Episode 90

It had been a long time since I attended a council meeting.

Instead of Lian, who had always accompanied me in the past, I entered the chamber flanked by Aiden and Vitrein. The nobles seated at the round table looked at me with expressions of mixed emotions.

Taking my seat, I addressed the bowed nobles.

“Before we begin, I want to express my gratitude. I’ve heard that many of you put in great effort during my absence. I understand that some territories were searched by the guards and imperial forces. To those affected, I will send compensation as a token of my thanks.”

“We are relieved to see you safely returned, Your Majesty,” the nobles responded in unison, their sincerity apparent in their eyes.

It wasn’t their fondness for me, I supposed, but the chaos they endured during Aiden and Vitrein’s aggressive search must have left them deeply frustrated.

The first agenda item, naturally, was the punishment for Lian Zernia.

I declared that he would be sentenced to life imprisonment.

The nobles, who had clearly expected his execution, looked at me in surprise.

“Life imprisonment? This is treason, a crime that must be punished with the utmost severity,” one said.

“Indeed, Your Majesty. Although the Duke of Zernia is the Empire’s serpent, this offense is unquestionably one that warrants hanging,” another added.

The nobles grew increasingly vocal, detailing execution methods and pushing for Lian’s death.

This wasn’t a sudden burst of loyalty to me—it was clear that those who had suffered under Lian saw this as their chance to exact revenge.

Those who had remained silent during Lian’s tenure as head of the council now spoke up like fish in water. Some even questioned whether I was too soft-hearted to maintain order or whether I was ignorant of imperial law.

‘If anyone should be venting their frustrations, it’s me. At least none of you were kidnapped.’

It seemed I was an easy target now that Lian was out of the picture.

Just as I was about to speak up and restore order, Aiden slammed his fist onto the table with a thunderous bang.

The thick wooden table creaked ominously, and the room fell silent as though everyone had collectively stopped breathing.

Aiden, his eyes blazing, scanned the nobles seated around the table with a glare that could freeze fire. His voice was low and ominous as he spoke.

“Her Majesty has made her decision.”

The nobles he looked at couldn’t meet his gaze, their expressions frozen as their eyes darted nervously.

Matching Aiden’s intimidating energy, Vitrein leaned forward, his voice just as sharp.

“Is this what council meetings have always been like? Raising your voices in Her Majesty’s presence? Talking about imperial law while disregarding imperial dignity?”

The nobles, cowering under Vitrein’s cold gaze, visibly shrank back. Vitrein stood and bowed deeply to me, his posture impeccable.

“Your Majesty, before I return to the south, allow me to restore order to the Empire.”

The look on his face suggested he planned to build a wall with the nobles’ corpses.

‘How ironic,’ I thought, ‘that Vitrein is lecturing on order when he was the one demanding Lian’s head just yesterday.’

Still, at least Vitrein sought my permission before acting.

Aiden, on the other hand, quietly unsheathed his sword and placed it on the table, as though discarding a cumbersome object. He rolled up his sleeves methodically.

I had thought he’d calmed down as long as he wasn’t drawing his sword. Clearly, I was wrong.

Aiden without a sword was even more terrifying. His crimson eyes seemed to promise a slow, agonizing end.

Looking at the nobles’ pale faces, I imagined they were thinking the same as me—’if I have to die, let it be swift.’

The nobles turned their pleading eyes to me. As frustrating as they were, I couldn’t let them all be slaughtered.

Shaking my head, I sighed and stepped in to calm the beasts before they pounced.

“Both of you, stand down. Surely this is all just a demonstration of their loyalty to me, isn’t it?”

“Yes, Your Majesty! Our emotions merely got the better of us out of outrage for the Duke of Zernia’s actions. We meant no disrespect,” one noble quickly said.

“Exactly, Your Majesty. We were only concerned for you, the guardian of the Empire!” another chimed in.

Thanks to Aiden and Vitrein’s effective intimidation, the matter of Lian’s punishment was settled—life imprisonment it would be.

