Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 148

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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 148. A Clandestine Deal
Beneath the shade of verdant trees, two figures stood facing one another.
Whenever the sparse wind stirred, fragments of sunlight filtered through and drifted slowly across the ground. Ian noticed no one in sight, yet he sensed that Prince Gail’s Steward and guards were concealing their presence nearby.
“Count Ian. First, allow me to express my gratitude for saving me that day. No one else could stand against Wesley, yet you succeeded. Truly commendable.”
I had not saved him because he was Gail, nor because Gail was necessary. I had simply done what only I could accomplish. With countless eyes watching, my actions were merely what was expected.
‘Yet his tone has grown considerably gentler. It suggests he understands his predicament well.’
Though I had not observed him for long, there had always been an unmistakable arrogance and confidence in his bearing.
But now each word fell with the caution of one treading on thin ice. Without Wesley, and facing a crisis that would severely diminish his standing due to the curse, it was perhaps inevitable. Now a single misstep could mean complete ruin.
“Is there something you wish to ask of me?”
“Count Ian. I remember that night. Do you remember it as well?”
He spoke of the night I had entered Gail’s palace. That very night marked the beginning of everything unfolding now. I bowed my head and paused deliberately. Truthfully, Gail was hardly necessary to me at present.
“If Your Highness remembers it, then I shall remember it too.”
Gail, unable to check Marib, could simply fade into history. Why would I drag along one defeated in the balance of power?
“I particularly remember that you did not consider Marib worthy of being Emperor.”
He drew closer, lowering his voice. What he was about to say must not escape on the wind, not a single word.
“Wesley’s curse is real. But it is not a threat to Bariel—it is a trial meant only for me. I will never, never lose to Marib. I would sooner choose death.”
His tone was one of utter dread at the mere thought. In that low, rumbling voice, I sensed killing intent. And suddenly, I realized he was one who had ‘committed’ treason in the previous timeline.
‘He is already a man with a record. Should he fail to overcome this situation, he would not hesitate at treason.’
It would serve as a catalyst—a situational trigger that would force him to commit the grave crime of treason through direct action.
Having continued his behind-the-scenes work, targeting the former Bratz and recruiting nobles, he could ignite everything before it all unravels.
“Just as you once revealed Wesley’s forbidden necromancy to me, I too shall share something valuable with you.”
Gail snapped his fingers lightly, signaling me to focus. It was the beginning of a deal. Gail with nowhere to retreat, and I deliberating which path to take. The wind blew again. The clandestine deal was swallowed by the sound.
Whoooosh.
“Before the current lunar phase passes, Marib sent someone to obtain the Truthserum Elixir. The timing was the day after you entered Marib’s palace and swore your oath.”
I furrowed my brow and nodded. Despite my earnest performance during the oath, it seemed I had not cut through Marib’s deep-seated distrust.
“And whom do you suppose he intended to use it on?”
“…You believe it was me.”
“It seems not merely my own suspicion.”
“I agree with your assessment.”
Having boldly declared my intention to play the role of double agent, it was perhaps only natural. At my straightforward response, Gail broke into a grin. Then what we each needed from the other became clear.
‘…Involve myself in the creation of the Truthserum Elixir?’
“You have not only gained a position in the Magic Department but are also a major supplier of Luron Stone. Surely this should not be a difficult task.”
It was true. Moreover, if necessary, I could cast a spell to render it ineffective. It would take some time, but compared to manufacturing it anew, there was certainly no problem.
“Only ‘we’ two need to consume the Truthserum Elixir before Marib. Count Ian, you said you would not follow Marib. Wouldn’t this arrangement benefit us both? Would it not?”
“However, Your Highness, ‘we’ two will not stand before Marib simultaneously.”
I smiled back at him. I had indirectly stated that the pretext for helping Gail was too flimsy. Yet he continued naturally, as if he had anticipated this very response.
“Should such a thing occur, if I am purged, then no one will remain to oppose Marib. Not even Father. You do not seem the type to bow forever beneath one unworthy of the throne. Do you truly believe you could stand against Marib at that point?”
Eliminating Gail first would be easy. But if this allowed Marib to seize power completely, the future would become difficult. Because the one I truly intended to support was one of the twin princes.
If the throne were to change hands due to my own misguided choice, there could be no greater predicament.
‘It would be best if I could send both Gail and Marib away simultaneously.’
“I’ll tell you the secret about Marib that I’m holding.”
“…!”
Gail seemed to instinctively understand what the other wanted. Very carefully, yet decisively, he was drawing Ian in. Ian looked slightly startled, frowning with a smile.
“A secret?”
“I haven’t revealed it yet due to lack of confirmation, but the investigation has been ongoing for quite some time. I believe it would be quite intriguing.”
Rustle.
Gail withdrew a small piece of paper from his inner pocket. As he unfolded the layered creases, a fine white powder appeared inside—similar in appearance to flour. Ian regarded Gail with a questioning gaze. What was he trying to do now?
“Do you know what this is?”
When he gestured lightly for Ian to smell it, Ian lowered his head. The moment his nose drew close, he could retrieve a memory that had been lodged in his mind.
