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The marriage was a condition on which Duke Alberton promised the Crown Prince that he would lift the curse of the First God that’s been placed upon him, so it should be followed. But suddenly the image of his son begging, “I can never marry Marianne Alberton,” flashed through the Emperor’s head.
“Why aren’t you answering readily, Your Majesty?”
In that instance, Duke Alberton, who quickly read a slight hesitation from the Emperor’s expression, urged the Emperor sharply.
The loyalty of a wizard is to be kept only by the ‘contractor’. If the contractor dares to break the contract after using the wizard, even if it’s the Emperor, he could not avoid the desperate revenge.
‘The Crown Prince, it doesn’t matter what he said and coaxed his father and mother. This marriage is bound to go on.’
So far, how much wealth has he put into and how much blood has been spilt by his hands just by believing in that single promise of marriage? Thinking of him in that sense, this promise could not be broken even by God. Duke Alberton continued with a cold smile.
“You must not have forgotten, Your Majesty. Without ‘marriage’, there is no ‘future’ for the Crown Prince.”
The Emperor’s expression, which had hesitated at those words earlier, changed abruptly. He replied, nodding his head heavily with a firm expression.
“……I know it very well. I’ve never forgotten the promise I made to you for even a single moment. And I know the weight of that promise.”
“You should.”
“Don’t worry, I will call the treasury and consul for the wedding and order them to proceed as soon as possible. As soon as we receive the date of a holy day from the priest, I will send Count Roche to you right away, Duke Alberton.”
“I, Duke of Alberton, believe in Your Majesty’s meticulous consideration, I don’t know where to put my words now. Then, while waiting for a letter from Your Majesty, I will educate my daughter so that she can develop the virtues she should have as a Crown Princess.”
“……Yes, I look forward to it.”
In response to the Emperor’s confirmation, Duke Alberton returned with a servile face and responded as if he had never made a secret threat.
Although the Emperor’s expression was grim, it was none of Duke Alberton’s concern. In this situation, the Emperor’s mood was no obstacle.
‘Well then. Now that you’ve been whipped, it’s your turn to give me carrots.’
[T/N: It’s just a saying. So, just eat your carrots. (⊙_⊙;)]
But since he ‘still’ needed to please the old Emperor a little, Duke Alberton smiled inwardly and spoke.
“Then, Your Majesty. May I now speak to you about how to deal with the ‘sacrifice’? For the Crown Prince to get rid of the terrible curse as soon as possible and become a free body, the sooner things are going, the better.”
“Oh, yes. You’re right. How can I help you?”
At the words of Duke Alberton, the Emperor asked with delight.
With the face of the old Emperor changing as easily as the palm of his hand. Duke Alberton sneered coldly at him inwardly, speaking in the secret voice peculiar to the conspirator.
“First, please send Duke Felix away. Any cause is fine. Well, you can either order him to conquer the neighbouring duchy, or you can order him to exterminate the monsters in the western wilderness.”
“That’s not difficult. I can give him an order right away.”
“But you can’t send him too far that it gets hard for him to come back in the next few days. And, in the meantime, if the sacrifice dies, then it would be a big deal. Somehow the monster must find the sacrifice in a dying state.”
“It is not difficult either. Unless that Duke Felix dared to rebel, he would not be able to disobey my orders.”
The Emperor replied, nodding in agreement with Duke Alberton’s insidious plan. Duke Alberton continued, contentedly, with the appearance of the Emperor behaving according to his way.
“Meanwhile, I will make the sacrifice to eat arsenic-based food.”
“……Arsenic? Are you really going to feed it to the sacrifice?”
[T/N: The immediate symptoms of acute arsenic poisoning include vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhoea. These are followed by numbness and tingling of the extremities, muscle cramping, and death.]
At the following words of Duke Alberton, the Emperor bluntly raised his eyebrows and asked him. Then Duke Alberton responded with a soft smile.
“Why are you asking so, Your Majesty? Does Your Majesty have any better insight?”
