She would have figured out what he wanted.
As expected, a clear answer came back without any hesitation.
"All right."
How capable was this?
The Duke turned his head and looked at her. Their eyes met.
...He knew she liked fine.
The Duke slowly stood up from his seat.
He came around the desk and stood in front of Saerin, bending down slightly and holding her hand in a gentle gesture. Their gazes met and his purple eyes opened beautifully.
Then his head lowered, his loose purple hair brushing the back of her hand and creating a curtain around them.
Meanwhile, the Duke's lips landed on the back of her hand.
Courtesy towards a noble lady. It was natural for Saerin, a commoner, to widen her eyes. As she was frozen and just rolling her eyes, not even able to pull her hand away, the Duke calmly raised his head.
The smile that seemed to be painted was aimed solely at her.
"Thank you always."
"...No, it's natural."
As Saerin hurriedly left to complete her duties, the Duke, who had been watching her, quietly adjusted his clothes.
Saerin will succeed. Shee will cause division among the Revolutionary Army and send some of them to the Emperor.
Unless they had a head like Daniel and overwhelming numbers, they were just prey for the Emperor.
However, there were things that happened just in case, so he couldn't just sit back and relax.
It's not that he doubted Saerin. The person he suspected was none other than the Emperor.
'It would be difficult if he died by their hands.'
The Emperor had always lived without being able to die.
The key was the Emperor's desire to survive. He had to make him want to live, even just a little bit.
'I heard the Emperor returned to the palace not long ago.'
The Emperor could not remain empty of the imperial palace day and night. No matter how well the Crown Prince was handling things, the current Emperor of the Empire was Eduardo Desert, so he would occasionally quietly return to the imperial palace to check how things were being handled.
So, if he went to the imperial palace now, he would be able to meet the Emperor.
Prepare the carriage immediately without delay. The Duke walked out of the office.
***
If she had to be honest, Saerin was a supporter of the Revolutionary Army.
Her status as a commoner was a barrier in her feelings for the Duke. In such a situation, the ideology of the Revolutionary Army, which claimed to abolish the caste system itself, was truly fascinating.
However, that fact was never expressed externally.
She supported the Revolutionary Army because she loved the Duke.
Because she loved the Duke, she was on her way to destroy the Revolutionary Army.
Because he, who she loved so much, was hoping for that.
"Hello, Mr. Aiden."
"Ah, Saerin."
"I heard the leader is back? Where is he?"
"It's obvious. He must have gone to see his mother."
There was a clicking sound at the end of the sentence, as if he didn't like it.
"The situation is bad, but he can't even come to his senses and just left the room."
"I know, right."
She thought she could use this. Saerin's eyes sparkled.
Well then, let's think about it. What was Aiden's personality like? Was he a greedy person? If he was greedy, which would he rather have: wealth or power? For what purpose did he join the Revolutionary Army?
Was he easy to use and was he worth using?
"When on earth is he going to commit to the coup?"
"I do not know. How long do you plan on putting it off?"
"The Duke seems to be hoping that the Revolutionary Army will soon move. Isn't this the leader's arbitrary choice that has nothing to do with Mr. Aiden's opinion?"
"Of course. We are going crazy with frustration."
"Do you know the reason for delaying the coup?"
"The reason is always the same. He wasn't ready or the timing wasn't right."
"This... seems closer to an excuse."
She cupped one cheek, tilted her head, and asked a question as if muttering in an ambiguous tone.
"Mr. Aiden, have you thought about it? Why is the leader postponing the rebellion?"
"…I don't know because I haven't thought about it deeply."
He kindly pointed out questions that I had ignored.
"I've been thinking about it, and I think it's because the
leader is sad to lose his current position."
"So…"
"Isn't that so? A huge alliance made up of people from numerous kingdoms. The head of the federation. It's a shame because if the Emperor is dealt with, the power may be blown away by a new wind."
Whispering poison.
Aiden's face distorted. The spark of dissatisfaction caught fire and created another negative emotion.
Saerin didn't stop there and hurriedly fanned the fan as the fire was about to go out.
She learned about Aiden through conversation and also remembered what was recorded on paper.
He was a greedy person regardless of money or power. The reason he joined the Revolutionary Army was because he wanted to kill the Emperor and because the Revolutionary Army had a high chance of success.
If the revolution succeeded, the goal was to enhance one's reputation by emphasizing their participation. As your reputation grows, more things will follow. He was an easy character to wield, and was worth using in that he led a fairly large force in the Revolutionary Army.
Then it was time to move.
"So, how about Mr. Aiden deals with the Emperor and becomes the center of the new country?"
"Everyone in the Revolutionary Army is equal..."
"That's a good thing to say. But where could such a dream-like world exist? In the first place, it was an absurd argument to eliminate the throne itself. No, even if it is possible to eliminate it, we ultimately need key personnel to lead the country."
The 'brainy' Saerin was a 'commoner'.
The good brain and commoner origin twisted the given ideology and brought it down from an 'ideal' that did not take into account the 'evil' that all humans have, to a 'reality' that included more human desires.
An ideal was an ideal only.
She didn't know who came up with this idea, but it was probably an aristocratic scholar somewhere who grew up without much hardship, or a positive person with a flowery mind.
