9. Individual Cracks, Individual Solutions (2)
“Your Highness.”
The Princess had been lost in thought frequently these days.
Her expression was serious, seeming to be deeply contemplating something each time, but when asked, she would only smile, making Shapiro Heviathan’s heart ache.
Although all he could offer was physical labor, and listening wouldn’t provide much help, he felt deeply saddened by his inability to ease the worries of the woman he loved.
“Your Highness!”
“…Hmm?”
But he put away that bitter expression and opened his mouth.
“A guest has arrived.”
“Ah…”
The Princess brightened at the news of the visitor. It was the brightest expression he had seen from her lately.
“Finally, she’s here. Quickly, show her in!”
Shapiro personally opened the door and guided the outside guest into the reception room.
“Your Highness, I trust you are well?”
“Welcome, Duchess Kramer.”
The guest was Saena Kramer.
The Princess smiled brightly as she seated Saena on the sofa and ordered tea to be brought in immediately.
“Just my name is enough, as before, Your Highness.”
“Would that be alright? I do prefer it as it feels more familiar.”
“Of course. Please call me Saena.”
Soon the tea set arrived, and they first discussed light recent matters over tea. However, Saena could read a certain urgency in the Princess’s face.
She had noticed how the Princess showed slight expectation and disappointment each time Saena spoke. Seeing this, the Princess clearly had a topic she wanted to discuss.
And that must be,
‘Related to that family motto from before.’
Saena contemplated briefly before raising her head to stare intently at Sir Heviathan standing behind the Princess.
“…Saena? What’s wrong?”
“Hmm.”
Though Sir Heviathan typically didn’t show much change in expression and it wasn’t very noticeable, he seemed slightly puzzled by Saena’s direct gaze. The Princess as well.
“Your Highness.”
Saena’s gaze shifted to look directly at the Princess now.
“Do you wish to marry the man you love?”
Surprise appeared on the Princess’s face.
“Wh-what are you saying?”
“If you could marry the man you love, regardless of conditions like good family or bloodline…”
“……”
“Would you do it?”
They probably didn’t know that Saena was aware of the relationship between the Princess and Sir Heviathan. Even Sir Heviathan showed signs of being flustered this time.
“Your Highness, I request a private audience.”
And when Saena requested a private audience, the Princess and Shapiro’s bewilderment deepened.
“That cannot be allowed.”
And Shapiro immediately objected.
Not because he considered Saena dangerous, but because that was simply his role.
“I merely have something to tell Her Highness.”
“Must it be in private?”
“The content is sensitive.”
The Princess fell into thought.
“You cannot be alone under any circumstances.”
Shapiro objected again.
“You can bring Sir Heviathan back right after hearing just one thing. It’s for the slightest possibility.”
After all, this was a topic that would burden Saena’s side as well. The Princess looked at Saena and contemplated briefly before asking Sir Heviathan to leave for a moment.
“But Your Highness.”
“It’s alright. Just wait outside for a moment.”
Though Shapiro’s expression showed he was completely reluctant, he eventually opened the door and left.
When the door closed and they were alone, Saena leaned close to the Princess’s ear.
“Let me change the question.”
And asked in a low voice.
“If Your Highness could become Crown Prince, what would you do?”
“…What?”
The Princess’s expression changed instantly. While the Princess made a face asking what nonsense she was talking about, Saena changed the topic again as she studied her face.
“Do you perhaps know the name of the Emperor right after the founding Emperor?”
“What imperial citizen wouldn’t know Emperor Aidra Macfeyden, the second Emperor?”
“That’s right. And that Emperor was the founding Emperor’s…”
Saena added with a slight smile.
“Daughter.”
“…What?!”
The second Emperor’s achievements were famous.
Though the founding Emperor had established the empire after organizing the chaotic era, history says it was Emperor Aidra who laid the foundation for the thousand-year empire. Perhaps that’s why people called the founding Emperor the ‘Father of the Nation’ and Emperor Aidra the ‘Father of the Empire.’
Father of the Empire. In some ways, isn’t that an even more acknowledging expression than Father of the Nation? Yet this Father of the Empire was actually a woman.
“…A daughter? You mean a female emperor?”
“Yes.”
Even the Princess’s face showed disbelief.
“……”
“Until around 300-400 years into the Macfeyden calendar, there were quite a few female emperors. Back then, the proof of succession appeared… not just in princes, but in princesses too.”
“…Ha, is that true?”
