How to Perfectly Break Up with You

Declan silently set down his teacup.

“If you provide information about the person you’re looking for, I’ll inform Count Monches.”

“No, you must not tell anyone else,” the Emperor said firmly.

“You surely know how the Emperor’s will is written.”

At this unexpected question, Declan recited the common knowledge known to all nobles.

“I understand that after the Emperor writes the original, a copy is made to prevent tampering.”

“And it’s customary for that copy to be entrusted to one witness personally appointed by the Emperor.”

The Emperor paused briefly.

“Normally, the witness should read the will aloud and the other nobles should verify its contents. However, after the late Emperor passed away, no witness came forward. We hastily put forward the Baron as a legal representative, but I feel uneasy thinking that His Majesty’s personal letter is in the hands of an unknown person.”

It’s been almost a year since the previous Emperor died, and the distribution of inheritance has already been completed. What other reason could there be to find a witness now?

Unfortunately, no conclusion could be drawn that wasn’t disloyal, one way or another.

However, regardless of the Emperor’s intentions, it was not his concern. He just needed to do what he had to do, nothing more.

Erasing the questions arising in his mind, Declan asked in a neutral voice.

“What do you plan to do after finding the witness?”

“It would be better to avoid future troubles if possible,” the Emperor said, regaining his usual smile.

“Just have them hand over the will to me intact.”

The smoothly continuing words were no different from instigating murder.

The Emperor seemed to be aware that his actions were not honorable. It was evident in how he insisted that no information should leak, even to the Count, who was well-known as the Grand Duke’s closest confidant.

Several thoughts followed one after another, but Declan’s response was already predetermined.

“I will do as Your Majesty commands.”

Only then did the Emperor’s face show a satisfied expression.

Afterwards, they spent time discussing additional matters. It was mostly about the changes in the continent’s political situation due to the recent war.

Declan appropriately played along with the Emperor, who was quite enthusiastically continuing the conversation. Although fatigue remained from his long journey, it wasn’t difficult to humor the Emperor.

At least, the Emperor was much simpler than his deceased father. Being younger than the always stern late Emperor, he had some careless aspects.

“Oh my, I’ve kept someone who just returned yesterday for too long.”

As dusk fell, the Emperor finally released Declan with belated self-reproach. Even as he rose from his seat, he repeatedly urged Declan to attend the upcoming meeting.

Declan maintained his upright posture, showing respect to the Emperor with a face devoid of any sign of fatigue, until the moment the doors of the office closed.

The only outward sign of his weariness was a faint, silent sigh after the massive doors had shut.

****

The Emperor leaned against his desk, looking up at the huge portrait hanging on one wall. The smiling face he had shown while sitting across from the Grand Duke had completely vanished, replaced by an expressionless countenance.

Although the portrait was painted some twenty years ago, the face wasn’t unfamiliar. After all, he faced the same face in the mirror every morning.

There was no doubt that this period, when he had just ascended to the throne and had this portrait painted, was the happiest time of his life. It was around this time that he had obtained the woman he so desired, turning his back on his wife and children.

The Emperor, who married his dead brother’s fiancée. It was truly a sordid and disgusting story.

As he smoked a cigar while looking at the portrait with a slight frown, someone entered the office. There was only one person who could enter the Emperor’s private space so casually, a place even the Empress couldn’t enter freely.

The Emperor didn’t bother to confirm who it was.

“You’re here?”

“I heard the Grand Duke visited. I should have come earlier.”

Marianne approached him with a face full of discontent. The Emperor smiled vacantly and moved aside to make room for her.

“He’ll be staying in the capital for a while, so there will be plenty of chances to meet him.”

Marianne, standing right next to him, glanced at where the Emperor was looking. Then she spoke in a puzzled voice.

“This is unusual. You’ve kept it covered with cloth all this time.”

Her voice held no trace of longing for her dead father. Marianne stood beside her brother, looking at the portrait of a man with the same face as her brother with an indifferent expression.

Joseph turned slightly to stub out his cigar in the ashtray.

“I heard the Princess’s health is not good.”

“That’s welcome news.”

“It would be better if she just died.”

Marianne muttered faintly.

“We can’t keep her there forever. It would be a waste to just let her die, considering the blood she carries.”

It truly was. Having inherited the blood of a high-ranking noble family and the imperial family, she was undoubtedly of noble birth from the start.

“But she’s still just the bloodline of an exterminated family.”

“The Ricata ducal family may be exterminated, but the power of that name still exists.”

