Claude and Rachel were dead.
This news was immediately conveyed to Matteo, who was no different from the emperor. Matteo immediately issued a silence order, but it was unreasonable to completely block this shocking news.
“Did Claude commit suicide because he was pessimistic about the outcome of the meeting of the electors?”
“Let me see.”
“There’s a suicide note found, but…”
The will was prepared by Rachel in advance.
The discovered Rachel’s will consisted of a total of two documents.
The first described in detail how Claude killed the Sun Emperor and the whereabouts of witnesses.
After Matteo and Damian, Lilian, who read the suicide note, shook her head with a short sigh.
“It’s not a will. This…is an indictment.”
A general will is bound to be filled with things like property distribution after death or greetings and requests to loved ones.
However, Rachel’s will only exposed Claude’s crimes in detail, but nothing was written about her personally.
The second will was very brief.
The contents were as follows.
[To you who are reading this. If you would be generous with me, I would like to ask of you only this one thing. Please keep the fact that this Rachel worked for the Sun Emperor a secret until the end.
Since this person’s name has become very dirty, I’m just afraid that this one might harm the Sun Emperor.]
This was the only personal request Rachel left.
“After looking into it, it seems that everything has been taken care of in advance so that even the property can be disposed of on its own.”
The scene made it clear that Claude had been killed by Rachel the way Idoel had been.
“From my point of view, the one who can decide is Your Majesty, but alas, what a pity. It seems that His Majesty could only follow up.”
“We have to respect their dying wishes.”
Matteo sighed and replied.
“What can I do? That is the only thing the living can do for the dead.”
At that time, Lily, who was lost in her thoughts, opened her mouth.
“Your Majesty, if possible, I would like to ask for one more request on behalf of that person…”
***
Soon after, the deaths of Claude and Rachel were officially announced.
At the same time, Claude’s sins were revealed extensively through the mouth of an ‘anonymous witness’.
People were outraged at the crime that was truly outrageous.
However, Claude, who should have been the object of this anger, was already dead.
Eventually, the anger toward him became the support for the new emperor, Matteo.
It wasn’t hard to get everything back the way it should have been. It was the same logic as when a blocked dam burst and the waterway resumed its original course.
Matteo smoothly became emperor.
Right before his death, Claude, who was demoted from emperor to Grand Duke by the council of electors, was even deprived of his right to succeed when his crimes against the sun emperor were revealed. Claude’s reign was recorded as a rebellion by the Grand Duke of Rogadis, not as that of an emperor, and he was even officially forbidden to leave a tomb.
This was the situation of Claude, who was at least once an emperor and had been a member of the royal family since birth.
However, after everything was settled, Lilian erected a small tombstone in the small hill behind the Ellahan Church where the emperor Idoel was buried without anyone knowing.
Only these epitaphs without a name were simply inscribed on a small stone monument built to look at the church where the ancestors died, under the thick roots of a large tree that shaded the garden.
[Your person who worked hard to make those left behind happy.]
14. Epilogue
The amazing and mysterious thing about the human world was that no matter what happens, time passed.
No matter what kind of terrible quarrels there were in the world, time flowed fairly and honestly to everyone, washing away wounds and blurring memories.
The news of Claude and his lover’s downfall and their double suicide shocked the entire imperial society.
The way to get out of that shock was simple.
First, time had to pass.
Second, they had to divert people’s attention as time passed.
Since the former was under the control of God, not man, public opinion gathered among Matteo’s aides to focus on the latter.
“Your Majesty, I’ve been thinking about it, and it’d be better if you hold the coronation ceremony as soon as possible.”
“Hm…if Aunt says so.”
At the words of his Aunt Lily, whom he once had a crush on and now admires, Matteo agreed without thinking deeply.
And after a while…
“I’ll probably have to postpone the coronation ceremony.”
Matteo was fiercely regretting the hasty decision of that day.
“Oh dear. You’re giving me trouble, nephew.”
“Why is my uncle in trouble when my coronation is postponed?”
