Chapter 15 – The Fall of the Imperial Family (Part 1)

Hearing the voice ringing in her ears, Reubellina Asillious almost burst into tears. With him standing beside her, she no longer felt anxious. The unease that had consumed her vanished in an instant, and warmth spread from where his hand touched her. She had thought she was alone, but now that she had someone to rely on, she felt reassured.

Bellaruse’s eyes, upon recognizing Tartenon, gleamed with madness.

“The Grand Duke Tartenon Speraum was also present at that time.”

“What? The Grand Duke was there too?”

“Yes. I am innocent! With the Grand Duchess and the Grand Duke telling me such things, how could I have escaped?”

It was a desperate appeal. Reubellina laughed coldly.

“That is not true.”

Tartenon spoke up. However, the Emperor ignored him. Crown Prince Monterno Freynante spoke again.

“But you returned to the capital. There would have been no one to threaten you here, right?”

“No! The Duke Asillious was in the capital!”

‘This crazy woman.’

Reubellina had to bite her lip to keep from cursing out loud. She unfolded her fan to show her discomfort. The sound of the fan unfolding drew the eyes of the nobles as she partially covered her face. She could no longer listen to Bellaruse’s nonsense quietly.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty, but I cannot continue to listen to these absurd lies.”

“What do you mean, Grand Duchess?”

The Emperor finally reacted.

“Lady Zeraon of Bellaruse was the fiancée of the Second Prince and was promised the position of a princess. And now she’s claiming she killed the Second Prince and is answering the Crown Prince’s questions diligently.”

“That’s too harsh!”

Monterno intervened hastily. But Reubellina didn’t stop.

“I apologize. I am just concerned that Lady Zeraon might be disturbing the Crown Prince’s judgment.”

Reubellina finished speaking with a face that showed no remorse. Her words implied a possible relationship between Bellaruse and Monterno, causing the nobles to waver. Reubellina decided to be satisfied with that for now.

“How could I defy the Grand Duchess with such a sharp tongue?”

Tears fell from Bellaruse’s eyes. She cried pitifully on her knees. To Reubellina, they were crocodile tears, but others seemed to be moved. It was a scandal involving both Speraum and the Asillious family. Whether Bellaruse’s words were true or not, the honor of both families was already tarnished.

The nobles watched them with keen interest, showing no intention of helping. Northern nobles who might have supported them hadn’t even received invitations, leaving Tartenon and Reubellina to fight alone.

“Mere words cannot be accepted as evidence. His Majesty knows this better than anyone.”

“Of course. I didn’t bring a criminal to the banquet without evidence.”

The Emperor clapped his hands, signaling the knights to drag someone in.

“Isn’t that the head of Musen Trade?”

One of the nobles recognized the person. The Emperor glanced at the noble, and Reubellina realized that there were collaborators among the nobles. She remembered his face and turned her attention back to the Emperor.

“Do you know why you’ve been brought here?”

“I-I don’t know.”

The head of Musen Trade answered, trembling. Reubellina was relieved that the person she had appointed as her proxy didn’t know her identity. He had only lent his name when creating Musen Trade.

“We know that you received money from someone when you founded Musen Trade. Who supported you?”

“I received help from the Duke Asillious.”

It was a well-known fact. The head of Musen Trade had entered the trade with the Duke’s help. Without the Asillious family’s backing, they wouldn’t have secured trading partners. Everyone knew that a portion of the profits went to the Asillious family.

“Did the Duke give you the money to establish the trade?”

“Absolutely not! And Musen Trade was taken over by someone else long ago. I was just running it as usual and receiving money from that person.”

“Oh? Then who is that person?”

“I-I don’t know.”

Monterno stepped forward again.

“The head of Musen Trade is the Duke Asillious.”

“That’s impossible!”

The head’s reaction seemed genuine. The nobles watched, wondering if Monterno’s claim was true. Then Monterno presented a document.

“Look at this.”

It was a document submitted when Musen Trade was first established, detailing its trading partners—all associated with Asillious Trade.

“You got a lot of work from Asillious Trade. You made money by selling their items and, once you had enough capital, the work from Asillious Trade decreased. Is this a coincidence?”

It was circumstantial evidence, but enough to sow doubt among the nobles. The wealth of the Asillious family was substantial, and many were interested in the spoils if the family fell.

The nobles’ murmurs were filled with greed. Reubellina smiled bitterly, seeing no way out of the situation.

It was a losing battle for her. The social circles of the capital were firmly aligned with the imperial family.

