Chapter 9: Chapter 3: The Crown Prince's Scheme (1)

The room was deathly silent.

The master of this office was Clark Marcus Graham Wellesley, the Crown Prince of the Saxon Empire.

Though only fifteen, the Crown Prince was already involved in the administration of the state, and his workload was immense. Had he wished, he could have been provided with a magnificent room that rivaled the Emperor’s own office, but he had requested something modest. This was due to his somewhat prickly nature and his distaste for the constant coming and going of strangers; consequently, the only people who worked alongside him now were his closest confidant, Erwin, and his secretary, Viscount Radridge, Humphrey Stay.

For both Erwin and Humphrey, managing the workload with such a small staff meant enduring grueling hours. They had essentially sacrificed their private lives in exchange for the honor of being the closest aides to the future Emperor. Regardless of whether they found the work rewarding, neither had sought these positions by choice; if there were any other suitable candidates, Erwin would have gladly yielded his seat.

That said, the Crown Prince was an exemplary master to serve. In the recent war, he had fully demonstrated the qualities of a great sovereign, and expectations for him as the next Emperor were rising relentlessly. His only flaw was that he was far too intelligent, making it impossible to tell what he was actually thinking.

At this moment, a heavy silence dominated the Crown Prince's office. It was so heavy that he felt a physical weight. As he swallowed bitter saliva, Humphrey regretted from the bottom of his heart that he had failed to refuse his mother's urging and had eaten such a hearty breakfast.

"Erwin, stop being moody. Humphrey is going to end up back in the infirmary at this rate."

Erwin shot a glare at the Crown Prince.

"And whose fault do you think it is?"

"Yours, obviously."

"I am not!"

When he instinctively slammed his hand onto the desk, Humphrey's face immediately went pale.

"...My apologies."

Apologizing in a voice as gentle as possible, Humphrey prepared some warm water while rubbing his stomach area. He likely intended to take the stomach medicine he kept on hand. Erwin took a deep breath, though the furrow in his brow remained, and turned back to the Crown Prince.

"I married the daughter of Earl Knowles upon Your Highness's command. What is the meaning of this, claiming now that you 'never said such a thing'?"

If looks could bore holes, Clark would be riddled with them by now. However, his master merely gazed at his documents with a cool expression, his bright blond hair shimmering.

"Even if you say that, I cannot admit to having commanded something I did not."

"Your Highness certainly told me, 'The daughter of the House of Earl Knowles, who was trusted by the people of the Grand Duchy, must be made a citizen of the Empire as soon as possible.'"

"I did indeed say that."

"And did you not also say that I should take the daughter of Earl Knowles as my wife immediately?"

"Erwin."

Clark dropped the documents onto the desk with a thud and looked his aide straight in the eye.

There was still a lingering boyishness to the line of his cheeks, but his refined features and vivid blue eyes conveyed his intellect and strong will. Erwin felt himself wavering under the pressure, but he could not remain silent this time. Just as he opened his mouth to argue, Clark's gaze softened, and he leaned back into his chair.

"I never told you to marry anyone."

"But Your Highness—"

"I simply said, 'Give the daughter of Earl Knowles the name Abalov.'"

Erwin fell silent, his mouth slightly agape. Watching his expression, Clark continued.

"Is marriage the only way to give someone a name? Surely not. You could have made her an adopted daughter of the Marquis of Abalov, and she could have become your foster sister. The one who chose marriage..."

Clark rested his elbow on the armrest of his chair and propped his chin on the back of his left hand.

"...was you, Erwin."

"That is a complete fallacy!"

Erwin's eyes narrowed, and he stood up with a clatter of his chair.

"How can you say that? It was precisely because it was Your Highness's command that I petitioned the High Court to force the marriage through. Furthermore, did Your Highness not sign the special marriage permit yourself?"

"I would not command a marriage, but if you desired it of your own will, I would not stand in your way."

"Agh, I cannot believe this!"

As Erwin clutched his head in frustration, the Crown Prince laughed with genuine amusement.

"My apologies. I thought you would have realized it by now."

Clark glanced toward Humphrey, who, as if sensing the moment, prepared some tea. Without hesitation, the tea was served to Erwin. Clark had a rule against eating or drinking while working.

"If you truly insist, I can arrange to have the marriage annulled and switched to an adoption."

This was another absurd suggestion. Yet, there was a confidence in Clark's voice, and he likely had the preparations in place to make it happen.

Covering his face with both hands, Erwin let out a long, deep sigh.

"...Forget it."

"Really? Now is the only time you can use this card."

If one wanted to void a marriage, sooner was better. However, Erwin lowered his hands and nodded reluctantly.

"Yes. That matter has already been settled."

