Chapter 15

"Why are you in such a good mood?"

Prince Alek, who looked as if he might start whistling, was asked by Ruitas with a somewhat uneasy expression.

In front of a mountain of documents, Ruitas and Gruuk had been doing preliminary research and adding annotations and information, which Alek would finally review and sign. It was a familiar scene in the evening after the usual official duties were completed.

"By the way, I heard you visited the Concubine's chambers for the first time in a while today. How was she?"

Gruuk didn't think that just seeing the Empress's face would make him this elated, but since he couldn't think of any other reason, he decided to ask the main person.

"I felt unwell after being in the wind, so I had her moved to her bedchamber."

When Alek answered, Ruitas muttered, "I see," as he had already received that report.

"By the way, it seems that Lord Rizok is finally getting engaged."

Recalling the information he had heard from a familiar knight during the day, Ruitas added this.

Incidentally, Rizok was the head of the Dillenmer family, the Empress's birth family. He had just inherited the title and had little political experience, but he was the Empress's nephew, and his political value was considerable.

"Who is the bride?"

Alek, who had not heard of this, raised his head from the documents and asked.

Such a marriage alliance was likely orchestrated by the Empress. She would either choose from among the senior ministers who managed the internal affairs or from the royal families of the neighboring countries surrounding Anchease, or perhaps...

"It's the daughter of Lord Roffman."

Alek held his breath for a moment.

"Has the military gotten involved..."

Alek chuckled and shook his head slightly.

"Of all people, Roffman trying to form an alliance with the Dillenmer family..."

It was hard to believe, but since Ruitas had stated it, it was probably true.

Roffman, one of the private knight orders, and the Dillenmer family, the Empress's birth family, were, in a sense, old enemies. To put it bluntly, they were the victim and the perpetrator of the royal usurpation incident twenty-two years ago.

Originally, when Anchease was divided over the imperial succession, the three private knight orders of Anchease were always deeply involved in the history.

Antore, Roffman, and Reiatou.

These three knight orders, which had existed since the founding of the country, were created by Emperor Aringer, the founder of Anchease.

The founder emperor prohibited the princes with the right to inherit the throne from having their own military forces and, as an alternative, gave military power to the three servants who had greatly contributed to the founding of the country, in the form of knight orders, to protect the royal family.

These three knight orders were hereditary, and their existence was codified in law, with the only taboo being marriage to the royal family. This was to prevent the knight orders from becoming too close to the royal family, and it worked well until the founder emperor's death.

However, the princes, who were not allowed to have their own armies, inevitably needed the protection of the knight orders, and once they joined one of the knight orders at the age of twelve, they naturally formed close ties with that order.

For the three families, it was inevitable that they would develop affection for the princes they had raised, and in Anchease, where primogeniture was not clearly defined, the princes supported by the respective knight orders were always in conflict.

Even if a prince lost the succession struggle, the three knight orders would never disappear from Anchease. After the head of the order who had conspired was deposed, a new head would be chosen from the family, and the name of the knight order would continue.

The previous emperor, Tarkas, had a deep aversion to the bloody history of the royal family and the knight orders.

Tarkas, who had also gone through a fierce succession struggle to become emperor, designated the first prince, Yorm, as the crown prince at the age of three months and established a stable reign to prevent the knight orders from getting involved in political strife.

His plan seemed to have succeeded at first, but as soon as Tarkas died, the discontent that had been suppressed erupted. Prince Parisis, who had been in an unfavorable position, conspired with Chancellor Dillenmer and, with the help of the Antore knight order, assassinated Crown Prince Yorm, who was about to ascend the throne.

The timing of the assassination was key.

Anchease had a secret service called the Imperial Guard, and assassinating the emperor protected by the Imperial Guard was virtually impossible. Therefore, Parisis killed his brother before Yorm could take control of the Imperial Guard.

Thus, Yorm died at the young age of twenty-five, and the Roffman knight order, which had supported Yorm as the crown prince, was the only one left unscathed.

The then Lord Roffman, who had failed to protect the beloved crown prince, deeply resented Emperor Parisis and Chancellor Dillenmer, and withdrew from the knight order in anger and despair.

"The current head of Roffman witnessed his father's frustration up close. Even though the head has changed, I think that family still has strong feelings about the Dillenmer family."

Even Gruuk, who was well-informed, could not have predicted that Roffman would form an alliance with the Dillenmer family. He might have thought that Roffman would approach Lord Sezon first, believing that they would not become enemies even if they did nothing.

"It's been over twenty years, and the current Lord Roffman may have decided to look to the future rather than dwell on past grievances. However, I don't think this was a proposal initiated by Lord Roffman. I believe Empress Tora was the one who moved with strong enthusiasm."

To this, Ruitas replied, "As always, she has a lot of courage and is good at reading the flow of events."

Gruuk, who couldn't bring himself to praise her outright, smiled bitterly.

Originally, Tora, the daughter of Dillenmer, was made Empress to solidify Parisis's reign after he usurped the throne. This was because the Empress's authority was particularly strong in Anchease.

