Marchioness Callia said in a low voice,
“You are the one who advised Luca to go east.”
“Yes. Even if things go wrong, it’s not Father’s or Luca’s responsibility. I told Luca to be ready to go into hiding at any ti while in the East.”
“You did sothing stupid. His Majesty would have been suspicious.”
“Anyway, His Majesty must be suspicious of everything. Mother doesn’t say anything because you think so too, and you also told Father to do so.”
Skyla took a deep breath and said,
“Be patient and earn ti. What do you do after that? Are you going to assassinate His Majesty?”
Skyla lowered her voice so that no one could hear it.
In the past, it was enough to keep Lawrence in check and then drive him out.
Grand Duke Evron was completely out of the race for succession. He was the one furthest.
Grand Duke Evron himself seed to have no intention of staying in the Capital under the favor of the Emperor.
So, at that ti he just had to hold on. The Emperor had no other choice, as he had no children.
But it is different now.
Inheritance law is not driven by public opinion. However, it is about determining the Emperor’s successor.
The people’s welco and the support of the temple are justifications. How much more can they say than God had given grace?
Now, Grand Duke Roygar had no choice but to hold on. The Emperor had to die before the succession ranking could be overturned for any other cause.
The only way to ensure that is to assassinate him.
“Do you think that would be possible?”
“It won’t be easy.”
To Skyla’s words, Marchioness Callia responded in a whispering voice.
Both the mother and daughter did not feel repulsed against the idea of assassinating the Emperor. If they are a mber of Grand Duke Roygar’s faction, they must have thought about it at least once.
Why they haven’t done it so far is not because they have loyalty or because it’s wrong, but because it’s not easy.
“In a situation where Princess Leticia is not able to affect anything?”
“It doesn’t have to be right now. If His Majesty had in mind Princess Leticia as his heir, then he would not remove His Grace Grand Duke Roygar. We have to contain Grand Duke Evron.”
That is the Emperor’s tendency.
They don’t know if they can remove both at once, and if they can’t, they won’t remove either.
And neither Grand Duke Roygar nor Marchioness Callia were confident that they had enough power to remove both at once.
“I don’t know what King Eiml will say.”
“Yes. But no matter what King Eiml says, His Majesty will not kill Grand Duke Roygar right away.”
“Even so, he will cut off his limbs! Mother, by gathering people to the morial service, Uncle challenged His Majesty head-on.”
“Don’t worry too much. Because that would be the story of failure.”
As Marchioness Callia said so, she stood up from her seat.
Skyla tried to follow her, flustered.
And she cried out in surprise,
“Mother. Mother!”
Because Marchioness Callia had closed the door in front of her.
“I understand what you an, Skyla. I knew you betrayed .”
“Mother!”
Click.
The door is locked.
“I hoped it wasn’t like this.”
“Mother! Eliminating King Eiml won’t change anything! It’s just a matter of ti!”
“I understand your concerns. I’m thankful, and I felt like you’re already all grown up.”
said Marchioness Callia.
“But I will never separate from Her Grace.”
There was no obligation to take care of Garnet until the end. She made a deal with Marquis Luden, but she didn’t even think the deal was justifiable.
She was jealous. There were tis when she felt unfair. There were tis when she felt deprived.
If she had been born as the legitimate daughter of Marquis Luden, she was confident that she would be superior to the Marquis Heir Apparent, to Garnet, and to any other he called his child.
In such a position, even if she had not received the sa education as the Marquis Heir Apparent, she could not have had any feelings toward Garnet, the daughter of Marquis Luden.
When she was younger, she thought many tis if she had been born into Garnet’s position.
However, she has been watching over Garnet for all her life. There were not only duties and transactions there.
“As long as His Grace and Her Grace are alive, we can still fight. Legal inheritance is a powerful thing.”
If it is before the Emperor establishes an official succession sche, they can overturn it in just one shot.
“Mother! No! Grand Duchess Evron has made all the preparations!”
Skyla exclaid,
“Free , Mother! I am now……!”
Skyla was unable to speak until the end and gasped for her breath.
“I’m sorry. I’ll send soone soon, so go to the East after your father and Luca. You’re smart, so you’ll know when to disappear and when to co back.”
Marchioness Callia said so and left. Skyla heard the sound of stepping on the stairs going down to the attic.
Skyla took a deep breath and sat down in her seat.
Her eyes turned round and round, and she grabbed her hair with both her hands.
She was going to try anyway. It was just the last thing she was going to ask.
She wanted to stop and discuss with her mother if she ever wanted to turn around.
‘No. No. Unless Mother changes her mind, I have no choice but to do it anyway.’
