Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 311

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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 311
There Are No Eternal Secrets
“The Crown Prince seems to be running late.”
The officials sipped their wine, acutely aware of Jin’s absence. It had been hours since word arrived that he’d returned from the procession, yet he still hadn’t made an appearance. Some of them swirled their glasses idly, making inconsequential remarks.
“He’s been working hard since this morning. He must be exhausted. Since this isn’t an official schedule, it’s perfectly acceptable for him to rest.”
“That may be true, but with his seat empty, I worry there might be some awkwardness in how we receive our distinguished guests….”
Their gazes drifted upward. Through the gaps in the curtains, servants could be glimpsed moving about. Three nations’ leaders were gathered here without imperial oversight.
Throughout the festival, they’d been careful to avoid scheduling conflicts, yet here at the very end, a gap had opened up.
“There are also very few mages present.”
“Two people collapsed upon entering the palace, I hear. Someone even bled, they say. Hmm. In any case, don’t worry. They’re surely handling matters on their own. We should simply enjoy this grand celebration.”
“That’s right. This is the imperial palace. There are no secrets to be shared in whispers here.”
“Oh my, then I take back what I said earlier. Haha!”
“I’ll take mine back too. Hahaha! Oh, good evening!”
“It’s been a while. Did you enjoy the banquet the other night?”
The commotion was hardly different from outside the palace. And no wonder—all the imperial troubles thus far had stemmed from the lack of an official heir. Though Jin was still young, he’d secured his position with recognized legitimacy, so it was clear he would flourish as time passed. How could they not laugh?
The nobles, of course, had different concerns.
‘They’re delighted.’
Eriponi gazed down through the curtains. To see them laughing and chattering in the heart of the imperial palace as though dignity meant nothing—so the festival truly was a festival.
Tap.
Unlike this desolate place.
Damon advanced his jewel-carved chess piece forward with a slight nod of his head, as if daring the other to respond. Noah’s already narrow eyes grew even more slitted, and thorns could be felt in the hand that continued the game.
Eriponi whispered to Eldetr, her brow furrowed.
“What on earth are they doing? They’ve been like this since they arrived, and they’re still at it.”
“They were never on good terms to begin with….”
It was an answer full of implications. Eriponi studied the two men alternately, her fingertips supporting her temples.
The problem was that on that day, while she’d been in secret meeting with the daughter of House Sereo, she hadn’t witnessed their final moments. And afterward, hadn’t the imperial palace’s deliberate scheduling prevented her from even catching a glimpse?
They’d barely met, barely gathered in one place, and yet the atmosphere was like this. If this were Eriponi’s palace, she would have smashed the chess board to pieces on the spot.
“Now listen here.”
Tap.
The moment Eriponi, unable to bear it any longer, spoke up, Noah set down his chess piece roughly. Yet his face bore a gentle smile, contradicting his hand’s harshness. Irritation flickered in her three-cornered eyes.
“Yes, King of Eriponi.”
“Now that the appointment ceremony is complete, you’ll each be returning to your own nations soon. Meetings are precious. Why do you devote yourselves only to chess, I wonder.”
“Will you join us?”
“…What did you say?”
“Please come closer, Your Majesty.”
Eriponi’s expression darkened with indignation. Who did he think he was, telling her to come?
But Damon across from him felt the same way, and even their stewards’ gazes toward Ruswena’s side were anything but ordinary. Eriponi snapped her fan shut roughly and approached the two men.
If things went wrong, she really would smash that damned chess board….
Tap.
“…!”
As Eriponi settled beside him, Noah moved his chess piece again. Then the lines gleamed, and faint characters appeared in the blank spaces—was this really happening?
“What is this…”
They were conducting a silent conversation between themselves. It appeared to be a secret technique that Burgos had prepared as a countermeasure against mage eavesdropping.
When Eriponi frowned without hiding her displeasure, Damon spoke in a soothing tone.
“You did not arrive in the middle of the game.”
Right. I had been delayed by a brief conversation with Princess Alena.
“Chess can only be truly enjoyed by two players. Had you mentioned it, I would have yielded my seat.”
