I Became the Master of the Empress

216 – 220

A few months later.

“It’s been a while, Agricola.”

Agricola, who had been ruling as a regent in the Grand Duchy, was summoned to Rome.

“It has indeed been a while, Your Grace.”

Agricola, with a slightly annoyed expression.

Looking at him, I say,

“You look unwell. Is something the matter?”

He nods with irritation in his eyes.

“Your Grace has stolen my happiness.”

“What? Me?”

I thought I had always treated Agricola well. Stolen his happiness?

Confused by his words, I ask again,

“I stole your happiness?”

“How could you take Mary and Ludwig away from me? That’s too much.”

Ludwig is the son of Mary and Agricola.

He would be my nephew whom I haven’t met yet.

I never imagined Agricola would become such a doting father.

“Hey! People might misunderstand if they overhear. You know I called you here for a reason, right?”

It’s about the personnel arrangements in preparation for the potential unrest that may arise from the dissolution of the Papacy or when the demon worshippers enter Rome.

“Ludwig is now five months old. He needs me… Oh, that’s right. Your Grace. Mary sent a letter for you.”

Saying so, Agricola pulls out a white envelope from his coat.

“From Mary?”

The seal of Mary clearly imprinted.

I start to read the letter as I open it.

[Are you trying to kill your real brother? Why separate a newlywed couple again?]

Mary’s letter is a complaint about why I’m making her husband suffer.

She hints at taking revenge (?) on me once she ascends above the Grand Duke.

[If you don’t want to end up confined to the palace without a dignity maintenance fee, why don’t you leave us three alone?]

Threatening me with my future self as a hostage. I let out a sigh.

“Ah… Why are both of you like this?”

“Who knows? This is a honeymoon, and the child has just been born, but perhaps it’s the fault of His Highness the Archduke for calling us.”

“Yeah, I’m the scoundrel. A real scoundrel.”

Saying so, I pull out a bundle of papers from the drawer and hand them to Agrippa.

“Here, this is a top-secret document. It’s been treated with special ink so it can’t be seen from the outside. Read it here.”

The operation plan to dismantle the Papacy and preserve the Order of Knights, and to suppress the disturbances that will arise in Roman.

The content itself is so sensitive and dangerous that I’ve had to maintain strict security, so much so that I couldn’t even pass it on to Agrippa and Mary.

I trust them, but if the letter gets lost on the way, it becomes dangerous.

Agrippa, having received the operation plan, sits on the sofa and flips through the papers.

-Flutter.

There’s quite a bit, so I should get back to work.

These days, Theodora is quite popular in the Imperial Assembly.

It seems she’s succeeded in winning over the neutral forces to her side by skillfully persuading the members.

Could that be why?

[Imperial Political Reform Proposal.]

She’s gone and made something like this.

In summary, the proposal is to reform the existing five departments and create a seventh department by adding an Information Department and a Technology Department.

It also includes clauses prohibiting public officials from receiving bribes, criminal penalties for leaking investment-related information from the Technology Department, and so on.

Quite a few big and small reform proposals seem quite useful.

At a glance, it might seem like an ordinary reform proposal, but…

“Establishing a Prime Minister’s Office? This seems like a way to check my power.”

Currently, above the five departments, there’s my direct office, the Archduke’s Office.

I’m practically overseeing the entire administration, but the proposal to create a Prime Minister’s Office, similar to the Archduke’s Office, signifies a reduction of my powers.

It’s not just a simple reduction of power.

For starters, the Finance, Justice, Interior, and Technology Departments would be under the Archduke’s Office, and the Prime Minister’s Office would take over the Foreign Affairs, Military Affairs, and Information Departments, effectively splitting internal and external governance.

According to intelligence reports from the Information Department, it’s known to be crafted around Theodora, Lucius, and Sabinelli.

The fact that Theodora has taken the lead in putting forward such a reform proposal shows she has grown quite a bit.

It hasn’t passed the Assembly yet, but there’s a very high chance it will later on.

Unless I exercise my veto, that is.

But I have no intention of exercising my veto.

To be honest, it’s not a bad bill for me.

After all, it’s not too bad if I think of it as a way to capture the demon worshippers and ensure a stable transfer of power.

Because if the supreme ruler disappears, we must prevent the chaos that would ensue in the scramble for power.

It also conveniently reduces my workload.

As I’m contemplating this.

“Sigh…”

I hear Agricola’s sigh.

“Your Grace, is this really the right thing to do?”

“Yes, that’s why I called you here.”

Agricola rises from the sofa, organizes the documents, and hands them to me.

“The risk is too great. It might be better to give up on capturing the demons. The dissolution of the Papacy is unthinkable.”

