Just as Carlyle was about to have dangerous thoughts, the Emperor made a proposition, perhaps flinching at the sight of his fierce gaze.
"However! It is also true that Carlyle has accumulated experience, so if he serves the empire for 3 years and reflects on his arrogant attitude and impresses me, I will reinstate him as the Crown Prince."
Then, as if to prove that he was not joking, he mentioned Matthias' name.
"In the meantime, the Second Prince Matthias will be treated as the Crown Prince, and if Carlyle's efforts do not meet my expectations, I will appoint Matthias as the Crown Prince."
His gaze turned to the Second Prince Matthias.
"Matthias. Don't you get the wrong idea either. You are only 'treated as the Crown Prince', you are not the Crown Prince. You should know that if you become arrogant like Carlyle, you can lose your position at any time."
Matthias knelt on one knee with a respectful attitude and bowed his head.
The Emperor's face, which had been filled with anger, showed a brief smile, perhaps because he was pleased with this attitude.
Meanwhile, Carlyle's cold gaze was directed not at the Emperor but at the Empress. She had a worried expression on her face, but her eyes looking down at Carlyle were filled with a sense of victory.
Carlyle met her gaze straight on and opened his mouth.
"If that is Father's decision, how can I refuse? However…"
It felt like he was reciting a predetermined line. It was all just a farce, the truth didn't matter. He spoke even though he knew it.
"I am afraid that someone who created this situation will laugh at Father, for you have stripped me of my title as the Crown Prince without even properly investigating the incident that day and accused me of being dishonest."
"You are trying to deceive me again. I have already investigated all those involved. And they all confessed that they did it because they couldn't resist your pressure."
"What did Lionel, who was with me, say?"
"The testimony of Lionel Bailey, your close aide, is not credible. Isn't that obvious?"
As expected.
Seeing his father, who never deviated from his predictions, Carlyle snickered.
"So… you never had any intention of accepting favorable testimonies for me from the start, did you, Father?"
Carlyle continued to chuckle even in the tense atmosphere.
"Hahaha! What kind of investigation is that?"
It wasn't my stepmother, who had always seen me as an eyesore, who was the problem. The real cause of this situation was my father, who was cowardly and fearful enough to send his young son to the battlefield instead of himself, and who was also envious and jealous.
'This is just an excuse.'
He must have thought that he had finally dealt with the long-standing problem of the Kingdom of Albania, and that there would be no war in the southern part of the empire for a while, and that the monsters could be stopped by the Imperial Knights.
"You insolent brat! You show no signs of repentance! Do you think I'm joking?"
The emperor was furious at Carlyle's attitude of laughing as if he had heard a joke. And then he really adjusted Carlyle's status to be just suitable for a prince.
"The title of First Prince Carlyle Evaristo is hereby granted only 'Prince Carlyle', 'Duke of Heaven', 'Earl of Leaderus', 'Earl of Dunningham', 'Earl of Altova', 'Baron of Cayetero', and 'Baron of Raello'."
TL/N: So if y'all don't understand these are all the territories that the ML has and according to each territory's size and status he's given a title for it and since Duke is the highest rank in all of his titles he's supposed to be called by it~
Not granting Carlyle the title of 'Crown Prince Carlyle' meant excluding him from the 'Absolute Imperial Family'.
The 'Absolute Imperial Family' is a class that is only allowed for the Emperor, Empress, Crown Prince, and Crown Princess. They did not belong to the category of 'nobles' and enjoyed privileges that took precedence over all citizens.
However, even if he became an ordinary prince instead of a crown prince, he was still a member of the 'ordinary imperial family' and at the same time belonged to the category of 'nobles', and had a lower status than the 'absolute imperial family'.
This was the first time Carlyle had been excluded from the 'Absolute Imperial Family' since he was born.
The emperor didn't stop there.
"Furthermore, if you are not re-enthroned as Crown Prince within 3 years, you will also have to surrender the title of Duke of Heaven."
Two years ago, Carlyle ascended to the Dukedom of Haven, a reward for his distinguished military achievements. However, the Emperor behaved as if Carlyle's territory and title were being revoked because Carlyle was no longer the Crown Prince.
Although there were no other princes who held the rank of Duke, to be precise, it was tantamount to saying that he would take away the title and estate for no reason.
Earl Gould once again protested, but Carlyle himself didn't really care.
'The throne is mine anyway.'
It was a proposition that permeated Carlyle's entire being, from his head to his toes, like an absolute truth.
Therefore, there was no need to fight over whether or not to consolidate the Dukedom now. Eventually, the entire empire would be under his rule.
