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Just because it was during the celebration period of the empire’s foundation¹, it didn’t mean that meetings could be skipped.

Instead, the meeting was held once a week, a drastic reduction from the original number of luncheon meetings, aristocratic meetings, and former meetings.

It meant that the empire’s officials came and went as it was a one-time meeting held during this celebration period.

However, as soon as Lucas entered the conference room and sat at the head of the table, a matter was raised.

“Your Highness, I would like to raise a concern in regards to the marriage of the Kingdom of Crutia’s Earl Tiev and the Amber family.”

At those words, Lucas rolled his snake-like red eyes over to identify the person who spoke.

“The Duke of Depallacion. What’s the matter with it?”

“Even though the Kingdom of Crutia is a small country, it has established friendly relations with our empire. At least I know it’s only right to make a match with a family of a proper class.”

“Are you going against my will?”

“That’s not possible. What I am saying is that there is no reason it has to be the Amber family.”

Originally Amber was a humble family who couldn’t even be invited to a ball held at the Imperial Palace.

If it weren’t for Lady Amber and Lady Chamberlain’s scandals, most of the aristocrats here wouldn’t have known of her existence.

‘Amber? What kind of family is that?’

He would have reacted like that. It was a family that had never been spoken of in their entire lives.

Lucas’s intentions of sending such a woman to the envoys of another country to be married were transparent.

He was trying to drive her out of the empire.

The Crown Prince had a heart for Lady Chamberlain.

There was no one who didn’t know that.

In other words, the Duke couldn’t have been unaware of that fact.

It meant that he had already planned to oppose anything that was said.

“We don’t expect the Earl to welcome the humble lady as his wife. It doesn’t matter if she becomes a concubine. This marriage is just a gift to promote friendship.”

“If that’s the intention, you’d rather select a lady with outstanding appearance. She’ll either have the appearance or be of a higher noble status. That way it’ll become a gift that will be difficult to dispose of.”

Depallacions was a family that stood at the center of the aristocrats, and the Duke was one of the most prominent powers of the empire.

It could be said that most of the agendas raised at the aristocratic meeting were better regarded as being influenced by the Duke of Depallacion.

Among them, the agenda presented by the Duke, himself, meant that he had already bribed and met the aristocrats after seeing unanimous agreement.

In truth, there was no difference between squeezing and hitting.

No matter how strong the aristocratic forces were, the final decision was always in the hands of the Emperor, but the Emperor’s health wasn’t the same as before.

It was a chaotic time that preceded the replacement of imperial power.

Prince Lucas, who attended as the Emperor’s deputy today, had a relatively weak voice.

The Crown Prince had a strong presence around the young, rising aristocrats.

The power was divided into two parts.

Moreover, since he wasn‘t able to absorb all of the Emperor’s forces, it wasn’t enough to control Depallacion.

“Most of all, if aristocrats of the Roxitant Empire are sent as concubines to a small country, what would happen to our reputation?”

“Was that something the Duke cared about? Was it important enough to be mentioned in today’s meeting?”

“Of course. I am sorry to say this, but it wasn’t a decision that Your Highness could make on your own.”

It was bullshit. The Duke wasn’t the type who interfered with such a trivial matter to offend Lucas.

It was fair to say that Depallacion’s interests were intertwined as he brought this matter to the aristocratic conference, which only the officials of the empire attended.

Interest, yes. In a way, you could say it’s intertwined.

However, this was an issue that could have been overlooked.

Lucas’s eyes, immersed in thought, gradually narrowed.

‘Who the hell…’

Lucas’s gaze traveled from Depallacion to Benjamin.

The Duke of Lemberg, Benjamin, was another influential and neutral power of the empire.

He had a mysterious smile, but he slightly raised his hands up in the sense that he was innocent.

However, Lucas, who couldn’t accept it, had a fierce red spark in his eyes.

Benjamin stood up from his seat and said blatantly, not worrying about the glare.

“In that case, I’ll make sure to pick out the most beautiful ladies that Earl Tiev will be satisfied with.”

Lucas’s forehead bulged with blue veins, which gradually faded as he tried to breathe deeply.

He glanced at the silent audience with a frosty look, then parted his dry lips.

“I can’t help it if that’s what everyone agrees on.”

As soon as Benjamin stepped into the prince’s office, he was suddenly grabbed by the collar.

As a result of the action, tiny sparks from the cigarette Benjamin was biting on fell down and turned into ash.

Benjamin widened his eyes for a moment as if surprised, but he showed no other reaction.

He smiled sarcastically after taking turns looking at Lucas’s angry face and his tightly pulled collar.

Then he effortlessly bit the end of the filter, sucked in the smoke, and whispered slowly in his exhaled breath.

“Your Highness, didn’t I tell you to think about it once and get the job done?”

“Shut up! Things went wrong because of the Duke!”

“Where did that conviction come from?”

“If it’s not you, who else could move Depallacion?”

Benjamin, however, tilted his head and mocked his opponent with a calm voice.