There have been quite a few emperors in the long history of the empire who have tried to dismantle the Papacy.

None of them died peacefully, though.

“What if… I order the duchy’s soldiers to dismantle the Papacy, they won’t rebel, will they?”

My greatest fear is the rebellion of the duchy’s soldiers.

The religion here is different from modern religions.

Because one can witness the miracles of the gods directly.

It’s easy to see the miracles of the gods to the extent that there’s no doubt about their existence, unlike on Earth.

It would be fair to say that there are a tremendous number of zealots these days.

How many zealots were there on Earth, even though they couldn’t see the gods directly?

In comparison, most people here have felt the power of the gods directly.

It’s impossible not to have zealots.

At my words, Agricola covers his face with his palm.

After a long period of thought, Agricola speaks with difficulty.

“It might be fifty-fifty.”

The answer I expected.

“Really? That’s not too bad.”

I nod, thinking that I need to place intelligence agents among the soldiers.

“Even if His Holiness the Pope agrees, this could potentially ruin our relations with all the nations outside the empire.”

“One month… If only I can somehow suppress the bloodlust for a month.”

The estimated time until the disbandment of the Vatican and the Locust’s entry into Rome is one month.

“I can stop it for that long.”

It all depends on how much my uncle trusts me, though.

“Sigh… Can’t we just stay like this?”

I nod at Agrippa’s words.

“It’s fine for now. But as time goes on, who knows what the Locust will do.”

We have a tremendous stock of holy water now, but who knows how long we can hold out like this.

If they decide to release the locusts, the cost of purchasing holy water will keep occurring.

It’s like having a bomb over your head. It’s more comforting to deal with it right away.

“Haah… Really. I’ll start preparing as planned.”

At those words, I smile brightly and say,

“Right, let’s go out and eat something delicious today and start preparing from tomorrow.”

With that, I rise from my seat.

***

A few nights later.

I approach Theodora, who is reading a book in the bridal chamber.

“I’ll be away for a few days on a royal procession.”

I plan to leave Rome for a while to meet with Amon and the Locust.

That’s why I want to tell Theodora in advance before I leave.

“A procession?”

She looks up from her book with a puzzled expression and asks,

“Where are you going?”

“Next to the Kingdom of Bohemia, the Countship of Zion.”

I’ve agreed to meet the Locust in the Jarl Plains.

But I need an excuse to go to that barren place, so I pretend I’m going on a procession to any nearby countship.

Theodora frowns.

“What? Shouldn’t you have told me about the procession in advance?”

I nod in response to her words.

“Right. I should. It’s just that, with intelligence work and matters requiring secrecy. I’m sorry.”

Her lips quiver as if she wants to say something, then she opens her mouth with difficulty.

“I’m your wife, you know. I should be aware of where you’re going and for what purpose.”

“It’s intelligence business.”

Regrettably, it’s not easy to say that I’m off to meet with the Locust.

Especially since I can’t predict what actions she might take if she knew I was in contact with the demon race.

“I am the emperor of this nation. The intelligence department is but an institution that assists me. Do you think it makes sense that there are things you can’t tell me?”

Theodora argues with impeccable logic.

I sit next to her and take her white hand in mine as I speak.

“Listen, could you let this one slide? Just this once? I’ll tell you everything from now on. Okay?”

At my words, Theodora’s face turns red. She averts her gaze from me.

Her demeanor seems shy, making her appear endearingly cute today.

What’s this? Is she embarrassed? It’s quite cute, isn’t it?

Though I can’t see her face, the pink hue spreading on her pale neck suggests how embarrassed she is.

“Really? Is that true?”

Her voice trembles.

Why is her reaction so adorable?

Just then,

“Ahem… Did you see the reform proposal I sent you?”

Theodora hastily changes the subject, her face still flushed.

I nod at her.

“Yeah. It was fine. If it passes the assembly, I won’t exercise my veto.”

At my words, she turns to look at me with moist, reddened eyes and a face full of blush.

Her bashful yet determined gesture brings an involuntary smile to my face.

“Really? For real?”

Her expression mixes disbelief with a hint of amusement.

“Yeah. For real.”

But she seems unconvinced, still wearing a skeptical look.

“Why?”

“Huh?”

“It doesn’t make sense, does it? A reform that diminishes your power. And you’re accepting it?”

What’s this? Can’t you just gracefully let it go?

Watching him tilt his head in skepticism, as if worried I might be aiming for something else, I say,

“Don’t worry, I have no ulterior motives. I’m taking this chance to cut down on my workload.”

But Theodora’s eyes remain full of suspicion.

“You… perhaps.”

I wait silently for her to continue, but she makes an awkward face.

“It’s nothing.”

And with that, the conversation that night came to an end.