Chapter 14

Is it really because you have something urgent to say? Did you come to stop me from drinking with Prince Klein? The timing was so suspicious that Latil, while following the Duke of Attracti, had his doubts. However, to his surprise, the news he brought was indeed urgent and important.

"Your Majesty. There is evidence that Prince Tella tried to bring in foreign forces to counter Your Majesty."

"Foreign forces?"

Latil exclaimed sharply in surprise.

"Which country?"

"The exact country is unknown. However, neighboring countries supported Your Majesty, and Carisen sent a prince as a concubine, so it is unlikely to be those countries."

"Huh, I'm impressed."

Latil let out a sigh.

"In just half a year, he tried so many things. Did he use the 'Seal of the Sovereign'?"

"Yes. The 'Seal of the Sovereign' was always kept in the palace."

The 'Seal of the Sovereign' is as good as the Emperor's signature, making it absolutely effective in diplomatic activities and treaty signings.

'This is serious.'

Latil frowned in worry.

"If he used the 'Seal of the Sovereign' to bring in foreign forces, there must have been a treaty and some kind of compensation. What a lunatic."

"Yes. The countries that made contracts with Prince Tella might demand that Your Majesty honor the contracts, citing the use of the 'Seal of the Sovereign'."

Latil groaned and rubbed his head.

"Really, Tella went all out until the end."

If it were a friendly country, they wouldn't make the unreasonable demand that Latil honor the contracts made by Prince Tella. That would completely ruin the relationship between the two countries. However, since a significant number of friendly countries already supported Latil, it was highly likely that the foreign forces Tella tried to bring in were from unfriendly countries. Would such countries understand the situation in Tarium at the time and accept that the 'Seal of the Sovereign' was used by the wrong person? Unlikely. They would probably pretend not to know.

"Duke of Attracti, first find out which country made what kind of treaty. Even if it wasn't officially recorded, there must be some documents somewhere since the seal was used."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Latil nodded.

"......"

"......"

"......?"

But the Duke of Attracti seemed strange. The report seemed to be over, yet he neither spoke nor left. This filled the room with an awkward silence. Latil had nothing more to say to the Duke. He couldn't keep repeating the story about the foreign forces since nothing new had been discovered. Finally, Latil, staring at the Duke of Attracti, asked:

"Do you have anything else to say?"

The Duke of Attracti, emboldened by Latil's question, asked more cautiously and seriously than before:

"Your Majesty, when would be a good time to bring in our Lanamun?"

The content of the question didn't sound serious, but Latil furrowed his brow and awkwardly smiled.

'The Duke of Attracti really wants to make his son a concubine.'

He was surprised when Lanamun was the first to submit the application to become a concubine. Now, coming directly to ask to bring him in as soon as possible was even more surprising. His face was red, showing that he felt embarrassed about asking such a question...

'What to do.'

Latil rolled his eyes. He had to answer the question. The Chief Eunuch hadn't yet chosen the other three concubines. And Latil didn't want to bring in Lanamun before the others. Given his already high status, if Lanamun were brought in first, the other concubines would be overshadowed. Even the high-status and unpredictable Prince Klein might struggle to maintain his own pace.

'No way.'

That's not what the harem is for. The concubines should fiercely compete until they are ready to welcome the Emperor, capturing the attention of the nobles. There should be no hierarchy within the harem. After thinking it through, Latil answered honestly:

"Once all five are chosen. I plan to bring them in on the same day."

"But Prince Klein..."

"He's a foreigner. He came from far away, so he was given a temporary residence, but he hasn't officially entered the harem yet. He's not a concubine yet."

The Duke of Attracti looked dissatisfied but reluctantly agreed.

"I see. Understood, Your Majesty."

* * *

When the Duke of Attracti returned to his mansion, he immediately went to find Lanamun.

"Lanamun! Son!"

Though it was late, Lanamun rarely went to bed early. He would surely still be awake.

"Master."

"Lanamun?"

"The young master is in the study."

As expected, Lanamun was still awake. The Duke of Attracti handed his cane to the butler and, while unbuttoning a few uncomfortable buttons, went straight to the study. Lanamun was sitting comfortably with a footrest, reading a book. The title was extremely lewd, but it looked sophisticated and intellectual from a distance. The Duke of Attracti stood there for a moment, comparing his son to the Prince of Klein he had seen.

"Father?"

Noticing his father's gaze, Lanamun looked up from his book.

"What is it?"

The Duke of Attracti approached the desk where Lanamun was sitting without a word.

"Was there something at the palace?"

The Duke of Attracti leaned against the desk and, after a serious look, answered:

"Another concubine will be entering the palace with you, but he came in first today."

Lanamun closed his book, put his feet down from the footrest, and frowned slightly.

"Did he become a concubine first?"

"No. He came from a foreign country and is being treated as a guest."

"Guest? Who is being treated as a guest?"

"Prince Klein of Carisen, the half-brother of Emperor Hyacinth."

Lanamun raised an eyebrow.

"I've never heard of him."

The Duke of Attracti, almost saying, "Have you ever heard of anyone?" but held back, explained:

"He wasn't a prince involved in state affairs. He probably wasn't prominent in Carisen either."