"What can I do when His Majesty has given the order?"
Carlyle spoke with a voice devoid of any regret.
"I accept the order. I, Carlyle Evaristo, swear my loyalty to the Imperial Family as Prince and Duke, and I will do my utmost for the prosperity of the territories of Haven, Leaderus, Dunningham, Altova, Kayetero, and Laelo. And of course…"
Carlyle's gaze swept over the Empress, who was trying hard to hide her smile and pretend to be worried, once again with a dry coldness.
"I will reclaim the position of Crown Prince within the three years you have mentioned."
Then he turned to Matthias, who was fidgeting and gesturing cautiously, anxious to please the Emperor.
"So, Matthias, please suffer in my place 'for the time being'. Don't get too attached to the temporary position."
Matthias could be seen clenching his fists.
The Empress sighed again and whispered something in the Emperor's ear, and the Emperor frowned as if he saw a bug.
Carlyle looked at his family, who looked nothing like him, and scoffed inwardly.
'These pathetic humans are only greedy.'
Living in isolation above the clouds, they seemed to Carlyle nothing but pitiful and useless. There was nothing to fear from such people, no matter how many of them there were.
However, in contrast to Carlyle's nonchalant reaction, the news of the heated argument between the Emperor and his son that afternoon and the news of Carlyle's removal from the position of Crown Prince heated up all the social gatherings in the capital.
***
Sweet champagne filled the crystal glasses.
Beatrice happily watched the servant pour the champagne, and as soon as the glasses were filled, she quickly dismissed all the servants. She wanted to enjoy this joy alone tonight.
"I finally did it!"
A genuine smile spread across her face. It was so long ago that she could hardly remember when she last felt such joy.
She raised her glass and held it up to the air as if to toast someone, and recited a prayer of thanks to God.
"The causality of the earth is in the hands of God. I simply bow down and admire God's rule. I know that today's victory is God's blessing, and I will humbly follow God's words without the arrogance of trying to surpass God."
After reciting the prayer, she tilted the glass and savored the sweet taste of victory.
"Haah…!"
Thanks to the bucket filled with ice that held the wine bottle, she could enjoy the champagne at its best. It tasted as sweet and refreshing as the victory she had won today.
"Evelina Gould, no matter how much you struggle, you can never beat me. I will soon send the pile of filth you created back to you."
It was a completely different tone from the elegant tone of the prayer she had just recited, but there was no need to care about other people's eyes in a room where she was alone.
Beatrice thought of Evelina Gould, who had competed with her to the end for the crown princess selection 26 years ago, and smiled coldly.
Evelina Gould, with her red hair and golden eyes, was praised as the girl who had monopolized the blessing of the goddess Apodelis as soon as she debuted in the social circle at the age of fifteen.
And a year later, she debuted in the social circle and was called a beauty icon along with Beatrice.
It was perhaps only natural that both of them were mentioned as candidates for the Crown Princess of Prince Kendrick Evaristo.
'I should have been the Crown Princess back then!'
Beatrice had no doubt that she would be chosen then.
She thought that she was more suitable to be the Crown Princess than Evelina, who had vulgar red hair, because she was born with blonde hair and golden eyes and was known to be as kind as an angel.
But Kendrick chose Evelina at that time.
'He was like a lustful man with his madness attached to his lower body.'
Kendrick gave various reasons for his choice, but Beatrice believed Evelina was chosen simply because she was more sensual.
However, the reason for Kendrick's love cooling down just a year into their marriage remained unexplained.
"So, turns out she was passive in bed despite her looks?"
Beatrice chuckled at the thought of Kendrick being disappointed on their wedding night, which was far from what she imagined.
But her smile quickly faded.
'Why impregnate a woman who hates being touched?'
Just thinking about the hardships she has endured because of it, she wouldn't be satisfied even if she pulled out all of Kendrick's hair.
"If that woman hadn't just given birth to a son, I wouldn't have had to go through this!"
Beatrice believed she would eventually take the position of Crown Princess. If she assassinated Evelina, the position would automatically be hers.
However, that had to happen before Evelina gave birth to a son.
While the appointment of the Crown Prince was the Emperor's prerogative, historically, there had never been a case where the title was given to the second son without any specific reason.
'What an audacious woman. If she wanted to die, she should have died gracefully. How dare she take away even my son's position and die?'
Losing not only the position of Crown Princess but also the position of Crown Prince to that cunning woman was too infuriating and unfair.
Beatrice had tried so hard to eliminate Evelina before she got pregnant, but Evelina seemed to have sensed something and cleverly hid her pregnancy.
So, Beatrice let her guard down for a moment.