Stepmothers Are Not Always Evil

Chapter 114 A messenger from the Duchy of Anthemion arrived this morning.After receiving the message from the messenger, the royal court attendant went straight to the Marquis of Melks.“Sir, Duke Anthemion has sent a letter of complaint.”“Bring it.”After Helios went down to the estate, Marquis Melks, who had been appointed Imperial Court Administrator, wielded real power behind the scenes.“Who else besides you knows that a messenger has come?”“The soldier guarding the gate delivered it to me.”“Keep him silent until I can inform His Majesty.”“Yes.”Marquis Melks, who sent the royal court servants out, opened the letter.Helios himself wrote the petition, full of facts against him.There were warnings that the estate was being overrun by monsters and needed urgent defense, specific plans, advice to consult with noblemen on important matters, and a petition that Anthony Eaton’s remnants were disturbing the peace and needed to be hunted down.‘You idiot, you failed.’Harriet Tuffman, who had been ordered to destroy Baron Hazel and his granddaughter, and had gone after them, has not been heard from since.Based on Helios’ reaction, it looked like an attack had taken place, but if he had successfully dealt with the target, he would have already found him. Either he killed Baron Hazel and died, or he was the only one who died.‘I’m sorry, but I don’t need a hunting dog who doesn’t listen.’Marquis Melks, who shed a fishy smile, held the pen, saying that it might have been better because only troublesome things would happen if he was alive.He didn’t need to fix much. The words would only annoy the Emperor anyway.He finished the corrections in an instant, called the scribe and ordered them to write a new petition.“If this gets out, you won’t survive.”“Is there any possibility?”The scribe answered, hiding a gold in his sleeve.After placing the forged appeasement in the envelope, the Marquis took a fake seal from a drawer and sealed the envelope.“I see.”He stood up, holding the appeasement with satisfaction. ***** “Strange, is this all?”Count Grenier, who was examining the documents to be presented to the Emperor, tilted his head.“Yes, this is the only document that arrived today.”At the words of the chamberlain in charge of the documents, Count Grenier looked at the stack again and asked.“I heard there was a messenger from the Duke of Anthemion?”“Ah, that was brought to the Marquis of Melks.”“The Marquis of Melks?”“Yes. He says it is an important letter and must not be mixed with other things….”A look of displeasure appeared on Count Grenier’s face.It was his role as an aide to deliver the petitions and documents from various places to the Emperor.The Emperor’s aide is not a simple document forwarder, but rather a position that first reviews the documents that the Emperor will check and gives advice on them.However, in the meantime, he was not able to perform his original duties as an aide at all.“Where is Your Majesty?”“He’s in the office.”“I see.”Count Grenier packed the documents one by one in his filing cabinet and headed to the Emperor’s office.“I have brought a letter of appeasement, please deliver it to His Majesty.”“I will deliver it.”The chamberlain at the front of the throne room extended his hand politely. Count Grenier clutched the document tightly and shook his head.“I have something to say to His Majesty.”“If you do, please come back later.”“Who is with His Majesty?”“Marquis Melks is in the room.”The Count’s eyebrows twitched. It didn’t happen once or twice, so I couldn’t get over it anymore.Count Grenier looked at the closed office door without a word.“—If you only knew how ridiculous I am, you’d know how ridiculous…!”The Emperor’s furious voice pierced through the door. The chamberlain coughed in disbelief.“After the audience is over, I will inform His Majesty that the Count has come and gone.”It was a polite dismissal.“I will come back later, then.”Count Grenier walked away. ***** “A mere Duke admonishing, does that mean he can be an Emperor!”“Stop it, Your Majesty.”A faint smile tugged at the corners of the Marquis Melks mouth as he picked up the petition letter from the floor.As expected, the Emperor was unaware that the letter had been forged.Marquis Melks studied the Emperor’s stern complexion, then opened his mouth.“What has Duke Anthemion says in this letter?”“He says that I am so intent on protecting my throne that I am ignoring the people of the Empire.”“Yes?”Marquis opened his eyes wide, pretending to be surprised. The Emperor spoke as if chewing.“And you think that’s all? There are even words written to remind me of the words of other monarchs who have neglected their subjects in their rush to see to their own security.”“Is that, is that true?”