Dad, I will Listen to you - Chapter 11
Chapter 11
“I regret that we’re meeting under such circumstances.”
For the first time in a while, Karl was in an exceptionally good mood. The Emperor was glaring at him with a thoroughly twisted expression.
“Have you given proper consideration to my demands?”
Though he was a collateral member, Barbara was still of royal blood. Karl had informed the Emperor that Barbara had forcibly violated Elia and used this as grounds to demand compensation from the royal family. He had hoped to use this opportunity to rid himself of the meddling Council of Elders, but the Emperor had firmly refused to withdraw them. Karl had no other demands besides the removal of the elders. Frowning, he suddenly thought of something amusing.
If the withdrawal of the Council of Elders is not possible, then grant the Second Prince as Elia’s husband.
She lost her virginity because of the elders.
A reply came within a few days.
We’ll discuss this at the palace.
The letter was crumpled, as if written in a fit of rage. Karl couldn’t help but laugh as he looked at the nearly torn paper. How furious must the Emperor have been?
Of course, it was humiliating for the Emperor, who deified the purity of royal blood, to have to offer his second son as a son-in-law to a bastard.
When Karl had first ascended to the Dukedom, the Emperor had despised him, the second son. At every banquet or tea party, Karl was treated as a flawed individual. Even when the Emperor had attempted to marry Karl’s son to a princess, he had questioned Karl’s legitimacy. It had been a deeply humiliating and unpleasant experience.
But what could the Emperor do? From his perspective, this was the only way to keep a clever duke in check. Moreover, Karl was seen as a potential rebel. There was no way he would let such a man remove the Council of Elders.
Karl prepared to visit the palace that very day. He was curious to see the Emperor’s contorted expression.
And Karl was quite satisfied.
“Your Majesty?”
Karl pressed the Emperor, who had been silent for a while. The Emperor’s face remained twisted, as if the mention of marrying his precious son to Karl’s daughter was too humiliating to bear.
I should give Elia a reward when I get home.
Karl smiled leisurely.
“Very well. Proceed with the marriage to the Second Prince…. Is there nothing else you need? If your daughter were to bear another man’s child because of this incident…”
The Emperor, Lian, tapped the armrest of his chair. Everyone knew Karl’s daughter was a bastard. Lian had no desire to marry his son to such a flawed woman. Especially one who was no longer a virgin.
If it had been any other lower noble, the Emperor could have ignored the demand, but with Karl, it was impossible. Karl had inherited the Dukedom and rapidly expanded his power, rivaling the royal family.
Without the Council of Elders in the Arost Dukedom, the Emperor would lose his direct means of controlling Karl. Ignoring Karl’s demands entirely was out of the question, given the power he wielded.
“Wasn’t it Your Majesty who sent the elders that caused this mess? Either withdraw those useless elders from the dukedom or grant me the Second Prince as a son-in-law. Those are my only demands. I already have more wealth than I can handle.”
Karl responded leisurely, sipping from the teacup a maid had brought him. He disliked the taste of mint, but today even that was pleasant. The bitter mint flavor lingered in his mouth even after he swallowed.
“The only thing I lack, as Your Majesty has repeatedly pointed out, is lineage. Even without the right to inherit the throne, mixing royal blood into the Arost dukedom would put an end to the insults about a second son inheriting the title.”
In truth, only the royal family looked down on Karl for being a second son. Lian’s anger boiled over at Karl’s clever jab.
The only weakness Karl had was his lineage, and now it was being thrown back in his face. He had no retort.
“Moreover, if such a disgraceful incident occurs in a prestigious Dukedom due to the elders, and I gain nothing from it, what will become of my honor?”
“…I understand your position. You may leave.”
The Emperor waved his hand dismissively. Karl glanced at Lian, who refused to give a definitive answer, then turned away.
“Show me to my quarters.”
Karl made it clear he wouldn’t return home until he got what he wanted. After all, the dukedom wouldn’t come to a halt just because he was away.
Upon arriving at his quarters, Karl wrote a letter to be sent to the estate and lay down on the bed with a light heart. The next morning, he immediately requested an audience with the Emperor.
“How about a collateral bloodline?”
“That collateral bloodline couldn’t control his lust and caused this incident…. I have no desire to entrust my only daughter to such a lowly seed. What do you think?”
Lian gritted his teeth. Even if they were collateral members, they still carried royal blood, and Karl’s words were deeply offensive.
“Are you suggesting that a bastard like her deserves royal blood? Especially one who is no longer a virgin.”
Moreover, the duke’s child was an illegitimate child. A half-blood.
“That bastard is the only bloodline of my house. Since he took her first, wouldn’t it be fair to receive one of Your Majesty’s two precious sons in return?”
“How dare you!”
Lian, unable to contain his anger, hurled a teacup at Karl. Karl didn’t dodge. The cup narrowly missed him, shattering against the wall. Sharp fragments grazed Karl’s face.
“Everyone knows how much Your Majesty cherishes the Second Prince. If you’re unwilling to part with him, the Crown Prince will do just fine. As long as I receive one of Your Majesty’s bloodline as a son-in-law.”
Karl responded shamelessly. When the eldest son had died, and Karl, the second son, had taken the Dukedom, the reaction had been unfavorable. But if the eldest son were alive, and the second son became Emperor, while the eldest became the duke’s son-in-law… The conservative faction would be in an uproar.
“What does legitimacy matter when ability is so outstanding?”
Lian understood Karl’s underlying sarcasm all too well.
“…I understand your intentions. I’ll make a decision within a week.”
“Then I’ll await a positive response.”
Karl wiped the blood from his face with a handkerchief and stood up. He slowly exited the audience chamber. The Emperor’s thoroughly twisted expression…
It was utterly delightful.
***
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