Skyla thought as she crouched down.
Marchioness Callia did not go to the South. She could not have been directly involved in this.
If it’s the collective punishnt, she can cover it with her family’s rit. The first to betray will be able to escape.
Didn’t she intend to do just that?
She had nothing to suffer from. Whether or not her mother had the will to strike Marquis Luden was no longer important at this point.
Had she known much earlier, then could sothing have been different?
It won’t be. After all, it was up to Garnet.
Skyla sighed and grabbed her head again.
＊＊＊
It was three days later that King Eiml’s welcoming party was held.
This was Ian Callia’s first ti attending an official banquet at the Imperial Palace.
Ian stood in front of the mirror and checked himself once. And he said to Hazel,
“Thank you for taking care of .”
It was not an easy task for Ian just to wear a plain robe.
At Artizea’s order, Hazel took care of his outfit.
“I just called in a seamstress. It looks good on you.”
“Thank you.”
Ian saw that he had a pale complexion as he looked into the mirror. And the fact that Hazel is looking at him like that.
“I’m surprised.”
“That I decided to go out?”
“No. When you first attended an official banquet, you decided that it would be a welcoming party for the King of another country. Usually, people pick sothing like a New Year’s Eve party. It’s easy to be alienated in diplomatic banquets or banquets with guests.”
“I don’t really want to get too much attention.”
Ian said sadly.
Until now, banquets had to attract attention, so it didn’t make a very good impression because it was a banquet stained with scandal and insidiousness.
Hazel tilted her head.
But Ian didn’t bother to reveal what he was going to do.
He did not want to attend the banquet.
However, his request to visit the Emperor was rejected by Artizea.
[“It’s impossible for Sir to attend an audience alone with His Majesty.”]
[“So, I am asking you to write a letter of recomndation.”]
[“In that case, it seems that you have forgotten that all the work done by the audience is the responsibility of the recomnder.”]
Ian didn’t really think of that part, so he bowed his head to Artizea.
[“Hazel will get you an invitation to the banquet.”]
[“That Your Grace will be attending?”]
[“I am not feeling well. I don’t know if it’s a dinner party, but I’m not in a position to attend the party.”]
Ian couldn’t help but nod his head.
He did one last check on his outfit and went out.
He offered Hazel to be his partner, but she declined. From the ti he was told by Artizea that it was the responsibility of the recomnder, he had been thinking about going alone.
He made his own decisions to repay her favor, so he didn’t want to involve the one he was trying to do a favor for.
He got on a carriage alone and arrived in front of the main gate of the Imperial Palace. He also separated from the escort knight there.
He was not a mber of Grand Duke Evron’s family anyway, so he couldn’t bring an ard escort knight into the room.
The lesser nobles attending the banquet, each adorned with jewels and splendid clothes, lined up and entered.
Ian headed to the door through which the high-ranking nobles ca in alone.
“Sir Ian of Marquisate Callia has arrived!”
the calling officer shouted loudly.
Hearing a not-so-honorable title, Ian entered. People’s eyes were painfully pierced.
It seed that Ian was the only one who could be called a high-ranking nobleman at the mont.
Ian slowly looked down from above the lobby. Skyla wasn’t here.
He thought that she might have co in disguise as a lesser noble, so Ian joined the crowd.
Because of his simple clothes and not many faces he knew, he was quickly forgotten.
“County Brennan couple and the Lord have arrived!”
“Chancellor Lin and the Madam have arrived!”
“County Eunice couple and the Lady have arrived!”
As ti passed, the other high-ranking officials also arrived, and the calling officer called out one after another.
But Skyla never ca. She was nowhere to be seen.
[“If I fail to convince Mother, I may not be able to co. I may probably be detained sowhere.”]
Skyla said.
[“Still…… , no, then all the more, do not hesitate to present this to His Majesty. Just don’t forget to ntion that I was the one who brought this.”]
The calling officer shouted.
“His Majesty King Eiml has arrived.”
And the last one ca.
“Pillar of Krates, who received the scepter and orb from the god and beca the sun on the earth, His Majesty Emperor Gregor Avanasi Nestor has arrived!”
Everyone knelt on the spot. People in all directions were lowered as if an ebb was going down.
Ian took in his breath. And, putting up with the feeling of a stiff neck, he moved forward.
Gossip and questionable gaze stabbed Ian.
As the Emperor and King Eiml approached the front of the stairs, the guards blocked Ian’s way.
King Eiml frowned at him, and the Emperor said sothing. Ian was nervous out of his mind and he didn’t hear it.
Instead, he knelt down in front of them and recited the words he had prepared,
“I would like to report a treason.”
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