At that question, I hesitated for a moment before nodding.
“I don’t know who you are thinking of, Your Majesty, but I truly believe that Duke Hauzen must become the emperor. He has no significant flaws.”
At my response, the emperor sighed and looked at me.
“Cornelia, an emperor, is not someone without flaws. It’s about being able to use those flaws not as weaknesses.”
Then he placed his hand on my shoulder and said,
“Remember my words. Think carefully again about who should be the next emperor, considering who will ensure safety for you and your child.”
I knew my thoughts wouldn’t change.
Duke Hauzen was the conclusion I had come to after much consideration.
Yet, for some reason, the hand resting on my shoulder felt heavy.
I felt that weight and slowly bowed my head.
“Yes, I will keep that in mind.”
At my reply, the emperor smiled gently.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
As the princess left the office, the emperor fell into deep thought.
‘I hope that child will listen to me and gain awareness.’
At least it was reassuring that she still showed some ambition.
‘Yes, she will surely realize what it means to be a good emperor through my words.’
After a moment, the emperor spoke up.
“Why? Do you have something to say, Duke Blant?”
Then Erich emerged from behind the window.
“…How did you know?”
The emperor had some skill in swordsmanship, but he was not at the level to detect the presence of a Sword Master.
The Emperor’s skills were actually below those of Sardin.
“I’m curious how you noticed my presence.”
The emperor smiled and replied,
“It’s a father’s instinct.”
Erich, seemingly not understanding the significance of that statement, frowned.
The emperor thought to himself,
‘Could it be that this monster of a man truly loves my daughter?’
Despite his exceptional abilities, the emperor had viewed the forced bond as nothing more than a leash—one that could easily be tied to Duke Blant at any moment for any hint of “impurity.”
Yet, Duke Blant revealed no such greed, and his eyes were always honestly fixed on Cornelia.
So when Cornelia told him that Medelin Arzen and Duke Blant were having an affair, the emperor found it hard to believe.
‘I thought there was no way a man with such thirsty eyes could be unfaithful to my daughter.’
The unwavering gaze, the duke’s determination to prevent divorce, and even the way he secretly followed her—all these factors led the emperor to a conclusion.
He was certain that Duke Blant had feelings for Cornelia.
‘…At least that’s a relief.’
He wanted to protect his daughter himself, but with his ailing body and limited time left, the emperor had to find someone to safeguard her in his stead.
Coincidentally, that person was right in front of him.
A great warrior who was stronger than anyone else and who even he had to be wary of.
“Take good care of her.”
Despite the emperor’s earnest wish behind those words, Duke Blant merely responded with a displeased expression.
“I will do so even without you saying so.”
With that, Erich suddenly disappeared, leaving the Emperor to smile wryly.
‘Still, that brings me some relief.’
He had once been a figure to fear when considered an enemy.
But now, he felt as secure as if he had gained an army of a thousand.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
After leaving the emperor’s office, I started walking toward the gate where my carriage was parked.
At that moment, a familiar figure on horseback caught my eye.
‘Who was it?’
As I tried to recall who it was, someone called out to me.
“What? It’s the raven, isn’t it?”
There was only one person in the imperial palace who would dare to call me such a distasteful name.
“Fritz, do you really want to taste the bullet?”
As I fiddled with the gun in my pocket, Fritz turned pale.
“Hey, what have I done! I just greeted you, and now you’re threatening me?”
“You should call me ‘sister,’ Fritz.”
When I finally pulled out the gun, Fritz gasped.
“Ah, okay! I can do that. S-sister.”
The way he said it, with a hint of fear and reluctance, didn’t exactly make me feel good.
‘Such a guy is my blood relative.’
At that moment, Fritz spoke to me in a suppressed voice.
“Hey, are you ignoring me again?”
“Ignoring?”
I asked, puzzled, and Fritz gritted his teeth.
“You and Father are the same. You always think I’m pathetic!”
I thought to myself, “That’s because you are,” but didn’t say it out loud.
“You, and what you said in the square yesterday, saying I was dragging you down?”
With his tense voice, Fritz asked me, and I calmly replied.
