Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 271

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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 271
The Finest Banquet
Romandro’s residence.
Viviana and her servant Mini had been meticulously preparing food at the counter from early afternoon until sunset. It was partly because Romandro was dining at home for the first time in ages, but more importantly, an esteemed guest would be joining them.
“Madam, should I cook this a bit longer?”
“Hmm, it’s moist and delicious. That should be perfect. Mini, go check if we have enough wine. I’m worried the warriors might run out while we’re not looking. Since Jhin cannot drink alcohol, we must ensure there are no gaps in the beverages.”
“Of course, Madam. I prepared fresh milk early this morning. I’ll have both chilled and warm options ready.”
He was none other than the Prince himself—the sole heir and future Emperor, Jhin. She had seen him at the imperial palace, and during her time at the Magic Ministry, she had even had the honor of sharing meals with him.
But circumstances were entirely different now. To dare invite him to her residence and host a banquet! Had Romandro and his wife been nobility, all of high society would have turned their attention upon them.
“The new tablecloth looks lovely, so clean. I’ve replaced the chairs with more comfortable ones, the lamps, decorative candles, the salad bowls, the paintings…”
Viviana inspected every corner of the dining room with a hawk’s eye. Though she had already checked multiple times and found nothing amiss, as the appointed hour drew closer, her anxiety became unbearable.
Just then, the dining room door slowly opened. Philia poked her head in with a cautious expression. She wore a coral-colored dress that Ian had given her, and she looked so radiant that one might wonder if greater beauty existed in the world.
“Madam, is there anything I can help with?”
“Oh my goodness, Philia, not at all. You’ve been working in the garden since morning. Even a professional gardener would have left early from such labor. Please rest a bit before everyone arrives.”
“Mini looks so busy. I thought it would be nice if I could lend a hand.”
“I appreciate the thought, but I’ll just take your kindness. Your dress will wrinkle if you help, and that would pain me. Besides, today’s banquet is ‘my’ way of serving Jhin, so I’d like to handle everything myself.”
How often does one get the honor of serving food to a Prince? It was a courteous refusal—a request that he allow her this privilege entirely.
Philia smiled softly and looked around the kitchen. Flowers brought from the garden were arranged perfectly, creating the feeling of being in a forest garden.
“Um, Madam.”
“Yes, Madam. Please speak.”
Viviana continued hanging and removing paintings while answering, unaware of Philia’s troubled expression.
“There’s something I’d like to discuss. Perhaps…”
“Madam! Madam! Kyaaah! They’ve arrived, the carriage is here!”
Crash! Thud thud!
At Mini’s cry, Philia’s words were cut short. Viviana tensed, her shoulders stiffening, and grasped her hand. He had arrived.
“Philia, is it something urgent?”
“No, not at all. It’s nothing important.”
“Thank you. Let’s greet our guest first, and we’ll talk later.”
“Yes. Let’s go together. Madam, your hair ornament looks wonderful today. You’re the perfect hostess.”
Viviana left a light kiss on Philia’s cheek and rushed to the entrance. Nersaren and several warriors were also out in the garden.
Screech!
As the carriage stopped and the coachman opened the door, Romandro descended first. He was delighted to see Viviana, but maintaining the composure of a seasoned official, he guided Jhin forward.
Jhin’s eyes sparkled with wonder as he entered the garden. This was Romandro’s home—the very place where Ian and Berik had stayed before entering the palace! Viviana gathered her dress hem and bowed in greeting.
“Welcome. We are endlessly honored that you would grace us with your presence.”
“Viviana, thank you for inviting me to this banquet. Please accept this humble offering.”
“My goodness, the flowers are so beautiful! Thank you.”
“Those are Philia’s doing.”
“Your Highness, thank you. Ah, may I… may I call you by your title? I heard that during your incognito travels, you use a different identity.”
“Of course, it’s fine. It’s just us here, and besides, today’s schedule is the last of such outings.”
Jhin handed the bouquet to the ladies and embraced them lightly. They were all faces he had seen every morning and evening at the Magic Ministry, yet simply moving to a different residence made it feel as though he hadn’t seen them in ages.
“Wow. That meat smell is incredible!”
“Oh no, blood, there’s blood!”
“This isn’t mine! It’s fine!”
