I Became the Master of the Empress

236 – 240

Watching Theodora’s surprised expression, I wonder.

Is she that happy?

“Ah, we’re both pure, aren’t we? That’s why I’ve requested an annulment from the Pope as part of the power transfer. They said it would take about three weeks.”

Theodora wears a look of disbelief.

“What… what does that mean?”

“Huh? Weren’t we enemies all along? It’s been tough living with someone you despise and hate.”

She glares at me.

“Is that something you should be saying to me now?”

I had somewhat expected her to reject this.

She must covet the Grand Duchy of Francesco that I possess.

She must think that if a child is born between us, and if I were to die, she could obtain the duchy.

Even if she’s afraid of the Pope’s influence and hesitant to kill me, the idea that our child could inherit the duchy must seem quite attractive to her.

That’s why…

“Theodora, the rights of my child to the Grand Duchy of Francesco have been extinguished.”

When I had to kill Baloran before, I had transferred the rights with Mary’s active cooperation.

Now it seems Mary would rather have my child inherit, but my dream is to live moderately wealthy in the New World.

Again… I don’t want to sit on the throne.

“What? That… what does that mean?”

“That is, even if a child is born to us, that child won’t possess the duchy. So give up.”

By making her realize she has no use for me in her plans, I expect she’ll drop them on her own.

She’ll probably be angry at first?

In a way, it’s no different from a scam marriage.

Originally, marriage is about uniting families and territories to pass on greater lands and power to a new heir.

That’s why marriages happen between noble families of similar rank.

Of course, if done without limit, one could surpass the emperor’s authority, so it’s impossible for those with kingdom-level titles.

Anyway…

If she gets angry, I’m prepared to accept it.

Even taking a slap or two wouldn’t be too bad.

As I firmly resolve myself to this internally,

Theodora begins to cry.

“You… that’s too cruel.”

And then she rises from her seat and leaves the room.

Crying?

The girl I know would slap back rather than show such weakness.

Yet, the sight of her crying pitifully as she leaves stings my heart.

“Was the Grand Duchy… that desirable to you?”

After all…

She currently holds titles in four kingdoms: the Roman Kingdom, the Nicaean Kingdom, the Epirus Kingdom, and the Egyptian Kingdom.

And if she were to add the Grand Duchy title, not even all the great lords combined could defeat her.

Right now, they are evenly matched, but the moment she takes over the Grand Duchy…

She will overwhelm the great lords.

Perhaps that’s what she’s been holding out for.

But if she does acquire the Grand Duchy, it will only lead to another catastrophe.

None of the nobles and free cities will stand idly by.

Anyway…

It’s a relief that her thirst for power has been quenched.

***

“You jerk! You scoundrel!”

-Sob…

Waking up to what? A proposal to annul the marriage?

Trash, scum, you villain!

To think I believed you were a good person. How could you say such things?

Tears leak out before I know it.

“Sob, hmph… Go die. That’s right! An annulment is exactly what I wanted. I never wanted to live with someone who dislikes me, not in a million years.”

The affair with Devian.

Every time I think of it, I get angry.

He always lied to me.

At first, he said he loved me, then later, he said he didn’t.

Who else would act like this after swearing to protect me with their life?

I was thrilled when we first headed to our honeymoon suite.

I thought we were finally becoming one after such a long time.

My heart raced on the way to the honeymoon suite, I thought I was going mad.

But…

He thoroughly shattered my expectations.

Sitting in the bridal room, he now says he’ll annul the marriage, claiming it’s been tough for me.

What’s even more upsetting is…

The way he insinuates that the only reason I want to keep our marriage is because of the Grand Duchy makes me hate him enough to want him dead.

His words are an insult.

An affront to my feelings and to me.

I despise him.

I resent him.

“Sob…”

Crying like this won’t solve anything.

Fine, I’ll do as you wish, Devian.

If you hate me, I hate you too.

Clinging desperately isn’t my style.

So, I’ll grant you the annulment.

***

As Theodora left the room, I immediately headed to the Grand Duke’s office.

Piles of paperwork in my office.

“Sigh…”

-You… You’re too much.

Theodora’s pitiful expression and her tears as she ran out of the room won’t leave my mind.

Perhaps… I might be in love with her.

But she doesn’t love me.

Pretending to love, maybe she’s just cozying up to me to use the false reputation of sainthood I’ve acquired.

We’ve spent three years together, but in three weeks, our relationship will legally end.

It wasn’t all bad.

We fought and bickered, but there were times when we got along quite well.

And… we did kiss quite a lot.

Anyway, if I annul our marriage, she’ll be free to find someone she truly loves and start anew.

When that time comes, she might even thank me.

