Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 141

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 141. Love and War
“Say that again.”
Wesley, who had been listening to the report, unconsciously tapped ash from her cigarette. It was the second day since Mayor Karenna’s letter had been brought before the council. The Steward set down the report and added, “It’s quite possible that Viscount Ian Hielo passed through that area during Mayor Karenna’s bandit suppression. The routes from Hielo territory to the capital are limited, and the triangle zone passing through Karenna and Longin is the safest and fastest route.”
If only there hadn’t been that band of thieves. Wesley quickly stubbed out her cigarette and furrowed her brow. If the mercenary who eliminated those bandits was Ian, he would certainly harbor suspicions about the undead.
‘Did he notice traces of necromancy? Before that, how did those bandits even possess undead in the first place? That Ian fellow might be conducting a separate investigation. Did he access the archives after joining the Magic Department?’
Her mind was a mess. Anything else would be manageable, but the forbidden art of necromancy—absolutely, absolutely could not be discovered by Gail. As she gnawed at her fingernails, the Steward gently restrained her.
“For the details, I’ve already sent a messenger to Karenna, so we should receive a reply within a few days.”
“Check whether Ian has accessed the archives.”
“Yes, understood.”
“…Has he been coming to work?”
“He’s been coming in since dawn, it seems. He likely has much to learn, moving about and receiving instruction in various departments besides the Magic Operations Division.”
Her stomach twisted and blood rushed to her head. She felt as though she would only calm down if she summoned Ian immediately and shouted at him—asking if he was the one who suppressed the bandits in Karenna, what he saw there, and what he discovered.
Just as Wesley, unable to contain herself, began to reach for another cigarette with trembling hands—
Knock, knock.
“Minister Wesley. Prince Gail has sent word.”
“His Highness? Tell me.”
She would not have noticed it herself—that her trembling had stopped. The Steward watched silently and gathered the documents to one side. On days when Gail sent word, duties were always pushed aside.
“He says to come to the palace whenever you have time.”
“Is that so? Very well. I’ll go at once.”
Wesley immediately grabbed her outer robe and stood. There was not a moment’s hesitation. How long had it been since he summoned her?
When rumors began circulating that she was suited to the daughter of House Haiman, contact had naturally become sparse. The Haiman daughter was certainly someone who could aid Gail’s endeavors, so she had endured it, but she was reaching her limit.
“Oh, and a few days ago, there was a witness who saw Viscount Ian Hielo entering Prince Marib’s palace covered in blood.”
The Steward, following her, relayed the remaining minor reports verbally. Wesley’s footsteps echoing through the empty corridor sounded somewhat urgent.
“Into Prince Marib’s palace?”
“The reason is unclear, but it was apparently late at night.”
Since Gail’s palace was not a surveillance area Wesley needed to monitor, she had not noticed that Ian had visited Gail first. She furrowed her brow and boarded the carriage.
“And at his residence?”
“He’s currently staying at the residence of Minister Romandro of the Administrative Bureau. There’s been no movement besides his guards, and it appears only a pregnant woman and one servant are there.”
“Is that so?”
“He rarely returns home due to his duties.”
“Then reduce the surveillance at the residence to a minimum.”
“I’ll redirect the rest toward Ian.”
Wesley nodded as Gail’s palace came into view. It was her lover, whom she hadn’t seen in so long. Feeling her heart pound, she climbed the stairs in one swift motion.
Knock, knock.
“Prince Gail.”
“Wesley, you’ve come. I was waiting.”
“It’s been quite a while. You’ve been so busy lately that it’s been difficult to see your face. I suppose you’re not going flower viewing with the Haiman daughter today.”
Gail sat languidly on the sofa and merely smiled. Cigarette smoke drifted lazily with his laughter. He gestured for her to come closer.
“Come here.”
“Come here.”
And then he pulled my wrist, drawing me onto his lap. I naturally nestled into his embrace, wrapping my arms around his neck.
“Wesley. I have been terribly thoughtless toward you.”
“Your Highness, why are you suddenly saying this?”
A radiant smile bloomed across my face. It was so warm and beautiful that one might question whether this was truly the dignified head of the Magic Department, from whom cold indifference usually emanated. Prince Gail opened a small jewelry box and whispered.
“Open it.”
Click.
Earrings densely set with diamonds. The jewels sparkled as if capturing light itself, and my lips parted slightly. It wasn’t because they were precious—if we spoke of wealth, I, as the head of the Magic Department, was among the empire’s elite. But this was….
“Your Highness, what have you done wrong to me?”
“That cannot be.”
‘My first gift. From Your Highness to me.’
Instead of answering, Prince Gail gently brushed my hair aside, then fastened the earrings. As he caressed my earlobe, tears threatened to spill from my eyes.
Yes. No matter how many daughters of the Haiman family existed, to Prince Gail, surely I was….
“The one at fault is you, Wesley.”
His voice held no affection whatsoever. I detected something foreign in Prince Gail’s gaze, so close our noses nearly touched—loathing and contempt. Where had the man who was caressing my earlobe mere moments ago gone?
“Your Highness?”
“I have been truly negligent toward you.”
“That, what do you mean…?”
Prince Gail held me firmly in his embrace while retrieving documents from the table. I easily recognized what they were—a research report on necromantic magic, stamped with the Magic Department’s first-class confidential seal. My heart plummeted, and a chill ran down my spine.
“I was unaware you were scheming like this behind my back.”
Prince Gail buried his face in my neck and let out a low laugh. I struggled to break free from his embrace, but I could not overcome the man’s strength.
Crack.
