“I hope Your Grace understands that Miss Bertin has her limits.”

“…What do you mean?”

Count Jacob’s face momentarily contorted.

“Your Grace, do you really not understand? I’m saying you should treat her better. Before she runs away.”

“…She won’t run away. Miss Bertin is Elodie’s guardian, and she cares for Elodie as much as I do.”

Theodore suppressed the urge to add, “perhaps even more than I do.”

“I don’t think so.”

Count Jacob didn’t back down at all.

“Your Grace, no matter how much Miss Bertin cherishes the young lady, she’s not her biological parent. If you keep her by your side without proper treatment, using her compassion as an excuse, you’ll regret it someday.”

Theodore frowned.

“What you’re saying is…”

Irreverently, Count Jacob interrupted him again.

“If Your Grace wishes to keep Miss Bertin by the young lady’s side for a long time, rather than relying on her kind heart as you do now, you should think of some other method.”

“Some other method.”

Theodore fell into thought for a moment. Apart from the unpleasant tone, Count Jacob’s words didn’t seem entirely wrong.

Aria Bertin was definitely a woman he didn’t want to let go. Not only was she an excellent guardian for Elodie, but even simple contact with her easily calmed the side effects of black magic. However, the very idea of keeping her for such reasons…

‘Disgusting.’

A long sigh escaped his lips. Why? While he wanted to keep Aria Bertin by his side, the notion that he needed to keep her because she was useful to him felt repulsive.

Theodore tried to think more deeply about his feelings, but an informant who burst into the office, gasping for breath, interrupted his contemplation.

“Your Grace, Marquis Carbodin has entered the capital!”

Theodore decided to set aside his thoughts about the enigma that was Aria Bertin for now. It was time to crush Marquis Carbodin, who had dared to leave deep wounds on Elodie. Count Jacob’s eyes gleamed.

“That’s faster than expected.”

“Indeed. I thought it would take more time since I made it so he couldn’t walk properly…”

He rose from his seat.

“Prepare. We’re going to the capital.”

***

In the deep imperial garden. On the surface, it appeared to be just a modest garden, but in reality, it was a place used exclusively by the Emperor for secret audiences. Naturally, security was more stringent than anywhere else, making it accessible only to a select few among the high nobility.

“Duke Baniche.”

Theodore immediately knelt on one knee to show respect to the Emperor.

“I stand before the supreme sky of the Empire.”

“Rise.”

As he stood up, he saw the Emperor, visibly more aged than a few years ago, gazing at him intently. His fierce golden eyes, like those of an eagle, gleamed in the sunlight.

“You don’t seem to have been doing well.”

“I’ve been doing fairly well.”

Theodore gave a bitter smile. Yes, he had indeed been doing fairly well. Until George Carbodin dared to covet the only being he cherished.

“So, what brings you here? When I summoned you, you made all sorts of excuses.”

“If I told you in advance, it wouldn’t be as interesting.”

Theodore replied calmly.

“If you wait a moment, he will arrive.”

“Who… Ah, there he comes.”

Theodore inwardly swallowed a hollow laugh. Marquis Carbodin had arrived at the garden faster than expected.

It seemed he had intended to arrive ahead of Theodore by any means, but no matter how fast his horse, it couldn’t match the power of black magic.

A knight of sturdy build entered the garden and bent his knee. On his back was the slumped figure of Marquis Carbodin.

‘How pitiful he has become.’

Only those with permanent access, like himself, or those granted temporary entry, like Marquis Carbodin, could enter this garden. This knight, who belonged to neither category, would die a violent death within days.

“I-I stand before Your Majesty, the Emperor!”

George Carbodin, half-fallen to the ground, bowed his head. His eyes, always so domineering before, were now filled with misery and despair.

“Marquis, what happened to your legs?”

“…W-well, that is…”

“Your Majesty, it seems the Marquis would be better off sitting in a chair. The ground is still wet as it hasn’t been long since the rain stopped.”

“Ah, how thoughtless of me.”

The Emperor was clearly enjoying the situation. It must have been interesting to see the balance between the two normally antagonistic families tilt so heavily to one side.

“Yes, Marquis. Would you like to sit in this chair?”

As the knight bent down to help the Marquis, the Emperor extended his hand to stop him.

“Just the Marquis.”

“….”

A flash of humiliation crossed the Marquis’s face.

“Tsk.”

The Emperor made a clicking sound with his tongue.

“George, are you trying to defy my orders right now?”

“I… shall obey.”

George Carbodin pushed against the ground with his one good leg, half-crawling toward the chair. His hopping and stumbling resembled a grasshopper with a broken leg more than a person, but no one laughed.

Finally seated in the chair, Marquis Carbodin bowed his head toward the Emperor.

“Thank you for your consideration.”

“Think nothing of it. For the Marquis, I can spare one of my chairs. However…”

The Emperor gave a sardonic smile.

“Could you tell me why I should spend my precious time here?”

The Marquis’s gaze momentarily darted toward Theodore, but he merely shrugged. Speaking up in this situation would only help the Marquis. And if there was one thing Theodore Baniche would never do, it was make things easier for Marquis Carbodin.

“…I have committed a crime.”

“A crime?”

The Emperor asked in a tone suggesting great interest.

“Against whom? Ah, I needn’t ask. It must be Duke Baniche.”

The answers burst simultaneously from Theodore and Marquis Carbodin.

“Yes.”

“No.”

The one who affirmed was Marquis Carbodin, and the one who denied was Theodore. The Emperor raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised.

“Explain, Duke Baniche.”

Theodore swallowed a sigh. He had wanted the Marquis to reveal it himself, but he couldn’t disobey the Emperor’s command. He slowly opened his mouth.

“This man committed crimes against my daughter and her attendants. Above all, against my daughter…”

Theodore paused briefly. It wasn’t to create a dramatic effect. Simply, when he thought about the situation, his anger surged so much that he couldn’t properly speak.

“He conducted human experiments on her.”

“That’s a lie, Your Majesty!”

Marquis Carbodin cried out desperately.

“Is it?”

Theodore gritted his teeth.

“Then what about the mercury found in the room where my daughter was imprisoned?”

“…!”

The Emperor’s eyes widened, then immediately hardened. Mercury. It was an expensive and powerful substance, essential for magic, but also highly toxic. It was widely known to be especially poisonous to young children.

“That was… a mistake. I meant to clean it up but forgot to do so, Your Majesty. Please believe me!”

The Emperor replied sternly.

“I don’t think anyone would believe that statement now, Marquis.”

Duke Baniche looked at Marquis Carbodin with an expressionless face. In truth, from the moment he had arrived here first, it was as good as a won battle. Simply by showing the Emperor that he was alive and well, he had gained the upper hand.

While the Carbodin family was building a considerable reputation through running a solid merchant company, their power still lagged far behind the ducal family that had been loyal to the imperial family for generations.

And then there was himself, Theodore Baniche. Theodore was not one to underestimate himself. He couldn’t help but hear the whispers around him.

A being with unparalleled individual power. A power that could destroy a small country if not for the accumulating side effects due to his unique constitution. The side effects of black magic were a curse to him, but also a blessing.

Because of these side effects, both the imperial family and other nobles had been treating him as merely a useful pawn, feeling reassured.