“I can explain that.”

Tartenon spoke again. Although they didn’t want to give him the chance to speak, Tartenon was faster than the Emperor.

“Musen Trade belongs to the North.”

“What?”

The Emperor’s shocked voice echoed in the hall. The murmurs about the fall of the Asillious family ceased, and the room fell silent. The nobles watched intently.

“I said Musen Trade was prepared by the North.”

“That’s a lie!”

“A lie? Can’t you see? After the Grand Duchess came to the North, Musen Trade’s branches were established. It was all planned. How else could branches appear overnight?”

It was a plausible explanation. Reubellina praised her past self for quickly establishing branches in the North. Without that, they wouldn’t have had this excuse.

The nobles, thoroughly convinced, looked at Tartenon with near reverence. Not only was he a Sword Master, but he also had a keen business sense.

Even the nobles of the capital, who didn’t know much about Tartenon, began to reconsider their opinions of him. The Emperor, inadvertently elevating Tartenon’s status, looked at Monterno in confusion.

“Is it really you, Grand Duke?”

“Yes. That head is my proxy, so don’t press him too hard. Losing a capable person would be troublesome.”

Monterno couldn’t refute Tartenon’s assertion that Musen Trade was a joint venture between the Asillious family and Speraum. There was enough circumstantial evidence but no definitive proof.

Monterno squinted and then smiled coldly. Reubellina shuddered at the chilling emotion in his smile. It carried a sinister and fishy aura.

Reubellina instinctively knew that Monterno’s next words would deal a decisive blow to her and Tartenon.

“So, the North and the Asillious family had a relationship even before the marriage?”

Everyone present understood that this implied treason.

The banquet hall, enveloped in silence, was filled with shock. Reubellina’s gaze, scanning the startled faces of the nobles, finally rested on Tartenon. She was about to speak when Tartenon’s voice cut through the tension.

“Is that wrong?”

“What?”

“I asked if that’s wrong. Don’t the nobles of the capital have personal connections?”

The Emperor was at a loss for words, unable to entangle Tartenon in accusations of treason due to the subtle nuance of his question.

Monterno, with a scowling face, stepped forward, seemingly unable to accept Tartenon’s defiance.

“The North is different from the capital.”

“How can it be different when it’s within the Freynante Empire? Are you discriminating against the North?”

Despite Tartenon’s sharp tone, Monterno didn’t back down. He was determined to frame the North and the Asillious family for treason to hold Reubellina accountable for Inferno’s death.

“The North has the power to move troops for personal gain, so they shouldn’t form personal connections with nobles.”

“Then who should the North turn to for help in difficult times?”

Tartenon’s piercing gaze met Monterno’s. The emotions in his blue eyes were resentment and sorrow.

“For years, the North has guarded the Empire’s borders without receiving anything in return. We haven’t even received funds for the knights’ uniforms or to maintain our forces.”

“Isn’t it natural to protect the domain of Speraum?”

“Ha!”

Tartenon scoffed and declared,

“Is it really just only to protect the domain of Speraum?”

His words, filled with a warning, made Monterno’s face turn red. He knew well how significant the work of Speraum in the North was. However, he deliberately minimized Tartenon’s achievements. If not, he feared that the North would hold more power than the imperial family.

The past Emperors had always been wary of the North—their military, knights, and resources. Therefore, the current Emperor tried to give them nothing. Although the previous Emperors had issued directives regarding the North, he ignored them.

“The Grand Duke has the authority akin of a king, so he should bear that much responsibility. Where is power without responsibility?”

The Emperor, who had been listening quietly, finally spoke up. But Tartenon could no longer hold back. No, he couldn’t hold back any longer.

“Then allow the North to become independent.”

“What, what did you say?”

“Isn’t it already half-independent? You only know how to collect taxes from the North, but why should we protect an empire that doesn’t help us in times of difficulty?”

“Grand Duke! How dare you…!”

“Can you stop us?”

His low voice echoed throughout the banquet hall. Even if the North declared independence immediately, the capital had no means to prevent it. They were too busy indulging in luxury to properly train knights. The capital had a knight order, but it was merely for show.

Even that order couldn’t be paid properly due to the imperial family’s financial situation. This worsened after the Asillious family turned their backs. The money they had borrowed from the family was quite substantial.

It was money given without conditions. But with that money gone, the imperial family desperately sought a new source. However, it wasn’t easy. They couldn’t find a noble family on par with the Asillious family, which led them to investigate Musen Trade.