Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 541

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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 540
Fire. The Crown’s Master
“Gasp! Wheeze!”
Lepin convulsed with ragged breaths, and only then did I recognize the unfamiliar ceiling. Where am I? Who am I? My head throbbed as if it might shatter, and my eyes darted frantically about.
Just as my fragmented memories began to sharpen, several figures suddenly thrust their faces into my view.
“Ahhhhh!”
“My goodness, what a voice. My ears are ringing.”
“Acodi? No, Captain Akorella?”
“Yes. I am Akorella from the Magic Department. These are the Palace Physicians. We’ve been monitoring your condition since you apparently drank yourself senseless and haven’t woken for days. Thank goodness you’ve come to. We nearly had a funeral on our hands.”
Days? I haven’t woken for days?
I clutched at my racing heart and surveyed my surroundings. This appeared to be the Ruswena guest pavilion, yet not a single member of the delegation was visible.
“Wait. You’re holding your chest. Does your heart hurt? And when you normally sleep and wake up, do you always wake like that—’wheeze!’? Were you suffocating?”
“No, right now—”
“How do you feel right now? What’s your physical condition?”
Akorella tapped her glasses up with the end of her pen. I had never mixed Sildam elixir with alcohol before, so I made for a rather valuable test subject. The fact that I was a body that could die without consequence was somewhat of a peculiarity, though.
“How many, how many days have I been like this?”
“I’m not sure about days. It seems to be just under 90 hours.”
“…That’s impossible!”
“Why is it impossible? What’s impossible is your attitude—coming to someone else’s celebration and drinking yourself to death. At your age, how can you not know your own limit?”
“Clearly, clearly you gave me a sleeping draught again! You cunning wretches! Did you think I wouldn’t notice? You conspired with King Clifford and made me consume something strange! Sildam elixir! Yes, that’s it!”
Lepin bolted upright and thrashed about, but the physicians forced me back down. I lacked the strength to move even a single step anyway.
Akorella examined my condition meticulously while shrugging her shoulders.
“Do you have proof?”
“What, what did you say?”
“And who forced it into your mouth? You drank it yourself, so why are you making accusations? Lepin. You said all sorts of things to King Clifford. Will you be alright? If you’re sending a letter to Ruswena, I can help you write it.”
What had I said? I blinked blankly, then suddenly recalled the past moments, and my face drained of color. Dragon!
“Hmm. Your memory seems better than expected.”
“No, that is to say! Regardless of what happened, I was drunk and spouted nonsense. Where is King Clifford now?”
“Oh. So you’re admitting you made a mistake while drinking?”
At Akorella’s question, I hesitated. I realized there was no convenient escape route.
If I strongly raised the issue of being forced to drink Sildam elixir, I would be admitting that everything I revealed was true. If I claimed I merely misspoke while intoxicated, I could lodge no complaint against Bariel’s reckless conduct.
I ground my teeth, and Akorella waited patiently for my response.
‘Filthy mustache.’
‘Mad mage indeed!’
Our gazes were filled with hostility, and the physicians quietly retreated, holding their breath.
“I wish to see King Clifford first.”
“Ah, yes, yes. If you wish to see him, then you should.”
Rather than take a hasty position, I wanted to understand the overall situation unfolding around me. Akorella, as if she’d known this all along, roughly drew back the curtains.
Whoosh!
Brilliant sunlight poured in. And the palace courtyard was packed with crowds so dense there was nowhere to step. I walked toward the window as if my soul had left my body.
“But what am I to do? Both Clifford and the Ruswena Delegation have entered the palace to attend the coronation. With so many people, it’s impossible to leave easily. I’d prefer it if you stayed here with me until the ceremony concludes.”
“What kind of unreasonable demand is that?”
“Unreasonable? Then by all means, try leaving on your own. If you get trampled to death, Bariel bears no responsibility.”
These creatures who could fly through the sky, yet resorting to such tricks! Lepin’s jaw clenched, his beard trembling with indignation. Captain Akorella pulled up a chair and sat down, then began what could only be described as an interrogation.
“Are you experiencing severe abdominal pain? Any nausea?”
“If there were nothing wrong, that would be far stranger!”
“And your head?”
“Perfectly clear—my judgment is unimpaired!”
“So the problem lies with the tribute Dragon?”
“Of course—!”
Lepin, who had been shouting with such confidence, froze mid-sentence. Regardless, Captain Akorella calmly continued, pen scratching across paper.
“The scale condition of the Dragon that arrived as tribute was catastrophic. It was serious enough to affect its lifespan. But that’s not all.”
Tap.
A water bottle appeared naturally on the side table. Lepin instinctively recognized it as truth serum. He pressed himself against the wall for protection and began inching toward the door.
“Why, why are you doing this? I am Lepin, the chief envoy of Ruswena! Threatening me is equivalent to declaring war on Ruswena—surely you know this?”
“I know. I know very well. But I’m not sure what I’ve done to provoke such hysteria.”
Click! Lepin’s heart sank with the sound. The door had locked from outside. Captain Akorella rested her chin in her hand, smiling wickedly, then gestured for him to come closer while he still had the chance.
“Do you truly believe you can subjugate Ruswena with such tactics?”
“My, what a devoted patriot—tears practically blind you. One might think your nation doesn’t exist. But I love Bariel too, you see? So when someone throws the first punch, well, it simply puts me in a foul mood.”
When Lepin showed no sign of moving, Captain Akorella walked toward him herself.
“I have several questions, and whether you cooperate will determine how intact you return to Ruswena.”
“Don’t, don’t, don’t do this!”
“Is the tribute Dragon a hybrid species?”
“…!”
“How many black-armored soldiers are prepared?”
“I don’t know! I don’t know! Take my tongue instead!”
