Chapter 110

“A few weeks ago,Weheard a report that Deus’s pups were born, and it reminded me of Sigeber. The boy is seven this year, the perfect age to have a hunting dog. It is time to uphold the imperial family’s tradition.”

Deus was reputed to be the finest hunting dog among those kept by the Emperor. As the leader of the pack and a dog whose bloodline needed to be preserved, he was a fortunate creature with several females under his domain. One of those female dogs had apparently given birth to a litter recently.

“Did Your Majesty also receive a puppy as a gift?”

Eugène, sensing something unfamiliar in their conversation, asked the question. Having grown up in poverty, he was not well-versed in what was typical, but even so, he had never heard of fathers and sons exchanging such deeply personal gifts. It might be conceivable in the household of a common citizen, but within noble families, such a thing was scarcely imaginable.

In noble families, giving a child a gift generally signified a transfer of property. It was only natural for heirs to inherit titles and the family estate, while daughters were typically given jewelry. If the family was especially well-off, they might also provide a cash dowry or grant real estate assets not tied to the family’s property.

During a coming-of-age ceremony, parents would traditionally prepare a formal gift, and it was not uncommon for relatives to pass down a horse with a good pedigree or a prized collection of books to a favored kin.

But a puppy? Eugène, watching the young prince play among the toddling pups, felt an unfamiliar jolt of surprise. He had never even conceived of such a thing before, yet the tender scene before him evoked an emotional warmth even in the one merely observing it.

He could easily imagine how this day would remain imprinted in the young prince’s memory. It would become a radiant, precious memory, so beautiful it would feel too sacred to even revisit. Just like the few cherished memories Eugène himself held.

“Of course. DidWenot say it was tradition?”

The Emperor replied as though it were nothing extraordinary, then turned to Baron Bouilhet and asked.

“Wewere also about that age when the late Emperor gaveUs Ourfirst hunting dog, no?”

“Indeed, Your Majesty. He was the grandfather of Deus.”

“Ah,Weremember. Patonnes. He was quite the loyal creature.”

Baron Bouilhet, who had been solemnly watching over the ivory shard, responded gravely to the Emperor’s question. After waiting the prescribed amount of time and confirming that there was no noticeable discoloration, he used a slender pair of silver tongs to lift the piece from the chalice.

A waiting member of the Imperial Guard then stepped forward and, using a silver probe, proceeded with the second round of inspection. As beverages freshly prepared in the kitchen could not be stored in sealed bottles, the verification process was considerably more rigorous than usual.

Only after that lengthy procedure was finally complete was the sangria presented to the Emperor. He took a sip of the drink, now somewhat diluted from the melted ice, and faintly furrowed his brows.

“Now that you mention it, you do have some unpleasant memories related to dogs, do you not?”

Eugène cast a sullen glance at the Emperor, who so casually disparaged one of his few treasured memories.

“Your Majesty may not believe it, but those memories were far from unpleasant for me. Trileg was quite a fine fellow.”

Ebroin V had long misunderstood Eugène’s relationship with Trileg. Ever since hearing that Eugène treated the stray like a friend without truly taking responsibility for it, the Emperor regarded him as little better than a scoundrel whenever the subject arose.

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“But knowing a stray hardly counts as fond memories of raising a dog, does it? Well then, just in time. After Sigeber picks his own,Weshall grant you a special opportunity as well. Choose whichever one pleases you. They are of good pedigree, so even a novice should have no trouble training them.”

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“No, Your Majesty, surely today’s occasion belongs to His Highness the Prince. I would not wish to spoil the joy of a young boy by intruding needlessly.”

Eugène offered his excuse, but the Emperor was not so easily dissuaded.

“DoWecome across as a reckless father?Wehave no intention of spoiling the boy’s joy either. Simply choose one with your eyes, andWeshall have an attendant deliver it to you later.”

“There is no need, Your Majesty. Truly. How could I possibly raise something that young?”

“Countess Sertuan tellsUsyou have experience training young cadets. In that case, it should not be all that difficult. Surely rearing a pup is less demanding than teaching people.”

“At least those boys could look after themselves. They aspired to serve as officers, so it was necessary for them to grow accustomed to life aboard a ship. But how would a young pup ever adjust to the cramped, confined space of a ship’s hold? Even cats, with all their balance, fall into the sea from time to time.”

“…A ship’s hold? Why would you keep a dog in the hold?”

“I shall be returning to duty before long, so what choice do I have? I cannot leave it behind on land with no one to care for it.”

Eugène trailed off, suddenly realizing something. …Yes. That was right. There was a condition that had to be fulfilled before he could return to duty. Remarriage. He had failed to take that into account just now, and the realization struck him a beat too late. It was a fact, of course, but that did not mean he had any desire to bring it up in front of the Emperor.

Ebroin V wore a crooked smile on that beautiful face as he glanced across at Eugène. Eugène could not tell how to interpret that look. At a glance, it seemed mocking, yet somehow, it also carried a hint of displeasure.

“Hah. Such lofty dreams you have.”

Oh, so it had been mockery after all. Only now, as he caught the Emperor’s sneer and the derisive tone thrown in with the scoff, could Eugène read his expression clearly. Had it been a few months ago, he might have felt deeply embarrassed by such blunt derision cast at him to his face. But now, things were different. Hardened by all he had gone through, Eugène no longer even flinched at this sort of rebuke.

