Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 288

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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 288
Guests Arrive
The morning sun streamed down brilliantly.
The Mages moved through the main building, rolling their stiff necks. By this point, Hani had come to realize that the distinction between night and day held no real meaning.
Yawning repeatedly as I passed through the corridor, one Mage tapped his colleague’s shoulder.
“Look over there. It’s Jhin.”
Beyond the expansive window. Jhin appeared to be receiving lessons from a private tutor. The enormous blackboard that Mages typically used for formula analysis was completely filled with foreign characters.
The Mage rubbed his eyes and frowned. Was it the sunlight? Jhin’s silver hair gleamed as though it were golden.
“He looks exactly like Count Ian.”
“Right? I was startled for a moment.”
The way he rested his chin while gazing ahead with an indifferent expression, the neat handwriting that flowed effortlessly, and even the occasional tapping of the desk.
“…I’d believe it if you told me they shared the same bloodline. To this extent.”
“As if Count Ian were two people.”
“Do you want to die? Learn to distinguish what should and shouldn’t leave your mouth.”
“Ah, was that too much? Sorry.”
The Mages exchanged trivial jokes as they hurried along their way.
From the outside, it would appear to be nothing more than an ordinary lesson. But if one were to open the door and step closer, they would discover the reality was quite different.
“Sigh.”
Creak.
At the sound of my sigh, the tutor’s chalk stuttered across the board. The chalk even snapped in two, yet she could only hold back tears internally.
It had been exactly one hour since the lesson began, and this was the tenth sigh—not counting the others. When I asked if something was wrong with my health, the only answer I received was a denial, leaving her at a loss for what to do.
Xiaoxi, who had been observing from behind, checked the clock and raised his hand.
“Teacher. An hour has passed. Would it not be beneficial to take a brief rest for the sake of concentration?”
“Excellent! That’s a wonderful idea!”
“An hour already? I’m fine though.”
I tried to refuse, but Xiaoxi approached and shook his head. It appeared that if we continued, the anxious tutor would collapse first.
The boy reluctantly rose from his seat and stepped out into the garden beyond.
Click.
No matter how expansive the window, the difference between outside and inside became clear the moment the door opened.
I placed my hand against the glass and furrowed my brow for a moment. How wonderful it would be if Count Ian’s inner thoughts were as transparent as this.
“Young Master.”
Xiaoxi draped a coat over the boy’s shoulders. It couldn’t be called affectionate, but his gaze was quite sincere. I stared at Xiaoxi for a moment, then muttered softly.
“Count Ian is strange.”
“….”
It was an impulsive remark. Having agonized alone, I had become so heated that the words simply burst out. I bit my lower lip slightly and looked around the garden. In the distance, those problematic trees were visible as well.
“Master Ian—”
“…?”
“It may be that he has changed, but it’s also possible that it merely appears so because the perspective of the observer has shifted.”
Just as I, who once called Ian my master, am now a completely different person.
I agreed inwardly. For I too could not even compare who I was when I first carried this wound to who I am now.
I couldn’t say whether Ian had changed. But one thing was certain—I had changed. So wouldn’t a shift in perspective be worth considering?
Jin added with a slight laugh, as if amused.
“Sia, no one will believe anymore that you couldn’t read a single character not long ago.”
“…You’re too kind.”
Jin watched the branches sway in the breeze. Ian continued to stand there unmoved, but wasn’t he the one watching the swaying branches?
Perhaps that’s why he couldn’t get his bearings, and his gaze wavered along with them?
‘What if that weren’t the case?’
What if those branches weren’t swaying, but stretching outward?
Jin approached the tree, seized by a sudden question. If the branches grew and extended over the fence, and one day their weight became too much to bear, collapsing inward upon themselves?
The Boy whispered so softly that only he could hear. The wind blew cool and swift, erasing his voice in an instant.
“Before that happens, there will be something I must do. Won’t there?”
Jin felt the branch with his fingertips. His demeanor was so reverent and solemn that Xiaoxi held his breath and kept vigil beside him.
Then the Tutor appeared peering through the glass door. As if he had something to convey, Xiaoxi turned away alone to answer the call.
Click.
“What is the matter?”
“Well…”
The Tutor wore an expression that was neither smiling nor frowning. He was already burdened with educating the Prince, and now an even more formidable guardian had come to visit.
“Count Ian.”
“I was told this was rest time. Has the schedule changed?”
“Well, you see, as the lesson progressed, it became this way.”
Ian reviewed Jin’s notes with a faint smile. Then he noticed the Tutor’s trembling voice and tilted his head in puzzlement.
“I’m not reproaching you—it’s a genuine question. It is class time now, after all. You’re the new foreign language instructor, then?”
“Yes, that’s right!”
I appreciate your efforts. Our young lord is quite proficient in languages, so I have no concerns.
“Indeed. He certainly has talent. His linguistic sense is exceptional. Though his pronunciation could use some correction. Oh, I’m not speaking ill of him!”
Ian turned to look at Romandro in bewilderment. From the Tutor’s demeanor alone, one would think he faced a merciless tyrant.
But even he, well-versed in rumors, shrugged his shoulders as if he knew nothing. Ian closed the notebook and murmured.
“…The young lord’s pronunciation is quite good, actually.”
“Indeed it is. Of course!”
“Tutor, why don’t you step aside for a moment and have some tea to rest? You seem far too tense—I feel apologetic.”
It was both a gesture of consideration and a request to vacate the space. The Tutor understood at once, bowed deeply, and left the room.
