Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 315

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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 315
Fire. Dilemma
A silence as brittle as thin ice. It was clear that Romandro and Timothy had their ears pressed to the door outside.
The study felt frozen in time until King Damon unconsciously scraped the sofa. Ian’s gaze traced the path of Damon’s fingertips, and from the whitened edges, he could sense the force behind them.
“Fortunately, the sofa is resilient.”
Otherwise, it would have lost its original form long ago, like the vase on the floor.
Damon responded to Ian’s jest with a fierce look. His mind seemed quite turbulent. After all, the secret had been revealed, yet it brought no benefit whatsoever.
“The departure from the palace draws near. Let us expedite the investigation. Please ensure that no one exchanged pouches with you during your stay in the imperial palace. If even a speck of trouble arises, it will be most inconvenient for you.”
When high-ranking leaders of nations meet, they surely do more than laugh and jest. Between families or officials, countless transactions both large and small occur beneath the surface.
If such dealings are constructive, the imperial palace commends them, but occasionally illegal transactions are discovered—a persistent problem. Ian was warning him to be careful with the pouches of gold and silver received in return.
“Did the Gypsy truly make such a prophecy?”
“You speak of the prophecy regarding Burgos’s future?”
Ian nodded leisurely. Just as Damon had extracted what he wanted by threatening the Gypsy’s life, Ian was attempting the same.
“If you ask the Gypsy before he dies, that should suffice. He is one who devours secrets, not one who preserves prophecies, is he not?”
If you have him with you, and if the Gypsy’s breath is truly fading, you need only go and ask. Is that not so?
Faced with Ian’s refusal to verify the truth, Damon furrowed his brow. Then, quickly putting an end to his deliberation, he admitted it.
“…The Gypsy is gone.”
This is the imperial palace, and the other party is a Mage. If an investigation proceeds, the truth will emerge regardless. It is more advantageous to yield when necessary than to stubbornly resist.
“Are you certain he is gone?”
“Yes. The blood on the dagger also belongs to someone unrelated to the Gypsy.”
Ian smiled as if disappointed, but inwardly, he felt relief.
I knew it. I knew it, yet I could not help myself—this matter is far too important. Not even a mustard seed’s worth of danger can be allowed to touch Bariel’s future.
“I see. Then, rather than an investigation, I shall conduct a verification.”
Similar words, yet their implications were entirely different. He would merely confirm whether Damon’s testimony was true. The King gazed at the water trickling beneath the carpet and murmured.
“…However the Gypsy saw the future, this time he was wrong.”
I have already changed much. And soon, more will change. The King and Queen who died earlier than their original time were proof of this, and my encounter with Ian before me was no different.
“The same as before? You must be wary of that. Otherwise, your very existence and that of the Crown Prince will sink into doubt.”
“What do you mean?”
Ian asked in return.
Was he obliquely saying that in Damon’s previous life, neither Jin nor Ian existed? Yet he had clearly seen Jin’s portrait in Emperor Ian’s life.
Damon seemed to have no intention of explaining, merely turning his head firmly and adjusting his posture.
“One thing is certain. That I am living two lives—you acknowledge this as well. You will come to regret not following me now.”
“Oh? I already find that regrettable. Does that mean Bariel will be overthrown in the future?”
Absurd. Bariel will endure for a hundred years more. Only Emperor Ian’s existence crumbled. When I responded with disbelief, Damon displayed open contempt.
“Those said to be close to divine beings, yet you are duller than expected. I shall leave the gates of Burgos open. Whenever you wish, you are welcome to set foot there.”
He nudged Ian’s shoulder with his fingertips as he sat. A warning, accompanied by laughter and bared teeth. Damon whispered very quietly.
“Whether it is this time or not, I shall continue to forge the future I desire, and eventually, I will prevail. I shall etch your smiling face clearly into my memory.”
At the ambiguous statement, Ian’s eyes gleamed.
What did “this time” mean?
Did it refer to now, when the secret had been discovered in the imperial palace?
Or perhaps a second life?
If the latter, it’s difficult to discern whether he’s also considering a third life. I brushed away Damon’s fingertips as they tapped against my shoulder.
‘…Come to think of it, I traveled back through time because of Naum. But how was Damon able to regress? According to the Gypsy, it was merely related to his brother’s death. Was he also a Mage?’
If Damon knew the secret of regression, I could use that knowledge to unravel my own secrets as well.
So I would leave room for doubt.
Just in case—the tiniest margin of uncertainty.
“I merely placed faith in the Gypsy’s prophecy. If Your Majesty knows the future but the flow of events doesn’t change, then you’re no different from an old man reminiscing over a diary decades from now….”
If the flow changes as one desires, what meaning does knowing the future hold?
It was a question that cut to the heart of the matter. Damon, struck by the truth, curled the corners of his mouth upward.
“…Impressive. Even more so than the rumors suggest.”
“Rumors are difficult to surpass, after all. I’ll accept it as a compliment.”
As Damon adjusted his clothing, his short hair swayed gracefully. He had just realized how much he’d revealed in this conversation with me.
Silence is apt for evasion, yet it leaves traces. I had detected that beneath Damon’s sophistry lay his true intentions.
A future he wished to change, and regression information that would become useless if he succeeded. A king standing in that gap.
“I have one final question. Since we are bound by fate as you say, I ask that you answer truthfully.”
“Please ask.”
“Does Timothy know?”
The secrets of the Gypsy, Damon, and myself.
