Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 621

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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 620. Organizing the Royal Palace
Kayla carefully propped herself up on her elbows. One eye still wouldn’t open, and walking remained impossible. According to the doctors, she might never walk again, but she didn’t care.
Kayla wiggled her fingertips lightly and managed to grasp a thin pen. Smiling brightly at the sensation of strength returning, she turned to Mrs. Danit.
“I can handle the paperwork.”
“Sigh.”
Mrs. Danit covered her face with a fan as if consumed by worry.
When Officer Xiaoxi burst into the banquet hall with his subordinates, she should have just grabbed a candlestick and stabbed Jorge. A life already forfeit—she should have at least given her daughter some measure of vengeance.
“Mother, don’t sigh. Everything is progressing well. What troubles you so?”
“It’s not worry—it’s pain. My beautiful daughter, wounded like this… it breaks my heart.”
Mrs. Danit gently grasped Kayla’s delicate ankle beneath the blanket. What if she never walked again?
In the silence that followed, Kayla calmly sharpened her pen.
“Please don’t grieve so. Even if I cannot walk, it matters not. Once I become King of Burgos, I will be the center around which all move. Two legs are hardly necessary.”
“Kayla!”
“Will you write the message to Father yourself, Mother?”
Danit shrieked in exasperation, but Kayla deliberately changed the subject. She needed to inform the Hollin estate of Burgos’s current situation urgently.
The previous night, all the Royalist officials had died. Now only the Hollin family remained to manage the aftermath. First came the succession of power left vacant, and then the restoration of public order.
“If we establish connections to the mining development, it will be easier to secure military support from the Bariel Imperial Palace. So when we send notices of death to each territory, we must ensure they go alongside our people. You understand, don’t you, Mother?”
“Yes, I understand. I was already planning to send people together, but we’re desperately short of hands.”
“I will request support from Father. Now we can bring the Hollin family’s human resources to Burgos without restriction.”
Before, the Royalists had watched with hawk eyes, so we couldn’t even properly maintain private soldiers, let alone servants. But now, with no one to check us, we could request whatever we needed, as much as we desired.
“Until we completely control each regional territory, we will need the power of the Bariel Imperial Palace.”
“They certainly won’t want that.”
“They will want the Hollin family to bear the full burden of responsibility for eliminating the Royalists. It’s something we must endure, but it’s worth pursuing persistently.”
“When people arrive from Bariel, I will go down to the provinces myself and organize the territories. Kayla, you absolutely, absolutely cannot leave the Burgos Royal Palace. Not even a single step.”
“Of course. Then I will focus on relief efforts. They must be exhausted from the long civil war. Humans naturally turn their heads toward those who fill their bellies.”
There was so much to do. Being unable to walk wasn’t what troubled her. What troubled her was that immobility slowed her work. As Kayla busied herself with her pen, Mrs. Danit casually added a remark.
“By the way, what was that young lady’s name? Chloe?”
“Princess Chloe?”
“Yes. The young lady of House Davion who marched with us before. Something seems to have happened to her. I heard she was conscripted to the mines?”
“What?”
Kayla stopped, startled. No matter how clear the Emperor’s intention to check both families, how could he possibly send Princess Davion to the mines?
“That’s strange. Are you certain?”
“Absolutely. Quite the remarkable young lady, truly. Kayla, you saw her often when you were in Bariel, didn’t you?”
“Yes, well. Occasionally, against my will. She’s insane.”
“That does seem to be the case. Why would she follow the mines?”
Mrs. Danit continued muttering in confusion, and Kayla tilted her head in equal bewilderment.
Did House Davion know of this? Kayla deliberated whether to include this in her letter to Marquis Hollin.
‘Hmm.’
But she decided against it. She understood her position far too well.
Until she established herself in Burgos, she had no choice but to lie low in the palace and appease them. Even if discord arose between the palace and House Davion, it was none of her concern.
Knock, knock.
At that moment, I heard the sound of an attendant moving outside the room.
“Pardon the intrusion, Princess. The Minister of Magic, Ian Hielo, wishes to see you for a moment.”
“Show him in.”
At the sudden visit, Kayla tilted her head curiously. Mrs. Danit also appeared somewhat surprised.
Shortly after, I entered the room and greeted Kayla with a nod.
“How is your health, Princess?”
“Thanks to the Magic Department’s assistance, I’ve improved considerably. As you can see, I’m even able to write documents.”
Kayla lifted her pen to demonstrate, then naturally covered the letter she had been writing. I sat on a sofa at some distance and gestured to Mrs. Danit.
“Please, sit.”
“Yes, but what brings you here…?”
“I wanted to check on the Princess’s condition—”
A polite excuse. Kayla and Mrs. Danit smiled ceremonially in unison. True to their relationship as mother and daughter, they looked remarkably alike.
“More importantly, we need to discuss the next phase of our plans. The Royalists have all been dealt with, and their subordinates have been expelled from the palace. The Hollin Family will lead the remaining cleanup efforts, so I’m curious how much time the imperial palace will need.”
“Bariel and Burgos aren’t far apart. Is there some urgent reason you must return?”
It would be advantageous for the Hollin Family if the Bariel Soldiers remained in the Burgos royal palace as long as possible—ideally until the cleanup was complete. Without any special measures, military and political control would be assured.
Of course, even without my concern, a certain number of soldiers would remain stationed until everything was fully settled, but the difference between the Emperor’s presence and absence was substantial.
“We must go to Toollun.”
“Toollun?”
