"What?! What did you say?!"
The princes shouted in surprise.
Not just the princes, but Brother Berken and the 2nd Princess all stared at me with wide eyes.
"What are you saying, Dian?" the 2nd Princess asked.
"That the Emperor and all the princes should leave the Imperial Castle? Are you perhaps..."
"Perhaps what?"
"Perhaps... are you trying to become Emperor yourself...?"
"Gasp...!"
The princes' faces turned pale.
"D-Dian, my friend!"
The 1st Prince hurriedly ran over and knelt before me.
"You remember, right? Ten years ago, we definitely had meals together and went to the sauna! Why do you say you don't remember?"
"Brother! What are you doing?!"
When the 2nd Prince protested, the 1st Prince snapped sharply.
"Shut up, you fool! If Dian decides to take the Imperial Castle now, nothing can stop him! If we don't do this, we're all dead men!"
"But Lord Linus is coming! You wrote the letter yourself! You told him to come kill the 3rd Prince!"
"Shut up!!"
The 1st Prince barked urgently, glancing nervously at Brother Berken.
"What do you mean shut up? Where on earth is Lord Linus? You take responsibility and bring him here!"
"Y-you bastard! Linus and Dian are the closest of friends!!!"
"What?!"
Frozen momentarily at those words, the 2nd Prince staggered forward and knelt beside the 1st Prince.
"Mr. Dian. I'm the 2nd Prince. I was too busy during the war to look after you, and I'm sorry about that."
As the 1st and 2nd Princes knelt, the young 4th Prince, who had been scratching his head in confusion, timidly approached and also knelt down.
He seemed to be following his brothers' lead without understanding the situation.
"Oh my."
Brother Berken pressed his forehead with a sigh as he looked at the three kneeling princes.
I too felt somewhat dismayed.
The princes of the continent's strongest nation, kneeling so shamefully before me, a commoner, begging to save their lives.
And then arguing about what would happen if I became Emperor or what Linus might do, right to my face.
My judgment was correct.
If any of these men became Emperor, the Empire would surely collapse.
After entering the Imperial Castle with the 2nd Princess and assessing the situation, I had made my own decision about the future of the Imperial Castle.
Now that things had escalated to this point, there was no going back to the precarious balance that once existed between the Emperor's faction and the 2nd Princess's faction.
Either way, one side would be destroyed, and I had decided to take the 2nd Princess's side.
It's not that I'm interested in politics or want to control the Empire's fate as I please.
From the current state of the Imperial Castle, it seems the Emperor and the remaining princes are just sitting around sucking their thumbs, waiting for Linus to arrive without making any response.
If one of these fools becomes Emperor, the Empire's future is obviously doomed.
If the Empire falls into chaos, the Academy where I work would also be in danger.
I fled to Brunswell to avoid such trouble, and I don't want more headaches after coming here to help Linus.
Moreover, given the princes' weak characters, they would obviously keep bothering Linus and me for help, which I absolutely refuse.
It would be much better for the Empire's stability and my peaceful life if the 2nd Princess became Emperor.
And conveniently, the Emperor has gone mad and somehow named the 2nd Princess, a child of a concubine, as his primary successor.
But even so, if the 2nd Princess becomes Emperor while the legitimate princes and princesses remain alive, there will surely be trouble later.
The Empire isn't some small family business that runs on the Emperor's will alone.
It's a chaotic arena where countless factions clash and cooperate to protect their interests.
Someone who dislikes the 2nd Princess might raise the issue of legitimacy and use the surviving legitimate heirs to cause problems. No, that's almost certain.
Then the only option would be to kill all the princes and princesses, but that could also cause problems later.
So I came up with a solution.
"If you want to avoid the worst-case scenario you're imagining, you should follow my suggestion."
I said to the kneeling princes.
"Leave the Imperial Castle with His Majesty and the 4th Princess. Ah, of course, I don't mean imprisoning you in the north or assassinating you on the way."
I sighed at the princes who looked like they might cry at any moment. Pathetic fools.
"There's that place, right? That southern villa where the imperial family traditionally goes for vacation? That enormous palace-like place. Is it still there?"
"It is," the 2nd Princess answered.
That place is an auxiliary palace located in some southern province with beautiful scenery and mild climate.
