The day came for the people of Teravita Duchy to leave. Ranson carefully tucked the notebook he had filled with records from the art gallery and Black Swan into his chest, while Lambermon was somewhat upset for some reason.
The important ones were Rublion and Riena. I came out to see them off and witnessed the intensity of the two children’s emotions.
“Rublion, don’t get close to other girls.”
“Okay.”
“Don’t skip your training either.”
“Okay.”
“You have to eat well-balanced meals so you can grow taller than me.”
“I got it, Riena.”
I had been listening quietly, but I couldn’t help laughing.
Riena and Rublion’s gazes turned to me. I turned my head to the side and cleared my throat.
“We should get going soon. We might miss the train at this rate.”
I pushed Riena and Lambermon’s backs with my hands. The children reluctantly climbed into the carriage.
“Thank you. I’ve learned a lot during my time here.”
Askal extended his hand in response to Ranson’s greeting.
“I should be the one thanking you. Thanks to you, we’ve secured exclusive products.”
It was a heartwarming scene.
It was a moment that made me realize once again that a mutually beneficial relationship is better than trying to exploit each other.
The carriage heading to the train station gradually moved away. Rublion watched the road until the dust settled, then turned away reluctantly. He then muttered, just loud enough for me to hear, that he already missed Riena.
[This is the timeline separator]Artenbach was more peaceful than ever before. There was plenty of salted and dried beast meat, and the alcohol brewed in the underground brewery tasted better than ever.
Even the government office, which had been busy preparing for winter, had relaxed, and the corners of Count Tirel’s mouth showed no signs of turning down. He wanted to maintain this environment where he could work regular hours for a long time.
However, one imperial edict from the imperial court shattered his modest dream.
“Why? What’s written in it that’s making you react like this?”
Rimon was filled with anxiety as he saw Askal’s face crumple. He thought something must have happened after the period of calm.
“It seems the Crown Prince is plotting something.”
“What kind of thing?”
Askal dropped the letter with a thud. Rimon quickly picked it up and read it.
“They’re sending knights and troops to the eastern border of Artenbach territory? The Eastern Empire won’t sit still if we do this.”
Artenbach wasn’t the only place bordering the Eastern Empire, so the fact that they were specifically sending forces here could only be interpreted as the Crown Prince having some ulterior motive.
“Rimon, check as quickly as possible if other territories bordering the empire have received similar edicts.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Rimon left the office like a shot.
Askal remained alone, glaring at the edict.
‘I clearly told him not to interfere.’
It was strange that the imperial court, which normally showed no interest or support and told him to handle things on his own, was suddenly sending military forces.
And with the pretext that they needed to be on guard for the empire’s sake because the Eastern Empire’s movements were suspicious.
‘We’ll know when Rimon brings back the information.’
Askal closed his eyes for a moment. He hoped that the Crown Prince hadn’t set irreversible events in motion.
The next day. The capable Baron Tirel returned with news from other territories before a full day had passed. As Askal had predicted, Artenbach was the only place that had received the edict.
“I sent someone to the capital yesterday to find out more. It seems even the council doesn’t know about sending knights and troops here.”
Rimon handed over a report.
“It appears the Crown Prince acted on his own. They say His Majesty the Emperor hasn’t participated in meetings since delegating state affairs to the Crown Prince.”
“Hah……”
Askal pressed his fingers against his throbbing forehead. It seemed only the Crown Prince didn’t know that Artenbach was a sanctuary that even the imperial family dared not touch.
“For now, let’s just observe the situation. Make sure the people from the capital don’t cause friction with the Eastern Empire’s military.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Askal, not wanting to escalate matters, folded the edict and tucked it between reports. Then he decided to wait and see whether the Crown Prince would come to his senses or self-destruct.
[This is the timeline separator]The peaceful corners of Artenbach were filled with the sound of marching boots from knights and soldiers from the capital.
Sensing the unusual atmosphere, the territory’s residents closed windows they had kept wide open, and the market that should have been bustling was as quiet as if cold water had been poured over it.
“Are we… really going to war?”
Rublion asked cautiously during breakfast. Even a ten-year-old child could tell that the atmosphere in the territory was not normal.
“No, we’re not.”
Despite Askal’s sharp answer, the child was still full of concern.
“I heard that troops and knights came by imperial order. The whole street is full of talk about it.”
“Don’t worry. It’s not a war that will break out so easily.”
“But I heard that Eastern Empire troops are already at the border too?”
“……”
That was already giving him a headache. Whether they had received secret orders from the Crown Prince, the imperial knights kept provoking dangerously close encounters.
So he had rounded them all up and thrown them in jail, but this only addressed the immediate problem and wasn’t a fundamental solution.
“Askal, the Crown Prince will surely try to pin the blame on you.”
“I know. That’s why I’m going to try to persuade him with words first.”
If a local conflict broke out, the damage would fall entirely on Artenbach.
The benefits the imperial family would gain from this were so transparently obvious that Askal sighed deeply and said,
“If he takes the hint, he might avoid self-destruction.”
I swallowed the words that if he could be reasoned with, he wouldn’t have sent troops in the first place. Then Askal, noticing my expression, patted my shoulder, telling me not to even think about stressful things.
“Don’t worry, my wife. I won’t let any danger befall this land where you and our children will live.”
It was truly a lord-like statement, but that didn’t mean my anxiety easily disappeared.