“That’s because I’ve been waiting for the day you become emperor and leave this house.”
Matteo, whose shadows under his eyes stretched to his chin like curtains, glared blankly at Damian. Damian, as always, was as pretty as a shiny egg. He was so nasty that if he could, he’d want to punch him in the face.
That means.
“It’s not that I don’t have the heart to grant my uncle’s wish, but I think I’ll die like this.”
The prospective emperor ahead of the coronation ceremony was currently immersed in the task of clearing up the mistakes that Claude Rupenwein had made throughout the Empire.
Not only that, but the elder nobles rose up like bees and said, ‘there’s no way to ascend the throne without an empress!’ and were also preparing for the wedding ceremony at the same time as the coronation ceremony.
“You know that when I die, you have to become the emperor, right?”
Damian smiled generously at his pitiful nephew, who was trying to make a threat that would not work. And he kindly advised him as an elder.
“You seem to be misunderstanding something, but humans don’t die that easily.”
“I’m really going to die.”
“I know because I’ve been through it, but it only comes out when I feel like I’m going to live a little longer. If you really feel like you’re going to die, it’s a waste of time and mental energy to spend it fussing around like this.”
According to the law that right words are more terrible than bullshit from the people you don’t like, Matteo was moved.
“So you’re saying that I’m fussing needlessly?”
“I’m glad your cognitive functions are intact.”
How happy that is. Matteo gnashed his teeth.
“I hope you haven’t forgotten that I’m the prospective emperor.”
“What would you do if you were the emperor?”
A 100% pure sneer appeared at the corner of Damian’s mouth.
“Aren’t I Damian Rupenwein?”
He is. The opponent was the owner of a force where victory or defeat could not be guaranteed even if the army was mobilized.
He can’t even pick a fight with his nasty uncle. Matteo couldn’t help but pout and grumble.
“Being emperor is nothing.”
“I know. My second brother should have realized that too.”
What is the point of talking about the emperor in the face of overwhelming force?
It was a futile game of power. If Claude had only come to terms with the absolute truth that Damian could decapitate him whenever he pleased, things would have changed a lot.
Matteo had a lot of work to do, but his uncle’s presence around him was annoying and he started getting angry.
“Aren’t you going?”
“Yeah, I’m not going.”
“You don’t like me very much.”
“True, and so.”
Damian suddenly raised his hand. It was a grotesquely twisted black hand.
“…what?”
Matteo tried not to be surprised, but failed slightly. Fortunately, Damian didn’t care about Matteo’s reaction.
The only thing Matteo can say is…
“As far as I know, my aunt is not the kind of person who would be surprised by that.”
“No, but it’s ugly.”
Damian immediately responded.
“I just want to show her my pretty side.”
Matteo was silent for a moment, then summed up the absurd situation.
“You want to show aunt a pretty side of yourself, so you’re trying to come and play with me when I’m on the verge of being overwhelmed by my work while taking refuge?”
“I’d say you’re joking.”
No, if this isn’t a joke, then what is it?
He was stunned and didn’t want to deal with him anymore. Instead of haggling, Matteo chose a simple method.
“Get out.”
“I was trying to do that. If I bother you more, the day you leave this house will be delayed.”
Still a nasty person until the end. Matteo clicked his tongue and looked at Damian’s nasty back unkindly.
The most irritating thing was that he still had to admit that his uncle was not as uncomfortable as he used to be.
One of them was growing up, but Matteo didn’t think Damian did at all.
***
After teasing his nephew as much as he wanted, Damian went to the office of Ivan.
“You look busy as well, Ivan.”
“Because the country is a mess, I’d even need a cat’s hand. Don’t you have anything else to do?”
Damian should have been, but when he comes out like that, it makes Ivan want to squeeze in something even if it doesn’t exist.
Damian was about to get mean, but when he opened his mouth, Ivan just remembered something.
“Ah, come to think of it, if Your Highness finds me, regardless of reason, tell Her Highness first… Your Highness?”
When Ivan looked up, Damian had already disappeared.
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