“… … I’m surprised once again. Before the present Duchess Felix is a ‘sacrificial’, isn’t she your daughter?”
“But?”
“These old eyes have seen the bodies of countless people who have been poisoned with arsenic at the end of a court battle, and I know how painful they died. … … You may say that the current Duchess Felix is a child for whom you have no affection, but it’s terrifying me the way you are telling me that you will give a painful death to the child of your own blood.”
The Emperor looked at Duke Alberton, whose expression hardened for a moment when he mentioned Grace, and said in a sarcastic tone.
It was a rebuke of the desire to satisfy the hunger for power by killing his own child and a question that Duke Alberton supposedly did not understand.
After that, Duke Alberton, who heard it, smiled quietly and replied.
“As a member of the Alberton family, she has lived favourably even after being the subject of the incompetent, so she must pay the price.”
“……Do you consider such gains and losses between parents and children?”
“Shouldn’t that child thank me for not killing her on the spot when she was born with no powers?”
Seeing Duke Alberton reacting to his criticism with a casual expression, the Emperor was at a loss for words and so he kept his mouth shut.
He has heard that wizards are inherently creatures that are driven by the logic of power and domination, but he didn’t know that logic applies to blood-related families.
The Emperor slowly trembled, realising that the person in front of him was the real ‘demon’ that he held hands with for his son. It was obnoxious and shocking. But the Emperor skillfully concealed these feelings within him and spoke to Duke Alberton.
“……I see. Right. I don’t think I should have dared to make a fuss about you for having benefited greatly from you. Will you forgive me for my hasty meddling with you?”
“No, Your Majesty. It is thanks to your kindness and benevolence that I got this opportunity. You don’t have to ask for forgiveness.”
Duke Alberton twisted one corner of his mouth as he watched the Emperor change the subject.
Fortunately, it seemed that he was grasping the gravity of the subject. As he said, it was an act that went far beyond the proper line to dare to talk about the morality of a human being on the subject of saving the life of a precious heir thanks to him.
With such an inner thought, Duke Alberton laughed coldly at the Emperor in front of him.
‘The moment Marianne has an heir to the throne, I will take care of your endless arrogance.’
So, until then, even if it was disgusting or unsightly, he had to put up with it. Duke Alberton continued speaking to the Emperor with a face as cold as a viper approaching his prey quietly.
“Well, you can’t blame me for being cruel. As Your Majesty knows, we don’t really have much time left. The body of the Crown Prince that has been sustaining the ancient magic all this time is already on the verge of cracking and breaking apart.”
“What!? Duke Alberton! Is that for real?”
“Yes. It is an urgent situation. So, please hurry up and arrange the wedding of His Highness the Crown Prince and my daughter Marianne.”
At those words of Duke Alberton, who once again urged for hastening the marriage of Marianne, citing the impending condition of the Crown Prince, the Emperor frowned outright and said.
“No, if the Crown Prince’s condition is so urgent, wouldn’t it be right to kill the sacrifice first, heal the curse, and then proceed with the marriage? After all, Lady Marianne is officially engaged to our Crown Prince, so even if things go a little leisurely… … .”
“No. That’s not how it should be.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m going to use the wedding as the ‘stage’ where the ‘sacrifice’ will give its life.”
However, Duke Alberton resolutely cut off the emperor’s following words and responded with a cold voice.
In that voice, there was nothing like the agony of a father in a situation where he had to brutally end his youngest daughter’s life for the sake of his eldest daughter.
There was only a cruel politician with greedy eyes who wants to seize power and family glory that was so close to his hands.
“So, Your Majesty, from now on, I think we need to talk about the wedding of Marianne and His Highness the Crown Prince, as the fathers of both parties.”
Duke Alberton, with a hardened expression on his face at his whispering words, deliberately and shamelessly smiled at the Emperor, who was trembling in fear inside.
That smile was that of a viper with its mouth open before the prey in front of it.
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