The truth was singular and unambiguous, yet it was not a question I could answer easily in this situation.
‘No matter what I say, Timothy is in trouble.’
If I say he knows? He becomes someone who conspired with me to betray and mock his sovereign. But if I tell the truth, that also becomes a problem….
‘I showed hostility toward Damon from Bariel’s side. When someone like me is asked such a question, the natural offensive move is to say Timothy knows as well. That way, I could easily damage their relationship. But if I say the opposite? If I say Timothy doesn’t know the secret, that he’s uninvolved?’
He would suspect that too. He might misinterpret it as me protecting Timothy. A true dilemma—no matter how I answer, Timothy will lose Damon’s trust.
Though the very act of asking such a question already reveals his distrust.
“No. He doesn’t know.”
“He doesn’t?”
“It would be correct to say he’s uninvolved.”
If there’s a problem either way, then speaking the truth is the right choice. I could only hope my worries were unfounded.
I bowed my head and answered earnestly, while Damon gazed down at the back of my head with violet eyes.
Ding.
Damon walked directly to the desk and rang the bell. The office door swung open as if on cue, and Romandro and Timothy rushed in simultaneously.
“Did you call for me, Minister Ian!”
“Your Majesty, is something wrong?”
Oh my. Why does such a chill permeate this dark office? Romandro hesitated and examined the scattered glass on the floor, then turned to look at me. His mouth hung open as he asked if I was injured—quite an amusing sight.
“I accidentally broke it. Have a servant clean it up. His Majesty says he’s leaving.”
“Ah, is that so? Minister Ian broke it by accident. I see. You, who handle hundreds of pages of reports flawlessly, made a mistake. And in front of His Majesty, no less. Hmm.”
Muttering to himself, Romandro kept glancing at Damon and grumbling. His eyes showed complete disbelief.
No matter that he’s the King, to behave this way in Minister Bariel’s office! And he’s the Minister of Magic, no less! There’s no precedent, no example of such conduct!
“Your Majesty. Shall I call for your carriage?”
“Yes. Minister Ian, it was a pleasant conversation. Do take care.”
Crack.
I crushed the glass shards deliberately before me and left the office. My subordinates, who had been waiting in the reception hall, poured out in a rush to follow, and soon disappeared around the corner.
As if he had been waiting for this moment, Romandro raised his voice loudly.
“Good grief, madness!”
“It’s fine, Romandro. I truly was the one who broke it.”
“If it were Berik, perhaps, but now you expect me to believe that? Where did he throw the vase? If even a scratch appears on that precious face, this becomes a matter of national concern!”
I found Romandro’s exaggerated tirade amusing and simply laughed. After all, I had orchestrated this outcome to provoke him, so I bore some responsibility for it. I sat back at my desk and asked.
“Did you deliver the travel permit without issue?”
“Yes. He seemed confused about it, but he tucked it away safely.”
“Good. I’m relieved.”
“By the way, why did you give him such a thing? Since Timothy is a diplomat, it shouldn’t have much practical use. If there’s another purpose, tell me. I’ll search for a suitable gift in return.”
He was asking whether there was anything special to address regarding the delegation. Timothy didn’t seem like the type to be swayed by bribes, but the Magic Ministry could still attempt something.
However, I shook my head, telling him not to bother.
“It is truly a pure gift from me.”
A small gesture of consideration I could offer to the ancestor who gave existence to Naum. I had deliberated much before giving it, but if it was something I couldn’t prevent anyway, I wanted it to at least bring some comfort.
“…Looking at King Damon, it doesn’t seem it will take long for him to use it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing, Romandro. It seems the Gypsy is still in the capital. I think it’s best I handle this personally, so gather an appropriate number of people. And…”
If the Gypsy continued to wander freely across the world as she did now, there would be no problem. But if she fell into Damon’s hands, it would become troublesome. Because Jin’s secret remained in her womb. So it would be better for me to capture her before Damon did.
“The Gypsy is still in the capital? Remarkable, that one is quite something. Understood. This time I’ll form an investigation unit in cooperation with the Imperial Guard. And?”
“I’ll send someone to Burgos.”
Romandro stopped his note-taking and wore a puzzled expression. The Gypsy came from Burgos to here, and now we’re sending someone from here to Burgos? What was this about?
“Someone? Who should I select?”
“Someone quick and skilled at gathering information would be ideal.”
“What’s the mission?”
Since Damon was hiding something beneath his sophistry, I would have to dig it up myself. I would begin by examining the greatest gap between his past life and present life.
“I wish to learn about King Damon’s siblings.”
“Siblings?”
The numerous half-siblings and cousins who had driven a wedge between the couple. If I had hoped in my past life that the younger brother who led me to ruin would never be born, then simply creating distance between husband and wife would have been sufficient.
“Did he have siblings? It doesn’t seem there were many.”
“Include the deceased as well. Even rumors will do. Bring me any information about those who bore the name of sibling—anything at all.”
The more I worked, the more Romandro couldn’t fathom my true intentions. He sighed while dutifully writing down the tasks.
“Understood. I’ll select an appropriate person and submit a report. But before that, don’t forget to keep next week’s schedule flexible.”
“Next week? Ah, yes.”
I checked the calendar on my desk and nodded. After the festival period ended, Philia and Nersaren’s engagement ceremony would finally take place.
You haven’t forgotten, have you? As Romandro placed his hand on his hip and glared at me, I let out a soft laugh—a warm smile that melted the icy atmosphere in an instant.
“Understood. I will certainly attend.”

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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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