Since morning, statements from the nobles had been pouring into the Imperial Palace.

Looking at the piles of paper filled with their complaints stacked neatly on the desk, Cledius sighed as if thoroughly fed up.

‘Don’t they ever get tired of this?’

He could guess the contents without even needing to open them.

There was only one reason for them to unite their opinions – the issue of Ilarid’s dethronement. Ever since Selina became the Empress, statements had been coming in almost once a week.

Cledius dismissed all their opinions on the pretext that Ilarid, left alone, had no power.

Ultimately, the final decision rested with the Emperor. No matter how much the nobles backed Cledius, the fact remained that Cledius was the Emperor.

“Your Imperial Majesty. Marquis Gluoir requests an audience.”

He raised his body from its relaxed position. This was a very rare action for Cledius.

“Please come in, Marquis.”

Marquis Gluoir was of such an advanced age that he needed the aid of a cane.

However, he was known for maintaining an upright posture before the Emperor and requesting reforms and advice. It was known that even the unrestrained Cledius showed respect and deference to Marquis Gluoir.

The Marquis who entered the office handed his cane to a nearby attendant and bowed. It was a sight that would make onlookers feel pity.

“I greet the noble sun of the Astrid Empire.”

“That will do, Marquis. What brings you here?”

Marquis Gluoir quietly handed a well-folded envelope to the attendant beside him. Cledius’s face hardened as he received the envelope from the attendant.

“Resignation, you say?”

“Given my age, it’s becoming difficult to handle the duties of Prime Minister.”

There must be other reasons besides that. Cledius, having guessed the reason for the Marquis’s resignation, kept his mouth tightly shut.

It was entirely Cledius’s responsibility. The reform proposals that Marquis Gluoir had desperately put forward several times all ended up fizzling out at the Emperor’s level.

And most of the nobles would break out in hives at the word ‘reform’ as if allergic to it. Even when Cledius subtly brought it up, they were vehemently opposed.

‘He must be tired of their and my antics.’

On the document stating the resignation, Marquis Gluoir’s handwriting was visible. Despite his advanced years, it was still beautiful penmanship. The sentence ‘I deeply regret and hereby announce my resignation…’ particularly stood out.

Cledius signed the paper, indicating his acknowledgment.

Marquis Gluoir was the one who had stepped forward to reform the entire imperial household since the time of the Empress Dowager. His resignation signified the end of an era.

The Marquis looked at the Emperor with a faint smile. His wrinkled, curved lips held many meanings.

The only child born between the previous Emperor and Empress Dowager. Naturally, the imperial family had pinned all their hopes on Cledius.

But expectation and disappointment were always inversely proportional. The Empress Dowager had strictly disciplined Cledius whenever he showed imperfect behavior.

Marquis Gluoir’s smile turned bitter. Should he have stopped the Empress Dowager when he witnessed young Cledius’s sinking gaze?

‘She wouldn’t have listened even if I had tried to stop her.’

Instead of adding more words, he delivered his final reform proposal. If even this fails or is overturned, the future of the empire would be unpredictable.

“The last words this old man can offer are just this. Please consider it carefully.”

It would be one of two things. Either he would read the reform proposal, judge it difficult, and set it aside, or he would put it away without reading it.

The Marquis’s heavily wrinkled eyelids scanned the nobles’ statements scattered on the desk.

“They’re still in an uproar over that matter, I see.”

“It’s becoming a headache. If I were to seek advice now, it would be too late, wouldn’t it?”

“Well…”

“What does the Marquis think of the Empress?”

Surprised by the sudden question, the old Marquis bowed his curved back even further as he answered.

“Her Majesty the Empress is an upright and strong person. Truly befitting of our empire.”

Starting from taking care of small matters like the celebratory and condolence events of the palace workers, she was handling various palace events. Many people praised Ilarid’s behavior as befitting the role of Empress.

But the Marquis’s thoughts were a bit different.

Though it was an extremely disloyal thought, he felt Ilarid was more suited to the position of Emperor than Cledius.

Perhaps this was the reason why the Empress Dowager had constantly tried to keep Melpiram in check. She wanted a docile and obedient Crown Princess, not an imperial woman who spoke of reform and desired debate.

Currently, the Empress could not independently pursue other matters. After the purge of Melpiram, Cledius had stripped away most of the power the Empress could wield.

If she could use the three rights of final decision like previous Empresses, what kind of initiatives would Ilarid pursue?

Thinking of the Empress, Marquis Gluoir looked down at the carpet spread on the floor and let out a faint laugh.

‘The empire… it seems its time to decline has come.’

Marquis Gluoir laid down his heavy heart. He exhaled a breath closer to resignation than relief, his drooping shoulders sinking even lower.

Instead of advice, he posed one question to Cledius.

“Your Imperial Majesty. Though it may be presumptuous, may I ask one thing?”

“What is it?”

“To Your Imperial Majesty, what kind of existence is Her Majesty the Empress, and what meaning does she hold?”

The young Emperor’s eyes were always full of desire. Even now, beyond those red pupils, he must be imagining Ilarid.

Is it simple lust? A twisted love born from the frustration of not being able to possess the one he desires completely. Even while taking other women, Cledius constantly looked at the Empress.

‘It might be the curse of Melpiram.’

