A chill filled the air as the ledger was brought in.
The atmosphere was tense, and no one dared to speak, afraid of drawing any unwanted attention. Marquis Cherish, having received the ledger from Gerald, stepped forward and politely presented it to the Emperor, who was already prepared for this moment.
Silence engulfed the room as the Emperor opened the Estalot ledger and began reading from the first page.
The nobles watched with trepidation, knowing that imperial knights stood guard at the ballroom doors.
This was no ordinary celebration of Cherish's engagement; it was a covert operation to root out those involved in the illegal trade of the Estalroot herb.
The presence of Cherish and the enigmatic Prince at the wedding was unsettling, and the reason became apparent.
The Emperor's eyes scanned the ledger with stern determination, causing anxiety to wash over the assembled nobles like a tidal wave.
Tak.
The Emperor closed the ledger, which seemed to echo like thunder in the tense room.
Without turning his head, he spoke in a commanding tone.
"Crown Prince."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"I hereby bestow upon you full authority over this matter. Ensure that every last one of these abominations is eradicated."
"I will do as you ask."
Reynos finished his answer and took the ledger. The emperor then left the ceremony with his chamberlain.
Soon after, Reynos began calling out the names of those who would face the consequences of their illicit actions.
"Kalet Yutra."
The eldest son of Count Yutra, renowned for his perfume business, was brought forward by the knights and prostrated.
Next came Marquis Blemis, a prominent figure in trade, and Viscount Corte, who had gained fame in the culinary world.
"Tyriel Puritina."
"...!"
Gasps echoed among the nobles as the unexpected name was called. It was evident that the accusation against her was indeed genuine.
Alice, filled with pride, rejoiced as her father's name was cleared of any wrongdoing, and her admiration for Gerald, who had paved the way for this outcome, soared even higher.
Unfazed by the reactions of those around him, Reynos continued reading from the list.
"Aval Essit."
"This is unfair!"
Count Essit exclaimed, as if he had been anticipating this moment. The knights halted their approach, and the Count dropped to his knees, desperately pleading his case.
"I swear to heaven, I have never used such an herb, and even the name is new to me today!"
"Neither have I, Your Highness!"
"This is somebody's frame-up!"
One by one, those who had been apprehended by the knights proclaimed their innocence. Among them, there were accusations directed at Gerald.
"How can you trust a ledger brought to you by a commoner!"
"No doubt, he made up some ridiculous medicinal herb to flatter Marquis Cherish!"
"Your Highness, I beseech you to show me your favor!"
But their false pleas were cut short by the frosty voice of Reynos.
"Let there be no injustice in punishing all sins, a mandate from the first chapter of the Code."
His penetrating gaze swept over the nobles held captive by the knights, sending shivers down their spines. There was no warmth in his eyes.
"Do you really think that the imperial court would create a place like this without proper investigation?"
Silence fell as the weight of his words sank in.
"From now on, if anyone innocent opens their mouth, they will face severe consequences."
With this stern warning, those who had been crying foul fell silent.
Count Essit, now in the same predicament, glared at Gerald with malicious intent, surrounded by his knights.
'How dare you...!'
Then, the names of all those on the ledger were called. Every individual, except for Tyriel who was already imprisoned, was present, fulfilling a secondary purpose of the betrothal ceremony.
As the captured nobles were led away by the knights, and the remaining nobles looked on with pale faces, Reynos, when all was said and done, expressed his gratitude to Marquis Cherish.
"I'm sure it wasn't an easy decision to use the engagement ceremony, but I appreciate your cooperation. I will compensate you appropriately at a later date."
"No, if this is all that can be done to ease my grievances, I will be satisfied."
Behind the Marquis, Alice and Gerald lightly bowed as representatives. Reynos shook his head, turned to follow the knights, and then paused to whisper something to Gerald, making sure only he could hear.
"I'll see you soon, brother-in-law."
And then he was gone.
"...Brother-in-law?"
Dumbfounded, Gerald pondered over the crown prince's words, spoken so intimately. He had heard that Ciella had informed the Crown Prince of his plight, but he hadn't realized...
'When did my Ciella get married?'
More like the crown prince. Reynos had done it to score points with Ciella's family, but Gerald, who didn't know, had to rack his brains to figure out if he'd done anything wrong until he saw him again.
