“……Harper?”
Count Gray tilted his head and murmured.
His sharp eyes narrowed, and a cold suspicion began to press heavily down upon the air of the office.
“Ian Harper, not Ian Sterling.”
From the moment he confirmed the records, Count Gray’s index finger began tapping against the table.
Seeing him tap his finger like that, the secretary swallowed dryly.
For tapping his finger on the desk was a habit Count Gray had when he was deep in thought, and when he was deep in thought, it usually meant something serious was afoot—and afterward, it was common for a storm of blood to follow.
‘Ian Sterling is suspicious…’
But the moment Count Gray checked the records, he did not commit the rash act of rising from his seat and rushing straight to the Emperor.
He was a seasoned chief aide who served the greatest power in the Empire.
Submitting a report based only on emotion or clumsy conjecture was the sort of thing third-raters did.
The Emperor found it exceedingly unpleasant when those under him came making a fuss without preparation over trifles, and before anyone came to see him, he demanded that they be able to answer at least three questions.
‘Did they send a fake prince? Or is he an illegitimate child? If not that, then a simple administrative error?’
He sat at his desk, chin resting on his interlaced hands, and coldly sorted through several possible scenarios in his mind.
‘For now, the most probable is that he’s an illegitimate child. Is his mother’s family the Harpers? An administrative error… well, no matter how carelessly they recorded things, they would hardly mistake the overall top graduate. And… the fake prince theory… I hope not, for a bloodbath would follow.’
Only after filling the logical gaps in the scenarios he had constructed and predicting in advance the questions the Emperor would ask did Count Gray quietly rise from his seat.
“I shall go see His Majesty for a moment.”
“Yes, my lord!”
#
“……Thus, the Empire’s fourth-quarter warhorse situation is generally sound, but considering the formation of new cavalry units to march in next spring’s expedition against the Kingdom of Laurent, our reserve mounts may prove somewhat insufficient. To ensure there are no disruptions in maintaining the supply lines, we should secure fodder in advance…….”
The Emperor’s office.
There, Count Gross, the imperial stable master and former cavalry commander, was in the midst of reporting on military strength and supply matters in preparation for the coming spring expedition.
“Hmm. Supplies are always a headache. Very well. I will coordinate with the Ministry of Finance and allocate a larger budget for that portion. Aside from warhorses, we will need a great many more pack horses as well… and an enormous amount of water and hay to feed them. Good grief, war is all money.”
“Indeed it is. War will only cease once the continent is unified as soon as possible. At least it is fortunate that the south collapsed quickly without much resistance. I had expected ten years, but to think it would all be settled in less than two. Is this not all thanks to Your Majesty’s grace?”
“It is hardly something to call grace. In any case, the Kingdom of Laurent, then after that… as far as Victor in the north. Whew, there is still a great deal of land left to conquer.”
“Emperor Uzarat the Great swept across the world, burning all beneath the heavens, yet even before his death he lamented that there was still far too much land left to conquer. But now, the end is in sight. If Your Majesty advances just a little further, you will accomplish the great feat of unifying all under heaven.”
“Great feat or whatever, I am merely doing what must be done. I have to finish it all in my generation, at the very least, so that Maximilien can live comfortably.”
“Your Majesty, Chief Aide Count Gray is here. He says he has come on a matter.”
“Hmm? Let him in.”
The Emperor, who had been reclining obliquely against the throne as he received the report, brightened and straightened himself when the door opened and Count Gray entered.
“Oh, Gray. You have come at just the right time. What brings you all the way here?”
“Your Majesty. Count Gross is here as well, I see.”
After giving a courteous bow of his head, Count Gray took a file from within his coat and spoke in a calm voice.
“It is regarding Prince Ian, who came from the Kingdom of Sterling.”
“Ian? Has that fellow gone and done something admirable again?”
“That is not the case. It is only that my personal interest was piqued, so I conducted a small investigation…… and I discovered one strange point, which I thought I should report.”
“A strange point?”
The gazes of the Emperor and Count Gross turned to Count Gray.
“I checked the graduate registry of the Sterling Kingdom Academy, from which Ian is said to have graduated. However, on its list of top graduates, the name recorded was not Ian Sterling, but Ian Harper. When comparing his age and deeds, it is most certainly referring to Prince Ian…… but the surname was different.”
Not Sterling, the royal surname, but Harper.
It was a fuse that could develop into quite a serious matter.
Count Gray expected the Emperor’s brows to twitch and a thunderous rebuke to fall.