As Saerin, who was a commoner and felt the malice of humans in everything she encountered on the street in the market, she could not help but be negative about the possibility of it going as intended. Human greed was endless, and that applied even to those who started a revolution and participated in it.
"Lead Mr. Aiden's forces and kill the Emperor. And thanks to that, he would become the center of the Revolutionary Army, abolishing the caste system, and was included in the leadership of the country."
"..."
"Shall we talk a little more explicitly? We are creating a world where everyone is equal except the leadership. If Mr. Aiden makes good use of the 'situation of killing the Emperor,' he may even be able to select the leadership."
For example, mentioning, 'The people who helped me a lot in succeeding in this work are...' These were the words of the person who led the Emperor to death, so they will probably be generally respected.
Surprisingly, all of this was something she thought of on the spot.
"The Duke is also hoping that the coup will be accomplished as soon as possible. So, even if he can't actively help, he will nudge the Emperor to some extent."
Of course, the possibility of Aiden killing the Emperor...
"...A confirmation is needed."
... 0%.
Saerin smiled brightly.
"I will get the Emperor's schedule."
This was it. Saerin quietly smoothed the back of her hand. The place where the Duke's lips had touched still seemed to be warm to the touch.
The Duke still respected her enough.
...The Duke knew that she liked him.
If he had thought of her as something to be used once and thrown away, he would have dragged her into the bedroom as soon as he noticed her feelings. Because she would have been much easier to use that way.
In fact, among those who had feelings for him, he would drag those he considered to be throwaway losers into his bedroom, regardless of gender.
Sometimes she was jealous of them for no reason, but she knew for sure who the Duke valued more.
Without hesitation, Saerin abandoned the brief dream she had.
***
The sudden request for an audience was quickly accepted as if it were a given.
While the servants of the imperial palace were surprised, the Duke expected that the Emperor would definitely do this, so he accepted this for granted and walked forward following the guidance of the servant.
Because it would be better to listen to any nonsense than to not listen to your political opponents. Furthermore, if you were confident that you would not be pushed into psychological warfare, it was also an opportunity to find out what the other person is thinking.
There was no way the Emperor could avoid this.
"Glory to the Empire. Duke Stave Illuster meets the present-day Empire."
"Yes, Duke. What's going on?"
Instead of answering, the Duke looked at the Emperor. To be exact, just below the face.
The Emperor, who was sitting at an angle with his arms on the armrests as if tired, was looking down at the arrogant Duke, who only showed the bare minimum of courtesy, as if he were displeased, but the Duke paid him no mind.
There was something more eye-catching than the Emperor's harsh eyes.
"How did your hands get like that?"
"No need to worry about the bandages."
The white bandaged left hand, which was hanging on the armrest, gently clenched into a fist.
The Duke narrowed his eyes and examined the figure.
'Did you get injured on the battlefield? How on earth have you been running around so wildly?'
He examined him carefully to check the extent of the wound, but the clean white bandage, which did not show a single drop of blood, probably because he had changed the bandage on his arrival, completely concealed the extent of the injury.
'...Well, there's no way he could show weakness this easily.'
When a faint smile appeared on the Duke's lips, a cool voice called to him.
"Are you here to look at my wounds, Duke?"
"...No. Excuse me, Your Majesty."
Okay, now it's his turn to talk.
To prevent the Emperor from dying at the hands of the Revolutionary Army, and to prevent them from killing him who said these words, his eyes, which had been closed for a long time, opened.
The Duke, who was looking at the floor, slowly rose and his gaze seemed to stop at the Emperor's chest, then rose further and faced the golden eyes directly.
The golden eyes resembling a wild beast were still fierce, but the shadows under his eyes contained a fatigue that could not be hidden.
The Emperor did not allow him to see his face, but he did not scold the Duke for arbitrarily raising his head and seeing his face.
"Do you remember the death of the former First Prince, who was the father of the current Crown Prince and the Princess and the older brother of His Majesty?"
A man with a gentle personality who was the only one among the many brothers who took care of Eduardo Desert.
Fortunately, the Emperor did not immediately get up from his seat or draw his sword.
He simply patted the back of his bandaged left hand, frowned, and softly ordered those around him to leave.
"Let the court go away too."
"Yes, Your Majesty. General..."
"I will tell Nemeseus myself."
"..."
"Do you think Lord Illuster can kill me?"
"...I'm leaving."
The Emperor, who had even had his guard scolded, looked at the Duke. A lower voice came out calmly.
"Are you referring to the incident that was said to have been caused by the Duke of Gradis, but was actually killed by someone else?"
"You know very well."
"You're crazy."
When the truth was discovered, the Emperor had to cover it up.
Because the Gradis duchy had already become extinct. The name of the family was completely erased because of the assassination of the First Prince, but now it was impossible to say that it was not true.
If this fact became known, not only the Emperor would suffer, but the Duke would also have to sacrifice his life. But to admit it right in front of his eyes like this?
"I don't understand why you're mentioning it now. What on Earth are you planning?"
"Aren't you curious about why I killed him?"
"..."
"I did it to get to a higher place."
Did he think he would be satisfied with the position of Duke?
If you ascend to the throne, you will have the position of King. If you ascend to the throne of an Emperor, you will have a unified continent at your feet.
Stave Illuster was that kind of person.