Knock, knock.
"Your Majesty, Prime Minister Vincent Bonard has arrived."
Vincent Bonard was a duke and prime minister, married to Ulrich's cousin.
Prime Minister Bonard entered the office and bowed respectfully.
"Did you summon me, Your Majesty?"
Ulrich commanded coldly.
"Dismiss everyone from today's chapel, excluding the wizard, and handle it quietly."
To handle it quietly meant to kill them and make them disappear.
Such occurrences were not uncommon, so Prime Minister Bonard understood immediately.
"I obey your command."
Just then, the door opened, and the empress, without any ornaments and with her long hair flowing freely, looking pure and pitiable, entered with tears in her eyes.
"Your Majesty...! How could Ares, our son, suffer such a fate?"
Diana, shedding tears bitterly, was beautiful.
Ulrich adored his wife, fitting for an emperor's spouse, but not at this moment.
"Surely, you will punish Eseled? Send an army to slaughter them all..."
"Enough!"
His shout made Diana tremble.
"Your Majesty...?"
"If Ares had been fine, this mess wouldn't have happened!"
Ulrich's blame hardened Diana's expression.
"What are you saying...?"
Their only son, the sole heir Ares, was in trouble, and the emperor was blaming him.
Diana appealed with an incredulous look.
"Ares is your son! Your only child!"
"So, he caused today's incident? Why was he holding the Eseled girl at the chapel?"
"This can't be... We must exterminate the Eseleds, Your Majesty!"
Then, a servant hurriedly delivered a note to Ulrich.
"Ha, Titans have returned."
Even Diana knew of that knight order.
But what did that mean? The emperor had an overwhelming army!
"Even all of Titan combined couldn't match the might of Duke Eseled."
He hated to admit it.
But he spoke frankly, fearing what might happen if Diana rashly provoked the Eseleds. It was us who would be in danger.
"It's impossible. Are you saying that man is a god?"
A god?
Ulrich stiffened.
Yes, that man was like a god. His overwhelming power was beyond human.
His complexion paled with some kind of fear.
"Your Majesty!"
Ulrich ground his teeth.
With his patience drained, he could no longer bear Diana's complaints.
Ah, he longed to see his other wife and young daughter at Sophia's temple.
"...Leave now. We'll talk later."
Diana knew it was time to retreat when Ulrich reacted like this.
Her heart grew cold.
How could this happen about her son, the sole heir?
"…Your Highness, I shall take my leave."
Diana left the office with a hardened face, followed by Prime Minister Bonard, who also discreetly exited.
Ulrich, lacking the energy to vent his anger, slumped into his chair.
Then, a servant quietly approached and handed him an unsealed, secretive letter.
Such letters were meant for confidential matters that shouldn't be exposed.
Ulrich, feeling something odd, opened it immediately.
"...Hmm."
The letter was from Navia Eseled.
"To the esteemed Emperor, greetings from Navia Eseled.
May I, a mere lady, not displease you by sending a personal letter?
Especially since there were unpleasant occurrences in the palace today.
However, I have important news regarding Miss Monica and her mother, 'Sophia.'
"How did she know about Monica...?"
He had secretly hidden his mistress Sophia and their six-year-old daughter Monica in Sophia's temple, without being discovered.
Now Navia knew.
"Your Majesty, their whereabouts have been discovered. You need to take action."
He knew his mistresses had been disappearing at Diana's hands.
But they were women he had tired of, so their disappearance didn't affect him much.
However, Sophia was different. His affection for her was special, and he cherished their daughter, Monica.
What would happen if Diana knew, realized they were different?
She might smile like a flower but could reveal her venom anytime.
That's why she was so endearingly obedient to him only.
'Sophia and Monica could be treated ruthlessly by her.'
Especially after Ares' recent mishap.
Ulrich continued reading the letter.
"I dare offer my assistance to reveal them honorably to the outside world, not just in the shadows."
