I’m the Only One Who Can Put the Tyrant To Sleep

Chapter 39 The remnants of Duke Spiegel’s forces were waiting for the chance to kill you. The plan was to force you to choose—align with us or face death.‘If you join hands, they’ll catch you, but we’ll make sure you have the upper hand.’In truth, it wasn’t just strategy; it was personal vengeance. I couldn’t forget how the Empress had mistreated Caesar. Even if she hadn’t outright ordered it, she had enabled Marriott’s abuse by turning a blind eye.Even for her own daughter’s sake, the abuse was unjustifiable.Still, the Empress couldn’t simply be discarded. Not only was her influence still necessary, but more importantly, Floria’s future was tied to hers.If the Empress lost her position or died, Floria would be greatly threatened.Regardless of the Empress’s actions, I didn’t want that outcome. Young Floria was innocent of any wrongdoing.Besides, Caesar and Floria had already become quite friendly. Caesar even visited Floria’s palace… Caesar wouldn’t want her to suffer.‘I’ll preserve the Empress and the Princess’s positions. I won’t kill her.’However, I had no intention of leaving the Empress with any real power.She would remain on our side, but I’d make sure she could never threaten the throne. She’d live out the rest of her days as a powerless figurehead, in name only.“Ah…!”“Huh, His highness, are you okay?”Lost in thought about how to handle the Empress, I had unconsciously applied too much pressure while stroking Caesar’s hair. I was startled and hurriedly removed my hand.“I’m sorry!”“No, it’s fine….”I had nearly pulled out his precious hair. I thought to myself that I should be more careful about touching something as precious as my hair in the future, so I put some distance between me and Caesar.But Caesar looked regretful and mumbled softly,“It’s really fine… You can pull out all my hair if you want…”“What? What do you mean! Please don’t say things like that anywhere else, His Highness!”Concerned that he might behave this way in front of others, I gently scolded him. Caesar nodded quietly, a small “Yes…” escaping his lips. ***** A few days later, Caesar was practicing swordsmanship with his aide, Alvin, in the dusty training area.“His highness, aren’t you pushing yourself too hard lately?”Alvin asked, catching his breath.“… Not really.”Contrary to the blunt answer, Caesar’s face clearly showed signs of exhaustion.Alvin had trained alongside Caesar since childhood and knew well how diligent he was. But in recent days, Caesar’s efforts had gone far beyond mere diligence.“I hear you’ve even added more lessons to your schedule,” Alvin probed.In response, Caesar’s sharp sword swung through the air instead of words. Alvin barely managed to block the attack with both hands.“If you have time to chat, haa… focus on training.”Caesar’s voice was steady but firm.Grumbling under his breath, Alvin adjusted his grip on his sword.“What are you up to?” he asked, still curious.Even as their swords clashed, Alvin couldn’t keep his thoughts to himself. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was different.Sure, Caesar’s recent growth—his sudden height spurt and more pronounced features—could be chalked up to adolescence. But there was an undeniable shift in his aura, something beyond physical maturity.Although Alvin hadn’t attended, but he heard from others that Caesar showed a very unexpected appearance at the banquet.Moreover, his swordsmanship skills have improved to a surprising extent. It wasn’t something that could be explained by simply extending training or lessons. Something must have changed.At that moment, Alvin lost his focus and his sword flew away.“Huh!”Alvin fell to the ground. Suddenly, the sharp tip of a sword approached the nape of his neck. Even with his training wooden sword, Alvin could not easily move his body.Alvin’s throat moved with a gulp. Caesar, who was looking down at him with his back to the sun, seemed unusually large.“It seems like I’m not the one with a problem. It’s you,”Caesar remarked, withdrawing the wooden sword and extending a hand.While holding his hand and getting up, Alvin couldn’t hide his bewildered face.“I can’t concentrate.”To be fair, Alvin had been caught up in his own thoughts. But it wasn’t as if he’d underestimated or let his guard down against Caesar.‘And to be caught unawares like this….’He was born into a family of knights, and since childhood he lived with only a sword instead of a book. He was also a skilled enough to be Caesar’s teacher in swordsmanship and lead his training, despite being the same age as him.‘That intimidating feeling….’“Let’s call it a day.”Caesar said, putting his sword away and walking off. Alvin stood there blankly, looking at Caesar’s back.Whether for better or worse, one thing was clear: Caesar was changing.  ***** The opportunity to persuade Duke Bryden came sooner than expected. Surprisingly, it was Duke Bryden himself who reached out first.