Chapter 99: For the Crown (4)
"Do you remember what I said earlier?"
"…Of course." I nodded gently. The bastards who referred to themselves as nobles had such dishonorable demeanor, openly provoking me. I was flustered, but not burning up from anger. After all, I did not have a narcissistic personality. However, What made me feel uncomfortable was… 'It is fine if they talk shit about me, but do they have to publicly disregard Celestia to this extent?'
The Leonhardt Empire was a country that strictly adhered to the caste system, so the royals were clearly above the nobles in terms of hierarchy. It was unfamiliar to me, someone who lived in a democratic country. However, I acknowledged that it was the public order of this country.
'Despite all that, they broke the public order… Are they willing to put up with the consequences, or do they intend to create a new public order…?'
I couldn't help but let out a sigh. If my speculations turned out to be true, I stopped by the Imperial Capital at the worst possible timing. I would get caught in the crossfire if I was unlucky enough.
'Although the cause was different, the outcome was just as Celestia had predicted. We can't simply stir up trouble right now. One wrong move will only bring us more enemies.'
I slightly turned my head to confirm the titles of the whispering nobles around me.
Amon's Duchy
Ugler, Parterre
Amon's Duchy
Ugler, Setara
"Keke. Ugler? What the crap is an Ugler?"
"Dae-ha?" Celestia was wide-eyed, watching me laugh uncontrollably. The only response I gave her was a simple nod.
I had no intention of getting angry at empty provocations, but simply standing down was irritating me.
'Was I always like this?'
I ignored that sudden thought and said, "Come to think of it, you must be on really bad terms with Amon's Duchy. They even sent those slaughtering machine-bastards to Earth to assassinate you. Yet, they are right here chatting away leisurely."
The nobles, who have been whispering, hardened their expressions at once. "I… I don't know what you are talking about. Why would we be from Amon's Duchy? We are from Senna's County…"
"I wasn't talking about the lot of you. Aside from that…" I interrupted their denial and laughed. "Were we in the middle of a conversation?"
The slight embarrassment I caused them made them back off with flushed faces. They looked ready to retort and argue, but Rosta and Celestia stood next to me. They couldn't afford to openly condemn the legitimate royals, so they resorted to whispering amongst themselves. Therefore, they couldn't start a conversation after getting caught in the act.
However, the nobles were not the only surprised ones. Rosta, who remained silent this entire time, stared at me with a bewildered expression. "What slaughtering machine? What do you mean?" His question was serious, as if he knew something.
I simply shrugged and did not respond. Come to think of it, even though this ahjussi[1] feigned closeness with Celestia, he did not stop any criticism that was directed at her. It was pretty detestable.
"Please tell him, Dae-ha. He is one of the few allies I have."
"Even if he's one of the few allies you have, I don't like him at all."
"Awhhhh~ Come on, don't be like that." Celestia, who rarely played up her cuteness, nuzzled my neck. That was when I heard incredulous sounds coming from behind us.
Even Rosta, who had a serious expression, looked back at Celestia in surprise. "C-Cel? What are you doing right now?"
"What else? A cute aegyo attack at my husband~?" Celestia smiled confidently and shot hearts my way, making a 'Biyunnggg~' sound. Her expression was irresistibly cute, but it only made Rosta stare at her with a pale face.
'What the crap? I know this is unlike her, but is her act of cuteness such a shocking matter?' With that thought, I was at a loss of words. I asked, "How do you usually manage your public image for them to react in this way?"
"How else? I acted like an aloof Queen."
"Well, I still don't like the way they are acting."
"Hmph. It garners no interest of mine, because it does not concern my efforts or my life.Anyway, let's stop moving. Lead the way, samcheon."
"Al-Alright."
I followed the two members of the Imperial family and moved to a central seat of the main council room. The structure of the main council room was similar to that of a theater, but it was of a much larger scale and aisles ran between every six seats. Each seat was separated by shoulder-height partitions and had access to a table. The overall structure guaranteed personal space at the bare minimum.
"By the way, I'd like to ask you again. What do you mean by a slaughtering machine?" Rosta asked.
"It's literally as I just said. Guys came to ambush and kill Celestia, who came to take a rest on Earth." I remembered what happened on Earth. The title of Slaughtering Machine and the title Came to kill the Imperial Princess came to mind. At that time, I couldn't grasp the situation, since I had no idea where Amon's Duchy was. I only had a rough idea after seeing the group associated with it again.
"Cel, did you get attacked again?"
"Mm, that's right. That's why I stopped by Dae-ha's house, which was designated as the Primordial God's Sacred Land... Then, the Primordial God personally flew us to Albatross from there."
"I've roughly heard about what happened there, but... There seems to be a gap in the story. If that was truly the case, on what grounds were you capable of identifying the attackers as people from Amon's Duchy? They aren't people to leave easy clues lying around."
Although it was obvious that Rosta would ask that particular question, I made no attempt to answer. To a certain extent, I only trusted Celestia and not this ahjussi whom I just met for the first time in my life. "That's…"
"That's..."
"What's that?"
"It's a secret."
Rosta's expression became distorted. "Now, look here. You must be misunderstanding something about the current situation…" He glared at me, as if he was momentarily growling his point across. There was no malice, though, so he probably did so to put on airs.
However, Celestia stepped in just then. "Listen to him, samcheon. He said it is a secret."
"No, do you think this is something that can be overlooked just because he said it's a secret? This situation is..."
"Samcheon." Celestia's gaze turned cold. "Are you going to make me say it twice?"
