Chapter 49: The Royal Palace Meeting

- Your Highness, Prince Marib, I am Duke Derga Bratz. Please understand that I could not write at length due to the urgency.

Knight Mollin, who came down from the capital to decide on the illegitimate son's entry, once conveyed to me the intentions of Prince Gael, Your Highness. He suggested that I join an alliance between Your Highness and the nobles. As someone who lives for the royal palace, I knew this would be a burden to Prince Marib, so I refused.

As a result, I found myself in danger. Mollin and the illegitimate son, upon returning to the palace, slandered me, accusing me of tax evasion. It is unjust. If the Bratz family is destroyed, the palace will surely send someone to govern this place. And with a high probability, Mollin, who has visited Bratz, and his close associates will take control.

This will undoubtedly harm Your Highness. Please have mercy on the Bratz family, who for generations have defended against the barbarians at the border.

Rustle.

Marib read the letter and slowly put it down. He then fiddled with the frame of his glasses on the table, muttering to himself.

This was something I hadn't anticipated. The advisor, with a grave expression, was constantly on alert, listening for any sounds outside. Even the slightest whisper in the palace could be a loud noise.

"Advisor, read this as well."

The advisor's face also darkened as he read the letter.

"What do you think is true and what is false?"

"It's hard to tell; they are mixed too well."

"Let's go through it one by one. It's certain that Gael maintains a friendly relationship with the local nobles. Although not explicitly named, their own gatherings do exist."

The central and local authorities are in a mutual check.

The First Prince, being the next emperor, naturally took a stance to suppress the nobles, while the Second Prince, having been pushed out of the line of succession, could more freely mingle with them.

"But I can't believe that Duke Bratz refused for my sake. What makes us so special?"

"I agree. From the Duke's perspective, it would be natural to welcome Prince Gael's proposal. But it seems he ultimately refused."

"If so, there must be a reason why he wants to distance himself from Gael. The accusation of tax evasion and the investigation team sent down must be the cause."

Quietly summarizing, he was truly astute. From his seat, he could discern the intricacies of the distant Bratz territory with limited information and the letter alone.

"If that's the case, it's right to reject the claim of injustice, and if Bratz is destroyed, it's also right that Mollin, who was in charge of the area, will take the lead in the aftermath. Who is the head of the investigation team?"

Marib's question made the advisor hesitate for a moment. In the palace, hundreds of names were mentioned daily. How could one remember them all? But he soon recalled and answered.

"...It's a man named Erica."

"Any connection?"

"None that I know of. One of Mollin's relatives was accused of illegal land development, and Erica provided a not-guilty testimony. I'll verify this part."

"That's fine. It's not important."

"...So, it seems credible that Prince Gael is plotting treason."

Mollin is indeed one of Gael's people.

The advisor's words made Marib shrug playfully, as if unsure. But it was better to take precautions when things were ambiguous.

In the palace, where every move was intricately entangled, even the smallest mistake could lead to a downfall.

"Tomorrow, no, this morning? Inform them that I will attend the Ministerial General Assembly."

Marib instructed quietly while putting on his glasses. It was a State Council meeting where ministers set the agenda and vote in the morning, and Marib usually didn't attend as he would hear the report from the emperor in the afternoon.

They would surely be shocked and flustered when they hear the news in the morning.

"Yes, Your Highness."

"And when you return, handle some business."

"...I'm prepared."

"Thank you."

The advisor, who had come to work in the middle of the night, smiled faintly and bowed. Marib put Derga's letter in the drawer and instructed.

"Bring all the recent documents related to the Bratz territory, especially the reports submitted by Knight Mollin."

"Yes, Your Highness. Please wait a moment."

Creak.

The door closed slowly. Marib focused on the documents he was reading, but he couldn't help but be distracted by Derga's letter in the drawer.

'Gael... You shouldn't do foolish things.'

And as the sun rose, it was morning, in the grand hall of the royal palace.

Ministers from various departments gathered one by one and found their seats. They noticed a new seat had been prepared, unlike usual.

