AWWL Chapter 143

 

It was clear that Cornelia would be horrified to have him by her side.

However, he still had a reason he could not retreat.

Erich gazed at the platform.

The Emperor and Cornelia stood side by side.

Erich clenched his fist tightly.

‘I can’t leave yet. At least not until I finish what I need to do.’

At that moment, a knight rushed in urgently.

“Your Majesty, a message has arrived. The traitor’s mansion was searched, but he was not found.”

In response, the Emperor spoke to Marquis Philippe.

“A warrant for his arrest has been issued in the capital, but he can use magic, so he may have already fled to the Archduchy! Expand the warrant, inform all the provincial lords of the traitor’s existence, and send an expeditionary force to the Archduchy of Tarrant!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

The Emperor then let out a small sigh and fixed his sharp gaze on the assembly hall.

‘For now, we’ve missed the traitor Reinhardt, but perhaps this is the perfect time to announce the next Emperor.’

Finally, the Emperor raised his voice again.

“Everyone, be silent!”

As the assembly hall quieted down, the Emperor brought up the most important agenda of the day.

“If the traitor has revealed his intentions and the position of the next Emperor is vacant, it will lead to chaos in the Empire. Therefore, I wish to announce the next Emperor starting now.”

At those words, the nobles in the assembly hall all turned their attention to one person.

It was none other than the Emperor’s daughter, Cornelia, standing next to him.

As expected, the Emperor placed his hand on her shoulder and said,

“As the Princess stated, I have been long exposed to the poison of the treachery of Reinhardt Tarrant. However, thanks to the Princess discovering the oddity of the candle, we were able to prevent further poisoning. Additionally, thanks to discovering the candle at the archduke’s mansion and analyzing its components, we were able to keep an eye on Reinhardt and reveal his true nature to everyone here.”

As the Emperor listed Cornelia’s achievements, he finally fixed a stern gaze on the nobles.

“If it weren’t for the Princess, I wouldn’t be here, and the Empire would have fallen into the hands of the traitor. I believe there is no one more suitable than the Princess to prepare against the traitor. Therefore, I will appoint her as the Crown Princess here and now.”

With achievements that could not be refuted and the Emperor’s stubborn attitude, the nobles had no choice but to lower their heads.

However, among them were those who secretly harbored different intentions.

‘A woman as Emperor? It will be even easier to manipulate her.’

‘No matter what anyone says, the Archduke of Tarrant is an outstanding figure, but I wonder if it’s right to remain loyal to the imperial family.’

‘The Emperor has grown so weak…’

Those who wished to manipulate the Princess, those weighing their options against Reinhardt, and those with impure motives—all had different thoughts, but the underlying reason was the same: they were subtly belittling the Princess.

At that moment, the Duke of Blant knelt on one knee before the Princess.

“As the head of the Blant family, I swear my loyalty to Your Highness, the Crown Princess.”

In the silence, the atmosphere in the assembly hall subtly changed.

‘Right, the Duke of Blant was with the Princess.’

‘I thought it was just a political marriage… but to swear loyalty?’

Unlike a mere declaration of support that could be changed at any time, a loyalty oath was made to a single lord for a lifetime, carrying an honor that could not be retracted.

In other words, the Duke of Blant had effectively proclaimed himself as belonging to the Crown Princess.

And from his oath of loyalty, changes began to unfold.

The first to step forward was Prince Loren.

“I, Loren Alsera, wish to support Your Highness, the Crown Princess.”

Many were astonished by the support from Prince Loren, a strong candidate for Emperor.

However, the changes did not end there.

“I also support Your Highness, the Crown Princess!”

Among them, the most notable figure was Duke Lienheim, a leader of the Emperor’s faction and a respected scholar among all intellectuals.

Count Schultz, who had been observing, lowered his head and spoke up.

“I, Hyman Schultz, support Your Highness, the Crown Princess!”

Before long, those declaring their support for the Crown Princess exceeded one-third of the assembly hall’s attendees.

Perhaps it was due to this undeniable strength? The gazes of the nobles looking at the Crown Princess had changed.

‘Now, no one will dare look down on my daughter.’

For a moment, the Emperor raised the corners of his mouth, then turned his gaze to Duke Blant.

‘Is this all part of your scheme?’

While Duke Lienheim was someone he had courted, the rest were unexpected figures.

Especially the scholars and nobles who had previously declared neutrality were notoriously difficult to win over, making it unlikely for Cornelia to gain their support based solely on her achievements.

Their declarations of support only came after Duke Blant swore his loyalty.

The Emperor could not help but think that Duke Blant was behind this.

‘A cunning man is a cunning man, isn’t he?’

Moreover, with Reinhardt still at large and the uncertainty of when he might strike, Duke Blant remained a necessary ally for Cornelia.

