I Became the Master of the Empress

15 – Episode 15

“Stop! Reveal your identity!”

Pulling the reins, I look at the guard who speaks, pointing the long spear.

-Swish!

Basilaeus whimpers softly as the horse stops.

“I am Francesco’s Grand Duke, Devean Lyon. I have been invited by Lord Ioannes to come here.”

Saying that, I take out the invitation in my arms and hand it to the guard. He roughly opens the letter.

After a short while, the guard lowers his spear and says.

“I have confirmed. Please get off the horse. I will guide you.”

Upon hearing those words, the knights dismount from their horses.

And they follow the guard.

A century’s worth of soldiers and tents, as if it were an arduous task.

Glittering spearheads.

Archers honing their skills by shooting arrows.

The sight of them patrolling, marching in groups of ten, is more heavily militarized than expected.

Hmm… However, it seems that there is a shortage of food and supplies.

I suppose they planned to avoid direct combat after surrounding us so quickly, as expected.

Indeed, it is no easy task to supply an army of over 150,000 soldiers properly.

While contemplating such thoughts, I suddenly arrive in front of a large tent.

“Here we are, Your Excellency.”

“Thank you.”

With those words, I enter the tent.

Throughout the tent, I see men with black hair and occasional white hair.

As I observe the man who appears to be in his forties, I think to myself.

Judging by the splendid uniform he is wearing, this man is likely King Yohannes of the Huangjepa.

“Welcome, Your Excellency. I am Yohannes Angelos.”

The man extends his right hand to me and speaks, to which I respond with a smile.

“Nice to meet you. I am Devian Lion, the Duke of Francesco.”

I open my mouth with an expressionless face.

“Come this way, everyone is waiting for you.”

Following Joanes, I see men sitting around a large round table.

There are various men, from those boasting about their armor to those dressed like city merchants.

“Please, have a seat here.”

Before I know it, King Joanes gestures to an empty seat, and I sit there.

“I express my gratitude on behalf of everyone here for the courage and wisdom of Grand Duke Francesco, who made a great decision for the peace and prosperity of the empire.”

As the king gestures to me, a man in uniform brings some documents and carefully places them in front of me and Joanes.

“These are the treaty for the reinforcement and future development of the empire.”

I carefully read through the documents placed in front of me.

Seeing that the treaty negotiation document given by Agrippa is no different from one of betrayal, I nod my head.

“I have confirmed it.”

“Well then, please proceed with the signing.”

At his words, I take out a fountain pen from my pocket and begin to write my name.

-Swish, swish!

The gold tip dances on the paper as my name begins to be written.

Before I know it, the gold tip stops, and my name is fully written there.

A man in uniform next to me takes the paper, exchanges it with Joanes’ paper, and hands it back to us.

I take it, go through it once more, finding no differences, and complete writing my name.

-Swish, swish!

As the signatures concluded with each other…

“Well then, let’s officially declare that the war is over with this.”

Joanes declares, scanning the audience.

Phew… We’ve passed the urgent crisis with this.

“I’ve heard that the Great General will stay here for a day.”

I nod in response.

“I’ll excuse myself for about a day.”

Joanes smiles gently at my words.

“hahahaha, don’t worry. Aren’t you the hero of the Empire? Would we ever reject the hero of the Empire? Rest easy.”

Looking at Joanes, who quickly praises me as a hero right after forming an alliance with the opponent we were at war with just a few hours ago, I feel something…

The sense of physiological repulsion towards Joanes, as someone of the same kind as me.

“hahahaha, thanks for saying that.”

“And I’ve prepared a banquet for your visit today. What are the chefs doing? Aren’t they serving food?”

At his words, the chefs enter the tent with dishes in hand.

“Since you came in a hurry, you probably haven’t had a proper meal. Help yourself.”

Rare dishes, unseen on the battlefield, endlessly cover the round table.

***

Thus, the banquet granted by the imperial faction began.

Ladies, seated one by one next to nobles.

They pour wine into the glasses of nobles while revealing their breasts without their tops.

Those nobles claim to enjoy that.

Some of them, touching the bodies of their own nieces, evoke a deep sense of disgust in me.

Sigh… no wonder the nobles are the subject of ridicule.

Imposing high taxes on the imperial citizens, yet here they are, indulging in such disorderly parties.

Internally seething with anger, but I keep a composed demeanor.

Some are striving to advance the empire, while others are just idling away like this.

The nobles in front of me make me feel repulsed, but I force a smile.

I can’t afford to waste the precious time I’ve painstakingly obtained.

As I lift my glass, attempting to contain my anger, the woman sitting next to me refills my glass.

– Eek! Your Excellency the Marquis~

– Oh, would you like to try it quickly?

Seeing a lecherous man gathering the breasts of his own niece to pour a drink, my expression furrows.

At that moment, the woman next to me speaks up.

“Your Grace, you are even more handsome than the rumors suggested.”

The woman who stuck close to me.

Her name was Michelle, right?

Sigh… calling such prostitutes to a banquet and allowing them to do this is not what you should be collecting taxes for.

If you don’t waste money on such things and lower taxes instead, the empire would become stronger.

In reality, there are all sorts of taxes here.

Window tax, levied on every window in the house.

In the cold winter, a heater that warms the body, and the marriage tax paid when getting married, if severe.

Do regional lords really collect all sorts of taxes, including this nonsense about it? Despicable scoundrels.

But since I can’t talk about it here, I smile as much as possible and speak kindly to the lady sitting next to me.

“Miss Michelle, thank you for your kind words.”

The old man with reddened nose, who heard my words from beside, says.

