Chapter 15. How Dare You Take My Daughter?
“I crown the throne to Mabel Gardenia Ermano.”
A smile came his mouth when Esteban finished speaking,
Ever since Abelardo announced the visit of the King, he has been waiting for this moment.
There was a moment of silence, and people just exchanged glances. before long, the banquet hall became noisy like a market.
It was the priests of Abelardo who were especially in trouble.
Esteban stared at them belligerently.
Among them, only the one with the robe coercing him, was standing without moving. Esteban was convinced that he was Micheal Abelardo, the King.
‘You dare to try to take my daughter?’
Esteban never intended to send Mabel to Abelardo.
But like those who believe in G.o.d, they thought that even fanciful things could be possible with faith.
Knowing their tenacity, it was important to cut off the possibility from the roots.
To do so, it needed a just cause. There were many ways.
The first is to get married, but since she is only one-years-old, he rejected it immediately.
Even if he gave Mabel a t.i.tle, it was useless if she was forced.
In the end, the last remaining method was to take pa.s.s over the throne as Emperor to Mabel.
It was a more certain way than marriage.
Naturally, there were many protests, but Esteban succeeded in winning the majority of his subjects’ consent.
The n.o.bleman, who first heard the news, grabbed the Marquis of Gardenia and asked.
“Marquis. What is this. Didn’t you have her Highness the Princess as your successor?”
“Who knows. I don’t know.”
The Marquis was simply ignorant of the pouring questions.
The rest of the officials attending the parliamentary session were also simply easygoing.
With only foreign envoys and n.o.bles without authority to attend meetings were agitated, there was a place where their gaze finally reached.
All eyes were on Oscar Alle Ermano, the first prince, who everyone naturally thought would be Ermano’s next Emperor.
But Oscar also sat calmly. As if he knew in advance that things would turn out this way.
The priests who had been in a great uproar, looked back at the King.
“King. If it goes like this, we will not be able to take the Royal Highness!”
“What should we do?”
But the King only stayed silent. His red eyes were directed only at Mabel.
The Priests hastened for an answer.
“King.”
“Not yet.”
“Yes?”
“We can’t take her yet.”
The seeds of G.o.d who are the closest to G.o.d. In Micheal’s eyes, the divine power that lived and breathed in Mabel’s body was fully visible.
Mabel’s divine power was enormous. But it was latent ability.
The divinity was useless because it had not yet been awakened.
The King thought he didn’t have to make an opportunity for himself.
“I’m going to back off this time.”
“But it’s better to take the Princess when she’s still young.”
“If you can handle that daughter’s crazy Emperor, you can take her.”
“……”
There was no one who could spare their life. But they couldn’t give up the seed of G.o.d.
Moreover. it will be difficult to take the Princess in the future because the young Emperor still has the strong will to hand over the throne to his daughter, who in only one-years-old.
“But King. Wasn’t there a way?”
“There was.”
“Yes.”
“But it’s gone.”
“……”
Michael looked at Mabel despite the priest’s ridiculous gazes. He wondered when that ability would bloom. He saw at a glance what kind of abilities Mabel would have in the future.
By then, Mabel will naturally come to Abelardo. So he just had to wait.
‘Because it’s the ability to drive people around you crazy.’
G.o.d’s seed will eat itself and eventually find itself.1
Michael had confidence.
Esteban narrowed his forehead. The reaction was worse than he thought. He thought they would get up right away calling it crazy.
‘If that was the case, I can kick them out right away.’
Anyway, since he declared war, he only needs to protect Mabel.
He didn’t ask for Mabel’s opinion, but what’s important about a one-year-old’s opinion? She wouldn’t understand him asked.
Even thought she was good at imitating and using sentences as a one-year-old, she’s still a baby.
No matter how much of a genius Mabel was, it was impossible for her to understand this situation.
Turning to sit on the throne again, Esteban panicked, Mabel was crying with a frown on her face.
“Mabel? What’s wrong.”
