CHAPTER 46…………………………………
While fleeing in panic after being attacked by a monster, something suddenly flashed through Pantheon’s mind—the Marquessate of Mano.
The monster likely wouldn’t know much about the Marquessate of Mano.
And even if it did, it probably wouldn’t have the leisure to send pursuers all the way to such a distant territory.
And what if that filthy diamond truly was a raw diamond?
Then he would gain enough power to stand against the monster that had turned him and his younger brother into what they were.
Without hesitation, Pantheon headed for the Marquessate of Mano.
He walked day and night without rest, gathering rumors about the territory.
In the process, he learned something very interesting.
There existed Mano Sapeiros, unofficially the youngest Swordmaster in the Empire.
“Whew.”
Pantheon ground his teeth, repeatedly pounding his throbbing legs with his fists as they ached every evening.
“Sapeiros. That insolent brat who doesn’t know his place!”
When he had first heard the rumors about him, he had thought about recruiting him somehow.
But not anymore.
There was a high chance that Sapeiros would become an obstacle in their search for the filthy diamond.
“Stefan, I think we should reconsider trying to bring Sapeiros to our side. Wouldn’t it be better to win over Privetina instead? She’s young, but she has talent.”
“That may be true. But I think Lady Adamas would be better.”
Stefan scratched his cheek as he spoke.
“Adamas?”
“On my way to the room, I ran into Lady Privetina. She said Adamas performed incredibly well in the recent battle against the Kingdom of Loviana.”
“Really?”
“And not just this battle. Three months ago there was another clash with Loviana, and Adamas reportedly annihilated over a thousand soldiers with magic. A Swordmaster is great, sure—but when it comes to fighting monsters, a powerful battle mage might be even more valuable. What do you think, Brother?”
“What do I think? Are you saying that woman was that outstanding of a mage? Was she hiding her abilities?”
It was shocking. At best, he had thought she was around a 2-circle mage.
“Right. It would be better to change our plan. Let’s stay in the marquessate and continue searching for the filthy diamond. At the same time, we’ll draw Adamas to our side. And if Sapeiros becomes an obstacle…”
Pantheon quietly looked at Stefan.
Stefan nodded.
As his twin brother and his only lord, Stefan quickly understood Pantheon’s intent.
“They say they came out of curiosity,” the Marquess said.
“As princes of the Empire, they claim they wish to learn more about the territories they will one day govern. They said that although the Marquessate of Mano lies at the Empire’s southernmost edge, little is known about it. They were also curious about the development potential of the desert. That’s apparently why they followed you into the desert.”
“So that’s why you allowed them to continue touring the territory?” Sapeiros asked, frowning.
“They weren’t exactly asking for my permission.”
“That, those brats. I knew it… Ahaha, did I just say that out loud?”
Grinding her teeth, Adamas cursed Pantheon and Stefan.
Watching her, Hidenite continued calmly.
“Well, I did tell them to stay at the marquess’s residence. But I made it clear that the territory is busy with various construction projects and that we cannot spare any personnel for them.”
“Of course! We still have to expand the mines, finish building the southern wall, and uncover the secret of the golems. Right, Ross?”
What’s wrong with him? Where is his mind wandering?
Noticing Sapeiros wasn’t paying attention, Adamas stepped firmly on his foot.
Sapeiros glared quietly at her and replied,
“Y-yeah. Of course.”
Hidenite chuckled at the two of them.
Adamas bit her lip and took a deep breath.
“Marquess, do you remember the first conversation we had alone in this office?”
Hidenite nodded slowly.
“I asked Lady Adamas to serve as a judge for the martial arts tournament. Along with exploring the desert.”
“No. I mean the very first thing you said to me. You asked how things were in the capital lately. Was that really just to make me feel at ease?”
Hidenite fell silent.
“If you asked that because you knew something, please tell us as well.”
“Not at all. I know nothing in particular.”
He slowly shook his head.
“However… two months ago—on the last day of July—we received a notice from the Imperial Palace demanding taxes.”
“What? Suddenly?”
“I said we could not pay. The marquessate’s situation was not good. At that time, we had only recently suffered an attack from the Kingdom of Loviana. The emerald mines had not yet been fully developed either. I organized those circumstances carefully and submitted a lengthy report…”
“And that’s why you asked me whether something had happened in the capital.”
“Exactly. And it’s not just our territory. There are quiet rumors that taxes nationwide may increase by ten percent. I wanted to know if some major event had occurred that would drastically affect the imperial finances.”
“I see.”
