Chapter 90 – Poisoning

[Carlos XIII poisoned, chaos intensifies across the Empire -Imperial Capital News-]

[Princess’s ascension blocked by Succession Law… Vacant throne becomes a reality -Imperial Daily-]

[Is it the era of regency, or the beginning of a new system? -Voice of the Citizens-]

[Signs of prolonged vacancy on the throne… The future of the Empire is in a fog -Order Daily-]

The young Emperor was poisoned the previous day.

The poison used was the Echo of Pain.

It was a deadly poison, and the culprit was still unknown.

Since it was an expected event, Rashid did not seem particularly shaken, but the rest of the people were different.

That was clear just from the expression on her face when she came to find him immediately after arriving at work.

“Did you hear the news that His Majesty the Emperor was poisoned?”

Rashid gestured with his chin toward the several newspapers lying on his office desk.

“I saw it. They said he died yesterday.”

She narrowed her eyes slightly.

“Even though His Majesty was poisoned, you don’t look surprised at all, do you?”

Rashid, having arranged his coat, sat down and cast an indifferent glance at her.

“Do I have to be surprised?”

“Did you… perhaps expect it?”

“Expect it…”

Rashid smiled faintly.

“There are many people who dislike the current Emperor, and there are more than enough culprits to poison him. Rather, isn’t it stranger not to expect it? Didn’t you expect it?”

“I didn’t. I knew there were many who disliked him, but still, to poison him… Who could the culprit be?”

“I don’t know either. But one thing is for sure. Everyone is happy about it, even if they don’t say it out loud.”

“Happy about it…”

She knew the Imperial Succession Law to some extent.

“But this will only add to the chaos. According to the Succession Law…”

“A female emperor cannot ascend the throne.”

“You know about it?”

“Doesn’t everyone who knows know?”

“Surprisingly, there are many who don’t.”

“Is that so?”

“More than that, it’s a big problem.”

She continued speaking.

“The only alternative is a regency. Because under any circumstances, a woman is barred from ascending the imperial throne by imperial law.”

Rashid shook his head as if to show her.

“No, she won’t become the regent.”

She found it strange.

“You think not? Even though it violates imperial law?”

“Do you know why such a law came about in the first place?”

After thinking for a brief moment, she was soon able to understand his words.

“Ah… it won’t matter now.”

Rashid nodded in agreement and spoke.

“Since it’s ruined anyway.”

* * *

Immediately after the sudden death of Carlos XIII, a private state council meeting was held.

Deep worry was shadowed on the faces of the cabinet ministers and nobles who gathered after hearing the news.

The death of the Emperor was certainly a sorrowful event, but a bigger problem was the vacant throne.

At this rate, the Empire would lose its master.

In a place where Princess Yennifer, the sole remaining member of the imperial family, was absent.

The Prime Minister spoke calmly amidst the heavy atmosphere.

“The throne is empty. Before expressing our condolences to His Majesty the Emperor, who passed away in an accident, that is what we must consider first.”

At that, one of the high-ranking vampire nobles sharpened his voice.

“Prime Minister! No matter how urgent the matter is, are those words to be spoken in this situation?”

The Prime Minister glared at him with intimidating eyes.

“Then how long are we going to stay like this? The throne is vacant right now. That means this country has no master.”

There were no eligible candidates for succession.

Because according to both imperial law and the Imperial Succession Law, a princess could not ascend the throne.

“Ahem!”

In the buzzing meeting room, the Prime Minister cleared his throat shortly and broke the ice.

“The only alternative we can think of right now is for Her Highness to take the position of regent. Leading this country until a new Emperor is appointed.”

The ministers looked at each other, and the nobles were also reviewing possible alternatives.

The vampire nobles remained silent, but one of the human nobles managed to speak up with difficulty.

“Could… Her Highness the Princess not inherit the imperial throne? She is of direct descent, after all, and the only one remaining in the imperial family.”

The faces of several people, including the Prime Minister, stiffened at once.

“That cannot be. The law forbids it.”

The noble who made the proposal grumbled softly.

“I don’t know why such a law even exists. Do we really have to adhere to such things in a situation like this?”

“Only the vampire nobles would know the reason behind the law, while others probably do not know it well.”

The vampire nobles held their tongues, and instead, the Prime Minister continued his explanation.

“For those who might not know, I will tell you. There has been a prophecy passed down in the imperial family since the early days of the founding.”

Everyone’s attention focused on him, and the Prime Minister shared what he knew.

“It is a prophecy that the moment a woman ascends the throne, the imperial family of the Empire will meet its end.”

Those who already knew nodded in agreement, while those who did not seemed quite surprised.

“Was there such a thing? It is my first time hearing of it.”

“That is why it has been blocked by law since long ago. So that under no circumstances can a woman ascend the throne. And this is the Great Founding Law established by the first Emperor. Originally it was merely an imperial family rule, but at some point it was elevated to imperial law.”

The meeting room buzzed.

The Prime Minister declared for all to hear.

“As you all know, the moment Her Highness the Princess ascends the throne under imperial law,”

His expression turned cold.

“That is a clear act of treason. I am not defining it as treason; rather, that is what the imperial law states.”

Even though he dared to call it treason, not a single person refuted him.

Because that was what the law was.

“Her Highness the Princess must already know as well. That must be why she stayed quiet when the young Emperor ascended the throne.”

One of the ministers spoke up.

“Then is there no issue with the regency?”

Regency.

A small seat located below the throne.

The Prime Minister nodded.

“There should be no issue with that. I heard that such a crisis had occurred once before in the past. Since the imperial family values pure bloodlines, there was always a shortage of successors, and back then, the throne also became vacant for a short while due to an unexpected accident.”

Everyone listened intently as his words continued.

