Chapter 40
The first to greet us as we entered the Imperial Palace were the guards stationed at the entrance, barring our way.
"Only the ambassador himself may enter from here. It is an Imperial decree."
"I am the deputy ambassador of the negotiation team. Are you saying I still cannot enter?"
"There are no exceptions. We are simply following His Imperial Majesty's orders."
Although I wasn't familiar with such matters, there seemed to be established etiquette for receiving foreign envoys.
How many guards to station where, the order in which officials should stand, what foods to avoid at the welcoming banquet. Things of that nature.
Even the smallest details could have a detrimental effect on relations between nations, so they even created a specialized department to meticulously manage such matters. The Kingdom did so, and the Empire was likely no different.
However, the Empire's attitude towards us didn't seem to adhere to such etiquette.
There couldn't possibly be a rule that dictated receiving only the ambassador alone. What if an assassination attempt occurred?
"Is it also impossible to bring my guards?"
"Yes."
"Your Excellency, shouldn't we refuse? We don't know what kind of threat might be lurking inside..."
"It's fine. If the Empire insists, we must comply. Member of Parliament Epenstein, please take the rest of the negotiation team to the accommodations first. I'll join you shortly."
Well, it was better for me this way. I'd rather get straight to the point than waste time with formalities and pointless rituals.
Some might criticize me for not valuing my life, but frankly, I didn't care. The truth was more important to me than my life right now. The truth hidden behind this damn war.
I wanted to know what made the nobles so vehemently oppose the truce, why rumors related to the incident 10 years ago kept surfacing, and why some were even trying to erase records.
If I could uncover that clue and relay it to my subordinates back home… honestly, I wouldn't mind dying here and now.
My subordinates would take care of giving the perpetrators of the war what they deserved. Then I would be satisfied, waiting patiently in hell for their arrival.
"Lead the way. Let's go, no need to wait."
I instructed the other members of the negotiation team to go ahead and unpack, then proceeded onward.
I followed the guide through long corridors, deeper into the Imperial Palace, for about ten minutes.
Gradually, the number of people dwindled, and the lights grew dimmer, until we arrived at an ornately decorated glass door.
"Here we are."
"Can I just go in?"
"Yes. He is waiting for you inside."
The space didn't look like an audience chamber or an official's office. It looked more like a private room for secret meetings or a personal lounge for high-ranking Royalty.
The fact that they chose such a place for our meeting...meant that the other party didn't want to talk where others could overhear.
I took a deep breath and pulled the handle.
The hinges moved smoothly without a sound, revealing the interior.
"Ah. You've finally arrived."
In the room, bathed in warm sunlight filtering through the stained-glass ceiling and illuminating pale skin, there was only one elderly man.
The de facto ruler of the vast empire that controlled the entire northern part of the continent, the father of six children, and the man who was practically my sworn enemy in the past.
"It is an honor to meet you, Your Majesty."
Emperor Louis XVI of the United Empire.
"Would you care for some tea? I recently acquired some excellent tea leaves from Daqing."
"Thank you for the offer, but I must decline. I've never learned the art of tea ceremony."
"Oh, is that so? Even though you're from the Nobility?"
"I've spent over 10 years on the battlefield."
I politely declined the Emperor's kind offer of tea with a suitable excuse. I felt that my impatience might lead to a breach of etiquette if I drank anything.
Taking deep breaths to calm myself, I asked in a composed tone, "So, why did you request a private audience with me as soon as I arrived? As an envoy, I would have had plenty of opportunities for a serious conversation."
"I heard from Leclerc. You said you knew nothing about the cause of the War?"
"....Regrettably."
Looking back, the Kingdom had strangely avoided any Propaganda about the reasons for the War.
They always spouted nonsense like 'let's protect our homeland from the wicked Empire' or 'let's save the lives of our families and compatriots.'
I had my doubts before, but I was too busy surviving to investigate. How could I care about such things when every day was a life-or-death struggle?
I just assumed that the Empire had fabricated a Justification for the invasion, or that a border dispute had escalated into War. And before I knew it, 10 years had passed.
Too much time had gone by to resolve the curiosity of the distant past.
