then he glared at Desmond as if to kill him.

"Do you think my son will fall into the sa situation as your brother?"

Rhiannon retorted.

However, the Duke shook his head.

"There is no need for that, Maxim."

"First cousin once removed?"

Even Desmond looked surprised.

"Although Her Majesty the Empress at least loved Prince Leontes, that person loves no one. What revenge would it be for that person if you killed a son she doesn't even love? Ultimately, Prince Desmond is also a pitiful child unloved by both parents."

With those last words, the Duke imdiately left the place with my brother. Before leaving the door, my brother cast a look of pure pity at Desmond.

While Desmond's face was pale, only his eyes flashed. Alexander looked at such a brother for a mont, then turned to Rhiannon whose face was flushed red.

"Where is he?"

"Did I not say Mount Petrafis?"

"I an Leontes."

"I clearly said earlier that I wouldn't tell. Did you forget already?"

"Mother, I saved Mother today."

"Hmph, do you think Grimiati would have killed ? Soone who didn't even do so when Erngarde died? You still haven't grasped him. So you can't even co close to his self-control."

Even with a subdued voice, Rhiannon sharply criticized Alexander. Still, he did not back down.

"Tell

where he is. Or, did you already kill him?"

"No!"

Rhiannon jumped in surprise, but Alexander's gaze did not waver.

"I cannot tell. I promised. It's not my fault that he doesn't trust you, his ally."

"It seems useless to say more."

Alexander kicked his chair and stood up.

"Following Mother's words is because that's the best option for now. But Mother has set the stage too big. I hope you remain safe when that stage collapses."

Leaving those words, Alexander left without looking back. Rhiannon bit her lip watching her son's retreating figure, then scolded Desmond.

"You too, prepare quickly and go. Shouldn't you monitor if they are doing it properly?"

Desmond opened his mouth to say sothing. But Rhiannon scolded him dismissively.

"You were completely mute earlier, so what do you intend to say now? Just standing there taking up space without being helpful to , forcing

to answer even remarks aid at you. If you act immaturely like that again, you won't be able to stay by my side, understood?"

However, Desmond was strangely silent despite Rhiannon's anger.

"I will keep it in mind, Omamama."

Then he also left imdiately. Left alone, Rhiannon tilted the liquor bottle, poured strong liquor full into a glass, and emptied it all.

"Drinking deliciously?"

Michelon also tilted a liquor bottle. Unlike , who couldn't drink well even before the regression, the dragon drank liquor like water. In Armatia, drinking age, marriage age, and working age are all early. Coming of age ceremonies only apply to contracts with dragons.

At that mont, a cabinet on one side of the reception room opened to both sides, and the Duke of Lauderdale ca out. It was a hiding place disguised with magic, which would be hard to notice even with detection artifacts.

"Will it be alright, Your Majesty?"

Lauderdale asked nervously. Rhiannon poured another glass without even looking at him.

"Why delay here, brother? Without preparing to leave quickly. My proposal conscious of the Emperor is a decent plan. That's why they agreed too. However, it is rely a strategy prepared for when they find either the dragon egg or Leontes before us; we must never fall behind them."

But the Duke said sothing else.

"Your Majesty, it is not too late even now. With Alexander—"

Although Lauderdale flinched at the glance Rhiannon threw at that mont, he still didn't back down.

"Please allow

to speak just once. Alexander followed

well—"

"Oh, then what will you go and say? That as his uncle, you're sorry for taking away your nephew's Dukedom, and ask if you should return it even now?"

"Your Majesty!"

"We proceed as planned. We must find it first. Have Count Montova spy on everything, and if by any chance others find it first, intercept it as prepared. If that alternative fails too, then watch for an opportunity to steal it while pretending to keep my cooperation proposal. But if you or Desmond act clumsily like now, others will find it first!"

"If it is discovered that we do not have Prince Leontes—"

"Say he escaped in the anti."

"If they tell this fact to His Majesty the Emperor even now—"

"They absolutely cannot. Because a dragon egg is at stake. Even if they do, we can say it's a false accusation or that we personally took the lead as bait to catch those who secretly disobey His Majesty's will."

"If Prince Leontes is found and denies ever doing such a thing—"

"Just say it's natural for him to deny it because he's ashad of asking for my protection. While driving him as betraying the benefactor who saved him."

"Even so, the risk of this matter is too great."

"One must break eggs to eat them; will you swallow them shell and all? Although Roncer's snakes might do that."

"I will follow the order, but changing it to be slightly more moderate—"

At that mont, Rhiannon, who had been only drinking, poured the liquor glass straight into the vase. As the lilies, the Empress's favorite flowers, began to wither, Lauderdale shut his mouth.

"There is only one change."

"Your Majesty?"

"We do not hold Prince Leontes hostage. If found, extract the truth about the dragon egg by any ans necessary, then kill him imdiately."

Michelon inhaled sharply. The Duke shouted.

"Your Majesty!"

"We must eliminate him now. Before he resembles his mother more."

"...Erngarde of Roncer is dead. Your Majesty won."

"Of course. So I will continue to win. My son will also win against her sons."

"...Alex is also Your Majesty's son."

