Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 88

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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 88. A Narrow Escape
Prince Marib showed no surprise at Prince Gail’s sudden visit. He had anticipated it, so his reaction was merely composed and decidedly unwelcoming.
“What brings you here? You couldn’t have lost your way.”
“What fool tells a servant to announce their arrival and then claims they took a wrong turn?”
Prince Marib, who had kept his eyes on the documents, finally lifted his head. As always, Prince Gail’s blue eyes gleamed with bestial intensity. The servant standing behind him, who had announced Prince Gail’s entrance, shrank back into himself.
“I’m busy. Get to the point.”
“Have you decided what to do with Count Ian and Mollin?”
“How amusing. What Ian does—what concern is that of mine?”
Prince Gail reclined on the sofa without permission. He crossed his legs with deliberate arrogance and fixed his half-brother with a predatory stare.
“Everyone from the highest officials down to junior clerks has noticed that you’re backing that lowborn bastard. Don’t play ignorant with me.”
Otherwise, why would he hand over a lordship to Ian? Dozens, hundreds of people had been fawning over him for such a position. Yet he was bestowing a title upon someone whose face he’d never even seen, pushing aside all those sycophants.
“And?”
“When he rises to the capital, it would be wise to have Mollin and his companions accompany him entirely.”
“Your words are quite crude. To my ears, it sounds like a threat.”
“That can’t be. It seems you wish to hear it that way. Once Ian receives his title appointment, he’ll be placed directly under the Magic Ministry. You understand what that means.”
“Ah, yes. I understand. You mean he’ll fall under your lover Wesley’s command?”
It was a warning of sorts—that if Mollin and his companions died and rose again, Ian would meet the same fate, silently and without a trace. Though it was a pointless warning if Prince Marib didn’t already consider Ian as truly his own.
Prince Marib removed his glasses and pressed lightly against the bridge of his nose. A smile of genuine amusement played at his lips.
“How surprising. That you care so much for Mollin and his companions, Gail. Honestly, I hadn’t given it much thought, but now I find myself intrigued.”
I should have them killed, Prince Marib decided in that very moment. In truth, he hadn’t been paying attention. He was busy with administrative duties, and Mollin and his companions weren’t particularly important figures in the Imperial Palace. But if Gail was coming at him like this, things had changed.
“It would be best if you abandoned that idea.”
“Why?”
“I’ve just come from Father’s palace.”
Prince Gail had visited the Emperor’s palace first. That word—Father. Prince Marib’s brow furrowed reflexively. Always, without exception, whenever the Emperor and Prince Gail met, something unpleasant happened to Prince Marib in some form.
“Just like now.”
“You must be well aware that the New Year’s Assembly will discuss the appointment of the Chief Justice.”
Of course he was. If the Magic Ministry and parts of the Administrative Ministry formed Prince Gail’s faction, then the Judicial and Legislative branches supported Prince Marib’s position. The Chief Justice was the head of the Judicial branch and held the fourth highest authority in the Imperial Palace, excluding the imperial family.
“I don’t understand what you’re getting at.”
“I wonder if you’ve seen the list of potions recently developed by the Magic Ministry. There’s one called the Truth Serum, made by extracting abilities commonly found among the Gypsies. Drinking it makes one speak only the truth.”
Prince Marib, who had been sitting until now, finally rose to his feet.
“Gail, you bastard…”
“When I suggested using it as a demonstration during the Chief Justice’s confirmation hearing, Father thought it was an excellent idea. There are so many serpent-tongued liars spouting falsehoods, so it would be quite the spectacle to see through their oaths and sworn testimonies.”
Distinguishing truth from falsehood itself wasn’t the problem. The problem lay in the fact that the department manufacturing it was the Magic Ministry. Who could guarantee whether they would make people speak only truth, or instead make them speak only lies, or declare whatever the manufacturer willed?
Ideally, it was a potion the empire desperately needed, but it was premature. At minimum, it should only proceed after completely purging the Magic Ministry of any impure intentions.