“Thank you for your high praise of my abilities, but it’s a pity that judgment cannot go beyond one dimension².”

He put his hand on Lucas’s huffing shoulders and continued with a childlike tone.

“Why would I do such a thing? I don’t bother to do things that don’t have any benefit.”

Lucas irritatingly spoke as he released his grip on Benjamin’s collar and slapped the hand off his shoulder.

“It’s your hobby to meddle in all sorts of painstaking work.”

“It’s a shame that you still don’t know that I only work on things that please me. Is it just ‘painstaking’ effort?”

“Ha…”

Lucas gave a short laugh, his eyes glistening bizarrely.

It was an atmosphere that wouldn’t be strange at all if someone was suddenly injured.

Despite this, Benjamin remained calm. He had no intentions of stopping him.

It was because he knew that Lucas would never be able to make a small scratch on him.

This was a little hobby of Benjamin’s. He dared to visit the ill-tempered prince, whose temper would run wild.

Thanks to that, Lucas looks like a cat in front of a dog.

Benjamin brushed up his hair.

Lucas seemed to regard Benjamin as a nuisance. But for Benjamin, it was fun to watch as he went on a rampage like a maniac when touched.

It was unusual to be a crown prince and not be able to control his anger at all.

It was a rare character in the Imperial Palace.

To put it into perspective, neither his head nor his judgment was extraordinary. But he wasn’t a fool either.

But it wasn’t bad. It was worth more than the current emperor, who was always drowning in wine.

Benjamin never considered the virtues of an emperor to be wise, kind, intelligent, and merciful.

Instead of principles and doctrines, morals and responsibilities, it was the madness that trampled on everything right and wrong, rather than keeping them, that he considered as the virtues of an emperor.

It was the essence of a tyrant.

‘I don’t think I’m heading in the right direction right now, but it seems like I’m sensing something peculiar³.’

Lucas couldn’t overcome his temper and threw a celadon⁴ from the East continent.

The servant who was next to him desperately tried to stop such a prince. However, he quickly fell to the floor with blood dripping from his head after being hit by a celadon.

Benjamin couldn’t help but laugh when he saw it and grabbed his stomach. How could such a person be so shallow and vulgar?

By the time he swallowed his laughter and opened his heavy mouth, Lucas had calmed down to a certain extent.

“I thought, at best, Lady Amber would become the foster daughter of the Chamberlain family. That would have been the best outcome.”

“Why would Count Chamberlain adopt that bed bug bitch as his adopted daughter?”

Irene Amber was a bloody pest-like girl who cajoled⁵ a weak-hearted Claudia and wouldn’t fall off like a bed bug.

She didn’t have anything but a sly tongue and just got lucky.

Count Chamberlain wasn’t a fool and didn’t accept her as a member of the family.

Benjamin, however, smiled silently, as if he was laughing at Lucas’s ignorance.

“The people of the family would give Claudia a liver or a gallbladder if she asked for it.”

“……Huh? No matter how much his daughter cares about her, she’s not a foster daughter.”

“Didn’t you know? Since Claudia became acquainted with Irene Amber, the Count’s arms and legs have become worse as he’s been running around. Rather than ask to be a foster daughter, if she asked for marriage, she will go to a country where same-sex marriage is legal and have a wedding ceremony.”

“You’re making a terrible joke.”

“Do you think I’d make a joke about this?”

“…… ”

Was Irene Amber such an influential person? Enough to allow same-sex marriage?

Lucas showed signs of confusion as he recalled Hugo Chamberlain whom he originally knew.

“Even if the family’s prestige falls to the bottom? They’ll be plagued with scandals and criticized for the rest of their life.”

“It seems, Irene Amber, makes her happy enough to want to endure that.”

No, he wanted the daughter to be happy while everyone in the family lost honor and suffered disgrace?

“What the hell is that supposed to be?”

Lucas, who couldn’t understand it rationally, absentmindedly spoke with a blank expression.

“Is she a witch?”

“No way. She’s an ordinary self-made young child.”

As if Benjamin found it funny, he didn’t erase the smile that played on his lips.

He rubbed the ashes off the hem of his shirt.

T/N: Hi everyone, hope you enjoyed this second chapter release for the week! Please note that from next week onwards I will be following the schedule of releasing chapters every Tuesday and Saturday! (At around 8-10 PM, GMT+11). Hope you all have a lovely weekend everyone! ⭐

^{1. The author is referring to the empire’s foundation day which was mentioned in chapter 26.↩}

^{2. In this case Benjamin is likening one’s judgement as being superficial and hence lacking depth (or rather, one-sided).↩}

^{3. This is Lucas’s frustrated thoughts as he tries to figure out who made Duke Depilacion act the way he did.↩}

^{4. A celadon is a pottery made from a grey-green glaze. It’s is a common style of pottery from China.↩}

^{5. Cajoled means to persuade (someone) to do something by sustained coaxing or flattery.↩}