Right now, I’m seething with anger, captured by thoughts of the Grand Duchy, but when true love is found…

I’ll have to supply oranges to the Imperial Palace.

A week has passed since I broached the subject of annulment with Theodora.

In that time, we haven’t crossed paths unless it was for a state council meeting.

I haven’t attended the breakfast gatherings of the imperial family…

“Lucius? The content of this new proposal is good, but I’ve put it on hold for now, so just be aware of that.”

Lucius was summoned back from the Grand Duchy and appointed as the Imperial Steward.

The Imperial Steward is a position that serves by the Emperor’s side, receiving treatment equivalent to that of an Earl.

Moreover, it’s a position that can wield strong influence over the central government and is an official title assisting the Emperor.

Originally, there would be no need for him, but he was brought in for the handover after the annulment.

“Huh? Can’t this be approved right away?”

“No, put it on hold for now.”

This proposal is a marketing plan for fertilizers funded by the government budget.

Ideally, I should approve and implement it immediately, but it’s better for Theodora to do it now that I’m stepping down.

That way, the project will have legitimacy.

“Yes, I understand.”

I tell Lucius, who nods in agreement.

“Nikea, have you heard from the governors of Epirus and Egypt?”

“Huh? Yes, their correspondence arrived today.”

“Then could you bring it to me now?”

The reason for the recent significant increase in tax revenue is that Nikea, Epirus, and Egypt have allocated their treasuries to the central government.

I was puzzled by their sudden action and wrote to inquire about it, and it seems the answer arrived today.

Did these people line up behind me instead of Theodora because they think I’m a saint?

If so, they’ll have a hard time surviving once Theodora takes power.

I want to avoid a bloody purge as much as possible.

“Here it is.”

Lucius brings a letter, which I tear open to read.

Ignoring the various pleasantries at the beginning and focusing on the important part…

“What? Theodora ordered this?”

I read the rest of the letters, which state they acted on the Emperor’s orders.

And the rest of the letters also contained the news that, as per the Emperor’s orders, they were to be annexed to the central government.

“What’s this? I don’t understand. Lucius, do you know anything about this?”

As I handed the letter to Lucius, he spoke as if he knew something.

“Ah? Yes, I’m aware. It was when His Grace the Archduke collapsed. His Majesty the Emperor urgently annexed it due to the central government’s budget being severely reduced.”

“Really? Got it.”

It seems like it’s nothing serious.

***

Upon hearing that the Archduke had awakened, those aligned with the Emperor fell into despair.

“Damn it… That scoundrel has gained the Pope’s influence.”

The faction opposing the Emperor, which had been slightly dominant, now overwhelmed the Emperor’s faction with the authority of the Pope.

And thus, they became a significant threat to the existing imperial politics.

The anti-Emperor faction had long been working to diminish the influence of the nobility.

Under the guise of tax reform, they significantly restricted the nobles’ rights to levy taxes.

And by involving themselves in the affairs of the fiefs that received development investments under the pretext of inspections, the nobles couldn’t help but feel disgruntled.

This was a violation of the noble Imperial laws, something not even the Emperor could do.

This wasn’t just a problem for the Emperor’s faction.

Even the nobles who relied on the neutral forces and those opposing the Emperor.

All nobles were bound to react strongly.

“What should we do?”

But there was nothing they could do immediately.

According to the intelligence from within the Imperial Palace, the Emperor was personally attending to the Archduke, and the Pope had bestowed upon him the title of a saint.

“There’s no way around it, the Pope’s support doesn’t extend to secular matters. It’s not a big problem, but…”

Moreover, while the lowly commoners supported the Archduke, the nobles didn’t care about such things.

After all, they could suppress them with force.

They were well aware that their heavily armed regular troops wouldn’t lose to civilians.

“Firstly, since the Prime Minister’s office has been newly established… The Archduke’s authority has been greatly reduced. It seems we must wait and see.”

-Thud!

“That b*stard has brought us to this state. And you say we must just watch?”

“But… there’s no way to oppose his power now, is there?”

“Our grand lords are being dragged around because of that brat! It’s an insult to the houses that have protected the empire for generations!”

In truth, it’s the grand dukes who would hate Deviang enough to wish him dead.

Their domains became battlegrounds during the imperial faction’s civil war, and their once formidable influence was crushed by the anti-imperial faction from that point on, with the emperor showing no interest in preserving their power.

“Still… if we wait and bide our time, an opportunity will surely come. Didn’t we all expect the establishment of the Prime Minister’s office? Such an opportunity will come around again.”

Just as said, right now, the grand dukes, along with the nobles, cannot afford to let go of any matter.

Because Deviang’s power is so solid.

Thus, the grand dukes swallow their anger in silence.