“So what do you want to say?”
“Take that back.”
“What?”
“Honestly, I want to hit you, but since you’re my older sister, I’m holding back. So, take it back. If you do, I’ll let this go.”
I was taken aback.
‘Let this go? Who’s letting who off the hook?’
My foolish younger brother was completely oblivious to his position.
‘You’re the one who’s being protected.’
I knew Fritz’s weaknesses and flaws from my experience of regression.
And they were serious enough to take him down from his position as crown prince.
But the reason I didn’t expose them was to maintain the royal family’s dignity.
If trust deteriorated further here, all that would be left is rebellion.
“Fritz, you know, right? Even if I hadn’t said anything, your position as crown prince would have been in jeopardy.”
“Hey, you…!”
I cut him off coldly before he could finish his thought.
“And you brought this on yourself, Fritz. You’re the one who’s been living like a reckless fool, doing whatever you want, despite being in the position of crown prince.”
The purple eyes, slightly dimmer than mine, were filled with an indescribable resentment and hostility.
If I hadn’t had a gun in my hand and Fritz had a weapon, it wouldn’t have been strange if something happened right then.
“You, that damned girl…”
At that moment, someone approached us.
It was our father’s closest aide, Marquis Philippe, the commander of the central knights.
“What are you doing right now?!”
He stepped closer to Fritz.
“Your Highness, have you forgotten? The Emperor clearly ordered you not to approach the princess.”
“But that woman had a gun pointed at me!”
“The princess’s possession of a firearm was permitted by His Majesty due to the recent attacks by rioters. It’s a dangerous situation.”
Fritz’s eyes widened with anger.
“Why is everyone ignoring me and protecting her?!”
Seeing him shout, the Marquis drew his sword.
“If you continue to defy the Emperor’s orders, I will have to take action.”
Fritz gave a self-deprecating laugh.
“Yeah, right! You’ll say this is all my fault, won’t you? I’m just an irredeemable fool!”
Honestly, I felt sorry for Fritz who is beyond pathetic.
If he hadn’t been in a position beyond his means, and if the overprotective empress hadn’t coddled him so much, maybe he wouldn’t have strayed this far.
But whatever I said now would only sound like deception and mockery to him.
So I merely stared at him in silence.
Then Fritz smirked and said, “What are you staring at? Without that fancy gun, you’re nothing.”
I felt a wave of disbelief at his words.
“So you’re curious about how this fancy bullet tastes?”
At my comment, Fritz stopped pretending to be the pitiful younger brother.
He simply warned me with a menacing aura.
“Let’s see how long you can be so confident, raven. I bet you’ll be begging me to spare your life on your knees!”
I felt uneasy watching him turn his back.
That was because Fritz’s voice was filled with conviction.
He was definitely plotting something.
‘Should I press him further?’
Just as I was about to follow Fritz, Marquis Philippe blocked my path.
“Your Highness, don’t. A cornered rat will bite a cat.”
I sighed at Philippe’s admonition.
“Yeah, it’s best to leave it for today.”
My child was under Erich’s protection, and I was under my father’s protection, Fritz couldn’t take any reckless actions.
As long as we kept a close watch, there shouldn’t be any major issues.
“Please make sure to keep an eye on him and prevent him from doing anything foolish.”
Philippe exhaled a sigh of relief and replied, “Of course. I’ll monitor not only the crown prince but also his close aides, so you needn’t worry.”
Despite his somewhat duplicitous nature, Marquis Philippe was thorough in keeping his promises. If he said he would do it, he would.
“Good, then.”
At my response, Marquis Philippe smiled and extended his hand.
“I’ll escort you. Let’s go.”
I nodded and accepted his escort.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
Meanwhile, Reinhardt was grinning as he read a letter brought by his subordinate.
“Heh, the fool is actually becoming useful!”
The letter addressed to the mercenary guild bore the seal of the reckless crown prince, Fritz.
He offered as much money as needed to eliminate the OneFlower Workshop as quickly as possible.
Reinhardt then spoke up.
“Since the crown prince wants the workshop gone, we need to help him out. Let’s implement this tonight.”
