NOVPUB
Chapter 267: Emperor Durand’s Curiosity
The next day, the imperial family announced the coup attempt by Grand Duke Gouvard’s faction. At the same time, they revealed that the devils have collaborators within the empire, labeling them as traitors. However, the imperial family withheld some names to prevent chaos and avoid causing widespread distrust among the people.
Names like Master Dan, Grand Duke Gouvard, and even the Third Prince Lewis are not revealed. However, some nobles from Grand Duke Gouvard’s faction are named publicly. The imperial family understands that announcing individuals like Master Dan or a grand duke as collaborators with the devils would cause the people to lose all faith in the empire’s leadership.
Such an action would become a ticking time bomb in the long run, and the imperial family is determined to avoid that. They aim to minimize the impact as much as possible.
The announcement caused an uproar across the Doria Empire, with people scrambling to uncover information about the unfolding events. Why did the grand duke suddenly attempt a coup? What will happen next? While the situation among the populace remains relatively peaceful, opinions are deeply divided. This diversity of perspectives is, in fact, the ideal outcome for the imperial family. At least there is no chaos in the territories of the nobles.
At this time, the capital also saw the arrival of high-ranking nobles. The remaining grand dukes arrived in the capital this morning to report to the imperial family. They wish to face the emperor and demonstrate that they are not involved in the coup. This act also serves as a show of support for the imperial family, helping to avoid any misunderstandings.
Inside the throne hall, Grand Duke Rivas, Grand Duke Lumeria, and Grand Duke Herlion stood before Emperor Durand. They appeared to be discussing the recent events in the empire. Grand Duke Rivas also informed Emperor Durand about his findings concerning Wei Zhi and the betrayal by some individuals within his grand duchy and those under his command.
"Grand Duke Rivas, you are truly fortunate to have someone help you uproot the hidden snake within your family. Do you already know this person’s identity? From the looks of it, the one who warned you about the traitors and the one who killed Wei Zhi seem to be the same individual," said a middle-aged man with blonde hair and a small beard under his chin. He was Grand Duke Herlion.
"That is what I thought as well, but so far, I haven’t been able to find solid proof that this man is the same person who warned me. They left behind very few traces. However, I did come across a small clue, there are traces of assassins, but I’m still unsure which group they belong to," Grand Duke Rivas replied.
"Assassins? Could there be any connection to the news we just heard from the northeast? Many high-ranking members of noble families were assassinated there—could it be the same group?" Grand Duke Lumeria asked.
"Maybe, maybe not. It’s still too early to draw conclusions," Grand Duke Rivas replied. "However, in my opinion, they are likely the same group. If we could examine the corpses of their victims, we might be able to determine which group they belong to."
Emperor Durand listened to the grand dukes’ discussion, but he was also deep in thought. He looked at Grand Duke Rivas with a neutral expression, though his mind was preoccupied. Last night, when Aldrian came to the palace and provided him with information about the betrayals of Grand Duke Gouvard and Master Dan, Aldrian had also given him several artifacts from the noble families of the Doria Empire, which had been stolen by the Greed Devil.
Emperor Durand’s heart shuddered when he saw those artifacts. With those artifacts in Aldrian’s possession, it could only mean one thing: the Greed Devil was dead. True to his suspicions, Aldrian had told him the truth. The fact that Aldrian had already killed three of the Seven Deadly Sins only highlighted his effectiveness and strength. To think that one person could achieve all of this without the continent knowing—truly mysterious!
With those artifacts, the imperial family now had bargaining chips, or leverage, over some of the nobles, including Grand Duke Gouvard’s faction.
Thinking back, Emperor Durand recalled a small detail about Aldrian’s movements in the empire: his involvement with the Rivas Grand Duchy. The first report of Aldrian’s appearance was in the Rivas Grand Duchy, where he immediately joined the war, making a significant impact on the battlefield.
He also heard that Aldrian even struck deep into devil territory to save people at Sazim Fortress, ultimately rescuing Irene Rivas, the young miss of the Rivas family. Then, Aldrian uncovered the betrayal of the guild master of the Information Guild, the guild was under the Rivas family’s influence, forcing them to mobilize the Iron Fist Order knights.
