Afterwards, I had a brief conversation with Minister Dia before sending her off.

I spent the rest of the morning on paperwork, most of it focused on post-war reconstruction efforts.

“Preparing for another war right after one ends... how ironic.”

Was it the past three years that changed me, or was it the influence of this body’s original owner?

Or maybe... I’ve always been a madman from the start.

A sigh escaped as I reflected on how much I’ve changed.

When lunchtime came, my work was far from finished, so I requested a simple sandwich to quickly eat before getting back to my tasks.

The head chef of the imperial palace had begged me, now that the war was over, to enjoy a proper meal, but I ignored him.

Even after lunch, I remained buried in the mountain of paperwork when the head attendant came to see me.

“What is it?”

“Your Majesty, Duke Triell has expressed a desire to visit.”

“For what purpose?”

“She wishes to speak with you directly, Your Majesty.”

“Very well. Lead her to the reception room.”

“As you command, Your Majesty.”

Duke Triel or Roze Triell.

The ambitious woman who helped me overthrow her father, Derman Triell, the former chair of the Imperial Council, so she could take his place as head of the family.

Her ambition and personality always made me uncomfortable, which is why I kept my distance. So, why is she seeking me out now?

I slowly made my way to the reception room, where Duke Roze Triell, having arrived earlier, greeted me with a bow.

“It’s been a while, Your Majesty.”

“Indeed, it has. Duke.”

On the table in the reception room, two cups of tea had been prepared—who knows when. Roze Triell, pretending to savor the aroma, was clearly stalling for time.

I already know she’s not fond of tea.

“As always, the tea at the palace is delightful.”

“If you like, I can have some sent to your estate.”

“Oh my, that would be lovely, thank you.”

Even after that, the duke continued to prattle on about trivial matters—the state of the capital, her newly recruited vassals, and the like.

Does she really intend not to get to the point until I ask?

In Chronicles of Xian, Roze Triell was a character who could either support the protagonist or even become the main heroine, depending on the choices made.

She had her fans, but I never liked her much—especially not with that personality of hers, always engaging in power plays, even with the emperor.

My feelings haven’t changed now. I only work with her out of necessity.

Her sudden visit and reluctance to state her business were getting on my nerves, so I decided to cut to the chase.

“So, Duke, what brings you here today?”

“There are two things—one important, and one less so. Which would you like to hear first?”

Is it because there are only three... no, now just four dukes left in the empire?

Or perhaps because we’ve known each other since I was still a prince?

Her insolent attitude never fails to frustrate me.

“Start with the important matter.”

“Your Majesty. How long do you plan to leave the empress’ seat vacant?”

The Empress, huh.

It is true that it’s a bit unusual for me not to have even been engaged, let alone married, up to this point.

Until now, I had always used the excuse that I wouldn’t consider it until I had avenged the late emperor, but I guess that excuse has run its course.

In truth, there isn’t any particular reason why I haven’t married yet.

I simply haven’t met a woman who has captured my heart, and with my workload, I’ve barely had the time or opportunity to meet anyone.

I could easily arrange a political marriage, but—do I really need to?

The empire is already strong, and the imperial power is firm. I don’t need the backing of another faction.

Marriage only happens once, so if possible, I’d like it to be a love match.

If a political marriage becomes absolutely necessary, I’d rather save it for when the situation truly demands it.

It’s probably an inappropriate thought for an emperor in this world, but the late emperor, who could order me to marry, has long been slain by the Demon Lord’s commander.

Did my face betray my irritation?

Duke Triell awkwardly laughed and quickly changed the subject.

“Haha, I can tell Your Majesty isn’t interested in the topic at all. I don’t want to be disliked, so let’s leave it at that.”

“Sigh... So, what’s this supposedly less important matter?”

“Oh, it’s nothing major. You know the survivors of the Marquis Lute? It seems they’ve been harboring treacherous thoughts.”

What?

“That’s something you should’ve mentioned first!”

This woman and I really don’t get along.

Not at all.

__________

I barely managed to rein in my anger before calming down to think.

The Marquis Lute.

They were the lords governing the southern region before the Demon King’s invasion, but they eventually fell, unable to stop the demon army.

