I Became the Master of the Empress

301

Life in prison was not so bad.

Normally, prisoners would be tortured, but thankfully, there was no one bold enough to torture a prince like me.

What is happening outside?

Is my mother safe?

What about Sister Octavia?

And… what will happen to me?

As I watch the sunlight streaming through the iron bars, I calmly ponder what lies ahead.

***

“What? Debian is imprisoned? Are they planning to execute him?”

Leon III feels a sense of bewilderment at the news that his nephew is in danger.

Debian is undeniably the heir to the Grand Duchy.

Killing such a son is not an easy choice.

“Yes, it seems the Grand Duchess has collapsed.”

“Ah…”

Thinking of his sister, who has already lost two sons, Leon III realizes that this is not the time to hesitate.

“Is there no way?”

“Well… the Grand Duchy is an absolute state, and the Grand Duke holds all power. Moreover, even if we exert influence from another country, it would be difficult to enforce it.”

Leon clutched his forehead, lost in thought.

“Then urgently convey this information to the Emperor of the Empire and request a way to save Debian!”

If they cannot act from the United Kingdom, perhaps the Emperor, the Grand Duke’s lord, could change the situation?

—

Although Valoran despises the Emperor, it is not an easy task to defy his own sovereign.

“Yes!”

***

Tiberius’s life is happy.

The Empire is peaceful and strong.

And…

“Daddy!”

“Daddy!”

He has two daughters who resemble their mother.

“Tera, Joy. Did you have fun today?”

The two girls run and leap into Tiberius’s arms.

“Yes!”

“Hehe! Daddy, today was so much fun!”

Looking at the innocent faces of the two children, Tiberius thinks he might be the happiest person in the world.

He is the Emperor of the Empire, has the most beautiful wife in the realm, and has two sons and two daughters.

“Hehe! Daddy, I went out to Roman today, and everyone said I was pretty!”

“You silly, they can’t say you’re ugly since you’re a princess!”

Among them, Joy is lively and cute, while Theodora is haughty.

Moreover, the two sons are diligently studying, especially the eldest, who is becoming a promising candidate for a great Emperor in the future.

Tiberius’s life is very bright.

“Your Majesty! The ambassador from the United Kingdom has requested a meeting.”

“It’s not on today’s schedule, is it? Tell them to arrange another time.”

“However, it is a truly urgent request for a meeting…”

As the secretary spoke with a stern face, Tiberius’s expression also hardened.

An urgent meeting…

In diplomatic circles, urgent meetings are rarely called unless they pertain to war.

“Tera, Joy? Daddy has to go because something urgent has come up.”

“Aww, when can we play then?”

As Joy pouts her lips, Theodora takes her hand.

“But Daddy is the Emperor, right? I’ll play with you, sis.”

As Tiberius watched the two depart hand in hand, he smiled briefly, but his expression quickly hardened.

“I thought we would have to settle this someday… but it seems a bit early.”

Leon III, the new king of the United Kingdom.

Leon II had been such a remarkable and meticulous figure.

Could it be that the United Kingdom, which had previously focused on colonial expansion for the future rather than meaningless wars, has now changed its policy?

Tiberius welcomed the ambassador from the United Kingdom.

“It’s been a while.”

Observing the ambassador’s tense demeanor, Tiberius quickly organized his thoughts.

He didn’t consider the possibility of losing to the United Kingdom in war, yet his mind was in turmoil.

With the eternal rival, the Babylonian Empire, still strong, he couldn’t afford to touch the eastern forces.

In contrast, while the enemies in the west were relatively weaker, they still posed a burden for the Empire, which had to keep its main forces engaged in battle, even if they weren’t as formidable as Babylon.

Considering the Golden Knights, the Grand Duchy, and the mobilized troops, Tiberius cautiously initiated the conversation.

“Yes. You said it was urgent?”

At Tiberius’s cold words, the ambassador nodded.

“Yes, it is a secret letter from our King, His Majesty Leon.”

Tiberius took the letter, carefully opened it, and examined its contents.

The king of the United Kingdom, lowering himself, was solidifying friendly relations and mentioning recent events in the Grand Duchy.

However, the more he read, the more Tiberius’s expression gradually hardened.

He had known for some time that Valoran had been cruel to his sons.

But for some reason, he had spared a child named Debian, who he remembered as quite clever.

“But he tried to escape?”

