The Empror's Trap

Camelot calendar, year 558, late autumn.

Within the Camelot Empire, a rumor of uncertain truth began to circulate.

The rumor claimed that Emperor Pluvia Camelot had welcomed Duke Kenji Anos into the former imperial harem's Spring Peace Palace. Furthermore, after Kenji moved into the Spring Peace Palace, Empress Dowager had reportedly received him personally, engaging in pleasant conversation.

Soon after, another rumor spread that Kenji and Her Majesty had entered and exited the imperial bedchamber together, and that he had stayed overnight in Her Majesty's quarters.

For the common people of Camelot, while the Emperor's affairs weren't suitable for open discussion, this didn't prevent them from talking privately. These rumors spread with remarkable speed.

The officials were even more attentive—for them, obtaining first-hand information about the central government was paramount. By the time these rumors had begun circulating among the common people, Camelot's ministers already knew everything.

In the following days, similar rumors fermented rapidly. They quickly spread beyond Luminara City to the secondary capital and surrounding counties.

It's no exaggeration to say that these rumors spread far faster than anyone anticipated. When officials attempted to confirm the matter with Pluvia, they received the answer "complete nonsense"...

No one believed Her Majesty's denial. Whether judging from popular rumors or information that officials had obtained from palace sources through money and connections, the intelligence was undoubtedly true: Empress Dowager had indeed met with the Grand Marshal, and he was now residing in the Spring Peace Palace.

This didn't even require verification—Kenji's relocation to the Spring Peace Palace for work was already public knowledge. Many documents and military reports were being sent there, which was telling enough.

Consequently, ministers began speculating about the relationship between Her Majesty and Duke Anos.

When they carefully considered these matters and connected past events with current developments, they realized this explained why Her Majesty had made the unprecedented decision to confer the title of Prince upon Kenji.

Except during prolonged war periods when individuals of extraordinary merit might be ennobled, Camelot almost never granted ducal titles to those outside the imperial family. Even during the late Emperor's reign, no one outside the family had been made a prince.

Yet Her Majesty had conferred this title on Kenji for his achievements and for saving her life. This was truly a rare occurrence.

When viewed alongside these rumors, such behavior made sense: from the beginning, Her Majesty and the Grand Marshal had developed an unusual relationship. It was because of this connection, combined with his previous achievements, that Pluvia had made him a prince.

Some even suspected that Her Majesty had conferred the title to ensure she and the Grand Marshal would be of "equal standing"—preventing his status from being too far below her own.

This information left everyone astounded, and naturally explained why the Grand Marshal hadn't supported the palace coup attempt...

"Judging from these officials' reactions, the rumors have been quite successful," said Kenji, sipping tea while lounging comfortably in a reclining chair.

The rumors were indeed true, not fabrications. Kenji could guarantee this.

However, they concealed certain aspects of the reality. For instance, they omitted Lina's intrusion into the Compassion Palace and Her Majesty's bedchamber that day.

The information was all true, just incomplete.

At present, the initial results were satisfactory. For the ministers, his unclear relationship with Pluvia would, to some extent, push them to choose sides more quickly. Those who had been fence-sitting now had to consider which side to support.

Of course, this wasn't the final step.

The compromise Kenji had suggested wasn't just for external appearances, but also addressed the relationship between the two of them.

For now, the priority was to generate public opinion. The relationship between them remained in an ambiguous phase.

On one hand, this arrangement prevented officials from acting rashly and sent an ambiguous signal to the outside world, preparing them for what might come. On the other hand, it provided a path to a relatively equal marriage alliance for both Kenji and Pluvia, while also serving as a trial period.

Since this approach could quickly resolve domestic chaos, it made sense to pursue it. However, marriage was no small matter—for both parties, it was a lifelong commitment. Once they formally married, neither Pluvia nor Kenji could easily back out.

This was fundamentally a political marriage affecting Camelot's stability. If either of them eventually found it unbearable and separated, it might create the opposite effect on Camelot's political situation.

The tyranny of imperial rule meant the entire nation revolved around the emperor. When something went wrong in the emperor's household, the country suffered.

Therefore, this trial period was outwardly about projecting ambiguity. Internally, it was a compromise, with their future development depending on this phase.

Additionally, Kenji needed to buy time—he needed to quickly gain control of the Red Kite Army.

He needed such capital. Although he currently commanded over 300,000 troops and had the support of Lina and the Grand Marshal faction in court, many in that faction were military officers, mostly young people without much influence yet. Among civil officials, many remained neutral.

Take the old Imperial Censor, for example—a typical shrewd and cunning type who rarely showed open hostility toward him but wouldn't take his side either. He would only emerge when he clearly had the upper hand.

Such people appeared principled but were difficult to handle, as they might bite unexpectedly.

Kenji's goal was to further consolidate his power. If they eventually reached a consensus on marriage, he would inevitably become a consort subordinate to the imperial family. While this status would bring conveniences, it could also easily make him a sacrifice for the imperial family if he wasn't careful.

Look at Camelot's imperial sons-in-law—marrying princesses granted them lives of luxury, but they held no power and had to revere their wives with utmost respect, enjoying no freedom. They were reduced to extreme humility.

To put it bluntly, being abandoned after serving one's purpose was common, especially since his potential spouse wasn't just a princess but the actual Emperor.

She was someone who, for power and political influence, could harden her heart to execute her own brother—a brother born of the same mother, whom she had cared for and raised since childhood.

From Kenji's inherited memories, he knew Pluvia's imperial ambitions extended beyond this. The things she had done would be unimaginable in his original era.

Kenji couldn't guarantee he wouldn't become a political sacrifice. He had his own aspirations, but before pursuing them, he needed to firmly grasp the initiative. Survival came first, then his ambitions.

After all, this era lacked the progressive ideological foundation of his world. If he stubbornly transplanted his world's system here, he would die quickly and accomplish little.

However...

While internal struggles couldn't be ignored, now he needed to focus on his duties as Grand Marshal—

He turned his attention to Camelot's western neighbors.