“What part of my ambitions impressed Your Majesty?”

He met the Emperor’s words with a calm, unruffled tone. The Emperor glared at him, making no effort to hide his displeasure.

“You flinched just now, did you not, when you saw howWelooked at you? And yet you pretend to know nothing?”

“I merely wished to show due courtesy to Your Majesty. But surely it is not my fault that the imperial law is written as it is?”

Even under the Emperor’s scrutiny, Eugène responded without hesitation. He himself had felt that he had made a misstep, but that was purely a matter of decorum, not because he had actually done anything wrong.

To speak plainly, could the Emperor, whose concubine and child were quite visibly at his side, really reproach Eugène over such a matter? There had always been a clear boundary in their relationship, one that had been defined from the beginning. Eugène had understood that perfectly well even in the very moment he chose the Emperor.

“If a law is unjust, one ought to think of amending it instead of simply obeying it.”

“Is Your Majesty speaking of Lex Ardica?”

Eugène, well aware of just how difficult it was to amend the Supreme Law, replied in a skeptical tone. The Emperor lifted the pewter cup to his lips, saying nothing as he arched one brow.

“-Wait a moment. Are you truly saying you intend to amend Lex Ardica?”

Eugène, momentarily taken aback by the utterly unexpected remark, unconsciously leaned forward and asked again. Ebroin V rolled a half-melted piece of ice around in his mouth and gave a light nod.

“That was not the original aim, but what canWedo? There was another primary objective, yes, but seeing how things have unfolded,Wemay as well address that part too whileWeare at it.”

The Emperor maintained an air of endless composure on the surface, yet Eugène felt a strange sense of incongruity in his tone. Though it was outwardly calm, there was a peculiar stress placed on his intonation toward the end, as if something else was laced beneath the words.

Suspicious though it was, the Emperor’s unsettled state of mind was not the issue at hand. Eugène, focusing all his attention on the more immediate concern before him, dismissed such minor details without a second thought.

He urged the Emperor for clarification with a look that had turned grave.

“Are you aware thatWepersonally instructed the Ministry of Finance to complete the Record of Meritorious Service?”

In response to the Emperor’s question, Eugène, who had been swamped with all the extra work that had come about because of it until a few weeks ago, nodded obediently.

“Yes. I had deduced as much.”

Indeed, he had not realized it at first, but by the time the project was nearing completion, Eugène had been left with little choice but to grasp the situation. It was hardly surprising as the bulk of the tax collection duties across the entire Eastern Territory had fallen almost entirely upon hastily appointed hereditary tax collectors, with Eugène at their head.

No wonder there had been such an overwhelming volume of work dumped outside the Ministry, even though it should have been their jurisdiction… Recalling those nightmarish days, Eugène gave a small shake of his head inwardly.

“Thanks to their tireless labor, the Record of Meritorious Service was finally completed not long ago. The final version was presented at last week’s Imperial Finance Council, and the response was rather impressive.”

Eugène, without jumping to premature questions, waited patiently for the main point. Fortunately, it did not take long for his patience to be rewarded.

“What was presented on that occasion was not merely the Record of Meritorious Service. What stirred the greater controversy was the amendment to the merits statute under Despotes.”

“Does Your Majesty mean an edictal revision issued by sovereign decree?”

Eugène, pondering over these words, asked the Emperor with a darkened expression on his face.

“Are you truly thinking of tampering with the Supreme Law at this point?”

“WouldWehave attempted it at all ifWehad no intention of doing so?”

“But right now-”

He trailed off mid-sentence, suddenly falling silent as he became aware of his surroundings. Treason, or rebellion. What he had nearly said just now was not something to be uttered aloud in a place where too many ears might be listening.

“Your Majesty knows well that the current circumstances are unfit for such a move. The entire political landscape is entangled in an utter mess.”

Eugène chose his words carefully, offering earnest counsel. But the Emperor firmly rejected his opinion without hesitation.

“No. It is precisely because of that that this must be done. The timing could not be better.”

“Your Majesty!”

“You know this as well asWedo, do you not? Based on everything we have uncovered thus far, it is impossible to resolve this matter as if nothing has happened. The time is far too late. The explosion is inevitable, and what matters forUslies in what comes afterward.”

The Emperor looked Eugène straight in the eye, his gaze hard as forged steel.

“An infection that festers beneath the skin must be properly excised, or pus will only gather again in the same place. In that sense, this upheaval may well be the perfect opportunity forUs.Weintend to excise every rotten wound festering within this empire ofOurs. Even Lex Ardica, that so-called Supreme Law, shall not be exempt.”

The Emperor, who had been speaking in all seriousness until now, suddenly let a cold smirk curl at the corner of his lips and murmured under his breath.

“Supreme Law, indeed. Whose era’s Supreme Law, I wonder?”

The Emperor mocked the authority of that ancient law, now hopelessly out of step with the times, with a tone that treated the matter as little more than trifling.

Thump.

The moment he came face-to-face with that ruthless sneer, a powerful tremor surged through Eugène’s once-quiet heart. Like an orca vaulting high above the surface of the sea, his heart leapt once, hard, and then, gathering momentum, it began to race, thundering faster and faster in his chest.

A low, steady drumbeat rang in his ears. This was no warship’s prow amid naval battle, and the man seated across from him was the Emperor of the Empire, not some pirate from Hertha, yet Eugène shuddered with the same intense exhilaration he would feel in the heat of combat.