Chapter 15

Louis’s eyes lingered on the bruises left on my body before he soon turned to Diego with an expressionless face.

“I might be able to overlook the insult to me, but I can’t stand by and watch you disgrace my predecessor and try to harm Leonia.”

With that, he slapped Diego across the face with a crisp white glove, letting it drop to the floor. As everyone realized this was a challenge to a duel, the room erupted into murmurs.

“…Are you challenging me to a duel now?”

“What’s wrong? Afraid you’ll lose?”

Diego bit down on his lip at the open mockery.

Louis might only be a knight in name, but he had seen the battlefield several times. Diego, on the other hand, has never so much as held a sword properly.

It was probably a bewildering sight for the Emperor.

Despite Diego being obviously in the wrong, Louis chose to follow the code of chivalry and challenge him to a duel rather than passing immediate judgment. If Diego turned down the duel, he would have no choice but to accept whatever punishment Louis asked for.

If he were lucky, maybe he would just get sent into exile.

…Though honestly, that was probably just an optimistic assumption.

‘That sly emperor isn’t someone who’ll yield so easily.’

“…For something like this to happen on such a fine day. It must all be because of my own shortcomings.”

Just as expected, the Emperor sighed, putting a hand to his forehead in regret.

“I suppose I’ve been too soft on Diego. Ever since Lionel passed away, I’ve just been spoiling him, and in the end, I failed to be a proper father.”

“…Your Majesty.”

“How could you say such a thing…”

The mood shifted oddly when he started blaming himself and brought up Prince Lionel’s death. It was so absurd that a hollow laugh escaped me.

‘…He’s insane.’

Lionel was the Emperor’s only legitimate son with the empress, and the strongest candidate for the throne. However, he died in a carriage accident when he was still just a child, before he could even celebrate his coming of age.

‘That was the same accident that killed the former Duke and Duchess of Arvan, and Louis’s older brother, Lian Arvan.’

And the one who had orchestrated that accident was none other than the Emperor himself. In order to give the throne to Diego, the son born from his beloved mistress, who lay dying, he had to get rid of Lionel, the empress’s son. And now, he was shamelessly trying to manipulate public sympathy by using the very son he murdered.

‘He’s truly a chilling human being.’

“I won’t ask you to forgive Diego. Even I know that would be far too shameless.”

“….”

“But could you reconsider challenging that boy to a duel? He’s never even held a sword.”

When the Emperor who ruled an entire empire pleaded so earnestly, most people would naturally shrink back or relent.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

Louis, of course, was the exception.

He made a show of considering it, since he was standing before the Emperor, then spoke again.

“I’m a knight of the empire, Your Majesty. How could someone like me take back a glove once thrown?”

Even the Emperor seemed at a loss, as if he realized he couldn’t push any further.

‘But the tide has already turned in the emperor’s favor.’

So, if Louis withdrew the duel challenge and accepted the Emperor’s offer to mediate reconciliation, that would be the smartest course.

That was when I would make my move and get what I wanted.

“If the issue is that he’s never held a sword, then I’ll take a wooden one and let the marquis use a real blade.”

The Emperor, hearing Louis’s calm suggestion, murmured.

“I suppose that’s one solution.”

‘…This situation isn’t good.’

If Louis pushed through and got his duel, the Emperor would resent him regardless of the outcome. He didn’t care whether he made an enemy of the Emperor or not, so he could act that way.

‘But if the emperor takes out his frustration on me, I’m doomed.’

Unlike Louis, I didn’t have the power to protect myself.

“Duke Arvan!”

At that moment, Marquis Branto came running over, looking ashen.

For a second, I thought maybe the marquis’s daughter had come along, but she was nowhere in sight. Then, why had the marquis come alone?

I barely had time to wonder before Marquis Branto dropped to his knees in front of Louis.

“…Marquis Branto?”

“What’s going on…?”

The crowd started murmuring.

“I know that Marquis Regen went too far with his words and actions. But today, he and my daughter promised each other a future.”

Louis stared at the marquis with an expressionless face.

“If something were to happen to Marquis Regen, I wouldn’t be able to face my daughter.”

The marquis rambled on, claiming his daughter was so sensitive that she had already returned to the estate ahead of time, and that news of Diego joining a duel would devastate her.

‘So that’s why he made sure to send his daughter away first.’

But the Lady Branto I knew was anything but fragile. Still, the marquis had no qualms about using his daughter to manipulate the situation.

“If that’s still not enough, then I’ll take his place in the duel.”

With that, it was basically game over.

There was nothing left to see. If Louis were to actually duel that frail old marquis now, he would face nothing but condemnation.