LIGHTNOVELSTORY As I took my seat at the table, a thick silence hung in the air.
Well, I didn’t really have anything to discuss with the Empress. Aside from our collision over matters concerning Maria, there wasn’t really any intersection between the Empress and me.
So, I couldn’t help but wonder.
What on earth could be the reason she called me here?
After a while, it was the Empress who broke the silence.
“I heard Maria has taken an interest in you.”
“…Yes, that’s correct.”
Was this about that?
Surely, she couldn’t have summoned me just to verify the truth. At her level, she could easily ascertain the facts surrounding whatever went on in the palace.
If that’s the case, it must mean she had some ulterior motive related to this.
“I’ve also heard that you’re not particularly pleased about that.”
But that was unexpected.
Out in public, I had always accepted Maria’s clinginess without refusal. I hadn’t even complained except in front of Archbishop Paul or Jonah.
If that’s so, there could only be one answer.
“You’ve planted people in the Sub-Palace, haven’t you?”
“Who do you think used it before you arrived?”
…Right, now that I think about it, this person was from the government too. Naturally, they would have stayed within the confines of the Sub-Palace. My room was probably the very one she had occupied.
Even if key personnel were filled with people loyal to Maria, they surely couldn’t have replaced everyone managing the facilities originally designated for the Sub-Palace.
After all, the Sub-Palace was owned by the Emperor. While personal attendants could be replaced, the management of the facilities was clearly under his jurisdiction. If the Empress had bribed some of them, extracting information from within wouldn’t have been that difficult.
“Yes, that’s true. Honestly, I’m not particularly drawn to the idea of marrying Maria. But why do you ask?”
“I was wondering if perhaps you’d be interested in meeting ‘my daughter’ if you’re not keen on Maria.”
Ha.
I suppressed a sigh that nearly escaped. So that was the problem at hand.
“The Brandenburg Margraviate will not get involved in the empire’s politics now, nor will it in the future.”
Did she interpret Maria’s attachment to me as a political alliance? Of course, since Maria was a princess, it was difficult to assert that she had no political motives at all; however, honestly, it felt like her personal reasons carried more weight. She didn’t seem particularly obsessed with the throne.
But, it is said people see what they want to see. Even this situation had enough room for such an interpretation.
“Don’t you think there’s a contradiction in saying that the Electors won’t get involved in politics?”
“That’s why the Brandenburg Electors have always supported the candidate with the most backing as the next Emperor. And, I believe the question should be directed not at me but at those who appointed the Brandenburg Margrave as elector.”
The Empress shot me a glaring look, clearly displeased. It seemed she thought I’d fully side with Maria.
…Honestly, I couldn’t say she was entirely wrong. If someone had a knife to my throat and told me to choose between Maria and the Empress, I would pick Maria without hesitation.
However, my choice and that of my family were two entirely different matters.
Despite my family’s amicable relations, the political decisions of the clan proceeded independently of me. That was the essence of being the third son.
“…So, you’re saying you’re rejecting my proposal.”
“I wouldn’t say it was much of a proposal to begin with. Regardless of what you think, Your Majesty, and whoever I might team up with, the Brandenburg Elector will always make the same choice as before.”
The Empress’s eyebrows twitched.
“Maria, is that girl’s skirt so appealing to you?”
The words that came out of her mouth were far too vulgar for someone of the Empress’s status. I had heard my fair share of offensive remarks while living a rather adventurous life, but I never expected to hear something like that from an Empress.
“That seems a bit excessive for your daughter.”
“What daughter? I don’t share a single drop of blood with her, so how can she be my daughter?”
I frowned.
Yes, I had suspected this. No matter how much of a stepmother she might be, it was rather rare for a mother-daughter relationship to be so openly antagonistic. If this was the average behavior within the imperial family, the empire would have collapsed long ago.
While power struggles had always existed, they typically involved influencing rival factions or assassinating key figures; it wasn’t common to openly go after family members in such a brazen manner.
This could only happen because she didn’t consider the other party to be part of her family, let alone a household member.
However, her attitude was more stubborn than I had anticipated—almost to the point of being unpleasant.
“…Oh, is that so?”