"..."
Rosta's eyes drooped, as if he was dejected by Celestia's chilly voice. His rather imposing presence instantly disappeared as his expression turned dreary. He looked just like a dog standing in the rain.
However, Celestia did not bat a single eyelid. "Don't obsess over useless things, and just do what you have to do instead."
"Ugh, ugh… There is no use in raising a daughter [2]…"
"Who's your daughter?" Celestia shook her head with a flabbergasted expression on her face.
"Consul-nim is coming in." Just then, the bustling main council room immediately fell silent at the clear voice that seemingly penetrated everyone's ears. I also turned my head to look towards the podium located right in the front, and I noticed an old man walking up to the center.
"This shitty..."
"Oh my God. We were had."
For some reason, Celestia and Rosta's expressions hardened. I looked at their perplexed expressions before turning back to the old man who stood on the podium. 180cm… No, he had a handsomely tall height that was around 190cm… He had broad shoulders and sturdy muscles that belie his age. The domineering Aura that coursed through his entire person was also very oppressive… However, his physical features were not the problem.
"...Aigoooooo." There was no need for further explanation as I let out an immediate groan upon noticing his title. It was a name that even I could recognize.
Amon's Duchy
Owner of the God Sword, Amon
Above the old man's head was a name that I had just said a few minutes ago. Since he was similar to the ones who attacked Celestia, he could essentially be considered an enemy. It also bothered me that he appeared to be a transcendent, but had a different title that was unrelated to his ability. He seemed to have some sort of strong trait.
"What's going on, samcheon? Don't you also belong to the Senate?"
"That's true, but... It seems I've been excluded completely. They must have gathered more than half of the Senate members and rushed to pass the bill through."
I butt into the conversations of Celestia and Rosta as they whispered to each other. "Then, do you mean to say that the old man in front wasn't the original Consul?"
"That's a given. For generations, only the pure-blooded royalties could take up the position of Consul. Of course, it's true that the blood of a royalty also flowed inside Amon, but... No, that aside, what happened to Makellan Hyung-nim[3]?" Despite Rosta's flustered voice, he did not stand up and make a scene. He seemed to sense that it would not be wise to make a hasty move right here.
I'm sure some of you here already know it yourself, while some of you might have only just heard. It's nice to meet you. I'm Peil Amon.
The old man's clear voice resonated through the main council room and oppressed the surrounding atmosphere. The power imbued in his voice was so great that the wide main council room fell into an immediate silence.
The previous Consul, Makellan, was in an unfortunate mishap due to an unexpected ambush. I am temporarily taking on the role of Consul after a vote by the Senate members.
"What do you mean an unexpected ambush?! Are you saying that not only the Emperor was ambushed, but even the Consul-nim was had?"
"No, that aside, has the murderer been discovered? This isn't an internecine feud within the Imperial family as well, right?
"I heard an energy bomb exploded! What are the results of the investigation?"
As questions began to pop up here and there, the quiet council room became as noisy as a marketplace. The atmosphere became extremely chaotic, but I sensed that Amon was watching it unfold with great satisfaction.
"This doesn't feel good."
"Certainly... Samcheon, where are the people from Payne's Duchy? What about the Crown Prince and the other unnies and oppas?"
"They're not here. I don't think they planned to attend in the first place."
"…No way."
"That's right, it's a power struggle. The full-scale confrontation between the Nobles Faction and the Emperor Faction has begun."
"But..."
"Yeah, it's something that shouldn't have happened. With the Emperor dead, what confidence do they have to try fighting the Nobles Faction that is in control of the Senate? There's no justification either."
I recalled Celestia saying the Senate's summon was something that could not be ignored, because a refusal to attend to the summoning could cause one to be on the list of suspects. Otherwise, it might be assumed that they did not approve of this marriage itself. I thought, 'But things have changed.' The Senate's summon is disregarded by the nobles and most of the royalties affiliated with the Emperor Faction. It is some sort of boycott. Yet, Celestia and Rosta, who were royals, still entered the main council room.
"We've been had. I've been completely ostracized... I'm sorry. I didn't expect my samcheon to be swept away in this predicament."
"You don't have to apologize again. But I don't get it. Did I look that easy?" Rosta's eyes turned cold. He was an influential figure of the Leonhardt Empire, as well as a transcendent. He was also the Minister of the Department of Combat Technology. However, despite that, he was so easily abandoned by the Emperor Faction.
"Samcheon."
"Yes, we have to get out of here first. It seems I've been neglecting the politics. I need to set up the relevant department immediately." Rosta stood up while gritting his teeth.
It was fortunate that our surroundings were in a noisy commotion, so leaving quietly would not be too big of an issue. Of course, there may be people regulating the participants from leaving in the middle of the meeting, but Rosta was a transcendent. He, bringing us along, would not be stopped by any ordinary obstruction. However…
We are graced by the presence of the Queen of Starlight, the pride of our Leonhardt Empire. I heard you were the last to meet His Majesty the Emperor... My deepest condolences to you.
Amon, who was on the podium, talked to us. There was literally no warning. It was a surprise attack.
"…Damn it." Rosta, who got up from his seat, let out a low groan and sat back down again.
Everyone who was in the main council room had their eyes directed to us.
1. Ahjusshi is Korean for uncle.
2. This is a Korean idiom that can be used both on daughters and sons. It's something that Korean parents say when their children don't listen or rebel against them.
3. Hyung-nim is a polite term used for older brothers or older guys (used by guys), and Oppa is the term used for older brothers or older guys (used by girls).
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