Chapter 39: The Price of a Secret

Imperial Palace, Emperor’s Office.

“It’s been quite a while since we’ve met alone, Your Majesty.”

As the door closed with a soft sound, Marquis Fabien stepped inside at a measured pace.

Emperor Beltar spoke without lifting his gaze, as if he had anticipated this visit.

“Indeed, how interesting. The elusive Marquis finally comes rushing upon news of the Empress’s imprisonment.”

“She may be the Empress of the Empire, but before that, she is my daughter, is she not?”

Beltar let out a short, mocking laugh.

“Do you even know what your daughter has done?”

Marquis Fabien gave a wry smile and looked at the Emperor.

“I came here to apologize for my daughter’s rash actions.”

At last, Beltar lifted his gaze.

Their eyes met.

It was a weighty silence between men who had weathered decades of scheming and intrigue.

“Are you asking me to believe that Empress Emilia acted alone?”

“Your Majesty.”

Marquis Fabien bowed his head once before continuing.

“I am not foolish enough to make my daughter do such a thing. Do you truly think me so reckless, to make such an obvious move? Anyone would see through it at a glance.”

“If Rohan hadn’t exposed the truth, it’s a matter we might never have known.”

Beltar narrowed his eyes.

“So, what do you intend to do with Empress Emilia?”

At the Marquis’s question, Beltar spoke sternly.

“Emilia may be the Empire’s Empress, but she dared to defy me. She must be punished accordingly.”

Beltar’s eyebrow twitched slightly.

“Perhaps every privilege the Empress enjoys will be stripped away.”

Currently, she was the mother of Elliot and bore the imperial bloodline in her womb.

Thus, depriving her of her title as Empress would not be easy.

What Beltar meant by ‘revoking her rights’ was that Emilia would retain her position as Empress, but be stripped of all the duties and privileges she once enjoyed.

“If I may, then, may I offer a proposal?”

“A proposal, you say.”

Clearly, he did not wish Emilia to lose her power.

Beltar motioned for him to speak.

“What if Prince Rohan is immediately named Crown Prince? I and the nobles who follow me would support him without dissent.”

This was no proposal, but a deal.

In exchange for keeping Emilia alive politically, Beltar would be granted the Crown Prince title for Rohan, which he desired.

Beltar’s cold gaze pierced Fabien directly.

“But making Rohan the Crown Prince is already within my discretion. Do you think I’d be grateful just because you offer it as bait?”

“Then you have no reason to accept, I suppose.”

“If Emilia is imprisoned and loses her rights as Empress, your house will lose its political base. Therefore, the Crown Prince’s seat is as good as Rohan’s already. Why should I grant you anything?”

“……”

Fabien stared silently at the Emperor.

A brief silence passed.

“……In that case, I have no choice.”

The Marquis’s eyes darkened.

He slowly reached into the inner pocket of his coat.

What emerged was a small, aged document.

On the timeworn paper were handwritten classical characters.

“This is an old matter, personally signed by Your Majesty long ago… The record of that time when the crime of kin-slaying was concealed.”

“……!”

Beltar’s eyes narrowed.

‘He still kept it?’

His fingers slowly traced the edge of the desk.

“It may be a past Your Majesty wishes to forget. But it takes considerable effort to make what happened become as if it never happened. I was the one who accomplished that for you.”

Beltar clenched his teeth.

The secret incident that never should have existed.

The Marquis Fabien still held that fatal weakness.

“You made your choice that day, and it’s what made you Emperor of the Empire. You haven’t forgotten everything, have you?”

“Kazin…!”

Beltar growled.

“I merely wanted to say that I remember the blood spilled that day… And that I only wish to save my daughter.”

For a moment, the room was gripped in frozen silence.

The Emperor said nothing.

Nor did Fabien add another word.

Anyone could see that the advantage now rested with the Marquis.

“So, Your Majesty, accept a good proposal while it’s offered. If you do, the contents of this document—”

Marquis Fabien brought the end of the document to the wavering flame of a candle.

“—will truly become as if it never existed.”



---



Boronia Palace, the secret passage behind Rohan’s library.

Only a secret candle cast wavering shadows along the walls.

Under its light, Rohan and Lucretia sat facing each other in quiet conversation.

“The Marquis Fabien met with His Majesty, and afterwards, news came that Empress Emilia’s imprisonment had ended. That must be proof that some deal was struck, right?”

At Lucretia’s words, Rohan nodded.

“That’s right. They probably both got what they wanted.”

On the table were several reports, all mentioning Marquis Fabien’s name, sorted by Jenon.

“Marquis Fabien could never give up on Emilia. As a member of the royal family, her influence is the foundation of his power.”

His finger slid slowly across a document and paused.

