﹡ ⊹ ⊰ Chapter 233 ⊱ ⊹ ﹡
After the Empress was dragged away, Jovanes began to breathe even harder.
Whenever he breathed, he exerted himself so much and looked like he was in a much worse condition than before.
"Doctor."
Firentia called the doctor in the corner standing quietly with a frightened look.
"Ah, yes..."
Only then did the doctor rush up to Emperor Jovanes and hold up a bottle of medicine in his hand.
"To think that that person was sitting in the Empress" seat."
Even though he got a little better after taking the medicine, Jovanes was still busy swearing at Ravini.
In the eyes of others, Jovanes and Ravini did not appear to be very different from each other.
Jovanes was busy staring contemptuously at the place where the Empress was taken.
Rulhac sat on a chair near the bed and was looking at Jovanes with a pitiful heart for a moment before saying in a quiet voice.
"Tia, Second Prince. Get out for a second."
"....I"ll be nearby," Perez answered and went outside with Firentia.
"Your Majesty." As soon as the door closed, Rulhac opened his mouth.
He didn"t want to drag this conversation further. He just wanted to take his granddaughter back to the Lombardy mansion and lay down on his bed.
"Do you want to punish the Angenas?"
"Of course, why ask?" Jovanes replied, drinking the whole medicine bottle before throwing it away once it"s empty. He then continued.
"I will erase the Angenas on the map of this Empire."
Rulhac shook his head in annoyance by Jovanes" rationalization.
Even though the sins the Emperor had committed have come back at him and even now, breathing has become a pain, Jovanes never realized anything.
"How dare she bring her henchmen into the palace! They will be held accountable too. I"ll make sure of that."
He didn"t think about why he was poisoned, and instead was struggling about how he was poisoned.
That doesn"t mean that Rulhac had any affection to wake the foolish Emperor up himself.
"It might be better for him this way."
At least the Second Prince is smart, unlike Jovanes.
That"s how Rulhac made his judgment at the moment"s notice and started to pursue.
"Wouldn"t it be too much for you to do the work all by yourself?"
"It"s alright. If I take a few days off—"
However, Rulhac spoke without giving him a chance to respond properly.
"Please appoint a Crown Prince."
"Crown Prince?" Jovanes frowned.
It was a reaction that was so like Jovanes, who didn"t want to share his power with anyone.
"It"s time to change your mind, Your Majesty."
But again, Rulhac did not give the Emperor time to refute.
"As do I, so isn"t it time for you to think about your successor? I can"t believe there hasn"t been a fixed successor yet. What would happen if Your Majesty had succ.u.mbed to the poison?" Rulhac spoke in the same tone as scolding a child.
From the beginning, Jovanes was no match for Rulhac. And now that he can"t breathe properly, there is literally nothing he can say about it.
As if putting Jovanes on the palm of his hand while looking down at him, Rulhac, after giving him a moment, said in an authoritarian manner.
"The successor is not someone who takes away the power of the predecessor. He is the one who inherits it."
Jovanes no longer attempted to object to Rulhac"s words. He was just looking at Rulhac with dark circles underneath his eyes and breathing heavily.
"I"m not saying you should resign immediately. Rather, you appoint the Second Prince as the Crown Prince and make him your representative."
"A representative?"
"It is to let Your Majesty do the things you already had decided upon."
A Crown Prince that moves as he was told.
It was obvious to Rulhac that Jovanes" eyes were shaking.
Of course, Jovanes didn"t have a choice other than Perez.
Rulhac did not mention it, instead, he said encouragingly.
"Let the Second Prince punish the Angenas and bury the Empress" remaining sins. It is for everyone"s sake, Your Majesty." Rulhac"s voice became even lower.
"What kind of ending does the family who were looking down on the Emperor have by then?"
After saying so, Rulhac no longer added a satire. He didn"t have to say anything anymore.
All he had to do was to sit back with his back comfortably on the chair and wait for Jovanes to nod.
After a while.
"Yes, I"ll do it. I like the idea." Jovanes smiled at Rulhac, a.s.suming an expression that he really liked his suggestion.
Looking at the figure in front of him, Rulhac thought.
"The first Emperor must have been a pretty smart man."
Knowing that his descendants would not have enough power to continue the Lambrew Empire, he smartly provide them with great support called Lombardy.
With the stupid and foolish Jovanes, Rulhac used his hand to pa.s.s the Emperor"s power to the Second Prince who was worth it.
As the Head of Lombardy, he did a good thing for the Imperial people in the end.
Rulhac smiled as he faced Jovanes with a proud look.
***
Emperor Jovanes brought us back faster than expected.
However, the atmosphere in the room was very different from before we left.
It was because the face of Jovanes, sitting on the bed, was noticeably bright.
