His Royal Highness Prince Aukhan's residence was located on the edge of the moat near the Imperial Palace of Lamalong. The Marquis of Tskaka was looking at the long wall of the house as he was being rocked by his carriage.
The Marquis had a rough idea of what to expect. Perhaps Master Aukhan wants me to be the standard-bearer of the movement that will make him the next emperor.
He imagines vaguely what is to come. But he does not have a bright future in mind.
"Huh!"
The Marquis lets out an involuntary gasp. How in the world did this happen? .......
"Marquis!"
"Whoa!"
Suddenly, he hears a loud voice and is startled out of his wits. He looked up to see the driver who had come to meet him, opening the door and smiling softly. However, his eyes were not smiling at all.
"Come in."
"......"
At his urging, the Marquis disembarked from the carriage. A vast mansion spread out before him.
"Welcome, my lady."
An elderly man emerged from the darkness, fumbling with his hands. He introduced himself as Suge. He was one of the attendants of His Highness Orhan.
He always stays at the residence of His Highness and rarely appears on the stage. When His Highness visits the palace, you may see him escorting his highness on occasion, but this is the first time that they have spoken directly to each other.
His Highness has been waiting for you for a long time. Please, come in."
From the place where we got off the carriage, there is a straight road leading to the mansion. On either side of the road, although it is dimly lit and not clearly visible, you can see well-maintained hedges planted. Suge is walking slowly down the middle of the path.
......I must be in despair as I walk back along this path.
The Marquis of Tskaka mutters to himself.
When he arrived at the entrance, the door opened by itself. Needless to say, it was opened by the man of the house who was waiting inside, but the Marquis reacted with a shiver.
After passing through the wide hall and going straight down the corridor, he saw a door at the end of the hall. As soon as Suge reached the door, he turned on his heel and opened it with a brilliant gesture.
"Come in."
With a glance at Suge, who bowed reverently, he entered. A huge fireplace appeared in front of him. There was a large rocking chair in front of it, and when I looked closely, I saw that a hand was reaching out from the chair. An index finger was twitching. It seemed to be saying, "Come here.
"Please don't make any mischief, Your Highness.
Suge muttered in a small voice and closed the door soundlessly.
The rocking chair swung slightly. There was a large but slightly overweight man with his eyes closed, leaning back in the rocking chair.
"I am very happy to see you in such good health, Your Highness," he said.
The Marquis of Tskaka gets down on one knee and hangs his head. He waits for Prince Ohan to speak, but he remains silent. He slowly looks up and steals a glance at His Highness.
"I am uncomfortable."
Orhan opens his mouth with his eyes closed. Tskaka hurriedly lowers his head.
"I am the son of Lamaron Crow Fraynth, Emperor of Lamaron. Why should I play such tricks on him, if I am to succeed to the throne after my father's death? I must tell them these things. It's offensive."
"...... haha."
How is Clahara doing?
"Haha ....... I have not been informed that you are doing anything in particular.
He is not qualified to succeed to the throne.
"......"
Think about it. He's a complete amateur in military matters. An emperor who can't hold the reins of war is a joke. Am I wrong?
"Ha ...... haha."
His Highness Ohan has a point, but the fact is that the nobles would prefer a quieter, more reserved Highness Clahara. But such a thing cannot be said in front of His Highness.
"I am truly concerned about the future of the Kingdom. How long will your father's life be in good health?"
"There you go. ....... Madolyn's tight-lippedness is to be expected.
Auchan laughs as he says this.
"But Madrilin has gone to Agartha. Is it not hard to imagine that your father's life will not last long?"
"Haha ......"
"I know what it's like to be a knight in shining armor. It would be an act of godless tyranny to name the next emperor the son of King Agartha and Matkal. Such a thing cannot be allowed. Am I wrong?
"Yes. I agree with you, sir.
Aukhan nodded slowly, opened his eyes, and turned his gaze on the Marquis of Tskaka.
"So, do you have a plan there?"
"That's ......."
"Humph. I would have thought it would be something like that anyway."
Orhan muttered and slowly got up from his chair.
"There are only two things we can do to stop this. One is to take the life of Prime Minister Madeline. The other is to take Falco's life.
"Awe ......"
What?
"His Highness Falco is now in Agartha. The land is bounded by the boundaries of the king of Agartha. ......
I know.
"Ha."
So it's only Madolyn's life we're after.
"There are those who have tried to do so, but the strong imperial guard makes it difficult to even get close. ......
But raids are not the only way, are they?
What do you mean?
"There are many ways to do this. How about poisoning?
That's ......."
"Well, good. I'll leave that to you. I'll tell you this. I intend to succeed to the throne of this kingdom after my father's death. And I am qualified.
"Ha...... haha."
His Highness Ohan stared at Tskaka, and then clapped his hands twice, his face expressionless. Then there was a knock at the door, and Suzy, the chambermaid, opened the door.
"Please, let me show you in.
The Marquis of Tskaka bowed to His Highness Prince Orhan as he was urged, and left the room.
"His Highness is very distressed," he said.
Walking down the long corridor, Susie opened her mouth condescendingly.
"Your Highness cannot bear to see this country, which has been ruled by noble blood from generation to generation, being defiled. Yes. His feelings are the same as those of all the nobility."
He leads the Marquis to the carriage, speaking earnestly about how much it hurts Auchan's heart.
His Highness has high hopes for the Marquis of Tskaka. I pray that you will lead this country with your brilliant leadership.
Susie then closed the carriage door.
......As expected.
The Marquis of Tskaka thought as he gazed at the scenery reflected in the window. I have to do something. ....... It must be His Highness Ohan. I bet he will tell everyone around him that he has entrusted everything to Tkaka. The word will spread among the nobles in no time. The eyes of the nobles of the Kingdom of Lamaron will be focused on him. If you do nothing, they will say that you disobeyed His Highness' orders. If that happens, the house will be destroyed.
Even though he knew that, this Marquis could not be disillusioned. Rather, he wondered if he could somehow get things done without changing the status quo. ....... He was beginning to think so.
But no matter how he thought about it, he could not come up with a solution. Tired of thinking, he muttered to himself in his mind.
......I'll just have to wait and see for a while. We can consult with various people and make a decision. I don't think His Highness will ask me to do it right away.
Just when I was thinking of that, the carriage suddenly stopped. .......