Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 520

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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 519
Concluding the Transaction
Tap tap tap!
Princess Kaila of House Hollin leaned forward at the waist, examining the blade lying on the table. The sword stretched in a perfect line, gleaming as it caught the light—more beautiful and captivating than any jewel.
As I observed the blade’s tip growing progressively lighter and sharper, I found myself wondering whose blood this weapon would drink next. When a commotion echoed from outside, I reflexively furrowed my brow and turned my head.
Knock knock.
“Ah, Miss.”
“What is all this commotion about?”
“A guest has arrived from the Imperial Palace.”
Again?
The Imperial Palace officials, already desperate, had been wearing holes in their shoes running back and forth between the palace and this estate. They had attempted to persuade my father the Count with trivial excuses, and beside him, they had pestered me relentlessly, begging for my consideration. Perhaps my laughter made me seem easy to manipulate? They were attempting to convey proposals to my father through me that he would never accept directly.
Sick of Imperial Palace officials, I had intended to put away my sword and leave without seeing them.
“That’s enough. Tell them I have other matters to attend to today.”
“It’s… Minister Ian Hielo of the Magic Department, Miss. Your father happens to be away at the moment…”
I froze. The moment I heard the servant’s announcement, I yanked the door open.
“Lead the way. Is he in the reception room?”
“Ah, yes yes. Though it does seem he came knowing your father was absent.”
“Of course he did. Would such an esteemed visitor have traveled all this way without knowing the master of the house was away?”
I walked down the corridor, tidying my hair as the servants followed, gracefully arranging my dress hem. Every action—fastening my rings, clasping my necklace—resembled a warrior preparing for battle.
Before the half-open reception room, I caught my reflection in the window one final time. Then I activated my radiant smile.
Knock knock.
“Good day, Minister of Magic.”
“Good day, Princess Kaila.”
Ian Hielo sat on the sofa in his Magic Department uniform, waiting for me. His teacup remained untouched. I glanced at the full cup of tea, then gave Ian a slight nod.
“How unexpected. You seem to have come to see my father, yet he’s away at the moment.”
“The butler informed me. I realize my timing is rather poor, but given the urgency of the matter, I hastened here to convey my message. Are there no other family members present besides you, Princess Kaila?”
“No. You may speak with me. I will safeguard your words and relay them to my father exactly as you state them.”
I gestured to a servant to brew fresh tea. Whatever his intentions, it was impolite not to drink what had been offered. I needed to discern whether his hand simply hadn’t moved toward the cup, or if there was some other reason behind it.
Pour.
“But Minister, what brings you here?”
“Nothing in particular. I simply heard that House Hollin has been receiving many visitors lately.”
“Surely that’s thanks to the Magic Department? I never expected our family to be mentioned in connection with payment disputes between Imperial Palace departments.”
I was smiling, but my words were laced with thorns. The implication was clear: settle your payment disputes among yourselves—why drag us into this?
Yet Ian merely smiled and replied smoothly.
“Indeed. I was surprised myself. I thought House Hollin had no connection to the palace, but your influence is so considerable that you were mentioned regardless.”
In other words: who told you to collude with Imperial Palace officials and expand your business? You were the ones who extended your reach first. So if you wish to complain, direct your grievances at your own past decisions.
‘Tch.’
I felt my expression hardening. Though I rarely lost my composure in such situations, Ian Hielo’s tone and word choice were particularly grating.
“And so?”
“Did you not offer a counter-proposal? I’ve brought my direct response to it. First—”
Swish.
At my gesture, Romandro standing behind me produced a stack of documents—contracts for the sale of territory and the liquidation of its assets. Everything was prepared so that the Hollin Family need only affix their seal for the transaction to be finalized.
“What is this?”
“You’ve never seen a contract before? Ah, if there’s any issue, Princess Kaila, it’s quite alright. We can wait until the Count arrives.”
No matter how much actual authority she wielded within the family, the Count had always taken the lead in every major decision. Faced with this attitude that suggested she should step back if she couldn’t handle it, Kaila couldn’t help but furrow her brow.
“I understand what a contract is perfectly well by sight. My question concerns why you’ve presented it now. It seems you don’t understand, having spent so long away from Bariel.”
Hooh! Romandro’s eyes widened slightly as he stood silently behind me. I was one thing, but the Princess’s sharpness was truly formidable.
“Is this your answer to my counter-proposal?”
Thud.
Kaila picked up the contract and set it back down, as if to say she didn’t understand what I was getting at.
Regardless, I smiled broadly and unscrewed the pen cap myself, sliding it toward her. Even though I knew she didn’t have the authority to make a decision right now.
“You proposed the dismissal of Marquis Marko and Count Chiles.”
“Yes, I did.”
“Are you aware that this constitutes an overreach of authority?”
“An overreach? How amusing. I issued no command—I merely stipulated it as a condition of the contract. So were those two officials dismissed? I’ve taken no authority, so I don’t see how you can call it an overreach.”
“The very act of attempting to remove people serving the Emperor and the Prince for personal reasons is the problem. For someone of your standing as a Count’s daughter, not to know this… truly, much time has passed.”
I tapped the edge of the contract.
“However, the Prince has been magnanimous and, considering the Magic Department’s budget and the special circumstances of war, has offered a compromise. Henceforth, all officials in the imperial palace will be evaluated and scored under the Prince’s assessment system. Do you understand what that means?”
If the Hollin Family wished to check Davion, they should not bare their fangs but rather stand beside Jin with their heads bowed. As long as the Prince held Davion’s leash, he could loosen or tighten it as circumstances dictated.