During the war, when the front lines pushed to the capital, there was even talk of making it a temporary capital, so it has good infrastructure.
The princes could live there as comfortably as they do here.
"All of you should go there. Live peacefully. Like a normal family. What do you think, Brother?"
"So you're saying Father and my brothers and sisters should live leisurely at the villa?"
"That's what I'm saying."
"I..."
As his voice became emotional, Brother Berken cleared his throat.
"I don't mind either way. As long as I can live with my family again..."
"In return, promise me. You can do whatever you want there, but don't let others use your family to..."
"That will never happen! I will take responsibility and prevent our family from becoming tools in dirty political games! I am Berken! I keep my promises!"
As Brother Berken shouted spiritedly, the princes' faces seemed to grow even more haggard.
Good. With Brother Berken guarding them, no one in the Empire would dare approach the princes and princesses with ill intent.
"And Princess."
I turned to the 2nd Princess.
"Promise me too. When you become Emperor, restore the 3rd Prince's status and never harm those who leave for the villa."
"And what happens if I do harm them?"
I shrugged at the Princess's question.
"You would be breaking your promise to me."
"I see. I promise. And I will never break that promise. Do you want it in writing?"
"I don't think that's necessary. Whether there's a document or not doesn't really matter. What's important is that you made this promise to me."
The 2nd Princess nodded briefly.
It's all settled.
The Emperor and princes will spend the rest of their lives comfortably and happily at the villa.
With Brother Berken there, no one will be able to approach with ulterior motives.
The 2nd Princess will become Emperor without any obstacles, but has promised me not to interfere with the villa.
The 2nd Princess becomes Emperor, Brother Berken gets to live with his family, the Emperor and princes keep their lives, and I can continue my comfortable life as a professor under the capable 2nd Princess's reign.
No one loses. Perfect.
# # # # #
After all agreements were reached, we immediately began addressing the current situation.
The first thing we did was summon all the high officials of the Imperial Castle.
The 2nd Princess personally explained everything to the people who filled the hall.
The existence of the secret prince, the misunderstanding that led to last night's military clash.
How the already senile Emperor had become mentally unstable during the chaos and was now unable to communicate.
How all the legitimate heirs, including the 1st Prince, had yielded the succession to the 2nd Princess, and so on.
Some were facts and some were slightly embellished, but the message was conveyed well.
The most important point was that "the 2nd Princess will become Emperor and no one opposed it."
"Anyone who objects should leave the hall immediately. No harm or retaliation will come to you."
Naturally, unless they were insane, no one left the hall.
Apparently, many in the Imperial Castle had secretly hoped the 2nd Princess would become the next Emperor instead of the incompetent princes.
They say an incompetent commander is more frightening than the enemy.
The princes began preparing to move under Brother Berken's leadership.
"We're going to a better house!"
Unlike the innocent 4th Princess who ran around smiling brightly, the princes' faces looked as if they had eaten something foul.
"Come on, brothers. Smile! Isn't this a good time?"
Brother Berken, happy to live with his family again, put his arms around their shoulders, and they reluctantly forced awkward smiles.
Still, it's better than being executed by the 2nd Princess.
And if one of them became Emperor and ruined the Empire, I probably couldn't stand it either.
I remained at the Imperial Castle throughout all these proceedings.
To monitor in case either side broke their promise and did something unexpected.
But I heard they sent a messenger bird to Linus asking for help, so why hasn't that guy shown up?
"Lord Dian. The Emperor—I mean, Her Highness is looking for you."
An aide found me as I was sitting on the castle wall sipping coffee.
"Please go to Her Highness's office immediately."
When I arrived at the office, the Princess was waiting for me.
"What is it, Your Highness?"
"Dian. I'll get straight to the point," the Princess said.
"Marry me."
"What? Are you bringing that up again? I clearly said back then..."
"I know. There was a misunderstanding in interpreting your statement. What I'm saying now is completely separate from that."
"If it's separate..."
"Through recent events, I've finally come to know you as a person. I like you."
I was so dumbfounded I couldn't speak.
Has this woman suddenly gone mad?
"I am formally proposing to you now. Marry me, Dian. Let's lead the Empire together. I need you."