Chapter 40
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The Eastern Garden of the Imperial Palace.
This garden, which connected the emperor’s bedchamber and his office, was a space permitted only to the emperor’s close associates.
A man and woman, splendidly dressed, were walking along a path that wound through the greenery dotted with yellow flowers.
“What in the world is His Imperial Majesty thinking, I ask!”
The man wearing a wide-brimmed hat was the Margrave of Kärnten. He was listing various complaints about the emperor to his niece, who followed behind him.
“Though he is formally betrothed to you, he keeps postponing the ceremony day after day, while dallying with some beggarly wench from a vassal state!”
“That is because that vulgar woman appeals to her pitiful circumstances and enchants His Majesty.”
“But that is precisely what must not happen! Even if his attention wanders for a moment, how many Taringian noblewomen are there who excel in both lineage and beauty!”
Hilderud’s thoughts were a little different. The fact that the woman dallying with the emperor was an Aitalosian with no backing was good, in that she could exact revenge without worrying about consequences.
If the one who had seduced the emperor had been a daughter of the Taringian nobility, she did not even want to imagine it. Though even so, she would never simply let it be.
“That is not all.”
Stroking his finely grown mustache, the Margrave of Kärnten continued.
“Just last week, Count Dürk was nearly sentenced to hard labor merely for playing around with a commoner woman, and I barely prevented it along with the other nobles. What does he think nobles are!”
Hilderud quickly scanned her surroundings.
If the opposing faction, or Godfrid himself, were to catch them speaking ill of the emperor in the emperor’s own garden, it would lead to very troublesome matters.
Realizing his niece’s intent, the Margrave of Kärnten lowered his voice and continued his disparagement.
“And he’s still dragging out that business with Duke Eon’s gift from last year! Does that make any sense? A bribe, he calls it. You know what kind of man Duke Eon is. Does it make sense to discipline a man like that simply because a few nobles showed him some respect?”
“Yes. Yes, it does not.”
Hilderud answered half-heartedly. The complicated political issues between the nobility and the imperial family were outside her interest.
From what she could tell, the nobles who had promised their support to the emperor, her uncle included, were all trying to use their positions for personal gain. The conflict came because the emperor kept blocking those attempts.
As for her, she could not understand His Majesty’s side. Was it not the very nature of nobles to enjoy all their rightful privileges? Trying to gain their power while limiting those privileges made no sense.
But surely His Majesty must have some other profound intention. For that was the hallmark of handsome men.
“And furthermore, what has become of the promise to divide the Akien region among the lords?”
Hilderud, who had been listening quietly, stopped walking in surprise.
“Uncle. That is a bit…”
The Akien region was a granary belt located in the south of Taringia, a wide and fertile plain. It was also a direct dominion that provided the emperor with a solid tax revenue, which served as war funds.
Back when Godfrid was still a weak prince, he had subtly mentioned the Akien region while persuading nobles to take his side, along with promising other benefits.
To some ambitious nobles, those words must have been interpreted as a promise to divide the land of Akien among them.
But in Hilderud’s view, it was more appropriate to take it as meaning he would become a leader with a solid foundation through the robust economic power backed by the Akien territory.
If a king they had painstakingly put on the throne were to easily collapse due to a weak foundation, the nobles who supported him would be ruined as well.
“This seems rather unwise.”
This was the garden closest to the emperor’s residence. Even a single gardener nearby was highly likely to be one of the emperor’s loyal servants, yet here he was speaking so openly about receiving a direct territory.
If he was not careful, he could become the next target of punishment for coveting imperial property.
“Ahem, is that so.”
The Margrave of Kärnten, too, quickly realized that the time and place were not appropriate for airing his grievances. No matter how much he disliked it, Godfrid was now the most powerful monarch in the world, and this was his most private domain.
“I shall go attend the council now.”
“Yes, Uncle.”
After the margrave hurried off toward the central building where the office was located.
Strolling through the quiet garden in hopes of perhaps running into the emperor, Hilderud came face to face with an unwelcome sight.
“Well, look who it is!”
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