Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 455

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 455
Fire. The Value of Existence
The Coachman, who had been steadily yet unhurriedly shaking the reins, furrowed his brow. A woman stood in the middle of the hill ahead, directly in the path of the carriage. Her appearance was shabby, her clothes unremarkable. In a place where settlements were virtually nonexistent, had she come deep into the forest to pick flowers?
The distance was considerable, so it seemed the woman could easily move aside. Nevertheless, the Coachman grasped a flag and waved it, just to be safe.
Whoosh!
“What is it?”
“There’s a person ahead.”
“They’ll move aside as we pass.”
“But they’re just standing there. If the carriage stops unnecessarily, we might upset Rutherford’s mood. We should be careful, shouldn’t we?”
“True enough. I glanced back and it looked like he’d just fallen asleep.”
“Hey, you there! Ahead! Move down beside the hill!”
Fearing Rutherford might wake, the Coachman couldn’t blow his whistle and merely raised his voice. But it was useless. Was she deaf? As the distance closed, the Coachman’s hands moved urgently, and soon he realized the woman was staring directly at him.
“Gasp!”
Something felt wrong. The Coachman hastily grabbed the other flag and this time signaled those following behind. It meant an unknown problem had emerged ahead.
Soon, mounted Knights appeared before the Coachman, accelerating their pace.
Clop clop clop!
“There’s a woman ahead! But she shows no sign of moving aside! Could it be a trap?”
“Slow the carriage, but do not stop!”
“Yes, understood!”
Whoooosh!
Neigh! Clop clop clop!
The Knights pressed themselves firmly against their saddles, cutting sharply through the wind. It was a familiar sight. Their lord Rutherford had many followers, but he had just as many enemies. It was not uncommon for assassins to block the road like this, feigning distress to provoke sympathy, or to lay traps.
The Knights released their magical power without lowering their guard.
Zing!
“Wait, hold on!”
Then one Knight raised his sword high and stopped his companions. Though she was dressed in rags, something dignified emanated from her, and her face seemed familiar. At the Knight’s signal, their horses slowed their pace as well.
The woman bit her lips firmly and spread both hands to her sides. It was proof that she harbored no ill intent. And it also meant she knew who the master of this carriage procession was.
“Who are you?”
“I wish to see Rutherford.”
“So who exactly are—”
As the woman pulled back her robe, one Knight muttered.
“Melania Haiman?”
“The name Haiman has long since vanished from this world. I am merely Melania. Tell your master this, and I am certain he will wish to see me.”
Melania? The Young Lady of House Haiman, who controlled the financial arteries of Bariel through banking? The Knights exchanged glances with one another.
They could not help but know. House Haiman was the foremost source of funds in Bariel aside from the imperial palace, and was quite an important client to the merchant Rutherford. Though it was a glory of the past.
In any case, the name Haiman was not easily forgotten, and the same held true for Melania, the sole Young Lady of that house.
“What proof do you have that you are truly Melania?”
“I lost the surname that was half my existence. How could I still possess such things? Your lord knows my face, and that is proof enough.”
What could they do?
The Knights looked down at her from their horses. They could have ignored her and continued on, as there were plenty of madmen spouting nonsense everywhere.
But the carriage’s speed had already noticeably diminished, and once it came to a halt, Rutherford’s questions would surely come down. When that happened, I would have no choice but to report using this woman as a pretext.
“I will conduct a body search.”
“Do as you wish. You may strip me bare if you must.”
The Knight’s eyebrows twitched.
Such an attitude seemed to lend credibility instead. Was she not the Young Lady of House Haiman, called the greatest noble family after the imperial bloodline itself? If she had lost everything yet clung to such petty pride, it was rather amusing in its own way.
The Knight conducted a cursory body search, then gestured with the tip of his sword pointed at her back.
“Follow us. Our master has somewhere urgent to be. If he grows angry at this delay, you will have no choice but to offer your breath in apology.”
Melania felt the swords’ points against her spine as she took slow steps forward. The coachmen had already descended from their seats and stood with bowed backs.
And among them, one man with impeccable posture. His long hair was gathered and bound, and he wore a loose robe—it was Rutherford. He had a cigarette between his lips when he tilted his head at the sudden appearance of this unfamiliar woman.
“What’s this? I thought we’d caught some wild beast on the road.”
“She calls herself Princess Melania. She caused a commotion, which is why the carriage stopped. Rutherford.”
“Melania?”
Rutherford knew. Had circumstances been ordinary, his subordinates would have handled it themselves. That they brought her before him meant there was something worth observing carefully. Rutherford bent at the waist and examined Melania’s face slowly.
At his leisurely movements, Melania held her head high while keeping her gaze lowered—a way of managing her eyes she could never have imagined when House Haiman still stood.
Rutherford circled around Melania, and as if recognizing something, he nodded.
“The mole beside your neck remains unchanged, Young Lady.”
“…It has been a long time since we met.”
Melania’s face flushed slightly as if she had been mocked, but she did not show it. She had already suspected what manner of man he was.