All of this seemed like a coincidence, but Emperor Durand could sense that it wasn’t that simple. Hector had also told him about the strangeness of Irene and how she described him. Given Aldrian’s youthful appearance, he seemed too young to be Irene’s lover or anything like that. But that was just his instinct, so he couldn’t confirm it. He was also certain that the Rivas family didn’t have any member like Aldrian, which led him to consider another possibility.
Although it felt quite far-fetched, it was still a possibility. What if Aldrian somehow had a closer relationship with Irene or the Rivas family? Like...
Emperor Durand stopped his pondering when he noticed that the three grand dukes seemed to have finished their discussion and were now looking at him. Emperor Durand then spoke to them.
"I’ve already heard about it, and I share the same thoughts as Grand Duke Rivas. Although the possibility that this person or group is the same is high, we still don’t have solid proof, so we’ll leave it for the future. We need to wait for more information about them. But based on all their actions, they are still on our side, so I’ll leave it at that," Emperor Durand said, although he knew who had killed Wei Zhi.
"Now, Grand Duke Rivas, where is your daughter? I’d like to see her."
"She is at our mansion in the capital, Your Majesty. I’ll call for her right now."
Emperor Durand had made a request to Grand Duke Rivas: to bring Irene to the capital. He wanted to see her himself, to make sure of Aldrian’s connection to the Rivas family, especially his relationship with Irene.
The other grand dukes wondered why the emperor wanted to see the young miss of the Rivas family. Did he intend to pair her with one of the princes? They were aware of Grand Duke Rivas’s stance on such matters, and forcing him into such a situation would not be good for the emperor.
However, they didn’t know for sure why the emperor wanted to see her, so they didn’t dwell too deeply on it. After that, Grand Duke Lumeria and Grand Duke Herlion left the throne hall, leaving only Grand Duke Rivas with Emperor Durand.
Not long after, Irene entered the throne hall. Yesterday, her father had told her that the emperor wanted to see her. Irene, wondering why the emperor wanted to meet with her, now stood before him in her graceful noble attire.
"Greetings, Your Majesty. I have come to answer your summons," Irene said with a slight bow.
Emperor Durand nodded with a smile before speaking to her.
"Truly a gem of the Rivas family. I can see why you are so popular among the nobles. Not only do you grow more beautiful with each passing year, but your talent never wanes—in fact, it only grows stronger. The Rivas family is surely lucky to have you."
"I’m flattered, Your Majesty. All of this has been made possible with the support of my parents," Irene replied.
Emperor Durand nodded in satisfaction before turning his gaze to Grand Duke Rivas.
"You are truly fortunate to have such a filial daughter. I must admit, I’m envious of you."
"Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty, but my daughter is still quite lacking when compared to the First Prince and the Second Prince. She needs more time to catch up," Grand Duke Rivas replied with a slight bow.
Emperor Durand then looked at the father and daughter, remaining silent for a moment before asking,
"Do you know the person named Aldrian?"
This was a rhetorical question from Emperor Durand, as both Grand Duke Rivas and Irene must have at least heard of Aldrian. However, what Emperor Durand truly wanted to know was not just their awareness of the name.
When Grand Duke Rivas and Irene heard the sudden question about Aldrian, they both showed expressions of shock. However, Emperor Durand soon noticed the difference in their reactions. Irene, in particular, seemed to have a more intense emotional response to the name, while Grand Duke Rivas appeared confused after his initial shock.
"This subject truly doesn’t know much about him, Your Majesty. He seems like a ghost, but not quite. We tried to track him, but lost his trail in the capital. Has Your Majesty perhaps already met Aldrian? He seems to be in the capital," Grand Duke Rivas asked.
However, Emperor Durand could sense something off in the tone Grand Duke Rivas used when asking about Aldrian.
As for Irene, the emperor could see a hint of nervousness in her eyes. Her body also showed subtle signs of unease, something she hadn’t displayed earlier when in his presence.
"Well, I have met him, but I can’t provide much information. I only want to know what kind of person Aldrian is. What do you think, Miss Irene?"