Although there had been rumors about his background, those slanders had been resolved, so it was only natural for the Emperor to feel relieved.

‘Having sworn loyalty, he will surely try to protect my daughter from Reinhardt’s grasp.’

But first, it was important to focus on what he could do.

The Emperor glared at the nobles and said,

“Marquis Philippe, arrest all those suspected of colluding with the traitor Reinhardt here!”

“Yes!”

At the Emperor’s command, Marquis Philippe began to identify those who had been in contact with Reinhardt and those who had colluded with him.

They were the ones who had been looking at the Crown Princess with disdain just a little while ago.

“Y-Your Majesty! You can’t do this!”

In response to their protests, the Emperor said,

“Don’t worry, if they are found not guilty after the investigation, they will be released.”

That meant if there were charges, they would not be released.

The nobles resisted fiercely, but they were helplessly dragged away by the armed knights.

The Emperor declared,

“Today’s state council meeting will conclude here.”

With that, the nobles bowed their heads and exited the assembly hall.

Eventually, the Emperor turned to Cornelia and said,

“Crown Princess, you must be tired; let’s go to the lounge for a moment.”

At this, Cornelia glanced at Erich and nodded.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

As the Emperor accompanied the Crown Princess to the lounge, he observed her complexion.

‘Still dark, isn’t it?’

It was only natural.

Finding out that the person she thought was her husband was actually the twin brother was a shocking revelation.

Anyone with feelings would understandably be shaken.

‘But that child is still trying to hide her true emotions.’

His time was limited.

If he failed to be a proper father in such times, he would regret it for the rest of his life.

The Emperor opened his mouth.

 

☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓

 

Though I had become the Crown Princess as I wished, I could not enjoy the situation.

‘I ended up losing Reinhardt, and also…’

In my frustration, I let out a sigh without realizing it, and at that moment, my father called me.

“Cornelia.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“I’m sorry. Not only did I fail to recognize the traitor, but I also placed a heavy burden on you in this uncertain situation.”

Taken aback by the unexpected apology, I shook my head.

“It is not something for you to apologize for, Father. It was precisely because of this chaotic time that I could be appointed as the Crown Princess; in a time of peace, it would have been impossible. And…”

I soon recalled the events that had occurred before my regression.

Even after killing all the imperial family members, Reinhardt had not revealed his true identity.

And now I could vaguely guess his plan.

‘He must have pretended to be missing, and at the moment of crisis, he intended to save me and eliminate the traitors. And for that merit, he likely aimed to marry me and inherit the throne.’

It was all due to his greed.

It was why Sardin had to face the traitors alone.

It was why my child had to die.

It was why I suffered and died while resenting my husband.

I could never forgive the one who had caused all this tragedy.

“I see this as an opportunity. By ending that despicable man with my own hands, I can further solidify my position.”

At my response, my father chuckled softly.

“They say that great people see crises as opportunities; my daughter is indeed one of them.”

When those words, filled with pride, came out, I forced a smile.

“But still, there’s a shadow over your face. That must be because of your husband, Duke Blant?”

Just as I was taken aback by my father’s penetrating words, I froze.

“Do you resent him?”

At that, I thought about my situation.

If I hadn’t grasped Reinhardt’s true identity, I wouldn’t have been able to rise to this position.

Moreover, my oath of loyalty wasn’t entirely my own.

Realistically, Duke Blant was still a necessary presence for me.

‘He will protect me. He promised that.’

I tried to speak a lie in response.

At that moment, my father said,

“Don’t hesitate; just speak honestly.”

With those words, I let out a sigh and opened my mouth.

“Yes, honestly, I do resent him.”

The moment I confirmed his identity, I realized why he had distanced himself from me all this time.

‘He probably didn’t think of me as his wife because of his identity.’

So, I could just use him appropriately and then divorce him.

But strangely, part of my heart felt uneasy.

“I honestly don’t know. I don’t know what the right thing to do is.”

Just as I was about to clench my fist unknowingly, my father grabbed my hand.

Though it was thin, his hand was still larger than mine. And it was warm.

“My daughter, in such times, you should follow your heart.”

“My… heart?”

“Yes, whether you choose to cast him aside and divorce him or accept him, this father will support you. So don’t suffer in silence; go and talk to him.”

Only after hearing my father’s words did I realize how foolish I had been.

‘Yes, I shouldn’t guess alone; I should talk to him.’

I stood up and said to my father.

“Yes, I’ll be back, Father.”

At my response, my father’s eyes widened in surprise, then he smiled gently.

“Alright, go ahead.”

Feeling reassured, I left the lounge and hurried to find Erich.

‘He’s not here either…’

I wandered around for a while, when suddenly a place popped into my mind.

‘Maybe he’s there…’

With that thought, I quickened my steps and was able to find him.

Right in the very palace where he had handed me a handkerchief.