Chapter 23
"Is this true!?"
Emperor Johannes thrust the documents Count Beltz had submitted at the Minister of Public Works.
Flames of anger swirled in his eyes.
The Minister of Public Works, whose affair had been discovered by the Emperor, immediately fell to his knees and begged for forgiveness.
"Forgive me! It was just a moment of weakness!"
"Having relations with another man's wife is a grave offense! Surely you knew that, even as a minister!? And she was your own subordinate's wife! What were you thinking!?"
"Th-that is... B-Bettina was the one who approached me! Forgive me! I was seduced! I was framed!"
"So you will have relations with your subordinate's wife if she seduces you!? Then if one of my consorts seduced you, you would have relations with her too, would you!?"
"Th-that is not what I meant..."
"It's the same thing! How dare you claim that the woman who seduced you was at fault!?"
Johannes's anger did not subside.
The Minister of Public Works had been entrusted with important duties for many years. Despite even arranging for him to marry the daughter of a friend, Johannes felt as though his kindness had been repaid with betrayal, and his anger was nearly boiling over.
That was not the only reason his anger would not subside. The woman with whom the minister had committed adultery was the wife who had tormented Count Beltz, a man Johannes trusted and favored.
It had also been Johannes who ordered Count Beltz to investigate his wife. He had told the reluctant count that he would judge the matter himself if there was a problem, because that was how highly Johannes thought of Count Beltz.
Zandra's plan rested first and foremost on Johannes trusting Count Beltz. Johannes believed the count was not the kind of man who would plot against others and bring down his superiors, and in fact, Count Beltz was entirely free of such tendencies.
For that very reason, Johannes saw the 〝Minister of Public Works〟 as having used the wife of a capable subordinate to drive him into a corner in order to protect his own position.
Zandra had counted on Johannes seeing it that way. Ordinarily, this would have been a situation in which people suspected that Count Beltz had used his wife to bring down the Minister of Public Works, but Johannes's trust in Count Beltz and the count's character kept him from looking in that direction.
The fact that Johannes had already heard how the count's wife had tormented him also made him sympathetic toward Count Beltz.
That was why Johannes made his decision so quickly.
"I hereby dismiss you from your post as Minister of Public Works! Remain confined to your home and await your punishment!"
"F-Forgive me! Forgive me, Your Imperial Majesty!!"
"Summon Count Beltz!"
Johannes issued the order with his anger still burning.
A little while later, a cowering Count Beltz appeared before Johannes.
And the first thing Count Beltz did was apologize.
"I am sorry! My former wife's disgrace was due to my failure to supervise her properly!"
"Beltz... What are you talking about? You need not take responsibility for something like that."
"B-but..."
"I trust you. Some might consider your guilelessness, which allowed a wicked woman to deceive you, a flaw, but I like that about you. You are earnest and devoted to your work. I have long wanted to entrust a ministerial post to someone like you. Will you take over as Minister of Public Works?"
"I-I cannot accept such a great responsibility! My wife committed a crime! Punish me!"
"She is no longer your wife. Besides, the Minister of Public Works is the one at fault in this matter. Being seduced is no excuse for committing adultery. I have no intention of punishing you over this, and I will judge anyone who slanders you."
"Y-Your Imperial Majesty..."
"Let me formally order you again. I hereby appoint Count Beltz Minister of Public Works. Serve the Empire with even greater diligence than before."
"...I will never forget this kindness. I swear on the name of House Beltz that I will fulfill this great responsibility."
With those words, Count Beltz accepted the post of Minister of Public Works.
After saying a few words to Count Beltz, Johannes dismissed him.
Then he sank deeply into his throne and exhaled.
"It is finally growing more intense."
"Franz..."
The man who had entered without permission was around the same age as Johannes.
The man had pale silver hair and wore a white uniform for civil officials. There was only one position in the Empire whose holder was entitled to wear it.
That position was Chancellor, the head of the civil service.
The man's name was Franz Seebeck. As one could tell from the fact that he did not have a von in his name, he was not of noble birth. Through talent alone, he had risen from being an innkeeper's son to become the Empire's greatest success story and its Chancellor.
Johannes spoke to Franz.
"The competition for ministers is a constant in the struggle for the throne. The current ministers should understand that as well. That is why we must be careful about what goes on around us. Having relations with a subordinate's wife simply because she seduced you is out of the question. It will eventually harm the Empire. If I do not replace him now, I may suffer from it as well."
"I have no objection to that judgment. However, is it wise to simply appoint Count Beltz as minister? This whole affair has the smell of a conspiracy."
