Ch 14 - Edict

At first, Pluvia didn't believe Kenji's defense at all. From what her spy in the Anos's estate had reported earlier, she was almost sure this minister of hers harbored treacherous thoughts.

But as she listened to Lina's account, Pluvia went quiet for a moment.

If Lina was telling the truth, it meant there might be another faction in the court that worried her even more.

Right now, Kenji's camp was definitely a threat. But at least he still listened to her for the most part, and she truly couldn't do without him. The other group was a different matter.

That faction appeared to be opposing Kenji's stranglehold on power, claiming they were loyal to her. In reality, they wanted to remove Kenji, who was the only person preventing them from taking over. If Kenji was gone, they'd fill that power vacuum. And at heart, those nobles rejected her rule entirely.

They wanted to support their favored princes, not her. Once the big stone named Kenji was moved out of the way, they wouldn't bother hiding their goals anymore.

Originally, with both Kenji and herself guiding things, Pluvia intended to make him and these ministers keep each other under control, allowing her to sit securely on the throne. But…

If Lina's story was true, it meant that those ministers had already started showing their true colors. Were they that confident? Or did they think they had some major leverage?

Pluvia wouldn't ignore that, no matter whether Kenji and his guard were telling the truth.

"Marshal Kenji," she said quietly, looking him in the eye, "what do you think would make me believe you?"

"If Your Majesty won't believe me, then there's nothing I can do. These are the facts. If you distrust them, I have no way to convince you," Kenji replied.

"In that case," Pluvia said with a slight smile, running her fingertips over the carvings on her chair, "I will issue you a personal decree. You must investigate the truth and uncover whoever is pulling the strings, by any means necessary. If you can show enough proof that you were also a victim here, and you can present evidence of the true criminals, then I'll trust you again."

Kenji stood still as if time had frozen. Several seconds passed in silence.

"Well?" she asked.

"I accept your edict," Kenji finally said.

With the Emperor putting it that way, he had no choice but to comply.

On the surface, it seemed like Pluvia was giving him a fair chance to prove himself, almost generous and rational.

But…

To put it bluntly, she still wanted him to clash with the aristocratic faction that opposed her.

Those behind this weren't about to let Kenji dig freely into their affairs, and Kenji had no choice but to take on this assignment that, to outsiders, might look like a huge favor. If he pressed the investigation, they would surely fight back.

No matter how it ended, it would likely leave both Kenji and those ministers damaged, which only served Pluvia's interests.

Right now, Kenji had no other options, though this was at least a chance to cut his losses. Obviously, his enemies had decided to rip off the mask and take their shot. Maybe it was just a warning for the emperor, but for Kenji, they were deadly serious. With this imperial edict, he could finally strike back in a legitimate way and eliminate those threats early on.

Considering everything, that was the best he could do. The main reason things had spiraled was that he never imagined they'd try such an insidious approach. Sure, those people might be diehard supporters of the Crown Prince, but this timing was ridiculous.

"If you really want to clear your name, you'd better work quickly. Otherwise, if those ministers present more charges against you, I can't guarantee your safety, can I?" Pluvia added.

She couldn't resist urging him along.

"I'll handle this right away," Kenji said.

This time, Kenji didn't bother pestering the emperor for any more tea. He was cautious now; it wasn't the time to ask her for anything.

Pluvia watched Kenji leave, then slumped in her chair. She closed her eyes, thinking about Lina.

She knew exactly who Lina was. After her father, the late Emperor, wiped out the demonic sects, Pluvia had seen Lina before. Rumor had it that her father once considered recruiting a few highly gifted children from those sects to protect the royal family, but in the end, it never happened because of their questionable origins.

Lina ended up being sent to Kenji.

What sort of training could make a young man mold a child into such a fiercely loyal guard in just a few years? Pluvia had no doubt, for a moment before, if the imperial guards had ambushed them on her signal, Lina would have fought to the death to kill her. That murderous intent was unmistakable.

What sort of power did Kenji possess?

She didn't know, but she realized at least that Kenji did have some gift—something that made his subordinates willing to fight for him.

As an Emperor, she was possibly the best in the realm at leveraging talent, but she couldn't get a grip on Kenji at all. He moved freely at the heart of the empire's power, clinging to the crucial segments, so she couldn't strip that power away. Maybe part of it was that the duke was excellent at using people, too.

The words she'd said earlier weren't all just anger. She did believe Kenji was capable of taking the throne if it came down to it. She wasn't about to give up her position, but she knew her energetic Grand Marshal had the skills to do the job. If she let him rule, maybe he wouldn't do that badly…

At that thought…

Pluvia called over one of her palace maids.

"Tell the spy in the duke's estate to resign. There's no way he can remain hidden there anymore. Tell him not to worry—Kenji won't punish him."

"As you command, Your Majesty."

The maid—actually one of Pluvia's most trusted attendants—immediately started making arrangements to send out that message.

…

When Kenji returned to his residence, Lina still seemed tense from the earlier standoff.

He'd thought about scolding her for being too brash in front of the emperor, but seeing how loyal she was, he just couldn't bring himself to do it.

She was only worried about his safety. From her perspective, she hadn't really done anything wrong.