“dwon’t wike……” (Don’t like.)
“What?”
“Emeror. Nwo!” (Emperor. No!)
Euaang!
Then she cried, her cries ringing in the banquet hall. Esteban was embarra.s.sed and held Mabel in his arms, but she only cried louder.
Mabel crying was a situation he had never thought of. Esteban was inwardly shocked.
‘Mabel……said she doesn’t like. She’s not saying she doesn’t like me, is she?’2
***
Two months ago.
The plot to turn Mabel into the Emperor was made covertly by some people.
Esteban first singled out figures that would oppose.
The first was Marquis Gardenia. It was very easy to persuade the Marquis.
Esteban secretly called in Marquis Gardenia and brought up the matter immediately.
“I’m thinking of turning Mabel into the Emperor.”
“What? What the h.e.l.l does-“
“Marquis, if you oppose, Mabel will leave for Abelardo. Object if you don’t want to see Mabel’s face forever. What are you going to do?”
“……”
Persuasion took less than a minute.
Next, Esteban visited Oscar himself.
Oscar, who wielded a sword in the corner of the training hall, felt a presence and turned his head.
“I greet the Emperor.”
Oscar greeted the Emperor, putting his sword into his sheath. Esteban stayed still, looking at his son.
Oscar’s education was largely under the supervision of d.u.c.h.ess Donovan, so Esteban only looked at it a few times in his usual life and didn’t bother with it much.
Is it die to the severe education? Despite his young age, Oscar was quite precocious. It seemed that he was desperately trying to avoid his youth.
‘It’s probably because of the early education as a successor.’
He knew that d.u.c.h.ess Donovan was driving Oscar and that the child feels pressure.
The two sat side by side in the side of the training room. It was a conversation after a long time.
“Oscar.”
“Yes, Emperor.”
Esteban asked a question randomly.
“Do you sincerely want to become the Emperor?”
“That……”
Oscar, who hesitated to answer immediately, bowed his head.
“……I don’t really know. Of course, because I have to become the Emperor, I’m trying hard. It’s not a position where I can say can do, and it’s not a position that I can just say that I don’t want to.”
Oscar had no choice. He had to get there if the Emperor and his mother wanted him to.
Maybe that’s why he was born. He thought that the significance of his existence was only to become the Emperor.
‘Why is he asking this question?’
Oscar looked up at Esteban with terminal eyes. He felt strange because he had never talked to his father this way.
Esteban, unable to capture his complex expression, sighed and stroked Oscar’s head.
“I am trying to pa.s.s on the throne to Mabel.”
Unlike the friendly touch and the peaceful atmosphere, what Esteban said was not a light matter at all.
“I plan to announce it on Mabel’s birthday, which will be around the corner. If I turn Mabel into the Emperor, she won’t be able to be taken by Abelardo anymore.”
Esteban examined his son’s reaction. As he expected, Oscar seemed quite surprised.
“I have also considered you as the next Emperor, and I intend to cancel this plan if you don’t like it. I can find another way. Oscar, what would you like to do?”
Oscar answered without a word of worry.
“I’m in favor of it.”
“Are you being sincere.”
“Yes. If Mabel can be protected from danger, it doesn’t matte. If Mabel really becomes the Emperor……”
Oscar’s face had a full smile. Esteban was a little surprised. It was the first childlike face he saw in front of him, his father.
“I will become the Knight who protects Mabel.”2
For the first time, Oscar was sincere.
***
The next target was d.u.c.h.ess Donovan. Of course, Oscar, her own son, is to become the Emperor, so she is expected to oppose Mabel abdicating the throne.
Perhaps she will be the most difficult opponent to persuade.
Esteban has prepared several ways to appease d.u.c.h.ess Donovan.
“I want the Princess to take the throne.”
Once he got to the point, he waited for the opposition from d.u.c.h.ess Donovan. But there was no objection.
“Do as you please.”
“……How come you don’t object. You expected Oscar to become the Crown Prince.”
