Trojan had found out how much at risk Emilia was. If he left and the information on how defenceless Emilia was reached the ears of the rebels, she could very well be killed on the same day. Without the presence of a mage, she was much too vulnerable. If Emilia died, Trojan would have lost the catalyst to his entire plan, and he would have been forced to marry into the Royal Family just to survive.
"Let us move on from this worrying topic," Emilia told Trojan. "Please tell me about this plan you have managed to concoct."
Trojan fidgeted with his fingers before he told her, "Well, I can only tell you if you agree that this stays between just the two of us. No one can know of this plan, and no one should."
"We are not children, Koda," Emilia told him. "This is business."
Trojan nodded and tried to get Domino's attention in his mind. He sent a telepathic message, 'Domino, are you listening?'
He waited for a moment before he received a reply. 'Yes.'
'Silence this room,' Trojan ordered Domino. 'None of the information shall be leaked to anyone outside the three of us. Also, warn us of any approaching danger.'
'Understood, my lord,'
Trojan waited for a moment again, the estimated time for Domino to cast such a spell. Trojan cleared his throat and leaned towards Emilia, dropping his voice. "Let's be the bad guys."
Emilia raised an eyebrow before commenting, "That is an interesting way to phrase your words."
Trojan leaned back in his seat. He explained to Emilia, "Well, in this situation, not much else can be done. The peasants will not listen to any form of nobility or even each other. They are acting rather savage, and eventually, all nobility and royalty could be wiped out if the peasants were not wiped out first."
"Are you suggesting we commit mass murder?" Emilia asked, looking much more concerned. "Here? In Inner City?"
Trojan shook his head.
"Not quite," Trojan continued. "My plan may involve some killing, but in the end, the main idea is to push the responsibility onto another noble. A noble that could very well be the cause of all of this, and a noble that has the power and authority to kill every single one of the peasants that oppose him."
"There is no one like that," Emilia said, almost throwing the idea away prematurely. "You of all people should know how much the Royal Family meddles with the affairs of high-ranking nobles. The only one of such high authority is you and D-"
She paused as if just realising what Trojan was suggesting. She gave him a wide-eyed look as she asked him, "You're planning to pin the blame on Duke Phoenix?"
Trojan gave a grim nod.
"Aren't you trying to win the support of Duke Phoenix?" Emilia demanded. "He is not the kind of person who is easily manipulated. Even the Royal Family was unable to do anything to take away even a slight bit of his power from him."
"Which makes him an easy target to pin the blame on," Trojan told her.
"How?"
"I have thought this through, and there is one way I could pin the blame on Duke Phoenix," Trojan told her. "I could very well release the hypothesis that Duke Phoenix is the culprit for the whole accident regarding the Phoenix. The story seems to fit, and it can be made believable, much more believable that some rumour carelessly spread."
Trojan knew he could even get the support of the Royal Family if he chose to play along with Princess Eve's marriage, but even that in itself had its flaws. Duke Phoenix was a dangerous man, and Trojan, who had never once met the Duke, was unsure of how he would react.
"But that was the basis for which I decided to make my decision," Trojan told Emilia.
She reminded silent, also thinking through the scenarios. Trojan took a deep breath before he continued speaking, "It would be convenient if I could pin the blame on Duke Phoenix, but I doubt I would be able to get him too involved. After all, I doubt the opinion of the peasants would affect him too much."
Trojan slung one leg over the other. He looked Emilia dead in the eyes before he said to her, "I am planning on gaining the support of Duke Phoenix by threatening him with this information. That way, by working together, we will be able to pin the blame on the Royal Family."
The Royal Family was a force that Trojan was familiar with, and he felt that with their higher rank, the Royal Family was a much easier party to pin the blame on, even if they were innocent. He could come up with a plan that would work, he just needed Emilia's help with something.
"So you want me to arrange a meeting between you and Duke Phoenix?" Emilia asked. "Is that all?"
Their entire relationship was based on what they could benefit from each other. Emilia was able to help Trojan get in contact with Duke Pheonix, and that was about it. Trojan nodded once, to which Emilia let out a long sigh.
"You should have told me that sooner then," She told him. "Now, how long will this plan require to take effect?"
"A few months, probably," Trojan replied. "A month at best."
Emilia nodded, obvious dissatisfied with something. She glanced around before saying to Trojan, "I will agree under one condition."
"What is it?"
Emilia pointed at the door, then at Trojan, as if signalling to Domino as well as Trojan. "Both you and your mage will live here, at my residence until the end of the rebellion. The marriage can wait, but I want the both of you here, and I want you and the mage by my side as much as possible."
Trojan could tell it was solely for Emilia's protection, but he felt like there was something off. There was definitely something else Emilia wanted to gain out of everything she was planning to do. Trojan knew Emilia was no idiotic woman, she definitely wanted something else other than protection out of the whole agreement.
Whatever it was, Trojan was willing to do it. He replied to Emilia, who cracked a smile after his reply. "You have a deal."