Margrave's Bastard Son was The Emperor-Chapter 315

Silence crackled like thin ice. Romandro and Timothy were clearly straining their ears outside.

Time seemed frozen in the office until Damon unconsciously clawed at the sofa. Ian’s gaze flowed along Damon’s fingertips. The whitened edges revealed how much force he was applying.

“Fortunate the sofa is sturdy.”

Otherwise, it would have long since lost its form like the vase on the floor.

Damon responded to Ian’s joke with a vicious look. His thoughts seemed quite complicated. Understandably so – his secret had been exposed, yet he’d gained nothing from it.

“Your departure is not far off. We’ll expedite the investigation. Please make sure no purses were exchanged with others during your palace stay. If there’s even the slightest potential issue, it would be troublesome.”

When high-level national leaders meet, they surely didn’t just laugh and make merry. As family versus family or official versus official, various deals must have been conducted under the surface.

Though the palace would commend constructive dealings, the problem was when illegal transactions were occasionally uncovered. Ian was warning him to be careful with purses of gold and silver received as payment.

“Did the gypsy truly make such a prophecy?”

“You mean the prophecy about Burgos’s future?”

Ian nodded leisurely. Just as Damon had leveraged the gypsy’s life and death to get what he wanted, Ian intended to do the same.

“You can ask the gypsy before she dies. She’s one who devours secrets, not one who keeps prophecies.”

If you have her, if her breath is truly growing faint, you can go ask right now. Isn’t that so?

Damon frowned at Ian’s attitude suggesting he couldn’t verify the truth. Then, as if putting a period to his contemplation, he admitted.

“…The gypsy isn’t here.”

This was the imperial palace, and his opponent was a mage. The matter would be revealed anyway once investigated. Rather than stubbornly holding ground, yielding when appropriate would be more advantageous.

“Are you certain she’s not?”

“Yes. The blood on the dagger is from someone unrelated to the gypsy.”

Ian smiled as if regretful, but inwardly felt relieved.

He’d known it. Though he’d known, this was an important matter that couldn’t be ignored. Not even a mustard seed-sized risk could be allowed near Bariel’s future. ṞάΝö𐌱ËŠ

“I see. Then, we’ll conduct confirmation rather than investigation.”

Though the words were similar, their implied meanings were distinctly different. Just verifying whether Damon’s testimony was true. The king muttered while staring at water flowing under the carpet.

“…I don’t know how that gypsy saw the future, but she was wrong this time.”

He had already changed many things. And soon, more would change. The king and queen who died earlier than their original time were proof of this, as was Ian’s presence before him.

“The same as before? You need to be wary of that. Otherwise, even your and the Crown Prince’s very existence will sink into question.”

“What do you mean?”

Ian asked back.

Was he indirectly saying Jin and Ian didn’t exist in Damon’s previous life? But that couldn’t be right – he’d definitely seen Jin’s portrait in Emperor Ian’s life.

Damon seemed to have no intention of explaining, simply turning his head firmly while adjusting his posture.

“Let me make one thing clear. You too acknowledge that I’m living my second life. You’ll regret not following me now.”

“Oh? That’s already regrettable. Are you saying Bariel will be overthrown in the future?”

Ridiculous. Bariel would remain strong even a hundred years later. Only Emperor Ian’s existence had crumbled. When Ian responded in a disbelieving tone, Damon showed overt contempt.

“For those said to be close to godly beings, you’re duller than expected. Burgos’s gates will remain open. Whenever you have a change of heart, feel free to step in.”

He pushed at Ian’s shoulder with his fingertips. His teeth showed through his smile like a warning. Damon whispered very quietly.

“Even if not this time, I will continue creating the future I want, and someday I will win. I’ll remember your smiling face clearly.”

Ian’s eyes sparkled at the ambiguous statement.

What did he mean by “this time”?

Did he mean now, when secrets had been exposed in the palace?

Or his second life?

If the latter, it was difficult to guess whether he was considering a third life. Ian lightly knocked away Damon’s fingertips tapping his shoulder.

Come to think of it, I came back through time by Naum’s power, but how was Damon able to regress? The gypsy only said it was related to his sibling’s death. Was that person also a mage?

If Damon knew the secret of regression, he could use that to unlock Ian’s secret as well.

So leave a possibility.

Just in case, just a tiny possibility.

“I merely placed faith in the gypsy’s prophecy. Even if Your Majesty knows the future, if the flow remains unchanged, you’re no different from an old man reminiscing while reading his diary…”

If the flow changes as desired, doesn’t knowing the future become meaningless?

It was a question that pierced the essence. Struck at his core, Damon curled his lips.

“…Impressive. Even more than the rumors.”

“It’s usually difficult to surpass rumors. I’ll accept that as praise.”

As Damon adjusted his clothes, his short hair swayed elegantly. He’d just realized he’d given away too much in his conversation with Ian.

Silence is suitable for evasion while leaving traces. Ian noticed that Damon’s real intentions were hidden beneath his sophistry.

A king standing in the gap between a future he wishes to change and regression information that becomes useless if he succeeds.

“Let me ask one final thing. As you said, we’re bound by fate, so I hope for a truthful answer.”

“Please ask.”

“Does Timothy know?”

About the gypsy, Damon, and Ian’s secrets.

