TGLWM 06

Chapter 06

 Black Antler

Several years ago, Edelston had engaged in a dangerous tug-of-war with the Emperor over the position of Grand Duke.

At the time, Imperial authority was such a complete mess that bribing the Emperor’s guards could be done for a pittance, and he had been able to arrange a secret meeting with the Emperor without much difficulty.

‘The bastard of some prostitute who doesn’t even know who his father is wants what? The position of Grand Duke? They say he’s the king of the underworld, but I suppose he’s lost his mind and thinks he’s an actual king.’

Although the Emperor was desperately clinging to his precarious position, he apparently still had some pride, because his angry outburst was quite fierce.

He had even been furious enough to throw a teacup, calling it outrageous for a man who had crawled out of the filth of the underworld to dare ask for a position among the Imperial family.

But the moment he heard Edelston’s first condition, the Emperor immediately changed his attitude.

‘Your Majesty. What do you think of my proposal to drive out the remnants of the small nation that once occupied the southeastern part of the Empire, the Kingdom of Ricca?’

‘…Th-That’s really possible?’

The Kingdom of Ricca had once been so wealthy and powerful that it was called a country blessed by the Main God. However, after suffering the shocking incident of its heir committing suicide about a hundred years ago, it rapidly began its decline.

Although they had hastily continued the royal line by putting forward a collateral branch, the consequences of placing an unprepared person on the throne were disastrous. Eventually, the kingdom was reduced to a vassal state of the Astrisen Empire.

But perhaps it was because its former glory had been so dazzling.

Even after all those years, remnants of the old kingdom still remained, demanding independence. Eventually, factions that had put forward a puppet king seized control of the southeastern waters and continued their stubborn resistance. The Imperial army, which was weak in naval warfare, had never once managed to defeat them, and they had been a constant headache.

In fact, one of the main reasons the late former Emperor had lost control of the military was the endless naval warfare against the Ricca remnants.

As soon as the Emperor began showing interest in his proposal, Edelston offered him a sheet of paper with a relaxed smile.

‘I’ll wipe them all out within six months. From the royal family of Ricca to the collateral branches, I’ll eradicate every last one of them. The moment I ascend to the position of Grand Duke, I’ll also thoroughly purge the rebel factions within the Empire. What I want is detailed further in this contract.’

As the Emperor scanned the contract, he stared at Edelston in disbelief.

The benefits listed in the contract were all overwhelmingly favorable to the Emperor: eliminating the remnants of the Kingdom of Ricca, acquiring trading rights in the southern waters, purging the Empire’s rebellious factions, imposing special taxes on gambling houses, and more.

The current Emperor had ascended the throne after losing control of the military and was desperately clinging to his unstable position.

The Ricca remnants had even begun making contact with rebellious factions within the Empire, so the contract Edelston had presented was nothing short of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Emperor.

Even so, the Emperor could not easily make a decision and hesitated.

A contract in which one side benefited so overwhelmingly was bound to have some hidden motive behind it.

‘To join hands with the Black Antler!’

Black Antler, the title given to the king of the underworld.

He was far too dangerous a man to join hands with.

Born on the streets of a nameless red-light district, he had rapidly gathered followers through his unique charisma. At the age of twenty-four, he had crushed the Luat family, who had inherited the title of Black Antler for more than a hundred years, completely changing the balance of power in the underworld overnight.

‘They say the ones who claw their way up from the very bottom are always the most ruthless and frightening.’

After becoming the Black Antler, Edelston had earned a reputation for being both audacious and cruel, living every day as though it were his last. His actions had become notorious enough that reports about him eventually reached even the Emperor.

There were only three things Edelston wanted.

The position of Grand Duke, the Kingdom of Ricca, and one noblewoman belonging to the Astrisen Empire.

‘You intend to rule the Kingdom of Ricca? You’re insane! That’s no different from giving you the foundation to build an even greater underworld power!’

Even though the Emperor of an entire nation was shouting at the top of his lungs, Edelston merely cut the end off his cigar with an indifferent expression and calmly explained.

‘It would be different if I became Your Majesty’s younger brother and entered the Imperial family. Under Imperial law, one-tenth of the taxes I collect from the Kingdom of Ricca would go not to the “Empire,” but to the “Imperial Family.” It would become an exclusive source of funds for Your Majesty.’

When he thought about it, Edelston was right.

After remaining silent for a while, the Emperor reluctantly nodded.

There was no doubt that this dangerous man had proposed the position of Grand Duke as a precaution for the future.

Regardless of whether it was true or not, being publicly declared a blood relative of the Emperor meant that they would be in the same boat.

‘Is this really everything you want?’

‘Yes.’

‘But this young lady… I understand she has been engaged to the heir of House Idiot since childhood. Even I, as Emperor, cannot force the marriages of nobles. There are plenty of women available…’

The days when the Emperor could interfere with and dictate the marriages of noble families were something that belonged in old history books.

Power could only be maintained when there were forces to support it. Marriage was a matter on which the survival of a family and the futures of its heirs depended. Who would follow a tyrant who recklessly meddled with such matters? It would be no different from openly making enemies of the nobility.

