Chapter 37
The Emperor’s thick brows twitched.
In truth, the Duke of Bobonsher hadn’t said anything wrong.
This incident wasn’t just about an engagement between children falling apart.
Bobonsher had loyally and silently defended the South without causing major disturbances all this time.
And now, this massive and friendly power had been humiliated beyond repair.
By the heir he himself had chosen!
‘That damned Gobard…!’
The Emperor had actually favored Gobard.
Even though he lacked affection for his own children, he did feel a sense of kinship as fellow members of House Lornord.
Gobard was the only legitimate successor. He didn’t hunger for power excessively and was competent in his duties. If nothing else happened, the Emperor had wanted to pass the crown to him, whose foundations were already stable.
Most of all, the Emperor himself had once experienced madness—having been obsessed with a woman—so he had wanted to defend Gobard as much as possible.
A surprisingly generous sentiment for an emperor.
‘But this is the limit.’
The Duke of Bobonsher had come on much stronger than the Emperor had expected.
Judging by that look in his eye, the man looked ready to sever ties with the imperial family.
“Sigh…”
The Lornord Empire was vast.
So much blood had been spilled to unify this massive land and bring it under a centralized regime.
He couldn’t allow the great sacrifices of his ancestors to crumble in his generation.
‘If I ignore Bobonsher’s opinion and let resentment fester, he might call for independence…’
One must always think conservatively when it came to civil war.
Let your guard down, and you could spark chaos far worse than dethroning the crown prince.
In the end, the Emperor backed down a step.
“Say clearly what it is you want, Duke Bobonsher.”
His voice had lost some of its strength.
At that, Duke Bobonsher didn’t hesitate to declare his demand.
“Please depose Gobard Luim Lornord from the position of Crown Prince. If you do so, our House Bobonsher will not demand any compensation beyond the original dowry of 17 fleets.”
“Yes, the dowry must be returned.”
The Emperor replied calmly, but his instincts flared.
‘This is strange.’
The Duke of Bobonsher had a tendency to act recklessly when enraged.
The Emperor was well aware of this impulsiveness and had purposefully excluded him from the list of attendees for today’s noble council.
He had waited some time before informing the duke that the council was already in session.
‘That way, the duke would be furious and barge into the meeting hall.’
But instead, the moment he entered, he calmly brought up the matter of the fleets. None in the chamber knew how much that had shocked the Emperor.
‘I expected him to appeal emotionally, as a father who cherishes his daughter.’
Just as he was watching the duke move in a completely unexpected way—
Count Zellauer, who had been biding his time, calmly joined in.
“The Duke of Bobonsher is right. Once a ruler betrays a high noble, it becomes difficult for others to trust him.”
This time, it was Marquis Eogal, again outdone by Count Zellauer, who quickly raised his voice.
“That’s right, Your Majesty. Please make a swift decision!”
“Your Majesty!”
“Please depose the irresponsible Crown Prince and restore the dignity of Lornord!”
“Your Majesty—!”
The anti-Crown Prince nobles raised their voices in unison.
The Crown Prince’s closest allies scrambled to object, saying he couldn’t abandon the Empress’s eldest son, but it was too late.
The nobles calling for Gobard’s removal had already united.
The Emperor’s plan for a back-and-forth with Bobonsher was now meaningless.
With his eyes quietly shut, the Emperor finally made a decision.
“From this moment forward, the competition for the next crown prince begins.”
At those words, the two factions’ expressions split dramatically.
*
Leaving the central palace, Duke Bobonsher let out a heavy sigh.
He had escalated the situation driven by his daughter’s pain and betrayal by Gobard, but now that it was over, he felt drained.
Especially after the council, the private conversation requested by the Emperor had been particularly exhausting.
—“It’s unfortunate. If someone as meticulous as Lady Bobonsher had become Crown Princess, she could’ve managed the inner palace well.”
—“Pardon?”
—“Don’t I know you? You probably couldn’t see anything else through your rage toward Gobard.”
It was true.
When he heard that the noble council had been held earlier than planned, the Duke had completely lost his temper.
So when he had rushed to the palace, he hadn’t thought of anything but confronting the situation—let alone discussing the dowry.
—“Didn’t your daughter advise you on your behalf? Even in her wounded state, she looked out for your family’s interests. I find it both admirable and touching. That idiot Gobard clearly has no eye for people. I understand now.”
—“Ah…”
—“Hmm, do you have something more to say, Duke?”