As Lepin attempted to bite his own tongue, servants rushed forward and shoved cloth into his mouth.
“And finally. Do you know the Dragon’s abilities?”
“Mmph! Mmph!”
Pop! Captain Akorella opened the truth serum bottle and slowly waved it before Lepin’s frantic eyes.
“Are you not afraid of Ruswena?”
“Mmph!”
“Then are you not afraid of Bariel?”
“Wahhh! Wahhh!”
“It begins! It finally begins!”
As Captain Akorella whispered, the roar of the crowd outside swept in like a tempest. The coronation was about to commence. She winked at Lepin and asked.
“You know they’re holding the coronation and the war declaration ceremony together, right?”
“Mmph—”
War declaration ceremony.
Once war was declared, the valiant soldiers of Bariel would march in formation toward Burgos to strike down the enemy.
This meant that for Bariel, only allies and enemies would exist, and Ruswena, which had long diverged in its stance, would become an absolutely crushable opponent.
And Lepin was Ruswena’s representative.
In other words, he would become the representative of the enemy.
“Come now. Let us begin as well! Use this to cleanse yourself. Until you’ve purged everything inside! Yes!”
From the moment a representative came instead of a king, this had been a fate largely predetermined—either cooperate with Bariel like Shatima, the Prime Minister of Hawan, to seize control back home, or fulfill one’s duty as a prisoner.
Lepin thrashed about, shaking his head desperately, but no one came to his aid due to the sheer chaos erupting throughout the palace. Even if they had heard him, nothing would have changed.
* * *
The main hall carried a solemn atmosphere. Even the nobles, who were ordinarily the most resplendent, wore barely any jewels, and their fabrics were of a non-reflective material. On this day, the only thing permitted to shine was the crown.
The Clifford delegation appeared half-dead from days of continuous drinking, while Astana and Hawan sat without incident, awaiting the coronation.
The problem was the Ruswena delegation.
“Will we be all right?”
“Shh. Compose yourself.”
When Lepin had collapsed from drinking, she had thought nothing of it. It was commonplace, after all. But now, with the coronation underway, there was still no response? Even though the palace had assigned a doctor, it was hard to believe.
On the eve of war, they were naturally aware that their status could plummet from honored guests to prisoners, but this turn of events was entirely unforeseen. Bariel continued to treat them as state guests, and the only problem was that Lepin remained unconscious.
‘Kayla isn’t here. Did she really go to Burgos first? It must be something potent.’
Chloe concealed her lower face with her fan and surveyed her surroundings. With only the soft sound of a music box flowing through the silence, the nobles dared not move carelessly, mindful of their deportment.
“Mama, mama! Where is Papa?”
“Shh. Vivi. Papa is with His Highness. He has much to do until the very end. Mrs. Philia, can you see well from there? Please come closer to us.”
“Thank you, but I’m fine. I can see well enough. It’s just Roel who needs a bit of help.”
“Of course. This way, Roel. Come up here. There’s a platform for the children.”
Thanks to Viviana’s consideration, Roel and Vivi were able to stand together on the small platform. Vivi hugged Roel tightly and whispered.
“It’s a coronation! Amazing!”
“….”
“Roel, we’re witnessing an incredible moment right now!”
“Vivi! Mama clearly said shh?”
Though somewhat distant, Viviana and Mrs. Philia sat together with their daughters. As the only commoner among the nobles, Viviana smiled awkwardly and watched the faces around her.
“Your Highness.”
And within the inner chamber of the main hall.
Jin turned his gaze at Ian’s call. His hair was neatly arranged, and he wore a black formal uniform. On his chest were five badges symbolizing the imperial house.
“Yes. Is it soon?”
“Yes. Whenever you are ready, Your Highness.”
“I’ve waited long enough. I’m prepared.”
Even as he said this, Jin repeatedly touched the badges to ensure they weren’t crooked. Seeing this, Ian stepped closer and adjusted them with his own hands.
“Is Captain Akorella managing Lepin?”
“Yes, she is. I’ve adjusted the sedative so he should wake around this time, so there should be no issues.”
“After the coronation, a very interesting report will come across my desk.”
“But that will be when things truly begin. What Lepin believes to be true may be his reality, but verification will be necessary to determine the facts.”
“If he carries the blood of the serpent, he surely orchestrated something.”
This referred to the possibility that Eldetr had fed Lepin false information to sow confusion within Bariel’s ranks before sending him. By all accounts, this was a discarded piece—those who had faced Lepin spoke in unison about it—so the possibility was certainly sufficient.
“Count Ian.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“There has been so much to overcome just to reach this point.”
“Indeed.”
“I thought it would take a long time, that the path would be truly arduous. Yet seeing your face now, it doesn’t feel that way at all. It’s as if the me from ten years ago is standing here.”
It was because of Ian’s ageless appearance that time seemed to have left no mark upon him.
Ian smiled gently and stepped back a pace, observing Jin in his entirety.
“You are incomparable to who you were then, Your Highness.”
“Thank you.”
“….”
“I realize I’ve never said this before, so I’ll speak it now. Thank you for holding me even as my wounds bled. Thank you for not swaying me with honeyed words. Thank you for taking that first step into the grand hall with me, and thank you for assuring me that I am precious.”
Ian simply smiled. In that moment, he understood how truly precious a bond carved through time could be.
“Most of all, thank you for returning. And for being here beside me now—I offer my sincere gratitude to God.”
At Jin’s words, Ian placed his hand over his heart and bowed deeply, offering his own silent gratitude to God. Then, with a gesture to the Servants, he gave his instruction.
“Now I shall depart—”
The Servants draped an ornately embroidered cloak across Jin’s shoulders. Ian watched with joyful eyes, then added:
“Your Majesty.”

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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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