Chapter 12 – Part 2

It was the least she could do for her mother to pretend that nothing had happened.

“If, as you say, my father has recognized me as crown prince even after he found out, then the worst will be avoided if things go wrong. But if the Marquis were to acknowledge even the slightest possibility that he is my father, the demands for his indemnity would be considerable.”

Even Heinrich, who was hailed for restoring the empire, couldn’t free himself from the stigma of directly killing his parents.

Taking the lives of one’s own parents was taboo, and usually, even for committing serious crimes, one would only face banishment.

Moreover, the aristocracy, which had enjoyed great power under the weakened imperial authority of Emperor Edwin, would have been eager to regain the power Heinrich had lost.

Perhaps they would try to make Marquis Salvator the emperor’s father somehow, using the bloodline as an excuse, and thereby exert influence over the imperial family.

“Before the second attack, the plan was to assassinate him to silence him, but if he starts receiving treatment as my father, even that would become somewhat complicated.”

In that case, it was imperative to first divide the united noble factions.

Who among them could be swayed in their direction?

Those who didn’t receive much favor within the noble factions. Or those who possessed excessive influence.

“Your Majesty, I’ve also thought about that part…”

Tenere spoke cautiously. Leonard stopped pondering and looked back at her.

“Even if the Marquis were indeed the empress’s lover, is it possible that he could not be your father at all?”

Tenere hesitated, as if to add something, but found herself unable to speak.

Leonard waited patiently for her to speak. After a long pause, she finally spoke.

“So, about the Marquis’ reproductive abilities… if there were any abnormalities…”

“Then…….”

He hadn’t thought of that.

“… … Are you telling me to cut it? ”

“What?”

Tenere’s eyes widened in surprise at the question. Leonard stroked his chin with a serious expression.

“Since he’s already imprisoned, it’s not impossible, but…”

“I…… So, Your Majesty, what are you cutting……?”

Tenere asked cautiously. Leonard looked at her directly before lowering his voice slightly.

“…It is exactly what you’re thinking.”

“Oh. That…….”

Tenere covered her mouth in a low sigh. Leonard looked a little taken aback by the unexpected response.

“Weren’t you suggesting making him impotent?”

“I meant something along those lines, but…… I didn’t mean physically.”

“…….”

“And, Your Majesty, what you just said leaves evidence in many ways that……it doesn’t seem like the best method.”

Leonard nodded, not rebutting Tenere’s words.

He didn’t consider it the best method, but it wasn’t entirely impossible either.

Though he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t tempted.

“…So, what do you suggest?”

Leonard cleared his throat softly and asked. Tenere, still looking embarrassed, began to speak.

“Well, actually, when I was in the north, I saw a rather unusual plant. It was a white grass-like plant…”

Tenere started to talk about the grass that had made the men of the village tremble in the north.

It was still a cautious tone, but as her words continued, Leonard’s face grew more puzzled.

“Are you saying that touching that grass will make one infertile?”

“No, no. Touching it doesn’t make you infertile, but I’ve heard that eating it does. It must have some effect, though, because the men in the village didn’t want to touch it.”

“…….”

“…So, what if we feed that to the Marquis… and suggest a public infertility test?”

Unlike women, who could simply take their pulse to determine if they were infertile, men’s fertility tests involved dropping reagents into bodily fluids collected with a syringe and watching for a reaction.

It was quite painful, and some men took it as an insult, so it was a method that was rarely used.

“Perhaps just demanding such a test could pressure the Marquis and the nobles to some extent. They might not refuse out of fear of seeming inadequate, and since the reagent test shows immediate results, if he were declared infertile on the spot, it would become quite a topic.”

Furthermore, a public infertility diagnosis would make the Marquis appear quite ridiculous.

While there would be no shortage of suspicion of the Emperor’s handiwork behind the scenes, a story that the man who claimed to be the Emperor’s father was actually infertile would be quickly buried.