"Then it shouldn't matter, right? Foreign concubines are usually brought in for political reasons. A stupid concubine with no advantages other than nationality is no competition."

The Duke of Attracti clicked his tongue at Lanamun's firm answer.

"That's the problem."

"Does he have other advantages?"

"He's very handsome. On par with you."

"......"

"He also has the advantage of being a foreigner, which gives him an exotic charm."

Lanamun, who always thought he was the best, stiffened as his father unexpectedly praised the foreign prince. However, the Duke of Attracti believed he should judge and inform his son honestly about the enemy, so he also told him about Klein's decisive strength:

"He's very sly. He came today and was already waiting in the hallway to sleep with the Emperor on the first night."

"Such...!"

"He seems to have twelve tails. You need to be on guard. Understand?"

The Duke of Attracti, worried after speaking, looked at Lanamun. His eldest son, with his high status, intelligence, and good looks, had an overly high self-esteem. This high self-esteem was a wall. Lanamun couldn't easily approach people or accept those who approached him. His strengths had become a weakness. But Klein, with a similar level of looks and status, was very proactive. If personality became an issue, Lanamun might be at a disadvantage.

"......"

At that moment, Lanamun, who had been lost in thought, sighed and stood up.

"Your words make me curious."

"You'll see him every day anyway once you become a concubine."

"No, tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

Suddenly, "tomorrow"?

"I'll go tomorrow and see what kind of person he is with my own eyes."

* * *

The Chancellor, who was almost an official rival to the Duke of Attracti, remained completely neutral in the recent imperial succession struggle and did not support either Latil or Tella. As a result, he managed to keep his position when Latil dismissed Tella's close associates, but his power was slightly weaker compared to the Duke of Attracti. Perhaps due to this narrowed position, the Chancellor also raised his second son as a concubine, and Latil, without hesitation, approved him. The heir of the merchant guild, whose intentions were as obvious as they could be, was also approved. Nobles need money, and the rich merchants used this to raise their status by marrying their children to poor nobles, even pushing them into older remarriage positions. But this was a position for a concubine of an emperor without an empress. If they were lucky and had a child with the emperor, a commoner could instantly become royalty, and if even luckier, become the in-laws of the next emperor. A smart merchant would push their heir into such a position. But the Mercenary King Kallain...

Latil stared at the Mercenary King Kallain's application for nearly 30 minutes.

"He's a bit strange."

No matter how much he thought, he couldn't understand the reason for the application. Why did the Mercenary King suddenly apply to become a concubine?

"Then, Your Majesty, should we reject him?"

The Chief Eunuch, seeing Latil struggle to make a decision, asked again.

"If he doesn't come, we have the next person ready. He's an excellent talent from the Magic Academy."

"...... I don't know. It feels strange, but to just reject him..."

Latil glanced at the portrait of the Mercenary King Kallain and swallowed dryly. He was sexy. Very. And as a Mercenary King, he probably had a very animalistic charm. Lanamun and Klein were the beauties of the century, the Chancellor's second son was a gentle beauty, and the heir of the merchant guild probably had an intellectual charm. So, the remaining one could have a rough charm...

The Chief Eunuch, reading Latil's thoughts, covered his mouth with his fist and asked tactfully:

"Should we choose him, Your Majesty?"

* * *

The next day, after Lanamun left to meet Prince Klein, the Duke of Attracti anxiously paced the mansion's living room all day, waiting for Lanamun. Prince Klein seemed to have a very unpredictable personality. The Duke of Attracti was worried about what might happen when such a personality met Lanamun, who treated no one other than himself as human.

"Go and greet him properly and come back. You're making me nervous, walking around like that."

The Duchess, annoyed, scolded him, but the Duke of Attracti only paused in a corner and couldn't go into the room. Finally, around lunchtime, the awaited Lanamun returned.

"How was it, son?"

The Duke of Attracti rushed to the front door and immediately pressed his son.

"Did you meet that fox? What did he say?"

Lanamun's face was always cold and expressionless, making it impossible to tell if the conversation went well or not, which was frustrating.

"Yes, I met him."

But Lanamun simply answered and walked across the hall, heading straight for the spiral staircase. No, what did you talk about? Why!

The Duke of Attracti quickly followed and continued to ask:

"What did he say? Did he say anything harsh?"

Lanamun calmly answered:

"He said the Emperor had been in love with him for years."

The answer was calm, but the Duke of Attracti was so surprised he staggered. He almost fell down the stairs but managed to grab the railing to steady himself. He looked up at his son, who had already climbed ahead, in a daze. What?

"In love? The Emperor? With him?"

The Duke of Attracti hurriedly ran back to his son's side.

"How did the Emperor meet him to fall in love?"

"He didn't say that much."

"Then? What else did he say?"

"He said that even if he became a concubine, he would just be one of the flower decorations."

"Flower decorations?"

The Duke of Attracti laughed in disbelief. My son as a flower decoration? He would be a carnivorous plant before being a flower decoration. The Duke of Attracti huffed and scolded:

"Are you kidding? Did you just listen to that?"

"......"

"Did you say anything in response?"