Chapter 65
A tremendous storm swept across the entire empire. The human trafficking market was larger than expected. To be more precise, since it had been maintained for such a long time, countless people were involved. It would have been fortunate if people were only traded as slaves, but numerous individuals had been sold to perverts for specific purposes over the years. It was something that touched people’s raw nerves.
Fortunately, since everything was meticulously recorded in the ledgers, they were able to secure quite a number of victims. Of course, those who bought and sold people would be strictly punished under imperial law. Due to the sheer scale, the parliament hurriedly enacted special legislation and presented it. Naturally, since there was no shortage of conscienceless bastards connected to this in parliament as well, they earned the resentment of the imperial citizens.
With so much public attention and the magnitude of the case, it wasn’t something that could be glossed over. Adriana stepped forward to take command. The public sentiment, which had been on edge due to the kidnapping incident, turned entirely toward Adriana. Behind-the-scenes work had also begun.
“What reason is there that a woman cannot become Emperor?”
“It’s better for a qualified person to become Emperor than an incompetent and foolish man.”
“Princess Adriana is the firstborn. She’s perfectly qualified.”
“Moreover, she’s the only child of the late Empress.”
After laying the groundwork and prodding a few times, it didn’t take long for public opinion to form. Adriana’s path had been too distinctly revealing of her will to oppose. Her moves clearly aimed for the imperial throne. She struck down House Spirenda, who had become her political enemy, removed Empress Spirenda, and established merit. If Kyle or Joshua had done the same, they would have been immediately nominated as successors without any room for objection.
The complaints now were all because Adriana was a woman. But Blair believed. Adriana would eventually lead everything well.
* * *
The Academy, where all students had returned for the new semester, was also quite unsettled. Since last autumn, the imperial affairs had been tumultuous. All the empire’s attention was focused on the imperial family.
“In the end, the Princess will become the successor, right?” Aaron muttered while eating a sandwich. Blair had splendidly passed the advancement exam and immediately began taking classes in the upper division. Thanks to this, Aaron and Blair’s schedules were somewhat similar, and they often ate lunch together.
“Probably?” Blair replied with a slight smile. Unlike the days when the three of them used to stick together, now only Blair and Aaron gathered for lunch. Kyle, who knows how long he intended to avoid Blair, would turn around and distance himself whenever he spotted Blair.
It was quite amusing that Kyle, who had been persistently pursuing him throughout the break, was now visibly avoiding him. He was avoiding Blair so obviously that when Blair had sent a gift to the imperial palace for Kyle’s birthday, which fell in the middle, there was no response whatsoever.
Kyle himself didn’t understand why he was acting this way. But his heart was pounding so severely that he simply couldn’t face Blair. The problem was that the heart is an involuntary muscle. He couldn’t control his heart rate at all. He hadn’t wanted to like Blair this much, but it became problematic because he ended up liking him far too much.
Even Aaron, who lacked any sense of awareness, had mentioned, “What’s wrong with him these days?” Kyle seemed unaware that he was behaving strangely.
“I think the Princess will do well. Although there hasn’t been a female Emperor until now, she’s the oldest among the siblings and has the most experience. She should naturally become the successor.”
Aaron’s words reflected the general opinion throughout the empire. Of course, there was strong opposition, but they were a weak faction. It was regrettable that he couldn’t completely finish off Joshua’s side, which had tried to harm him in the past, but it was not a bad conclusion overall.
“As you said, the Princess will do well.”
Blair smiled gently and put down his utensils. Though the Academy, the empire, high society, and even the imperial palace were all in turmoil, the atmosphere wasn’t bad. It was the season when light green sprouts and pale flowers bloomed. The beginning of a new spring. The start of a new year.
New wine in new wineskins.
The Crassia Empire, which had been stagnant for so long, needed a new wind. Spring breeze was coming. The warm wind tousled Blair’s hair as it passed by. Blair squinted as if dazzled by the light and looked up at the blue sky. The perfectly cloudless blue sky resembled Kyle’s eyes. Somehow, his heart fluttered a little.
# 10. Fine
Once the momentum started, the opinion that Adriana should be appointed as successor grew fierce. To begin with, the current Emperor wasn’t that young. And his children were quite grown. Setting aside the extremely young Prince Dain, Kyle alone was nineteen, past the age of majority, while Adriana was twenty-seven and Joshua twenty-six.
Even in noble families, if they had grown children of similar ages, it was common to pass down titles. Of course, there had been many Emperors who ascended the throne at that age—too many to count on both hands. Despite Kyle’s siblings being old enough to become Emperor, there still wasn’t a successor now. There was no reason for the position of successor, which had remained vacant for nearly forty years, to remain empty any longer.
