Without offering him so much as a cup of tea, Alix dismissed Haelum. The moment the door closed, he roughly ran his hand through his hair, disarranging the crimson strands beneath his touch. Raking his hand through his hair as though he might tear it out, Alix finally lost control and swept everything on the table onto the floor.

Thanks to the thick carpet, nothing shattered, but the overturned inkwell burst open and splattered black ink everywhere.

“…Kailos Laharden.”

He spat out the name in a rough voice, as though he wanted to grind it to dust. He had pretended not to know Selonia’s whereabouts, but had he been deceiving him all along?

Ever since reading Selonia’s reply the previous afternoon — sealed in an envelope bearing the Grand Duke’s crest — Alix had been in a foul mood.

She had brushed aside the hand he had extended, only to announce her engagement to the Grand Duke of Laharden.

He could not believe it.

Had he ever experienced such a profound sense of betrayal?

Like a child robbed of something he believed was his, he struggled to restrain the impulsive rage surging in his chest. He could not explain why he had become so embittered, but the mere thought of Selonia standing at the Grand Duke’s side was enough to make murderous intent boil within him, directed entirely at Kailos.

“…She was mine. She was mine to begin with.”

He repeated the words over and over again, as though trying to convince himself. Yes, Selonia had once been his. She had laughed, cried and breathed alongside him. She had rejoiced, experienced happiness, and felt melancholy only at his touch. She was a small, lovely creature he could hold and caress at will…

— or had she?

The thought felt exaggerated, born of his agitation. Realizing how unstable he had become, Alix shook his head sharply and took a deep breath.

When had their relationship turned into something like this?

Since the last banquet, when Kailos had asked her to dance? Or had it started earlier, when the Grand Duke had started visiting the Crown Princess’s palace more often? He couldn’t tell.

If so, there was no way he could not have known.

Even before Selonia joined the imperial household as a maid, he had received detailed reports on every aspect of her life. Above all, he knew that there had never been the slightest hint of scandal surrounding her.

Had it happened after she resigned and left the palace? Had his agents lost her trail due to interference from the Grand Duke? If so, did that mean that the reason he had been unable to find her all this time was because the Grand Duke had been hiding her?

Once that line of thought had taken hold, it refused to let go.

Alix dragged a rough hand down his face and let out a harsh, humorless laugh. The Grand Duke had taken her knowing full well that she was someone Alix had already set his sights on. What a bold, calculating woman.

He had been willing to overlook her disappearance from the palace while he was away on the imperial tour. After all, he eventually discovered her whereabouts and sent her an invitation. He had assumed she would return, pretending she had no choice — that if he waited just a little longer, he would see that fair face again; the face that used to glance at him while feigning indifference.

Yet Selonia had slipped from his grasp once more, effortlessly, as though mocking him.

He couldn’t understand it.

Even now, if he gathered all the women desperate for his attention, they would fill the grand avenue outside the palace. So how could she toy with the Emperor like this?

At the imperial banquet that night, she had been shy, but clearly interested. He remembered it vividly.

Alix let out a long breath as her image resurfaced: soft, lake-blue eyes blinking. He wanted to bury his hands in her pale pink hair. Just imagining the expression she might wear when cornered, with tears brimming in her eyes, was enough to send heat surging through his body.

He knew these impulses were not normal.

But this did nothing to stop them.

No matter how he thought about it, he felt that this impulse would only cease if he possessed Selonia. Learning that she was to become the Grand Duke’s mistress had done nothing to diminish his desire; if anything, it had intensified it.

After all, it was only an engagement.

Even if she married him, what difference would it make?

If she had already been touched by Kailos, he could be generous enough to overlook it — as long as she ultimately ended up in his arms.

With that, he cut off his thoughts and moved to his desk, ringing for his aide.

“You called for me, Your Majesty.”

The chief aide entered shortly after the bell sounded, bowing more deeply than usual. He, too, was keenly aware that Alix’s mood had been dark for quite some time.

“How are things progressing with the temple tax and grain levy in the North?”

The aide was momentarily flustered when he was abruptly summoned for questioning about administrative progress. However, drawing on his experience, he quickly composed himself and began assessing the situation.

“If it’s that matter, preparations are underway, but it’s not yet at a stage where it can be implemented immediately. It’s still lacking.”

“Execute it as soon as winter ends. Make the preparations.”

Alix spoke, tapping the broad surface of his desk irritably. Although his words sounded like an ordinary administrative order, the chief aide was startled nonetheless. Unable to conceal his unease, he hurried to dissuade him.

“Your Majesty? We have maintained trade with the Kingdom of Tellua this year, and the North’s harvest has not been particularly poor. Even if a grain tax is imposed now, the returns will be minimal. Would it not be better to proceed according to the original plan?”

The imposition of new taxes on the North had been meticulously planned and prepared over many years. The Grand Duchy’s lands were barren and its inhabitants could only just sustain themselves in years of abundant harvest. In years of poor yield, they survived by purchasing wheat and grain from the western and southern regions of the Empire.

The volume of grain flowing into the Grand Duchy was enormous. If taxes were levied on it, the profits entering the imperial treasury would be substantial. However, House Laharden would be forced to shoulder the increased tax burden alone, which would devastate them. From Alix’s perspective, this would achieve two goals: filling the imperial coffers and crippling the North’s economic foundation.

The same line of reasoning was employed to increase the temple tax.

Every year, temples across the Empire collected a fixed tax from their followers and sent it to the Grand Cathedral. Of all the regions, the North had the lowest tax rate. This was due to its history: the North was the region farthest from the capital, where the Grand Cathedral was located, and its distinct culture had long resisted conversion to the Church of Ardiel. A reduced tax rate had once been granted as a concession to appease the region.

Yet even that policy had failed to yield lasting results. The number of believers in the Grand Duchy initially increased after the tax was lowered, but then stagnated again soon afterwards.

This, too, irritated Alix. They were subjects of the Empire yet refused to follow its state religion — how could that not be offensive? If only they would bow their heads and praise the High God and the imperial house, perhaps the Holy and Imperial Knights would be dispatched to save them from the monsters ravaging their lands. Instead, the northerners placed their faith solely in their Grand Duke. The Grand Cathedral had spared no effort in attempting to convert the North, yet had achieved nothing of note.

To Alix, this went beyond mere stubbornness — it bordered on treason.

The current Pope, Ludvig, also appeared to be keeping a close watch on the Grand Duchy. When Alix casually suggested sharply increasing the temple tax, the Pope responded with unexpected sympathy. Since a portion of the temple tax ultimately flowed back into the imperial treasury as revenue, raising it would benefit both the Grand Cathedral and the imperial house. In Alix’s view, it was a flawless strategy.

Although the Grand Duchy of Laharden lacked formal autonomy, it enjoyed freedoms that were almost indistinguishable from it. This had made it a constant thorn in the Emperor’s side ever since the Empire was founded. The Emperor was meant to be supreme, answerable only to the gods—and yet the Grand Duke was the only person capable of standing against him.

Although the ducal house was no longer as formidable as it once was, it could not be dismissed lightly.

In fact, since Kailos inherited the title, Alix had found the Grand Duchy more irritating than ever. It was almost laughable that a man who had taken over a territory thrown into turmoil by his father’s sudden death could carry himself with such calm dignity and lofty composure.

Alix’s ultimate goal was to wear down the ducal house little by little until it could be swallowed whole. This ambition had been passed down through generations of emperors, and it was one that Alix was determined to fulfil within his own reign.