Capítulo 34: Agrophon Banquet
Fontania, the capital of the Morgan Empire.
Prince Merca, with his shiny blond hair neatly tied up and dressed in fancy formal attire, had grown much since before. His clear facial features and upright posture clearly revealed his princely appearance.
The Agrophon Banquet, one of the imperial events, was an important occasion held only once a year with the participation of nobles, high-ranking councilors, and generals of the Agrophon family.
His older brother and crown prince, Hojo de Agrophon, was already on the stage, greeting the nobles one by one.
Although Merca was extremely tired of public events, he had no choice but to attend this dinner.
Behind him, Issac stood firmly, like a stone statue. Even though he was in an inconspicuous corner, the nobles somehow knew about it and came up to say hello.
Most of the nobles who approached brought their women to greet them.
"Isaac, wouldn't it be okay to sneak out?" Merca, who had just sent away another noble, asked quietly in a low voice.
"His Majesty the Emperor has not shown himself yet."
"Ha, he's always late."
"Please wait a little longer."
A familiar face approached Merca, and for a moment, Merca's face hardened.
"Have you been at peace so far, Prince Merca?" the newcomer asked.
"Representative Montecorato. It's been a while," Merca replied.
Representative Montecorato bowed deeply to Merca, then expressed her regret with a sly smile and exaggerated gestures.
"You haven't been to the Colosseum lately, so it's hard to come see you. As you know, there's a lot of work going on at the Colosseum…."
"It's okay. I'm not upset if you don't visit,"
Merca responded with a straight face, but Councilor Montecorato pretended not to notice and continued.
"Thank you for your consideration."
"What consideration…?" Merca muttered, turning his head.
"But are you going to keep leaving the Knights of Tripolas in the mines?"
Montecorato asked.
"Considering what they did, I think it's a good thing they weren't dispersed," Merca replied.
"That's right."
Merca had dispatched them to Palen, a mining city in the Meclero Mountains in the southeast of the empire, to take responsibility for the slave rebellion that had occurred in Palemon a year earlier. It was almost like exile.
Merca had intended to just disperse them, but it was the emperor's will to send them to the mines.
Because they had been ordered to keep quiet about Eren, the Montecorato councilors thought Eren was dead.
"Ah, have you heard? His Majesty the Emperor is holding a grand festival for fifteen days at the Colosseum in three months," Montecorato said, as if he had just thought of something.
"I know. This time too, a huge number of slaves will die," Merca responded with an expressionless face.
"It's an honor for them. They die while bringing joy to the public," Montecorato said.
"Do they really think that way too?" Merca asked, his words barbed. Montecorato simply smiled without saying anything.
At that moment, the servant standing next to Montecorato whispered to him, and the councilor bowed his head again to the prince and greeted him.
"Then, I have a lot to prepare, so I will leave now. Prince Merca. Glory to the Morgan Empire."
"Have a hard time," Merca replied in a blunt tone. He looked at Montecorato's back with contemptuous eyes and muttered,
"The moment the Colosseum disappears, their life will disappear too."
As more wars broke out and the territory expanded, the Morgan Empire prospered, and the capital city overflowed with people.
As time went on, the status of the Colosseum rose day by day. As such, Montecorato's influence grew.
At that time, a person approached who changed his crumpled expression to a bright one.
And surprisingly, Prince Merca approached her first and spoke to her. This was his first time at this dinner party.
"Grand Duchess!"
"Prince Merca. Have you been at peace so far?"
"I always get along well."
"Why are you here? You're not on the central podium."
"Haha. It's a bit uncomfortable," Merca smiled. This was something that was not easy to see.
The Grand Duchess, who was past middle age, looked simple and neat, unlike other nobles who wore shiny silver hair neatly tied up and dressed extravagantly. She was humble in her words and actions and always had a bright smile on her face.
But today, unlike usual, she was with a girl Merca had never met before.
