Chapter 29: The Hidden Lineage

Jenon was now completely on Rohan’s side.

For Rohan, it was a most desirable development.

‘Marquis Fabian’s early arrival wasn’t in my calculations, though.’

Right.

All of this was due to a lack of information.

“If only I’d known sooner…”

He would have responded more quickly.

“Hm? Did you say something, Your Highness?”

“It’s nothing.”

At the moment, Rohan was at the archive.

“By the way, did you find the documents?”

“Ah, about that…” 

Jenon scratched the back of his head, looking troubled.

“It’s strange. I checked other archives too, but I couldn’t find any related records.”

“You couldn’t? Not a single one?”

“No. I’m not sure if the report is stored elsewhere, or if it was never submitted in the first place.”

Marquis Fabian.

There was no report whatsoever about what he did in the Kingdom of Laolasis.

‘He said he went on His Majesty’s orders.’

He stayed there for nearly three months.

And yet, there was no official report during all that time.

“All right, I see.”

No matter how much of a marquis he was, if he went to work on imperial business, there should naturally be related documents in the archive.

‘None at all—that makes no sense.’

In fact, there was a reason Rohan started looking into this.

“There’s something I don’t know.”

No matter how hard he searched his memories, he couldn’t recall why Marquis Fabian had been absent for such a long time during this period.

For Rohan, who had an excellent memory, the fact that he couldn’t remember meant that he never knew to begin with.

‘To think I’m only now getting around to digging into this.’

Rohan berated himself as he walked quickly.

He’d been so obsessed with getting his position solidified quickly that he’d never thought to look into it.

“Your Highness, where are you going?”

“I’m going to see Her Majesty the Empress.”

“You don’t have an appointment.”

“It’s fine.”

If it was his visit, it was more likely the Empress was waiting for him.

And, as expected.

With the death of the Crown Prince, the Empress had time to spare since she was no longer participating in state affairs for the time being.

“Welcome, my prince.”

Empress Sherilda greeted Rohan with great warmth.

“I didn’t think I’d see you again so soon, after just yesterday.”

She poured him some warm tea and offered him sweet refreshments.

“Thanks to your excellent success with the test, we were able to deliver a blow to Marquis Fabian.”

Sherilda raised her eyebrows and wore a mischievous expression.

“It was all because Your Majesty prepared so thoroughly in advance. I’m very grateful for that.”

“Our hands just came together at the right time, didn’t they? Anyway, I’m so glad you came by right away like this.”

She was genuinely delighted.

She looked noticeably better than before.

Rohan fidgeted with the handle of his teacup and started the conversation.

“I was quite surprised yesterday. I didn’t expect the marquis to return so suddenly…”

“I didn’t think he’d come back so much earlier than scheduled either. Of course, neither did His Majesty.”

“His Majesty as well?”

At Rohan’s question, the Empress nodded.

“He’s someone who exploits the gaps in people’s thoughts very well. Naturally, we assumed he’d return as scheduled. That’s why we weren’t especially wary.”

“Your Majesty must have gotten much busier.”

“My prince…”

Sherilda was slightly surprised inside.

In fact, because of the marquis’s early return, the Empress—though she’d stepped back from the front lines—had been busily mobilizing her informants behind the scenes.

For him to come back early without any reason?

With his meticulous nature, that was simply impossible.

“You can be honest with me, Your Majesty. I’m on your side, after all.”

At Rohan’s innocent, boyish remark, a small smile appeared on Sherilda’s lips.

It was truly curious.

Wasn’t he the same child who, until recently, seemed uninterested not only in the world but in the affairs of the imperial capital?

Yet now, with the peace treaty with the Dwarves, Rohan had even detected her own actions beneath the surface.

‘To think he’s this clever.’

She had originally left Rohan out of her calculations.

No, to be more accurate, no one had paid him any mind—not just her.

“Yes, Rohan. In that case, let’s be frank for once. What is it you truly want?”

“…?”

“Your eyes tell me everything. Right now, you’re moving steadily toward a clear goal.”

Her eyes shone.

As if she was determined to see right into Rohan’s heart.

“No matter how I look at it, you don’t seem to want just honor, or simply to become Crown Prince. Tell me. I need to know exactly what you want if I’m to help you properly.”

“…”

Truly, she possessed the insight befitting the empire’s mother.

At this point, Rohan had something to consider.

Namely, ‘Can Empress Sherilda truly be trusted?’

And the conclusion was—

“My goal is simple. I want everyone in the Schubert Empire to live safely and happily—including Your Majesty and my precious people.”

She was someone he could trust.

“Oh, Rohan. That’s… such a model student’s answer.”

Seeing the disappointment on her face, Rohan smiled.

“And in order to build such an empire, my goal is to deal with those who would obstruct it.”

“…!”

Sherilda’s eyes widened.

He hadn’t named anyone, but she instantly understood who Rohan meant by ‘those who would obstruct.’

