The Sub Male Lead is Burning with Jealousy - Chapter 1 Part 7
“Of late, there seems to be quite a commotion within your house?”
Being summoned by the emperor and questioned in this manner made the Duke of Noer’s face heat up. He was aware of the challenges his second son faced regarding his fiancée.
He had certainly promised to elevate him to a minor duke if he married a proper woman, but that didn’t mean resorting to deceit. The duke assumed he would abandon his consort and illegitimate child.
This didn’t mean casting them away cruelly.
Given the dignity of a ducal house, and furthermore, the dignity of the one marrying into it, it would suffice to arrange a marriage with a knight or a lower noble from another country. Additionally, he had intended for the illegitimate child to sign a document confirming no relation to the Noer Ducal House and renouncing any inheritance.
But Jeremy complicated things. Specifically, by deceiving him and hiding both the consort and their son. Even though he despised him, they were so alike that he couldn’t be mad for too long.
After all, the arm bends inwards. He intended to teach some patience to Lady Ruol, who was someone else’s child. However, surprisingly, she turned out to be incredibly stubborn.
In face-to-face encounters, she wouldn’t respond to his gentle persuasions. But once she returned to the Ruol Ducal House, she promptly sent an annulment letter, obviously revealing the secrets about Jeremy’s consort and child.
This act tarnished the reputation of not only the Ruol Marquis House but also the Noer Ducal House. Thus, the Duke of Noer was utterly furious.
He tried once again to summon Lady Ruol to persuade her, but she cleverly hid behind the mistress of another ducal house to decline.
“I apologize… for this reaching Your Majesty’s ears.”
“Ah… there’s no need for apologies.”
With a gesture that seemed exasperated, the emperor waved his hand dismissively. The Duke of Noer cautiously glanced at the emperor’s expression. Although the emperor might have consolidated his power with the help of the powerful Calix Ducal House, he was now undeniably the leading figure in the empire.
Being unable to gain a foothold in the emperor’s circles, the Duke of Noer found himself on the fringes, forced to tread carefully.
Of course, this didn’t diminish the status of his ducal house.
“It has turned out well for me.”
“Pardon?”
The emperor looked down coldly at the shocked Duke of Noer.
“You told your second son to marry a proper young lady if he wishes to become a minor duke, didn’t you?”
“Yes, but…”
“I’m thinking of getting married as well. What do you think?”
Taken aback by the sudden declaration, the Duke of Noer was trying to process the information. Everyone knew of the emperor’s extraordinary love for Lady Calix, but selecting an empress was not solely based on romantic feelings.
Power and strength played a role. Even without the emperor’s love, the position of the empress was a coveted title for anyone.
‘Could it be…?’
The Duke of Noer gulped, recalling his remaining 5 year old daughter, as he had already married off the other two.
“Of course, Your Majesty should marry. Your marriage will be a great gift to the empire!”
“Is that so? I’m considering Lady Ruol for that role.”
What did he just say?
Frozen in place, the Duke of Noer was met with Rahil’s icy stare. While the emperor stood in the middle of the carpeted room, the Duke of Noer was in a respectful posture, kneeling on one knee.
It was as if showcasing their difference in status and power. The Duke of Noer opened his mouth but found himself unable to voice his thoughts.
He couldn’t muster the courage to say, ‘Lady Ruol is my son’s fiancee!’ The piercing gaze of the emperor seemed to drain his spirit.
‘Why would her name come up here? Didn’t the emperor love Angelica Calix?’
Many ministers had pressured the emperor to marry, yet he had remained silent. Some rumors even suggested that the emperor might stay single and adopt an heir. But now…
‘Of all people, why Lady Ruol?’
Had that audacious young lady managed to get close to the emperor, avoiding Jeremy’s watchful eyes? Enraged by this thought, he also felt a surge of fear.
Theodore Calix of the Calix Ducal House had also climbed his way up from the bottom, but considering his rugged upbringing, Rahil was no pushover either.
The former Empress Euphira was not sure whether Rahil, her second son, was truly the offspring of the emperor. It would have been simple to verify the truth in the temple, but she feared that such knowledge if leaked, would become her vulnerability.
After all, she had another son, so Rahil’s existence was expendable.
That was Euphira’s thought process. Furthermore, being certain that Rahil was her biological child she could use any scheme to eliminate him without taking the blame, and if he died as planned, she could feign the role of a grieving mother who lost her child.
Rahil, without knowing the reasons, had narrowly escaped death multiple times. Eventually, he grew to despise his biological mother, Euphira. When he was finally accused by those who doubted his lineage and underwent a temple test, it was proven that he indeed bore the emperor’s bloodline.
Euphira considered her relationship with Rahil to have irretrievably soured. If a mother could attempt to kill her child, that child could likewise harbor intentions to kill the mother.
Already harboring deep resentment, she even came to the conclusion that she had to eliminate Rahil to ensure her own survival.
The power struggle involving the Crown Prince that is the first prince, Euphira, and Rahil, who later became the emperor, was intense until the very end. Recalling the sight of Rahil standing tall on the battlefield, drenched in blood, he bowed his head.
Resistance was futile. Even if Jeremy and Anais’s matters were resolving, facing the inevitable takeover, the societal opinion was already tilting towards the House of Ruol.
“So, that’s how it is.”
“I can expect your congratulations, right?”
Although his face bore a smile, his eyes hinted at a threat if left un-congratulated. The Duke of Noer sensed that he had to swallow his pride at this moment.
“Of course…”
“I’ve heard the annulment of the engagement is proceeding slowly…”
“I-I will expedite it, Your Majesty!”
“And don’t forget to compensate enough to satisfy ‘me’.”
It wasn’t the compensation demanded by the House of Ruol, but one that would satisfy Emperor Rahil. The Duke of Noer, upon witnessing Rahil’s smile, thought of it as devilish.
And then he heard of the arrival of the Marquis of Ruol.
‘Damn it!’
He hastily retreated from the inner court.
Thinking about compensating at the level befitting the emperor made him feel like crying blood, but it was inevitable. Just as he tried to press down on Anais with his power, now he was the one being suppressed by the emperor’s power.
