Chapter 6. So I became an Emperor (6).
I pushed Haven’s chest with my palm. He didn’t budge. I pushed it with more force. A solid chest held my strength.
Raising my head and staring at Haven’s face, I pushed again and he backed away, looking at me with deep black eyes.
I retrieved my hand and said.
“No. The winner must pass my final screening before he can become the emperor consort.”
“There’s a final screening left?”
“I intend to watch the Duke over a one-year grace period.”
“Grace period…”
“If you don’t like it, you may quit now and return to the North, Duke.”
Haven stared at me silently with an unreadable look and bowed down.
I saw his face from the front because he met my eye level.
“It’s Haven, Your Majesty.”
“…Yes, Haven. I want you to think carefully.”
“Do you not like me?”
“No. You’re desirable for…”
I was about to say worker, but I clouded my words. It was embarrassing to say that I wanted him as a worker, but Haven smiled as he raised the corners of his mouth.
“Please desire if you do.”3
His eyes were challenging. His thick manly face showed an imposing manner. Maybe he was born with it, but his smile even seemed a little arrogant.
I did my best.
I tried to persuade Haven to keep one crazy man in one house, but what can I do when this person comes out of my way.
Can I, the older sister of Philland’s lunatic, not have the ‘Monster in the North’ as my husband?1
I am grateful to the Northern ruler to offer his own labor. I don’t know what Duke Dehart lacks to become the emperor consort, but I can not afford to care about his trivial circumstances.1
He vowed to sign the marriage certificate and accept it when his capability was confirmed after seeing it for a year.
I spoke to Haven as I reached out my hand.
“If you listen to me well, I’ll cut you some slack.”
Haven, with a smile on his face, grabbed my hand and answered with his lips lowered on the back of my hand.
“I won’t let you down, Your Majesty.”
I took Haven’s hand, and left the stadium.
When I looked at Edwin sitting opposite of me in the carriage back to the palace, I sighed.
I wondered why this child liked Haven, did he recognize his own kind?1
“Eddy.”
“Why, sister?”
“If you go over the border and fight, you’ll get into trouble.”
“Yes, sister!”
The answer is always to pat my good brother on the head.
We then arrived at the palace.
Edwin and his men hurried back to his palace, and Haven was sent to the palace assigned to him.2
It’s work again now that I’ve finished my morning schedule.
I swallowed a sigh and entered the main palace, and the grand chamberlain followed me.
“There are people who asked for an audience.”
It was a strange thing to say. I don’t respond to this kind of request for meeting.
There were many people who wanted to meet me. I have little time to spare, so the secretaries sort it out and report only those whom I must meet.
The fact that the grand chamberlain who knows this too well, says this means that the matter is really urgent or a person who can’t be reckoned with came.
“Who is it?”
“Lord Pagos and Lord Delmoy.”
(T/N: The raws refer to them as princes, since they are successors of dukedoms. But to make more sense and to avoid confusion, I will be using young lord or just lord.)
I clicked my tongue and moved towards the room.
Dalton Pagos and Japheth Delmoy stood side by side and bowed their heads.
I knew they would try to contact me, but I didn’t know they are this impatient. Dalton is still wearing the same outfit when he had just been defeated by Haven and rolled on the floor.
“What is your business here at the Imperial Palace?”
“I’m here to tell Her Majesty something.”
“Is it Lord Pagos’ or the Duke Pagos’ words you wanted to say?”
“This is my father’s message.”
Dalton replied, and when I looked at Japheth, he silently bowed telling me he meant the same thing.
“Tell me.”
“Choose me as your consort. Then the East and the South will swear allegiance under the flag of Sutton.”1
It wasn’t unexpected, but I never thought it would come out so directly.
The two dukes agreed. I raised my head, looking down at Dalton, and answered.
“No.”1
“…why, Your Majesty?”
“Because I don’t like the Lord. Furthermore, you lost the tournament.”
“Where in the world you choose the emperor consort that way?”
“I see Young Lord has a lot of complaints about my way of choosing my husband.”
“Does Your Majesty have any awareness that you are the Emperor of the Seven Hills Empire? Or do you not know what our proposal means?”
Dalton raised his raging voice.
I see you were impatient, but I never thought you’d send a young man as your messenger. The Duke of Pagos seemed to be looking down at me.1
Although the four dukes are very snobbish, the Pagos Family was the most impressive of them.
At the time of the ceremony, none of the four Dukes were present, but the three except the East sent a pledge of loyalty in writing.
It was literally a piece of paper that can been torn apart, but the Pagos in the East did not even send it.
A pledge of loyalty is enough without it.
I’m the emperor no matter how Pagos came forward. In short, I’m just keeping Duke Pagos in check.
I thought you were trying to change your goal because you sent your son to participate in the tournament. But, I guess you must have wanted to tie me down and Seven Hills at once through marriage.
I tried to go over it nicely until the Imperial Court stabilizes, but you’re going to come out like this?
“It’s not me but you, who don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yes?”
“If I marry you, you will swear allegiance to me? Then does that mean if I don’t, you will hold a grudge against me? I’ll cut off your throats and send them to your father and prepare to punish the traitor.”
