A murmur began to spread among the frozen spectators.
“What is this all about?”
“The two Electors had a change of heart…”
“Then, how many negative votes would there be…”
He couldn’t believe it. Claude was mad to the tips of his hair.
‘In this way, I…’
Are they punishing him? Just because it hurt their ego? When he’s the emperor?
Even if there’s only one vote in favor, the government was maintained. However, the regime, which was opposed by the majority of Electors, was bound to lose its power.
He could become a scarecrow emperor, barely surviving.
‘Two votes must come out no matter what…!’
Shit! Claude made up his mind to give the post of host to the Electors to the one who sided with him after this meeting.
‘Yes, the host!’
The Elector of Tirana would know that in this situation, if he voted yes, he could become the host!
Claude tried so hard to calm himself. However…
“Look at that!”
“Oh my god, even the Elector of Tirana…”
Another brass cup was added.
A total of five brass cups were now placed on the round table. The two remaining Electors were Damian, Elector of Hemenlinna, and the Elector of Castana.
‘It can’t be like this, it can’t be like this…’
Claude licked his lips. Aratine whispered desperately.
“Y-Your Majesty, fix this… Even if my father is on Your Majesty’s side, I’ll be…”
‘Yes!’ The daughter of Elector Castana, Aratine, had a new life in her belly.
‘He’s the one who kept neutral even in the absence of this child, so it’s clear…’
Claude and Aratine staked their last hope. Before long, Elector Castana reached for his two cups. Eventually, he grabbed…
“It’s brass!”
“He grabbed the brass cup…!”
Exclamations of astonishment erupted here and there. Shocked, Aratine’s expression turned white.
“Ah, ah, father, why…”
Elector Castana pretended not to know his daughter, much to her shock.
Claude said nothing.
“Six…six votes?”
Nonsense.
This shouldn’t happen.
Something that shouldn’t have happened has happened.
There’s only one vote left.
With trembling hands, the attendant raised the cups to Damian, the last Elector.
Damian, the last Elector, was served red wine with the cup as was customary. Usually, if at least one vote was in favor during the meeting, the last Elector would signify acknowledgement of the reign of the emperor by pouring wine into the golden cup and then drinking it. Until last year, this role was the role of the Great Feudal Lord of Hemenlinna.
Damian got up and picked up the bottle of wine. Then he slowly poured the drink into the golden cup.
“…!”
Golden cup! Claude was surprised. Is that brother going to vote for him?
But Damian proudly poured the same drink into the next brass cup.
“Unfortunately, today this person has been given the decision.”
“Damian…”
Only then did Claude realize. Nothing adorned Damian’s body today that was tinged with gold. The black clothes looked like mourning clothes.
As if to shout that his presence had come to end Claude’s reign.
“I consider it an honor, brother.”
A brass cup was raised.
Damian poured the drink from the cup onto the floor.
“You…!”
“…to be able to put an end to my brother’s reign with these hands.”
A smile spread across Damian’s lips. It was a madness that showed the joy of revenge without any filtering.
“V-Votes of rejection…! Your Majesty, please step down!”
Claude’s cheeks were trembling with extreme anger. He exclaimed.
“Unacceptable!”
“Is that so?”
If that’s true, oh well. Damian drew the sword from his waist.
As Imperator Leyengrad, he could cross these doors with any number of weapons.
The invincible sword that Idoel had handed to him was finally aimed precisely at Claude’s neck.
Damian asked.
“You still can’t even with this?”
“Kuh…!”
“I asked if you can’t come down from my eldest brother’s seat that you illegally occupied.”
Yes, he can’t!
He wanted to shout like that because of his temper, but no one could behave like that in front of Damian’s sword.
“Tell me.”
The words ‘if you can’ were omitted.
Claude chewed his lips until they’re covered in blood, but said nothing.
A sneer spread across Damian’s face. He ordered.
“Get down.”
Claude knew. If he didn’t obey Damian, this place would be drenched in his blood.
Between death and humiliation, Claude’s choice became clear. Even his pride, which was high enough to kill his eldest brother, could not overcome the fear of death.
Claude wanted to live.
So he got up on his feet.
The audience groaned and covered their mouths.
The emperor was said to have usurped the throne, but the Emperor of Rupenwein…was coming down from the throne with his own feet.
“Damian…”
He didn’t say anything else, but it was as if he was asking for help because he already came down.
Instead of putting his sword away, Damian declared.
