Chapter 149

Upon entering the Emperor’s office, Duke Ruthius bowed his head.

“You summoned me, Your Majesty.”

“Oh, Duke Ruthius! Welcome. Have you been well? How is your leg? Are you still walking with a cane?”

“Yes.”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. A Sword Master who can’t even walk without a cane. What a truly pitiful sight. Oh my! I shouldn’t keep a man in discomfort standing. Please, have a seat.”

The Emperor lavished him with excessive kindness, mentioning the Duke’s leg several times. It was as if he were implying the Duke was now a cripple.

Duke Ruthius knew the Emperor was doing it on purpose but showed no sign of it.

“Thank you.”

As the Duke and the Emperor sat on the sofa, Head Chamberlain Hamilton Aesla prepared tea.

A cool black tea was placed before the Emperor, while a hot tea was set before Duke Ruthius.

“I’ve had a special medicinal tea prepared for your health. Please, drink up.”

Duke Ruthius briefly glanced at the brown liquid, which was steaming profusely.

“Thank you.”

The Emperor watched intently as Duke Ruthius tilted the teacup.

“It’s quite a hot day, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

Despite the intentionally hot tea, Duke Ruthius’s expression remained as icy as ever.

To drink a boiling cup of tea on a sweltering summer day without breaking a single sweat…

His dignified composure only served to sour the Emperor’s mood.

‘Repulsive man!’

No matter how he looked at him, Duke Ruthius lacked any semblance of humanity.

No matter who he faced or what he endured, he always observed the world with a dry, arrogant detachment.

The Emperor had always despised Duke Ruthius.

He hated the way he seemed to look down on everyone from the pinnacle of power. He hated the title of the wealthiest man in the empire.

He hated that he was a Sword Master, and he even hated that he was taller than him!

A murderous rage would boil within him whenever people compared him to Duke Ruthius.

‘Why should I, the Emperor, be compared to a mere Duke? What’s so great about that bastard!’

The Emperor’s jealousy had finally erupted when Duke Ruthius married Marcella, the most beautiful woman in the empire.

He could still not forget that arrogant expression as the Duke kissed Marcella, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

The Emperor masked the chill in his eyes with a gentle smile.

“The reason I’ve called you today is none other than to discuss the matter of our children’s marriage.”

*Clink.* Duke Ruthius set down his teacup.

“Please, speak.”

The Emperor gestured to the Head Chamberlain as he continued.

The Duke’s empty cup was refilled with hot tea.

“They’re of age, so shouldn’t we get them married soon? It would be a disaster if she suddenly got pregnant. Even if she is the Mad Princess, we must consider her reputation.”

“My daughter is of sound mind.”

“You may wish to believe so, Duke. But I, along with the majority, have no doubt that the Princess is mad. Just look at her behavior. Does she seem normal to you?”

“Are you saying you intend to accept a mad princess as the Crown Princess?”

“What can I do if the Crown Prince insists, no matter how much I oppose it? I must be the one to yield. I suppose this is why they say no parent can win against their child.”

The Emperor had every intention of holding onto the throne until his death.

The empire might fall to ruin if Dante inherited the crown after his death, but what did it matter?

‘I’ll already be dead by then.’

That was why Astell and Dante’s engagement was important to the Emperor as well.

‘To control a monster for a long time, you need the right kind of bait.’

Rather than antagonizing Astell as he was now, it was far more advantageous to win her over through a reasonable compromise.

‘She’s a wench obsessed with power, so I’ll just have to play along.’

But Duke Ruthius was different. He would never tolerate the Duke lording over him as the Emperor’s in-law.

‘It would be best to sever the connection between Astell and the Ruthius family entirely… Is there a good way to do that?’

The Emperor, concealing his dark intentions perfectly, drank his tea.

“Ah, refreshing. To get to the point, Dante is so insistent that I’m thinking of skipping the engagement ceremony… What is your opinion, Duke?”

The engagement ceremony is typically prepared by the man’s side.

For that reason, no noble would ever skip it. Doing so was tantamount to declaring a fatal flaw in the bride’s family.

And Astell was the only daughter of a ducal house.

This was a clear indication of how little the Emperor regarded the Ruthius family.

“…Are you suggesting we proceed directly to the wedding without an engagement ceremony?”

“It’s not that I want to. I know you have your dignity to consider, Duke… But the Crown Prince has been begging me, saying he wants to be with the Princess as soon as possible.”

“…”

“Dante may be fond of the Princess now, but a man’s heart is a fickle thing. Wouldn’t it be better for the Princess to marry him before that happens? This decision was made for her sake, so I hope you won’t be too disappointed.”

Duke Ruthius looked at the Emperor’s shameless face before lowering his gaze. His grip on his cane tightened.

His stomach churned with humiliation. He wanted nothing more than to storm out of the room that very instant.

‘Calm down.’

Act with cool, calm composure. Don’t let the blade hidden in your heart show itself.

The Emperor set down his teacup with a hint of irritation.

“Why the silence? Surely you’re not displeased with a marriage into the imperial family.”