***
With the unfinished business of the Winter Sword Festival and the arrival of spring, a blade-like storm raged across the Empire.
People craned their necks and flattened themselves like turtles to avoid being caught in the crossfire, unwilling to act rashly for fear of what might happen next.
But even in these dark times, there would be those who would shine.
"Ciella Lavirins, forward."
It was I, Ciella Lavirins.
In the presence of all the high nobles of the Marquisate and above, dressed in simple robes instead of my usual colorful attire, I walked to the front of the dais at the call of the chamberlain and knelt quietly on the cushion.
Today was to be the Emperor's commendation of Lavirins for what Reynos had said the other day, for what had happened in the final.
I bowed my head and waited for the next order.
The chamberlain unrolled a scroll and spoke words of praise for my work.
"Ciella Lavirins, eldest daughter of Marquis Lavirins, has saved the prestige of the Imperial House from falling to the ground by uncovering the atrocities committed in the Temple."
"..."
"By the grace of God, you have done a great deal to quell the divine wrath that has been placed upon the Second Prince."
With a grunt, I heard the emperor rise from his throne.
I tensed inwardly, expecting to be given some fertile land and some useless title like 'Chosen by the Spirits' as an added bonus.
What is this, the Emperor himself?
I heard an unmistakable clang, the sound of a sword being drawn.
I almost looked up in surprise, thinking he was going to slit my throat.
The Emperor wouldn't personally slit my throat, so it had to be the ceremonial sword the servant was carrying.
...But why was he pulling out a ceremonial sword? From the design, it looked like the kind of sword that was only used to bestow honors.
As I stood there in disbelief, the Emperor called out my name.
"Ciella Lavirins."
"Yes."
I bowed even deeper.
The Emperor tapped me on the shoulder with his sword, then spoke words that stunned me.
"I hereby crown you Duke Lavirins."
"Pardon?"
I was so stunned that I forgot all about rudeness and jerked my head up, then quickly recoiled when I locked eyes with the Emperor, who was staring down at me.
Apparently, I wasn't the only one who was surprised, as the nobles lined up behind me.
"Your Majesty!"
"The ducal title is supposed to be awarded to those who have saved the empire from a great crisis, but how-!"
"Possessing a spirit is too much to ask! It's just one of those old legends-"
"Shut up."
But the emperor's words sank the nobles' opinions.
The Queen, who should have supported them, was not here, too ill with the affairs of the second prince.
'What. What is this?'
My heart pounded at the unexpected. If I opened my mouth, the words would run out of my mouth.
'Even though Lavirins is currently being treated as a duke...'
There was a world of difference between being treated like a duke and actually being a duke.
In this case, the Empire would no longer have two dukes, but three.
Turning to the nobles who seemed to have a lot to say, the emperor calmly pointed out.
"Are you aware that it was the work of Little Marquis Lavirins that led to our friendly relations with the Magic Tower?"
"I am aware of that, Your Majesty. But-"
"You are also aware that when Count Essit sowed the vile thing called Rubina, it was the Little Marquis who prevented it?
"..."
"A great crisis for an empire does not necessarily mean war. It is also a crisis when the Empire's reputation falls to the ground and other nations laugh at us."
The logical Emperor's words left the nobles who opposed the dukedom speechless.
The emperor glanced at them and continued.
"Do you mean to say that this has not saved the empire from a great crisis?"
"..."
"She should have been sealed as a Duke long ago. But in the meantime, I have put it off, fearing that such opposition would come."
In other words, the Emperor had been thinking of making Labyrinth a duke all along.
'Wow...'
I swallowed hard as I listened to the Emperor's words.
I can't believe Lavirins holds the title of Duke now.
For reference, the reason why each of them had different titles was simple, even though they were from the same founding family.
The power-loving First Justice was power-hungry, the neutral Lavirins only wanted a modest position, and the peace-loving Puritina was unapologetic, so they gave her a title to match.
'The Empire wasn't this big a thousand years ago, after all.'
By the way, can I be called Duke Lavirins when Marquis Lavirins is alive?
Perhaps thinking the same thing, the emperor nominated Marquis Lavirins, who was standing with a stunned face.
"Marquis, I think we should hurry your retirement a little bit now that it has come to this."