Edwin’s patience, already stretched thin by the suffocating formalities of the meeting, was rapidly bottoming out.
*I don’t want to waste my time on this kind of empty armchair theory.*
His outings had increased significantly of late. Though his working hours had dwindled, the pile of tasks awaiting his attention only mounted; he had to work with surgical efficiency just to carve out time to see Ri-Na. Listening to the aristocrats whine was a luxury of time he simply did not possess.
*Still, this is the last agenda item.*
Swallowing his irritation with a heavy sigh, Edwin cast a sharp glance toward the faction of nobles loyal to the Emperor. Receiving the silent command, the Minister of Foreign Affairs stepped in.
“Since all five candidates are fine young men, why not wait and see if the parties involved find a mutual connection?”
Though each noble pushed their own favorite, these specific candidates for the Crown Princess’s consort had been carefully vetted by the Emperor’s own side. Signaling for a delay was a polite way of saying the Crown would not be swayed, and effectively, a dismissal for the day. Sensing the Emperor’s will, the aristocrats began to fall silent, one by one.
*It looks like it’s coming to an end. It’ll be tight, but I can make it in time.*
As the meeting hall quieted, a faint, genuine smile touched Edwin’s lips—the first since the conference began. Thinking of his upcoming weekend with Ri-Na, he softened. Taking his superior’s satisfaction as a green light, the Minister of Foreign Affairs moved to wrap things up.
“Since the discussion on all proposed agenda items is concluded—”
At the Minister’s emphatic words, Count Harkan let out a dissatisfied cough, though he quickly stifled it. He resembled an actor too immersed in his role, continuing to perform after the curtain had fallen, only to flinch when the stage lights suddenly dimmed.
Just as the Minister was about to finalize the adjournment, a noble from the south, pointedly ignoring the obvious intent, cleared his throat.
“However.”
Gaze met gaze, eyes bright with calculated ulterior motives. They had been fighting in divided factions until moments ago, but now, from east to west, north to south, they all wore the same gleam of conspirators. Edwin felt the back of his neck tighten. He had asked them to finish; if they dared to drag out a new agenda, he would be forced to hole up in his office for the entire weekend. His mood took a sharp, jagged downward turn.
The southern noble spat out his words with a feigned innocence.
“While a state marriage with the Kingdom of Bellot is important for the peace of the continent, is not the stability of the Empire itself just as important?”
A noble from the east, who had been raising loud objections only moments before, seized the opening with hungry precision.
“One must have a sturdy foundation, after all, and for that, a wise mistress is needed.”
As if a flare had been fired in the dark, aristocrats from every region began to chime in.
“Actually, I think it is already a bit late. His Majesty has passed the age when members of the Imperial family usually marry.”
“It was unavoidable during the war, but we cannot leave the Empress Palace vacant indefinitely….”
After creating such a grave, urgent atmosphere, the ‘crisis’ they presented was, predictably, Edwin’s marriage.
“Hah.”
Before he had ascended the throne, they had stayed silent, fearful of involving themselves and losing the late Emperor’s favor. Since he had become Emperor, they had avoided the topic for fear that if he died in battle, they would waste a valuable political bargaining chip.
*So, they think life has become manageable now, do they?*
Ironically, Edwin realized that their audacity was the ultimate proof: the war had truly ended, and peace was finally setting in.
Seeing Edwin speechless, perhaps misinterpreting his silence as gentleness or an opening, the nobles began to speak over one another in a frantic, undignified rush.
“Even during wartime, it is an absurdity for the Emperor of the Regencia Empire to pass his prime for marriage.”
“Indeed. We have been unfilial to the state by using the war as an excuse for this negligence.”
“There are several virtuous and noble ladies in the Empire….”
They had been perfectly in sync when they broached the subject, but they soon fractured into a cacophony of individual greed. The reaction was far more fervent here than it had been for the candidates for the Crown Princess’s consort.
*I suppose they do covet the position of Empress.*
Members of the Imperial family were always the most desirable commodities in the marriage market. With Edwin as the last remaining member of the Imperial house, their collective ambition was as predictable as it was tedious. Typically, Imperial families were betrothed in childhood and married as soon as they reached maturity, providing plenty of room for these vultures to justify their interference.
*But that is beside the point.*
One must know where to lie down before stretching one’s legs. There had been a time when Edwin assumed he would eventually enter a political marriage to bolster his reign, but that time had passed.
With no intention of indulging their gluttony, Edwin raised a hand.
“Enough.”
At his cold rebuke, their voices quieted only slightly; the tense, competitive rivalry remained. As if they were staging a protest against him, the dim-witted, greedy aristocrats had grown brazen. It had not been long since Duke Camelot was dragged from this very hall in disgrace, yet their short memories had already allowed the lesson to fade.
Edwin looked at them with sharp disillusionment. Their capacity for learning was worse than that of beasts.
*Even soldiers from the rural estates learn to listen after a few drills.*
Perhaps their necks were simply too stiffened by the hollow weight of their titles. They were like reeds that bent with the wind only to snap back to their original, obstructive positions the moment the breeze changed. Edwin knew a dozen ways to cut down such reeds, but he lacked the time to waste on them today.
He had already spent far longer in this room than he had intended.
He tapped into a reserve of patience he had been cultivating for weeks.
“I will handle my own marriage.”
It was the final scraping of his composure. Yet, a school of piranhas does not disperse through simple command.
“Of course, as it is a matter of choosing a partner for life, Your Majesty’s intentions are paramount. But I say this because sometimes effort is required to forge a connection.”
Count Harkan, emboldened by the lack of immediate consequences, fanned the flames.
“The Count is correct.”
“One never knows where or how a connection might be made.”
Ignoring the fact that Edwin’s mood had curdled into something lethal, they began shouting recommendations.
“The daughter of the Cloneer Marquessate is full of wit and…”
“Rather than that, since the war is over, why not hold a grand ball….”
“I hear the second princess of Schmitz is of a similar age to Your Majesty and is very beautiful….”
Arguments from the North, East, and South poured out. Even the East, which lacked the political weight of the others, was participating in a sheer numbers game. Curiously, the West, which had ignited the initial spark, held back, merely waiting to pick apart the candidates supported by their rivals.
“No, is a princess of Schmitz even a suitable candidate for Empress of the Empire?”
“It would still be a better choice than the Cloneer Marquessate, which has less than fifty years of family history.”
*Hah.*
Edwin’s patience did not just run out; it shattered.
“I told you to stop.”
His final warning sliced through the air with the unmistakable, metallic snap of a blade being drawn from a scabbard.
*Clang.*