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“Duke of Rochester!”
The livid Emperor called the Duke in a furious screech.
“What is this?! All of you threatening the Emperor?!”
The Emperor clenched his teeth so hard that his molars could crack.
Even though the word ‘recommend’ was used, the current situation was equivalent to if he had been threatened.
From the word ‘we’, the Emperor deduced the members of the aristocracy were supporting Damian, not him.
“You’re overreacting.”
The Duke smiled softly, not batting an eye.
“We simply request the Emperor return what he has illegally occupied to its rightful owner.”
Unlike the frenzied Emperor, the Duke’s expression was unwaveringly calm.
“Did you not claim the throne as regent in the first place?”
“You…”
The Emperor couldn’t restrain his fury and pointed his finger at the Duke.
However, the Duke remained focused on what they had come here for, speaking in a nonchalant voice.
“At the Council of Nobles meeting, it was decided that His Majesty should resign.”
“And you decided this all on your own?!”
“Naturally, we are aware that the final say resides with His Majesty. Yet….”
A faint smile crept across the Duke’s’ lips.
It was a clear grin.
“If I were to boldly advise you, I recommend it’d be better to abdicate the throne willingly now.”
“This is nothing short of rebellion?! Rebellion! How dare you officials command the emperor to do this or that!!”
“Oh, I’m very sorry you see it that way.”
The Duke closed his eyes and shook his head.
“I’m simply giving sincere advice as a member of the Rochester family that once supported His Majesty’s ascension.”
The Duke’s demeanor remained composed.
“Should His Majesty decide to retain the throne, the backlash from the empire’s citizens will be considerable.”
“What? The people’s backlash?”
“In a little while, the people of the empire will know the truth of this incident.”
The color faded from the Emperor’s face at the softly spoken revelation.
The Duke glanced down at his watch.
“By now, the entire empire will have received the evening newspaper.”
“You’re bluffing, you’re telling me that the media has somehow received this information of yours?”
“Of course.”
The Duke slightly raised his gaze and looked the Emperor straight in the eyes.
“I thought His Majesty endeavored to provide information impartially to all people.”
The Duke shrugged lightly.
“Didn’t you?”
The remark criticized the Emperor’s use of media to write the narrative of a situation.
The Emperor, speechless, pursed his lips to the point they bled.
“Today’s evening paper contains Lady Bennet’s testimony and the conclusions reached at the Council of Nobles.”
“You bastard!!”
No matter how much of a dignified appearance he had put on, a harsh curse left the Emperor’s lips.
“Let’s see you continue to make fun of me with that mouth of yours!!”
Consumed by fury, the Emperor attempted to grab the Duke by the neck.
The Duke skillfully dodged the incoming hand by stepping back slightly.
Smack!
Crumbling terribly to the floor, the Emperor, with visible blood vessels on his neck, pointed at the Duke.
“This is rebellion! Will someone not apprehend this rebel immediately!!”
However, everyone exchanged looks with each other as the Emperor’s order fell on deaf ears.
The Emperor glared at the stationary people with a deathly gaze.
“What are you all doing? Capture the Duke of Rochester…”
“It’s quite pitiful, Your Majesty. No one will obey that order.”
The Emperor’s face hardened at the Duke’s ridiculing reply.
“Anyone who can think for themselves, knows very well who is the rightful successor.”
“Duke of Rochester!”
“With all due respect, you’ve been screaming about ‘rebellion’ since the start.”
The Duke laughed loudly as if it were hilarious.
“It sounds rather incredulous that His Majesty ordered for us ‘rebels’ to be arrested.”
Aside from the Duke’s twisting smile, his dark green eyes were chilling.
“Let’s make one thing clear here.”
“What?”
“His Majesty is the only rebel.”
At that assertion, the Emperor’s eyes popped wide open.
“A rebel who usurped the throne by confining the young prince with the aid of the Rochester family.”
“That filthy legacy is yours, Your Majesty.”
At the audacious statement, the Emperor was taken aback.
“So, please decide wisely.”
The Duke, who expertly concluded what he needed to say, left the room as it was.