"One who betrays the mother who gave birth to him is not my son."

"Rhia—"

"Duke, if you are a Duke, do not call

that, and do not call the traitor Alex either."

At that mont, a hurt unlike a seasoned politician flashed across the Duke's face, but soon disappeared as if washed away.

"...Your Majesty, I rely offer my loyalty to Your Majesty. I advise you for the last ti, please withdraw this plan regarding Prince Leontes."

"Did I not know the Duke would be so scared? That is why I spoke gathering the enemies first without telling the Duke in advance!"

"Your Majesty!"

"Listen. Mount Petrafis is the Dragon's Mountain. Do you think I handed that place over to Leontes for no reason?"

"Because of the Wolf of Petrafis—"

"We had already predicted the identity of that wolf. That's why we sent Leontes as soon as we joined hands with the temple. If the spy we sent was sacrificed to the Emperor's mages' experint as we thought, that wolf would serve as good bait to lure him. In the first place, we sent the spy considering the possibility of being experinted on at that ti. Otherwise, how could we find out what the Emperor was aiming for?"

Rhiannon's words did not persuade Lauderdale at all. The Duke clenched his teeth and said.

"Presumptuously, Your Majesty has already been outwitted by Leontes. Did you not feel it painfully then? He is not a fool!"

"Do you think I don't know? But no matter how clever, Leontes is ultimately a Valaskaion, unable to escape the obsession with dragons. Even though he could stay comfortably in Montova Castle after dealing with the Wolf of Petrafis, he entered the Dragon's Mountain on his own feet. The place most likely to hide a dragon egg at present. If he went missing, he must have found sothing."

"...Even when Ilaves was alive, it's a place where even the Emperor found nothing."

"That was before I restored Lasilex. And luckily, the influence of Lasilex manifested as foresight in Leontes. He alone might succeed in the discovery everyone has failed at until now. Whether it's a dragon egg or a clue to its location!"

Rhiannon's voice rose.

"How much effort have I put into discovering a dragon egg until now? I labored without missing even the smallest clue but all ca to naught. So does it make sense not to throw the existence that will beco the biggest clue into the Dragon's Mountain? I sent him to the Dragon's Mountain, and I was the one who gave Lasilex. Therefore, the result must also be mine!"

"...Then I will definitely find him, and find out everything even if I have to torture him with my own hands. However, he must not be killed. The Emperor will not stay still."

"No, Leontes must die. Before the facts he found out and what he discovered fall into the hands of soone other than ."

Rhiannon did not bend her will firmly.

"Dragons drive people mad. Contractors all beca madn. Look at the Emperor. Do you think Desmond or Alexander, whom I gave birth to, won't go mad if they contract with a dragon? Because they beco intoxicated with that power and delude themselves into thinking they are dragons possessing that power."

"Your Majesty......."

"Just because one of my sons becos a dragon contractor, we can never be at ease. If I cannot contract with a dragon directly, I must know everything about dragons. More than a dragon contractor, no, finding out even what a dragon contractor doesn't know, to move both the dragon and the dragon contractor. Only then can I stop humoring the Emperor forever, whether husband or son!"

In a situation where the Duke was overwheld, Rhiannon continued with burning eyes.

"Everything Leontes discovered on my mountain belongs to . His ability is ultimately the manifestation of Lasilex I gave, so the fruit of that ability must be solely mine. Using that, I can rise to the peak of power. If I give up this opportunity that won't co again just because it's dangerous, it ultimately ans I have neither the ability nor the qualification to rise to that position. Dare you doubt my power and make

a weak being!"

Having declared so, the Empress glared at the Duke. The Duke closed his eyes before his sister's gaze.

"If you cannot kill Leontes, say so now. I will personally order Edward, your son and my nephew."

"...I will obey the order, Your Majesty the Empress."

***

"Did Giuliano della Montova betray us as expected?"

Michelon spoke abruptly.

"From the information the Empress ntioned about the location of the dragon egg to the location where you disappeared, it's all Montova's forr territory. Where people last saw us."

"Count Montova wasn't at that spot. He probably heard it from Yolande or Jero too. While announcing my disappearance and searching, he couldn't hide that information either."

"Rhiannon ordered Lauderdale to make the Count do it."

"Because the Empress would consider Montova her person. Thinking that even if Montova walked a tightrope between her and

for a while, in a situation where I disappeared, if she, who has stronger power, commands, he wouldn't be able to refuse out of fear."

"Then what about your portrait ring? You said unless one kisses the ring, it looks like your mother's portrait as initially. And you have avoided receiving kisses from courtiers lest it only benefits the Emperor. Although Count Montova's oath of loyalty was unavoidable."

Michelon implied that Giuliano must have reported to the Empress about the ring he saw while swearing to .

"Cardinal Orlanto saw it too."

"Ah, that could be it too. Or that suckling of Saint Romola whose shoulder you put your hand on."

Michelon added anly.

"I understand you don't want to suspect your first noble subordinate, but you might be betrayed even bigger."

"I haven't made a decision about him yet."

"If you say so."

We were silent for a mont. Michelon spoke abruptly again.

"You can reveal that there is a Dragon's Grave on Mount Petrafis."