The girl's long black hair and pure white skin were in stark contrast, and the diamond mark on her forehead and silver eyes gave a very strong impression.
She looked a year or two younger than Merca.
As Merca stared at the girl, the Grand Duchess realized her mistake and quickly placed her hand gently on the girl's shoulder.
"Sorry for the late introduction. This is Susanna, my daughter."
"If she's your daughter…?"
Merca looked puzzled and asked cautiously. As far as he knew, the Grand Duchess was not in good health and there were no children between her and the Grand Duke.
"A year ago, the Grand Duke captured a large number of illegal slave dealers and brokers, and this is the girl we rescued. Strangely, he brought her here because he was very concerned about her. But somehow, I fell in love with her at first sight. That's why we adopted her."
The Grand Duchess smiled happily as she looked at Susanna. In the Morgan Empire, slavery was strictly prohibited except for a few cases, such as war slaves or those sold as slaves who could not repay debts.
In particular, all slaves obtained through plunder were considered illegal.
However, in reality, more slaves were needed and slaves were bought and sold illegally in secret. Officials also just turned a blind eye and did not take any action.
"I see. That's amazing. You did a good job. It's not something that just anyone can do."
"No, I just followed what my husband said."
The name of the archduke they were talking about was Decius. In terms of rank, he was just below the prince.
Strictly speaking, he had an omnipotent status next to the emperor, but due to the nature of the Morgan Empire, the influence of the Senate was so strong that he held similar power.
His personality also played a part in that.
He was a man who had to solve any problem on his own, so he always went back and forth to the front line carrying out the emperor's orders.
He was known for being very fair and was highly respected by the people.
Moreover, he was one of the few reformers in the Morgan Empire, and he and Prince Merca were like-minded, meeting occasionally and being close friends.
"I'd like to say hello. I'm Prince Merca."
The Grand Duchess lowered her head slightly to speak to Susanna, but she only glanced at Prince Merca, half-hiding behind the Grand Duchess.
"I'm sorry. She doesn't have social skills yet… so I brought her here on purpose. I'm going to teach her from now on."
It was clearly an act that violated imperial etiquette, but the prince did not care.
"I'm fine, Grand Duchess. By the way, the Grand Duke hasn't returned yet?"
"No. While we were returning from the front, we received a tip that the 'Blue Crows' had appeared in the south, so we are heading that way."
"He really have no time to rest."
"You know his personality. Quirky."
"I know," Merca let out a short sigh and smiled blandly. "Yes. I wish I had gone to see Susanna."
There was a hint of regret in the Grand Duchess's tone. Then Prince Merca quickly comforted her.
"He'll be back soon. From what I heard, there's a group going around pretending to be the 'Blue Crows.' It's probably one of them."
"Then that's a good thing. I wasted too much time. Let's go."
"Yes, Grand Duchess. When the Grand Duke returns, we will have a meal together."
"Yes. That would be good. Then I will leave."
As the Grand Duchess held Susanna's hand and headed toward the exit, Prince Merca looked behind her.
Then he asked Isaac with his gaze still on her.
"Why does that girl remind me of that kid?"
"Yes? Who are you talking about?" Isaac narrowed his eyes at the unexpected question. Prince Merca said as if he was frustrated.
"I mean Eren."
"Well, I didn't feel it. I guess that's because they're around the same age."
"Have you heard from him yet?"
"Yes. We are keeping a close eye on the outskirts of the Taber Desert, so if he makes it out alive, we will probably find him."
After Isaac returned from Palemon, he secretly sent several trusted subordinates to guard the outskirts of the desert.
Of course, it was the prince's order.
Although they only met once, the prince's tenacity was greater than Isaac had imagined.
At that time, the front door of the dinner room opened wide and knights lined up.
And the commander of the knights of the emperor's direct bodyguard shouted in a loud voice,
"His Majesty the Emperor is coming in. Everyone, please be quiet."
The two stopped talking and looked at the central hall.
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