It was the sleeping hallucinogen that Lady Lien of Merelrof had brought in from Hawan. A type of drug and poison that caused death through apnea during sleep.
“This is a new type of sleeping hallucinogen distributed abroad, primarily among merchant guilds. If you smell it carefully, you’ll notice the scent is quite distinctive.”
Gail naturally assumed Ian wouldn’t know about this. After all, he had received no reports regarding the Merelrof incident. Ian felt his words catch in his throat as he looked up at him.
‘Why is this appearing here?’
I have it too. In the attic of Romandro’s house, a box containing the gift that Lady Lien gave me, saying to use it conveniently at the center, remains stored as is.
“Your Highness, what exactly….”
“Have you lost the thread of conversation?”
Gail laughed softly. As if uncertain whether Ian didn’t understand or was choosing not to. But Ian, faltering and without realizing it, uttered ‘that’ word.
“Are you saying this is related to Marib, Your Highness?”
“Marib—what a pleasant title to hear.”
“Please answer me.”
“Yes. From some point on, Father’s health deteriorated rapidly. In truth, for an elder, that would be due to the indifference of time, but I only sensed something amiss a few months ago.”
It was saying that Gail hadn’t suspected anything until Deilaina, the concubine who attended to his bedchamber, made a fuss and ransacked the Imperial Palace’s pharmaceutical chamber.
Then, belatedly, he learned. That Father kept choking in his sleep, calling out the name of his birth mother, and even while awake, frequently experienced hallucinations.
‘Family hallucinations.’
Now that I think about it, Berik had a similar experience. Though he lost consciousness the moment he smelled it, didn’t he clearly see the phantoms of his family?
Ian leaned his back against a tree and unconsciously shook his head. Completely unexpected news. For Ian himself, and for both Gail and Marib.
“I propose this clearly. If you assist in the creation of the elixir, and should opportunity come to me again, I will share everything I’ve investigated with you. This means we will jointly wield the blade against Marib.”
Ian quickly turned his thoughts over and glared at Gail.
At this point, he’s certainly the type he is. Even if Ian refused now, Gail would undoubtedly target Marib directly through treason or evidence fabrication.
That too would be clear treason. A storm of blood would sweep through the Imperial Palace, and variables could arise that escape Ian’s calculations.
“…I cannot trust you, Your Highness.”
“Is that so?”
Gail let out a laugh and withdrew a cigarette. He exhaled smoke with all his might and held both hands out to the sides.
“In what sense?”
Yes, precisely in that sense. The preconception of treason and that dissolute attitude. If one intended to harm the Emperor, it would surely be Gail, not Marib. How could their temperaments be so different?
“Perhaps you don’t know, but Father cherishes me more than Marib. This is my foundation and my strength—how could I do such a thing? The only one who would laugh if Father died in the Imperial Palace would be Marib.”
For he would become the next Emperor.
But for Deilaina, who relied on the current Emperor’s power, and the twin princes, it was clearly a misfortune for Gail.
‘That’s right. The others would have to live as if dead, exiled from the palace, if they didn’t avoid touching Marib’s sensibilities.’
Ian ran his fingers back through his complicated thoughts and let out a sigh. Then Gail offered him a cigarette.
“And I, while I indulge in tobacco, keep my distance from narcotics.”
“I must decline. I keep my distance from tobacco as well.”
“Is that so? You’ll live a long life then, as long as you walk the line well.”
Ian suddenly recalled when Prince Gail had caused a scene at the nobles’ drug party. At that time, he had essentially made a statement about his stance on narcotics by eliminating all the slaves, thereby solidifying his power.
‘If things proceed this way, I must be truly cautious. Prince Gail is one thing, but I cannot allow Prince Marib to grow beyond control.’
There was only one method.
‘Bind them both together and deal with them at once. Take what is to be gained, and cut what must be cut.’
Ian slowly lifted his head and looked up at Prince Gail. The two locked eyes and smiled faintly in silence. Their gazes clearly betrayed that each understood the other’s true intentions.
“Your Highness, but I must ask—can I truly believe everything you’ve said thus far? If it were all lies, I would have no way of discerning it.”
“I knew you would say such a thing.”
Prince Gail snapped his fingers while holding the cigarette between his lips. Then, from the shadows of the trees where he had been hiding, Prince Gail’s subordinate approached with utmost discretion.
Before Ian could wonder what scheme this was,
he recognized the familiar potion in the subordinate’s hand.
“…Is that not the Truth Draught?”
“Count Ian has already experienced it, so you know how precise it is. This time, it is my turn to drink.”
He swallowed the Truth Draught without hesitation. Then, with a twitch of one eyebrow, he gestured for Ian to ask his questions. Ian glanced briefly at the empty bottle, then opened his mouth.
“Your Highness, is everything you have told me the absolute truth?”
Blood trickled from the corner of Prince Gail’s mouth. He wiped it away roughly with the back of his hand and laughed with a metallic edge. The cigarette smoke grew thicker, filling the space around them.
“Yes. I swear it—this is my truth.”

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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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