“Isn’t there anything you can’t do?”
Damian’s purple eyes, a step away, were staring at Lilian with dangerous heat.
‘This…’
Only then did Lilian realize the seriousness of the situation. Thinking her husband would take it as usual, she thought he’s only joking, but now Damian seemed to be much more sincere than she thought.
“You know.”
Damian approached Lily leisurely again, like a wild beast that has immobilized its prey with the light in its eyes. And pressed his lips like a stamp on the lovely, delicate nape of his wife’s neck.
Lately, she’d been forgetting for a while since he’d been so cute like a fish in water, but Damian was a person who was born with the temperament of a beast from the beginning.
He’d voluntarily submit to Lilian’s hand, but only if they didn’t have a different idea.
He may not be the kind of person she thought he was.
When she realized that fact anew, goosebumps ran down her spine.
Lilian felt Damian’s lips smile over her brisling hairs on the skin of her sensitive nape.
“Are you nervous?”
The sound of laughter stimulated her skin before her hearing. As Lily flinched and shook her body, Damian muttered like a sigh.
“How cute…”
His lips went up her throat. The sense of crisis that they might be really late was heightened.
“Your Highness.”
She hurriedly tried to stop him, but Damian was already whispering over her ear.
“I’d rather be with you than the world and human affairs.”
Everyone goes somewhere and dies, no matter what.
“I can do some crazy things. That’s even better.”
“Even now, you’re already acting rudely, but…”
“Oh, is this all it takes?”
Damian relaxed and hugged Lilian. At that moment, Lilian noticed that she’s in a state where she could pull herself out if she wanted to.
It was a belated realization.
“You already know that if I set my mind to it, I can act much more arrogantly. Didn’t I teach you that truth yesterday as well?”
In Damian’s whisper, the deep sincerity began to be revealed. Even the dull Lilian began to feel a genuine sense of crisis.
“Your Highness? As you can see, today is a very important day.”
“I know. So let’s be a little late.”
“Does it have to be…”
“Of course.”
Among the people gathered in the conference hall now, there were many people who weren’t as good as dogs in terms of humanity, righteousness and wisdom.
“I need to keep telling you how much I’ve fallen for you.”
It was a warning not to touch the Grand Duchess if they wanted to die gracefully.
“Are you selflessly claiming that it’s meant as a warning?”
“That way, they can’t talk even if their mouth is torn.”
Damian admitted his dark heart with a fresh smile on his face.
“I am always very fond of you.”
Eventually, Lilian groaned and covered her face.
***
The chairman of the plenary session after the election.
In the center, there was a round table for the electors to sit around, and on both sides of it, seats for observers were arranged like wings.
At the very front, like the courtroom, there was a seat for the emperor’s family.
An hour before the appointed time, the venue was opened and people invited as observers filled the seats one after another.
And when it was just five minutes before noon…
“The Elector of Turin, the Marquis of Turin, the Count of Rosen, and the Knight of the Classics, His Excellency Cedric Rezekne Islar, enters!”
Cedric was the first to appear among the electors. As always, he stood out with a lily-like graceful appearance with cool blue eyes that made him feel alert.
The observers groaned.
“I think of it every time I see him, but he’s a really nice young man.”
“Are you still thinking about marriage?”
“I heard that Her Highness, the Grand Duchess, is pondering the matter.”
“Is Her Highness’ opinion important?”
“Oh my, of course! Marquis Turin is someone who’ll die for his sister’s words.”
It meant that if they wanted to occupy the vacant seat next to Cedric, it’d be quicker to win the heart of the Grand Duchess than his. Visitors with a daughter under their care heeded the advice carefully.
As time went on, other electors showed up one after another.
With only one seat left at the round table, Damian Rupenwein’s seat, the attendant guarding the entrance shouted.
“The brilliance of the Rupenwein Empire, His Majesty the Most Honorable Emperor enters!”
The visitors and the electors rose from their seats to greet the emperor. but the emperor was not alone.
“Oh my gosh.”
“Her Majesty the Empress…”
Aratine, well-dressed, stood arm in arm with Claude.
Claude almost dragged the slow Aratine in. The two naturally and confidently occupied the seat of honor reserved for the imperial couple side by side. Everyone exchanged puzzled glances in an instant.
Regardless of political stance, everyone felt the same way.
‘Such shamelessness…’
But Claude interpreted people’s bewilderment in a different way.
‘Yes, now that I have an heir, everyone will have to change their stance.’
Claude thought that if the pregnant Aratine came to the fore, the hesitant people would have no choice but to support him.
He was terribly self-centered, but Claude really believed that. It was thanks to Rachel, who did not compensate for his wrong thinking, but rather fueled it.
Where are Damian and Matteo, by the way?
Claude coughed and cleared his throat uncomfortably. He thought that he and Aratine would appear last, but his prediction was wrong and he ended up waiting for them.
