Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 184

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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 184
The Next Emperor
Deilaina exhaled sharply, her gaze sweeping across the conference hall. Silver strands of hair tumbled loosely about her face—she must have rushed here the moment she regained consciousness. I rose from my seat and pulled out a chair for her.
“You came in quite a hurry.”
There was no need for such courtesy.
Recognizing my intent, Deilaina approached me and whispered quietly.
“I heard about His Majesty’s condition from General Beols. But tell me—what possible reason could you have for separating me from my sons?”
Her labored breathing trembled faintly at the end—a question mingled with doubt and fear.
Romandro nodded while conferring with the Mage who had brought her from outside, then gestured toward me. As if to say there was nothing to worry about.
“A reason? That would be mere speculation.”
I answered quietly after receiving Romandro’s signal. At my audacity in meeting her gaze directly, Deilaina bit her lip hard.
“I wished to see Arcen and Jin, but your subordinates blocked my way and refused to let me pass. Such treatment in a time like this. How am I to interpret it?”
“It is to protect the twin princes. In this chaos, someone desperate for survival might harm them—that was my judgment.”
A bright smile, yet the meaning beneath was savage and cruel. Was she not the mother who drove her own son to ruin to beg for her life from Prince Marib? I witnessed it with my own eyes, which is precisely why I cannot entrust the princes’ safety to her.
Deilaina’s face darkened, her voice strangled. Her eyes glistened with indignation and resentment.
“I did it for Bariel.”
“Ah. Did Bariel command you to do so?”
“How insolent!”
“Or perhaps I should ask why you remained silent when Prince Marib lured the boy with your life as the price?”
Jin, cradled in my arms. Prince Marib, who said he would kill Deilaina if the boy did not return. Deilaina, screaming as she watched such a child.
I furrowed my brow grimly. I had not seen what expression Jin wore in that moment of lost humanity.
“You must know the oracle—that if Arcen dies, the imperial line will be severed. Arcen is still young. I need someone to support me from behind. Before being a mother, I am a member of the imperial house. Who would dare condemn me?”
Deilaina muttered indignantly, pressing each syllable with force, convinced without doubt that her actions were born of necessity. I regarded her with an unmoved gaze.
“…You may escape condemnation, but understanding will not come easily. Prince Jin is your son before he is a member of the imperial house, is he not?”
It was then that Quintana approached Deilaina and grasped her shoulder without ceremony. Startled, she turned to look back, and Quintana exhaled a faint sigh—breath reeking of tobacco.
“Lady Deilaina. I know not what has transpired, but compose yourself and sit. There is much to discuss.”
At Quintana’s words, Deilaina regained her senses and stepped back. She then sat in the chair I had pulled out and attempted to collect herself.
“Are you well? I’m relieved to see you unharmed.”
“We were just discussing the matter of succession.”
“It seems we must choose between Prince Arcen and Prince Jin. I would like to hear your opinion, Lady Deilaina.”
The officials spoke one by one, their gazes fixed upon her. She remained silent for a moment, then opened her mouth.
“By order of precedence, Arcen, who was born first, should rightfully ascend to the position of heir.”
“In truth, I thought the same…”
“His temperament is bright and his intellect keen, is it not? And above all, there is the oracle—’When he who stands closest to the throne dies, the imperial line shall be severed.’ With Prince Marib and Prince Gail expelled from the imperial house, is not Prince Arcen the one closest to the throne?”
“Indeed. The oracle unfolds as foretold.”
“Did Prince Marib not refrain from harming Prince Arcen precisely because he was conscious of this?”
They were all high officials like myself, so they knew of the hidden oracle. As opinions supporting Arcen mounted, the moment I was about to raise my hand—
“I oppose it.”
It was Quintana. She tapped an unlit cigarette against the table. As if she wished to smoke but refrained because of Deilaina.
“Do you not see how this crisis came about? It arose from those without merit coveting power. Precedence holds no meaning anymore. And above all, that is an order bestowed by a doctor. To entrust Bariel’s future to such a trivial standard is beneath us.”
“Then you’re saying you support Prince Jin?”
“No. I mean we should elevate a prince with the proper qualifications. I believe we should take some time to verify this.”
“His Majesty is in critical condition. We don’t have much time.”
A bureaucrat who didn’t know the Emperor had frozen raised his concern, but Quintana remained unmoved.
“It’s better to be late but certain than to rush and fail. If something like this happens again in the imperial palace, foreign powers will seize the opportunity to attack.”
When would there be another moment as opportune as this to devour the great empire of Bariel? The Emperor had fallen, the princes were imprisoned. The nobility was dying off, and the empire’s military forces had collapsed, hadn’t they?
“In any case, I’m grateful that Count Ian sealed the gates. I only learned of it after entering the palace myself.”
Ian nodded at Quintana’s words. It was meant to protect the people, but ultimately it was protecting Bariel. He continued her words and made his declaration.
“I also oppose Prince Arcen.”
Ian’s declaration carried weight. He was at the center of the palace’s recovery efforts, had received the Emperor’s will, and above all, would be the one to consolidate power after executing the princes.
“Count Ian, do you also mean we should verify the qualifications of both princes?”
“No. I’m saying that Prince Jin should ascend to the position of next Emperor.”
It was as if lightning had struck the conference hall. Everyone murmured and couldn’t hide their shock at Ian’s declaration of support.
Not Arcen, but Jin. The cursed child branded as one who would kill his own brother and sever the imperial line!
“Wait, Count Ian? Arcen is the older of the twins.”
Someone uttered an absurd remark. Instead of answering, Ian furrowed his brow elegantly.
“I support Prince Jin because I agree that we should judge based on qualifications.”