“Oh~ Duke, you’re quite skilled~! How accomplished do you have to be to marry the most beautiful lady in the empire, the Hwangtae Lady? Isn’t that right?”

“Hoohahahaha! If I were 10 years younger, I would have wooed the Hwangtae Lady like this~ like this~”

The man who stands up and awkwardly turns his waist is… undoubtedly Marquis Itaka, wasn’t it?

I can’t remember the name, but I’ll probably remember this old man’s name from today onwards.

The sight of the old man shaking his waist drunk is really… revolting.

-Hoohahahaha! Marquis! You’re quite drunk!

-Who else would it be?

I smile, trying hard, while looking at the old men gossiping indecently.

“Marquis Itaka, please do not insult my beloved Lady Hwangtae.”

The atmosphere in the banquet hall settles a bit at my words.

“Everyone, please behave appropriately. The Duke is not just a guest, right?”

Joannes steps forward to change the cold atmosphere.

“As a loyal subject, how can I insult the future lord? Marquis Itaka’s joke has gone too far.”

-That’s right! The Marquis seems a bit drunk.

-hahahahaha~ Who else, the Marquis of Itaka is said to be the emperor’s favorite horse in Itaka, and it seems the rumor is spot on.

At those words, Manuil laughs heartily, his face turning red as if in a good mood.

“hahahaha~ Your Grace, I might have gone too far with my words. If it bothered you, please forgive me.”

In response, I shake my head and say, “I was not bothered.”

After I say that,

“Now, let’s stop here for today. Everyone, have a good rest.”

Upon those words, everyone nods their heads.

At that moment, Duke Manuil stands up and says,

“It’s been a while since I ate so much. I’ll make sure to bring generous gifts for the Duke’s wedding.”

Starting from that, he takes one or two women sitting next to him and leaves.

– hahahaha~ Your Grace!

– Come here; today, I’ll show you what a man is.

Watching them, I suppress my anger internally.

If I had the money to host such a chaotic party, I would invest it in developing the territory facilities.

Once I seize power and establish stability, I will put an end to such behavior.

“Your Grace, let me guide you to the bedroom.”

I nod in gratitude and say, “Thank you, Lady Ioannes.”

She glances at me for a moment and then follows him outside the tent.

– Tuk… Tuk…

Walking side by side, not a single blade of grass beneath our feet.

A fairly large tent stands a bit away, guiding me.

– Tap, tap, tap!

The fire inside warms the tent.

“I thought I took care to make it nice, but seeing it now, it seems a bit shabby.”

Yoanes says so, but looking at the tent, decorated quite splendidly, I reply.

“No, it’s fine.”

Saying that, I take a seat in a chair inside the tent.

“Lord Yoanes, please have a seat too. If you’ve come all the way here, there must be something you want to discuss with me, isn’t that so?”

Yoanes smiles slightly in response to my words and takes a seat across from me.

“You’re quick-witted.”

I respond with a confident smile.

“I was the same.”

“Is that so?”

An awkward silence hangs for a moment.

“Traveling from Roman to here must have been quite a distance. You must have had a hard time.”

I say, and he shakes his head as if to deny.

“Hard time? How could that be? If I may ask, aren’t you the Lord who came from Nicaea, across the sea?”

At my words, Yoanes nods.

“Your father may not have killed the emperor, but it’s unlikely you’d come here if there wasn’t some trouble.”

At those words, I could only respond with a sly smile.

“Sigh… You’re different from the other Lion families.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

And then, silence flowed again.

Not exactly silence, but a situation where we were carefully gauging when to bring up what we desired from each other.

“I know your intentions.”

“My intentions?”

Joannes, nodding at my words, spoke.

“You desire the Empire, don’t you?”

Faced with Joannes’ serious expression, I couldn’t easily give an answer.

The ink on the negotiation document probably hadn’t even dried yet.

I didn’t expect such a risky topic to come up.

I had intended to subtly manipulate things in the direction I wanted.

Feeling uneasy as Joannes unexpectedly detonated a bomb, I wondered, Why bring up such a matter with me?

Is it to nullify the alliance and kill me?

Various thoughts surfaced, spreading unease in my mind.

“It’s okay if you don’t answer, but I’ll reveal my true intentions first.”

Saying so, Joannes continued.

“I, too, desire the Empire.”

He waits for me to continue, lost in thought.

His straightforward words make my head spin.

Why would he suddenly bring this up to me?

“Why would I, who desires to rule the empire, accept your proposal for reinforcement?”

I nod at his words.

I quickly think to myself.

I vaguely considered that he wanted to seize the empire, and thus, Joy, the princess.

It’s only a suspicion without evidence, not a clear proof.

But other than that, it’s impossible to explain why Jonas wants the princess.

But… why bring this up all of a sudden, when we’re alone?

I ponder the hidden meaning of his words.

“No, I don’t really know,” I say.

He nods in response to my words.

“That’s the thing. Seizing the empire. There are too many obstacles.”

His words make me think inwardly.

I, too… had the same thoughts as you.

To seize the empire immediately, I need time.

Time to solidify my position, to persuade or conquer other noble factions and cities…

Perhaps the King of Jonas is in the same situation.

Considering the Imperial faction and the anti-Imperial faction, it won’t be easy.

However, I want to conceal my ambitions as much as possible…

“I… only need Lady Hwang Taeyeon.”

Joannes smiles with a chilling grin at my words.

“hehehe, don’t lie. I know your ambitions. Others may see you as a cub or a weakened lion, but I see it… your grand ambitions.”

With Joannes’ words, it seems that… things won’t be easily resolved.