It was unprecedented for a nation’s heir to attempt to flee to another country.

Typically, taking a nation’s heir would only happen if they were a hostage.

And seeing Leon III’s request to stop Valoran from killing Debian under the pretext of urgency, Tiberius couldn’t help but respond incredulously.

“You said it was urgent, so I rushed here… but this doesn’t seem urgent at all?”

Realizing it wasn’t about war, Tiberius felt his previously anxious heart begin to settle, and he didn’t feel the need to save Debian.

In fact, even Tiberius could see that Debian’s crime was clear.

The intention behind the heir attempting to flee to another country suggested a desire to oust his father, and shaking the letter, he said,

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can fulfill King Leon’s request.”

In reality, it’s not a good look for the Emperor to meddle in someone else’s family affairs.

Moreover, Debian doesn’t even seem to be wronged.

“What’s going on here?”

As the ambassador stiffened his expression, Tiberius frowned.

“The intentions of King Leon, who tried to bring Lord Debian to the United Kingdom, are suspicious.”

In fact, it’s rare to abduct the heir of another nation.

“As you know, it’s because Valoran is trying to kill Lord Debian.”

At those words, Tiberius fell into a moment of thought, prompting the ambassador to hastily continue.

“Recently, Valoran has wanted to make the capable Princess Mary his heir, which is why the Grand Duchess Fulvia has stepped in to save Lord Debian.”

‘Certainly, that lunatic would go so far as to kill his own son to achieve his desires.’

Given the circumstances, it does seem that Valoran intended to kill Debian.

However, it would be difficult for the Emperor to assert Debian’s innocence based solely on suspicion.

If there were evidence of an attempt on his life, he could indeed punish Valoran, but the Emperor has no desire to kill Valoran.

‘What a predicament… what to do.’

“Lord Debian has not slept for more than four hours since he turned five. Isn’t it pitiful that he has been abused daily under the guise of education by Valoran?”

At those words, Tiberius showed a hint of surprise before responding.

“The young lord, who is beaten until his bottom is bruised, is not that much younger than Princess Theodora.”

Tiberius frowned at this.

“Indeed, it’s hard to call that education.”

Tiberius is already aware of Valoran’s bizarre behavior.

He let his two sons die in absurd ways and subjected the five-year-old Debian to cruel abuse.

And… if he has named Mary as his heir, he must kill the legal heir for her to become one.

Tiberius is increasingly convinced that Debian attempted to flee to survive in the United Kingdom.

Moreover, he himself has four children.

Thus, Tiberius’s heart leans more towards saving Debian.

“As Your Majesty knows, two brothers have already died. While there is no evidence, it can certainly be presumed that the Grand Duke is responsible for both deaths, can it not?”

The Emperor is deep in thought.

Though he does not like Valoran, he does not harbor hatred for him either.

After all, the one who is truly pitiful is Debian.

He opened his mouth.

“Alright, I will send a local governor to rescue Debian.”

“Thank you for your grace, akin to the vast heavens.”

At the ambassador’s words, Tiberius could only manage a bitter smile.

He had not thought highly of Debian at first.

He had nearly failed to act when it was time to scrutinize the matter closely as the emperor of this land.

“But they say Debian is quite brilliant; is that true?”

At Tiberius’s words, the ambassador nodded.

“He wrote at the age of five and performed simple calculations by then. And from the age of ten, even the renowned scholars across the empire could not help but marvel at his knowledge.”

The Lyon family had long been a lineage that revered the arts.

Tiberius was astonished that such a person had been born into such a family.

“Is that so?”

“Moreover, Her Grace the Grand Duchess is quite beautiful, isn’t she? Perhaps that’s why he is also striking in appearance.”

The emperor secretly marked Debian as a potential husband for Theodora in his mind.

As a princess of the empire, she would need to marry into a noble family, and a grand duchy would certainly be an acceptable match.

‘Debian… perhaps he could be a future son-in-law.’

But that was a matter for a very distant future, and the emperor soon forgot about Debian in his thoughts.

***

Grand Duchy Court.

“I hereby declare the verdict for the defendant, Debian Lyon.”

At the judge’s words, I rose from my chair.

“Though he is the heir to the grand duchy, planning to escape to a foreign land without the permission of His Grace the Grand Duke clearly constitutes treason. Therefore, this court sentences the defendant to death.”

“No!”

Thus, I was sentenced to death.