“My brother is late. I can’t keep all these people waiting, so why don’t we close the door and start the meeting?”
It was an arrogant offer. The Emperor had no right to the meeting of the electors. Not only did all the electors feel offended by Claude’s words just now, but even among those in the audience, there were people who frowned.
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty…”
Elector Ikanan, who had the softest personality, stepped forward.
“The rights of the seven electors are absolute. We can’t have a meeting without one person.”
Claude’s eyes grew cold at the words of open rebellion.
It was then.
“His Highness the Grand Duke of Rupenwein, the Elector of Hemenlinna, the Duke of Hemenlinna and the Lord of the Alt Sea, the Count of Palmiens, and the Honorable Grand Marshal of the Imperial Army, the Knight of Gold…”
The attendant seemed out of breath and missed a beat.
“Imperator Leyengrad, His Highness Damian Valmiera Ernst Rupenwein enters.”
The reaction of the visitors was quite different from Claude’s. Everyone forgot his face, lowered their heads and rose to their feet to see the peerless beauty of the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess whom he loved.
The Grand Duke wore a black robe with silver trim, and the Grand Duchess wore a silver dress. The Grand Duke, who appeared dressed as a couple with his beloved wife, personally took the Grand Duchess and seated her in the empty seat behind him. Then he returned to his seat only after leaving a kiss on the back of her hand as if to say goodbye.
“Oh my god…”
Even for those who already knew that His Highness the Grand Duke’s soul had gone to his wife, it was surprisingly extremely sincere. Damian’s friendliness was all the more evident because of Claude’s harsh attitude with Aratine.
“…you’re late, brother.”
Claude couldn’t stand the attention of people on Damian. Damian took it lightly.
“Excuse me, I’m a newlywed.”
“No matter how newlywed you are, will you use them to be late for the meeting of electors? Your attitude is condescending.”
“…”
Damian narrowed his eyes. Lily tried to stop him, but it was too late.
“My older brother must have done more than I did because you’re crazy about love. How about looking back on your own behavior before you scold this insecure younger brother for his notion of time?”
“…!”
Damian’s offensive power was not limited to force.
Claude’s face, who had been hacked up more than the battlefields he’d walked on, turned red in an instant. Fortunately, Matteo interjected before there was a loud commotion.
“Uncle, please stop bragging about being newlyweds. It’s late, so let’s start the meeting.”
At that, the aristocrat who served as the host quickly tapped his hammer.
“I, I declare the opening of this meeting!”
Claude blushed and couldn’t say anything but had to keep his mouth shut.
***
The meeting went as planned in advance until the middle. The emperor’s witnesses testified to how much Claude’s reign had strengthened the country.
The content of the testimony itself was perfect. But the problem is…
‘It’s too perfect.’
The rest of the erroneous parts were omitted too much, and it ended up being words that’s no different from wrapping paper. Claude was the only one who was satisfied.
“The above concludes all of the testimony. Please raise a cup, electors!”
At the plenary meeting of the electors, the electors were between a cup made of gold or brass.
Gold expresses consent to the emperor’s rule, brass expresses disapproval.
The cup that was raised first was the youngest Elector of Turin.
Cedric gazed intently at his father’s enemy, the emperor, with blue eyes. He shot with a bow and had a piercing gaze.
With their gazes aligned, Cedric raised the brass cup with only his hand moving as if showing off.
With a bang, the brass goblet slammed into the table.
It was a negative vote.
‘Insolent…’
Claude gritted his teeth. That young Turin never knew how to respect the Emperor and was that way the whole time. It was like a pole resembling the father he killed.
‘I’ll make you be like your father.’
One vote didn’t matter. There were still six electors, three of whom were clearly on his side. Maybe even the Elector of Castana.
‘No, maybe not, but he should be on my side as well. Doesn’t Aratine have my child now!’
If so, four people. No matter how arrogant Turin was, he couldn’t win.
Claude was satisfied and decided to wait for the affirmative vote of four.
Subsequently, Elector Ikanan raised the brass cup. Next was the Elector of Lucerne.
“Ke, kehem.”
Elector Lucerne cleared his throat noisily and raised his brass cup.
“…!”
That guy! Claude opened his eyes. However, the reality in front of his eyes has not changed. The one he thought was thoroughly on his side lifted the brass cup.
The atmosphere cooled in an instant at the sudden change. But the voting did not stop. In silence, an attendant raised both cups to Elector Bishkek.
Claude gasped for breath.
‘Lucerne, that guy has always been arrogant. Yes, he could betray me with his pride!’
At the last meeting, one betrayed him. That should be the Elector of Lucerne, Claude thought.
Bishkek, Tirana and Castana are on his side.
Three are enough.
But…
“You…”
The Elector of Bishkek raised the brass cup.
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