With the emergence of the most promising candidate, Adriana, all support converged on her. No matter how much the Emperor disliked Adriana’s maternal family, the Sichen Ducal family, and disapproved of Joshua and Kyle, refusing to name any of them as successors, he now had to make a decision. His plan to make the child born from his beloved late-in-life wife, Empress Spirenda, the successor had already been derailed long ago.
By this point, Adriana should naturally be appointed as successor. In fact, the Emperor’s health was gradually deteriorating. Everything Blair had joked about as “astrology” was coming true exactly as predicted.
Adriana served tea to Theodore, who had visited after a long time, and seated him in front of her.
“Father is unwell. He doesn’t show it outwardly, but soon everyone will know.”
“I see. Then he will soon announce a successor. The executive department will be busy.”
Theodore smiled faintly and joked.
“At this point, I’m really curious what kind of person your brother is. Is he truly an astrologer as he says? Can he see the future? It’s fascinating.”
“I don’t think that’s the case, but I’m curious too.”
Theodore replied with a bitter smile. Even he found it difficult to understand what kind of person his youngest brother was. In any case, a remarkable child.
“Anyway, I was able to come this far thanks to him and you. I won’t forget this favor.”
“Thank you, Princess.”
Adriana smiled gently and patted Theodore’s thick hand on the table. One was thick like a bear’s paw, and one was small and slender, but they were a well-matched pair of hands.
As Adriana had predicted, it wasn’t long before a date was set for the investiture ceremony to announce her as successor. Empress Kalshon and Joshua still glared with disdain and threw tantrums whenever they saw Adriana, but the momentum had already shifted.
This was about appointing a successor to a position that had been vacant for a long time. It couldn’t be handled simply. It was an event happening after almost forty years. Everything in the Crassia Empire came to a halt. The investiture ceremony was declared a temporary holiday. The Academy, of course, was closed.
There were many opinions that since it was just a successor’s investiture, not a coronation, it should be conducted simply within the imperial palace. But the prevailing opinion was that since it was a long-awaited event, they should hold a festival to calm the unsettled atmosphere. In the end, the investiture ceremony was held grandly in the center of the imperial capital.
Many people had been reserving places a week in advance at the square where the ceremony would take place. Blair had been invited to the front row of the investiture ceremony. Blair would be able to watch the entire process from up close without lifting a finger.
He applied oil to prevent even a single hair from being disturbed, revealing a neat forehead, and tied his long hair in a single ponytail down his back. He wore a black formal uniform with a purple jewel set in gold on his chest.
Looking at himself in the mirror, he felt a subtle sense of déjà vu. It was his appearance as Grand General, which he had seen countless times in the past. Instead of a sword, his hands wore white silk gloves, and instead of the purple brooch symbolizing the Grand General, he wore buttons engraved with his family crest, but the overall impression was quite similar to his past self. Of course, his face now looked much younger than it did then.
To think that after going around in circles, we’d end up with this conclusion.
It wasn’t a bad ending at all. Blair smiled gently. His reflection in the mirror smiled back.
The investiture ceremony was splendid. Clara was also pleased that the frozen consumer sentiment had thawed, increasing consumption significantly. She was a merchant born to the bone. With the overall festive atmosphere in the imperial capital, people living far away also came to visit.
Blair sat in the chair prepared for him and looked forward. Kyle, who arrived late, avoided Blair’s gaze and sat in the adjacent seat. Still unable to properly look at Blair, he was avoiding eye contact as much as possible.
Kyle was wearing a ceremonial robe made of soft white satin embroidered with gold thread. It was a robe that matched perfectly with his bright, shining hair. With his curly hair fixed to reveal his forehead rather than being disheveled, he exuded a much more adult and mature atmosphere. It was an outfit that would stand out anywhere. Kyle was beautiful today as well.
Seeing Kyle, a subtle sense of guilt arose. Had he stolen the brilliant future that was naturally promised to him? It would be a lie to say he hadn’t thought about it. Without asking his opinion, both then and now, he had arbitrarily controlled Kyle’s life. Blair was the person who had the greatest influence on Kyle’s life. Blair stared intently at Kyle’s face.
Had he really done the right thing? The question suddenly arose.
Simultaneously, the sound of fireworks exploding was heard. Standing with a straight back and wearing a lace dress held up by people’s hands, Adriana appeared and ascended the platform. Adriana’s platinum blonde hair sparkled and shone amidst the enormous crowd. Adriana received the scepter and crown symbolizing the successor. She possessed the dignity a ruler should have. Her sacred appearance was enough to move some people to tears of strange emotion.
[To be continued in the next chapter…]
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