Besides, whether his excitement has subsided, the Emperor"s breathing has become much softer, and his face had an unusual smile.
What kind of conversation did they have with just the two of them?
Both Perez and I looked at my Grandfather with questions in our heads.
However, my Grandfather stood up smiling quietly, and just took the outer garment he had taken off on the chair.
And the very next moment, my curiosity was solved.
"Second Prince, Perez Brivachau Durelli." Jovanes called Perez"s full name in an uncharacteristically solemn voice.
"Tell me, Your Majesty."
As he beckoned, Perez replied, walking to the side of the Emperor"s bed.
Jovanes looked at Perez for a while and said.
"I will appoint you as the Crown Prince."
At that moment, the bedroom became quiet. I couldn"t even hear the Emperor"s annoying breathing.
I checked Perez"s face.
Perhaps he was quite surprised that he stood there looking at Jovanes without blinking.
He looked neither happy nor sad.
Perez is like a lost man who has so much emotion at once that he didn"t know what to think.
With that expressionless face, he was facing Jovanes.
I should have told Perez in advance that he becoming Crown Prince was somewhat expected. No, it happened rather a little later than in my previous life.
Apparently, at that time, the Emperor collapsed and became critical a few days after Perez was appointed as the Crown Prince.
Thanks to this, Perez was finally able to wield the power in his hand without anyone noticing.
The first target was the Lombardy family, especially Vieze.
I suddenly became curious.
In this life, the Empress used poison, but why did the Emperor collapse back then?
I suppressed that curiosity and quietly looked at my Grandfather.
It was a given that Perez should be named the Crown Prince.
When we left the room, there wasn"t any kind of atmosphere like this at all.
Grandpa, what kind of magic did you do?
Perhaps my Grandfather"s training-Jovanes skills were much more proficient than I thought.
"How come you are not saying anything?" Jovanes urged Perez to speak.
Then, as if he had woken up, Perez blinked. He immediately replied with a descendingly low voice.
"I accept your order."
"Also, punish the Empress and Angenas thoroughly for their crimes."
I kind of like that order.
Now there is a justification for Perez to exact his revenge properly.
"Take this." Jovanes held out some papers to Perez.
"What is this?"
"It is a letter to be given to the East, West, North, South, and Central regions. Wouldn"t you need their consent?"
In order for the Emperor to appoint a Crown Prince, it is necessary for each region"s family representative"s approval, which was also a unanimous agreement.
In addition, the heads of each family must gather at the Imperial Palace on a fixed day and stamp the consent form.
Currently staying in the Imperial City is Braun of the West, Sousseau of the South, and Lombardy of the Central region.
There were only three families.
"If you want Ivan of the North or Leumann of the East to come to the Imperial City, you will have to give them a generous amount of time, three weeks at most." Grandpa said to Perez. Then he b.u.t.toned up his jacket before turning to call me.
"Let"s go, Tia."
The situation has calmed down, so we don"t have to stay in the palace anymore.
"Yes, Grandpa."
It was when I answered and tried to put on the outer garment I had in my hand that I got interrupted.
"Wait." Jovanes said.
"Deputy Head Firentia Lombardy."
Why are you calling me?
Also, by adding my t.i.tle as "Deputy Head"?
Riding the back stems, an ominous feeling flowed within me. I have a hunch that something really bothersome will happen.
Grandfather also looks back at Jovanes, narrowing his brows deeply.
"Yes, Your Majesty." I answered politely for now.
"I will give you a mission too."
Mission? You"ll give me a mission?
At the moment, I had to exert my superhuman powers not to look up and down at Jovanes with very skeptical eyes.
Grandfather also raised one eyebrow and asked, showing discomfort.
"What mission do you mean?"
"As a representative of the Imperial n.o.bility, the Deputy Head should be a witness to ensure that the Second Prince"s actions are legitimate."
I knew it. It"s very annoying just hearing it.
"I"m—."
I"m about to refuse until Jovanes says the next thing.
"Also, if the Second Prince confiscates the money from Angenas, then the Deputy Head of Lombardy will distribute it to the families who lent the funds to Angenas."
Oh my, if that"s the case.
I quickly lowered my head and hid the corners of my mouth that kept rising.
"The n.o.bles who were deceived by Angenas will be relieved. I"m amazed by your kindness."
I also gave him some lip service to make him feel good.
I heard it"s almost time for him to die if he does something he usually won"t do.
I"m sure I can compliment Jovanes this much before he left for this world.
I can"t be let out of bullying the Angenas.
With the money lent, at the loss of the Pellet Company, and at the cost of repairing Clerivan"s house, how much money do I have to rip out from them?
I"m worried if there"s anything left in Angenas, where the cash dried up a long time ago.
"I"ll be glad to follow your command, Your Majesty."
A wise old saying that even dried squid comes out of salty water.