Marquis Gluoir regretted that moment over and over. He should have more strongly opposed the purge of Melpiram. If all the evidence adopted as proof of treason had been reinvestigated, things might not have come to this.

And the Empress. Ilarid, the only blood of Melpiram.

Though the Empress surely never intended it, she was like a seductress who had blinded the Emperor’s eyes. If Ilarid had crumbled and been destroyed as Cledius wished, would the result have been different?

But Ilarid would never be trapped in the Emperor’s eyes. Cledius, still holding Ilarid in his gaze, muttered.

“The Empress is… my everything.”

She was the only thing in the Astrid Empire that the Emperor could not perfectly possess.

**

Viscount Diobe’s steps towards the Imperial Palace were as light as if feathers were attached to them.

Recently, he had established a foundation with the advice of the nobles. The Emperor thought positively about it, and even provided some budget support, so it couldn’t be better.

Now all that was left was to find people to invest in the foundation.

‘If you say you’re helping poor and pitiful beggars, everyone will open their wallets, won’t they?’

What could be better to exploit than human goodwill? Viscount Diobe walked towards the Imperial Palace with a feeble smile.

“It’s getting hotter… I should get a palanquin to use inside the palace soon.”

He grumbled as he took out a handkerchief to wipe the beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Having a successful daughter didn’t seem to help much in this situation.

His daughter, the Empress, never thought to gift her father even a fan. As for the eldest… He decided not to think about it anymore.

‘I guess I’ll just have to trust Selina.’

Since the Emperor’s affection showed no signs of cooling, good news should be coming soon. Viscount Diobe had no doubt about the bright future unfolding before him.

When he reached the corridor of the Imperial Palace, he saw someone approaching from the far end.

“Who is that dark fellow?”

“That, that must be the mercenary captain who contracted with His Imperial Majesty.”

The attendant beside Viscount Diobe quickly spoke up. With a tall stature and sturdy build at a glance, he truly had the perfect appearance of a man.

But the atmosphere he exuded was nothing short of brutal. He seemed ready to dismember a nearby human at any moment with his expressionless face.

Viscount Diobe involuntarily gulped. It was scary, but avoiding him would be unbecoming of a nobleman’s dignity. He put strength into his trembling legs and headed towards the audience chamber where the Emperor was said to be.

Though he walked as quickly as possible, Lebel, who was striding briskly, arrived at the door first.

“Eh, w-what, are you also here to seek an audience with His Imperial Majesty?”

“That’s right.”

“How dare you try to enter first. There’s an order to everything! Where did you learn such an impertinent attitude to try to precede a nobleman!”

Lebel, watching Viscount Diobe’s pointing finger, tilted his head slightly to the side. The tone and attitude seemed very familiar.

As he was trying to recall, Viscount Diobe’s kick flew towards his leg.

“Even looking down on a nobleman straight on! What terrible manners!”

Isn’t it unavoidable because he’s tall…? The attendant beside him swallowed his words and alternately looked at Viscount Diobe and the large man in front, gauging the situation.

With his noble status as his only claim to superiority, Viscount Diobe was uninhibited. However, despite putting all his strength into the kick, Lebel didn’t budge an inch.

His bowed head, without the slightest tremor, was like a mountain of rock that had withstood countless years in one place.

Is this what they mean by hitting a rock with an egg? Unable to watch any longer, the Emperor’s attendant spoke up with bitter words.

“Please restrain yourself. His Imperial Majesty is inside.”

“Ahem, ahem, I go first anyway. Please request an audience with His Imperial Majesty for me.”

“Still, there’s an order to who arrived first.”

The attendant bowed his head. Regardless of status, he meant to let them in according to the order they arrived. Viscount Diobe contorted his face and slightly raised his voice.

“No, even cold water has its layers, how can you let such a lowly fellow in first?”

“I’ll wait.”

Lebel stepped back more docilely than expected. Anyway, if he brought up information about the conquest of the northern region, the conversation was bound to be lengthy.

The attendant sent an apologetic look towards Lebel. It was more accurate to say he was avoiding the arrogant viscount out of disgust rather than fear.

Viscount Diobe approached the door with an exaggerated fake cough.

Why are young people these days so gutsy? He had heard that among the commoners, especially the younger generation, there were growing factions resisting the class system.

In any case, what kind of home education did they receive? The viscount clicked his tongue lightly and entered the office.

‘Viscount Diobe. The Empress’s father.’

Lebel glanced sideways with lowered eyes at Viscount Diobe entering.

Working as a mercenary, one tends to pick up various bits of information here and there.

Lebel was well aware of the rumors that the Diobe family had turned their backs on their country and sought refuge in the empire for their own peace and stability.

‘He must be an obstacle for Her Majesty the Empress.’

It must be suffocating enough just with Selina’s existence, and her father was surely no better. Even now, his scurrying off to the Emperor seemed suspicious.

But in the end, their goals would all be the same. More wealth, endless honor, and power.

The door closed gently. There was no way to hear what words were being exchanged inside. Lebel had to wait endlessly until the noble conversation of the high and mighty ended.

The plots woven by the high and mighty were like fog. When you reach out to unravel their substance, nothing can be grasped. If you’re not careful, you might get trapped inside and be disposed of without a trace.

But what if the ‘Gray Hawk’ intervenes?

‘If I can just secure some evidence…’

A faint smile passed over Lebel’s lips. It was a fleeting moment that the attendant standing in front failed to notice.