"Oh? With the daughter of Earl Knowles, I presume?"

"She is no longer the daughter of Earl Knowles, but yes, essentially."

"My," Clark raised an eyebrow.

"...That's right. She is now Letiana Abalov. Or perhaps I should say, the Countess of Pembroke."

When Clark brought up the ceremonial title held by the heir of the Marquis of Abalov, Erwin took a sip of tea with a troubled expression.

"Because I was summoned so early this morning, I haven't been able to explain anything to her yet. Including the title."

"I thought you might want the marriage annulled... I see. I've interfered with a newlywed couple, then."

Clark's face turned serious. He knew that if he teased Erwin—who didn't seem entirely displeased—he would only be met with more complaints.

"...As you both know, His Majesty entrusted me with the negotiations with Ultima. And not as a mere messenger, but as a negotiator carrying a full power of attorney."

As Clark began to speak, there was a light knock at the door. Humphrey opened it, exchanged a few words with an official, and brought some documents to Clark.

"Shortly after negotiations began, Ultima proposed a partition and joint administration of the Grand Duchy's territories. And they continued their pathetic attempts to hide the iron mine they had discovered so that we wouldn't notice."

Clark glanced at the documents, dipped his pen into the red inkwell, and scribbled something. The official waiting outside the door slumped his shoulders upon seeing it. The red ink indicated a deficiency. He would have to refine the documents and resubmit them.

Humphrey closed the door as he watched the official depart the hallway dejectedly.

"Did they seriously think they could keep it hidden?"

"That's exactly why they bowed so subserviently to a youngster like me."

"To think they were so ungrateful, when they wouldn't have even been able to command the Allied Forces without Your Highness's power. Perhaps it would have been better to just let them perish along with the Grand Duchy?"

Humphrey added a dangerous interjection to the Crown Prince's words as he placed a new quill on the desk and began sorting the processed documents. Though he had a weak stomach and a nervous disposition, the Crown Prince's secretary was efficient and surprisingly hot-blooded.

"Don't say that. In such settings, human greed manifests so vividly that it never ceases to be entertaining. ...Ultima lacks mineral resources, after all. The Grand Duchy's iron mine was a literal goldmine to them."

"How desperate. All while not knowing the mine was on the verge of depletion. Serves them right."

Humphrey chuckled with a malicious look on his face.

The previous war had ended in a crushing victory for the Allied Forces. It was common knowledge that the Saxon Empire had been the architect of that victory, and specifically the young Crown Prince.

However, since it had originally been a war between the two nations of Ultima and Lindor, and because the two shared a border, the negotiations regarding the treatment of the Grand Duchy's territory after the war were led by Ultima.

"They are fools. They didn't even realize that if Your Highness had so desired, you could have seized the entire Grand Duchy for yourself."

Ultima, desperate to protect the iron mine, saw their share dwindle bit by bit through Clark's skillful negotiations, eventually having to settle for a small piece of territory and the mine. Naturally, they remained unaware that the mine had almost no value and would be depleted in the very near future.

"Ultima had underestimated the value of the Grand Duchy of Lindor from the start. The Grand Duchy's prosperity was a matter of two generations ago. While its cultural standards remained high, it was a country that had long passed its peak—"

"As they say, a fine horse never becomes a work horse."

Despite its current power, the history of the Saxon Empire was still shallow. Even in a country that Ultima deemed worthless, there was much to be gained.

"I am truly impressed by Your Highness's attitude—the willingness to learn even from a stone by the roadside."

Humphrey said admiringly. Incidentally, this exchange took place while he handed documents to the Crown Prince, who was processing them at high speed, and then added annotations to the approved papers as a secretary.

Erwin drank his tea, watching the usual routine from the corner of his eye.

"...You don't need to explain it to me now; I am well aware. In the end, the remaining territories became the Empire's, but since the former Grand Duchy's lands are far from our own country, they are cumbersome to manage. That is why Your Highness wanted to send someone with ties to the Grand Duchy to establish a form of joint administration."

In that case, the most desirable person would be someone of high rank but with thin ties to the Grand Duke. However, most of the Grand Duchy's major nobility had gone into exile.

Now that the war was over, it might be possible to call them back. However, those who had fled early tended to have been more deeply involved in corruption, and Clark had been reluctant.

"That is why you first searched for the Duchess who was said to have been neglected, but in the end, you couldn't find her—"

"And the one you finally found was the daughter of Earl Knowles, who became your wife."

Having quickly cleared the pile of documents, Clark wiped the ink from his fingers with a cloth.

"The Grand Duke was said to have not been satisfied with the women of the harem—which were rumored to number in the hundreds—and raped women indiscriminately, yet he had only one child, that Duchess, correct?"

