ITMWG 108

Chapter 108…

 I’ll get a checkup.

Usually, Nadia would have calmed down at Altair’s calm tone, but not today. She couldn’t get herself together at all.

Useless thoughts? What did he say was useless?

This was an important issue. It was more important to Altair than anyone else.

But as she watched Altair, who was as calm as usual, something strange arose up inside her.

“She said I might not be able to have a child. Or at least not right now.”

“It’s not even certain yet. Let’s call Leon. If we wait a few days, we can get a proper checkup. We can worry then.”

The reason why he didn’t call a doctor in the capital right away and insisted on waiting for Leon was probably because it would be difficult to get that person to shut up if it became clear that she was infertile.

He told her not to worry, but Altair was thinking about the worst-case scenario.

“What if I get examined by Leon and the situation gets confirmed to be true?”

“…”

Altair, who always answered without hesitation in any situation, kept silent this time.

If she really couldn’t have a child, Altair, who desperately needed a successor, would have few options.

Adopt a close relative, have a child from outside, or divorce and take in a new wife.

Nadia quietly calculated the consequences of the options.

Altair, who was practically an enemy of his relatives, had no bloodline that could be adopted. This was an impossible option from the beginning.

Having a child from outside wouldn’t be easy either. An illegitimate child would be criticised and wouldn’t be able to establish authority even if he inherited the title. It would be bad for Aylesford because he wouldn’t be able to act as a proper successor.

The most certain and obvious option was to divorce the wife who couldn’t reproduce and remarry a healthy woman.

Long ago, there were no noble ladies willing to marry into Aylesford, so he had a hard time finding a bride, but now the situation was different.

Aylesford had become one of the wealthiest estates in the empire.

That alone was enough to be a worthy marriage for the bride, and her husband was handsome and capable, so she would have no shortage.

After he had made his appearance in the capital this time, there would be a line of families who would want to marry their daughter off to him, even if it was a second marriage.

So if she only thought about convenience and profit, the last option was the best for Altair.

But…

Nadia held onto the hem of her skirt and looked at Altair’s face.

He must have been more baffled than anyone else by this situation, but he didn’t question her or press her but remained calm.

Even if Leon said that she was infertile and that he had tried hard to give her antidotes, but it didn’t work, this man would never abandon her.

She was sure of this because she had been in contact with Altair during her time in Aylesford.

Altair never gave up on his people. Never, unless they betrayed him first.

…How funny.

When she first met him, she was trembling with fear, thinking he was a scary villain, but since when had they built this kind of trust?

Altair always did his best to solve her problems as if they were his own.

It was also thanks to Altair that she was able to win the trial when dragging on the issue of her parents’ death and title.

Of course, Altair’s parents were involved in that case, but even before he knew that, he helped her as if he was solving his own problem.

And yet, he never once boasted about it. As if it were his natural responsibility.

It’s only right to repay trust with trust.

So if she heard the worst result after receiving Leon’s examination…

Just like Altair, she would do her best to solve his problem.

When she secretly made that vow, her obnoxious and turbulent stomach calmed down as if it had all been a hallucination.

No matter what would happen to her, no matter what the diagnosis would be, Altair should have the best option.

If she was only thinking about Altair and choosing the best option, this situation didn’t feel so serious.

“…First, send someone to Aylesford. Don’t even think about this problem until the doctor comes.”

“Yes.”

Thanks to her making up her mind, this time she was able to agree without shaking like an idiot.

Let’s choose the best option.

Nadia just kept thinking that way in her head.

❈❈❈

“I can’t talk for long.”

Someone quietly took a seat across from Altair, who was lost in thought for a moment.

Altair snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the person sitting across from him. It was the Emperor.

He tried hard to hide his identity by wearing shabby clothes, but he couldn’t hide the pressure he felt all over his body, so he looked quite awkward.

“If they find out that you and I met separately, there will be those who doubt the fairness of the trial. If there is such a misunderstanding, it will be bad for you and me.”

That’s right. That’s why the location of their secret meeting was decided to be a villa, not the palace.

“Then let me get to the point quickly. Please kill the First Prince.”

“Kill the Prince.”

The Emperor narrowed his eyes sharply at Altair.

“You should know that that is no different from treason.”

“Then didn’t you agree to our meeting today because you noticed the First Prince’s crime?”

“Even so, I cannot allow a subject to say such things to his sovereign.”

“I wanted to be as polite as possible, but you said that there is not much time.”

Altair responded calmly to something that would frighten an ordinary person and slightly bowed his head as if he were sorry.

“If you wish, I will change my tone. It is not difficult to beat around the bush.”

