Chapter 47: The Emperor, His Younger Brother, and His Son
THE emperor, Christhardt, was in his office, finishing up the day’s duties. Then he received communication that his younger brother, Ehrenfried, was requesting a meeting with him.
“Something must have happened then.”
Both the emperor and his younger brother were of the same height, possessing the same lean build and pale blue eyes reminiscent of an ocean frozen over. Where they differed was their hair color. His brother’s was golden, while the emperor’s hair was a soft brown.
When he returned to his private chambers, he found his brother and son waiting for him, their postures ramrod straight.
“Let’s sit. How very unusual for you both to be here.”
“Christhardt, we come today seeking your counsel.”
At Ehrenfried’s words, his son, Claudio, paled. He looked quite nervous.
“What sort of counsel?”
“To tell you the truth, Claudio would like to leave the Empire and migrate to the Federation. I’ve managed to stop him from doing so by suggesting he become San Luenne’s king instead. I realize I might have been presumptuous in thinking of this, which is why I’d like to ask your thoughts, Christhardt. If I’m not mistaken, you have been wanting to annex San Luenne for a long time now, yes?”
“…Wait. Just wait a second.” Emperor Christhardt had heard the same exact thing some time ago. “Ehren, are you in contact with Cecilio?”
“Cecilio? You mean the leader of the Federation?”
“Yes.”
“Then, no. We haven’t correspondent at all. Why do you ask?”
“You’re not lying to me, are you?”
“Of course not.”
Questions bounded in Claudio’s mind as he listened to his father and uncle converse.
“I’ll be honest with you. Not long ago, Cecilio visited me, wanting to discuss the tariffs on the minerals in private. But it wasn’t the real topic. No, he wanted to talk about putting Claudio on San Luenne’s throne.”
“Huh?”
“What?”
Claudio and Ehrenfried exclaimed in surprise at the same time.
“Since you said the exact same thing, Ehren, it made me wonder when the two of you developed a relationship with him.”
“Father, His Excellency wishes for me to become San Luenne’s king? Are you certain?” Claudio asked.
“I am. Part of the reason lies with his anger over the Luennian royal family’s attitude. But that’s not all. He also said he’s willing to back you completely and lend his full authority to your reign as San Luenne’s king, Claudio.”
Though rendered speechless, Claudio nevertheless listened attentively.
“Cecilio wishes to avoid further warfare between the Empire and Federation, and I share in his sentiment. He has long desired to place his country on an equal footing with ours. So you can imagine his fury and frustration when San Luenne refused to pay their share of the reparations, on top of forcing the chancellor’s daughter upon him. Seems the Luennians were foolish enough to believe in the rumors of his womanizing.”
Claudio’s brow furrowed in thought. Though they had only been in each other’s company for a scant few hours, it had been long enough for the boy to understand how much the fiery Cecilio differed from his ice-cold father. Since their meeting, he had come to greatly admire the Federation’s leader.
“Which is why Cecilio decided the only way to depose the royal family without resorting to warfare was to install you as the king instead, Claudio. And once you take over, he will offer the Federation’s support to you. I’m sure he thought that by building a favorable relationship with a San Luenne under your governance, he could protect his own country from further imperial aggression. Two birds, one stone, wouldn’t you say?”
Claudio was surprised. When his uncle had pressed him about his worries and he’d confided in the man about his intention to abandon the Empire, Ehrenfried told him he understood his feelings. Instead of forcibly stopping him like he thought his uncle would, he had instead offered another solution with these words, “If you have the conviction to leave the country, then what say you to becoming San Luenne’s king?”
All he wanted was a way to settle things without his mother suffering more ridicule and pain. It didn’t matter what form the solution took. If he was to become king, he would be one who served his people. I will never become the sort of corrupt king who forcibly uses a woman as a pawn, not like San Luenne’s current king, Claudio had thought to himself. This feeling was gradually taking a concrete shape.
And now he learned that the man he respected, His Excellency Cecilio, also wanted him to become San Luenne’s king.
“Claudio. Heed me well.”
“Yes, Father.”
“You’re a brilliant young man. But your brother, Felix, is no fool either. If the gap between your talents was so overwhelmingly large that no one could deny you were the superior heir, I would forsake him and choose you as my successor. Except I’ve realized the difference between you isn’t that great.”
“…I understand.”
“So in this case, choosing you would create more discord than any benefits to be gained. The country would fall into chaos if the aristocracy were to split into factions and wage a war of succession. I will say this though—your plan to take up San Luenne’s throne instead isn’t a bad one.”
“Then let me…!”
“But. It’s still too soon. Wait until you’re of age. That’s all I ask. Another thing I want to ask. Can you become such an accomplished leader that you erase any of the Luennian citizenry’s doubts and resentments? How will you manage the transfer of power from the current royal family? I want you to think through the situation thoroughly. Once you have answers to these questions and more, then I will counsel you again.”
“I won’t disappoint you, Father! I’ll do my utmost to find the right answers!”
“Is that so? I have high hopes for you then. I still have things to discuss with your uncle, so you can leave first.”
“Yes, Father. Thank you very much for your time and advice.”
After his son left the room, Emperor Christhardt spoke once more.
“I’m stunned, Ehren. What do you mean he wants to leave the country? He didn’t even come to me with his concerns. He went to you. Tell me.”
“I can’t be certain, but I have a feeling the Alchemist’s daughter has had an effect on Claudio’s mindset.”
“Are you talking about Bertine? The daughter of San Luenne’s chancellor?”
“Yes.”
At that point, Ehrenfried told his elder brother everything that transpired on his visit to Bertine’s home in the Federation.
“Damn it, Ehren, I had no idea. When were you going to tell me?”
“Of course you didn’t know. It was imperative that I go in secrecy, so I chose not to inform you first. I disguised myself at the border to create the impression that I was merely a noble traveling incognito. The inspection at the checkpoint was laughably easy to pass, Chris. You may want to consider tightening security protocols, eh?”
“You absolute bounder… Stop putting yourself in danger like that.”
“Don’t worry, I took my guards with me. More importantly, I know I said Bertine’s had an influence on him, but there’s something else you should know. Half of his wish to accomplish his goals comes from his desire to protect Diana.”
The emperor’s eyes narrowed slightly when he understood the implication of those words.
“The empress won’t stain her hands, but those loyal to her will understand what she wants and act accordingly,” his brother continued. “Claudio is a kind, intelligent boy, so it’s only natural he would want to take his mother away from this country to protect her.”
“I had no idea… I’ve pressed Diana about it countless times over these past thirteen years, but she’s always insisted that there is nothing for me to worry about.”
“That’s her pride talking, don’t you think? ‘As if I would lose to them.’ So her pride has sustained her for these last thirteen years. If she were a weaker woman, her body would have broken by now and her life utterly spent. Since you have her, it is your responsibility to protect her properly until the very end.”
“I let things get so out of hand that a child of twelve felt he had no choice but to leave the country… The blame lies with me and me alone.”
And what’s this about Diana’s pride? For thirteen years, no less. An image of Diana sprang to his mind. He had never thought of her as anything except fragile. I wanted to know everything about her, yet I knew nothing whatsoever of her pain or her strength.