“The problem is now. We have injured princes staying in the marquessate. It’s likely a succession struggle. I have no capacity to involve myself in imperial power struggles… This has become troublesome. If two princes are in such a state, then it must be Duke Krep, I presume?”
“Most likely. And the duchess as well…”
“The duchess too?” Hidenite’s eyes widened.
“I believe so.”
Most likely, it was certain.
It must have been Duke Krep and the duchess who injured Pantheon and Stefan.
Adamas began piecing together the future she knew with the information unfolding now.
History is always written by the victors.
Adamas had come from the future, but even she had learned the history written by those who won.
Right. The reason it differs from the timeline I know is because so much had already been filtered out.
As her thoughts deepened, Hidenite spoke.
“Duke Krep never seemed that bold a person.”
“Who truly knows what lies in someone’s heart?”
Duke Krep was more meticulous than he appeared.
Had Adamas not returned to the past, she might have mistaken him as someone who became regent king merely by luck.
“But, Mas. The duchess is His Majesty’s mistress. Isn’t it too much speculation to say she and the duke are working together?” Sapeiros asked.
“Ross, are you saying the duchess is on good terms with His Majesty?”
“Not necessarily. But your deduction lacks evidence.”
Sapeiros looked visibly flustered by Adamas’s cold tone.
She silently clenched and unclenched her sweat-dampened hands, biting her lip in frustration.
Should I just reveal that I came from the future? If I do, will the Marquess and Sapeiros believe me?
Hidenite broke the silence.
“Lady Adamas may be right. There were such rumors once.”
“What rumors, Marquess?”
At Sapeiros’s question, Hidenite swallowed before answering.
“They say the letters sent to her family’s count estate were filled with curses.”
“Is that even allowed? That’s insulting the Imperial House. What if evidence were left behind?” Adamas asked in surprise.
When I first heard that rumor, I felt pity. The duchess is sixteen years younger than His Majesty, and seven years younger than Duke Krep, whom she was forced to marry.
“I understand her feelings. But she was becoming related to the Imperial House. It’s surprising she showed her dislike so openly that such rumors spread. What if someone had read those letters?”
“Well, the Rubena territory is quite far from the capital. And Duke Krep is deeply disliked by His Majesty. Even if the letters were discovered, she could claim, ‘I wasn’t insulting the Imperial House—I simply disliked my husband.’”
“Considering His Majesty dotes on his mistress, he’d believe her even if she called beans red beans.”
“Shh. Watch your words, Mas.”
“I’m only saying it because it’s just us, Ross.”
She smiled at them as if to say, You know how I feel.
The Empire’s greatest beauty. The Emperor’s mistress. Rubena Zinia.
The cherished only daughter of Count Rubena, she came to the capital at seventeen to attend a debutante ball.
Her skin was so pale that her veins showed faintly beneath it. Her silver hair shimmered with rainbow hues depending on the angle of light. Her pale pink eyes resembled peach blossoms.
With the arrival of such an unprecedented beauty, every nobleman in the capital competed to court her.
The suburban villa where Rubena Zinia temporarily stayed soon became crowded with carriages of suitors.
Within days, the line of carriages carved a new path up the hill, and people began calling it “Zinia Road.”
For a few days, she must have been truly happy. The whole world seemed to revolve around her.
But happiness did not last long.
Her extraordinary beauty eventually caught the eye of Emperor Riger Francis III, and she never returned to her family’s estate.
She was married to Duke Krep, the Emperor’s half-brother, who was unmarried at the time.
However, there was no citizen in the Empire who did not know that every other dawn she left the ducal residence to enter the Imperial Palace—and only returned the following dawn.
“Yes. Since it’s just us speaking—His Majesty did something unforgivable to her. And to Duke Krep as well.”
Hidenite spoke bitterly. Adamas and Sapeiros nodded quietly.
Though the duke was the Emperor’s half-brother, His Majesty had never truly treated him as family.
Family? He barely treated him as royalty at all.
Krep Dandion.
Alongside the Northern Duke of Schweyrn, he was one of the Empire’s only two dukes—yet he was treated worse than most nobles.
He had been born with polydactyly, six fingers on his right hand.
The Emperor called him a child abandoned by the gods and scorned him.
He granted him none of the rights befitting the Imperial House.
He even made him the legal husband of his young mistress—an act so petty it was astonishing.
“But it’s sudden. An undisclosed imperial rebellion?”
At Hidenite’s words, Adamas bit the inside of her lip.
She calmly revealed what she knew.
“She’s probably pregnant. The duchess.”