Kaila opened her mouth slightly, bewildered.
“An assessment system? In the imperial palace?”
“Yes. It will be announced officially soon. I’m informing you beforehand, so the Marquis Hollin Family would do well to seize this opportunity.”
“But what does that—”
As Kaila’s mouth moved wordlessly, I helpfully elaborated.
“Traditionally, dismissals and appointments have occurred without fail each year at the New Year’s gathering, but there was a lack of systematic means to objectively assess bureaucratic performance. With this opportunity, all officials of commander rank and above will be granted a new framework under the Emperor’s standards.”
“…How so?”
What on earth had the Davion Family done to place the noose around their own necks? And more importantly, how had Prince Jin managed this? Kaila asked, but I merely laughed as if the question was meaningless.
Figure it out yourself, why don’t you?
“In any case, I’m informing you that authority over the punishment of those two officials you suggested will henceforth rest not with me but with the Prince. While not dismissal, I’ve outlined means that could amount to the same. Surely this satisfies your conditions?”
Kaila clenched her fist beneath the folds of her dress. She needed to verify whether this was real or not. It made no sense by ordinary logic.
The fact that people who would have lived comfortably doing nothing had voluntarily rolled into the imperial grasp seemed deeply suspicious.
“Will the officials simply accept this?”
“Princess. Do you know which position is the only one appointed independently without imperial discussion at the New Year’s gathering?”
“…No.”
“The Minister of Magic. That position.”
Such was tradition.
Even without this, the Minister of Magic would willingly enter the yoke, so what grounds could other officials possibly have to resist? I shook my head briefly to indicate there was nothing more to say.
“And soon, an indictment will arrive at the Hollin residence.”
“An indictment?”
“From the Davion side. They’ve charged violation of imperial law. Inevitably, the court will have to determine right and wrong, but will that be acceptable to you?”
The Judiciary was renowned for its impartiality, yet it remained a department under the Imperial Palace. Especially now, with public outrage clearly justified and ample evidence to prove the Hollin Family’s crimes.
Princess Kaila found herself staring at Ian with an icy expression, and he responded with gentle words, urging her not to look at him that way.
“The exact consequences would depend on Imperial law, but in the worst case scenario, portions of the Hollin Family’s territories could be confiscated. If that happens, they won’t recover a single coin.”
“…I don’t understand your intentions.”
Under Imperial law, the beneficiary of any confiscated territories would be the Imperial Palace. The Magic Department would welcome such an outcome with open arms. Yet she couldn’t fathom why Ian was hinting at this beforehand, acting as though he were offering assistance.
“Before that, transfer the territories to the Magic Department at the original purchase price. That way, you can at least break even.”
Only then did Princess Kaila realize that no price had been set for the sale of the base. In other words, it was already included in the territory valuation he was discussing.
“Blacksmiths from Razasan are arriving. With war approaching, I believe it’s prudent to begin operations as quickly as possible. This is an opportunity I’m offering based on that judgment.”
If she waited, she could obtain it without cost, but no one could guarantee how long the trial would take. Given concerns about the Judiciary’s reputation and the scrutiny of other central nobles, rushing through proceedings seemed impossible. He was essentially asking for cooperation.
“If you transfer the territories under these conditions, I will do my best to ensure the trial proceeds smoothly.”
“…Didn’t you make the same proposal to Davion? That you’d help facilitate the trial proceedings? If so, she would gladly accept the leash to cut us down.”
Her intuition was quite sharp.
Ian nodded slightly, as if somewhat surprised, but offered no answer. He merely gazed coldly at the cooling teacup.
Princess Kaila deliberated for a moment before finally parting her lips with difficulty.
“Grant me one more assurance.”
“What would that be?”
“If the Hollin Family’s power diminishes, my competitiveness as an Empress candidate will also decline. For me, that’s equivalent to losing everything. Please do not interfere with our general weapons business rights. Regardless of whether they deal with monsters or anything else, I will remain uninvolved.”
“A merchant speaks through what they sell. The Dera Tribe blacksmiths will arrive soon. Why don’t you come to the palace wielding your family’s finest blade? Those who survive the competition will become the Empire’s sword.”
With that, Ian rose to his feet. Just as he turned to leave, he paused, as if remembering something.
“And Princess, this is a question I’m asking just in case.”
“What is it?”
“Is the Countess perhaps of Burgos descent?”
“…!”
He was asking because of the dealings made during the Burgos civil war, and because Princess Kaila’s eye color and hair color seemed suspicious. For a fleeting moment, bewilderment flickered across her face, but she straightened her posture stiffly and spoke as if nothing were amiss.
“What do you mean by that?”
“I’m asking out of concern. Under no circumstances should you transfer ownership of the territories to outsiders. If you do, no matter who it is, this estate will lose its master once again.”
Just as the Haimanga did.
Princess Kaila showed no particular reaction. Not until Ian left the reception room.
Clatter.
As Princess Kaila leaned forward on the table, she accidentally spilled some tea. Her dress hem got slightly wet, but she paid it no mind.
She clearly knew something.
About her mother.
“…I’ll beat her to death.”
Muttering a vulgar curse, Princess Kaila worked to suppress her rage. After staring at the contract before her for a long while, she called out for a servant.
“Where is Father!?”
“Ah, he’s on his way in urgently right now….”
“Prepare the office. He’ll need to stamp the seal as soon as he arrives.”
“Yes, Miss.”
Princess Kaila clenched her teeth and continued muttering.
“And prepare a messenger to send to Burgos.”

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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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