I Became the Master of the Empress - Chapter 268



268 – 272

He sent Victor to command a reunion with Wilhelm, but…

“I apologize, Your Grace. I was unable to meet with Duke Wilhelm.”

“Excuse me? What do you mean?”

“I’ve heard that Duke Wilhelm’s public activities have increased significantly lately. Perhaps it’s because of the impending uprising, but he seems to be busily moving around.”

I felt a wave of confusion wash over me at Victor’s unexpected words.

Could it be… that he’s actually serious about this?

If a civil war breaks out now, we have a decisive advantage at 70:30.

But ignoring my proposal… could there be another plan in play?

Whatever the case may be, I can no longer afford to just wait.

We need to start preparing on our end as well.

Just because we’re in a favorable position doesn’t mean we can let our guard down.

With that thought in mind, I gave Victor my instructions.

“Lord Victor, you need to write a letter to Mary.”

“Please, go ahead.”

The letter would contain orders for the Grand Duchy’s soldiers to appoint Agrippa as the supreme commander in the event of a civil war, a request to prevent the Babylonian Empire’s intervention through my uncle, considering the possibility of the aristocrats colluding with them, and a note to request intervention under the pretext of our previous alliance should any unfortunate events occur.

Victor, having taken down everything, spoke in a tone of disbelief.

“Surely they wouldn’t involve external forces?”

“‘Surely’ is what gets people killed, isn’t it? If I were an aristocrat, I would try to bring the Babylonian Empire into the fray to gain the upper hand. No… at the very least, they would need to attack Nicaea to divert our attention and increase their chances of winning, wouldn’t they?”

What I was most concerned about was the connection with the Babylonian Empire.

Just before I underwent eye surgery, the situation with the Babylonian Empire had diverged from the original narrative.

In the original story, they were on the brink of destruction due to a food shortage caused by the Locusts’ attack…

But the Locusts did not head towards Babylon; they were dealt with in Roman.

Thus, the current strength of Babylon does not pale in comparison to the Empire.

Of course, even if the armed uprising forces brought in the Babylonian Empire, we would still have the advantage.

The United Kingdom may be called a kingdom, but it has occupied the entire New World.

Its national power does not fall short compared to our Empire or the Babylonian Empire.

“Hmmm… If the Babylonian Empire intervenes, we’ll have to stop them through the United Kingdom while we manage the internal divisions… Indeed… the Grand Duke is thorough in his planning.”

“I’m not being thorough. To be honest, seeing that my proposal is being ignored makes me worry that they might have already drawn in the Babylonian Empire.”

If the Babylonian Empire joins in, things will get really complicated.

Damn it… they could just accept my proposal. Why do they have to escalate things like this?

I cursed the aristocrats inwardly.

*

Duke Wilhelm’s schedule is currently very busy.

He is informing the families related to his own, the Polensk family, of the Empress’s warning to halt the armed uprising.

The Empress’s overreaching plan.

That ruthless plan may not necessarily backfire on Wilhelm.

If, as the Empress says, the armed uprising leads to the sweeping away of numerous nobles…

‘Then this could actually be an opportunity for us.’

The vacuum left behind will have to be filled by the remaining nobles.

Thus, he has informed the Polensk family, his cadet branch, and the main house, the Kingdom of Ellen.

The Polensk family is a cadet branch of the ruling family of the Kingdom of Ellen, so he conveyed the Empress’s warning out of concern that if the main house were swept away by treason, the Polensk family might be caught in the tide as well.

‘If we can navigate this situation well, we will gain tremendous benefits.’

Seventy percent of the Empire’s territory is controlled by the nobility.

Excluding the anti-imperial faction, that amounts to about sixty percent.

This means that roughly forty percent of the continent’s lands could be lost.

As a few nobles remain… those who are left will hold all the power.

*

– Have you heard the rumors? They say that if this uprising fails, they will torture all those from the families involved and toy with them like playthings.

– I’ve heard that too. So I quickly passed the information to my in-laws.

– The revival of collective punishment? Is that even possible?

– Can you believe they’re actually considering implementing collective punishment? The Empress, who would resort to such base measures, must be out of her mind.

– To think she would even break the first Emperor’s edict… Truly, the world is in its final days.

Numerous nobles have heard the warning from Theodora through whispers.

Duke Wilhelm only spread this information to those close to him… that is, to those who were close enough to be affected by the uprising.