Eriponi had arrived late and, even after arriving, had said nothing while merely gazing down at the lower level. So they had simply continued their conversation. His words weren’t wrong, but that didn’t improve my mood.
“Well then, who is winning at present?”
“It’s unclear. The outcome cannot be hastily determined.”
Tap.
It was Damon’s turn.
-If Cliffford has the will to participate in the three-nation alliance, please issue a deed acknowledging that the collateral jewels grant no rights whatsoever. This matter shall remain confidential from Bariel’s side.
Though he possessed the actual jewels, he was requesting that the absence of rights be documented and transferred. This would allow him to first overcome the resistance of Burgos nobility. He was suggesting that once the gates of Bariel’s imperial palace opened, the jewels could be reclaimed.
However, Noah stroked his chin as if troubled.
-I do possess the will regarding the three-nation alliance. But I trust you will understand. Before the owner reclaims collateral, the custodian bears the duty to manage and oversee it with utmost sincerity. There can be no duty without rights. If I issue a deed of rights renunciation as you desire, it would signify that Cliffford refuses Bariel’s proposal-
Tap.
-It would be akin to handing the sword’s hilt to Burgos, yet given the clarity of our shared history, can such a thing be justified?
An alliance—excellent. But the very existence of such a deed would be hostility toward Bariel. Is there any guarantee that Burgos would not use it as a weakness to strike from behind?
History is not merely words inscribed upon paper. It is a guide by which to measure one’s counterpart, the voice of our ancestors urging us never to forget the past.
-You are indirectly stating that there is no will for an alliance.
-It is not indirect speech, but rather a request for safeguards regarding the deed’s issuance. Allow us to import premium fertilizer at half the current price, waive tariffs on the wine we export, and double the quantity.
As if such terms could be easily granted. Burgos’s storehouses were not as overflowing as Bariel’s, and the anti-Cliffford faction within Burgos would not remain idle.
Damon touched his chess piece while regarding Noah. From his demeanor, it was certain that Cliffford’s participation in the alliance had fallen through.
-It seems your fatigue has not yet fully dissipated.
That day, I had thought your condition appeared poor and that conversation was impossible, yet seeing that it remains so now suggests the matter persists.
The wrinkles deepened between Noah’s brows as his gentle smile faded.
-That cannot be. Is it not said that the eyes are the windows of the soul? It appears that because King Damon finds himself uncomfortable, I seem uncomfortable as well.
-Prince Noah. The three-nation alliance is far deeper than today’s crown prince investiture ceremony and will remain in the annals of history. It is a matter of national importance that would overturn the balance of power, yet you persist in taking unreasonable positions. I find this most regrettable.
Tap.
Eriponi shook her head while regarding the bewildered Eldetr. Her gaze conveyed understanding of why the chess had been played so fiercely. They had continued a conversation that would not end in this manner, after all.
Knock, knock.
“Pardon the intrusion.”
At that moment, a stranger’s announcement came from outside. Damon’s hand, which had been about to place a chess piece, stopped.
“Crown Prince Jin sends word that he cannot attend due to health reasons. The honored guests are encouraged to proceed freely with the schedule to ease any disappointment. Should you require anything, please do not hesitate to command.”
“How unfortunate.”
If Jin did not appear, and if the three-nation alliance also fell through, there was no reason to remain. Damon overturned his chess pieces and released a sigh.
“Prince Noah. I shall concede the game to you. It was an enjoyable match. Cliffford truly is a nation that knows how to enjoy itself. Yet I find it somewhat regrettable that you only know how to enjoy. Even when you enjoy, it would be better to play a game you can win.”
Though Prince Noah’s expression remained unchanged, May’s lips behind him had grown rigid. That remark was tantamount to disparaging Cliffford’s very character.
“King Eriponi. Will you not remain as well?”
“No, there’s no need. Distinguishing between where one should sit and where one shouldn’t—that too is a virtue of a ruler.”
At Damon’s question, Eriponi rose from her seat as well.
This wasn’t a festival involving three nations, but merely Bariel’s celebration. Why should I remain seated? It would be better to step outside and attend to the unfinished matters.
“Let us depart together. Burgos seems likely to leave the palace first. I cannot simply sit idle. It would be better to finalize the mana stone transaction with the Magic Ministry.”
