Chapter 55
The throne room was filled with the senior ministers and the Emperor's children.
Among them, Leo reported on what had happened. I was kneeling behind him as well, but I did not speak.
"After the sea dragon was defeated, the Grand Duchies of Albatro and Rondine reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining their alliance. I do not expect any fighting to break out in the south for some time."
"Indeed. You have done well. I gave you a more difficult task than I had anticipated. Yet you resolved it splendidly. I am impressed."
"Thank you."
Father looked pleased as he praised Leo.
Well, naturally.
We would no longer be drawn into the war in the south, and the Empire's reputation had risen thanks to the sea dragon's defeat.
The Grand Duchy of Albatro had formally expressed its desire to establish diplomatic relations with the Empire, so this whole affair had turned out well in every respect.
And Leo would get the credit for it.
"I must reward you. Leonart, is there anything you want? If you like, I could even give you a ministerial post."
At that moment, the ministers and my older brothers and sisters froze.
Erik alone among the Imperial family held a ministerial post. Father had just said he would elevate Leo to a position equivalent to Erik's.
Needless to say, the ministers aligned with the various factions—and Gordon and Zandra—would not be happy about it either.
Erik's expression did not change, as expected, but his gaze behind his glasses was colder than usual.
But gaining power prematurely would make it harder for Leo to move freely, and might subject him to concentrated attacks from all sides.
The Minister of Public Works was already on our side. There was no need to go out of our way to seize a ministerial post. Leo and I had already discussed that.
"I appreciate the offer, but I am not qualified to serve as a minister at present."
"I see. Is there anything else you want?"
Father could not very well give him no reward.
In the future, that would make it impossible to reward the achievements of those under Leo, and Leo himself had to accept a reward. Otherwise, those beneath him would have to decline their own rewards too, saying that even Prince Leonart had declined his.
"Yes. Actually, before I left as an ambassador, a girl from the south begged me to resolve a problem in her village. I told her I could not do so immediately because of my duties as an ambassador, but I have returned safely. So I would like to resolve the girl's problem."
"Oh? You finish one job and take on another? You are a diligent fellow. Don't you think so, Arnold?"
"Yes. I could never imitate him."
"Ha! That may be true. And what is this problem?"
"She says it involves kidnapping."
"Why did she come to you instead of asking her lord?"
"...She said the lord would not help because it was a refugee village."
"What?"
The Emperor's pleasant expression turned severe in an instant.
Eleven years ago.
In dealing with the Sokal Empire, Father had recognized every refugee as a citizen of the Empire. In other words, every refugee village that had existed at that time was an Imperial village.
"How long has that village existed?"
"The girl says it existed before she was born, so I believe it was there eleven years ago."
"How dare he make a fool of me!? Does he think he can ignore my words!?"
The enraged Emperor rose from his throne.
Everyone present knelt and bowed their heads to the Emperor.
Then Franz, the chancellor, spoke on everyone's behalf.
"Please calm yourself, Your Majesty."
"How can I remain calm!? Eleven years ago, I issued an order to every lord! All refugees are subjects of the Empire! Yet it has not been obeyed!? To disregard that order is to disregard me!"
"That has not yet been confirmed. That is precisely why Prince Leonart wishes to investigate it."
"Absolutely not! I will investigate it myself, and if it is true, I will have that lord beheaded!"
"The country cannot function if the Emperor intervenes in every minor matter on the frontier. Please leave this to Prince Leonart."
Perhaps Franz's advice managed to calm Father down; he sat back on his throne, looking irritated.
I thought it would end with Leo being ordered to investigate the south, but then two people who had no business doing so decided to stick their noses in.
"Your Majesty. Leonart has just returned from a mission. Please leave this to me."
"No, Your Majesty. Rather than sending Leonart, who has just returned from a mission, or a woman like Zandra, let me go. My body has grown stiff from inactivity lately. I will hammer the Empire's laws into them."
Zandra was the first to volunteer. Of course she was. Her mother's family held influence in the south. If anything happened there, it would deal a major blow to Zandra's faction.
Gordon followed suit because he probably wanted to add another achievement to his record by now. As a general, Gordon could not earn military distinction if there was no war.
But both of them should have looked at Father's expression before speaking up.
"You fools! Do you intend to use this issue as a weapon in the struggle for the throne!?"