“It seems you’ve already marked Count Hailot as the Chief Justice, but if you wish to proceed that way, it would be best to have Mollin and his companions attend the New Year’s Assembly. Otherwise, you’ll need to find another candidate.”
“Gail. What you’re doing is pushing the empire backward. Do you truly not see that?”
“No, I don’t see it. Fire is dangerous, but in terms of utility, it’s absolutely necessary. The Truth Serum is the same. There will be much confusion at first, but as time passes, its value will solidify. Perhaps Count Hailot will stand at the beginning of that chaos.”
As Prince Gail’s lips curved upward, Prince Marib felt the urge to hurl everything in his grasp. The real problem wasn’t the provocation itself—it was that the Magic Ministry was involved. Being such a unique and independent department, there were no means to check them.
‘They could make the potion worthless garbage and there’d be no way to verify it. Damn it. Gail, you son of a bitch, always stirring up trouble…’
Prince Marib and Prince Gail’s expressions were always inversely proportional. When one smiled, the other’s face would crease. Prince Marib maintained his composure and swallowed his sigh.
“Do you think that will pass?”
“Some of the ministers will put up quite a bit of resistance. For various reasons.”
Some would point out the fundamental problems like Marib did, while others would oppose it simply because they didn’t want their true intentions exposed.
“However, the overall decision regarding checks on the judiciary will ultimately be made by the executive branch. In other words, Father’s opinion is what matters most.”
Though I hated to admit it, the Emperor’s heart had always leaned more toward Gail than toward Marib. It was a phenomenon born from the imbalance of affection that had carried over since my mother’s time.
“How amusing. That mere potion—wouldn’t it cause the most trouble for you if you drank it?”
“Me? Hmm. Is that what you think? I assumed my brother would find it far more troublesome.”
At Gail’s glib response, Marib felt his words catch in his throat. It was natural confidence, especially since he had Wesley, the head of the Magic Department, on his side.
“In any case, I hope you’ll think carefully about this.”
“Stop pretending to give me a choice. Whether you kill Mollin or not, either way, Hailot will have to drink that truth serum laced with intent at the hearing.”
If that’s the case, it would be better to just kill Mollin. There was still time regarding the potion matter—I could search for a way to handle it.
Gail put on his coat and let out a soft laugh.
“This is precisely why my brother and I are so different.”
“…What?”
“If it were you, you would do it. Regardless of what kind of person Hailot is, if you wanted to, you would.”
Hailot was a man of remarkably excellent administrative capability and outstanding external reputation and achievements. Breaking such a man as an act of retaliation simply didn’t make financial sense. Not when considering Variel’s future.
“I simply cannot approve of your way of thinking, brother. Perhaps because you were given everything from birth, you don’t know the value of things. People, or anything else.”
“Shut your mouth! What would you know!”
At Gail’s words, Marib couldn’t help but cry out. Given everything from birth? That was utter nonsense—that loose-mouthed fool should learn to hold his tongue….
“Then I’ll take my leave. Let’s hope no urgent messages arrive.”
Bang.
Gail left Marib’s office just like that. At the same time, the Steward cautiously entered, and Marib sat with his head in his hands, his gaze lowered.
“Your Highness, are you alright?”
“…Never mind.”
Based on Gail’s behavior, it seemed an additional investigative team could be dispatched if Mollin died. Marib ground his teeth and issued orders.
“Convene a general assembly immediately.”
“Yes, understood.”
The Steward placed the letter that had come up from the Borderlands in the corner of the desk and turned to leave. It was a pile of reports that came up regularly from Romandro. The question of Mollin’s disposition had been repeated in the inquiries, but Marib could only send back the response of “pending.”
‘Damn it.’
Deep wrinkles etched themselves into Marib’s fair brow. I felt like I wanted to drive a sword straight into Gail’s neck right then and there.
* * *
“Why. Does Mollin keep bothering you? Since he’s only in the basement, I sometimes forget he even exists.”
At Romandro’s words, Ian shook his head, saying it wasn’t that. He was simply trying to gauge what kind of situation would prevent even a single administrative official’s disposition from being decided.