Damian and the nobles followed suit.
With a click, the doors closed.
“Er, Your Majesty, the Emperor…”
The chamberlain called out to the emperor in a trembling voice.
The Emperor picked up an ink bottle from a desk, launching it as the closed door.
Clish!!
The shattering of glass echoed.
But even then, the sense of defeat that filled every corner of his chest didn’t disappear.
The Emperor gasped incessantly for breath like a beast.
“Those bastards…”
“Your Majesty, we can fix this!”
“What is there to fix?! How can I get out of this predicament?!”
The Emperor snapped at the chamberlain, his eyes burning with hatred as he kicked the chamberlain.
Thud!!
“Aaaackk!”
The chamberlain fell violently to the floor.
However, the Emperor’s kicking showed no signs of stopping.
“Had you been thorough from the beginning, this could have been prevented from happening!!”
The Emperor took out his anger on the chamberlain for the longest time.
Bwak, Chnnk, Bwak, Wham!!
“Ah, ah!”
Unable to bear it anymore, the chamberlain clung to the Emperor’s ankle.
“Mer-Mercy!”
“I can’t turn it off right now!”
“I
The chamberlain mustered all the strength he had left and staggered out of the room.
The Emperor raised his head with a grim expression.
“They think I’ll go down like this!!”
Mad shouts shook the room.
***
After parting with the nobles, Damian and the Duke headed to the Empress’s palace together.
Charlize, the Empress, and the Empress Dowager were all waiting for them back at the Empress’s palace.
There was an oppressive silence between the two of them.
In the end, it was Damian who spoke first.
“Duke of Rochester.”
“Yes, Your Highness, the Crown Prince.”
“Are you all right?”
With those words coming out of left field, the Duke looked back at Damian with a puzzled expression.
“What brought about this all of a sudden?”
“If you’re blaming yourself because of me…”
“Aha.”
The Duke gave a half-smile.
“You’re worried about me right now?”
“…Duke.”
“Even though the Rochester family aided the current emperor in usurping the throne?”
Those words made Damian pause abruptly.
“But…”
He kept biting his lips, conflicted inwardly.
He knew deep down.
The Rochesters were the current emperor’s accomplices and contributed to Damian’s imprisonment.
Although the rebellion was done by the former duke, the Duke of Rochester as head of his family wasn’t absolved of that sin.
However…
“I was a victim, there’s no denying that, is there?”
Damian said so with an expression challenging the Duke’s mindset.
“So that means the person with the greatest right to ask for the Duke of Rochester’s mental well-being, reparations, or forgiveness would be…”
A firm voice rang out.
“None other than me.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
The Duke nodded.
The smile on his lips widened slightly.
“Somehow, I think I know why the kid cares for and loves you so much.”
“…what?”
“No, nothing.”
The Duke shook his head and strode along.
“To answer your question earlier…I’m fine.”
“That’s relieving to hear…”
“Actually, I feel like I’m finally correcting an old mistake.”
The Duke, who glanced back at Damian, calmly apologized.
“I’m very sorry for it all.”
“Duke, you….”
“Because of my family’s poor judgment, I can barely imagine how great the pain you must have suffered as a child, Your Highness.”
The Duke came to a halt.
Those dark green eyes of his, bore a deep sense of guilt toward Damian as they stared at him.
As the head of the Rochester house, he had to hide and suppress his emotions.
But at this moment, the Duke fully acknowledged and accepted his generational guilt.
“Perhaps, my sister feels the same way.”
The Duke bowed his head deeply toward Damian.
“I deeply apologize for all the time spent not making this choice earlier.”
The sight of the Duke bowing his head persisted in Damian’s field of vision.
A man who had never bowed his head to anyone except the Emperor.
And right now, he was bowing deeply in front of Damian.
“….Duke.”
Damian felt a tidal wave of indescribably complex emotions.
He’d be lying if he said he didn’t like the Duke as a child.
However, there was a fair share of warm moments with the Duke.
And at the same time, he proudly looked up to not only Charlize but the Empress as well.
They were the first ‘trustworthy adults’ they had when they were younger.