We needed to visit the secret temple that held clues to Rutherford’s reincarnation and Damon’s return, undertake the journey to rescue Barsabe and Philia, and ultimately subjugate the Underworld Deity.
Unaware of these circumstances, Kayla squinted one eye in confusion.
“…Will His Majesty be accompanying you?”
“That’s still under discussion. The path is far and dangerous, so I would prefer His Majesty to return to Bariel, but he has a strong will to personally subjugate Toollun. We’re planning to inspect our forces here and establish a new expedition unit, so I need to consider the Hollin Family’s schedule.”
“What is the maximum timeframe you’re considering?”
I paused to think. Since I couldn’t confirm Philia’s fate, I wanted to move as quickly as possible. But setting that aside, my answer as Minister of Magic was—
“One month.”
“…One month. Yes, I understand.”
Kayla and Mrs. Danit exchanged glances. It was tight, but if they moved quickly, it was manageable. Within a month, under the Emperor’s protection, they would completely control Burgos.
“Then, please take care of yourself.”
“Yes, Count Ian. And thank you.”
As I turned to leave, Kayla added something.
“I know that helping the Hollin Family wasn’t an act of goodwill. But help is help nonetheless. I formally express my gratitude. I will repay this debt someday.”
“…Repay it to Bariel in the future. That will suffice.”
With that, I left the room.
The corridor was in disarray. Soldiers moved palace decorations about, and among them, mages hurried back and forth with thick bundles of documents in hand.
I recognized the bundles. They were precious records kept in the Burgos royal palace. By examining the history of the Runkvis royal family and King Damon’s past actions, we might obtain clues before heading to Toollun.
“Minister Ian! The temporary quarters for the Magic Department are on the third floor. We’ll move your belongings there in advance.”
“And these are records from the past thirty years. They seem to be what we should focus on, but it’s unfortunate that a significant portion is missing.”
“That’s fine. Bring everything to my office.”
“Yes, Minister Ian. Oh, and Captain Akorella—”
Boom! Thud! Thud!
Just as the Mage was about to speak, a heavy tremor echoed from the ceiling.
Everyone knew the source of the noise. Heads turned slowly in unison, tracking the movement from right to left across the ceiling. Sure enough, Princess Chloe was descending while gripping Captain Akorella by the collar.
“My, even Captain Akorella is powerless against such brute strength. Though it seems the Princess showed mercy—at least she didn’t grab her by the scruff.”
“The Captain needs to be handled like that sometimes. Otherwise, she gets out of control.”
“Excuse me, Count Ian!”
“Princess Chloe, how are you feeling today?”
“I feel great! I feel wonderful, but what is all this talk about?”
As Chloe cried out indignantly, Akorella’s eyes blinked rapidly. It appeared she had just informed her about the mine.
“A mine? I can’t go. That’s work even the strongest men struggle with. How could I possibly do it?”
“Ahem, Princess. You can do it. Far better than any strongman, in fact—”
“Captain Akorella. Please be quiet.”
“Yes, ma’am. …Ian? Could you explain this to her instead of me?”
Ian glanced around briefly, confirming that Count Xiao was not nearby.
“Princess Chloe, I hear you have feelings for Count Xiao.”
“What?! Me?!”
Oh my! The Mages pretended not to hear and turned away, but their ears twitched eagerly. The Soldiers moving cargo also slowed their pace deliberately, drawn to the interesting commotion.
“While we called it a side effect, Captain Akorella’s report suggested otherwise. Therefore, it would be best to keep you away from anything that might trigger such feelings.”
“But, but—”
“If you refuse to go, that is your choice. However, without Captain Akorella to oversee your treatment, we cannot attend to you all day. Moreover, this is a foreign royal palace, and His Majesty resides here as well. For your safety, we would have no choice but to send you back to Bariel.”
He was asking whether she would go to the mine with Akorella or return to Bariel.
As Chloe pressed her lips together in contemplation, Akorella grasped her arm and laughed gently.
“Don’t worry, Princess. It’s called a mine, but we’re just going briefly to organize the territory. Surely I wouldn’t ask you to pick up a pickaxe and enter the tunnels? You’ll simply help with the restoration work alongside the Mages. Didn’t you say you wanted to earn merit? What greater achievement could there be than the Magic Department’s annex construction, which has been suspended for years?”
“You certainly have a way with words, Captain Akorella!”
“Oh, thank you for the compliment.”
“That wasn’t a compliment!”
There was no real choice. And Chloe sensed it too. Whenever she saw Count Xiao, her heart fluttered and her head spun… It was better to distance herself from his presence for now.
“Never thought I’d end up going to a mine in my life…”
“What’s wrong with a mine? For Bariel’s sake, there’s no such thing as a small task. You’ll be fine, Princess. Right?”
Done! Akorella embraced the sniffling Chloe warmly and winked at Ian again. She was saying to leave the coaxing of the Princess to her.
Ian let out a small sigh, and the Mages quietly slipped away. Chloe, nestled in Akorella’s embrace, continued to murmur.
“I was being greedy. I grew anxious because Kayla was earning merit…”
“No! It wasn’t greed—it was a desire to improve. Thanks to that, my research progressed too.”
“Captain Akorella! You’re really annoying. More than Kayla!”
“Oh? Am I similar to Princess Kayla then? I’ve only ever seen her from a distance.”
“…You’re crazy. She is too.”
“Hahaha! I like that! It’s the crazy ones who change the world, after all.”
Flap!
As Akorella laughed heartily, messenger birds flew in and out through the palace windows.
Letters bound for the Hollin Family, those arriving from Katimako of Astana, and those sent from Bariel all mingled together, spreading their wings wide.

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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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