Though the truth was undoubtedly singular, it wasn’t a question easily answered in the current situation.

Whatever I say, Timothy will be troubled.

If he says Timothy knows? He becomes a traitor who betrayed and manipulated his lord by colluding with Ian. Even telling the truth would be problematic…

I showed hostility toward Damon from Bariel’s side. When someone like me receives such a question, the natural attack would be to say Timothy knows too. That would easily damage their relationship. But what if I say otherwise? If I say Timothy doesn’t know the secret, has no connection?

He would suspect that too. He might misinterpret it as Ian protecting Timothy. A true dilemma – however he answered, Timothy would lose Damon’s trust.

Though asking such a question itself already showed he harbored distrust.

“No. He doesn’t know.”

“He doesn’t know?”

“It would be more accurate to say he has no connection.”

If it’s problematic either way, better to tell the truth. Hopefully his concerns were excessive.

Ian bowed his head and answered sincerely, while Damon looked down at the back of his head with purple eyes.

Ding.

Damon went directly to the desk and rang the bell. The office door burst open as if on cue. Romandro and Timothy entered simultaneously, shouting.

“Did you call, Lord Ian!”

“Your Majesty, is everything alright?”

Oh my. How did such a chill flow through the dark office? Romandro hesitated as he examined the glass scattered on the floor, then looked at Ian. His expression was quite comical as he mouthed questions about whether there were any injuries.

“I broke it by mistake. Have an attendant clean it up. King Damon says he’s leaving.”

“Ah, is that so? Ian broke it by mistake. I see. Well, someone who perfectly handles hundred-page reports making a mistake, hmm. And in front of King Damon too. Hmm.”

Muttering under his breath, Romandro kept glancing at Damon while grumbling. He clearly didn’t believe it.

Even for a king, such misconduct in a Bariel minister’s office! And the Magic Department minister at that! There was no precedent or example for such behavior!

“Your Majesty. Shall I call for the carriage?”

“Yes. Minister Ian. I enjoyed our pleasant conversation.”

Crunch.

Damon crushed glass shards underfoot demonstratively as he left the office. His subordinates waiting in the reception room poured out to follow him, soon disappearing around the corner.

As if he’d been waiting, Romandro burst out.

“My goodness, insane!”

“It’s fine, Lord Romandro. I truly broke it myself.”

“I might believe it if it were Beric, but you expect me to believe that? Where did he throw the vase? If there’s even a scratch on your precious face, this becomes a national issue!”

Ian just smiled, apparently amused by Romandro’s exaggerated tirade. Since the result came from provoking the other party, didn’t he bear some responsibility? Ian sat back at his desk and asked.

“Did you hand over the travel permit without issue?”

“Yes. Though he seemed confused about why, he tucked it away safely.”

“Good. That’s fortunate.”

“But why give him such a thing? It won’t be very useful for Delegate Timothy as a diplomat. If there’s another purpose, tell me. I’ll look for a suitable gift.”

He was asking if there was any special reason to approach the delegation. Though bribes likely wouldn’t work on Timothy, the Magic Department could still try something.

But Ian shook his head, telling him not to.

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“It’s truly just my pure gift.”

A small consideration he could give to the ancestor who enabled Naum’s existence. Though he’d struggled with the decision until giving it, if it was something that couldn’t be reversed anyway, he wanted it to at least provide some comfort.

“…Looking at King Damon, it seems it won’t take long to use it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing, Lord Romandro. It seems the gypsy is still in the central district. I think it would be best for me to handle this directly, so please gather some people. And…”

He realized that while it wouldn’t be a problem if the gypsy roamed freely as now, it would become troublesome if she fell into Damon’s grasp. Since Jin’s secret remained in her belly. So it would be better for Ian to catch her before Damon did.

“The gypsy’s still in the central district? Well, she’s quite something. Alright. This time let’s form an investigation team jointly with the imperial guard. And?”

“We’ll send someone to Burgos.”

Romandro stopped taking notes and made a puzzled expression. Burgos comes here looking for the gypsy, and we send someone there? What’s going on?

“Someone? Who should I select?”

“Someone swift and skilled at gathering information would be good.”

“The mission?”

Since Damon was hiding something beneath his sophistry, he’d have to dig it up himself. He would start by examining the biggest gap between his previous and current lives.

“I’d like to learn about King Damon’s siblings.”

“Siblings?”

The many half-siblings who drove a wedge between husband and wife. If he wished for the younger sibling who led him to ruin in his previous life not to be born, simply causing distance between the couple would be enough.

“Did he have siblings? I don’t think there were many.”

“Include the dead ones too. Even rumors are fine. Tell them to gather any information about those who bore the name of sibling.”

The more he worked, the more impossible it became to understand Ian’s intentions. Though lamenting this, Romandro diligently wrote down the tasks to be carried out.

“Alright. I’ll select suitable people and submit a report. But before that, don’t forget to keep next week’s schedule flexible.”

“Next week? Ah.”

Ian nodded while checking the calendar on his desk. After the festival period ends, Philea and Nersarn’s engagement ceremony would finally be held.

You haven’t forgotten, have you? As Romandro glared while placing his hands on his hips, Ian smiled wryly. It was a warm smile that instantly melted the icy atmosphere.

“I understand. I’ll definitely attend.”

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