The content of the petition mainly questioned the Emperor about the Crown Prince’s violent behavior shown at the imperial palace ball, expressing doubt about whether he could be entrusted with the future of the empire.

“Hah…”

The Emperor closed his eyes tightly as he let out a deep sigh that bubbled up from his core.

“Just bring them all at once.”

“This seems to be all for today…”

That meant there would be more tomorrow.

“Who do you think is behind this?”

Since it was not common for petitions to be sent simultaneously, it was reasonable to assume there was a ringleader.

So the Emperor thought someone had stepped up to incite the nobles.

The chamberlain answered the Emperor’s question with a troubled expression.

“I suspect it might be Duke Cardia himself.”

The Emperor spoke as he downed the remaining wine in his glass in one gulp.

“I think so too.”

“How about summoning Duke Cardia to the palace tomorrow?”

“…”

The Emperor silently held out his empty wine glass.

As the chamberlain refilled the empty glass with wine, he continued speaking.

“If His Highness the Crown Prince formally apologizes, wouldn’t it somewhat appease Duke Cardia’s anger?”

Only after gulping down more wine did the Emperor speak.

“Right. It’s proper for the one who caused the trouble to take responsibility.”

“Yes, I think so too.”

“What is the Empress doing?”

“It seems she’s looking into every possible way to defuse the situation, but…”

The Emperor shook his head.

If it had been something the Empress could handle, petitions wouldn’t have flooded in to the Emperor.

“Bring Joshua here.”

“Oh, since it’s late today, perhaps it would be better to summon him early tomorrow…”

The chamberlain, who was cautiously suggesting, quickly shut his mouth at the Emperor’s sharp gaze.

“I’ll go fetch him, Your Majesty.”

The chamberlain quickly bowed and rushed out of the office.

The Emperor, about to bring the glass to his lips again, realized it was already empty and drank straight from the bottle.

He was astounded by the audacity of the Crown Prince, who caused trouble he couldn’t even clean up himself and then didn’t even show his face.

Duke Cardia was one of the nobles even the Emperor couldn’t easily control.

Cabelased had become Duke Cardia early on and had done an excellent job as the head of the family, earning the respect of the vassal houses.

“Looking at it this way, there’s quite a comparison…”

Joshua was about the same age as Duke Cardia, but he hadn’t accomplished anything besides having the Emperor as his father.

Sometimes, the image of his deceased daughter, Princess Trinity, came to mind for that very reason.

She had been a child of exceptional ability.

But there was little point in regretting now.

What use was there in recalling a daughter who was no longer in this world?

“…I’m drunk.”

If he weren’t drunk, he wouldn’t have indulged in such sentimentality.

“It seemed she was enjoying a secret meeting with a young man in the square.”

One corner of Joshua’s mouth twisted upward as he received the report on today’s surveillance.

‘She said she loved Duke Cardia, but there’s another man?’

A scornful laugh escaped through Joshua’s teeth.

“So she is a promiscuous woman after all.”

“There’s more to report, Your Highness.”

Joshua gestured for him to continue.

“After parting with the man, she seemed a bit… no, quite strange.”

“Strange how?”

When Joshua asked, the knight slightly lowered his gaze.

But soon, as if having made up his mind, he plucked a flower from the vase and tucked it behind his ear.

“What are you doing now?”

At Joshua’s expression of disdain, the knight replied, almost on the verge of tears.

“I think it might be better for you to see and judge for yourself…”

Then the knight began to spin around and dance.

It looked exactly like a madman.

Even Joshua, watching, felt like he was losing his mind.

Just as Joshua frowned and was about to tell him to stop.

There was a knock at the door, followed by the chamberlain’s voice.

“Your Highness, the Crown Prince. His Majesty the Emperor is calling for you.”

“Now?”

“Yes. It would be best if you go quickly.”

The Emperor had never summoned Joshua separately at such a late hour.

It was rare for him to call so suddenly without setting up an appointment in advance.

An ominous feeling arose, but there was no way to refuse.

“Where is His Majesty now?”

“He’s in his office.”

“Let’s go.”

As the chamberlain had said, the Emperor’s office was brightly lit when they arrived.

The Emperor generally maintained regular living habits.

Being in the office until late at night, well past his usual bedtime, meant there was an urgent matter.

“…”

Even after Joshua entered the office, the Emperor didn’t take his eyes off the documents.

“I have come to see You, Your Majesty.”

Joshua spoke first, but the Emperor, still focused on the documents, said in a dry, indifferent voice.