Continuing the conversation seemed like it would only give me a headache. No matter how high her status, overt insults like this indicated she had no intention of being treated with respect, so I decided to rise from my seat.
“So, is your message simply that you want me to side with you, Your Majesty?”
“Well, since you just rejected it with your own hands, yes. The matter is settled.”
“To correct your misconception, Your Majesty, you’ve misplaced the address where you should be seeking support. No matter how much I chatter on here, it has nothing to do with my family’s decisions.”
But the Empress merely scoffed.
“Ha, since when have family members’ unions operated separate from family decisions? Even those who fall in love and marry must eventually bow to the clan’s resolute opposition.”
“…It seems you aren’t listening to me at all.”
Of course, her point wasn’t entirely incorrect. At least in prosperous regions like the Palatinate or those in the west and south of the empire, where interests were intertwined, love might be free, but marriage would somewhat reflect the family’s will.
Across my travels, I often witnessed unfortunate souls whose romantic escapades didn’t lead to marriage, only to end up wed to different partners.
…Of course, there were rumors about numerous individuals cheating on their official spouses, but I didn’t believe what I hadn’t seen. After all, I hadn’t laid eyes on such a thing.
Anyway, unlike those affluent areas, the eastern and northern regions had fewer people and less satisfactory crop yields. Here, at least among nobles, mutual interests didn’t intertwine all too complexly, leading to a greater frequency of love blossoming into marriage.
Unless one was in a true Romeo and Juliet situation, where genuine rival families clashed, there was seldom any opposition from the clan.
“There’s no need to lend an ear to nonsense that doesn’t warrant it.”
And the Empress, seemingly oblivious to the entirely different circumstances of the Empire’s northeastern region, didn’t appear to be interested in understanding, even if I explained it to her.
So, further discussion became unnecessary.
“If you have nothing more to say, I’ll take my leave.”
I made a show of bowing and turned to leave.
As I walked toward the door, the Empress’s voice reached me from behind.
“I wonder if, after my son becomes Emperor, you’ll still strut around so pompously.”
That left a bitter aftertaste. But more than that, the implications of her words stirred my emotions.
The Empress’s only means of damaging me would be to frame Maria for some crime, dealing with her while dragging others into the mess. It was true she had a history of scheming against Maria, but as someone tasked with Maria’s protection, hearing such words was deeply disconcerting.
I felt a surge of defiance and shot back with a retort.
“Someone who can’t even manage to lay a finger on a single person like me surely won’t have the audacity to touch someone under the protection of the Elector!”
Then I added a remark meant to specifically grate on the Empress’s nerves.
“With political skills that couldn’t even convince a mere Elector, you must be quite confident in winning the elections. I wish you the best of luck—hopefully, you won’t face the embarrassment of losing by unanimous decision!”
“What did you just say?!”
The Empress shot up, glaring at me. I managed a smirk, crookedly raising one corner of my mouth in a mocking grin before striding out of the room.
I could hear her shouting in frustration from inside. It felt refreshing to have jabbed back at her, but simultaneously, I couldn’t shake a feeling of concern.
It was hard to guarantee that someone as obstinate and narrow-minded as her wouldn’t try something against me moving forward.
No, I was certain she’d attempt some scheme involving Maria to get at me. That would be problematic. With my travels ahead requiring me to be alert, having someone in the Empire with eyes and ears on me was quite bothersome.
Perhaps it could even escalate to a genuinely dangerous situation.
“Oh, right. Maria.”
The coming-of-age ceremony must have finished long ago; she was likely already waiting her turn to meet the Emperor. As the last pair scheduled, Maria would have returned to her place to wait for me.
I hurriedly moved my feet, deep in thought.
Maybe it was time to put the Empress in her place before I left.
While completely blocking her from scheming against me might be difficult, at the very least, I needed to deter her from outright seeking my and Maria’s lives.
The easiest way to do that would be to prove that I had the strength to retaliate against her threats, but unfortunately, that would be quite challenging. After all, she was the Empress, and even if I couldn’t steal the Emperor’s authority, she could easily exploit the influence that came with her position to overshadow any power or authority Maria and I possessed.
I needed to think of a plan—something effective.