“Yes. The imperial genealogy records all the emperors’ names. But the names that remain in history are usually given after death based on achievements. Only the posthumous titles of emperors remain, not female names.”
And since imperial posthumous titles were created from ancient Arlesian according to their meaning, they didn’t give off feminine impressions even for female emperors.
Therefore, it was almost impossible to distinguish gender just by looking at the historical names of emperors.
“But genealogies typically record not just the emperor’s name but also their consort’s name. For tracking bloodlines, you see. Looking at the empress names made it more obvious. In the early empire, there were quite a few clearly male names. Though in those cases, we should say imperial consort rather than empress.”
She went to the Tower to confirm this.
The memorandums of dukes from the early Macfeyden Empire.
Besides their personal succession histories, dukes often recorded the empire’s current affairs and events worth recording (such as royal marriages, coronations, imperial births, the rise and fall of certain houses, etc.).
Through such records, she could clearly distinguish which emperors had been female.
Though she couldn’t show the memorandums of successive Kramer dukes as evidence, it wasn’t a lie, and if the Princess wished, there would surely be ways to verify it.
“I think there must be a separate imperial genealogy that only the imperial family can see. There must be things like imperial memorandums or imperial annals.”
If the Kramer house had such things, the imperial house surely would too. Also, anyone could guess that not all books would be in the imperial library. There must be a separate archive somewhere.
“Hmm.”
The Princess made an expression as if something occurred to her at Saena’s words.
“Even if that’s true, historical facts alone don’t mean I can succeed.”
The conditions for the imperial crown prince were clear.
One who shows ‘proof of succession.’
Only such a person could become crown prince, and only the crown prince was qualified to become emperor.
To outsiders, conception itself was known as the ‘proof of succession,’ but now it seemed that might not be true. Perhaps only the imperial family knew what the actual proof was.
But it probably didn’t matter much.
Saena simply thought: the Princess could do it.
Because she had a man she loved.
“Why do you think the founding Emperor fixed the system to one empress?”
“They say he deeply loved his deceased wife.”
“Right. That’s a very widely known fact.”
Stories and history about the founding Emperor were so common that it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say people didn’t take them seriously anymore.
“However, no one connects that to the conditions of succession.”
“…What do you mean?”
Saena explained what she had discovered about the imperial family motto.
“It’s love, Your Highness.”
Unique and absolute love.
“The reason the imperial family’s protective power is weakening is because the imperial family motto was mistranslated, and the method of succession has been corrupted.”
Unlike the early and middle periods of the Macfeyden Empire, everyone said the protective power had weakened. Demonic beast incursions were becoming more frequent, and border disputes were common.
As a result, the four dukes had to shed more blood.
“Achelion learned emotions from humans. And for that, it willingly became a guardian spirit.”
In reality, the empire recorded golden ages when the relationship between emperor and empress was good. Though no one paid attention to that correlation, when researched and connected, it was actually true.
“The rest…”
“……”
“The Hebeta ceremony. The method must be there.”
The Hebeta ceremony is not a public ceremony. Therefore, it’s unknown which processes are procedures linked to succession.
Previously, they thought it wasn’t publicly revealed because becoming a Hebeta didn’t automatically make one imperial family, but there was actually a different reason.
And there must be differences as well.
Something that princesses don’t do but princes do.
That’s where the divergence occurred.
“Find that, and perform it. And obtain the proof of succession.”
“……”
“I too am an imperial citizen. I… want this country’s protection to continue. I want peace.”
“……”
“I don’t want war. I hope there won’t be children crying after losing their parents, and I hope there won’t be more people harmed by increasing demonic beasts.”
As she grew up, the Princess was naturally excluded from qualification for the imperial throne. No, it was so natural that the concept of exclusion didn’t even exist.
Nevertheless, she learned and knew how to handle state affairs, and worked hard for the empire.
What the Princess lacked was just one thing—the awareness that ‘she too was qualified.’
And now that she knew that wasn’t actually true, that was over.
Because in reality, the Princess was more than qualified.
At least compared to the Prince, she was even more so.
“Therefore, Your Highness. Please make the right decision.”
The Prince must not become emperor.
Though she couldn’t say these words, the Princess would know as well.
Even if the Princess had no interest in the imperial throne, it didn’t seem like the Prince would treat her particularly well after becoming emperor.
Because he was thoroughly selfish in nature.
The private audience ended, leaving the Princess with deeper contemplation.
* * *
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