The conference room finally turned the hourglass. The delicately colored golden sand soon trickled down below.

“First, let’s begin the first vote. Those in favor of the Emperor and his government’s union, please raise your hands.”

The atmosphere among the nobles seated at the table became noticeably calm. In the serene silence where not even a breath could be heard, various glances were exchanged.

At that moment, two members of the Freihd Empire’s nobility raised their hands.

“In favor.”

“In favor.”

It was the Viscount and Viscountess Edward of the Freihd Empire.

Indeed, the choices of those deeply connected to the Emperor were being made.

“I, too, am in favor.”

Immediately afterward, one more vote in favor was cast. It was Liam Sahir, sitting in the Sahir Empire’s noble seat.

No other noble raised their hands, expressing their regrets as time passed without additional support. The sand accumulated abundantly at the bottom of the hourglass. One-third of the given time had passed.

“To think that Her Majesty, who dedicated her whole life to the Empire, would not even see the fruition of the desired union. Truly, this is a great betrayal.”

Viscount Edward, who was staring at the hourglass, muttered quietly. Lady Edward, who had been busy scanning other nobles with her narrowed eyes, also interjected with a crisp remark.

“That’s right. The one who proclaimed loyalty with his mouth turned away when Her Majesty needed us. I wonder how deeply Her Majesty will be disappointed when she later reviews the voting results.”
“They must feel betrayed by us.”

“Helping Her Majesty at times like this is true loyalty, tsk.”

At first glance, it seemed like a secretive conversation between them, but the background was a conference room. Words spoken in a quiet place certainly could not remain their secret.

Thanks to this, the Freihd nobles naturally learned about Viscount Edward’s future plans. Being close associates of the Emperor, there was a possibility that they could leak the contents of the meeting.

While the Emperor wouldn’t necessarily punish each noble who did not agree, the opposite was decidedly different. Those who had supported him in difficult times would be generously rewarded.

Regardless of whether the marriage was approved or rejected based on today’s vote, the Emperor’s discussion implied that those who cast affirmative votes would be highly regarded.

If they couldn’t promote their own family member as a candidate for the Empress, it was a priority to catch the Emperor’s eye, at the very least.

“In favor.”

“Ah… I, too, am in favor.”

Two nobles who read the situation raised their hands. The couple of Viscount Edward and those who made eye contact with them continued to smile slyly.

“I… I also support.”

Confirming the returning trend, nobles began to join in one by one.

Before the meeting started, a few attendees had made calculated simulations, but the alliance had long been broken. Chaos erupted among them to secure their own shares.

Thus, in the Freihd Empire alone, already fifteen nobles raised their hands.
The conference room, which had been staring intently at the hourglass on the table, paused for a moment. It seemed that about half of the voting time had passed.

“Yes, we will now proceed with a mid-check. In favor, there are sixteen votes from the Freihd Empire and one vote from the Sahir Empire, making a total of seventeen votes.”

Three votes were still needed for the marriage of the two individuals to be approved.

“I am in favor.”

A moment later, another affirmative vote came from the Sahir Empire. It was Liam Sahir’s close friend, who was sitting next to him.

Now there were two votes.

However, as time passed, the number of affirmative votes did not increase. There were no longer anyone hesitating to cast their votes.

The remaining nobles from the Freihd Empire had already firmly made up their minds. From the Sahir Empire’s perspective, proposing a marriage deal with the Emperor’s vacant soul was a very precious opportunity. They had no reason to proceed with the marriage of the two.

The situation was the same in the Valont Kingdom. In the kingdom, Cloé was a rejected princess and one of the figures involved with the notorious Argent Duke. There were no thoughtful nobles willing to support her tarnished reputation.

It was when only a few grains of sand were left in the hourglass.

Dylan rushed into the conference room. After a brief greeting to those around him, he handed a note to the conference room.

“You need to see this urgently.”

At his urgency, the conference room quickly unfolded the paper.
“I heard that a noble vote is being conducted to determine the progress of Emperor Freihd’s marriage. Please count Pantheon’s vote as well.”

Using the voting paper of Pantheon’s Pope, who heard the news of the meeting and sent a letter from the temple to the palace, he intended to cast his vote.

In principle, the vote of a noble who did not attend the meeting would be considered invalid. It was only natural for those without the right to vote in the first place.