“This is quite a bold answer.”

Sherilda laughed, clearly amused, and Rohan shrugged.

“At the very least, thank you for not telling me ‘A child should act like a child.’”

“Hahaha.”

She even clapped her hands, laughing heartily.

The reason Rohan trusted Sherilda.

It was because, in his past life, even after the emperor died and her power weakened, she steadfastly acted as the backbone of the conservative faction.

And because of that, her very presence had been a significant obstacle for the marquis.

“What happened with His Highness the Crown Prince is truly unfortunate.”

Had he lived, the entire power structure would not have been so thoroughly overturned by the emperor’s death.

“Rohan.”

Sherilda took Rohan’s hand.

“It pains me that Joshua is gone. For a long time, I was deep in mourning.”

“…”

He knew.

Just how deeply she had been wounded by her son’s death.

“But now, I think it’s time to regain our strength. At the very least, for the people of the empire who trust us, shouldn’t we fight if we must?”

Sherilda winked playfully, making a mischievous face.

She had just returned the words Rohan had spoken earlier about his ‘goal.’

‘It’s done.’

Rohan clenched his fist tightly.

Empress Sherilda Schubert.

She was now entirely on his side.

With her support, Rohan had the backing of immense power.

‘I won’t let you regret this.’

She would not repeat the mistakes of the past.

Things had changed greatly now.

“By the way, Your Majesty…”

Now that he had her trust, Rohan decided to reveal the reason he had come here.

***

Boronia Palace, Rohan’s chambers.

There, Rohan paced his room, deep in thought.

“So that’s how it was. That’s why relations with Laolasis became so active after I ascended the throne.”

The information he’d received from the Empress was astonishing.

The Schubert Empire shared its northern border with the Kingdom of Laolasis.

The descendants of the powerful Yuta people lived there—a nation with formidable military might.

But their territory was small, and their lack of resources had driven them to the brink of poverty.

—The marquis made such a proposal. The greatest drain on our resources is national defense, so he suggested reducing it and importing military mercenaries from Laolasis instead. The money saved would be invested in the people’s education, which he said was vital for the empire’s future.

At the same time, the marquis volunteered to go himself to examine their living conditions and educational systems.

He needed to assess the ethnic tendencies and whether they could be brought in as mercenaries.

But there was another reason he undertook the mission personally.

“So the marquis’s wife was a descendant of the Yuta people.”

Marquis Fabian’s wife was indeed a Schubert native, but her skin was somewhat darker, leading to speculation she might be from the south.

However, the marquis, through this incident, secretly revealed her true origin only to the Emperor and Empress.

Given her position as a marquis’s wife, if it became known she was a descendant of the Yuta people—once called barbarians—it would surely provoke backlash.

“He needed mercenaries badly enough to reveal his wife’s well-hidden origin?”

Could he really have thought of such a plan for the empire’s sake?

‘No.’

Even if no one else knew, Rohan did.

He knew of the darkness lurking in Marquis Fabian’s heart.

Perhaps.

That mission might have been the very beginning of his real scheme.

After all, if he’d wanted to, he could have simply given up the throne when asked.

But instead, he killed Rohan.

It was a public execution in the heart of the capital.

Officially, the reason given was that Rohan had disobeyed orders and acted on his own.

‘I need to have Lucretia look into this.’

He was convinced there had to be another reason.

“Your Highness.”

Just then, Martin entered Rohan’s room.

“I’ve delivered the document to the imperial pharmacists.”

“Is that so?”

Rohan smiled.

The document in question was none other than the treaty on Mineralis, brought from the Gerald territory.

“You didn’t forget to tell them to prepare it as quickly as possible, did you?”

“Of course.”

Martin nodded vigorously.

Knowing how important the Mineralis medicine was, Martin, too, was paying close attention.

“The Emperor’s birthday is coming soon, Martin.”

“About a month left. The capital’s streets are already busy preparing for the festivities.”

The Emperor’s birthday was one of the Schubert Empire’s grandest events.

The people prayed for the Emperor’s health and prosperity, and in return, the Emperor opened some of the imperial warehouses.

It wasn’t just a custom of the capital, but a national event held throughout the land.

“Something very interesting will happen at this year’s birthday celebration.”

“Interesting… you say?”

A look of puzzlement appeared on Martin’s face.

It didn’t sound like he meant simply ‘interesting’ in the ordinary sense.

“Yes.”

Rohan nodded.

If things went as planned and he ascended to the position of Crown Prince, it would probably be right after the birthday.

There were many things he had to prepare in case something went awry.

‘Of course, the real climax will be that.’

With his arms folded, Rohan looked out the window.

“Everyone will probably be in for a huge surprise.”

Will they only be surprised?

“Oh. Maybe ‘someone’ might even grab their neck and collapse.”

Just imagining it brought a smile to his face.