“Indeed. I heard the news. They say a storm descended upon House Haiman. How do you come to be here, Young Lady? Should you not be at your father Duke Haiman’s side?”
The incident where seven families were simultaneously beheaded for treason spread beyond Bariel’s borders throughout Gaia. The seven families of central Bariel were practically the greatest nobility on the continent. Their influence in culture, politics, economics, and countless other spheres could not be ignored.
Thus the question: if treason was the charge, should not all of House Haiman’s members have had their heads torn off and returned to the earth? How had Melania survived? Rutherford laughed as if finding it interesting.
“There are few who could privately release someone guilty of crimes against the imperial family. The imperial family would never do such a thing. The only person I can think of is your childhood friend.”
The bastard Ian. That boy who rolled about in the remote Bratz before rising to become Minister of Magic in the imperial palace.
Melania gripped her skirt tightly and lowered her head.
“I cannot speak of that.”
“That’s fine. Silence is affirmation, the same as what you just said.”
Melania could not clearly define what this feeling toward Ian was. There was nostalgia from childhood, he was the enemy who destroyed her house, yet on the other hand, he was the savior who left her life and opportunity intact.
That Melania lived was equivalent to proof that Ian had turned against the imperial family. Someday this might become a card to strangle his breath, but not now. Since she was not in a position to use it, she merely waited for the appropriate opportunity.
“Please come this way, Young Lady. Since the stop was sudden, there’s no proper space to prepare. It was not part of the plan.”
Creak.
Rutherford grasped the carriage door and gestured to Melania. It was a sign to enter. She could clearly feel his nature—a man who did not wish for the schedule to be delayed.
Melania moistened her parched lips with saliva and carefully stepped through the door.
Creak!
Bang!
As the door closed, Rutherford gave a silent gesture to his subordinates. Then Clark, who had been waiting behind, drew his sword, and the coachmen quickly returned to their positions to prepare for departure.
“So, how did you come to be here?”
The carriage interior was filled with exotic fragrance. Melania felt the wheels moving and pressed herself near the window.
“…I found you, Rutherford. At first, I heard news from the direction of Ruswena, so I went that way.”
“You have connections there, then?”
“House Haiman disappeared under the charge of treason. A cousin in Ruswena could never help me. If anything went wrong, it would only give cause for external criticism.”
“Hmm.”
Rutherford lit the end of his long pipe. As if telling me to continue. Melania realized that the fragrant scent filling the carriage came from that very thing.
“After much inquiry, I heard you had gone to Toluun.”
“Impressive. You have a talent for investigation, Princess.”
“I was worried it would be difficult to travel alone, but I’m not sure if it was luck or what. You’re returning because of the war, aren’t you?”
“You’re not alone.”
“…Pardon?”
“You came with a shadow attached and pretend not to notice?”
Crack!
Rutherford’s pipe swept swiftly past Melania’s cheek. The pipe struck the window as if it might shatter. Then, from somewhere, came a loud crash and commotion.
Melania straightened her back in surprise, her gaze darting about in complete bewilderment.
“What on earth is…”
“When Ian let you go, do you think he merely said farewell? I planted a shadow behind you. Your whereabouts have been reported to me continuously. What was the last village before you came here?”
“It, we’ll arrive soon. It was a very small place.”
Melania keenly caught that Rutherford referred to Ian with considerable familiarity. The pipe, smoke curling from its end, passed by her ear, then caressed her neck and shoulder.
“You would have seen me soon enough without searching. This is why common folk are difficult to manage. They quickly forget kindness and believe what they hold is their own doing.”
“…What do you mean by that?”
Rutherford seemed to have no intention of explaining, merely smiling faintly.
“So, in any case. What is your purpose in seeking me out?”
“I will—”
“You’re not about to ask for help, are you? I don’t accept future empty promises. Though I once had acquaintance with Duke Haiman, there is no reason to extend a hand to a princess from a fallen house.”
Melania’s words caught in her throat. She had meant to say he should help with her restoration, that he knew better than anyone Haiman’s capabilities. But it was cruel, and every word was true.
Rutherford fell silent, his mouth full of smoke.
“…I will give you myself.”
“Oh, Princess. I’m sorry, but I—”
“That’s not what I mean.”
Rutherford, about to decline smoothly, and Melania, frowning as if to tell him to wait. Only then did the light return to the woman’s eyes.
Rutherford smiled with amusement and shrugged his shoulders. As if to say, go on.
“I mean I will give you my ‘existence.’ Honestly, I’m not sure. I’ve heard rumors that you move on Burgos’s side and have considerable stakes in the war that occurred in the south. Since I cannot fathom your true purpose, I don’t know what you want. But—”
Melania took a breath and spoke.
“You are a merchant lord, after all. You want to hold everything except what you lack. Currently in Bariel, aside from the Prince, the foremost figure is Minister Ian Hielo. Isn’t my ‘existence’ precisely what could shake him?”
That single fact—that she had been spared despite being a traitor. It was the strongest card to shake Minister Ian, who held his position.
Rutherford, as if he had been waiting for those very words, exhaled smoke toward Melania. Between the dispersing wisps, his blue eyes gleamed.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————