What Your Majesty Desires - Chapter 5.1

“The Gler Empire has Emperor Asterion.”

Yet, for him to receive the status of Emperor here was no different than Hernis standing shoulder to shoulder with his father.

Despite Hernis’s serious face, Jerome looked as if he had done nothing wrong.

“It’s only a temporary measure to find the Blue Diamond.”

It was too big of a task to be called a temporary measure. It was a matter that could easily be discussed as treason.

“Searching for the Blue Diamond within Dextin has the potential to be a long-term endeavor. It would be easier to gain the cooperation of the nobles and the people if you officially obtain the position of Emperor here, rather than remaining as a foreigner.”

“What kind of cooperation are you talking about?”

“…”

He can’t say anything when asked like that. Hernis stared intently into Jerome’s eyes, who was at a loss for words.

It seemed Jerome had gone completely mad. Meanwhile, the Chief Justice had finished reading Rodri’s verdict and was now reading Deborah’s.

Jerome must know that even if he tried to revise the contents, it wouldn’t be possible in this courtroom while the verdict was being read.

“Let’s talk later.”

Suppressing the bubbling anger inside, Hernis looked forward again.

His head was already complicated, and to make matters worse, what caught his eye was Marilyn, who was gradually tilting to the side.

‘Sigh!’

So distracting.

He thought it didn’t matter if she collapsed on her own, since she would be executed soon anyway, but…

“Marilyn La Benellosi, charge: involvement in fraud.”

“Catch her!”

Hernis stood up from his seat without realizing it.

At his urgent command, the soldier standing behind Marilyn looked around in confusion and barely managed to catch Marilyn as she collapsed to the floor.

She had finally fainted.

“Your Highness!”

Aiden, who belatedly grasped the situation, also stood up from afar with a surprised look and looked at Marilyn.

“We, we can’t leave her like this. Immediately get Her Highness to a bed and…”

“Take her to a physician.”

Hernis’s one word was far more powerful than Aiden’s nonsensical rambling.

The courtroom instantly became noisy.

Soldiers moved busily.

Jerome, who had been quietly observing the situation from the back, also looked at Curtis meaningfully.

“Go and take care of her yourself.”

Even Curtis, a member of the Crown Prince’s Royal Guard, quickly rushed over to personally check on Marilyn’s condition, causing the soldiers to handle her even more carefully.

Soon after, the unconscious Marilyn was carried out of the courtroom on a stretcher.

Only then did Hernis sit back down in his seat with a blank expression, as if nothing had happened.

The trial resumed immediately.

Jerome handed the roughly scribbled parchment to the Chief Justice, who put down the verdict he was holding and briefly announced:

“Marilyn La Benellosi. Sentence suspended due to illness.”

A suspended sentence.

Afterward, sentences were handed down to influential nobles in minor cases, but Hernis had no time to pay attention.

It was because one side of his face had been extremely hot for some time now.

Hernis, who had been ignoring it, finally turned his head to look at the source of the gaze.

Aiden.

Why did he know the name of such an insignificant person?

Aiden’s eyes were demanding an explanation from Hernis.

Why had he ordered her to be taken to a physician just now?

Knowing that the abdication confirmation had already been written, why had he insisted on bringing her to court to be sentenced to death, and why was he now concerned about her?

Aiden probably saw everything. His urgent expression when he instinctively ordered her treatment as soon as she collapsed.

“…”

Whether he was looking at him like that or not, Hernis had nothing to say.

It wasn’t like he was taking care of her because she was Aiden’s lover, so even if he was questioned, he still had nothing to say.

30 minutes later.

The trial ended, and the people who had filled the courtroom left like a receding tide.

Jerome organized the trial documents and talked with the Chief Justice, then received news brought in by knights and soldiers from here and there, as usual, and gave minor instructions.

Hernis waited a little longer, sitting in the plaintiff’s seat without urging him.

“Everything is well done.”

Shamelessly, Jerome approached with a bright face.

“The execution ceremony will proceed as scheduled this afternoon. And the coronation…”

“Coronation.”

That was why Hernis couldn’t rest even after the trial and was sitting here like this.

“Is this why you told me to write a letter after the trial? Because you needed to include the coronation story?”

“I understand that Your Highness must be surprised.”

