The Emperor recalled a fleeting memory from the past and looked at Ian with a surprised expression.
“You’re Ian Loenbaum?”
“Yes.”
The Emperor looked at Ian with disbelief.
He was a duke who used to fear even being looked at by others.
He was the only person who had fainted during the investiture ceremony, and there were concerns about whether he could manage the duchy swarming with monsters.
It was thought that this duke might be the last of the Loenbaums.
“You have changed a lot.”
“I had to become strong to protect myself.”
The Emperor tilted his head, as if he heard an unexpected answer.
Ian pulled Rose, who was looking at him with bright eyes, closer and said,
“You must be aware that I have a sister.”
“Yes, I know.”
The Emperor, who had heard from the previous duke about the eldest daughter who had run away after falling in love with a wandering knight, nodded and asked,
“Could this child be?”
“Yes, that’s correct. This child is the one born between my sister and the wandering knight.”
“I see. Has your sister returned?”
Instead of answering, Ian gave a bitter smile.
Even if the child knew, it was cruel to speak of the mother’s death in front of the child.
The Emperor, understanding the situation, sighed.
Due to the influence of the previous Empress, the Emperor also had a fondness for children.
Thus, he knew how the sorrow of losing one’s parents was an indescribable pain.
“Did her father come to the duchy too?”
“No.”
The Emperor, concluding that the father must be a scoundrel from the quick response, felt a bitter taste in his mouth.
Although laws were made and enforced to protect children, the laws were ineffective among the commoners.
The family structure was sturdier than expected, and parents held great power.
Within this structure, parents who were scoundrels wielded their power as they wished.
While it was possible to save a child with a little interest from those around, even nobles in the spotlight often turned a blind eye, so how could commoners fare any better?
Most cases were ignored even when seen.
Ultimately, it was the children who suffered.
“I see.”
Swallowing his bitterness, the Emperor collected himself and asked Ian,
“Did you request an audience to introduce this child?”
“No.”
“Then why did you request an audience?”
Ian knelt and bowed down.
“Your Majesty, please recognize Rose as a legitimate member of the Loenbaum family.”
The Emperor furrowed his brows.
No matter how tragic the story might be, a child born to an unmarried couple was considered illegitimate.
Illegitimate children were barred from inheriting titles because such children with ambitions could harm the legitimate lineage.
Due to this law, nobles would adopt distant relatives rather than pass titles to illegitimate children if all direct heirs had died.
However, in some rare cases, illegitimate children were recognized as legitimate heirs when they were born from premarital pregnancies, followed by the parents’ marriage.
Since the mother had died and the father was still alive but unable to marry, Rose was inevitably an illegitimate child.
“Duke, do you know what you are saying right now?”
“Yes, I am aware.”
“No, you do not understand.”
The Emperor gestured to his chief attendant.
“Take the child and give her some snacks.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The chief attendant approached Rose.
Ian quickly stepped in front of him.
“Your Majesty, I apologize. The child is afraid of adult men.”
“Oh.”
The Emperor clicked his tongue in pity.
“Then, to a maid.”
“I will take her.”
It was Edelmar, who had been standing like a statue behind, who stopped the Emperor from gesturing again.
‘What kind of nonsense is that?’
‘Didn’t you hear the part about adult men?’
Edelmar, unaffected by the puzzled looks from the two men, knelt on one knee in front of Rose.
Despite kneeling, Edelmar was still taller than the standing Rose due to his large build and height.
Although Rose flinched at Edelmar’s approach, he silently extended his large hand.
“Grand Duke.”
Despite the rebuke, Edelmar continued to hold out his hand, looking at Rose.
The standoff between Rose, who stood frozen, and Edelmar, who held out his hand, lasted for a while.
Just as the Emperor was about to call Edelmar, Rose cautiously placed her small hand in Edelmar’s.
“Well done.”
Edelmar smiled, clutching the small hand.
“Shall we go get some snacks?”
Rose, as if entranced by his sing-song voice, nodded.
“May I carry you, Rose?”
“…Yes.”
With her consent, Edelmar picked Rose up.
Ian was stunned as Rose, who did not even look back at her uncle, left the audience chamber in Edelmar’s arms.
‘R-Rose?’
Ian was not the only one surprised.
The Emperor was also taken aback.
His brother, who disliked children so much that he would leave the room if the Emperor was holding a child, was now holding a child himself.
“Your Majesty?”
Ian called out to the Emperor, who was staring blankly at the door.
The Emperor, snapping back to reality, spoke.
