Chapter 17
“His Highness Samyu is at the front of Devita Palace.”
Potentia Palace.
The only room with the lights on was Johannes’ room.
He stood by the window out of habit,
his gaze unfocused on anything in particular.
Yet Erne, who had been by his side for a long time, could tell—he was looking at Devita Palace across from him.
And more specifically—
he was watching the one room that had its lights off.
Even the staff, in defiance of palace guidelines, had lit the lights, but the palace’s master alone kept his conviction.
That only made him look lonelier.
“I know.”
Can he really see anything? Erne squinted, trying to make out the view beyond Johannes’ shoulder.
But it was nighttime, and the rain made it impossible to see anything.
“Do you not intend to drive him out?”
Erne never understood why Johannes had allowed Samyu into the palace in the first place.
Not only did he allow him in, but he even let him witness the Empress’ coronation. That wasn’t like Johannes.
Not long ago, he’d even had a private meeting with him.
Whatever conversation had taken place, Erne instinctively knew it wasn’t a casual exchange of pleasantries.
Otherwise, Johannes wouldn’t be reviewing the Geers estate.
Normally, he would have forbidden anyone from coming near the palace—or even leaving their own estate.
What wind had blown him to act this way?
Erne missed the old Johannes, the one who lived by rules.
“I see.”
He allows even this?
Erne wondered if the young emperor hadn’t yet grasped the situation, and added an explanation.
“You may have met with Her Majesty the Empress.”
Johannes lifted the wine glass in his hand to his lips.
“It seems we’ve just crossed paths.”
“!”
Startled by the answer, Erne stepped closer to the window.
Still, he could see nothing.
“I see nothing, Your Majesty.”
Erne laughed as he refilled his glass, thinking Johannes was playing a trick again.
But he quickly reconsidered. Earlier, he had only seen his back, so he hadn’t known—
“I also, Erne.”
There was not a trace of a smile on Johannes’ face.
“I see nothing at all.”
After the storm-like breakfast, Anel began her duties.
Since the emperor had recently ascended the throne, the palace was in chaos.
He had not inherited the throne through proper procedures.
With the help of the head maid, Anel organized the paperwork and paused on one document, lost in thought.
The most urgent problem at the moment was the rising prices of meat, like beef and pork.
The sharp increase in livestock prices was caused by the conflict with Kartar.
Samyu’s maternal homeland, the Kingdom of Kartar, had strongly opposed Johannes’ ascension and immediately cut off trade.
Since Kartar was the largest trading partner for livestock, Stein was at a loss.
Cows belonged to nobles, pigs to commoners.
Every social class was growing dissatisfied.
If Johannes were not emperor and Erne Lars not the prime minister, a riot would have broken out already.
The name Samyu alone made her chest tighten.
Yesterday, as soon as midnight struck, Samyu had suddenly disappeared. Anel could do nothing but watch him leave.
To think he would petition Johannes about estate affairs—that alone was alarming. Anel pressed her hand to her forehead.
Technically, he could have simply asked the Kartar royal family for help, but—
‘…He probably didn’t, knowing it would create a diplomatic issue.’
He had always been good, always thinking of Stein first.
I have to help him. But how?
Anel turned her gaze to the paper in her hand.
This issue should have been handled primarily by Erne, the prime minister—but
‘If it’s come to me, it must be a test of whether I can handle diplomatic problems.’
As soon as she looked at the document, she understood Erne’s intention.
How would she, the soft Empress inside the palace, respond to issues outside the palace?
Should she get involved or stay out?
She recalled meeting him a few days ago.
Erne Lars—the Emperor’s right hand. Then this must be the Emperor’s will.
He wants to see how I handle Samyu’s maternal family?
For him, it wasn’t impossible.
Anel’s grip on the paper tightened.
‘A man who treats people like mere pawns.’
At that moment—
“Your Majesty, First Empress Mama requests an audience.”
The First Empress: Flora Rodian.
The only daughter of the Rodian marquises, pampered and cherished.
She was also one of the candidates Anel had recommended for Empress.
Currently, one of the people she least wanted to face.
The Rodian marquisate was a rising family.
Even the emperor, who did not care for noble opinions, had named her as Empress.
Probably, the Marquis of Rodian wanted his daughter to become Empress instead of me.
Anel deduced this calmly.
Flora, too, likely wanted to act as the de facto mistress, replacing the weakened Empress.
She had no desire for the title of Empress herself.
The title? She would rather hand it over. She wanted to give it all up.
But—
“Show her in.”
Handing it over would bring an even greater storm.
If she couldn’t escape, at least she had to hold onto the nominal title.
It was the only thing keeping her alive.
Yes. If she couldn’t escape anyway—
Flora Rodian truly believed the world belonged to her.
The Marquis of Rodian was one of Stein’s influential nobles.
Moreover, he was very soft toward his daughter.
Thanks to a father who gave her everything she wanted, Flora had never lacked for anything since childhood.
So she had no greed. Before she even knew the feeling of greed, everything was already in her hands.
Yet one person changed her world.
‘Johannes Magnum—or should I now call him His Majesty Johannes Dnegor?’
Flora first saw Johannes Magnum at the debutante ball at the palace.
At a dull debutante party, she was forced to deal with boring people.
‘I am Flora Rodian.’
‘Ha ha. A flower of the Marquis Rodian, I’ve heard of you.’
‘…That’s what everyone says.’
All the men were predictable. The introductions were predictable.
Everything was tedious.
Flora felt like yawning.
It was the next words that broke that boredom.
‘Welcome, Lady Rodian. Let me introduce you to my friend, Marquis Magnum.’
‘Huh?’
‘You didn’t come to see him? The ladies here are all greeting me just to meet him.’
‘I didn’t intend to—’
She knew well of Johannes’ notorious reputation.
In the Magnum family of Stein, a very beautiful solitary spider lived.
So beautiful that if you stared at it for too long, you’d get caught in its web.
‘Hey, Johan! Come over here.’
Flora scoffed at the idea of begging over just one person.
There were plenty of people in the world.
‘This is Lady Flora Rodian, the flower of the Rodian family. She’s just entered society.’
If someone was unattainable—or rather, dangerous to have—you could simply find someone else.
Why were they all so stubborn?
‘Again, Bill. Leave flowers to you.’
But the moment she met Johannes—looked into his green eyes—Flora acknowledged something for the first time.
‘It’s a pleasure, Lady Rodian.’
There were desires she simply could not give up.
She knew it wasn’t love.
But what did that matter?
Does wanting what you desire require a grand reason?
“I heard you had breakfast with His Majesty today.”
And do you need a grand excuse to remove anyone who gets in your way?
“Yes.”
Anel Morata.
Flora had seen her a few times.
The fiancée of Crown Prince Samyu and the glass doll of the Morata Dukes. Not a person of interest at all.
Everyone in Stein knew the relationship between Samyu and her.
They’d been engaged almost since birth and grown up together.
Flora neither pitied nor disliked Anel.
After all, Johann chose Anel precisely to avoid increasing the power of in-laws.
Instead of erasing the Morata Dukes, he took a princess as a hostage.
The Duke’s power faded, but their history and property remained.
A purely political choice.
Flora had learned about imperial logic her whole life following her politician father.
She wouldn’t feel jealousy over such a strategic choice.
She hadn’t expected to tame a poisonous man in one go anyway.
Slowly removing the poison first was something any skilled florist would know.
“Also, if there are no other special plans going forward—”
But.
This was a different story.
