Chapter 93: Deception, Manipulation, and Triumph

If it were her, she would have noticed what I wanted.

And just as expected, a clear answer came back without the slightest hesitation.

“Understood.”

How competent.

Turning my head, I took her in. Our gazes met, her eyes unwavering.

…I know she likes me.

The Duke slowly rose from his seat.

He walked around the desk and stood before Sareen, gently taking her hand with a soft gesture. Their eyes met, and his violet eyes curved into a beautiful smile.

Then, he lowered his head, his loosely tied violet hair brushing against the back of her hand, creating a curtain around them. Within that space, the Duke’s lips lightly touched her hand.

The etiquette for a noble young woman.

It was only natural for a commoner like Sareen’s eyes to widen. She couldn’t bring herself to pull her hand away and just blinked, frozen in place, as the Duke calmly raised his head.

A painted smile was directed solely at her.

“Thank you, as always.”

“…No, it’s my duty.”

Sareen hurried away to handle her assigned task, and the Duke, who had been watching her leave, quietly adjusted his attire.

Sareen would succeed. She would sow discord among the Revolutionary Army and send some of them to the Emperor. With Daniel’s brains, and their overwhelming numbers, they were nothing more than the Emperor’s prey.

However, even a sliver of possibility existed, so he couldn’t just sit idly by.

It wasn’t Sareen he doubted. The one he suspected was none other than the Emperor.

‘It would be troublesome if they ended up killing him.’

The Emperor was always living on borrowed time.

The key was the Emperor’s will to live. He needed to make him want to live, even just a little.

‘Come to think of it, I heard the Emperor recently returned to the Imperial Palace.’

The Emperor couldn’t just keep the Imperial Palace empty day and night.

No matter how well the Crown Prince handled the affairs, the current Emperor of the Empire was Eudoardo Deserte, so he would occasionally return to the Imperial Palace in secret to check on how things were being managed.

Therefore, if he went to the Imperial Palace now, he might be able to meet the Emperor.

Without delay, the Duke instructed for a carriage to be prepared and strode out of the office.

***

If one had to categorize her, Sareen leaned towards supporting the Revolutionary Army.

Her feelings for the Duke clashed with the wall of her commoner status. In that situation, the Revolutionary Army’s ideology of abolishing the class system was incredibly alluring.

However, that fact never manifested externally.

Now, she, who had supported the Revolutionary Army because she loved the Duke,

was going to destroy the Revolutionary Army because she loved the Duke.

Because the man she loved so dearly desired it.

“Hello, Mr. Iden.”

“Ah, Lady Sareen.”

“I heard the leader has returned? Where is he?”

“It’s obvious. He’s gone to see his mother.”

A ‘tsk’ sound of displeasure followed his words.

“In a situation like this, he can’t even pull himself together and leaves his post.”

“Indeed.”

This could be exploited. Sareen’s eyes sparkled.

Let’s think. What was Iden’s personality like? Was he a greedy person? If so, was it for wealth or power? What was his purpose for joining the Revolutionary Army?

Is he easy to manipulate, and is he valuable enough to use?

“When exactly does he plan to initiate the uprising?”

“I don’t know. I wonder how long he intends to keep delaying it.”

“Really. The Duke seems to be eager for the Revolutionary Army to make a move. This is the leader’s unilateral decision, unrelated to Mr. Iden’s opinion, right?”

“Of course. We’re going crazy with frustration.”

“Do you know the reason for delaying the uprising?”

“The reasons are always the same. That preparations aren’t complete, or that the timing isn’t right.”

“That sounds… like an excuse.”

She tilted her head, covering one cheek with her hand, and asked in a dubious tone as if muttering to herself.

“Have you ever considered why the leader is delaying the uprising, Mr. Iden?”

“…I haven’t thought about it deeply, so I’m not sure.”

She kindly pointed out the question he had casually dismissed.

“I’ve been thinking, and I can’t help but wonder if the leader doesn’t want to lose his current position.”

“That…”

“Isn’t that right? A huge alliance of people from numerous kingdoms. The leader of that alliance. If the Emperor is dealt with, a new wind might blow, and the power might scatter, so it’s understandable that he’d be reluctant.”

She whispered poison.

Iden’s face contorted. Frustration fueled the fire, giving birth to another negative emotion.

Sareen didn’t stop there, eagerly fanning the flames before they died out.

She had assessed Iden through their conversation, and also recalled the information recorded in the documents.

He was greedy for everything, regardless of whether it was wealth or power. The reason he joined the Revolutionary Army was because he wanted to kill the Emperor and because the Revolutionary Army had a high chance of success.

If the revolution succeeded, he intended to emphasize his participation and raise his reputation. With a higher reputation, many things would follow.

He was an easy person to manipulate, and his influence within the Revolutionary Army made him valuable to use.

Then it was time to make a move.

What to move? Her tongue.

“So, how about Mr. Iden takes care of the Emperor and becomes the center of the new nation?”

“The Revolutionary Army believes in equality for all…”

“That sounds good in theory. But where does such a utopian world exist? In the first place, the idea of eliminating the throne itself was an absurd claim. No, even if it were possible to eliminate it, you’d still need key personnel to lead the country.”

The ‘intelligent’ Sareen was a ‘commoner’.

Her sharp mind and commoner background twisted the given ideology, pulling it down from an ‘ideal’ that didn’t consider the ‘evil’ inherent in humans to a ‘reality’ that incorporated human desires.

Ideals are ideals, after all.

Whoever came up with this ideology was probably a noble scholar who grew up without much hardship, or an overly optimistic person with a flowery mind.