"Who's coming today?"

"Prince Marib is attending."

"Prince Marib?"

"Didn't you hear?"

"Wh-Why wasn't I informed?"

"A servant was sent this morning."

The Ministerial General Assembly was held every morning. While Marib could attend, it was an uncomfortable situation as it was a place where ministers adjusted their opinions before presenting issues to the emperor.

"Does anyone know what's going on?"

"I don't know. I haven't heard anything..."

Even those close to Marib were puzzled and shook their heads. As for those who had sided with Gael, they felt a heavy feeling in their stomachs from the early morning. They thought about contacting Prince Gael, but the meeting was about to start.

"I'm going to go crazy. I already feel uneasy."

"Me too. What could be the agenda for him to come in person? We'll see him again in the afternoon anyway."

"Now we'll see him twice in one day."

"My dreams were bad last night..."

"Prince Marib is here."

The ministers, who had been whispering, stood up immediately at the servant's announcement and greeted him. Marib also bowed slightly and entered the meeting room.

"Good morning, it's nice to see you all."

"Your Highness, what brings you here..."

"Indeed, what brings you here? Hahaha."

The sudden action itself was a sign of a hidden intention. He didn't beat around the bush, but he didn't reveal his true thoughts either. The prime minister struck the gavel to start the meeting.

Thump thump thump!

"Ahem. Let's begin the meeting."

"Yes. I'll start..."

It was clearly a hot summer morning, yet it felt like walking on thin ice. Ministers from departments unrelated to the power struggle hurriedly continued their speeches. They glanced at Marib, but he only smiled.

As the meeting progressed,

"By the way, a messenger bird arrived from Bratz last night. It was sent by Director Erica."

The Minister of Justice's words made Marib look up.

"Director Erica reported that they found evidence of tax evasion by Duke Derga Bratz and confiscated part of the estate's assets. However, there was resistance from the Duke."

"Resistance?"

"It seems there was a battle between the investigation team and the central support troops and Derga's soldiers and citizens. They have won and detained Derga, and are currently cleaning up. However, the Duke's direct descendants, his wife, and son, are still being tracked."

"Tax evasion and resistance with soldiers! The death penalty is appropriate."

"Let's present this to the emperor."

The secretaries frantically took notes as the ministers spoke. They stopped abruptly when Marib's voice was heard.

"...By the way."

"Yes, Your Highness. Please speak."

"Is the execution target only the Duke, his wife, and one son? What about the illegitimate son, Ian?"

"That person was deemed ineligible for entry due to Knight Mollin's report. Moreover, he has already crossed the border after making peace with the Tianli tribe."

"Of course, strictly speaking, he should be reduced to a slave. But I heard that the illegitimate son was the one who reported the crime. Perhaps he should be considered."

"Is there no mention of the illegitimate son in the director's report?"

"...Ah. Yes, there was."

"Show me the report."

At Marib's request, the Minister of Justice's subordinate selected the document and handed it forward. As Marib quickly scanned it, the minister added,

"According to national law, only those who fit the criteria for the destruction of a family will be executed. The illegitimate son should be sentenced to slavery."

"Minister, I trust you. I'm not doubting you; I just want to confirm."

If Mollin and the illegitimate son conspired to accuse Derga, does that mean the illegitimate son is also aligned with Gael? How does this affect the relationship with the Tianli tribe? If the barbarians are also involved with Gael's forces, it would be a serious problem...

Marib tapped the table and remained silent.

The ministers also naturally closed their mouths and rolled their eyes. After a long while, Marib spoke.

"If Bratz is destroyed, how will the territory be managed? The tax revenue from Bratz will increase now that the tax evasion is confirmed."

"Shouldn't we send someone from the palace? The border regions already have strong autonomy, and if they are absorbed by neighboring territories, they will become too powerful."

"That's right. The palace should manage it. This way, we can collect more taxes and also collect the unpaid taxes from the past."

"But given the situation, it might be better to set a period for the new lord to pay the overdue taxes."

"Didn't the administrative officer M