He had intentionally spoken firmly to gain the upper hand, but when the other person did not budge, the emperor felt discouraged.

I  had felt it from the beginning, but he is a real pain in the neck.

The emperor waved his hand, feeling both intrigued and troubled.

“You may continue to speak the way you do.”

“In that case, I will not hesitate to ask again. Please kill the First Prince. His crime is grave. He is not fit to be Your Majesty’s successor. He is a bastard who will ruin the country.”

The emperor, who had been told to speak the way he pleased, let out a hollow laugh, not knowing that he would speak so harshly.

“Even if he is a bastard, he is my son, the first prince, and a member of the royal family. I cannot kill him for his crimes.”

“I will not even ask for that. Please send the first prince as an envoy to Marang to save the imperial family’s face, and kill him in a forged accident. If you do that, I will think that he has received the appropriate punishment for his crimes and keep my mouth shut.”

“And if I can’t do that?”

“The first prince will die no matter what.”

The look in his eyes showed that he would definitely make it happen.

“I am not threatening you, but giving you the opportunity to make your own choice. Since he is your son, I think you would rather take him with your own hands than let him die at the hands of another.”

“Despite saying all of that, you said it is not a threat?”

“Yes. Because I’m only starting to threaten you from this point onwards.”

“What?”

The Emperor burst into laughter at the absurd remark, and Altair calmly lowered his head.

“I understand that you are considering the punishment of Marquis Vine. I do not want his life, but I want everything he took from my wife back.”

“You said this was a threat, so if I don’t listen to it, you will do something that will harm me, right?”

“I indirectly helped Your Majesty last time. I believe you dealt with quite a few people who opposed the imperial authority because of that.”

The Emperor immediately realised what he was talking about.

He was referring to the attempted assassination of the Third Prince in the East.

Altair had manipulated the incident to deal with Balhail, who was bothering him, but the emperor, who was waiting for an incident that would help him show his authority, quickly seized the opportunity and dealt with the anti-emperor faction.

“If you refuse, I will reveal the truth about that incident. If I reveal everything, including the circumstances in which Your Majesty knew everything and took advantage of the situation, it will threaten the imperial power. The anti-emperor faction is gnashing its teeth over that.”

“If you reveal that, you will be in a lot of trouble too. Weren’t we in the same boat?”

“Your Majesty, who governs a country, and I, who runs a small piece of land in the countryside, are we of the same weight? When people have a big problem, they don’t even pay attention to the small one.”

It was said in an elegant way, but in the end, it meant, “Everyone will be busy tearing you down, so they won’t care about me.”

It seemed that this reckless guy had long planned to use the emperor as a shield.

Although it was annoying, Altair’s words were not completely wrong, so the Emperor frowned and ground his teeth.

“What exactly do you want?”

“The inheritance law will be revised soon. I understand that His Majesty welcomes this revision itself. Please postpone the punishment of the Marquis until after the inheritance law revision.”

“So only then can your wife receive everything. If the Marquis’ head is cut off before that, someone else will inherit according to the current inheritance law.”

“I think it’s not that difficult a request.”

“That’s right. It’s not that difficult. However, it’s hard to readily accept the request of such a spontaneous person.”

“What if that spontaneous person becomes Your Majesty’s man?”

The tension eased slightly at Altair’s words.

The Emperor, who had been frowning with displeasure, was now looking at Altair with interest.

“You be on my side?”

“If you take a different path from mine, it will be tiring, but if we take the same path, it will be comfortable. As you saw today, I am insolent and rude, so I am very useful.”

“How strange. Your wife will receive a title and property anyway, and you are deciding who to give loyalty to just for that? Well, what is your wife’s will also be her husband’s, so it is not a bad deal.”

The emperor, who had been puzzled, soon found the answer himself and stood up with a grin.

“I will do that. Your wife will get everything rightfully.”

❈❈❈

The news came that the emperor had chosen the first prince as the envoy to Marang.

People whispered that the emperor had finally begun to entrust more to the first prince.

On the surface, it did not seem to be wrong.

An envoy sent to a foreign country was a position representing the emperor, so it was natural to place an important person there, and placing the first prince in such an important position was the same as transparently revealing the emperor’s intentions.

But of course, those who knew the hidden story behind it perceived it completely differently.

“His Majesty kept his promise.”

Altair said plainly.

“The inheritance law will be revised soon, and Marquis Vine will be punished after that. Then you can get everything back.”

“Yes.”

“And…”

Altair, who had been calmly explaining the situation, trailed off and closed his mouth.

Still, Nadia knew what he would say next even without him voicing it aloud.

“…Yes.”

“I will get a checkup. Please call him.”