“Now that the child is gone, I will speak frankly.”
“I am listening.”
“I understand how much you cherish the child. She is your sister’s only blood relative, and you want to protect her. However, cherishing and recognizing her as a legitimate heir are separate issues. If you recognize her as a legitimate heir, it could cause problems for your future children’s succession. Have you considered that?”
Nobles followed the principle of primogeniture.
Usually, the firstborn son inherited the title.
Exceptionally, a woman could inherit the title if the titleholder died without a son.
But even in such cases, the title eventually passed to the husband, complicating matters.
The Emperor was implying that this needed to be prepared for.
“Your Majesty, I will not have any children.”
“What?”
The Emperor furrowed his brows.
“What do you mean?”
“I apologize. As I said, I will not have any children.”
The Emperor, initially letting out a laugh in disbelief, then paused.
His gaze slowly lowered.
Ian meant that he would not have children because he would not marry, but the Emperor interpreted it differently.
Staring at Ian for a while, the Emperor looked at him with pity.
“I see.”
Ian, unable to see where the Emperor was looking as he had his head bowed, found the sudden agreement puzzling but he did not question it.
As long as things turned out as he wished, he did not mind what the Emperor thought.
The Emperor leaned back in his chair and spoke.
“Alright. If I acknowledge the child as your direct descendant, what benefit will I gain from it?”
The Emperor, who had seemed sympathetic towards the child, disappeared in an instant.
Now, only the Emperor who sought gain remained.
“You will gain loyalty.”
“Don’t give me such lip service. Do you not know that I favor material things?”
It was a bold demand for a bribe that only an Emperor could make.
“I will give you what you have been looking for.”
“What I have been looking for?”
When Ian reached into his pocket, the knight stepped forward, blocking him.
Ian took out a pendant from his inventory, pretending to take it from his pocket, and placed it on the cushion presented by the attendant.
A wizard standing behind the Emperor approached the knight and cast a detection spell.
After confirming its safety, the wizard nodded, and the attendant hurriedly brought the cushion to the Emperor.
“What on earth is this…!”
The Emperor’s eyes widened as he saw the silver pendant.
It was the lost artifact of the late Empress, the Silver Shield, which could control the royal family’s barrier.
The Emperor hastily grabbed the pendant.
“Are you trying to deceive me?”
“There is not a single lie.”
At Ian’s firm words, the Emperor examined the pendant and ordered the attendant.
“Bring the Chief Royal Wizard.”
The attendant quickly left the audience room.
The Emperor, fiddling with the pendant, looked down at Ian.
“…How did you know this pendant was lost?”
“I heard a rumor that the late Empress’s maid stole it and fled.”
“Impossible. The loss was kept a strict secret.”
Ian calmly responded.
“It was a public secret among the nobles. I heard the rumor from a commoner I met while planning to set up a merchant group.”
“What?!”
The Emperor thought he had thoroughly concealed the rumor, but it had spread swiftly.
Everyone, whether noble or commoner, knew about the loss of the pendant; they just kept quiet in front of the Emperor.
The nobles wanted the late Empress’s pendant, so they kept silent, while the commoners kept quiet out of fear of unnecessary trouble.
“Tsk.”
The Emperor clicked his tongue at the fact that the rumor had reached even the farthest northern regions of the capital.
The only relief was that the rumor was about the loss of the pendant cherished by the late Empress, not the artifact itself.
“Your Majesty, you called?”
The Chief Royal Wizard, panting heavily, entered the room, and the Emperor handed him the pendant.
“Verify if this is the late Empress’s pendant.”
“The late Empress’s pendant… Could it be the Silver Shield?!”
“Garson!”
The Emperor shouted at him, stopping the wizard from revealing the name of the artifact.
The Chief Royal Wizard quickly covered his mouth, took the pendant, and infused it with magic.
The wizard felt the magic, which would have scattered if it were an ordinary pendant, gathering neatly inside the pendant and nodded to the Emperor.
The Emperor, unknowingly tense, relaxed and leaned back in his chair.
He looked at Ian.
“How did you know this pendant belonged to the late Empress?”
It was fortunate that the pendant was returned to the royal family, but he couldn’t help but be suspicious.
The late Empress’s pendant was indistinguishable from others except for more intricate patterns.
The only way to verify it was through a wizard’s magical inspection, as just done.
But how did this duke know and present it as the late Empress’s?
Ian lied without hesitation.
“Her name is engraved on it.”
“Is that so… What?!”
The Emperor, who had nodded out of habit, shouted in surprise.