Ian’s gaze was fixed on Quintana. In this situation where everyone was calling for Arcen, those with different purposes but the same conclusion needed to unite.
“But isn’t there an oracle?”
“Oracles aren’t always correct.”
“Still, we can’t ignore it. The oracle given to the twin princes came from none other than the Carbo Temple.”
A bureaucrat glanced subtly at Deilaina and pressed the point. She was the maternal relative of the current twin princes and from a sacred founding family. How could they deny an oracle given directly from such a place?
“I will verify that matter again.”
“Verify? How?”
That Jin would be the next Emperor was something Ian was certain of. The portrait he passed daily in the imperial corridor came vividly to mind. Adult Jin still carried his wounds, and he had grown so magnificently that his childhood self seemed unforgettable.
History doesn’t change, but oracles spoken by human tongues can.
“Isn’t the meaning of ‘close to the throne’ ambiguous? Do you gentlemen know what it means? A hierarchy determined by a single minute difference? Or perhaps, physical distance?”
The bureaucrats didn’t answer. They acknowledged there was sufficient room for interpretation. Above all, Ian’s attitude was so aggressive that they couldn’t rashly object.
“Because you all just spoke Prince Arcen’s name, Prince Arcen has now drawn closer to the throne.”
Everyone fell silent and drew in a sharp breath. The next Emperor is one who climbs over the backs of his subjects. A prince chosen by his subjects draws closer to the throne.
Ian set down the list of traitors lightly and cleared the atmosphere.
“Once the palace restoration is roughly complete, we will look into the oracle again. Let us discuss the matter of the next heir over time. His Majesty has recovered, but there’s no immediate danger.”
Until death is necessary, he will not die.
At Ian’s words, the bureaucrats stroked their beards and murmured uneasily. In the chaos, cracks were forming again. Deilaina supporting Arcen and Ian supporting Jin.
“For now, let’s move past the matter of the heir and discuss the urgent recovery efforts. The Minister of Imperial Defense sided with Prince Marib and is dead. We must quickly restore discipline, identify the remaining forces, and establish order as a priority.”
“Ahem, ah, yes. Let’s do that.”
“There’s an order to these things. Yes, yes.”
“What about Vice Minister Moreno?”
“He left the capital on official business. There are relatively few, but we have disciplined soldiers remaining. Let’s order them to return promptly.”
Depending on who becomes the heir, the power structure of the imperial palace would shift once again. The bureaucrats were too preoccupied calculating and assessing the situation as they held the meeting. Deilaina was no different.
‘Why does Count Ian support me?’ I couldn’t understand his reasoning.
Regardless of which twin became Emperor, Deilaina would stand at the center of power.
But since he’d witnessed her abandoning Jin, wasn’t she pushing Jin forward to use that as leverage to check his influence?
‘She’s using Jin’s abandonment to challenge imperial authority. With Prince Marib and Prince Gail fallen, a new contender emerges.’
Without realizing it, Deilaina gnawed at her lips and stared into empty space. Only one thought churned through her mind—she had to protect Arcen.
Ian pretended not to notice, but he caught every movement of hers in his gaze.
“…Then, let us adjourn this meeting for now.”
Several hours had passed. Dawn was breaking outside. The bureaucrats pressed their aching eyes and rose from their seats.
“Once the administrative division sends instructions, dispatch personnel immediately. We cannot afford delays in deliveries.”
“Trial preparations will proceed under the judiciary’s leadership, with all departments sharing information.”
“Each of you, organize your buildings and reconvene this afternoon.”
“Yes, understood. We will submit reports on necessary materials.”
Tap tap tap!
The bureaucrats dispersed to their respective departments, scheduling the afternoon meeting. Ian was rising from his chair when he staggered, clutching his nose. It throbbed as though blood might spill at any moment.
“Are you well? You’ve been using magic continuously without sleep. Rest until lunch at least. I’ll handle the rest.”
Romand supported Ian with concern and led him outside the building. Deilaina blocked their path. Ian frowned, looking weary, but she refused to step aside.
“Return Arcen and Jin to me.”
“One might think I’ve done something terrible, hearing you say that.”
“Come to your senses! You haven’t looked at me once!”
Ian passed by Deilaina and boarded the carriage. Before the door closed, he granted permission.
“Very well. However, I will not remove the subordinate at Prince Arcen’s side, and Prince Jin may be seen when His Highness permits it.”
“Are you saying Jin refuses me now?”
“I said no such thing.”
Ian trailed off and closed the carriage door. Then he waved his hand dismissively as though exhausted.
Whinnnnny!
Tap tap tap!
Romand watched Deilaina receding through the rear window and muttered.
“She keeps glaring at us.”
“I must be irritating to her. Naturally.”
“But, but what could Deilaina do anyway? Right? I mean, is there anyone in the imperial palace as important as Ian right now?”
Romand, seemingly frightened, kept glancing backward and wiping cold sweat from his brow. Ian rested the back of his hand over his eyes without answering.
“Perhaps.”
“Per, perhaps?”
“If I were Deilaina, there would be one method to turn the situation around… though I’m uncertain whether she’ll employ it.”
At Ian’s cryptic words, Romand could only blink. It was surprising enough that Deilaina had a way to break through, but it sounded as though Ian actually hoped she would.
“Ian?”
“Let us go to where Prince Jin is.”
“Tell me too, won’t you?”
“…I’m resting.”
“Ugh.”
At my mention of sleep, Romandro clamped his mouth shut and scratched his head. When his labored breathing soon filled the carriage, he leaned his face out the window and instructed the coachman.
“Drive a bit slower, would you?”
“Yes, sir?”
Slowly, so I could rest a little better.
The coachman gradually loosened the reins and slowed the carriage’s pace. Following the gentle sway of the carriage, my head bobbed lightly with each movement.

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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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