“Hmm…… Harper, is it.”
And yet, after stroking his chin in thought for a moment, the Emperor and Count Gross exchanged glances, then soon spoke as if it were nothing much.
“Is he not simply an illegitimate child? His mother’s surname must be Harper.”
“Indeed, Your Majesty. That was the first thought that came to me as soon as I heard it.”
It was as he had expected, but considering the Emperor’s usual temperament, Count Gray had prepared answers under the assumption that he would be more suspicious.
Count Gray, who had been tense as he anticipated the sea of blood that might sweep over the Kingdom of Sterling if some secret were uncovered, found himself at a loss for words at the two men’s far too composed reactions.
“……Pardon?”
“Think about it, Gray. As far as I recall, the great houses of Sterling amount to the Price family and the Hodeki family, do they not? I do not even remember hearing of a House Harper.”
The Emperor snorted and continued.
“Obviously, the mother’s side must be some humble baronial or knightly family from some rural corner. Born as the king’s illegitimate child and not acknowledged by the lawful wife, he could not use the royal surname when entering the Academy, so he borrowed his mother’s surname instead. Is that not common as dirt even in our Empire?”
Count Gray was inwardly flustered, but outwardly he nodded calmly.
“That…… is true, however.”
“Ha ha ha! Count, there is no need to think so gravely of it.”
Count Gross, who had been standing beside them, joined in with a hearty laugh.
“In the first place, among the hostages that weak nations offer to the Empire, it is rare for the legitimate eldest son born of the lawful wife to come, is it not? Nine times out of ten, they dress up some bastard and send him over. Prince Ian too must be an illegitimate child who grew up under such cold treatment.”
“Ha ha, now that I hear it, that is true.”
The Emperor nodded as if it sounded plausible, then smacked his lips playfully.
“How vexing. The next time we receive hostages from vassal states, should I issue an imperial edict ordering them to send only legitimate heirs born of lawful wives?”
“Oh, Your Majesty. You must not.”
Count Gross nearly jumped as he waved his hands.
“If you do that, clever and capable fellows like Ian may not come. Rather than frail boys raised delicately under lawful wives, among those like Ian—persecuted as illegitimate children and forced to desperately learn the art of survival—there are often true hidden gems.”
“True. Considering the policy report that fellow submitted to the Crown Prince, and the way he conducts himself with such tact, he is no ordinary man. Bastard or not, his ability is outstanding, so it is rather more convenient to keep him by my side and make use of him. These days, even I need men who can work more than toys to play with. I have grown old, old indeed.”
“What are you saying, Your Majesty? You are still hale and hearty.”
“Enough time has passed that even that belly of yours, once thickly covered in muscle in your youth, is now filled with soft fat. You and I have grown old together, have we not, Gordon?”
“If you bring up my belly, I cannot refute you…”
Seeing Count Gross droop at the mention of his belly fat, the Emperor seemed to be in good spirits and burst into hearty laughter, waving his hand toward Count Gray.
“So do not concern yourself too much. Whatever surname he was registered under at some backwater Academy, if he is useful, is that not enough? Our Max seems inwardly inclined to entrust him with a future ministerial post—perhaps even the position of prime minister—so he will make better use of him than I would.”
“……Yes, Your Majesty. I shall keep that in mind.”
Count Gray bowed courteously and withdrew.
But as he left the office and walked down the corridor, Count Gray’s eyes remained cold and sunken.
‘His Majesty and Count Gross both…… are far too lenient toward that brat called Ian.’
At first, Count Gray hesitated for a moment, wondering if perhaps he was thinking too much of it.
Prince Ian was, even in his eyes, an intelligent and capable talent, and he was an Academy graduate in his own right.
Putting the Empire aside, considering that quite many noble children in the vassal states grew up unable to attend an Academy, Ian was, as the Emperor and Count Gross had said, most likely a simple illegitimate child.
However, Count Gray’s instincts, honed over a lifetime spent amid suspicion and intrigue, were ceaselessly warning him that an even greater lie might be hidden behind that name.
‘An illegitimate child, is it……. Is that truly all there is to it?’
The Count stared out the window at the dusk with cold eyes.
‘If His Majesty is going to let this pass so generously, then I, at least, must fulfill my duty as a subject. Ian Harper, and that House Harper…… I shall personally dig into you in earnest.’
For the safety of the imperial house, he could not leave even the smallest doubt behind.
Steeling himself with a cold resolve, Count Gray moved toward the end of the dark corridor.