However, just as I thought the issue was resolved, a marquis raised a new question.

“What about Melbrid Zernia, Your Majesty? I hear he is staying at the Crown Princess’s palace. Surely it is inappropriate for the brother of a criminal to be treated as a royal guest. Especially if the Zernia title is revoked, he should be removed from the palace.”

The question came from Marquis Wolffs, who, despite his caution, did not waver in his stance.

I had hoped to avoid the topic of Melbrid, but now that it had been raised, I couldn’t dismiss it.

Deciding Lian’s punishment was a matter I could handle alone, but Melbrid’s situation was intertwined with Lothania’s.

To prepare Lothania for the difficult decisions she would face in the future, I couldn’t allow Melbrid to remain in her palace.

“You need not worry. The boy will leave the palace soon,” I replied.

“And by ‘soon,’ Your Majesty…?”

Marquis Wolffs pressed on, clearly seeking a definitive timeline. He seemed satisfied only after I assured him that Melbrid would be sent away within the week.

‘To be so rigid with a child…’

The meeting proceeded smoothly afterward, with the main focus on preparations for next month’s founding festival.

Despite the tragedies befalling the Luminal family—the Emperor’s assassination and my own kidnapping—the Belpator Empire remained peaceful.

Though we were slightly behind schedule, it seemed possible to organize the festival without issue.

After deciding to continue discussing the finer details in subsequent meetings, we adjourned.

I headed to the Emperor’s office with my two loyal beasts in tow.

When Vitrein opened the door for me, I hesitated briefly.

The memory of hearing Lian’s voice behind me that day was still vivid, and the thought of secret passages I wasn’t aware of made me uneasy.

“The entrance to the secret passage has been sealed,” Aiden said, reading my thoughts.

His words gave me the courage to step inside.

I wished none of it had happened, but this was my home, and it was time I knew it fully.

The incident made me realize just how little I understood the place I lived in. Now that I knew about the secret passage, it was time to learn the structure of this palace properly.

I called Tito to the office.

“Tito, I want to review the records about the secret passages. Do we have anything on them?”

“Your Majesty, after your disappearance, I conducted my own investigation, but I couldn’t find any relevant records.”

“That makes sense. If such documents or maps were accessible to just anyone, they wouldn’t be called secret passages. Understood, Tito.”

“My apologies for being unable to assist, Your Majesty.”

“No need to apologize. By the way, how is Amy doing?”

“She’s doing well, Your Majesty. She’s learning with enthusiasm. Though she’s a timid child, she’s quite clever.”

“That’s good to hear. Keep looking after her.”

“Of course, Your Majesty.”

Tito left with a reliable smile, and I turned to Vitrein.

“Do you know anything about this?”

“Such details were not shared with the eagle, Your Majesty, so I know little. I’ve only heard that there are several secret exits leading outside the palace.”

“Not just one, but several?”

“It’s uncertain. This was my first time entering the passage myself… The interior is structured like a labyrinth. Without prior knowledge or a map, it’s nearly impossible to find an exit.”

Vitrein explained that he had followed Lian’s retreating figure to discover the entrance used in my kidnapping. However, he admitted he wasn’t confident he could navigate the same path again due to the passage’s complexity.

“So, the only person who knows the full details about the secret passages is Lian…”

The problem isn’t limited to the secret passages alone.

There may be other imperial secrets—ones passed only to the Emperor and their successor—that remain undisclosed.

With the Emperor’s sudden death, countless secrets of the imperial family could be lost before they reach Lothania. If so, the situation could be more serious than I initially thought.

Vitrein, who spent most of his time guarding the borders, wasn’t familiar with the intricacies of Brincia. And Aiden, having awakened as a hound without learning anything from his predecessor, had no knowledge of such matters.

This meant that the only person who might hold the information Lothania needed was none other than the empire’s most notorious liar, the mad serpent—Lian.