But Edelston was adamant that this was the one thing he could not give up.

‘Your Majesty will suffer no harm. If I set everything up, all you have to do is cooperate and stamp your seal on the documents.’

‘Hmm… Very well. I’ll sign. However, since you are not truly a member of the Imperial family, you will have no right to inherit the throne. The same will apply to your descendants.’

‘Naturally. I’ll add everything you have said to the contract.’

And so, after striking a deal with the Emperor, Edelston reclaimed the southern waters in just five months.

He tracked down every member of the Ricca royal family, including the collateral branches, and slaughtered them all. The independence forces collapsed in an instant and scattered in every direction.

Afterward, in accordance with the contract, Edelston was recognized as the Emperor’s younger brother and a member of the Imperial family of the Astrisen Empire, and he received the title of Grand Duke.

The entire Empire was thrown into an uproar at the sudden appearance of an Imperial family member who resembled neither the current Emperor nor the late former Emperor in the slightest.

But the commotion soon died down.

Edelston was a man who knew how to capture the public’s attention, and he acted without hesitation.

As soon as the merciless purge of rebels began without giving anyone a chance to catch their breath, public attention naturally shifted toward that.

And the Kingdom of Ricca, which was granted to him along with the position of Grand Duke, became a duchy under Edelston’s rule.

The very first thing he did after becoming the ruler of the new duchy was destroy the entire royal palace of Ricca.

Except for one place—the detached palace where the reserve members of the royal family had lived.

Perhaps he had simply liked the beautiful scenery overlooking the sea.

After silently gazing at the detached palace for several days, he ordered extensive expansions and renovations, turning it into the Grand Ducal Castle where he would reside.

The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess’s quarters occupied an entire floor of the castle, excluding the areas where their personal maids and head butler resided.

At the very center was the bedroom for the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess. The eastern side was divided into the Grand Duchess’s quarters, while the western side belonged to the Grand Duke.

After calling in the servants who would attend to Florence, Edelston hurried into the Grand Duke’s private quarters on the western side.

The moment he entered, he let out a rough breath and collapsed onto the floor.

“Haah… haah…”

His breathing grew more and more labored.

No matter how deeply he inhaled, he felt as though there was not enough oxygen and he was going to suffocate.

Chills spread throughout his body, followed by crushing chest pain and dizziness. He twisted in agony before crawling toward the bedside table.

Only after swallowing a pill with trembling hands did he gradually begin to calm down.

‘Will there ever be a day when Florence smiles at me? If she tells me she’ll stay by my side like this, perhaps these miserable attacks will finally stop…’

After sweating so profusely that his entire body was soaked, he soon threw off his shirt with an irritated expression.

Beside the cigar box, which gave off a sweet fragrance, he noticed the brandy in a decanter.

Edelston abruptly stood up and, ignoring the glass entirely, began pouring the liquor straight from the decanter bottle into his mouth.

‘Judging from the way she immediately asked to be sent home, she seems to be planning to claim that this marriage is invalid, or perhaps she thinks it won’t last long.’

There was no doubt that even now, she was racking her brain and thinking of ways to escape.

“But that won’t happen. I won’t let you go this time.”

As he drank with a bitter expression while muttering to himself, a man dressed in black silently appeared before him as though he had seeped out of the shadows and prostrated himself.

“I greet the Black Antler.”

“What’s the public saying?”

“It’s quite chaotic. The marriage announcement was so sudden that there’s currently a heated debate over whether the woman His Grace married is the daughter of Count Sinclair or a collateral branch’s viscount’s daughter.”

“Put it on the front page of the Imperial Newspaper tomorrow morning. Spread it throughout the entire Empire. No, spread it to neighboring countries as well. We must not keep such happy news a secret.”

“Understood.”

Edelston waved his hand, signaling that the man could leave, but then suddenly added as the man turned away.

“Keep an eye on Clark and the Viscount’s daughter of House Parady, and report their movements to me regularly.”

Once again, silence descended.

Edelston stood by the window for a long while, lost in thought.

Out of habit, he reached for his cigar, but soon stopped himself.

Florence.

His Florence was somewhere beyond that door.

She would not look kindly upon someone who smoked.

‘What kind of reaction will she have when she finds out the news of our marriage has already spread everywhere?’

Of course, he had no intention of letting her know that he was behind it.

Several years ago, he had received a report that Florence had been asked what kind of spouse she considered ideal at a gathering, and that she had answered, “Wouldn’t a decent, kind, family-oriented person make a good husband?”

The moment he became the Black Antler, becoming such a man had already become impossible.

After all, he was a bastard who could not let go of his lingering obsession and kept forcing his way into her life.

And in the end, he had gotten his hands covered in blood and come all the way here.

Die, or be with her.

Those were the only two futures he could have.

So, at least in front of her, all he had to do was appear more decent and kind than anyone else.

“I think I can do a good job of being a devoted husband.”

Like a married man, Edelston had decided that from this moment on, he would stake everything he had on his wife.