"Yes. Whether it was due to infertility or the effects of the narcotics rampant in the harem, there were no other blood relatives."

It was known that narcotics providing extraordinary pleasure during intercourse were widely used in the harem, but Saxon medical officers had only recently proven that these drugs had a powerful contraceptive effect.

"Still, I wonder if he really would neglect the only Duchess to that extent. As the rumors suggest, perhaps there is a possibility she wasn't actually the Grand Duke's biological child."

"Who knows. All that is certain is that a woman of about twenty, identified as the Duchess, lived quietly in the harem."

"No clues were found in the palace, but the search is continuing, is it not?"

"Yes. There is no sign of her leaving the country, and she has no noble backers to support her, so there should be nowhere for her to hide."

Despite searching every corner of the castle, they had no portrait to describe her appearance, nor did they even know her exact age.

"...If the Duchess is found, I am considering welcoming her as my consort."

"Huh?"

"What!"

Erwin was shocked by this news, which he was hearing for the first time, but Humphrey literally jumped in the air and rushed toward his beloved master.

"How could you! A Duchess of a fallen nation as the wife of the Crown Prince of the Saxon Empire! You don't even know her face, and moreover, she is older than you!"

"Don't make a scene, Humphrey. ...But don't you think it's not a bad idea? There are marriage proposals from domestic nobles, but I cannot welcome a lady who would merely become a spark for power struggles. Besides, for now, there is no person or country I feel inclined to form a union with."

"Even so, you can't just...!"

"What is wrong with being older? It's far better than being told to babysit a child. It would be a problem if she were too foolish to communicate, but as a Duchess, I doubt that will be an issue."

"...Why do you think so?"

Humphrey cast a doubtfully, almost irreverent look at the high evaluation of a Duchess he had never met.

"She survived in a harem where countless women gathered, as the sole person carrying the Grand Duke's blood. It's like living in a jar of poison amidst a nest of monsters and demons. If she weren't clever, she would have died long ago."

Having concluded this, the Crown Prince gave a meaningful smile to his confidant, as if reflecting on his own words.

"Come to speak of it, I hear there is a lady storming the Marquis's townhouse specifically for you. If I recall... the daughter of Earl Nelson?"

"...You are well-informed."

"My ears are specially made. Needless to say, keep your personal affairs clean. I wouldn't want your wife to get moody and leave the house."

"That will not be an issue."

The immediate response made Clark give him a suspicious look.

"Do you believe your own charm is enough to prevent such a thing?"

"No, that's not it, but..."

Erwin trailed off, unsure of how to explain himself to his master's half-closed eyes.

Tia had married Erwin based on a rational decision. Judging by last night, she didn't seem to care what a husband scheduled for divorce did. She might even remain indifferent if she sensed another woman's presence.

An inexplicable feeling of discomfort welled up in Erwin's chest.

"Erwin?"

Realizing both of them were staring at him, Erwin snapped back and straightened his posture.

"...I have not seen the daughter of Earl Nelson in a long time, and she is merely a distant relative of my mother. There is no cause for concern."

"No room for misunderstanding, then?"

"Yes, of course."

He answered with full confidence. Since joining the war against the Grand Duchy, his time spent at the townhouse had plummeted due to his workload. He almost never returned home at the times the daughter of Earl Nelson visited the Marquis's residence, so he wasn't lying. However...

—Perhaps I should speak with my stepmother once.

If someone claiming to be a maternal relative was causing trouble, Erwin should handle it. While he and his stepmother maintained a polite distance, he was now a married man. This was no time to cling to childish pride.

Without realizing he had unconsciously accepted Tia as his wife, Erwin let a faint smile touch his lips.

"Hmph... well, if you say so."

Feeling as though Clark's narrowing eyes saw right through him, Erwin quickly changed the subject.

"More importantly, regarding the Duchess. I understand the benefit of bringing her under Saxon control, but I cannot agree to her becoming the Crown Princess in one leap."

"Exactly!"

Remembering the main point, Humphrey pressed his master.

"She is the child of a Grand Duke so hated by the people! I cannot imagine her serving as a banner for joint administration."

"It would be impossible right now. But once time passes and she receives appropriate support from Saxon, that is a different story."

Clark placed the cloth he had used to wipe his fingertips on the edge of the desk. Humphrey promptly cleared it away.

"People—and the common folk in particular—are creatures who forever seek their core identity from external sources. Those who likely took pleasure in the fall of a royal family brought down by tyranny will, once they grow accustomed to a normal life, begin to contemplate their own roots. Then, memories are rewritten, and eventually, the people will grow dissatisfied with Saxon rule."