Chapter 72
The Emperor’s face turned red as if it might burst at any moment, yet Marcel did not stop.
“You didn’t stop after just one incident; you continued like that until I was five. I remember it clearly, and Mother has all the proof.”
“It was for the stability of the Imperial House. They will also remember the tragedy that occurred in the 28th reign.”
Yeah, sure, I heard all that nonsense.
Claiming that attempting to kill my son was “for the stability of the Imperial House” was utterly absurd. Even in the original story, they ignored the war the Crown Prince started, yet now they wanted to kill Marcel for the sake of the Crown Prince? Ridiculous.
“Then how about this? When Michel was ill, you even used the herbs you had stored for aid. The reason the slum district in the capital burned down was actually because of Michel’s origin—”
“Enough!”
When the Emperor shouted, Marcel smiled and pulled out another document.
As if he had been waiting for this moment, he attacked his own father without hesitation.
“Now, let’s return to your matter, Your Highness.”
“Marcel. What is it that you want?”
“I hope that in tomorrow’s noble assembly, a decision will be made according to the laws of the Empire.”
“What did you say?”
The Emperor frowned and repeated, and Marcel smiled gently.
That smile resembled the scheming Empress’s.
“Your Majesty, you should remain a model for the Empire. If you do that, all the scandals of His Imperial Majesty that I just mentioned will be as if they never happened.”
The Emperor sighed deeply to calm his rising anger and nodded.
“Very well. So be it.”
“Then, Your Majesty, I would like to say something this time.”
“Duke of Monclair, do you still have more to say?”
“I haven’t even started yet.”
The Emperor held his forehead at the audacity of the Duke.
“Go ahead and speak.”
“Let the position of Crown Princess be filled with brilliance. Let it be the Morning Star of Ronsbleu.”
“Do you intend to break the promise made with the Imperial House?”
“The promise has already been broken by His Highness the Crown Prince. The Imperial House will extend proper ‘honors’ to Eloise as the Crown Princess. Since that promise wasn’t kept, why should Monclair serve as the Crown Prince’s ‘power’? I overlooked things until now, but the Empress has crossed the line.”
“Even if it is by imperial command?”
The Emperor leaned forward, looking up at Duke Monclair.
His emerald eyes, bright and luminous like the Crown Prince’s, glittered.
Across from him, the Duke’s blue eyes shone coldly.
“Do you think the tragedy of the 28th reign won’t happen twice? Fortunately, there is another heir of Your Majesty right before me.”
“That remark could cost you your head immediately.”
“Then the Duchess of Monclair will blow up the entire palace. And since it’s where the Empress resides, it will be all the easier.”
In the tense atmosphere of the three men, the fragile cat could hardly breathe.
I shouldn’t have come along. If I had known it would be like this, I would have stayed in Eloise’s arms and elegantly admired some artwork.
As I darted my eyes around, they met Marcel’s.
He smiled as usual, curling the corners of his lips.
‘Smiling in a situation like this?’
The Emperor suddenly stood up and grabbed a bottle from the display in the corner.
He downed one bottle at once, yet still unsatisfied, he opened another and shouted.
“The Emperor is truly laughable!”
“We will proceed according to protocol.”
“Do as you wish!”
Strong liquor slid down the Emperor’s throat again.
He looked at the Duke, then fixed his gaze on me.
“So, you were the one who first made a mockery of the Imperial House. The Second Prince sent a very suitable cat to Monclair.”
“You know very well, Your Majesty, that it wasn’t entirely my doing.”
When I bluntly said it had already been a mess, he huffed and stormed out of the office.
Left alone, Marcel let out a long sigh and sank into the sofa.
I looked up at the Duke and tapped his arm lightly.
“If the Emperor had insisted to the end, were you really planning a rebellion?”
“Yes. It wouldn’t have been easy, but the Emperor would have understood.”
“Yet he gave in rather easily.”
“That’s because…”
The Duke hesitated, and Marcel continued for him.