“At that time, the one who ascended to the position of regent and led the Empire was Her Majesty the Empress. Although she did not ascend the throne, she led the Empire splendidly from the position of regent below it. Thanks to her, the Empire could be maintained without major confusion until the new Emperor ascended the throne.”

Someone suddenly interrupted and raised an objection.

“At that time, wasn’t there at least someone to ascend the throne? Right now it is completely vacant. There isn’t even a candidate.”

That damn pure bloodline.

That was the beginning of all tragedies.

The vampire nobles who occupied their seats also began to speak up.

“If we search the Duchy of Rose thoroughly, there must be someone who possesses the imperial bloodline. However, we have to hope they are alive.”

“The small number of successors was a problem, but they tried to protect the legitimate imperial throne too extremely. I understood that it was because of His Majesty the Emperor’s authority, but we don’t even have that authority now, do we?”

The entire meeting room buzzed.

The one who silenced everyone in the room, which had been noisy for a while, was none other than Prime Minister Noctis.

“There is another alternative!”

Another alternative besides the Princess becoming regent?

Everyone stared at him with questioning eyes.

“Was there such a thing?”

“The Council, I mean.”

“That talk again? Didn’t His Majesty say that the Council was absolutely out of the question?”

“The Council will only lower the authority of us nobles.”

The nobles displayed their displeasure without filtering it.

However, the reason they could not completely condemn it was that it was indeed a practical alternative to overcome this crisis.

The Prime Minister stepped forward to persuade them.

“What was the reason we blocked the Council until now? Was it not because of the imperial family?”

The nobles protested vehemently, but they could not break the Prime Minister’s resolve.

“I am leading the cabinet of this country. What I consider most important right now is not the Emperor, who no longer even exists, but the survival of the Millennium Empire.”

“That is reckless talk!”

“Prime Minister! You are going too far! If His Majesty were in this room…”

Those who were even pointing their fingers at the Prime Minister suddenly trailed off and fell silent.

There was no Emperor now.

Although they did not say it out loud.

Everyone knew.

That the imperial family of pure bloodlines was finished.

Saying that such bloodlines might remain in the Duchy of Rose was all mere speculation or hope.

As everyone quieted down in resignation, the Prime Minister raised his voice as if declaring.

“It is time to admit it now.”

The Prime Minister continued while looking around at everyone.

“I will not bother to say it. Since everyone must know even if I do not speak of it.”

Even the vampire nobles held their tongues.

For they could not overcome the wall of reality.

“It is a history of a thousand years. Are you going to let it crumble like this? Or will you find a new path? It is not too late yet. The ambassador of the Guild Federation is still in close contact with me. If we only revive the Council, the Guild Federation will immediately support us. Then this chaos will also be settled to some extent.”

Still, there were those who protested.

One of the vampire nobles spoke up.

“Her Highness still remains. Could Her Highness not ascend to the position of regent?”

The Prime Minister frowned.

“How long are we going to rely on the imperial family? An imperial family without authority is no longer the imperial family of the past. Furthermore, the Imperial Army has already reached the vicinity of the imperial capital. Do you really not know what this means?”

“Are you saying the military is plotting a coup?”

“If they plot it, can you stop them?”

At that sharp remark, everyone fell silent.

“The imperial family lost the power of authority, and the military, whose support was cut off, has come near the imperial capital to demonstrate. Now we must make a decision. Whether to sink with the imperial family like this, or revive the Council to appease them.”

“But Her Highness is still here… Her Highness will absolutely not permit it.”

The Prime Minister glared intimidatingly.

“If all of us in this room join forces to oppose Her Highness, even Her Highness will not be able to break our will to insist on the Council.”

The Prime Minister continued speaking.

“Let us unite our minds. The military is already plotting a coup outside the imperial capital. We too must make a decision before it is too late.”

The time for a decision had come.

Amidst the long and difficult silence.

Most of them united their wills.

Of course there were those who did not, but their voices were small and their power was insignificant.

The Prime Minister wore a satisfied look.

“Fortunately, our minds have been united to some extent. I will meet Her Highness on behalf of this assembly.”

He also showed determined resolve.

“Persuading her to ascend to the regency and permit the Council.”

Of course, he had no intention of asking politely.

Because it was an unconditional demand.

* * *

The coffin was filled with roses.

The red petals covering the coffin, which was dark as ebony, shone moistly like a freshly cut wound.

She did not let go of the coffin.

Without even feeling her fingers being cut by the rose thorns, she pulled the coffin in her arms closer.

Her blood-red eyes, intense as blood, blurred with tears, the red light shaking like glass.

The cold complexion of a vampire had vanished, and only a sorrow of unfathomable depth remained on her pale face.

At the thought of her younger brother who must have died in pain, her chest trembled as if splitting, and her sobs leaked out, no longer able to be suppressed.

“…”

There was someone silently watching that sight from afar.

It was Ryden, a knight of the Imperial Guard.

After the passing of the Emperor, the atmosphere of the imperial palace became visibly chaotic.

As rumors spread that the imperial family was now finished, even the other Imperial Guard knights were shaken.

Ryden stood by her side alone, gripping the end of his sword hilt tightly.

Although he did not show it, his jawline was set firmly.

He was repeating to himself in his mind.

That even he, who was her final shield, must not waver.

It was just when he was making such a firm determination.

“Is that Sir Ryden?”

Prime Minister Noctis and his followers crowded in to find the Princess.

They did not show the slightest sign of consideration for the grief-stricken Princess.

“Are you guarding this place alone? Well, if it is you, there should be no problem. Convey to Her Highness that I have urgent matters to speak with her about.”

“Prime Minister. Please come back next time. Her Highness will not permit audience to anyone for the time being.”