If he understood, he shouldn’t have done this.

“Your Highness.”

Why.

“To find the Blue Diamond, we will have to gradually send soldiers out of the castle, but there is a limit to sending our personnel.”

Jerome’s calm voice was shameless.

“However, if Your Highness temporarily serves as Emperor here, you can legally command the DextIn army. We can’t use our members for searching every private house, searching the mansions of nobles, or other various menial tasks, can we? To make good use of the Dextin army.”

“So, you want me to become the Emperor of Dextin just to have a bunch of ragtag soldiers under my command?”

Was that what he meant?

At Hernis’s questioning, Jerome finally wore a troubled expression.

“I know you won’t like it, but…”

“You’ve always wanted me to conquer Kaulus and become the next Emperor of Gler. Is that why you’re doing this? Since Gler is out of the question, you absolutely have to see me sit as the Emperor of Dextin, even if it’s just for that?”

“…”

He could have said no, but Jerome didn’t answer.

Even if that was his true intention, he should have said no.

He wouldn’t even make excuses?

“To quell the prophecy, we must find the Blue Diamond. It’s a temporary measure to carry out the mission, so if Your Highness writes a good letter, Emperor Asterion will understand.”

Hernis looked at Jerome’s overly optimistic eyes in disbelief.

He had been feeling a subtle disconnect with Jerome for some time now, and it seemed this was the reason.

“Don’t tell me you orchestrated the incident at the victory banquet a month ago?”

“No. If I had orchestrated it, I wouldn’t have dared to let the old woman speak so presumptuously to Your Highness.”

Well, that might be true.

“Kaulus is the one who benefited from the prophecy. I understand that after Your Highness finishes the engagement ceremony and returns to the castle, they have already agreed to collude with the Dextin princess and say that Your Highness has defected. It would have been dangerous if you had returned directly to Gler.”

“It’s not like Kaulus hasn’t plotted before, I could have just told His Majesty that it wasn’t true.”

“Your Highness must prepare now. He is gradually crossing the line.”

“You’re the one who crossed the line.”

He didn’t get along with Kaulus, but he was still the Crown Prince of Gler.

He would soon inherit the throne of the Gler Empire.

“Doesn’t Your Highness know? That guy is not fit to lead Gler.”

“Jerome?”

Hernis sighed at the increasingly complicated story.

How long was he going to bother him with this Emperor talk?

“If someone else heard that, you’d be executed.”

“Report me if you want.”

He had no intention of reporting him.

Why did this guy keep bothering people?

“I know what you’re thinking, but don’t handle things unilaterally. I can’t be your Emperor, so please give up now.”

“Your Highness!”

“Correct the verdict to the original. Hand over the city’s governance to Kaulus, and we’ll just find the Blue Diamond and leave.”

“That won’t do.”

What do you mean, it won’t do.

“Kaulus’s spy has already left for Gler with the trial contents. If we send a different version, it will only arouse suspicion.”

It seemed that’s why they say it’s best to do things first and think later.

Hernis was dumbfounded by Jerome’s troubled expression, saying that it was already spilled milk and couldn’t be picked up.

“If you’re really uncomfortable, we can skip the coronation.”

He conceded a lot.

What was infuriating was that Jerome’s statement that the trial contents couldn’t be sent out in two versions made a lot of sense, so Hernis couldn’t easily reverse the verdict right now.

“Did you forge the princess’s abdication confirmation because you didn’t want to return to Gler?”

“No. I actually found that in Rodri’s study.”

“Okay.”

It was fortunate if that was the case.

He would have really not forgiven him if even that was fabricated.

“Then you write this letter too. I think you’ll write it better.”

“Understood.”

Jerome curved the corners of his mouth as he watched him give up.

It was the brightest expression he had made recently.

Hernis also got up from his seat, looking at Jerome’s mischievous face.

“Commander.”

At that moment, a soldier ran up and whispered to Jerome.

His mind was already complicated, what was it now?

“Your Highness, about that princess who collapsed earlier.”

Of all things, it was Marilyn’s story.

This was not the time to talk about that.

Hernis, who was about to turn around and leave, roughly concluded with a frustrated face:

“Since the sentence has been suspended, remove her from the execution list for now. It won’t be good for public sentiment if you take a woman who can’t even support herself and hang her.”

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