“He’s a contradictory man. He wants to be a wise ruler but fails to be a model. He seeks to strengthen imperial authority but ultimately bows to the nobles. A pathetic Emperor. Above all, he fears losing a strong ally.”
By strong ally, he must mean Monclair.
Understanding Marcel, I nodded, and the Duke added:
“Since the Emperor has stepped back, we can’t completely turn our backs on him either.”
“I see. But if the engagement is broken, the Crown Prince will have no support—doesn’t that matter to him?”
“No matter how beloved the woman’s son is, he isn’t more important than my own safety. And that son increasingly resembles his own incompetence, so it’s natural for affection to fade.”
So that’s why he ignored the Crown Prince’s war. Truly pathetic.
Marcel laughed lightly at the Duke’s words.
“It’s laughable that he nearly died over such trivial affection, and even more laughable that he has been craving it until now.”
“It’s fortunate, Your Highness, that you don’t resemble the Emperor.”
“Then, the Duke will stand by me in tomorrow’s noble assembly.”
“I am only correcting wrongs for my daughter’s sake.”
Having finished his words, the Duke stood and naturally lifted me into his arms.
His strong arms served as a support, surprisingly comfortable.
“That’s enough.”
Marcel stood and extended his hand to the Duke.
The Duke held my weight with one arm and clasped Marcel’s hand firmly.
“Tomorrow, Monclair will lead. This is what Eloise wishes.”
“It sounds like you don’t want to owe me anything.”
“Your Highness, it’s up to you.”
I would absolutely not attend tomorrow’s assembly. One suffocating showdown today was more than enough.
My desperation didn’t reach the Duke, and I was eventually dragged to the assembly hall.
In the Duke’s arms, I glanced around the room with blurred eyes.
“The final agenda item has been urgently proposed by His Highness the Crown Prince.”
The Emperor sat at the highest seat, with the Crown Prince and Marcel beside him.
Opposite them, nobles gathered around a semi-circular table.
The setup resembled the National Assembly in South Korea.
“Your Majesty, I wish to restore the position of Empress, which the 29th Emperor temporarily abolished.”
The Crown Prince stood and rambled about the merits and long history of the Empress system.
Several nobles nodded and smirked slyly.
The Emperor listened quietly, as if hearing it for the first time.
“…So, I request the nobles’ vote for restoration.”
“Crown Prince. Do you forget that the 29th Emperor ordered the complete abolition of the Empress system in the 32nd reign?”
“I remember. Your Majesty, only in the 32nd reign—technically the 31st—will my Empress be the last.”
It was laughable to claim that the system would end after appointing Marianne as Empress.
Even more laughable was the confidence of a mere Crown Prince claiming he would be the next Emperor.
Does he want to hold both Eloise and Marianne in his hands?
“I wonder why you insist it’s the 31st reign, Crown Prince?”
“Serena Valois, the 30th Emperor in the official records, was not a legitimate Emperor, Your Majesty. She abdicated after only a week and never truly ruled the Empire. She also never received the middle name ‘de,’ which is reserved for royalty. Therefore, she cannot be considered an Emperor.”
Thankfully, the Crown Prince said exactly what I remembered from the original story.
The Duke raised his hand slightly, signaling to speak.
“Duke Monclair, do you have objections to the Crown Prince’s opinion?”
“I am merely stating the facts. There is something His Highness the Crown Prince does not know.”
The Duke gestured to a servant behind him, who brought several sheets of paper and handed them to the Emperor and nobles.
One sheet was also given to Duke Monclair—it was a letter.
“It was sent by the 29th Emperor to the late Marquis Penel along with Serena Valois’s betrothal gifts.”
The letter explained that although the 30th Emperor, Serena, abdicated, she was consoled by marrying the best groom of the time, Marquis Penel. The Duke read it with dignity.
“Though Serena could not receive a middle name due to her mother’s status at birth, she remained loyal to me. Therefore, as her elder brother, the only thing I could bestow was a middle name, which I hereby grant.”
