Chapter 51

“It’s noisy again today.”

Rebecca pushed me towards the office. It meant I should go inside quickly and avoid the protesters. The rally that started the day after the banquet had been going on for over five days.

Thanks to that, I was stuck too. Not only could I not go to Dear Elizabeth, but the work we were doing was also delayed. Shops that couldn’t withstand the pressure from the protesters had entered a temporary shutdown.

And it seemed that the repercussions of this incident had reached the royal family, as I hadn’t seen Alejandro’s face for the past five days.

“Please go in quickly, Miss.”

Still, I had come to work to organize the article that would go into the next gossip column.

“Isn’t it somewhat gratifying? Our article has that much influence.”

“It is gratifying.”

Rebecca smiled brightly.

“Thanks to that, the voices praising His Highness the Crown Prince have increased. That snake-like woman is in trouble now, isn’t she?”

“The Empress is in trouble? Are you sure?”

Rebecca nodded her head.

“I’ve heard that they dragged Wormtail to the underground prison last night, a first for any relative of the Empress.”

“Wow…”

Is it to that extent? I did really well, that’s amazing.

“They say His Majesty the Emperor was extremely furious. In fact, His Majesty had mostly left the work to His Highness the Crown Prince and just lived in seclusion, right?”

That was the setting. I remember.

“For it to reach even the ears of His Majesty means it’s not an ordinary situation.”

“What about Prince Adrian?”

“They say he knelt before His Majesty and begged him to forgive his mother!”

In that moment, chills ran down my spine.

This was the ultimate destruction of the original work. To make Adrian, the male lead, into that state… gulp. But this wasn’t something I did…?

This happened after the saint died.

Don’t be scared for no reason, Evelina.

“Um, um. So, this will be over soon?”

“Probably? The commercial district is nearly paralyzed, so the royal family will have to take action quickly.”

They must. The next gossip column is delayed, and my first photo shoot is also postponed.

The good thing is that I’m not going to the temple because of this. The path to the temple is completely blocked by protesters. I’ve heard they’re demanding Wormtail’s dismissal from the Pope. It would be nice if the Empress got involved in that too.

But the Empress wouldn’t fall over something so trivial.

Alejandro, fighting!

☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓

Alejandro stared at the conference room with a cold, hardened expression. It was a meeting attended by the heads of each noble family. They all looked tired and worn out, perhaps because the journey had been difficult. Some had their clothes torn to shreds by the protesters.

“I thought it would die down, but the flames are only growing stronger. Your Majesty, we must do something.”

The Emperor pressed his head down firmly.

The image of the weak and pale emperor had turned more irritable. The Emperor turned his head and glared at Empress Rielin.

“If you have a mouth, speak, Empress! What do you plan to do about this situation?”

“Your Majesty, Wormtail has already been imprisoned and has paid the fines. The punishment has already been completed. It seems we should now punish the protesters who are making such excessive demands.”

“Ha!”

The sensitive emperor scoffed.

“Is that the kind of idle talk coming from the Empress? Let’s say we choose a few from among them to punish! What do you think they will do then? Next, they’ll demand my abdication!”

The Emperor’s voice grew louder. The trembling emperor looked as if he would collapse at any moment.

Alejandro stifled a laugh.

It was Alejandro’s doing that this situation had dragged on this long. Once the fire was lit, how could it be ignored? Alejandro poured oil on the flames, making them burn even brighter.

Clever Evelina.

“So, what do you want me to do?”

“The Empress must think of a solution! You’ve stirred up this mess, and now you want me to fix it?”

Empress Rielin bit her lip. In truth, this situation shouldn’t have escalated to this point. If it weren’t for those who had stirred the pot, it would have quietly faded away. The nobles holding the empress’s hand were also silent.

They didn’t know what kind of backlash they might face from the emotional emperor. Adrian had been struck by an inkpot thrown by the Emperor, leaving a gash on his forehead.

All the nobles had witnessed that horrific sight.

‘Damn woman.’

A burning hatred flared up towards Evelina. She should have been killed; she should have been. Failing to do so had led to this mess.

“…May I speak, Your Majesty?”

Alejandro spoke indifferently. The Emperor’s eyes widened.

“Yes, Crown Prince! If you have a solution, speak!”

“In my view, this situation can be resolved with money.”

Alejandro and Empress Rielin locked eyes. Alejandro scoffed. Empress Rielin clenched her teeth.

“With money?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. If such problems can be solved with money, wouldn’t that be fortunate?”

“The Crown Prince is correct. However, as the Empress already mentioned, even after paying the fines, they are not backing down. If this continues, we may have to discuss the Empress’s abdication!”

That must not happen. It wasn’t that the Emperor still had feelings for Empress Rielin; he simply didn’t want to get involved in such matters.

The Emperor had to be a noble artist.

“That’s because Your Majesty paid the fines. They haven’t received anything.”

“…That is a valid point. So, where should the money be placed?”

“It should be used for them. The damage from the recent flood still remains. Many have lost a lot due to the flood. In particular, there are reports of many starving to death due to lack of food. If Your Majesty the Empress were to show kindness and distribute grain to them, this situation would surely calm down.”

Alejandro spoke smoothly.

The crops had all been ruined by the flood, causing grain prices to skyrocket.

With domestic supply being difficult, relying on imports meant prices could only rise. Asking for grain at inflated prices was nothing short of a scheme targeting Empress Rielin’s treasury.

“That’s quite a good idea, isn’t it, Empress?”

Empress Rielin glared at Alejandro before shifting her gaze to the Emperor.

His face brightened with the hope that they might escape this situation. Such a fool could still be an Emperor!

‘Incompetent fool!’

It was because of the Emperor that the child Rielin bore could become the Crown Prince, yet despite that, her anger surged due to his incompetence. The Emperor intended to use the Empress as a sacrifice to resolve all of this.

She was going to lose something bigger by being greedy for a small amount of money.

“And I believe tax reform will also be necessary.”

“Why taxes?”

“Right now, they have no ability to pay taxes, Your Majesty. If you exempt the taxes for those who have suffered and start collecting taxes again next year, you will win public favor. Use the fines from this incident to cover the shortfall. Digging into this matter may reveal that more people are involved.”

At Alejandro’s statement, several nobles’ faces turned pale. Most of them had ties to Wormtail.

Those who had been trailing behind the Empress.

“…That’s a good method.”

The Emperor nodded. He appeared to be feeling a sudden fatigue from the situation.

“Do that.”

This time, permission was granted easily. Alejandro had obtained everything he sought.

In contrast, the empress could not even protect what she had. The trembling shoulders of Empress Rielin looked particularly small. Alejandro ran his tongue over his mouth.

Once again, Alejandro and Rielin’s eyes met.

‘I’ll tear you apart.’

Empress Rielin trembled with rage. Alejandro felt immensely pleased.

With this incident, Alejandro had effectively cut off at least the empress’s left leg. It was largely thanks to Evelina that he could achieve such results from a seemingly small matter.

After the meeting ended, everyone left their seats. The first to depart was the Emperor.

The last ones remaining were Alejandro and Empress Rielin.

“If you think this is the end…”

“Thank you, Your Majesty the Empress.”

“What?”

“I’m thanking you for bringing Evelina here.”

At those words, the color drained from Rielin’s face.