The Emperor spoke in a kind voice, as if soothing a child.

“Did you know that the Queen of Parma died last year?”

Marianne turned to look at him with a puzzled face.

Parma was a kingdom bordering the western part of the empire. Although its territory was less than half that of the empire, it was one of the few countries that had firmly maintained its name as a kingdom until now due to its exceptional diplomatic skills.

But what connection did that country have with the Ricata ducal family? The flow of conversation was unpredictable.

“I’m thinking of sending her there.”

Marianne unconsciously frowned.

“Her? As the Queen of Parma?”

There was no reason to feel aversion to Parma itself. Rather, if relations were properly established, it could be beneficial and certainly not a losing proposition.

Of course, compared to Sienna’s birth, it was a somewhat insignificant match, but that wasn’t something Marianne cared about.

The problem was that the King of Parma was an old man well over seventy. Not only that, rumors of his unsound mind were widespread throughout the continent.

The Emperor nodded as if understanding her reaction.

“I can’t send you, can I?”

Marianne’s face turned pale just from hearing those words.

“Dahlia is still young. Moreover, Duke Lowell is so overprotective of his only niece that even when I hinted that we should look for a fiancé now that she’s come of age, he didn’t even nod.”

The Emperor clicked his tongue with a disgusted look.

“But the Duke must know that can’t go on forever. Even if she’s not acknowledged, everyone knows she’s the late Emperor’s daughter.”

“That’s right.”

“Did you talk to her while she was staying at the palace?”

Duke Lowell was currently living with Dahlia in a coastal city far from the capital after retiring from politics.

Recently, they were staying in the capital for a while as the Emperor had personally invited them to the palace for Dahlia’s birthday. However, whenever the topic of Dahlia’s marriage came up, he would consistently change the subject.

The Emperor shook his head.

“It’s better to send Sienna than to upset the Duke unnecessarily.”

Although Duke Lowell had retired from the front lines, he was still as respected by the imperial citizens as he was during his active years.

Not only was his family known for producing brilliant strategists for generations, but the Duke himself was an exceptional administrator who had maintained order within the empire when it was obsessed with territorial expansion, preventing internal divisions.

Moreover, as the head of the only family to maintain a ducal title after the disappearance of the Ricata ducal family, his influence was considerable.

For now, it wasn’t the time to use his half-sister while turning Duke Lowell’s family into an enemy. Above all, there was still an excellent piece left to play.

“She has no maternal family to protect her. All she has is her pretty face, so finding a good marriage would be the best option for her too. Moreover,”

The Emperor lifted the tequila placed on the desk as he turned his gaze away from the portrait.

“The further she is from the capital, the better it is for us.”

Marianne nodded silently but looked at him with anxious eyes. The Emperor smiled gently as if to soothe her anxiety.

“I’ve ordered the Grand Duke to find the notary of the late Emperor’s will, so we should be able to find it soon.”

“The Grand Duke?” Marianne asked, feigning surprise. “Did he accept?”

The Emperor nodded silently.

Nobles, both then and now, looked down on Emperor Joseph for his lack of legitimate bloodline. And it was true that his power after becoming Emperor was not as great as his father’s.

His maternal family was merely a marginal count, not much help to his power, and although he had built a foundation by marrying a foreign princess, the situation was far from secure.

It was truly a precarious situation. That’s why the Emperor sincerely waited for the Grand Duke’s return.

Even before his position as heir was firmly established, when other nobles were just watching the situation between Sienna and him, the Grand Duke of Monferrato didn’t move rashly. Rather than showing interest in the succession structure, he was faithful only to his duties as a soldier.

And Joseph quite liked Declan, who faithfully maintained his position even as all situations were changing moment by moment.

Even after he ascended to the throne, the Grand Duke’s attitude remained consistent. Although it was said that the power of the Grand Duke’s family had been great enough to threaten the Emperor from ancient times, Declan, unlike his predecessors, always kept his place well.

Nevertheless, somehow he didn’t feel like Declan was his man. Rather, he only felt an inexplicable discomfort and distance.

“What do you plan to do after finding it?”

But there might be a way to eliminate this inexplicable distance. The Emperor’s gaze slowly turned to Marianne.

His sister, who resembled their sickly mother more than the late Emperor, had a fresh and splendid appearance like a May rose. As the Emperor’s only full sibling and possessing outstanding beauty, no man would refuse her.

His emotionless lips smoothly curved into a smile.

“The things you’re imagining now will happen.”