On the day the Emperor unexpectedly declared Carlyle's reinstatement, the weather was unusually good from the morning.
"Her Majesty the Empress and His Highness Matthias must be completely caught off guard."
"Of course. They were probably waiting for the right time to attack me, but unfortunately, that's not going to happen."
Although he had offered reinstatement on the condition of participating in the Southern War, everyone had expected his reinstatement to take another two months.
The Empress would have probably started her attack in earnest around the time the victory celebration ended. If she found fault during that time, she would only face backlash.
"Congratulations, Your Highness, in any case."
"Actually, this is something that shouldn't have happened in the first place."
"That is true."
Carlyle finished dressing while brushing off Lionel's congratulations.
The announcement of the Empress's confinement to the palace would probably be announced along with the declaration of reinstatement today.
'And while the Empress is confined to the palace, a search will be conducted for High Priest Gabriel and his subordinates.'
The day the Empress's confinement would be lifted would never come. The fact that she had rendered the Emperor infertile was a crime tantamount to attempted murder of the Emperor in itself, and the Emperor was greatly angered that he had been forced to hand over his beloved mistress with his own hands.
In the end, the Empress and Matthias would fall, and the Elahe Sect would suffer a great blow.
'It's the perfect environment to be reinstated as Crown Prince.'
He could get rid of the Empress who was always trying to find fault, his half-brother who was only interested in the position without the ability, the Empress's faction, the Levain County and its followers, and the Temple that was trying to interfere in state affairs in the name of God.
Although it was an unpleasant experience to have been deprived of the position of Crown Prince, the situation had improved thanks to it.
'Once I've dealt with the Empress, Matthias, and the High Priest … I'll call Countess Pervaz to Zyro then.'
Carlyle was in a hurry for various reasons, but his heart was always focused on Asha.
While other things were things he didn't care about and would happen naturally, Asha Pervaz's matter might be quite a headache.
'She hasn't sent the divorce papers yet, has she?'
Asha's words that she would carefully write and send the divorce papers kept coming to mind and made him feel uncomfortable.
Divorce was no different from declaring that their contractual relationship was over, and if that happened… if that happened…
'There shouldn't be a problem. But still…'
Anyway, he would be the Crown Prince, so if he needed Asha, he could just order her to enter the palace.
It was not that a noble had to obey the Crown Prince's orders unconditionally, but if he repeated the same order several times, she would eventually have no choice but to obey.
Even so, it felt strangely sad to officially become a stranger to her.
"Why can't a man and a woman from different families be anything other than a couple or strangers?"
Lionel's eyebrows furrowed at the sudden, bizarre question.
"Excuse me? What kind of nonsense are you talking about all of a sudden?"
"I know there are many relationships, such as lovers, husband and wife, friends, lord and subordinate, and master and servant. But legally, the only relationship that is recognized is the marital relationship, right? Unless one side becomes a slave to the other."
Lionel still had the expression that said, "What nonsense are you talking about after eating well?"
Of course, Carlyle didn't care about what he thought.
"Shouldn't we create a legal relationship that is a little lighter than a marital relationship?"
"So, why?"
"…Well, it's nothing."
Carlyle started to answer, "So that we don't get lonely even when we're far apart," but stopped. He knew it was a lie.
Time passed even as he babbled on.
"Let's leave in 10 minutes."
"Yes, I understand."
Carlyle looked at himself in the mirror from front to back and sat down on the sofa. It seemed like the time would be just right if he smoked a cigarette.
Then, it seemed like it was a little noisy outside, and Giles burst in.
"Your Highness, something terrible has happened!"
"Sir Raphelt…?"
Since he had been ordered to reflect, Giles had not come to Carlyle's room in person for a while, but now he seemed like he couldn't see anything.
And it was understandable.
"His Majesty the Emperor has passed away!"
"What…?"
For a moment, a shocked silence filled Carlyle's office.
"That's nonsense! Why would someone who was perfectly fine until yesterday suddenly die!"
"It was a sudden death! He was preparing to come out for lunch today, but he suddenly collapsed and his heart stopped before the imperial family arrived… ."
"Suddenly collapsed…?"
"Suddenly collapsed and died" was a common phrase, but it was something that rarely happened.
Perhaps that's why, one memory of that rare form of death came to mind.