“I’m saying this in case it might be of help to you.”
I decided to carefully convey my thoughts.
“Above the Crown Prince is the Emperor. So how about trying to persuade the Emperor?”
“Indeed, you are wise, my wife.”
Askal kissed my forehead.
“I was thinking of the same method. If he’s using the imperial seal as a weapon to check Artenbach, we just need to take away the seal.”
“That’s your area of expertise, Father.”
Askal chuckled at Rublion’s words.
“That’s right. It might be a bit of an underhanded method, but I can be a hundred times more underhanded if it means protecting what’s precious.”
Askal held my hand and Rublion’s alternately. Then he muttered in a fierce voice.
“I will never let anyone who touches what’s mine go unpunished.”
Hearing his long-standing belief after a while, Rublion and I nodded. Meanwhile, I was curious about what the underhanded method might be, but I gave up on asking.
[This is the timeline separator]The Crown Prince headed to the Imperial Palace upon hearing that his father was urgently looking for him. On the way, when he asked his attendant, he was told that the Emperor had seen a petition from Artenbach and had shouted in anger.
‘That cunning old man. He didn’t care about anything I did until now, but he steps in at a single word from Artenbach.’
Thinking this, he adjusted his clothes.
“I heard you were looking for me, Your Majesty.”
The Crown Prince entered the audience chamber of the Imperial Palace and greeted according to imperial etiquette. But the one sitting on the throne did not acknowledge his greeting.
“Crown Prince, I called you because I have something to ask.”
The Crown Prince stood at attention, looking at the Emperor.
“Is it true that you sent the Imperial Knight Order and the capital’s troops to Artenbach?”
“Yes. It was a decision made because the recent movements of the Eastern Empire have been concerning.”
“Artenbach has enough troops to defend itself. So why did you send them there?”
The Crown Prince began to give the reasons he had long thought out.
“Artenbach has a terrain structure suitable for defense. I thought it was a territory that could prepare for emergencies because it has abundant resources and a port.”
“Then what about the other border territories that have no troops?”
The Crown Prince couldn’t answer immediately to the Emperor’s question. The Emperor was usually lazy and only interested in enjoying himself, not someone who was curious about every little detail like this.
“We’ll soon select troops for…”
“Crown Prince.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Do you think I know nothing?”
The Crown Prince felt a chill down his spine at the Emperor’s words.
“That’s…”
The Emperor stood up abruptly.
“I’ve been watching to see how far you’d go. But war… war!”
“Your Majesty, you misunderstand.”
“These are the petitions that have come to me.”
The Emperor scattered the petitions he had been holding. The Crown Prince clenched his fists behind his back. Why was he suddenly lecturing instead of quietly enjoying delicacies as usual?
“Do you truly not know that an emperor with ambition cannot survive long!”
“An emperor should rightfully reign, Your Majesty.”
The Emperor, his legs weakening, sat back on the throne. Then he rubbed his eyes. His capable son looked not like someone who could lead the imperial family, but someone who would ruin it.
“Crown Prince, the world has changed. To maintain the imperial family, you need to know how to embrace.”
The Crown Prince began to calmly refute.
“The uncivilized are just waiting for a chance to step on the imperial family. Nobles with the power to suppress the imperial family will rightfully place the imperial family in the palm of their hand and use them like chess pieces. Just as past emperors used the nobles.”
Looking at the Crown Prince with his firm thoughts, the Emperor said bitterly.
“The world has become one where pen and ink are more fearsome than sword and gun. The imperial family…, no, the imperial house can no longer reign over the imperial citizens and nobles. That is the flow and change.”
“We just need to stamp out pen and ink with sword and gun.”
“So the method you chose is war! And through Artenbach at that!”
“If we win the war against the Eastern Empire, it will rightfully be credited to the imperial family. Even if we lose, we can blame the failure on the Duke of Artenbach. There will be absolutely no harm to the imperial family.”
“Are you saying you don’t care if imperial citizens die because of the war?”
The Emperor muttered in shock.
“I handed over the imperial seal to him with my own hands…”
The Crown Prince’s clenched fists trembled. He couldn’t understand his father, the Emperor.
“Bring the imperial seal. From this moment, I’m revoking all the rights I gave you.”
“Your Majesty!”
The Crown Prince shouted. But the Emperor’s gaze upon him was colder than ever.
Male lead is a Love-Obsessed Merman
When he discovers she has gone, he risks everything to pursue her on land, enduring agonizing pain to transform his tail into human legs…
One-line summary: Male lead chases female lead. The male lead’s love is a bit sick, an invincible love brain.
Synopsis
During a voyage at sea, Jiang Yang accidentally captures a merman.
Servant: I heard that mermen are fierce and brutal.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman obediently rubbing her palm like a puppy: “You call this fierce and brutal?”
Servant: I heard that mermen have no human nature.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman with wet puppy eyes, obsessively calling her ‘A Yang’ like a childish infant: “You call this having no human nature?”
With great difficulty, she releases the merman back into the sea and returns to shore.
Who would have thought that in less than half a month, the merman, who should have been freely wandering in the South China Sea, would shed his scales, endure the pain of losing his tail, transform into human legs, and come ashore to find her?
He kneels at her feet, rubbing her palm, with merman tears rolling down: “A Yang, don’t abandon me.”
_____
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