“No, that’s not it, Your Highness. There’s been a misunderstanding—”
“Had it not been for the imperial blessing, you might have consumed my very mind long ago. There was a reason everyone called you a witch. Bring the shackles!”
A subordinate emerged from the shadows, approaching with thick iron chains already in hand. Terrified, I cried out without thinking.
“Gail, listen to me first!”
Zing! Zing!
My eyes shifted to gold, yet no magical power was released. In the reflection of the wine glass, the diamonds at my ears gleamed with particular brilliance.
…A mana-sealing stone.
“Shh. Wesley.”
Prince Gail still held my wrist down. In the moment I hesitated in shock, he fastened the shackles and bound me to a ring set into the wall. These too contained mana-sealing stones.
“I would twist your neck this very instant, but given our history, I am merciful enough to let you live. So behave yourself.”
“…History?”
My mind went blank. Simultaneously, my tongue moved of its own accord. Were Prince Gail and I not nearly one body? Yet seeing how he would strike me down without hearing a single word of explanation, it was clear that in his mind, my existence had already been erased.
“…You’re going to appoint someone else as Minister instead of me, aren’t you?”
If I died as Minister of the Magic Department, an investigation would follow, and the forbidden necromantic magic would surely be exposed.
The crime of harming the Prince—Prince Marib would surely seek to reform the Magic Department’s monopolistic and unique power structure. This would be a permanent losing move for Prince Gail, meaning certain defeat.
“You’re keeping me from the personnel meeting, appointing someone else in my place, and… you’re going to kill me….”
Tears streamed down my face unbidden. I bit my lip and looked up at him, but Prince Gail’s expression remained cold.
“I cannot fathom it. For one so perceptive, how could you attempt something so foolish? Wesley. It is truly a pity. You were such a good colleague in many ways.”
“No! Gail, you know. I….”
I would never betray you.
I wanted to walk alongside your future.
That was all.
“Is that so? Good. Then I’ll give you a chance.”
Prince Gail nodded, and his subordinate produced a vial of Truth Serum. The man casually swirled the bottle before grasping Wesley’s jaw, tilting her head back as the bitter potion flowed into her mouth.
“Cough!”
Wesley coughed violently, blood spilling from her lips. An endless torrent of crimson. Prince Gail knelt on one knee, meeting her gaze directly.
“I ask you, Wesley.”
Please, ask me the right question.
“Did you attempt to cast a binding spell on me?”
I would have preferred if he’d asked whether I harbored thoughts of betrayal, or whether I could swear eternal loyalty instead. Wesley pressed down on her rebellious tongue, but ultimately, truth poured forth along with the blood.
“…Yes.”
Prince Gail’s brow furrowed as he rose to his feet. He wiped the blood away with a handkerchief and issued orders to his subordinate.
“Watch her without a moment’s respite.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“What of Wesley’s steward?”
“Waiting outside, sir.”
“Dispose of him. And inform the Magic Department that Wesley is on temporary assignment. Once the personnel meeting concludes, prepare the staff for a complete overhaul of the Magic Support Division.”
The subordinate acknowledged the orders and vanished back into the shadows. As Prince Gail turned to leave the bedchamber, Wesley’s anguished cry pierced the air.
“You—you’ve always treated me this way!”
“….”
“Gail, I love you. That’s why I did it. Because you’d abandon me eventually, I just wanted to keep you by my side! My future was always you!”
Prince Gail glanced back briefly. Wesley, drenched in blood, trembled as tears streamed down her face, her lips bitten raw. Yet he merely smiled coldly.
“If you truly wished to walk together, you should have known your place, Wesley. Had you done so, I would have taken responsibility for you to the very end. But you crossed the line.”
His gaze fell upon her lower jaw. No more blood flowed. The Truth Serum’s effects lasted only while the subject coughed up blood, or so it was said.
“And your words without blood—I cannot trust them.”
Slam!
The door closed without hesitation. In complete darkness, Wesley swallowed her tears and glared at where Prince Gail had stood. Without blood, he cannot trust me? Very well. I understand.
Crack.
She tore at her own lips, her eyes blazing with fury. How could he do this to me? How dare he—
‘I’ll see this through to the end, Gail.’
She rubbed her face against the pool of her own blood on the floor, letting out a harrowing scream. Prince Gail’s chamberlain deliberately ignored the distant wail as he locked the door.
* * *
“Did you hear? Lately, Prince Gail and Minister Wesley’s relationship has been quite strained.”
“Because of the Haiman family’s daughter?”
“I’m not sure. There were whispers about it. But still, how many years have those two known each other? Don’t you think?”
“But Minister Wesley is on assignment now. Prince Gail ordered it directly, so if their relationship had truly deteriorated, he wouldn’t place such trust in her.”
“True enough. And is Minister Wesley really that exceptional? Besides the bloodline, she’s comparable to the Haiman family’s daughter.”
“Well then, Minister Wesley won’t be attending the personnel meeting?”
“She doesn’t need to. It’s likely just a reappointment anyway.”
As the personnel conference drew closer, whenever people gathered, they spoke of high-ranking officials. It was only natural—this was where the heads of the year would be decided.
A subtle sound whispered through the air.
“Hmm?”
“What is it?”
“No, I thought I heard someone nearby.”
“Who else would be here besides us? Stop talking nonsense and hurry along. We’ll be late.”
As the chattering group disappeared, the space shimmered. It was Baretto, Minister Wesley’s Steward, who had been concealing his form with magic. He gazed toward Prince Gail’s palace with a troubled expression.
‘I will rescue you soon, Minister Wesley.’

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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