IFLDMHF | Chapter 86

Episode 86

The origin of the rumors that dampened the emperor’s mood began when a nobleman, said to be running a trading company in the north, was suddenly arrested.

Even without this incident, the hottest topic in the capital’s social circles lately had been the story of the Basilian princess, who had become the Duchess of Rudion.

Until recently, everyone had known her as someone infatuated with the Crown Prince. So when news broke that she had suddenly married the Duke of Rudion, a figure almost invisible in the Empire’s northern region, no one believed it.

However, what seemed to be a baseless rumor turned out to be true.

— Now that I’ve sent my daughter off to marry far away, my heart feels empty. Didn’t you recently marry off your child as well? Was it to a place close to the capital?

— Yes? Uh, yes. It’s a nearby area, just an hour away from the capital. We see each other once a week.

— I envy you. Even by magical carriage, it takes two days to reach the north from here.

It was as if they were conscious of people’s disbelief. No, that was almost certain.

While no one dared to directly ask about the princess’s marriage and merely observed cautiously, the Duke of Basilian, with a cold expression that showed no hint of an empty heart, suddenly started a conversation with a nobleman.

Thanks to this, the marriage between the Basilian duchy and the Rudion duchy was confirmed to be true.

Everyone was genuinely surprised by this unexpected union.

In truth, it had been difficult to judge which side would yield first, as neither the imperial family, the Crown Prince, nor the Basillian duchy and its princess were easy to contend with.

Yet, many had quietly assumed that, in the end, the Crown Prince would compromise and marry Evgenia.

After all, everyone but him was united in their desire for the marriage to proceed.

Because of this, despite the notorious scandals, rumors, and the questionable behavior rampant in social circles, no one dared to send a proposal to the appealing match that was the Basilian princess.

Most believed there was no need to invite unnecessary trouble, given that she was bound to become the Crown Princess and eventually the Empress.

However, now that things had turned out this way, many were left feeling both empty and disheartened.

At the same time, questions arose: which side had initiated the marriage talks first? Did the bold princess willingly agree to the union? What kind of dowry did the Basillian duchy send to the north? Which designer’s dress and jewelry had the princess worn at the wedding? Why had the ceremony been so quietly conducted in a temple?

Naturally, the majority of attention was drawn to the Basilian duchy and Evgenia.

Occasionally, there were jokes speculating whether the veiled Duke of Rudion might possess such exceptional looks that the Basillian princess had a change of heart. Yet, almost no one showed genuine interest in the “north” itself.

As time passed and the buzz around Evgenia’s marriage refused to cool, an incident in the north was suddenly reported to the capital, drawing people’s attention.

Upon further investigation, it was even more shocking.

The whistleblower was none other than Duchess Evgenia herself, and the financial ministry’s Sionel had personally ordered the investigation—yet even this was overshadowed by the findings.

It was revealed that in the north, something unimaginable anywhere else in the empire, whether in the capital, the east, the west, or the south, had occurred:

A single trading company had monopolized the distribution of nearly all essential goods in the region.

The very idea that such a monopoly had existed from the Empire’s founding was astonishing.

“The north may be known for its closed-off nature, but this is excessive!”

Everyone shared the same thought. Naturally, this monopolistic control led to abnormal price hikes, which disrupted people’s livelihoods.

However, the method used to address the issue was beyond belief.

Even when trading companies secretly colluded to raise prices, the financial ministry’s inspectors would not have stood idly by. Yet, instead of filing a report to impose punishments, the Rudion duchy, the head of the north, had mediated by paying the offending company substantial distribution fees every month—for ten years!

“Isn’t this just foolish and naive?”

“For one of only two ducal families in the Empire, the comparison is stark.”

Previously, the Rudion duchy hadn’t garnered much attention, and it now seemed there was no need to pay them any further notice. Their quiet decline appeared inevitable.

Up until that point, the emperor had never encountered a northern issue that reached the capital, so while he was slightly surprised, he wasn’t particularly shaken.

After all, knowing the proud Basilian princess, Evgenia, it was unlikely she would overlook such corruption.

The emperor merely found the situation unpleasant due to its unexpected nature, but he did not perceive it as a significant problem.

However, not long after, the situation began to change.

Strange rumors started circulating.

‘All of this happened because the emperor neglected the north.’

“The Imperial Family ignored the affairs of the North, leaving the Duke of Rudion with no choice but to resolve things in that way.’

‘The Duke of Rudion is neither foolish nor naive; he made a sacrificial choice for the sake of his people and the North.’

The content varied, but the conclusion was the same:

The emperor’s indifference, and by extension, neglect of the North—despite his responsibility to oversee and care for the entire empire—had led to this situation.

These stories spread rapidly, from commoners to nobles, and eventually reached the emperor himself in the palace.

The emperor was deeply troubled.

While it was true that the North had been neglected, this had always been done discreetly. Never before had such matters been brought so openly to light.

The problem now was that there was an overwhelming amount of evidence.

‘Come to think of it, has the imperial family ever sent financial support or relief supplies to the North?’

‘Support? Never. They haven’t even been granted tax reductions.’

It was customary for the imperial family to exempt taxes and send relief supplies during famines or disasters.

Yet the North, infamous for its harsh and impoverished conditions, had received no such aid, despite being the region most in need.

Initially dismissed as mere rumors, the undeniable evidence began to stir curiosity about the emperor’s decisions, prompting nobles to view the issue as something that could no longer be ignored.

They began to wonder: if the emperor had deliberately abandoned the North due to some personal grudge, what would stop him from turning that same neglect toward other regions? This realization made many nobles feel that their own territories could one day suffer the same fate as the North.

This sentiment especially emboldened the faction of nobles who opposed the emperor’s relentless pursuit of territorial expansion through war.

Seizing the perfect opportunity, they fervently attacked the emperor.

“The emperor, who should cherish and care for the entire empire, has discriminated against the North, a rightful part of the empire. And yet, he dares to covet the territories of other nations?”

This was the first time such harsh criticism had been directed at the emperor.

Only then did the emperor grasp the gravity of the situation and became infuriated.

“Why is no one mentioning how those Northerners closed themselves off and refused to cooperate on their own?”

Now, even the North’s isolationist behavior was being blamed on the imperial family.

The emperor’s eyelids twitched with frustration.

Yet, openly addressing the North’s affairs would be too detrimental to him. After all, the neglect was undeniable.

The emperor regretted not quashing the rumors in their early stages.

Had he acted sooner, he might have been able to suppress their spread, a belief born of his arrogance.

And once again, arrogance guided his orders: he demanded that those who dared to spread such insolent rumors be identified.

Although there was no concrete evidence, the emperor was certain that someone was deliberately spreading and controlling the rumors to sustain this ongoing chaos.

He resolved that, should he catch the culprit, he would show no mercy.