Page 462 of Remarried Empress

Following the confrontation with his father, Duke Elgy went to the Royal Palace to meet the King.

The King seemed terribly angry. Of course, this was how the King usually seemed whenever Duke Elgy was in his presence.

“What the hell do you hope to achieve? You cannot claim this is the first, second, or even third time you do this! You and I know that your actions are not the result of love!”

The King shouted without giving Elgy an opportunity to speak, or even to greet him properly. The King of Blue Bohean rose abruptly from his throne, unable to control his anger.

“This time you’ve gone too far. If you don’t stop, I’ll finish you off. I will also eliminate your father without a second thought.”

Despite the terrifying statement, Elgy did not hesitate to answer.

“When you decide to take down an opponent, you must also be prepared to be taken down.”

“You… You… You brat!…”

The king’s face turned red with rage as he clenched his fists. He felt an intense urge to lift Elgy by the throat and throw him from the highest tower of the palace.

Elgy faced him calmly with a contemptuous smile. After meeting the king’s furious gaze with that insolent smile, Elgy stared at the corner. There, a man stood staring at him coldly. He was one of Emperor Sovieshu’s secretaries.

Their eyes met, but they didn’t greet each other.

The King, who made an effort to calm down, sat back on his throne.

“Duke Elgy, you shall immediately notify the Alliance that you renounce your claim to the Eastern Empire’s port.”

“…”

“Don’t be stubborn. It was discovered that Empress Rashta was born a slave, so her title as Empress of the Eastern Empire will be nullified. Consequently, any agreement signed by her is void. There is no point making a fuss over this matter.”

Since Duke Elgy remained silent, the King approached Elgy.

“I don’t care if you ruin your own reputation or destroy your own life, but don’t harm the country.”

The King raised his hand and patted Elgy’s shoulder.

“Don’t forget that the reason you can strut around other countries with such arrogance is due to the prosperity of Blue Bohean. You’re not stupid enough to bite the hand that feeds you…”

***

“Still at it?”

After the confrontation with the King of Blue Bohean, Duke Elgy ran into Princess Sirim. She seemed to have followed him.

“What do you hope to gain from your actions? You know it does no one any good, not even you. How long do you think my brother, the king, will turn a blind eye to your behavior?”

Duke Elgy walked in silence, but Princess Sirim matched his stride and continued to speak.

“If others choose to follow a bad path, it’s none of our business as long as it doesn’t harm us. Please stop such futile attempts to seek revenge and think of yourself.”

Duke Elgy stopped suddenly, and Princess Sirim came to a halt.

“My dear cousin…”

Before the Princess could speak again, a stranger’s voice interrupted them.

“Oh, my. Duke Elgy. Are you busy?”

A man dressed in a white uniform approached. It was Angel, the Commander of the 4th Division of the Transnational Knights, with a fox-like face.

“Let’s talk later.”

Princess Sirim patted Duke Elgy on the back and walked away.

“Did I interrupt? I am Angel, Commander of the 4th Division of the Transnational Knights of the Wol Continent Alliance.”

Duke Elgy politely asked what brought the Commander here.

Angel looked at Princess Sirim as she walked away.

“I am here to investigate the complaint you filed with the Alliance, Duke Elgy.”

“Yes?”

“The agreement didn’t indicate what you offered in return for the port. What were the terms?”

“My body.”

“… Ah. Your body.”

Angel murmured with a mysterious smile.

“It seems your body is very expensive.”

Despite Angel’s unpleasant and uncomfortable expression, Duke Elgy remained confident and dignified.

“I suppose.”

“You’ll have to repeat that at the Alliance Court. If you are ashamed, you may state another reason. I’ll pretend not to know you changed your mind.”

“There is no need to change my words.”

“I see.”

Angel took out a small notebook and wrote down Dukes Elgy’s confident answer. Then he asked.

“The Eastern Empire claims that the deal between Duke Elgy and the former Empress Rashta is unlawful, since Empress Rashta was not a legitimate Empress due to her status as a slave. Moreover, the Eastern Empire asserts that the deal itself is invalid because it was made arbitrarily by Empress Rashta. Is that correct?”

“No.”

“You disagree with the Eastern Empire?”

“There is one prerequisite for Empress Rashta’s status as Empress to be considered void. Emperor Sovieshu must not have known that Empress Rashta was a slave.”

“Do you assert that Emperor Sovieshu knew about Empress Rashta’s status and consented to ascend her to the position of Empress despite the truth?”

“Correct. Therefore, the deals she made as empress are valid since she was a legitimate empress.”

Angel scribbled some more notes in his notebook as Elgy spoke, but suddenly, his hand stopped moving across the paper. Although he seemed to have a lot more to write, he lowered the notebook and asked,

“By any chance, did the Emperor of the Western Empire know about this?”

“Why would you think the Emperor of the Western Empire knows about my negotiations with the Empress of the Eastern Empire?”

“Before he ascended the throne it used to be said that you two were close friends. Didn’t you two plan this together?”

“Just because Emperor Heinley and I are friends doesn’t mean we’re in cahoots. In this case he was not even aware of my actions.”

“It is curious that in the unprecedented events that occurred in the Eastern Empire, the most benefited was Emperor Heinley.”

“It cannot be said that he benefited when all he did was marry the woman he fell in love with. Not even Emperor Heinley could be so calculating.”

“Marriages are the result of calculations, Duke Elgy.”

Angel scribbled some more.

“Ah, Duke Elgy. This is unrelated to the port case, but…”

“Go ahead and ask.”

“Is Emperor Heinley involved in the mana decline phenomenon?”

Duke Elgy hesitated for a split second before replying.

“No.”

Angel nodded and smiled,

“I see.”

Then he jotted down one last sentence in his notebook.

— Duke Elgy knows something.