Free Web NovelChapter 15: Duke’s Decision⁴
"But any attempt to overthrow Askelund would give Estella greater power, and they would become more wary of the imperial family, which could increase the likelihood of rebellion and uprisings."
"Do you believe that if the situation continues in this vein, the Empire will remain united? Any minor disagreement between the two duchies, be it a difference of opinion or even a difference in temperament, could indeed drag our Empire into utter ruin."
"And does Your Majesty intend to topple the two pillars? But that would give the external enemy room to manoeuvre."
"No, I do not intend to do that. All I will do is weaken them slightly... Even if I wanted to, I do not have the power. Would I fear them if I could simply overthrow them whenever I wished?"
"What do you intend to do, Your Majesty?"
"It’s simple, at least on paper. I’ll provoke Askelund into anger and rebellion until they declare their independence, then I’ll send Estella to bring them to their senses. Then you, will intercede on their behalf with me after I’ve killed the current Duke and his children... Choose one of the Duke’s brothers to suit your fancy and bring him to me so I may grant him the title and the land, And since all this happened on my orders, when you become the next emperor, you won’t be obliged to compensate Estella; rather, you can claim that they weren’t supportive of you to marginalise them, whilst appearing to help Askelund. In doing so, you’ll avoid the nobles’ suspicion when you show them that you’re merely a petty, foolish man who embraces those who are loyal to you whilst marginalising those who , and you can then continue to marginalise Estella and force them to support one of your children to inherit the throne, repeating with them what you and I did, this time using Askelund at the forefront with the support of the imperial family, crush Estelia, and then having your son intervene to restore their title. In this way, we will truly bring the two pillars back under our authority and weaken them without causing irreparable damage to the structure of the empire."
The prince stood there, slightly bewildered by the Emperor’s exaggeration of the bonds within the imperial family; even to him, the Emperor’s plan seemed to have many flaws!!
When he saw the look on his son’s face, he laughed
"Well, as Emperor, it is my duty to look to the future of the Empire, not just the present. But if the next generation does not follow my guidance, well, what can I say? At least I shall die with a clear conscience, knowing that the next generation will not curse me for having handed over to them an Empire in which the subject surpasses the master.
Had my grandfather done something, or even my father, regarding the situation, I would not have had to go through all these troubles to weaken the power of my empire with my own hands, merely to restore the balance of power and counter the threat of civil war early on...
Of course, all this is merely a plan on paper. Who knows, perhaps Estella will side with Askelund to crush us once they senses the danger, causing our downfall prematurely, or perhaps Askelund will surprise us. But whatever the outcome, as the imperial family, we can emerge from this ordeal with minimal losses. At the very least, I can guarantee that we can emerge with our dignity intact. Even if the empire collapses or ends up divided, we still possess the strength and control to withdraw or even fight to the death. We still have a choice because we still possess some power and because we are now prepared. But...
But if the situation continues as it is for another generation or two, civil war is inevitable; there is no escape. and then I cannot guarantee that members of the imperial family will not be dragged through the streets of the capital, stoned and humiliated, because we will be the weakest – we who, generation after generation, have relied on external powers to consolidate our authority. The moment the rug is pulled from under our feet, we will fall into the abyss.
So this is not about good or evil, nor even about loyalty and betrayal; it is much simpler and far more important, for it is a matter of survival."
"What Your Majesty is doing now..."
"Hmm, Alaric is a man who loves his children; in fact, he suffers from severe psychological issues and has an abnormal obsession with protecting them following what happened ten years ago. Things have only got worse for him since then, so no, he won’t send them to their deaths along with a thousand of his men simply because I ordered him to do so in a moment of anger over a mistake he didn’t actually commit. So he will try to contact the capital, or perhaps even come himself to resolve the issue and clarify his position. If he takes this course, all I need to do is simply put more pressure on him by using your elder brother and the nobles loyal to Estella. That is, unless he goes so far as to rebel immediately out of sheer rage, which I truly expect him to do, given his madness." freeweɓnovel.cѳm
"What if he abides by the decree, Your Majesty?"
"Wrong word... because, as you see, I have ruled, but I have not sent him a formal decree. For if he were to rise from his bed and leave his brain behind whilst going to his throne room, and for some reason decide to send one of his children, what could I say? What a loyal he is, to the point that he took his emperor’s anger seriously, even without receiving an official decree. All I need to do then is console him, apologise to him and back down from my position, and I can do that because my judgement hasn’t been documented yet and I haven’t written any decree, which means the matter is still completely unofficial and more like thinking out loud. Then, as for the father who sent his child to his death with his own hands, if he were to receive such a provocative response, what do you think he would do?"
"... At the very least, he’d harbour hatred?"
"Exactly... you’re getting better. When his sense of guilt sets in—because he didn’t resist, meaning he didn’t look for a way out and chose to sacrifice his child rather than lose the Emperor’s favour—combined with the blow to his pride and ego from my manipulation of him according to my whims, plus the hatred that will flare up over his child’s death... If he were human, not a shred of loyalty to the Crown would remain in his heart."
"That is cruel... I apologise, Your Majesty."
"Never mind... because that is how it is. Even I am saddened to corrupt and abuse a loyal subject merely to maintain the balance of this wretched empire, but it is a necessary evil."
"But what if the Duke does not stick to the available options and surprises us with something else, Your Majesty?" freёweɓnovel.com
"Well, in truth, they have many options that I can actually think of, or that even I cannot guess! But what matters to us is not their many options, but one fact: the imperial order. Will they respond to it or not? And our response will be accordingly."
"What do you think, Your Majesty?"
"son, do you know the quickest way to lose? It is to assume your opponent will do what you plan, so you make decisions on his behalf and then think you’ve got it sorted. So don’t make assumptions, lest you dig your own grave. Assumptions only come into play when you have no idea what the enemy is doing or will do, yet you are forced to take action. Now we have played our part, and all we have to do is wait for the opponent to see which piece he will move and how."