But Leonard did not nod easily at her words.

“But, Tenere, as you know…… Lady Salvatore is younger than me.”

“……ah.”

Tenere let out a short sigh at Leonard’s words.

As he had said, Alaina was younger than Leonard, so if the Marquis was infertile, they couldn’t explain the existence of the Marquis’s daughter, born after Leonard.

“Moreover, the Marquis bears quite a resemblance to his daughter, so it might backfire.”

“That’s true. I hadn’t thought that far…”

Tenere furrowed her brows in embarrassment.

“…I apologize for speaking out of turn.”

“No, it’s a much more practical suggestion than cutting it off.”

Tenere chuckled lightly at the jest. However, she couldn’t hide her worried expression.

Leonard flipped the diary open and spoke up.

“……I didn’t like my father very much.”

“…….”

“I knew what my father was wary of, but I always thought it was excessive. I never thought it necessary, even if it was for the empire. What’s the point if he doesn’t take care of the one closest to him?”

The first thought that came to his mind upon considering that he might not share his father’s bloodline wasn’t resentment towards his mother.

Part of the embarrassment of almost marrying her half-blood sister was an indefinable sense of exhilaration.

Perhaps his very existence was a form of vengeance against his father.

If he, who should have been of imperial lineage, had blood mixed with another’s, maybe it was a punishment for his father’s sins.

“I never fully considered the Marquis as a father, but he had eased my mother’s loneliness for a time, so I didn’t completely hate him. He later confessed that he accidentally took the wrong medicine due to a mistake by the pharmacist.”

“…….”

“Besides, the Duke had been pretty quiet since Lady Alaina disappeared, so I assumed it was just an accident… until he started mentioning your succession issue to the nobles after Mother passed away.”

It was a story Tenere had never heard before.

All she knew was that Marquis Salvatore had been distrustful of her when he first brought up the matter.

“I knew he was up to something, but I didn’t think it was to make Lady Alaina Empress again. I thought he was using a shallow trick to lower my guard.”

“You’re saying he covered me up to keep me out of your sight?”

Tenere asked, and Leonard nodded slowly.

“It seems he was preparing to push you away once he found her daughter. It’s speculation, but Evan Marquis suddenly preparing for treason might also have been his doing.”

Whatever behind-the-scenes maneuvering Isaac Salvatore may have done, the Marquis himself was the one who made the unauthorized recruitment.

And since he had been brought to the imperial court, it was not as if he hadn’t done so.

But Leonard’s words reminded Tenere of something his brother had told her long ago.

He had told him that his father was suddenly close to Viscount Landerck, a member of Marquis Salvatore’s inner circle.

“He’s deliberately keeping me out of the picture because if he abdicates me before he finds Lady Alaina, you might install someone else as empress.”

“That’s probably why I was given birth control pills instead of infertility pills, with the idea of a replacement in mind.”

Tenere had to continue holding the Empress’s position until Alaina returned.

And if the new Empress who replaced her had too much power, it would be problematic.

He would need someone easily influenced at any time.

“It’s my fault, Tenere.”

It was all because of his negligence.

He shouldn’t have let his guard down. He should have suspected it from the start.

He should have heeded his father’s warning.

“It’s not so easy to disown one’s bloodline.”

Leonard turned his head at the soft voice. When their eyes met, Tenere smiled softly.

“It took me until I was well past twenty to push my father away, and I wouldn’t have been able to do that if I hadn’t met you and the late empress.”

“…….”

“His Majesty’s hesitation was only for a moment, so don’t take it too hard.”

He smiled fondly. She had always been by his side.

Leonard stared at her for a long moment, and then, as if remembering something, he spoke.

“You said so…… Before, you carried and gave birth to Josie, so how can I be so sure that he is mine just because I resemble him?”

Tenere threw up her hands in embarrassment at the bluntness in his voice.

“It was just a momentary outburst, Your Majesty.”