‘It seems clear that some scheme came from Gail’s side, which is why the order to hold came down. That’s unexpected. In other words, Gail is making moves to keep Mollin alive, isn’t he?’
Was Mollin’s importance really at that level? I couldn’t say for certain. Though he was in charge of Bratz, from the current perspective, he seemed to have been pushed out even within the administrative branch. His loyalty was excellent, but his overall work performance was too aged with many limitations.
Either Mollin had some hidden value, or Gail was simply the type to properly look after his own people, or perhaps….
‘Is it in Bratz?’
Among the many Borderlands, why must it be Bratz specifically? Ian suddenly realized what he had been overlooking. He had roughly guessed that behind-the-scenes work was being done in other Borderlands as well for military deployment bases. But there was no way to find out.
‘There seems to be no reaction from the Merelrof side.’
It seemed Romandro was the first visitor from the capital in quite some time. As Ian pondered, he soon arrived at the reception room where Lady Lien was.
“Countess?”
“Oh, are you finished with your work?”
She was half-reclined on the sofa, her expression betraying not mere boredom but restless agitation. Her hair was slightly disheveled—whether from her position or the Count’s doing, I couldn’t say.
“No, we’re still in the process of moving things.”
“At this rate, we’ll be here until dawn.”
“If you’d like, I could give you a tour of the estate.”
“If I did that, our dear husband would throw another fit, so I’ll politely decline.”
The Countess blew on her fingernails and began murmuring about her splendid plans ahead.
“Starting today, you should count the days. In a month from now, you’ll be able to meet what you’ve been waiting for.”
“A month from now? What are you talking about?”
“Oh, darling.”
Lady Lien greeted her husband with a bright smile and an innocent expression.
Marquis Merelrof’s eyes narrowed with suspicion as he alternated his gaze between Ian and his wife. A young man around his wife’s age was already a concern, and Ian objectively possessed handsome features—precisely the conditions to set the Marquis on edge.
“In a month, gula cultivation will be possible. That’s what I was talking about. Are we finished? I’m truly exhausted and can’t wait any longer.”
A month from now. That was precisely when the hallucinogenic sedative’s side effects would manifest—the day the Count would stop breathing in his sleep. I understood the Countess’s intentions, but I nodded as if I didn’t.
“It looked like it would take longer based on what I saw earlier.”
“Ah, Count Ian. It’s not something else—Haiman Bank in Merelrof just sent word.”
“Yes, please tell me.”
“Apparently, bandits have been rampant in other regions lately, and with winter setting in, crossing the mountain range has become extremely difficult.”
“And?”
Hmm? This setup felt decidedly suspicious. Romandro’s nostrils flared as he prepared to voice his objection immediately.
“They’ve run out of check paper, so they’re asking if we could postpone the payment processing by just one day.”
“No, Count. That’s problematic. The contract ink hasn’t even dried yet.”
“Then what, should we come to our estate and transport the remaining gold coins by carriage?”
The remaining 2,500 gold coins. We’d already suffered through moving 1,000 coins, and now they wanted us to transport 2,500 again? Romandro flinched, so I stepped forward.
“However, Count. This is clearly a breach of contract. We agreed to receive payment by check, and this was explicitly stated in the contract, was it not? You must pay the remainder according to the agreed-upon method.”
“Ahem. That’s precisely why I’m asking for your understanding.”
“I don’t wish to engage in a losing transaction.”
At my words, Marquis Merelrof’s expression darkened considerably. He’d intended to slip this through casually, but I’d taken a firmer stance than expected. He turned to his wife and spoke.
“Countess, don’t be difficult. Put up those ornaments you’re wearing as collateral. Your necklace, earrings, rings—that much should suffice.”
At the Count’s sudden command, the Countess barely suppressed a hollow laugh. What choice did she have? She removed the jewelry adorning her body one piece at a time and placed them on the table.
‘What?’
And then, a ring caught my attention. It was on the Countess’s left index finger—and the gemstone looked remarkably familiar.
‘Is that amber? Or…?’
The same gemstone as the necklace I’d found in my flowerpot?
I immediately stepped closer and picked up the ring.

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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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