Not only did the d.u.c.h.ess, but also Esteban himself. If it wasn’t for the d.a.m.n oracle, he wouldn’t have thought of this.
d.u.c.h.ess Donovan calmly took a sip of her tea and let her cup down.
“Oscar doesn’t want to become the Emperor. He’s a quick learner, but he’s more talented at using the sword.”
d.u.c.h.ess Donovan smiled at the surprised Esteban.
“He also said that he didn’t want to be the Emperor.”
He never said anything, but she seemed to have seen through everything. Esteban burst out laughing at the Duke’s seemingly cold face.
“Did Oscar talk to you in advance?”
“I haven’t met him in nearly a week.”
They didn’t even meet, but she expected everything.
The d.u.c.h.ess was well aware about Oscar.
‘I thought you weren’t interested since you left all of his education to Lissandro Donovan, but that wasn’t the case.’
Now that the persuasion of d.u.c.h.ess Donovan has ended, the only thing left was to notify the rest of his subjects.
To be honest, he didn’t have to persuade them.
No one could speak out if the Emperor, Marquis Gardenia, and d.u.c.h.ess Donovan joined forces.
In fact, when the officials were notified, there were voices of concern.
“Even so, the Princess is still young, it will be hard to take care of state affairs.”
“You don’t have to worry about it. The work will be done by me anyways.”
It literally meant that he would take the cause. No one dared to oppose him.
thus, all but the Javier family, who were absent for visits to Southern mines and territories, expressed their consent to the transfer.
In fact, the majority agreement had their own circ.u.mstances that Esteban did not know about.
‘It’s much better to have the Princess, who is not even one-year-old, than his Majesty the Emperor, who may change suddenly.’
‘I can’t wait to see how cute she is.’1
That’s how the plot ended, with only Mabel not knowing.
***
The castle, the forest, and even the tribute. The Emperor seemed to care for me quite a bit.
But what’s the point of giving me the country as a gift? I’m only a year old!
No matter how much you care about me, how can I be the Emperor? The Emperor is definitely not sane.
But what’s even more absurd, is that no one objected. It felt like common sense was being destroyed.
“Euang! Dwon’t wike!” (Dont’ like!)
It was so shocking, all I could do was cry. The Emperor seemed to be embarra.s.sed for a moment and then glanced at the nanny.
The nanny came up and comforted me.
“Your Highness. It’s okay.”
“Dwon’t wike! Dwoooon’t wike!) (Dont like! Dooon’t like!)
‘This is absolutely ridiculous.’
The Emperor is still young. I’m guessing he’s not even 30 years old. Besides. his successor, Oscar, is sitting right next to me.
‘Yeah, what about Oscar?’
He’s had such a hard time taking his succession cla.s.ses every day, and now I’m given the throne.
I cried for a long time.
Everyone in the banquet hall looked at me with their eyes wide open, but it didn’t bother me.
The country is about to be ruined. How could you not cry?
“Heung……”
I cried so hard that my crying became weak. The Emperor looked puzzled.
“Madame Lupe. Take Mabel back first.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
……That’s how I was banished from my first birthday party.
***
I opened my exhausted eyes from the sound of birds singing outside the window. I cried so much that I couldn’t open my eyes well.
“How should we call the Princess now? Her Majesty? Empress?”
“It’s still her Highness since the Coronation didn’t happen, Lalima.”
‘Yesterday wasn’t a dream……’
I was really depressed. I regained my senses and reflected on yesterday’s situation.
Grandfather Marquis Gardenia said I was to be his successor when we met before. But yesterdays’s crazy announcement, he didn’t make any commotion at all.
Oscar was also calm. The d.u.c.h.ess remained calm even though her son was deprived of the throne.
It was clear.
“Euang!”
I screamed and banged the bed!
They left me out and discussed it between themselves. Without asking for my opinion at all!3
‘How could you do this? I don’t want to be Emperor!’
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