“I have matters to attend to as well. Prince Noah, it was good to see you.”
“Then, farewell.”
The two kings looked down at Noah, still seated, and turned their backs without hesitation—not a single moment of lingering. Timothy collected the chessboard, and Eldetr disappeared following the two of them.
Noah, watching their departure quietly, rested his chin in his palm and let out a meaningful sigh.
“Hmm.”
“Your Highness. Is something troubling you?”
“No, nothing troubles me, but something nags at me.”
“Please don’t worry too much. Burgos has had poison on his tongue for ages.”
“No, not him. Ruswena.”
“Pardon? Why Ruswena?”
May handed Noah a cool glass as she asked in return.
During their chess conversation, Eriponi hadn’t added a single word. There was no action to displease her. Rather, since she had only recently learned the secret of the chessboard, it was she who should be displeased.
“She showed no reaction whatsoever.”
“…That’s precisely what nags at me.”
Bariel versus three nations.
Cliffford’s economic and national power weren’t enough to overwhelm the two countries, but that’s exactly why she was such a necessary ally.
Comparable nations banding together to oppose Bariel—one could easily imagine how large a hole the absence of a single nation would create.
Damon, being the one who led the alliance, was understandable, but wasn’t Ruswena concerned?
“It seems Ruswena has no intention of breaking ties with Burgos. Since she must have realized that Cliffford was growing closer to Bariel’s side, it’s only a matter of time before the alliance’s existence comes to light.”
This suggested that even without Cliffford, maintaining the alliance with just Burgos and herself could offset the danger.
It seemed that on the night I was cursed, the two nations had gone outside and conducted some sort of transaction.
“There’s a secret that Burgos and Ruswena are harboring. It unsettles me. I need to uncover it.”
“I shall investigate at once. Though time is short with the imminent departure. It is indeed suspicious. Had I been the king of Ruswena or Burgos, I would have immediately dissolved the three-nation alliance. The fact that they’re maintaining it—it’s suspicious.”
May nodded in understanding. Then, calculating the time against the kings who had departed earlier, she too rose from her seat. Though she had turned her bow toward Bariel, there wasn’t time enough to enjoy a seat without its master.
* * *
Tap, tap, tap.
A carriage swaying quietly.
Timothy observed the carriage from Ruswena’s side growing distant through the window, until Damon, lost in thought, called for him.
“The director of the Mana Stone Management Ministry is someone called Akorelra?”
“Yes. He departed the palace due to dragon plague. Are you planning to meet with him?”
“Hasn’t he been nearly cured? Since he cannot be brought in, we have no choice but to go out.”
“I was concerned it might be troublesome for you.”
There was a matter that had remained undiscussed because the authority figure needed to export mana stones for the auxiliary palace construction was currently absent from the palace.
To handle this, he was going to meet with Akorelra. Naturally, bringing a mage along.
“Nonsense.”
“But this is truly problematic. Cliffford’s position was decided far sooner than expected.”
“…Still, there will be confusion. They likely believed things couldn’t function without them, but as the alliance continues, there will be far more to contemplate.”
Screeeech!
The carriage came to a halt before the Magic Ministry. As Timothy prepared to descend, a Guard approached and spoke through the window.
“My apologies, but the Mage accompanying the royal departure has already departed. It seems there was a misunderstanding due to a change in personnel.”
“I see. Is that so?”
“I’ll inform the Coachman of the address, so you may depart immediately. Then.”
I’d heard that some Mages had collapsed during the procession—it appears to be true.
The Coachman received a note from the Guard and immediately cracked the whip. In response, the Burgos escort soldiers also turned their horses’ heads and began to follow.
The carriage raced onward, departing beyond the palace walls. The streets were somewhat quieter than when we first arrived. It seemed the residents who had indulged themselves for days had exhausted their vigor.
Clop clop clop!
The carriage rushed down a side street through the center, and a disorderly crowd swiftly passed by—among them, an Old Woman suddenly caught King Damon’s eye.
‘…?!’
Deeply sunken cheeks, a body like a burlap sack.
The Gypsy who consumed secrets smiled as she gazed upon the carriage.

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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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