Franz had followed Johannes as his strategist since Johannes was still a prince, and in his eyes, everything surrounding Count Beltz looked suspicious.
The only reason he refrained from investigating further was that he had been forbidden to interfere in the struggle for the throne. Otherwise, he would have thoroughly investigated the matter.
"If it is a conspiracy, so be it. Beltz is capable, and Beltz himself would never devise one. If that is the case, there should be no problem entrusting him with the post. Besides, no one who cannot even devise a conspiracy is fit to be emperor."
"That is a strange thing to say, Your Majesty. When you were a prince, was I not the one who handled the scheming?"
"That, too, is a quality an emperor needs. The ability to recognize other people's talents, and the ability to entrust matters to others. Both are necessary in an emperor. I recognized your talents early on, which was why I left the scheming to you. Thanks to that, I am sitting here now."
"Do not joke. Even without me, you would have taken the throne. You were that shrewd."
After saying that, Franz spent a moment reflecting on the past. Johannes did the same.
Their children were now trying to walk the same path they had once taken. It would be a bloodstained path, and Johannes knew it, yet he could not stop them.
That struggle for the throne was what had made Johannes the man he was. When he became emperor, the experience had proved invaluable.
Although the Empire was a great power, it was not a hegemonic nation. It had rivals, and it would have to fight them. That was why it always needed a capable and powerful emperor. The struggle for the throne existed to select such a ruler, and served as training before one became emperor.
Anyone who could not overcome even that was unfit to become emperor. It was a tradition passed down through the Imperial Family for generations.
"You once pretended to be a fool, Your Majesty. Even though you were the eldest son, you were called the Prodigal Prince, were you not?"
"Taking the lead in the struggle for the throne is dangerous. The risk of assassination is that much greater. That was what happened to my son..."
"We found no evidence that the Crown Prince was assassinated. You and I investigated with all our might, and still you suspect assassination?"
"Yes, I am certain of it. The Crown Prince was assassinated. He was capable, but too kind. Someone must have taken advantage of that. It would have been better if he had had someone at his side capable of compensating for that weakness."
"That was a matter of circumstance. In that respect, I find the current fourth faction intriguing."
Johannes gave a sly smile at Franz's words.
He agreed with Franz.
"You think so too? At first glance, that faction appears to be one Leonart has united through his charisma. But someone is certainly working behind the scenes. Otherwise, they could not have expanded so rapidly."
"You believe that person is Prince Arnold?"
"Yes. He resembles me. I feel as though he is pretending to be incompetent."
"I agree, but unlike Your Majesty, he shows no ambition for the throne. He also appears to be taking the disgrace upon himself. Apparently, he never fights back no matter what is done to him, and by now the nobles are said to treat him with utter contempt."
"I do not know what he is thinking. But during the previous incident, he sent Erna in first. He even broke his own bracelet so that neither Erna nor the knights would be blamed. That is proof that he had considered what would happen if Kiel fell. At the very least, he cannot be as incompetent as people say. Of course, I may simply be overestimating him."
"Was that why you made him an aide—to assess him? I must say, that was unacceptable. Prince Leonart's faction is now without anyone to lead it."
"Well, that was part of my intention, and I admit I let my emotions get the better of me. I did not like Arnold's smug, composed expression. He looked as though everything was going exactly as he wished, and I do not care for that sort of expression."
Franz almost said, "That is self-loathing," but stopped himself.
It was obvious Johannes would deny it if he said so.
However, Franz understood it very well.
Arnold resembled Johannes more than Johannes realized.
There was one difference, though. Johannes had had a purpose: to become emperor. Franz could sense no such purpose in Arnold.
People without a goal or strong convictions only create confusion. The more power they possess, the greater that chaos becomes.
If Arnold truly had strong convictions, he would overcome this crisis by any means necessary. That must be what Johannes wanted to see.
Only after overcoming it would Arnold and Leonart earn Johannes's recognition.
"So, for the time being, we'll see what the Twin Black Princes are made of."
"The Twin Black Princes... That is a good name. Together, they are one. Leonart walks the path of righteousness and reminds me of the Crown Prince. If Arnold can support him from the shadows, those two may yet seize the throne."
"I would not be so sure. The princes ahead of them are all exceptional in their own right. If they had been born in another era, it would not be strange if every one of them had become emperor. Their chances are slim for now."
"That is a good thing. When capable men vie for the throne, a wise emperor is born. The Empire will be secure."
For Johannes, who was always thinking of the Empire, that was the best possible news.
But Johannes thought to himself:
If only the children would shed as little blood as possible.
With a thought he could never voice as emperor, Johannes began his next official duties.