[All of them died suddenly of unknown causes. They were all doing different things in different places when they suddenly collapsed and died…]
The voice of Pete, who had previously reported the news of the deaths of all the sparrows in the Empress's palace, seemed to ring in his ears.
"What about the Empress?"
"Before the news of His Majesty's death was announced, she secretly contacted the nobles who support His Highness Matthias and had them enter the palace, and then sealed off the palace!"
"What? She sealed off the palace?"
"Yes. And as soon as the news of His Majesty's death was announced in the temple, the temple agreed to the succession of His Highness Matthias to the throne."
"Ha…!"
A bitter laugh erupted.
This was really ridiculous.
"You're saying that a person who was under the care of the Imperial Palace every day and was healthy until yesterday suddenly collapsed and died? Are you kidding me? This is an assassination!"
"Of course it is."
"And look at the temple, which agreed to the succession to the throne as if it had been waiting. It means that the temple is also involved in this assassination."
"Probably High Priest Gabriel persuaded the temple."
Carlyle clicked his tongue irritably.
"We've been had."
We've been had again.
This time, he felt even more disgusted than when he was deprived of his title as Crown Prince.
"There can't be no one who finds this strange, right?"
"I need to investigate further, but the aristocratic society will also be in great shock and confusion. Everyone will have doubts about the cause of His Majesty's death, but…"
"The Empress will cover it up. She will suppress those who raise doubts."
Carlyle clenched his teeth and stood up abruptly.
He didn't know how the Empress knew and did it, but he was not the same Carlyle Evaristo who was deprived of his title as Crown Prince.
"Contact the families that have agreed to provide financial support. The Empress will block my privy purse, so I need to secure cash from the outside. Also, tell the noble families with knight orders to prepare."
"Understood!"
During the past two and a half years since he was sent to Pervaz, Carlyle had not been idle.
During that time, he had mobilized all his connections to solidify his alliance with powerful noble families, and through persistent persuasion, he had won over the neutral noble families. As a result, there were quite a few places where he had received "oaths of loyalty".
"Let's go to the palace first. I need to see my mother in her grief. I'm also curious to see what nonsense she'll come up with."
"But the palace is sealed off...!"
"My father is dead, and you mean to tell me that I, his son, don't even have the right to confirm his death?!"
He pushed past the worried Lionel and Giles and headed towards the palace.
However, as he had been told, the palace was sealed off. Guards under the orders of the Empress stood guard at the gates like an iron wall.
Many nobles who had heard the news and arrived before him were also turned away by the captain of the guard, who had been specially promoted by the Empress.
"Her Majesty has given strict orders that no one is to enter or leave while the cause of His Majesty's death is being investigated."
Carlyle stepped forward in front of the captain of the guard, who was repeating the same words like a parrot.
"I am the eldest son of His Majesty. Even if you are blocking the entry of others, you must let me in, as his son."
The other nobles nodded in agreement, but the captain of the guard remained stiff even to Carlyle.
"Her Majesty's orders were to let 'no one' in."
"That's strange. I heard that the nobles who support Matthias have already entered the palace."
"I apologize, but I cannot confirm that."
"Are you trying to destroy the evidence?"
"I apologize, but we are only following orders."
Carlyle snickered.
"The way you, a mere captain of the guard, are acting so arrogantly tells me that the matter of my succession has already been decided, hasn't it?"
"...I don't know anything about that."
"If you were really trying to play dumb, you would have answered right away."
Carlyle clenched his teeth, but he had no choice but to turn back. If he tried to force his way in, he would only give Beatrice an excuse to find fault with him.
Half a day after he returned empty-handed, he finally read the 'edict' brought by the imperial messenger.
"...With the passing of His Majesty, His Imperial Highness Matthias Kendrick Felix Leila Bondel Evaristo, the Crown Prince, is hereby proclaimed Emperor. Any opposition to this succession, which is without any legal defect under imperial law, will be considered an attempt to disrupt the order of the empire, regardless of status, and will be punished as treason...."
In short, if Carlyle tried to investigate the cause of the Emperor's death, he would be immediately branded a traitor.
However, Carlyle was not afraid.
"So this is how you're going to play it, huh?"
His eyes narrowed.
"We'll see who the traitor is soon enough. Let's see how long a coward who's never held a sword can hold me off."
He vowed to do as Beatrice wanted and raise a rebellion.
However, as if on cue, a completely unexpected piece of news arrived.
"Your Highness! Pervaz has been attacked!"