As a commoner, Sareen, who experienced the small and large acts of malice from people she encountered on the streets and in the market, couldn’t help but be negative about the possibility of it going as intended.

Human greed is endless, and that would be the case even for those who started and participated in the revolution.

“Lead Mr. Iden’s forces to kill the Emperor. And with that achievement, become the center of the Revolutionary Army and be included in the leadership to guide the nation instead of abolishing the class system.”

“…”

“Shall I be a little more explicit? Create a world where everyone except the leadership is equal. If Mr. Iden utilizes the ‘situation where he killed the Emperor’ well, he might even be able to choose the leadership with his own hands.”

For example, by mentioning, ‘Those who greatly helped me succeed in this…’ Since it’s the word of the person who led the assassination of the Emperor, it would likely be respected.

Surprisingly, all of this was thought up on the spot.

“The Duke also hopes the uprising will happen soon. So, even if he can’t actively help, he might provide information about the Emperor’s schedule.”

Of course, the possibility of Iden killing the Emperor was—

“…I need confirmation.”

0%.

Sareen smiled brightly.

“I will get you the Emperor’s schedule.”

That was enough. Sareen quietly caressed the back of her hand. The place where the Duke’s lips had touched still felt warm, as if the sensation lingered.

The Duke already respected her enough.

…The Duke knew she liked him.

If he considered her a disposable pawn, he would have pulled her into his bedroom as soon as he realized her feelings. That would be much easier to exploit.

In fact, among those who had feelings for him, he would pull those he considered disposable into his bedroom, regardless of gender.

Sometimes she was envious of them, but she knew for sure who the Duke valued more.

Without hesitation, Sareen abandoned the short-lived dream she had harbored.

***

The sudden request for an audience was accepted as a matter of course.

While the Imperial Palace servants were surprised, the Duke expected the Emperor to agree, so he accepted it naturally and followed the servant’s guidance.

After all, rather than ignoring his opponent’s words, it was better to listen to whatever nonsense they had to say.

Furthermore, if he was confident in not being pushed around in a psychological battle, it was also an opportunity to probe the other’s intentions.

The arrogant Emperor wouldn’t avoid this.

“Glory to the Empire. I, Starbe Illuster, greet the current Emperor.”

“Yes, Duke. What is it?”

Instead of answering, the Duke looked at the Emperor. Specifically, only up to just below his face.

The Emperor, leaning back in his chair with his arm on the armrest, looking down at the presumptuous Duke who only followed the bare minimum of etiquette, seemed displeased, but the Duke didn’t care.

Something else drew his attention more than the Emperor’s sharp gaze.

“What happened to your hand?”

“It’s nothing for you to worry about.”

The white bandaged left hand resting on the armrest clenched slightly into a fist.

The Duke narrowed his eyes, observing the movement.

‘Did he get injured on the battlefield? Just how much was he rampaging?’

He carefully examined it to assess the extent of the injury, but the clean white bandage, probably freshly changed before his arrival, didn’t show a single drop of blood, thoroughly concealing the severity of the injury.

‘…Right, he wouldn’t reveal his weakness so easily.’

As a faint smile appeared on the Duke’s lips, a chilling voice called out to him.

A voice that restrained him from continuing to observe the injury.

“Did you come here to inspect my injury, Duke?”

“…No. My apologies, Your Majesty.”

Alright, now it’s time to talk.

To prevent the Emperor from dying at the hands of the Revolutionary Army, and to prevent himself from being killed for saying these words—

His tightly closed eyes opened. His azure gaze, which had been on the floor, slowly rose and paused at the Emperor’s chest before continuing up to meet his golden eyes directly.

The golden eyes, resembling a predator’s, were still fierce, but the shadows beneath them held an undeniable fatigue.

The Emperor hadn’t granted him permission to look at his face, but he also didn’t reprimand the Duke for daring to raise his head and look at him.

Only a subtle killing intent permeated the audience chamber.

For the Duke, who wasn’t skilled in swordsmanship, this killing intent would have been difficult to bear, but he stood firm and brought up a deeply buried truth.

“Do you remember the death of the former First Prince, the father of the current Crown Prince and Princess, and Your Majesty’s brother?”

Among his many siblings, he was the only one who cared for Eudoardo Deserte, a man with a gentle nature.

Fortunately, the Emperor didn’t immediately jump up from his seat, nor did he draw his sword.

He simply tapped the bandaged back of his left hand and quietly ordered the others to leave.

“You may leave as well.”

“But Your Majesty. The General…”

“I will inform Nemesius myself.”

…

“Does Duke Illuster believe he can kill me?”

“…I shall take my leave.”

The Emperor, having dismissed even the guards, looked at the Duke. His voice was even lower and calm.

“Are you referring to the incident where Duke Gradis was said to have killed him, but in reality, you were the one who did it?”

“You are well aware.”

“You’re insane.”

When he learned the truth, the Emperor had to cover it up.

The Gradis Dukedom had already been annihilated. Their family name had been completely erased for the assassination of the First Prince, and now he couldn’t say it wasn’t true.

If this fact became known, not only would the Emperor be affected, but the Duke would also have to give up his life. Yet, here he was, admitting it right in front of him.

“Why bring it up now? I can’t understand your motive.”

“Aren’t you curious about why I killed him?”

……

“It was to climb higher.”

He wasn’t satisfied with the position of Duke.

Once he became a Duke, he wanted the Emperor’s throne. Once he was on the Emperor’s throne, he wanted the unified continent under his feet.

Starbe Illuster was that kind of man.