As Dalton’s face turned red and tried to say something, Japheth interrupted him and opened his mouth.
“You are mistaken, Your Majesty. Pagos and Delmoy are not plotting treason. Our two families are the founding fathers of Seven Hills, and we would like to make an offer to help your reign. Put the power of the South and East on your back. We are willing to be your hands and feet.”
Japheth was as eloquent as his prominent face.
What hands and feet. Isn’t it because I will carry in my body their descendants to the Imperial line? He was going to eat up the imperial family without spilling a drop of blood.
This guy has a knack for saying the same thing in a clever way.
After I looked carefully at Japheth, I said to Dalton.
“If you want to propose, go back now and tell him to show his sincerity. In particular, I want to make sure to tell him that the Duke’s second son is not my taste.”
I drew my gaze from Dalton, who was trembling, and said something else to Japheth.
“You stay for a while. There’s something I’d like to ask.”
Japheth looked at me with a puzzled look on his face, and I gestured to Dalton to go out. Dalton left the room, staring at me and Japheth with suspicious eyes.
Unable to endure the vague silence until the curiosity became uneasy, Japheth urged me.
“Please do tell, Your Majesty.”
“What does Delmoy get when I marry Pagos? No matter how much I think about it, I couldn’t figure it out.”
“We can rejoice together in our neighbor’s joyous occasion, Your Majesty.”
“Because the two of you came together, I thought I would choose one or both of you to be the consort, but that wasn’t the case. Did you tag along to be a groomsman? To rejoice together?”
Japheth recognized my sarcasm.
And at the same time, he seemed to have understood the possibility of saying what I had hinted at. Perhaps he even figured out my intention to separate the two dukedoms from each other.
He stood silent for a long time and thought while his head lowered.
“Your Majesty, I will tell Father every word.”
I expected Japheth to show some reaction, but he stepped back calmly.
I returned to the Oval Office, thinking that he was much better than the fool of the Pagos. And I pushed a warm helping hand to Caleb, who was trapped in the mountains of documents.
“Cheer up, Caleb. The workforce will be reinforced soon.”
“Really, Your Majesty?”
Caleb, who has black bags under his eyes, asked, his voice trembled with emotion.
I closed my eyes and nodded my head. Promising to take Haven to the office tomorrow.
After spending the afternoon digging up the document tomb with Caleb, I prepared to attend the banquet in the evening.
It was a banquet to console the 178 candidates who participated in the battle and announce the engagement with the winner, Haven.
I said we had no money or time to spent on useless things, but the grand chamberlain and Edwin pushed for it.
When I left the room after getting ready, Edwin who was leaning against the hallway, smiled and approached me.
“Sister, you’re so pretty.”
Edwin admired, fiddling at the ribbon located at the hem of the skirt.
As it was a banquet after a long time, I was wearing a dress that was more colorful than usual thanks to the ladies-in-waiting dressing me up with enthusiasm.
I smiled and arranged his lace sleeves.
“You’re pretty, too.”
And as I clasped his hands together, Edwin sighed suddenly.
“I thought if sister became the emperor, you’d have a party everyday and eat delicious things.”
“I think I said the empire would fall by then. And I enjoy working rather than attending parties.”
“You seem to be, so I can’t even be stubborn. I can’t stop you anyway.”
Edwin grumbled while saying something incomprehensible. I was at loss what to say to the guy who said he couldn’t stop me.
“Anyway, I like doing what my sister wants to do. If you want to become a great emperor, I’ll do my best to help you.”
I don’t really want to be a great emperor.
I became an emperor because of my brother, so I tried hard to make sure that us siblings will not get criticized.
“Eddy, your sister–”
“I’ll make you the strongest emperor on the continent, so trust me.”
Edwin grinned as he said so.
No, this child’s eyes. No, this is.
“Eddy, what the hell are you thinking about? No, no. Don’t talk. Don’t talk and don’t even think. Don’t act anymore.”
“Ah, Duke Dehart!”
Edwin smiled from ear to ear and waved at Haven, who was walking from the other side.
“Your Majesty.”
I missed the timing of shaking Edwin because of Haven bowing his head.
I thought I should talk to him again after the banquet, but he’s smooth. Edwin, who let go of my hand, ran in a flash and pounced on Haven.
Haven, who was looking indifferently at Edwin’s attack, turned his head to the side and asked me who was standing behind him.
“With all due respect, Your Majesty, is your brother a lunatic?”
Th-that…
It was embarrassing.
“Eddy.”
I called my brother first. Edwin turned his head and looked at me while grabbing Haven.
“Come here, Eddy.”
Edwin came to my side, smacking his lips, and let go of Haven’s collar.
Why is this rascal being a jerk after he threatened him to join the tournament?
I looked dumbfoundedly at Edwin, whose eyes are half-sane, smiling brightly and frightening Haven.
“Duke Dehart, if you don’t listen to my sister, I’ll kill you.”
Haven, not fazed with the threat, stared at me deeply.1
His eyes were saying your brother is a total lunatic.