“I’m starting to doubt whether I can entrust the empire to you.”

“…!”

Joshua’s eyes widened at the sudden criticism.

‘What’s this all of a sudden…’

Joshua narrowed his brows, biting the soft flesh inside his mouth.

He wanted to gauge the Emperor’s intentions, but it was frustrating that he couldn’t see his expression as he refused to lift his head from the documents.

Nevertheless, Joshua had something he believed in.

The Emperor now had no children left besides him except for Count Tarel’s son, and he was certain that the Emperor wouldn’t pass the throne to an illegitimate child who couldn’t even be proudly proclaimed as a prince.

‘The enthronement ceremony is already over. What’s the big deal about Duke Cardia?’

He was about to blurt out a somewhat twisted retort.

Then, the words the Empress always said flashed through Joshua’s mind.

That he should be careful, very careful until he wore the crown, and that he should try not to offend the Emperor as much as possible.

“I apologize, Your Majesty. I was short-sighted.”

Joshua bowed his head to the Emperor.

From a young age, members of the imperial family are taught never to show the top of their head to others.

The instruction not to bow carelessly to anyone else applied even to other members of the imperial family.

But he knew that in such an unfavorable situation, he shouldn’t let pride or stubbornness take over.

“Since you say you understand, I won’t reprimand you further.”

“…”

“When Duke Cardia enters the palace tomorrow, apologize to him formally.”

“…Pardon?”

One of Joshua’s eyebrows raised.

“You want me to apologize? To a mere duke?”

Perhaps reading the defiant look in his eyes, the Emperor glared at Joshua with blazing eyes.

“He’s not just any duke. He’s Duke Cardia!”

“But Your Majesty…”

As Joshua opened his mouth again, the Emperor raised his hand.

He knew well that the Emperor had a violent tendency.

But since the Emperor had never used violence against Joshua before, he was considerably shocked.

Soon, the Emperor’s thick hand flew.

“Ugh…!”

The Emperor’s hand was fierce. It was a stark contrast to the thought that it wouldn’t hurt much coming from an old man with graying hair.

The Emperor’s hand struck Joshua several more times after that.

“…My, my goodness! Your Majesty!”

The Empress, who had belatedly been informed of the situation, came running.

“Your Majesty, I’m sorry. It’s my fault for raising our son poorly, so if you want to blame someone, please punish me.”

The Empress began to plead tearfully to the Emperor, who was raging, unable to control his overflowing anger.

Watching this scene, Joshua gritted his teeth.

‘Duke Cardia, you sly bastard.’

It seemed he had been putting on an act in front and pulling dirty tricks behind their backs.

Early in the morning, a guest arrived at the Cardia mansion.

“You’re summoned to the palace.”

At the butler’s words, Cabelased put down the newspaper he was reading and stood up.

He thought it was fortunate, as he had been planning to visit the Emperor around this time anyway.

Cabelased immediately left the Cardia mansion and boarded the carriage.

The reason why the Emperor had called him was crystal clear.

‘He’ll apologize.’

Even if they didn’t lower their tail despite the flood of petitions pouring in from all over the empire, he had already made plans accordingly.

In fact, that would have been better.

But given that he was summoned to the palace early in the morning, it seemed they weren’t planning to deny it.

While Cabelased was lost in various thoughts, the carriage arrived at the imperial palace.

As he got out of the carriage, a waiting servant approached him.

“Welcome, Duke Cardia. His Majesty is waiting for you.”

Cabelased nodded in response.

“I’ll escort you inside.”

The place the servant led him to had not only the Emperor but also Joshua and the Empress present.

It was a rare sight to see the three members of the imperial family gathered intimately, but their expressions were not particularly good.

The Emperor’s face was haggard, as if he hadn’t slept the night before, and shadows were cast under the Empress’s eyes as well.

And among the three, the Crown Prince was in the worst state.

“…?”

At first, he thought he had seen wrong. But it was the same when he looked again.

There were bruise marks on his face that couldn’t be concealed even with makeup.

Cabelased passed by the Empress, who looked quite displeased, and stared at the Emperor.

It seemed that the Emperor, unable to control his temper, had assaulted the Crown Prince.

Having quickly assessed the entire situation in a short time, Cabelased greeted them with just a slight nod of his head.

“I heard you were looking for me.”

At his arrogant attitude, not only the Empress but also the Emperor’s eyes sharpened.

However, there was no one here who could point out his attitude.

Not if they didn’t want to complicate matters further.