Duke Ruthius spoke calmly.

“If you answer just one question for me, I will follow Your Majesty’s wishes.”

“An answer? To what?”

“It concerns the incident from twenty-one years ago.”

The Emperor flinched before schooling his expression into one of bewilderment.

“…What incident are you referring to? I haven’t the faintest idea.”

“I am speaking of my wife’s death.”

“Ah, has it truly been twenty-one years already? How time flies.”

“Why did you do it?”

“Why did I do what? What did I do back then?”

The Emperor’s acting was flawless. Tilting his head, he genuinely looked like a man who knew nothing.

“You held my wife’s funeral without my consent. Do you not remember?”

The Emperor’s eyes wavered for a moment. For Duke Ruthius to speak with such certainty meant he had solid proof.

‘How did he find evidence?’

Fortunately, it seemed Duke Ruthius hadn’t uncovered the entire truth.

If he had, he would never have remained silent for twenty-one years, acting as if nothing had happened.

‘Denying it will only arouse more suspicion. I should give him a plausible answer.’

The Emperor raised his teacup and replied nonchalantly.

“You mean that incident… Let’s see, why did I do that? Ah! It must have been because I couldn’t reach you while you were at war. That’s why I ordered the funeral. I’m only just remembering now.”

“I know you never tried to contact me.”

“Hmm, is that so? I seem to recall sending a letter… There must have been some kind of mistake.”

“No, Your Majesty intentionally concealed Marcella’s death from me.”

“Intentionally… Don’t make assumptions!”

“I am not making assumptions. I am stating only what I have confirmed to be fact.”

“What-what did you say?”

“I don’t know if Your Majesty is aware, but the movements of messengers are always recorded. At that time, not a single messenger departed from the imperial palace.”

“N-no! I clearly ordered a letter to be sent—”

“Are you suggesting, then, that a mere messenger defied Your Majesty’s command?”

The Emperor unknowingly clenched his fists. He knew he should agree, but his pride wouldn’t let the words escape his lips.

“Your Majesty, why did you do it?”

“Wh-what are you talking about!”

“Why did you deceive me and hold Marcella’s funeral?”

“…”

“There is no law that allows a wife’s funeral to be held without her husband’s consent. And Marcella’s husband is I, Axion Ruthius, not Your Majesty.”

The Emperor’s lips pressed into a tight line. Finally unable to contain his rage, he threw his teacup.

*Crash!*

“I proposed to Marcella first! You’re the one who stole her from me!”

“Is that why you killed my wife? Because she rejected your proposal?”

*Did he know? How in the world?*

Those who knew the truth of that day were either dead or had disappeared. The Emperor himself had given the orders, so he knew this for a fact.

‘Could it be… the Head Chamberlain?’

The only one who knew everything was Head Chamberlain Hamilton. The Emperor’s cold, dark-brown eyes fixed on him.

“Hamilton.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Get out.”

“…Pardon?”

“Did I not tell you to get out!”

The Emperor’s furious roar echoed through the office. Hamilton’s face turned white as a sheet.

“Then… I shall… take my leave, Your Majesty.”

Hamilton exited the room.

Unaware that Duke Ruthius was observing him intently, the Emperor ground his teeth.

Fine, what was there to hide at this point?

‘I always wanted to say it to his face, just once. That I killed Marcella! To ask him how it feels to have something of his taken away!’

The Emperor propped his chin on his hand with an arrogant expression.

“Axion, have you been thinking that all this time? Were you planning to get revenge?”

“…”

“But you’ve got it wrong. I didn’t kill Marcella.”

“Did you not strangle her?”

“That—!”

The Emperor instinctively started to answer, then stopped and looked around.

The fact that Hunters could record what they saw as video flashed through his mind.

In the office, there was only Duke Ruthius and himself.

There were no Hunters here. He had sent the traitorous Head Chamberlain out, so there was no way their conversation would leak.

Only after confirming his safety did the Emperor cast off the mask he always wore.

“Ah, I did strangle her. But that was just to quiet her down. She was resisting too much.”

“She… resisted?”

“She resisted quite fiercely, yes. *Axion, no! Axion, help me!* She made such a fuss calling your name… Hah, she was so noisy.”

The Emperor looked up at the ceiling. His eyes, lost in reminiscence, gleamed strangely.

“She stopped moving when I choked her. I thought, *Did she faint?* So I tapped her cheek… and what do you know, she kicked me. That clever little wench was pretending to be unconscious.”

The Emperor cackled like a madman. Having revealed his true nature, he was clearly unhinged.

“She pushed me away and started crawling on all fours. I was curious to see how far she would go, so I just watched. But then she went for the stairs. The ones leading to the banquet hall.”

*Sigh*, what a pain. As if returning to that moment, the Emperor let out an exasperated sigh.

“It seemed she couldn’t crawl down the stairs, so she staggered to her feet.”

Finishing his recollection, the Emperor’s fingertip lightly tapped the air.

“So I pushed her. Just a tap.”