Chapter 74: End Him or Make Use of Him? (1)
The third son of the purged Chief of the Ministry of Ceremonies, Charles de Aquicurl was in fact, not at the coronation ceremony.
On the day of the coronation ceremony, he was in one of the mansions in the capital owned by Duke Aquicurl (which has now been confiscated). It was believed that this man may have been aware of what was going to happen at the coronation ceremony quite early on.
He could have hidden or fled, but he didnt do that; instead, he appeared at the palace and allowed himself to be caught.
He did this all before the Imperial Guard had taken control of the palace.
He allowed himself to be constrained and was left alone since he wasnt trying to break free After all that, he brought up ancient laws and advised Count Copardwall to use them? It was a half-hearted attempt to help Count Copardwall, and we can assume that he made that move with something in mind.
Honestly, I wasnt sure how to deal with him since he surrendered voluntarily.
It would be easier for me if Duke Aquicurls bloodline was thoroughly wiped out. It would also serve as an example to the other aristocrats, but we didnt have any crimes to charge against Charles de Aquicurl, so he couldnt go to trial. He hadnt resisted and he wasnt involved in any of the crimes that the Chief of the Ministry of Ceremonies had committed.
Assassination may be the only way to eliminate him if he cannot go to trial.
I could ask a spy to do it but that would mean showing a new weakness to that spy and in turn, their chief, Count Palatine Vedett. Im already relying on him quite a bit, but I dont want to rely on him more than I have to I think that will be dangerous. If Count Palatine Vedett gains too much influence, then its possible that we may end up with an Emperor who is under his control.
There is no guarantee that that Emperor will be me.
I dont want the spies to have that much influence. It would be impossible to diminish it once they have it.
I have succeeded in eliminating the Chancellor and the Chief of the Ministry of Ceremonies who both held enormous influence and control over the Empire, but I only succeeded because those who had let down their guard.
I have already become the Emperor who Purged Aristocrats to the aristocrats instead of the Young Incompetent Emperor they knew me as. They will always be wary of me. Even Lord Warung, to whom I had sent a letter stating my intent in advance, brought his aristocrats with him because he was wary of having an audience with me.
It was unlikely for an Emperor who was already being guarded against to employ similar hardline tactics, especially when dealing with a spy, but I also find it difficult to believe that I can outwit a man who had remained neutral during his dealings with the Chancellor and the Chief of the Ministry of Ceremonies by just scheming.
So, I didnt want to use assassination against the Empire aristocrats. The risk was too great no matter how much I gained from it.
It seemed realistic to continue detaining Charles de Aquicurl for some reason.
I would need a reason to detain him. He was currently being detained because he may be connected to Augusto de Aquicurl, who had raised an army, but that reason will cease to be valid once the Aquicurl army is defeated.
Him inciting Count Copardwall was a good opportunity to decide how to deal with him. I decided to meet with Charles.
I made my way to the prison where Charles de Aquicurl was held with Timona and Balthazar in tow.Geett the latest novels at novelhall.com
This prison was the so-called Aristocrat Prison. Unlike the dungeons, which are designed to inflict pain and suffering, the rooms in this prison were decorated like any normal room. The cells would just be slightly smaller rooms if it werent for the bars.
Most of the aristocrats who were detained at the coronation ceremony are held in this prison. This prison, which had been empty for the past few years, was now full with aristocrats.
Fortunately, he has no children, and under the Imperial law, if no heir to the title has been confirmed and the head of the family is unable to fulfil his or her duty as an aristocrat, then the monarch is responsible for that title until a successor is determined. It would be better to let him keep his peerage, so that you can temporarily take control of his title after he is castrated and imprisoned by stating that he is unable to fulfil his duties as an aristocrat.
A law created to prevent a power vacuum I know it as well.
If Count Copardwall were to die, then his title would be passed on to his heir by his relatives or vassals, but if he were still alive, then the title would remain with him.
But if he is unable to fulfil his duties as an aristocrat then his fief would effectively be without a lord. Fiefs without lords are easily targeted by other nations and thieves. This was a law to prevent that.
Therefore, when an aristocrat dies, a successor is chosen to succeed them, and when they return, the fief is returned to them. This was only a temporary measure.
Right now, I want to keep Count Copardwalls fief until this civil war is over, so it wont pose a problem for me to secure it temporarily.
The law was originally applied to cases where an aristocrat was taken prisoner by another nation
But that law shouldnt apply if one is being held by their own Emperor, right?
If such a thing was allowed, then I could send troops into the fiefs of all the aristocrats who were currently being held.
I cant do that, so I used my head and used guises like trials and negotiations.
Charles de Aquicurl smiled at my words.
This is not imprisonment, Your Majesty. There isnt any other punishment waiting for him after he is castrated. After that, he will enter the tower from which he will never come out out of his own free will. Your Majesty will not intervene with that
I see. Count Copardwall will freely enter the tower from which he will never come out of
That was a very convenient interpretation.
Still, this could still be seen as a misuse of the law. It would give people a negative impression.
Let him take an oath. If he puts it all down into writing, then the lords will have no choice but to accept it. Besides, the strategic position of his fief is worth it is it not?
He has a point, but this was a dangerous strategy that could make me a lot of unnecessary enemies.
Am I being too cautious? Well, it could be a plan depending on the situation. Ill think more about this later. Theres no need to take this man at his word.
Now, Charles de Aquicurl insisted Count Copardwall use the ancient laws to create this situation.
He wanted to reveal the existence of an unneeded ancient law to create a sense of urgency and at the same time, show that he was familiar with ancient law. He also proposed a plan that would be beneficial to the Emperor. So far, the conversation was progressing according to his plan.
I would be happy to end the conversation here, but I am interested in this man.
What do you want?
His response will determine what I do with him.