Ch#113
Chapter 113After his private audience with the emperor, the place Laslo headed to was the Celestine Marquis family.
Barbara welcomed him warmly, but she was curious about why he had come so soon after their last meeting.
"Madam, the time has come, though in a different form than expected."
"What do you mean?"
"I requested Edel's pardon from His Majesty the Emperor. He approved, and it will be announced at the birthday banquet."
At the news of Edel's pardon, Barbara drew in a sharp breath.
How long she had wished for this.
However, Barbara's expression was not bright.
"I too desperately hoped for Edel's pardon, but given the recent developments, I question whether now is the right time."
"Everyone worries about the same thing. Once Edel is pardoned, my justification for keeping her tied here becomes tenuous."
"Indeed. But since you're pushing this forward, you must have countermeasures in place, right?"
At that, Laslo lowered his voice, as if this was the main point.
"Of course. There's a one-month grace period after the pardon announcement. Madam, please act as Edel's guardian during that time."
"If I become her guardian... what about you, my lord?"
Facing the unavoidable question, Laslo tensed up as if standing before Edel's mother.
But he absolutely needed Dimarcus and Barbara's help for this.
"Please don't be too shocked. I..."
Laslo calmly explained the plan that followed.
Honestly, he wouldn't have been surprised if Barbara had jumped up and grabbed him by the collar, but her reaction was surprisingly calm.
"I see... That would be something even they couldn't anticipate. Even if they realize it late, the grace period system would prevent them from asserting parental rights."
- 2 -
.
"So you agree with my plan?"
"For now, it seems hard to find a better way, so what choice do I have?"
It wasn't a fully satisfying plan, but she was willing to help put out the immediate fire.
Laslo felt inwardly relieved at that alone.
"Thank you. Honestly, I was prepared for a slap across the face."
"If you had laid a finger on Edel when she was a prisoner, I would have opposed it absolutely. But now I acknowledge you're a gentleman. I understand this is for Edel's sake too."
Having returned to a cool expression, Barbara began discussing the detailed contents of the plan. It covered aspects Laslo hadn't considered, proving very helpful, and his plan grew more concrete.
Having roughly settled on the big picture, the two briefly gazed out the window at the sunset.
"It feels like Edel's situation will become the spark between the emperor's faction and the Old Nobility Faction."
"It will. They grabbed this pretext precisely for that purpose from the start."
Barbara let out a deep sigh and said quietly.
"Protect her... to the end."
Laslo had only one answer to give.
"Of course. Don't worry."
The emperor's birthday banquet was held on December 20th.
Instead of holding one last year, this year's event was grander in scale, and with the new year approaching soon after the banquet, the capital buzzed with excitement.
The national flags lining the main roads and the red ribbons on the street lamps thrilled the children, while the drastically reduced taxes for a month and the abundant goods distributed by the imperial family filled the adults' tables, bringing joy.
"This year's end-of-year feels so generous. If they cut taxes like this even for just one month out of the year, that's all I could ask for!"
"Right? With lower taxes, I can buy clothes for the kids, and they can eat their fill of bread."
"Long live His Majesty the Emperor!"
- 3 -
Amid the rising praises for the imperial family and the emperor, the imperial banquet drew nobles from all over, making it a resounding success.
However, with people who rarely gathered in one place, awkward reunions occurred from time to time.
Laslo too faced an unexpected encounter he hadn't anticipated.
"Oh! Long time no see, Count."
"Hello."
A vaguely familiar voice gave him a bad feeling, and sure enough, turning around revealed Angela.
And she was arm-in-arm with her much-talked-about fiancé.
Suppressing the urge to snap that they weren't on greeting terms, he muttered indifferently, but her fiancé's expression looked quite displeased.
Liandro Bilbro, was it? There had been suspiciously little information on him...
After news of Angela's engagement, Dimarcus had personally investigated, but almost no dubious details emerged on this man named Liandro.
That very lack had convinced them something was amiss.
Laslo considered probing Liandro and greeted him as well.
"I believe this is our first meeting. Laslo Criserus."
"Liandro Bilbro. That said, your etiquette toward ladies seems as poor as the rumors suggest."
It was rare for someone to come out so aggressively from the first encounter. Usually, even opponents maintained appearances.
That made it all the more intriguing.
"What part exactly displeases you?"
As Laslo deliberately asked in a provoking manner, Liandro bristled easily.
"A lady greeted you first, yet you didn't even bow—didn't so much as twitch your neck. What etiquette is there to speak of?"
"Oh dear. I'm sorry it came across that way, but wouldn't your mood sour even more if I had bent down to kiss the back of Lady Angela's hand?"
.
"Why me?"
"You must know who Lady Angela proposed to first..."
At those words, Liandro's face flushed red.
But Angela, like a seasoned general of high society, showed no fluster at all.
"Oh my! I didn't expect you to remember that. You turned me away at the door, so I thought you had no interest in me."
However, Laslo was no meek novice either.
"I always keep an eye on allies and enemies alike."
With that one line, the air between them turned icy. Of course, the one at a loss for words wasn't Laslo.
"Then enjoy the banquet tonight."
Laslo politely bid farewell to Angela, whose smile had vanished and now looked venomous, and Liandro, who showed no intent to hide his hostility, then turned away.
As he left, Liandro wrapped his arm firmly around Angela's shoulders and whispered lowly.
"I promise you, Angela. Once I ascend the throne, I'll make that man die the most painful death. Definitely."
"I'll hold you to it, Liandro."
Angela bound him once more with a sweet smile, vowing revenge.
'You'll regret scorning me, Laslo Criserus.'
Amid countless clashes, thoughts, glances, and gestures crossing paths, the banquet's protagonist made his entrance.
"Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress arrive!"
With the herald's booming voice, the hall doors opened and trumpets blared.
Dimarcus, with charisma undiminished by his splendid attire, and the nobles bowing low like receding tides resembled a scene of a god descending.
To Laslo, he was the playful Dimarcus, but in this moment, he was the absolute ruler of the vast Pispera Empire.
As he sat with the Empress and the nobles raised their heads, the crowded banquet hall fell silent. It was time for the emperor to speak.
"Thank you all for attending my birthday banquet. Last year and this year brought many troubles, so the imperial family has been negligent in hosting grand events."
Dimarcus swept his gaze over the powerholders of the three great families, including Isaac.
They couldn't have missed the implication in his words, but Dimarcus knew they would ignore the warning.
This war was inevitable.
The three great families sought power surpassing the emperor's, while Dimarcus believed death preferable to losing it and becoming a puppet.
In any case, today was an auspicious day, so there was no need to pick a fight.
"Think of today's banquet as my treat to you after a long time. Eat, drink, dance, and sing to your heart's content!"
The emperor's greeting ended, but dances and songs didn't start immediately.
As it was a major national event, celebratory speeches followed, and gifts from foreign envoys were introduced.
And at the close, the list of special pardons for the emperor's birthday banquet was announced.
In the previous emperor's time, no one would have cared, but since Dimarcus's reign, punishments for noble criminals had strengthened, making it a matter of utmost interest to prisoners' families.
Some had been confirmed as model prisoners or through political deals, but others remained undecided until yesterday.
"There are 50 special pardon recipients this time. The pardon will be finalized after a one-month grace period, and provided no new crimes are committed or additional past crimes uncovered during this time, they will regain their pre-punishment legal status upon confirmation."
Now, the announcement.
In the tense silence, Dimarcus began calling names one by one.
Amid the atmosphere, occasional sighs of relief or short exclamations of joy burst forth.
"And the final pardon recipient is
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