However, in their attempts to ensure they wouldn’t be caught in the fallout, they ended up informing other nobles…

As a result, contrary to Wilhelm’s intentions, the Empress’s warning continues to spread.

Relentlessly.

And… the gathering of the aristocrats.

Many nobles have already defected, leaving the place emptier than before.

“I would like to express my gratitude to all of you who have attended today.”

These attendees represent less than thirty percent of the previous turnout.

They are not here because they are true aristocrats.

A young noble stepped forward boldly and spoke.

“You all must have heard the rumors… Those nobles who do not show up here are nothing but fools.”

“Indeed, the Duke has certainly made us an offer of surrender; if we accept it, there will be no need for an armed uprising, and we can secure our demands.”

The Duke’s proposal is still on the table.

“That’s right. We must meet with Victor and accept his proposal to reach an agreement.”

“Agreed. We should meet with Victor and accept it right away. Given that the Duke has taken a submissive stance this time, the central government’s power may be weaker than expected. It would be foolish to give up now.”

“I concur; it is a favorable situation, and our willingness to raise the white flag suggests there are weaknesses we are unaware of. Instead, we should demand compensation for the damages the Duke has suffered while in power.”

As the meeting continued, deliberating what to extract from the Duke…

About two hours into the meeting.

-Creeeak!

Heavily armed soldiers burst into the conference room.

“Wh… Who goes there?!”

“What the…?”

Dozens of knights clad in splendid golden armor filled the room, their movements precise as they kept a watchful eye on the nobles.

The nobles exchanged glances, and as despair set in, they realized they had come to the end of the line…

-Clank, clank.

The sound of metal grinding against metal grew closer.

“The Emperor has arrived; I hope you will refrain from any foolishness.”

William, the captain of the Golden Knights, observed them with an expressionless face.

The nobles froze at the sight of his eyes, which held a resolve to behead anyone who dared to act foolishly.

“So, this is where the leaders of the rebels have gathered?”

A clear, melodious voice, like a rolling gem.

Those who recognized the voice felt their knees weaken.

They had no doubt they would all be dragged to the imperial prison and tortured…

Perhaps even their entire family line, both the main and branch families, would be taken as well.

The Empress had warned them clearly.

At last, a beautiful woman with gray hair entered through the door.

She looked at the nobles with a playful smile in her crimson eyes.

“Not at all, Your Majesty.”

“Indeed. We are merely here for a horseback riding social gathering.”

—

Desperate to survive, they feign ignorance before the Empress.

“Hoho… The equestrian gatherings have become quite tumultuous lately, haven’t they, Karl? Do share.”

At her words, Karl nods and pulls a small metal rod from his pocket.

– You’ve all heard the rumors, but those nobles who do not show up here are nothing but fools.

– Indeed, the Duke has certainly made a proposal of surrender to us; if we accept it, there will be no need for an armed uprising, and we can secure our demands.

– Correct. We must meet with Victor and accept his proposal to reach an agreement.

– Right. We should meet Victor and accept it right away. Given that the Duke has come to us in a submissive manner, the central government’s power may be weaker than expected. It would be foolish to give up already.

– I agree; it’s a favorable situation, and our willingness to raise the white flag suggests we have some unknown weakness. Instead, we should demand compensation for the damages the Duke has suffered while in power.”

An artifact containing the voices of the aristocrats.

Though the eavesdropping magic can be detected… their defeat lay in not considering that a skilled agent could infiltrate and record their conversation.

“Now, will you still deny it?”

At the Empress’s words, no one could respond, only lowering their heads in defeat.

“Now, whose husband do you intend to threaten to demand compensation?”

The Empress looks at them with a mocking expression.

“Why can no one speak? Am I not asking a question?”

Her voice, gentle as if scolding children, starkly contrasts with the icy atmosphere of the place.

As if finding this situation amusing, the Empress chuckles softly.

She continued speaking.

“If you have ears, you must have heard my warning, yes? But unlike others… you’ve grown bold.”

With an enchanting and breathtaking smile, the Empress addressed William.

“Tell Alice that I wish to see for myself just how bold they have become.”

At the chilling command of the Empress, William bowed his head and replied.

“I shall obey, Your Majesty.”

Thus, they were taken to the Golden Order… dragged like dogs to the underground prison of the palace.