“If you don’t believe it, Marquis should read it for himself.”In response to the annoying answer, Marquis Melks pretended to open the letter and read it.He stood by the window and glanced at the Emperor’s fuming backside, then spoke in an exaggerated tone.“How could the Duke write such an insolent letter to His Majesty…”“…….”“The Duke’s arrogance seems to have gone too far.”“I am going to send a complaint to the aristocrat by the end of today to discuss the crimes of Duke Anthemion.”At the Emperor’s words, Marquis Melks frowned slightly.If the complaint goes to the aristocratic court, it may be discovered that the document is forged.“With all due respect, Your Majesty, the nobleman is in the same vein with the Duke, so it is questionable whether it will be possible to sort out the sins fairly.”The Emperor raised his eyebrows. The Marquis Melks spoke cautiously.“As Your Majesty knows, aren’t there a couple of people who have joined hands with the Duke of Anthemion to drive Anthony Eaton out of the aristocrat?”“…….”“Also, Duke Anthemion was in charge of the Anthony Eaton case, so he may be using the information he has gathered to address their weaknesses.”The Emperor’s eyebrows narrowed even more.He didn’t want to admit it, but it was a plausible guess.Were they not the ones who collectively expressed their resignation to stop the re-investigation of the Anthony Eaton case?The Emperor stared at the letter with cold eyes.Regardless of Marquis Melks’s reasons, Helios’s complaint contained advice that could not be ignored.If the aristocratic court examines that petition, it seems possible that they would agree with the content before the arrogance of the sentence.However, he could not tolerate the fact that it was Helios, not himself, who controlled the important events of the Empire.“The Marquis’ words are true.”As the Emperor seemed to agree with him, the Marquis Melks whispered secretly.“Yes. So first get rid of the Duke’s limbs, then bring the Duke into the capital city and keep a close eye on him to make sure he doesn’t pull any stunts.”“Who do you mean the Duke’s limb?”“Those who attended the Duke of Anthemion’s birthday and those who took part in the ouster of Anthony Eaton.”The Marquis spoke without hesitation.“As long as they are there, the same thing will happen again, even if you remove the Duke. For the sake of the Crown Prince, please deal with them calmly, and set the dignity of the Imperial House in order.”“I will do as you say.” ***** “How can your Majesty do this to me?”“Pl-please get a hold of yourself.”“Get out of the way, I must meet His Majesty today!”Grand Duchess Crawford pushed the chamberlain blocking the office and opened the door.“Your Majesty!”The Emperor, who was sitting at the desk, looked at Grand Duchess Crawford and then looked down.“Chamberlain, didn’t I tell you not to let anyone in?”“That is…”“Your Majesty, do you intend to live without seeing your sister forever?”At the roar of Grand Duchess Crawford, the Emperor stood up with a displeased expression.“Come in.”With a reluctant consent, the Grand Duchess entered the office. The Emperor, who was seated opposite her on the sofa, said with a dissatisfied expression.“You know full well that there are many prying eyes in the imperial palace, but how can you do this?”“I wouldn’t have done this even if Your Majesty hadn’t ignored my request for an audience six times.”Tsk, the Emperor leaned back on the sofa.“I had a lot of work to do, so I thought I’d get back to you after dealing with the backlog.”“In the meantime, let the Duchy be devastated?”Grand Duchess Crawford asked, suppressing her anger. When the Emperor learned the purpose of the Grand Duchess’s visit, he clicked his tongue briefly.There were a lot of monsters in the Duchy, so he received an official letter asking for help four times. The Emperor had ignored all of them, so they had turned to the Grand Duchess for help.“As you know, the situation in the Empire is not good either.”“Not just the Duchy, the capital is also threatened by a monster.”“There is an army in the Duchy and a Knights Templar, so they will defend themselves.”“The Duchy is a small estate and an ally of the Empire. Isn’t it not an alliance that helps at times like this?”“I don’t know.”At the Emperor’s response, the Grand Duchess raised her voice.“The Empire has been allied with the Duchy for 250 years. Do you know how many royal families have been married to the Duchy?”“Of course I know.”“If you do, then you should be gracious enough to admit it. Do you think it would be right for the strong alliance between the Duchy and the Empire to be cut off in your line?”“A strong ally of the Duchy and Empire…”The Emperor drooped his tail and said to his sister.“You’re such a close ally that you didn’t send a congratulatory message to the Crown Prince?”