With that, Father flew into another rage.
They were too eager to claim credit. The refugee issue was a thorn in Father's side.
Just because the Emperor had declared it did not mean that every refugee was recognized as an Imperial subject. The capital and its surroundings were one thing, but discrimination against refugees remained deeply rooted in the frontier regions, and incidents like the one in Linfia's village were not particularly uncommon.
What was unusual this time was that Linfia had come all the way to the capital, thinking that she might get help if she brought the matter before the Imperial family. I had to admire her for thinking of it.
That was indeed the case. For Father, this was a matter of prestige, and if one of the contenders for the throne solved it, it would reflect well on them in Father's eyes.
"This is not your problem; it is mine! I will not let you use it as a weapon in the struggle for the throne! You fools! Zandra! Your mother is from the south! Your mother's family may be deeply involved in this matter! Show some restraint! Gordon! I cannot entrust a delicate matter to someone who always resorts to brute force! Use your heads for once, both of you!"
"W-we're sorry..."
The two, having been scolded, stepped back in unison.
Perhaps because he had vented some of his anger on them, Father sighed and calmed down before looking toward Leo.
"Leonart. I appoint you Imperial Inspector. Investigate the problems in the southern frontier thoroughly."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
"I will tolerate no compromise. Expose every crime. Kidnapping is a serious crime in the Empire, and allowing it to go unpunished is a serious crime as well. Show no mercy to anyone involved."
Father gave Leo the order in a forceful tone.
When I glanced at Zandra, I saw panic on her face.
Judging by her reaction, her mother's family was involved to some extent. If, as Linfia claimed, the kidnappers were connected to the lord and Zandra's maternal family stood behind them...
This would be an extremely difficult problem, but solving it would allow us to strike a powerful blow against Zandra.
They would do well to regret failing to crush Leo's faction while we were away.
After this affair, Leo had become a contender for the throne in name as well as in fact. More people would likely join his side. He could no longer be crushed easily.
His power base was solidifying. This was where the real battle began.
"That concludes the meeting. Everyone, withdraw."
When Father said that, I started to leave as well.
However.
"Arnold. Stay behind for a moment."
"Yes?"
"Stay."
"Yes..."
Why me alone...
Thinking that, I remained where I was.
Soon, only Father, Chancellor Franz, and I remained in the throne room.
Wondering what he wanted to say, I watched Father open his mouth several times, looking as though he found it difficult to speak, only to give up and pass the matter to Franz.
"I'll leave it to you, Franz!"
"You said you would tell him yourself."
"Just tell him!"
"Sigh... Prince Arnold. We asked you to stay regarding Her Highness the First Princess, who is stationed at the eastern border."
"Has something happened to my sister?"
"Actually... we have received a marriage proposal for her."
"I refuse."
When I rejected it immediately, Father and Franz looked utterly crestfallen.
Honestly, judging solely by their expressions, no one would have thought they were the Emperor and chancellor of the Empire.
"D-don't say that... His Majesty has three daughters. Princess Krista is still young, and Princess Zandra keeps insisting that she will never marry."
"That doesn't make arranging a marriage for my sister any less absurd. She is the marshal commanding the entire eastern border army, you know? There are only three marshals in the Empire. The only person with authority to command her is Father!"
"But if we leave things as they are, no one will want to marry her! She's already twenty-five!?"
"If that's what you think, why don't you tell her yourself?"
"I have sent her letter after letter! And she turned me down every time! In the end, she even said she would renounce her status as a member of the Imperial family rather than accept a marriage proposal! That unfilial daughter!"
"If she doesn't want to, then just leave her alone..."
"I am her father! It is my duty to worry about my daughter's future! Listen, Arnold! You are close to Krista, and she likes you as well. Convince her by letter to come to the capital for now. If you cannot do that, you go to the eastern border!"
It was an utterly unreasonable order.
If he wanted her to come back, he could simply summon her back by imperial decree.
I knew why he had not. He did not want to make her hate him.
My eldest sister and Krista were daughters of Father's beloved Second Consort. In particular, my eldest sister was the spitting image of the Second Consort, so Father could not bring himself to be forceful with her.
I sighed and nodded reluctantly. I had no choice.
Oh, great. I had a feeling this was going to be troublesome again.