“In the end, he must have used an important card to catch both rabbits at once. Whatever it was, it works to our advantage.”

Lucretia took a quiet breath at his words.

“An important card…?”

Rohan turned his head to look at her.

A subtle light flickered in his eyes.

“If my guess is correct, Marquis Fabien has used up one of the weaknesses he held over Father this time.”

Rohan smiled faintly.

“He’s well practiced in manipulating people, that one.”

Lucretia continued.

“And… the best card when shaking someone is always a ‘fatal weakness’.”

“Exactly.”

When Rohan snapped his fingers, Lucretia chuckled softly.

“Are you familiar with the line from the ?”

At his question, she cleared her throat before speaking.

“To win someone over, there are only two ways: satisfy their desire and make them yours, or, failing that, seize their weakness and force their submission.”

“Oh? So you know that line. As expected from the last heir of the Hartford family.”

“My, you flatter me.”

Lucretia placed her hand to her chest and bowed with a sly smile.

“But tell me, why exactly did Marquis Fabien attack the Hartford family?”

Rohan only knew that Lucretia was originally ‘Edeline Hartford’; he didn’t know why her family was wiped out by Kazin Fabien.

In his previous life, he’d met Lucretia by chance and worked with her for a brief time, but that was all.

“Hmm, to be honest, I’m not sure of the exact reason either.”

“You don’t know?”

What did she mean?

To seek vengeance for her lost family, yet not know the reason it was lost?

“But one thing is clear. Marquis Fabien wanted the ‘Ring’ our Hartford family kept.”

“The Ring…?”

Seeing Rohan’s puzzled expression, Lucretia took out a necklace she had hidden beneath her clothes.

“This is it.”

Rohan’s eyes narrowed.

“This is the ‘Ring’? You don’t know what it signifies?”

She shook her head.

“So I can’t say why he wanted it, or why he destroyed our family for it.”

“May I take a look?”

“Of course.”

Lucretia took off the necklace and handed it to him.

Rohan examined the ring, slightly larger than his thumb, with care.

He carefully tilted it in the light, noticing that the script upon it faded at some angles, and at others, shimmered faintly.

“What language is this?”

“I don’t know. It looks like a foreign language, maybe even a code. I’ve checked every language I could find, but there’s nothing that matches.”

Around both the outer and inner edge of the ring were mysterious symbols.

“This was the Hartford family’s heirloom. I don’t know how Marquis Fabien learned about it, but he stole our financial power and tried to bargain it back for this ring.”

“And your parents refused?”

Lucretia nodded.

“To be precise, it was my grandparents. I was only five at the time; my grandfather was the head of the family then.”

She spoke with a slightly sorrowful expression.

“That day, my father made this ring into a necklace for me and put it around my neck. He said, ‘Edeline, go far away. Far, far away, where no one can find you.’”

“Hmmm.”

It truly was hard to guess the ring’s significance.

No doubt Lucretia had struggled to uncover its secrets.

Yet if even she did not know, it must mean the symbols or language on the ring could not be found anywhere in the known world.

“But…”

Why did it feel so familiar?

‘This feels familiar somehow.’

To Rohan, it didn’t seem entirely strange.

As if he had seen it somewhere before…

“But what is it?”

Lucretia asked, and Rohan shook his head.

“It’s nothing.”

He returned the necklace to her.

“In any case, this ring might not be just an heirloom. If Fabien obsessed over it so much, it must hold something that could shake the foundations of the Empire.”

Lucretia nodded.

“If we can uncover its secret… this might become his greatest weakness.”

The Hartford family was only known for their outstanding work in finance.

But even then, they were only a minor house and not widely known.

Twenty years ago.

At a time when small-scale wars between territories frequently broke out across the Empire, the fall of one minor house would not have been a major issue.

“I’ll see what I can find out. Thank you for bringing up such a difficult subject.”

“Oh, think nothing of it. We are partners, after all.”

Lucretia shrugged, and Rohan smiled softly.

“Well then.”

Rohan stood up.

“There’s actually a reason I called you here tonight.”

“Yes, Your Highness. Please command me.”

Rohan handed her a heavy pouch.

A soft clinking sound came from within.

“Please turn what’s inside this pouch into cash. Very discreetly.”

“Oh? What is it?”

Lucretia’s eyes sparkled.

“A portion of the gifts from the Dwarves. Even selling each item separately would fetch a fortune.”

“……!”

The rare Dwarven goods?

A sly smile curved Rohan’s lips.

“They’re the precious assets that will be the foundation of Boronia Palace. I’m counting on you.”

Lucretia clutched the pouch to her chest and smiled softly.

“I’ll prepare everything more perfectly than ever before.”