“Sia.”
“Yes. What is your command?”
Ian began to speak but stopped. His gaze extended beyond the glass door. Romandro and Xiaoxi followed his line of sight, turning their heads.
Jin stood in the garden, conversing with the Mages about something.
“Someone informed the young lord Jin about the trees in the garden. Does anyone have an idea who? It concerns blessings.”
“…I’m not certain.”
“Then, which Mage has the young lord been particularly close to lately? Even one he happens to meet frequently would suffice.”
Since the day of the rebellion, Jin had been residing in the Magic Department. By now, he knew this place as thoroughly as the Mages themselves, and there was hardly a Mage he didn’t recognize.
Though the question seemed odd, Xiaoxi pondered it carefully and offered an answer.
“The mages I encounter frequently are mostly from the Magic Support Department. It’s because that’s close to where Your Highness studies. Beyond that, there are no other mages worth remembering.”
“Then, starting from now….”
Starting from now was fine. I needed to sharpen my memory and watch carefully for anyone suspicious lurking around Jhin, and that was the truth.
But a new detail caught my attention. While the mages who had been conversing in a group went their separate ways, a single one remained, staying close to Jhin’s side.
“Count Ian?”
Their conversation seemed quite familiar. I frowned and quickly wrapped up the discussion.
“From now on, watch carefully over His Highness Jhin’s surroundings and report any suspicious individuals to me. There are still traitors remaining.”
“Understood. Should I inform His Highness-”
May I tell him?
Xiaoxi started to ask but immediately corrected himself.
Wasn’t this a matter too important to question? His master was now Jhin, and there could be no secrets regarding him.
“I will convey your message.”
“Good. Thank you for your work.”
“Xiao, thank you. We’re heading to the main residence because of the appointment ceremony preparations. If anything comes up, contact us there.”
“Yes, Romandro.”
Romandro patted his shoulder appreciatively and gave a nod to Barsabe, who was guarding the door.
Click.
“Xiao. It seemed like someone came by earlier.”
Shortly after, Jhin returned from the garden holding a few flowers. In that brief time, his cheeks had flushed red from the sunlight.
Xiaoxi pulled out a chair and nodded.
“Count Ian and Romandro visited.”
“Then why didn’t you call me?”
“They were busy with the appointment ceremony and didn’t stay long.”
“Is that so? What was their business?”
A flower petal was tucked between the pages of a book. I hoped that someday, when time had passed, I would find it and remember this day.
“…They said there are still traitors in the Magic Department, and that I should serve Your Highness with special care.”
“Traitors?”
Jhin’s delicate brow furrowed immediately.
Traitors—a word that grated on the nerves by its very name.
But what bothered the boy more was the timing of learning this. If there’s a traitor in the Magic Department, wouldn’t they likely be a mage?
It was as good as Ian telling me directly.
To keep mages at a distance.
“Ah, really.”
In the past, I would have accepted it without a shred of doubt. But now that my perspective had opened once, I couldn’t do that.
Questions continued to swirl in my mind. Was it true? Or had Count Ian lied to check me?
If my power grew closer to the mages’ faction, the Minister’s central role would become unnecessary.
“…Your Highness?”
“No. Let’s start the lesson quickly. We’ve wasted too much break time. Bring the tutor.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Jhin blinked his eyes wide as if to regain focus and grasped his pen. His small, delicate fist was quite firm.
At the Servant’s call, the Tutor came rushing over with his tea, and Jin displayed a level of concentration that was incomparable to before—as if he were deliberately erasing all extraneous thoughts from his mind.
Whiiiing!
Meanwhile, Ian, who had boarded the carriage with Romandro, spoke while gazing out the window.
“Romandro. About that person who was with Jhin in the garden earlier…”
Ian’s words were swallowed by the rattling of the carriage. When Romandro smiled as if asking him to repeat himself, Ian enunciated each syllable carefully once more.
“The person who was with Jhin in the garden earlier.”
“Ah, yes. What about them?”
“I suggest we verify their personal details again. And keep a close eye on them.”
An order to place them under surveillance.
Romandro scratched his mustache and acknowledged with understanding.
* * *
Dawn broke.
The Soldiers standing atop the city walls, who had been gazing only at the sky, checked the time and waved the flag. It was the signal announcing the beginning of a special morning.
Five sturdy men, having received the signal, forcefully pulled out the massive bell-hammer. Then, striking with all their might, they caused the bell’s resonance to echo throughout the central district.
Doooong—
Boys sitting by windows, merchants setting out their tables, a young man tossing newspapers about, and Elders in simple clothes sitting on the steps before their homes—all who heard the bell’s chime rejoiced and placed their hands over their hearts.
Though the hour was early, the streets were already crowded and brimming with vitality.
“The Coronation Ceremony begins!”
“Mother, I can hear the bell ringing from the Imperial Palace!”
“Waaah! A festival! A festival!”
“Come now, let’s hurry! It will be even more crowded around midday!”
“Which nation arrives first, did you say?”
“According to rumor….”
The day before the main ceremony, when distinguished guests from each nation arrived in the heart of Bariel. The beginning of the festival, and for several days to come, the eve celebrations would ensure that night never fell upon Bariel.
Whoosh! Swirling down.
Flower petals cascading endlessly from the sky.
The entire world was painted in shimmering things. Throughout the Coronation Ceremony period ahead, the central district would display beauty and splendor incomparable to any other place.
“They say Ruswena will arrive first!”
To bless the arrival of a new era—Jin’s era—in Bariel.

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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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