“He asked if I would be willing to attend a political meeting.”“A political meeting?”Caesar handed me a letter bearing the seal of the Duke of Bryden.Inside, the letter was filled with formal greetings and detailed information about the political meeting. The time and place were written down, so I knew he wasn’t just asking if I wanted to go.“If it’s a political meeting, it’s a meeting between nobles.”The political meeting were gatherings where matters concerning the empire were discussed. These meetings reviewed the opinions of imperial citizens or provincial nobles, selecting issues deemed important enough to be relayed to the Emperor.In theory, the meetings were open to anyone, regardless of rank or status, as a way to hear diverse perspectives. In practice, however, they had long devolved into arenas where high-ranking nobles jockeyed for power and influence.Moreover, Caesar, as a member of the royal family, wasn’t required to attend. He could, of course, if he wanted to, but it wasn’t necessary to attend.‘So why are you calling Caesar to such a place?’“There have been instances of crown princes attending political meetings,” Caesar noted.“But isn’t that usually requested by the crown prince first, as an observation?”In any case, it was not polite to say that the Duke, a subordinate, notified the Crown Prince to attend.“Has such a request been made before?”“No, this is the first time.”The fact that this was the first time meant that something had changed. Perhaps the reason is… Caesar’s birthday banquet?I already knew that many nobles had started to view Caesar differently after the banquet. If Duke Bryden was among them, then this might not be a simple case of arrogance or insubordination on his part.‘Could it be that he wants to give Caesar an opportunity? A chance to demonstrate his abilities before the high-ranking nobles?’Of course, calling it an “opportunity” didn’t mean it was without risk, and it was a gamble, of course, a gamble that could backfire, for there would be not only the Imperial’s faction in the room, but also the aristocratic faction, and one misstep could have a huge impact.But if we seized the opportunity, we could at least bring Duke Bryden to our side.“His highness.”I said, tossing the letter aside and grabbing Caesar’s hand.“Wha-what are you doing?”Caesar stammered, startled by my sudden movement, as if he had been on fire.Ignoring his flustered response, I tightened the grip, determined not to miss this golden opportunity.“Send a reply immediately! Say you’re attending!”“What?”“The political meeting!” ***** Political meetings usually had an agenda: some social problem to be solved at the meeting.Given that the Duke of Brayden had specifically set a date and time for Caesar to attend, there must have been something special on the agenda that day.Caesar’s reputation could rise or fall depending on how he handled the matter.The question is what’s on that agenda… Luckily, I had the perfect ally for such tasks.“So? What did you find?”“Wait a minute!”Because I had the Empire’s best informant, Katana.In the hut I’d rushed to after work, I sat nervously in front of Katana with my eyes closed.Katana had an excellent ability to gather information. As she’d once explained, she could quickly access any record, book, or rumor within the empire.This included the minutes from meetings—like the one we were preparing for. Days before the next meeting, the agenda would be written down in the minutes.If Katana could review those records, it would be like Caesar getting the exam questions ahead of time.I sat watching her with bated breath as she finally opened her eyes and spoke.“National Tax Increase Act…”Katana finally opened her eyes and her mouth.“The ‘National Tax Increase Act’. That’s what it says in the minutes of the meeting Evelyn was talking about. But what’s a national tax, an increase?”Katana was smart enough to understand all of the advanced spellbooks, but her vocabulary was weak due to her lack of proper education in the Magic Tower.“National taxes are the taxes you pay to the country, and increase means to make something bigger. In other words, it’s about finding ways to collect more taxes,”As I explained to Katana, my mind raced. The National Tax Increase Act, the National Tax Increase Act…“So, basically, they’re trying to figure out how to squeeze more money out of commoners?”Her blunt summary hit the nail on the head.“Yes, that’s what it boils down to,” I replied, the wheels in my mind turning faster.The agenda was clear: they would discuss methods to extract more revenue from the populace. This wasn’t just an ordinary topic—it was a deeply sensitive and contentious issue.Handled poorly, it could ignite widespread dissent. But if Caesar played his cards right, it could be the perfect stage to showcase his leadership and win over allies.