Chapter -95-
“What happened?”
I asked, holding Lucius’s hand, noticing the rigid expression on his face and the tense tone in his voice. He gave a small smile when he saw me, then let out a deeper sigh than usual.
“It seems that the recent actions of Marquis Even have caused some shifts among the noble factions.”
“Shifts among the factions?”
“Yes. The way Marquis Even spread rumors using the emperor-aligned nobles who followed him was underhanded, but such tactics are common among nobles who prioritize their own interests. The problem lies not just in targeting me but in pulling in the neutral nobles as well.”
“I understand the issue with me, but why is drawing in the neutral nobles a problem?”
“It created cracks in factions that had previously been stable.”
“Cracks?”
Because Marquis Even drew in the neutral nobles? I didn’t know exactly which nobles he recruited, but if he caused enough disruption to fracture the neutral faction, that was significant.
The neutral faction was relatively small compared to the nobles’ and emperor’s factions, but it included prestigious houses like the Werner family. Since their numbers were limited and weaker than the other factions, Even’s influence had a surprisingly large effect.
“So Marquis Even is more powerful than I thought. I didn’t expect him to sway even the neutral nobles.”
“The Even family is noble itself. Although Marquis Even struggled with the café business, he is capable in other ventures and commands a fair number of emperor-aligned nobles. He is ambitious and politically active.”
“Indeed. With those traits, it’s no surprise some neutral nobles would be swayed.”
With business acumen and ambition, he must be skilled at charming people. Even the prestige and wealth of his family would intimidate most nobles, so adding his personal influence makes resistance nearly impossible.
“The neutral faction is surprisingly solid, but it differs greatly from the other two factions. Although many old noble houses are part of it, there is no central leadership. That makes it the faction most easily shaken.”
“So when you say there are cracks, it means some neutral nobles have sided with Marquis Even?”
“Yes. More than I expected—just under half of them.”
“Just under half?”
That’s nearly half! This wasn’t just a crack; it was more like a gaping hole.
‘No wonder the rumors spread so quickly.’
With so many nobles drawn in, it’s no surprise the news traveled fast. No wonder Alexandra heard these stories wherever she went.
He was certainly more influential and politically savvy than I had imagined. Meeting such a troublesome person as an adversary could be worrisome. I swallowed a reluctant sigh and asked Lucius again.
“So the neutral faction’s situation is more serious than it seems? Could the faction even disappear?”
“Fortunately, it hasn’t come to that. It’s serious, yes, but the remaining neutral nobles are working to prevent the faction from collapsing. Count Werner, in particular, has stepped up to stabilize it.”
“Count Werner?”
“Yes. Of the remaining neutral nobles, only Count Werner can lead under these circumstances. His majesty, now aware of this situation, issued orders personally.”
“The Emperor knows as well?”
“Yes. Considering the circumstances, it was not something to overlook, so we reported it.”
That makes sense. Since this concerns the factions among the nobility, Reyel would need to know. He probably knew even before Lucius reported it; as emperor, monitoring the political and social circles is natural.
“It’s reassuring that Count Werner is taking the lead. He will surely handle it well.”
“There is no need to worry about him. His majesty knows this and ordered it accordingly. The neutral faction has always been vulnerable without central leadership, so he has kept a close eye on them.”
“The Emperor?”
“Yes. While he does not show it openly, he values balance between the factions above all. He dislikes unnecessary conflicts, so he will not be pleased with this situation either.”
Indeed, in the original story, Reyel was called a “tyrant” by society, but beneath that reputation, he prioritized peace. Having lived intertwined with nobles as emperor, he desired balance, with no faction holding too much power.
That’s why the Empress was chosen from the neutral faction. By selecting her from the weaker faction, the balance with the other factions could be maintained.
‘That’s also the real reason Angelica became Empress in the original story. With Lucius and Tiana’s marriage boosting the nobles’ faction, the neutral faction, which had been shrinking, was strengthened.’
The imperial authority was already weak, and without an empress, pressure was high, so Reyel had carefully deliberated and decided on this plan.
The situation now is slightly different from the original story, but the overall framework remains. In the end, as in the original, Count Werner became the center of the neutral faction.
‘Here, Reyel seems more hands-on than in the original story—helping the Werner family resume business, hastening Angelica’s marriage…’
Speaking of which, the wedding does seem to be proceeding rather quickly. Since the Werner family has regained stability, the marriage could proceed without difficulty, yet the pace seems unusually fast, which feels a bit unsettling.
In the original story, Reyel didn’t rush the wedding. If this Reyel differs from the original, there must be a reason for his urgency.
‘I need to check on that.’
Since this isn’t the Reyel I know, I don’t fully understand his intentions. The uneasy feeling tells me I cannot let this go. Questions must be resolved when they arise to prevent future problems—and unexpected truths may surface.
“Tiana? Are you all right?”
“Huh? Oh, yes, I’m fine.”
Lucius asked with concern, noticing my deep thoughts. I smiled at his gentle touch on my shoulder.
“I was just thinking. Oh, can I ask you something?”
“Of course. What is it?”
“You mentioned cracks in the factions. I understand the neutral faction is affected, but are the other factions experiencing cracks as well?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“That’s because the cracks in the neutral faction influenced the other factions, right?”
“Basically, yes. The primary cause was Marquis Even’s actions, which fractured the neutral faction. Many nobles sided with him, which in turn affected the emperor-aligned faction. With one side growing stronger within a balanced faction, it will significantly influence political and social circles.”
So it’s not just the neutral faction; the emperor-aligned faction is affected as well. If Marquis Even has taken a foothold there, his influence will grow proportionally.
Like the noble faction, the emperor’s faction also has hardliners and moderates. As a likely center of the hardliners, Marquis Even won’t stay idle. He may even be using this opportunity to dominate the emperor-aligned faction.
“What about the noble faction? Did it experience cracks?”
“The noble faction wasn’t involved this time, so it’s fine. But since cracks appeared in the other two factions, the noble faction might act as well. From their perspective, this is an opportunity to destabilize the other two factions.”
“Indeed.”
One person would surely take advantage of this: Marquis Calvino. He would already know about these factions and would likely be scheming something. He probably already knows about Angelica too.
“The political and social circles will be chaotic for some time.”
“Shifts between noble factions happen more often than one might think. But a sudden movement between two factions like this is rare, so the impact could be greater. We should watch how Marquis Even acts from here.”
“The capital branch of Café Roland has just opened. Even won’t remain idle after spreading rumors and recruiting neutral nobles. Won’t he try to sabotage it again soon?”
“That’s very likely. The better the capital branch performs, the more he’ll try to interfere. He may resort to even more underhanded methods than before.”
“We must make Baron Evitt aware of this firmly.”
If Marquis Even continues to interfere, Baron Evitt, not me, will face difficulties. Though I invested, the café belongs to him. If the capital branch struggles, the main branch in Sinadel could be affected.
He has finally realized his dream of expanding the business, and I cannot allow it to fail easily. This was the first venture I invested in after much deliberation. Lucius trusted and supported me, so failure is not an option. A challenge lies before me—I cannot ignore it.
Let Marquis Even try to interfere. Whatever he does, I am ready to counter it tenfold.