However, even Dillenmer could not make the newly born Prince Alek the crown prince. This was due to the strong opposition to the usurper.

In the end, while waiting for the right time, Dillenmer fell ill, and the plan to make Prince Alek the crown prince was abandoned.

By then, Parisis's reign had stabilized, and the death of his father-in-law, Dillenmer, who often flaunted his favors, was a blessing in disguise for Parisis. The emperor, who had gained complete freedom and power, continued to avoid choosing a successor despite the Empress's repeated requests, and the situation has continued to the present day.

Alek still remembers the shock and despair he felt when he learned that his father and maternal grandfather, Dillenmer, had killed the rightful emperor and usurped the throne, and had also killed his brother's children and all his younger brothers.

The blood of his father and mother that flowed through his veins was repulsive to him. He even felt a deep aversion to his own existence and was on the verge of giving up. What supported Alek was the three friends he met at Antore.

Ruitas, who was skilled at understanding the nuances of emotions, tried his best to support Alek with words. Amon accompanied him in sword practice until they both fell down. Amon, whose grandfather had been involved in the usurpation, deeply understood Alek's despair and aversion. While struggling with the pride of the knight order and its bloody history, Amon chose to explore how to live as the successor of Antore alongside Alek.

And Gruuk, the third friend, seemed to be trying to show Alek the way to be a ruler, which Alek most needed.

Gruuk patiently explained to Alek that ruling Anchease was not a right but an obligation as the first prince and the only son of the Empress. If a civil war broke out over the imperial succession, the country would be weakened, and the people would suffer. As the first prince and the only son of the Empress, Alek had to seize the throne.

These three friends were always by Alek's side until he overcame his inner conflicts and began to aim for the throne, and they continue to support him as he walks the path of a ruler.

"What did the Empress do? Did she find some weakness in Roffman?"

Gruuk, tilting his head, asked, and Ruitas smiled wryly and said, "No, Roffman didn't side with the Empress."

After saying this, Ruitas glanced at Alek.

"The reason they agreed to the marriage alliance with the Dillenmer family is because of Your Highness."

"I haven't done anything," Alek said, surprised to be mentioned unexpectedly.

"Here's the thing," Ruitas said, a hint of pride in his voice.

"If Sezon and Reiatou join forces, the balance of power between the Antore-supported Prince and the other side would be even. To tip the balance in Your Highness's favor, Roffman decided to marry his daughter to the Dillenmer family, whom they had long despised."

"So, they think the next emperor should be Prince Alek?"

Gruuk's statement was met with a nod from Ruitas.

"Unlike the emperor, who doesn't pay much attention to domestic affairs, Prince Alek has used his authority to the fullest to implement various reforms, hasn't he?"

"Yes," Gruuk agreed.

This was an undeniable fact. Alek had made decisions and worked hard to implement them based on Gruuk's advice.

"Although it's still difficult to reach the provinces, in the capital, Midas, we have revised detailed laws, protected the poor and homeless, and steadily improved the rivers and sewers. While many nobles don't pay attention to these achievements, there are those who do. That's why Lord Roffman moved this time. In other words, this is a result of Your Highness's efforts."

Ruitas, who is good at picking up rumors without arousing suspicion due to his friendly and sincere demeanor, might have exaggerated a bit, but Alek felt relieved that Roffman was on their side.

"So, we have two of the knight orders on our side now."

"Still, it all depends on the emperor's will. If he doesn't turn his heart to us, there's nothing we can do..."

"By the way, I heard the emperor is infatuated with a fifteen-year-old maid or lady-in-waiting."

As they talked, Alek began to feel exasperated by his father's lack of principles.

"Fourteen, Your Highness," Ruitas corrected briefly.

"Since she is of low status, she won't be elevated to a concubine unless she bears a son."

To become the emperor's wife, one needed to be of a certain noble lineage or have given birth to a royal heir. For example, the woman who gave birth to the fifth princess, Parisis, was a lady-in-waiting of noble lineage and was elevated to a concubine as soon as she became pregnant.

The first, second, and third princesses, whose mothers were low-ranking maids, were not given the status of concubines. On the other hand, although of low status, Zitti, who gave birth to the heir, Celtes, was given the title of concubine as soon as Celtes was born. Maya, who was immediately given the title of concubine after the emperor's attention, was due to her adoptive father, Lord Sezon's, influence.

In Anchease, status is particularly important. In that sense, it was fortunate for Alek that Via was adopted as the emperor's daughter. If she had only been Zitti's stepdaughter, it would have been difficult to protect her as a concubine.

"Speaking of concubines, there are rumors that Empress Via and the Empress are not getting along. It's because Via didn't attend an event hosted by the Empress."

"Once her health stabilizes, it would be good for her to visit the Empress with you. It's dangerous for her to go alone, so it's best to be thorough about that."

Via, as a concubine, would likely handle minor harassment well, but the Empress was unpredictable.

"Understood."

Thinking about his father and mother, Alek felt like sighing. He muttered to himself that he had not been blessed with good family, but then he thought of his half-brother, Celtes, and decided that he could at least be grateful for having a brother.