At that moment, the Emperor’s gaze sharpened.
Sensing that he mustn’t let his inner thoughts show, the Duke casually deflected.
—“Not at all. As Your Majesty said, Evwa is thoughtful. Sometimes, even more so than her father.”
—“Indeed.”
After that, they chatted as if nothing had happened, and the Duke withdrew.
Dragging himself weakly toward his carriage, the Duke sighed.
‘Maybe I should’ve just spoken honestly.’
I hope this doesn’t cause any disadvantages for Evwa…
As he worried, someone called out behind him.
“Duke!”
It was a clear, bell-like voice.
When he turned around, a woman stood there, her skin like porcelain and eyes the color of melted gold.
“Did your talk with His Majesty go well?”
“Princess Neroli.”
It was Neroli Mivan Lornord, reputedly the most beautiful woman in the empire.
Looking at her dazzling beauty, the Duke bowed his head.
“I didn’t expect you to still be here with the sun nearly set.”
“I couldn’t just leave. I was worried about Lady Evwa… and your expression earlier in the day looked so troubled.”
Looking unsure, Neroli cast her eyes downward with a sad expression.
“That’s why I couldn’t leave the Bobonsher carriage. I’m sorry if I was being presumptuous.”
Seeing that sorrowful look, the Duke was momentarily amazed.
That expression was exactly like that of the late 4th Empress, Tilia.
‘That woman enchanted so many men with that same face…’
Whether she intended it or not.
Her delicate presence and stunning appearance were enough to make any man’s heart race.
Shamefully, even Duke Bobonsher had once been among her suitors in his youth.
‘Though I eventually lost to the empire’s most powerful man.’
And now, the best bridal candidate with Tilia’s looks and royal blood stood before him.
‘Too bad for Count Zellauer.’
In society, Count Zellauer had long been considered the strongest candidate for Neroli’s fiancé.
Technically, a count wasn’t of high enough rank to marry a royal, but Neroli had little chance of inheriting the throne.
Her maternal family was nearly ruined, and the Emperor held Zellauer’s personal abilities in high regard.
These factors combined to make the nobles see him as a likely match.
‘If Tilia hadn’t died, their engagement would’ve gone through smoothly.’
The Duke shook off his idle thoughts.
Either way, it was a good thing that someone like her was close to his daughter.
“No, Princess. On the contrary, I should be thanking you.”
“Pardon? Me?”
“Thanks to you, I was able to regain my composure. Thank you.”
A few hours earlier, when the Duke had been rushing to the council chamber—
He’d run into Princess Neroli at the central palace.
—“Ah! Duke Bobonsher! I haven’t seen you since the wedding!”
Though she greeted him warmly, the flustered Duke gave only a brief nod and tried to pass.
But her next words made him stop.
—“Is Lady Evwa alright? I actually borrowed this book from the palace library hoping it might help her even a little!”
Neroli then showed him the book she held:
<Lornord Empire Great Law Code>
Seeing it, the Duke’s eyes widened.
—“That book…”
—“Lady Evwa told me about it! Apparently, the legal precedent from Imperial Year 574 written in here was the key reason the wedding was confirmed! But now that things have changed… I thought maybe there’s another useful precedent, so I’m looking!”
—“Right, there was compensation and dowry…”
—“Exactly! The precedent Lady Evwa mentioned said the Empire could owe Bobonsher up to 85 fleets—but let’s be honest, that’s not realistic. So I’m checking for more practical cases!”
As Neroli continued speaking, the fog of anger clouding the Duke’s mind slowly cleared.
My goodness, how had I forgotten this?
The strongest leverage against the Emperor and Crown Prince!
—“I’m sorry, Princess! I must head to the council at once!”
—“Oh?”
Leaving the puzzled Neroli behind, the Duke had dashed to the council chamber.
That was how he barely regained his reason.
At the height of his anger, he’d planned to appeal to the Emperor based on trust and loyalty.
But thanks to Neroli, he calmed down and chose not to speak purely from emotion.
‘His Majesty never does anything that causes him loss.’
So if the Duke wanted to reclaim what he deserved, he had to act not out of rage but with decisive resolve.
A resolve to imply that unless the Crown Prince was removed, far greater damage would follow.
That decision brought real results in today’s meeting.
“The key to any negotiation is composure. And I owe that composure to you, Princess.”
“Hm? That was thanks to me?”
What did I do?
Seeing Neroli tilt her head in confusion, the Duke chuckled warmly.