"Those Liudolf bastards (the Kingdom's royal family). They've always been good at hiding their dirty laundry. Even though they can't even control their own children."
The Emperor clicked his tongue and sighed, looking at me.
"I called you in because I pitied you, a man who reached the position of Deputy Commander of a front line, for being deceived by that Karl bastard (Charles VII). After 10 years of hardship, you deserve to know the truth."
"....."
The Emperor sat down on the sofa, thought for a moment, and then asked me, "What have you heard so far? Leclerc must have told you something."
"I only heard that the Second Princess was almost subjected to something terrible by our Kingdom's Crown Prince. I don't know exactly what it was."
"Something terrible?.... Well, I suppose you could put it politely like that. That bastard's crime was far worse than that."
I had guessed that it wasn't a minor incident, considering it made the Imperial Princess cry and enraged the Emperor. But if he was phrasing it like this, what exactly happened? Did the Crown Prince cause a murder in the Imperial Palace or something?
I waited for his answer with slight apprehension. However, the Emperor's subsequent explanation was enough to not only shock me but also drive me to despair.
"It was attempted rape."
"....What?"
"That bastard tried to rape my daughter."
This wasn't some kind of joke. This was the act considered a serious crime in any country.
A royal committing such an act against a commoner would be condemned as trash, and he did it to Royalty from another country? Really?
"Before I knew that damn child's true nature, I arranged a meeting between my second daughter and him. My intention was to strengthen ties between our friendly nations through marriage."
"I've heard of it. You intended for them to get acquainted before the engagement."
"Yes. The meeting itself was quite successful. Lily seemed to like him."
Was Lily the Second Princess's nickname? I remembered the Crown Prince being about five years older than me. He was still known for his good looks, so he must have been similar back then.
In a first meeting, appearance was usually more important than flaws, so she must have had a good impression.
"The problem arose afterward."
The Emperor clicked his tongue and took a sip of his lukewarm tea.
"At the time, the Crown Prince was staying in the Eastern Palace of the Imperial Palace. I couldn't just give a foreign royal a single room. But that bastard turned the place into a brothel."
My mind went blank. A brothel? He brought prostitutes into the palace for his pleasure?
Was it okay to behave so lewdly in someone else's house? He indulged in prostitutes in the country he visited to find a marriage partner?
"....Is that alright?"
"Of course not!! It was such an outrageous act of disrespect that it would have been justified to immediately deport him!!"
The Emperor slammed his hand on the armrest and sighed deeply. His expression was filled with disgust and rage.
It was only natural. Who would be happy with someone drinking and whoring around in the house their ancestors had lived in for generations?
"I held back for the time being. He was a guest I had personally invited, after all. I abandoned the idea of the engagement, but I intended to treat him with appropriate courtesy and send him back to his country."
"But then the incident occurred."
"It happened late one night."
He gritted his teeth, as if the memory still disgusted him.
"Louise, my second daughter, went to the Eastern Palace on her own. She wanted to meet with him one last time before he returned."
"Didn't you tell her what the Crown Prince was doing?"
"Would you explain in detail such a scene of debauchery and sexual desire to your precious daughter? In hindsight, it might have been better to tell her beforehand."
In this world, it was common sense to be very careful about sex education for girls, unlike boys. This was due to the extremely conservative sexual views influenced by religion, as it was still around the medieval to early modern period.
It seemed the Imperial family's culture wasn't much different...but that seemed to be the cause of the problem.
"My daughter, who innocently visited the Eastern Palace, was mistaken by the Crown Prince for a new prostitute. He was so drunk that he couldn't even tell who she was. He stripped her clothes and tried to force himself on her, but was stopped by the Guards who arrived just in time."
"As for what happened after that...well, you've experienced it yourself, so I won't bother explaining."
The Emperor finished the remaining tea in his cup and looked directly at me.
"That's the whole story of the incident you wanted to know about. If you don't believe me, I can provide further evidence--"
"No, it's fine."
I lowered my head and refused in a weak voice.
I didn't want to receive any more new information. I didn't have the strength.
"I can tell just by listening that what you've told me is true."
My mind was overwhelmed just by suppressing the urge to go insane.