His affair exposed, the minister fell to his knee and apologized.
"Please forgive me, Your Majesty! It was merely a lapse in judgment!"
"Laying hands on another man's wife is a serious crime! Surely a minister would be aware of that! And the wife of one of your own subordinates?! What were you thinking?!"
"I-I... It was Bettina! She came onto me! You must forgive me! I was seduced! I was trapped!"
"So you'll sleep with your subordinate's wife if she seduces you? I suppose you'd sleep with my own consorts if they propositioned you too?!"
"I-I never said anything of the sort!"
"It's the same thing! You're saying the woman is entirely to blame, are you not?!"
Johannes' anger could not be assuaged.
The emperor had entrusted the minister of engineering with his job for decades. After all he'd done, even playing matchmaker between the minister and his friend's daughter, having his kindness repaid with such scandal made the emperor's blood boil.
That wasn't the only reason for his uncontrollable fury. There was also the fact that the other party in the affair was the wife of Count Baelz, someone the emperor trusted and looked after.
It had been the emperor who ordered Count Baelz to investigate his wife's misdeeds. His high opinion of the man had led to him assuring Count Baelz, initially reluctant, that if there were any issues, then he himself would handle the situation.
A major part of Zandra's scheme had depended on the fact that Johannes trusted Count Baelz. In the emperor's mind, the count wasn't the type of man to scheme and overthrow his boss, and truth be told, stooping to such devious methods was not in the count's nature. That's why, in Johannes' eyes, it appeared obvious that the minister of engineering had been the one to use his capable vice minister's wife as a threat, in order to protect his own position.
All that had gone precisely as Zandra planned. In other circumstances, it would have been more natural to suspect that Count Baelz had used his wife to smear the reputation of the minister of engineering, but the trust and respect between Johannes and Count Baelz, and the count's personality, prevented that from being a consideration.
Having heard of the count's troubles with his wife, Johannes was also already sympathetic toward him. Therefore, Johannes' judgment was swift.
"I hereby revoke your position as minister of engineering. Return home, repent, and await your punishment!"
"No, please, Your Majesty! Please!"
"Summon Count Baelz!"
Johannes' anger still smoldered as he gave his next command.
A moment or two later, a cowering Count Baelz came before him. The first thing out of his mouth was an apology.
"I am so very sorry, Your Majesty! My ex-wife's misdeeds are a result of my own inadequate supervision!"
"Baelz... What are you talking about? There's no need to hold yourself responsible."
"B-but—"
"I trust you. Some might see your gullibility around bad women as a weakness, but it's something I appreciate about you. You are straightforward and honest, and dedicated to your work. I have always felt compelled to appoint people like you to ministerial positions. So, would you consider becoming the next minister of engineering?"
"I-I can't accept such an important post! My wife committed a crime! Please, you must punish me!"
"She isn't your wife anymore, and besides that, the blame lies largely with the current minister. A woman's attempts at seduction do not grant permission to engage in adultery. I have no intention of punishing you for what happened, and I will take care of anyone who tries to slander your name."
"Y-Your Majesty..."
"Let me repeat my request. You, Count Baelz, will hereby serve as minister of engineering. I hope you will continue to strive for the good of the empire."
"...I will never forget your kindness and generosity. In the name of the Baelz household, I shall fulfill my duties to the best of my ability."
And so, Count Baelz accepted the post of minister of engineering.
After a few more remarks, Johannes dismissed him. Then, he sank deep into his throne and slowly exhaled.
At that moment a new voice entered the scene.
"Things are finally heating up."
"...Hello, Franz."
Without warning or welcome, a man around the same age as the emperor appeared in the room. He had light gray hair and wore white civil servant clothing. There was only one position in the empire who could don such a uniform.
It was the chancellor—head of the civil service.
The man's name was Franz Seebeck. As made evident by the lack of a "Von" within his name, he wasn't born into a family of nobility. Franz was the empire's greatest success story, as a man who'd climbed from the son of a lowly innkeeper to the position of chancellor all on his own wits and hard work.
Johannes addressed him.
"The fight for ministerial positions is a customary feature of battles for the throne, and the current ministers should be aware of it. That's why it's important to pay careful attention to one's surroundings. Being seduced into an affair with a subordinate's wife is an unthinkable transgression. Sooner or later, it will bring harm to the empire. If I don't replace him immediately, then the damage could extend to me as well."
"I have no qualms with your decision. However, are you certain about appointing Count Baelz as minister, no questions asked? I smell a plot behind all of this."
To Franz, who had served as adviser to Johannes since his days as a prince, the situation surrounding Count Baelz was nothing if not suspicious. The only reason he didn't investigate further was because it was forbidden to interfere in the conflict for the throne. Otherwise, he'd likely have launched a thorough investigation.
"If it is part of a plot, that's fine with me. Baelz is competent, and he'd never come up with any schemes himself. Therefore I have no problem giving him the position. Besides, anyone who can't come up with at least one good scheme has no business becoming emperor."
"What a peculiar thing to say. As I recall, I was the one in charge of your schemes back when you were a prince."
"The ability to recognize talent and the ability to delegate are both essential qualities for an emperor in and of themselves. I recognized your abilities immediately. That's why I freely entrusted you with my strategizing. And it's thanks to you that I'm sitting here now."
"Don't be silly. You were always clever enough that you'd have earned the throne with or without me."