“This castle was granted to me by the Emperor when I became the Empress and gave birth to my first son. At that time, each hall in this castle contained only one precious item. The Emperor then instructed me to fill these halls myself in the future.”

After finishing her words, she pointed to the sword hanging in the center of the wall visible as soon as you enter.

“At that time, there was only this sword in this room. The sword used by the former Emperor.”

Carson’s eyebrows raised slightly. He didn’t consider himself particularly greedy, but it was a very tempting item. The Empress smiled mischievously when she saw him linger at her footsteps.

Next, she guided him to a hall that was unexpectedly empty. And on that wall, only the map of the empire was clumsily placed.

“Do you see this?”

She pointed to Monstera, his duchy, on the map.

“This is the land you expanded not long ago.”

As she said, the border markings on the map extended all the way to the entrance of the Progon Mountain Range. After gazing at the map for a moment, the Empress turned to face him.

“From now on, I plan to fill this place only with what Carson von Raymond brings.”

Carson laughed heartily, even up to his chest.

“Is this the first Monstera’s land?”

“Of course. It’s still my land since you’re my servant.”

“So, what do you want this time?”

“As you know, first, Duke Anthony must become the Crown Prince, right?”

“Looking for a reliable support?”

“Is that all? Offer the land of Landhill as a sign of eternal loyalty to him.”

“…….”

“Oh, don’t misunderstand. I don’t mean to take all that land. I’ll return the name Lesonia. So, if the prince offers the old Landhill’s land, that will be enough. I mean, including the profitable mine.”

“What if I refuse?”

“If you refuse… you can consider it as my birthday present. That won’t be a bad option either. If that’s also not acceptable…”

“…….”

“You can give up being a noble and servant of this country. As you know, going against the imperial order is rebellion. If you don’t want to be a rebel, just leave everything behind and go to your duchy.”

Speaking to this extent already meant that the imperial power was declining.

Since the territory of Monstera had expanded, it would have been argued that returning an equivalent amount of territory to the imperial family was in line with the principle.

The imperial family had already given too much land to the nobles, and the silent war to reclaim those lands had been going on for more than 300 years.

Afterwards, the Empress left the hall without saying anything more, with her characteristic smile.

As she stepped outside the castle, Noah, who was waiting outside, approached.

“What conversation did you have?”

“Just the words I wrote in the letter.”

“Does that mean you’re determined to take the land by force?”
“Yeah, including the territory of the old Landhill. And it seems the Imperial Family has approved it. They must have also had a hand in the temple.”

“…….”

“Let’s go to the townhouse first. We need to assess the situation around.”

“Where will you go?”

Carson was already a Grand Duke and the king of the duchy. He had townhouses prepared all over the capital.

“Hallibin.”

Hallibin was a mansion located at the outskirts, even from the Imperial Palace, it took almost four hours by horse to get there. But Noah immediately bowed his head in agreement.

Prince Chae Bongsik’s coronation resembled the Emperor’s grand ceremony.

Until Carson arrived, it was unknown whether this coronation would take place. However, as he came and lent his support, the nobles who were wandering in the middle completely turned to the Empress.

Wolooming Castle was magnificent in itself, even without any special decorations.

The nobles who entered the castle, as the Empress said, were completely overwhelmed by the grandeur.

“Is that the awe-inspiring look the Empress is talking about?”

Watching Carson struggle, Noah chuckled and stroked his neck. Even though people weren’t sticking close to him, the place was filled with the sounds of footsteps all around.

Moreover, what was currently attracting the most attention was none other than Carson.

He was wearing the prince’s attire for the first time in a long while. Adorned with the purple emblem that only the royalty could wear, he seemed as if he were the owner of this castle. There were people openly shining their eyes, and many women who couldn’t help but glance at him.

Noah nodded in agreement with his words.

As Carson said, the reverent gazes of the people were all directed towards him.

“No rare treasure can surpass the beauty of a person.”

“After seeing those rare artworks, it seems you’ve become a philosopher.”

While everyone was touched by being invited to such a grand place, Carson’s face looked rough, like a young student facing an unpleasant class. Moreover, he seemed to appear as a sharp beast to the eyes of the people.

In just a few years, he had transformed into a perfect emperor’s figure.