"How? And why?"
Navia answered.
"I happen to know a noble whose daughter was named Sophia. I will persuade them to accept a 'new' Sophia as their daughter."
"In return, please acknowledge the union of Eseled and Vladina, and solidify my status."
"Also, announce the engagement of Prince Ares and Lady Vivian. Your Majesty's intentions will be confirmed in tomorrow's newspaper."
Ulrich read the letter with a fierce, almost biting look in his eyes, then called for his butler.
"Summon the heads of the newspapers!"
There was nothing to lose. The benefits were clear.
'Could this really be the young girl's idea? Or is Duke Eseled playing with his daughter's name?'
It seemed necessary to arrange a meeting with Navia.
'If this really is the young girl's idea...'
'Then she must be brought into the royal court.'
That way, even the terrifyingly powerful Duke Eseled could be won over.
'If only there was another fine son besides Ares!'
Ulrich sighed deeply.
*
There were two years left until Lark had to sleep, unable to wake for at least ten years.
It was time for Eseled's retainers to know this truth and prepare for the future.
In the evening, key retainers of Eseled and Erkin gathered.
Creed was there too.
Lark created a barrier and unfolded his divinity.
'Now, they all belong to me.'
Those gathered wouldn't feel any different. To them, being part of Lark's clan just meant their information flowed to him.
'Better safe than sorry.'
When his red eyes shone with an unusual light, he casually crossed his legs, indicating he was done.
There wasn't much to explain.
"I am an external deity’s avatar and an infinite regressor."
Erkin was the only one surprised.
Eseled's retainers had vaguely guessed the secrets surrounding Lark.
"If I die, this world will be as if it never existed."
Those present listened gravely to Lark's explanation of the infinite regression and realized there wasn't much time left.
"If I fall asleep in two years, it will be at least ten years before I wake up."
"…We need to prepare."
Suleiman muttered somberly.
Lark, as if to reassure them that everything was prepared, casually stroked Navia's head.
"Navia will lead Eseled as my successor. Even if I wake up, it will be the same."
Navia, still young and burdened with great responsibility, revealed her secret to the concerned looks.
"Actually, I am a regressor living my ninth life."
The reaction to this revelation was even more intense than when Lark announced he was an infinite regressor.
"The oldest I've lived to in my nine lives is twenty-two."
The silence that followed was filled with unspeakable sorrow and rage.
"Our ultimate goal isn't to trample over others and seize power."
It was to break Lark's infinite regression and keep the world flowing, allowing the weary regressor eternal rest.
That was the ultimate goal.
Navia spoke about the letter she sent to the Emperor and the ensuing consequences.
"The Empress will undoubtedly underestimate Eseled and won't overlook what happened to Prince Ares today."
Creed, sitting next to Navia, blinked and focused on the voices.
"When Empress Sophia and Princess Monica appear, all the Empress's attention will shift there……."
His lips quivered slightly. He observed the shape of the sounds and the words they formed.
'Consort, Sophia, Monica, princess, attention.'
"The Familie Workshop will be jointly represented by Ricardo and Minerva at the forefront. We’ll renovate the recently acquired Alvin mansion into the largest boutique in the capital……."
'Familier Workshop, joint representation, mansion renovation, boutique.'
The conversations continued, and Creed gradually began to understand the sentences from the words.
"What will Prince Creed do?"
'What will Prince Creed do.'
Creed looked at the person who had just spoken.
'Erkin.'
The name of this person was Erkin.
Creed understood them, catching every detail with his gaze.
Lark is dad. Margaret, Suleiman, Charlotte, Minerva, Nero…….
"There's no need to worry about Creed."
And then Navia.
Creed's gaze met Navia's red eyes.
"The Emperor will undoubtedly have to accept Creed."
My favorite.
Undoubtedly.
Creed smiled faintly.
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I like how the Emperor might be a Future Crew of Nevia and Creed' Ship xD
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