“With the unanimous vote of the seven Electors, herein today, Claude Gladiol Ezek Rogadis Rupenwein is deposed from the throne. We inform him that he will be stripped of ‘Gladiol’ and will be returned to be the Grand Duke of Rupenwein.
“…”
“Also, I, Damian Rupenwein, Elector of Hemenlinna and Grand Marshal of the Imperial Army, swear to willingly serve Crown Prince Matteo according to the order of succession.”
In silence, Damian asked the audience.
“Do you have any objections?”
No one answered.
When Damian Rupenwein said that he would serve, he meant that he would directly act with force if anyone objected to Matteo becoming emperor.
No one dared to raise objections to the Grand Marshal of the Imperial Army, a warmongering man with a reputation for slaughtering rather than defeating his enemies.
After confirming that there’s no objection, Damian drew his sword. And finally, he declared.
“This meeting announces that we agree to appoint Crown Prince Matteo Sisak Tourmarine Rupenwein, the eldest son of Idoel Sisak Elamine Rupenwein, as the new Emperor, according to the order of succession.”
The long rebellion was over.
It was the end.
***
He was kicked out of the position of emperor.
Since he was only officially kicked out of the emperor’s seat and the fact that he assassinated Idoel was not exposed, the action against Claude ended with being demoted to Grand Duke and proceeding with his removal from the imperial palace.
Was it because the way to live has been opened? Instead of being grateful for this alone, Claude started to get angry.
“This me, this me is not the emperor?”
Those who crawled under him until yesterday! How dare they bring him down and say he’s not the emperor?
“Your Majesty…”
Terrified, Aratine tugged on Claude’s sleeve.
Aratine, whose self-centered thinking was maximized, didn’t even notice that Claude was angry.
She was frightened and confused by the meeting she just attended and thought Claude should comfort and soothe her.
But…
“Get your hands off me!”
“Kyaa!”
Claude ruthlessly shook off the arm that Aratine held onto.
The whitened Aratine collapsed. Countess Seomina hurriedly helped Aratine.
“Y-Your Majesty…”
Aratine, who embraced her stomach, called out to him in disbelief.
However, there was not even the slightest pity in Claude’s gaze as he looked at the woman who had fallen while protecting her child.
“You have the face. Have you already forgotten that that father of yours betrayed me?”
“Your Majesty!”
Countess Seomina involuntarily exclaimed. but Claude didn’t care.
“This is all because of you, stupid Aratine!”
“Your Majesty, why…”
How come?
Why?
Rather than despair, Aratine was just dumbfounded.
Claude has always been a friendly person. Unlike Idoel, who was good but was like a knife in the parts where he couldn’t help it, he was sweet to Aratine the whole time.
But why is this person?
‘Why is he swearing at me…?’
Maybe this situation was not reality, but a terrible nightmare?
“Your Majesty, why did you… you said you loved me…”
Looking at the dreamy eyes of Aratine, Claude became stunned and cynical.
“You still can’t come to your senses!”
Love? What does love mean?
It wasn’t that Claude didn’t love Aratine. At first, he approached his sister-in-law clearly for the purpose of mocking his older brother, but it’s true that he became sincere later.
“Yes, I love you. But there are so many things more important to me than loving you!”
He loved himself incomparably more than he loved Aratine.
His own pride, position, wealth and honor far outweighed his beloved Aratine.
“Just that much…”
“If you didn’t want to hear something like this, you should have worked hard to reconcile with your father and properly conceal the pregnancy like I told you to!”
The rest of Claude’s command didn’t even reach Aratine.
In Aratine’s mind, rarely, Idoel’s words from a long time ago clearly came to mind.
“Aratine, I probably won’t be able to love you as a woman.”
“Your Majesty…”
At that time, Aratine looked at Idoel with resentful eyes.
She was so resentful that Idoel didn’t love her, while she herself didn’t love Idoel.
“If you find another woman…”
“No, it’s not like that. Aratine, if you’re anxious, I will promise you. I won’t embrace any woman besides you.”
“…”
“I cannot give you love, but with faithfulness and friendship, I will be a reliable spouse for the rest of your life, and I will be the best father I can be to your child.”
Idoel repeatedly promised and she had to be satisfied with that.
And until the moment of his death, he kept that oath.
‘The love I got by breaking that oath… the end of that love is only this much…?’
It was a great despair that Aratine could not accept.
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