Most of their knights and vassals perished, leaving only the young heir and his sibling alive, so I hadn’t paid them much attention. But now they’re harboring rebellious intentions?

“Are you certain of this information?”

“Of course. Do you really think I’d bring uncertain information to Your Majesty?”

“I met with the Minister of Intelligence today, and I received no such report. How exactly did you come by this?”

“Oh, that’s simple. Those brats came to me directly and told me.”

“...What?”

“They claimed Your Majesty was my father’s enemy, and then asked if I wasn’t interested in avenging him.”

“You mean the father you had a hand in getting rid of?”

“My, Your Majesty, how could you say such a thing? My father had a tragic accident while hunting with my brother.”

“Right, let’s go with that. So, what did you say?”

“Naturally, I told them to stop spouting nonsense. If I had even pretended to consider it, Your Majesty would have been furious with me, no?”

A missed opportunity. If she had even humored them, I could’ve used that against her later. This woman knows me too well.

“So, where are those fools now?”

“I don’t know.”

“...What?”

“I had them locked in the underground prison, but when I checked this morning, they were gone.”

Her words made me frown. Escaped? From the Triell family’s underground prison?

“How is this not a serious matter?”

As I ground my teeth in frustration, Duke Roze Triell responded with a smile.

“Oh, that? It was just a joke, of course.”

God, I really can’t stand her.

_______________

Let’s think this through.

The survivors of the Lute family managed to slip past the Empire’s intelligence network and make their way to the capital. Not only that, but they also visited the Triell household and escaped from its underground prison.

There’s no way a young man barely in his twenties and his even younger sister could pull this off alone.

They definitely had help.

“I don’t know who it is.”

“The helper, you mean?”

“Yes.”

At least in Chronicles of Xian, no faction attempting to overthrow the imperial family ever makes an appearance.

Or does it? Maybe it was just hinted at and never fully developed in the main storyline.

Damn it. I should have paid more attention to the plot. If I’d known this would happen, I would’ve completed all the side quests, too.

“You said earlier that you hadn’t heard anything about this from the Minister of Intelligence, right? Which means they managed to evade even the intelligence agency... Hmm.”

Duke Roze Triell furrowed her brow in thought, clearly at a loss as well.

“I can’t figure it out either. Those two weren’t exactly high-priority threats, so I can imagine them sneaking in undetected, but how in the world did they escape from the prison?”

“What happened to the guards?”

“They were all knocked out. No one was killed.”

“Not many people have the skill to infiltrate your estate, free those two, and escape unnoticed. Even fewer could do it so discreetly. I’ll have the Minister of Intelligence compile a list of possible suspects.”

“Yes, I’ll also conduct my own investigation.”

Having said all she needed to, the duke finally rose from her seat.

“Oh, and be careful. There’s a chance those two didn’t just come to see me.

If I were them, I would have visited the western and eastern regions first before coming to the capital.”

With that brief warning, Duke Roze Triell left.

__________

The survivors of the Lute family harboring treasonous intentions… Why?

All I did was confiscate a small portion of their land and grant it to a hero. And for that?

Their family was elevated to the rank of marquis precisely to defend the southern region, yet not only did they fail to do so, they couldn’t even stop their vassals from betraying them.

Under normal circumstances, I could’ve stripped them of their title entirely, but I was merciful, only taking a portion of their land. Instead of being grateful, they hold a grudge.

In truth, their resentment isn’t much of a concern to me. What threat do a couple of orphans, who haven’t even officially inherited their title, pose?

The real issue is the unknown force—or more likely, a group—supporting them.

Since they went to see Duke Roze, it’s possible they also visited other nobles before that.

They might have even approached my brother.

I wouldn’t care much if they met with the other lords, but my brother… I don’t want him tangled up in this. I don’t want to have to kill him.

Sigh...

I’m already overwhelmed preparing for war, and now I have to clean up this mess in my own household as well.

As I trudged back to the reception room, I gave instructions to the head attendant.

“Summon the Minister of Intelligence and the Commander of the Imperial Knights.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Also, inform Duke Fael that I have something to discuss with him over dinner.”

“Understood, Your Majesty.”

Why is there always so much to do?