“Mini, go fetch a cloth soaked in warm water, would you? What on earth happened? A bloodbath during my lord’s secret investigation?”
Moreover, why did Berik always return to this mansion looking like he’d been dipped in blood?
Whether Berik noticed Viviana’s dizziness or not, he simply kept repeating that he was hungry and rushed into the mansion. He was immediately caught by the warriors, his head squeezed between their armpits.
“Ugh! Let go of me!”
“Haven’t seen you in ages—no greeting? How rude!”
“You came back from the dead, did you? You look fine! Still the same. Mm-hmm.”
“Let me go! I’m starving to death right now!”
The noisy commotion pleasantly filled the garden. Jin followed Berik as he rushed ahead, and everyone in the mansion naturally moved inside. Ian exchanged a light nod with Philia and Nersaren.
“I hope you’ve been well?”
“Yes, thanks to you. And you? I heard you bled again.”
“No. It’s much less now. That dress is beautiful. It suits you very well. Nersaren, the imperial attire no longer seems unfamiliar on you either.”
“It’s time I grew accustomed to it. Once I leave the capital, I’ll return to my own ways.”
“Let’s go inside together.”
Ian guided them by supporting Philia’s back. Then Philia smiled awkwardly. There was something strange about Ian’s compliment. She’d heard that Ian had personally selected and sent the dress, so why was he speaking as if seeing it for the first time?
“Oh, so this is Romandro’s mansion. It’s neat and exudes elegance.”
“The second floor is the room my lord used. Would you like to see it after dinner? The food is still warm, so it would be best to eat now.”
“The room my brother used?”
“Pardon? Brother?”
Jin covered his mouth in surprise, and Viviana’s eyes widened. Brother? No matter how close they were, it was a title with considerable implications. Romandro pulled out a chair for Jin and soothed him.
“You’ve been calling him that all day, so it’s stuck on your tongue. It’s fine. Just be careful when other officials are around.”
“…I’ll keep that in mind.”
They sat around the round table and unfolded their napkins. Since it wasn’t a grand mansion, the entire dining room was packed.
Jin, who always dined in spacious halls, found this surprisingly pleasant. Being close to others made conversation easy. Reaching over to serve food and filling glasses offered a different kind of satisfaction.
As the meal progressed in earnest, Romandro wiped his mouth and asked.
“By the way, Ian. Tell me now. What exactly happened? Why was the Timothy envoy there?”
Jin also nodded while chewing his salad. Berik, at the far end of the table in a seat Viviana had specially prepared, was too busy eating meat ravenously to notice the conversation.
“They said they were searching for a Gypsy. An elder with a scar on his cheek, they said. We approached through information gathering in the area, but given the location, we were investigating under the assumption of illegal enslavement.”
“A Gypsy with a scar on his cheek?”
“Yes, my lord. Why do you ask?”
“I saw him in the park earlier. We even spoke.”
Ian, who had been cutting meat, stopped his hand.
“Rather than a scar on his cheek, it looked more like a gap. Like gills.”
“What did you discuss with him?”
“He showed me the past and future through a crystal ball.”
There were countless old Gypsy fortune-tellers, and since they lived such harsh lives, facial scars were nothing unusual.
But was Jin’s encounter with this Gypsy truly coincidence?
“Seeing that Timothy went out to search personally, he seemed to be a special Gypsy. Did he have any peculiarities?”
“They called me the one who eats secrets. In exchange, I told their fortunes….”
As Jin’s words trailed off, everyone stared at the boy with confusion. I had meant to say something trivial—that I had practiced foreign languages behind closed doors to earn praise—but I couldn’t. My throat felt suddenly blocked, and my tongue wouldn’t move.
Ian jumped up from his seat in alarm.
“Your Highness, are you alright? Is something caught in your throat?”
“What!? Oh my, Your Highness! Try coughing, cough loudly!”
“Mini! Go fetch the doctor—”
“No. I’m fine.”
Jin blinked rapidly in confusion and waved his hand dismissively, prompting sighs of relief from everyone. He gulped down milk and shook his head.
“I tried to tell the secret I was given in exchange, but my mouth sealed shut. It seems remarkably similar to a silencing spell.”
Ian examined Jin carefully. Certainly, what Jin described did resemble a silencing spell. But how could a gypsy—
A premonition struck him that this was deeply connected to why Timothy had been wandering about for months searching. Ian poured more milk into Jin’s glass and patted his shoulder.
“Before the Timothy delegation departs Bariel, they will make a formal visit to the imperial palace. We shall receive them then and investigate the matter more thoroughly.”
“Yes. Alright.”
“And regarding the illegal gambling we uncovered earlier, while the guards will handle it first, given the severity, it would be wise to establish an investigation unit within the palace itself. There are also security concerns in the surrounding areas….”
Ian paused mid-bite of meat. Everyone except Philia was staring at him with narrowed eyes. Even Berik had stopped eating and was jeering. Ian acknowledged his mistake and let out a soft laugh.
“My apologies.”
“Yes. That was a bit much just now.”
“Well then, shall we talk about something else? Oh, that’s right. Philia. You said you had something to tell us earlier, didn’t you?”
“Pardon? Oh, well….”
Viviana recalled Philia’s earlier mention of something trivial and brought it up. Whenever she changed the subject, it was never about anything minor.
Everyone casually cut their meat or picked up noodles, but Philia fidgeted nervously with her fingers. Nersaren covered her hand with concern.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s, it’s, it’s nothing else!”
Philia spoke loudly as if she had made a decision, startling everyone into stillness. She was trembling as she faced Ian. What was this? Had I done something wrong?
“I, I, Ian.”
“Yes, Mother.”
Speak. His gaze was calm and composed. Philia bit her lip hard and squeezed out the words.
“…How would you feel if you had a younger sibling?”
“….”
“….”
Everyone froze as if turned to ice. Forks hung suspended in air, noodles slipped from chopsticks, and silence deepened so profoundly that even breathing was inaudible.
Multiple pairs of eyes rolled simultaneously. Toward Ian, then toward Nersaren, then back to Ian.
‘Ah.’
So what Jin had told me before was correct.
Ian alone continued cutting meat with a soft clinking sound. I didn’t mind much. In truth, it wasn’t something I had any right to object to.
“Are you with child?”
“…Yes, well, perhaps.”
“I see. It doesn’t concern me.”
Philia’s eyes widened as if her thoughts had stopped. And tears began to flow. I had imagined Ian’s reaction dozens, hundreds of times, but never like this.
So detached and composed, as if it were someone else’s affair. Ian had known beforehand, but Philia could not have known that.
“Why wouldn’t it matter? You’re family….”
“Ah, what I meant to say-”
I realized the misunderstanding and calmly corrected myself.
“I meant it doesn’t matter as long as Mother is comfortable with it.”
“I am, I am so happy.”
“Then I’m happy too.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Really. It will be truly beautiful. Congratulations, Mother.”
Philia rose and extended her arms toward me, and I embraced my mother tenderly. Romandro and Viviana, who had been tensing in case I objected, exhaled in relief. Berik, who had been frozen as well, did the same. He shook a bone with meat still clinging to it and shouted.
“Hey! Then celebrate with more enthusiasm! I thought you were against it and got startled!”
“That’s right, Berik’s actually making sense for once! My goodness, my heart was racing.”
“D-dear. Could I have some water?”
“Viviana, here. Drink it cold. And give me some too. Whew, in that short moment my nerves were completely frayed. Nersaren. Congratulations! This is truly wonderful news! Oh? Nersaren?”
Romandro stood and patted Nersaren’s shoulder repeatedly. The massive body swayed weakly to the side.
Thud.
Only after he fell to the floor did he seem to regain his senses, looking up at Philia. He appeared enchanted, his mind half-absent.
“Uh….”
I offered him my hand to help him up.
“Congratulations, Nersaren. You’ve become a father.”
For the first time, Nersaren’s eyes reddened as he pulled me into an embrace. Thank you, truly thank you. Thank you for making this moment of confession into a blessing.
It was a grip so tight it nearly took my breath away, but I smiled and patted his back. Seeing this, Berik rushed over with meat still in his mouth.
“Me too! Me too, congratulations!”
“You fool, know when to join in and when to back off!”
“Ugh! That’s too much.”
As always, Romandro grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and stopped him.
At that joyful sight, Jin smiled and told Xiaoxi the news, while Viviana drank her cool water and sighed in relief once more.
Fortunately, today seemed destined to become the finest banquet that would remain in everyone’s memory.

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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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