Who Is More Important

Your Majesty, don’t you know? For the past two months, ever since Your Majesty bestowed the marriage, he has been constantly harassing me.

He keeps saying that he likes me and has been threatening me, telling me to reject Your Majesty’s decree!

Stella Rose hugged herself tightly, her body trembling slightly.

But how could I possibly do such a thing?

How would I dare to defy Your Majesty and insult His Majesty’s most beloved Xiang? In the end… in the end, he…

“What did he say?” Ryan asked calmly.

Sob…

Stella choked back a sob, her face a mask of sorrow as she continued her tearful account.

In the end, he showed no regard for Your Majesty or His Majesty at all, even claiming that the Empire is what it is today entirely because of him…

Stella dared not say more.

Ryan’s expression, however, grew even colder.

Are you finished?

Your Majesty, please help me… I truly don’t know what to do…

You don’t have to do anything.

Return to your chambers and get some rest.

Stella froze for a moment, then understanding dawned, and she hurriedly said:

Your Majesty Ryan, everything I said is true, please believe me, I’m really not deceiving you…

Are you still angry about what happened before? It was all my fault, all my wrongdoing…

Do not make me repeat myself.

He spoke with a killing intent so palpable it was like frost.

Stella’s body trembled violently in fear.

She had no choice but to obediently shut her mouth, leaving the study with her head hung low.

Morick emerged from the secret room, locking the door behind him as he looked at Ryan in astonishment.

“Your Majesty, this… what should we do?”

“What do you mean, what should we do?”

Ryan said calmly, “Surely you don’t believe her story?”

Your Highness, I know you hold Marquis Champion in high regard, but… there’s a very high probability that this is true!

Morick said anxiously, “Everyone knows that Marquis Champion and Miss Morialos are childhood sweethearts!

It is extremely likely that the Marquis harbors special feelings for her!”

“So? Is that confirmation that it’s true? Look at what that woman said later, claiming the Marquis has no respect for the Imperial Family. I almost laughed when I heard it.”

Ryan was, in fact, already laughing.

A mocking laugh.

But Morick could not bring himself to smile.

“Indeed, such a claim would sound preposterous coming from anyone else, but in the entire Empire… only the Marquis has the qualifications, and the power, to back it up!”

“After the implementation of Mr. Fater’s ‘Edict of Grace’, the duchies within the Empire have become duchies in name only.

As for the numerous counts, most of their domains are no larger than a small city, and they can muster no more than a hundred knights. They are hardly a threat.”

“Only the Marquis’s fiefdom is different. This is not some empty title like the border counts of the past who were called marquises.

His Majesty specifically established this rank for him, and he is now the one and only true Marquis in the Empire.

His territory is only slightly smaller than a duke’s, yet his tax revenue far exceeds theirs, and the central government provides them with enormous subsidies each year.”

“The number of knights under the Marquis’s command is at the level of a grand duke, a full three thousand.

He can mobilize over thirty thousand regular troops! Among them is a cavalry of ten thousand, and an elite one at that!”

“Do you know, Your Highness, that among the common folk, everyone calls the Marquis the King of the North!”

“Heh, the King of the North…” Ryan was still smiling dismissively.

“So what? The rebellion of seven duchies failed. Even if he’s equal to three dukes, does he dare to take on this Empire?”

Your Highness, this is no laughing matter.

You, of all people, should know how powerful Marquis Champion truly is.

The Empire may claim to have six major knight orders, but in the eyes of the world, there is only the Azure Knights and… the other knight orders.

Let me ask you this, Your Highness.

If you were to lead our Black Dragon Knights, how many soldiers of the Azure Knights could you face?

I could probably handle one of the Four Knights of the Azure Sky.

Ryan replied without even lifting his head.

“Your Highness, are you aware of the Vice-Commander of the Azure Knights, Count Bright Champion?”

Morick answered his own question, “As Marquis Champion’s kinsman, this Count Champion is also a figure not to be underestimated.

His Light Magic is unparalleled in the world; it is said he can even save a dying man whose heart has been pierced by a corrupted bone…

At the same time, he is highly regarded by both His Majesty and the Pontiff… He is even considered a candidate for the next Pontiff.”

“You mean, like in those silly stories, if he successfully captures the capital, the Church will immediately grant him a coronation, is that it?”

Ryan couldn’t help but laugh even more heartily.

“Isn’t that wonderful? That damned old man always acts as if he has the entire Empire in the palm of his hand.

I’ve long wanted to see him suffer a setback!

And for it to be a case of him raising a tiger only to be bitten by it… the mere thought is laughable enough.”

“Your Highness!”
Morick shouted.

Ryan stopped his teasing, the smile slowly fading from his face.

“No matter what you say, I do not believe the Marquis would do such a thing.”

“…This isn’t based on groundless trust, but a conclusion I’ve drawn from observing the Marquis’s conduct over many years.”

Of course, I will not take this matter lightly… I understand that those under him might be clamoring for such a challenge.

Ryan’s tone shifted.

The Azure Knights surpassed all other knight orders in achievements, combat strength, and status.

No matter how strict their military discipline, it could only restrain the mid-to-lower-ranking officers and soldiers.

As for those self-proclaimed brilliant high-ranking officers, and the Four Knights of the Azure Sky…

There was no way of knowing if beings of their caliber harbored any special ambitions.

The worst-case scenario would be his subordinates forcing the crown onto the Marquis’s head.

At that point, even if the Marquis himself didn’t want to rebel, it would be out of his hands.

Ryan truly did not wish to face him as an enemy on the battlefield…

So, even if only to prevent such a terrible situation, he could not simply ignore what Stella had said.

‘I guess…’

Ryan didn’t know what Stella’s true objective was, but considering the potential consequences of this information… Stella clearly had malicious intentions.

“Speaking of which, the Marquis has been ill for nearly two months.

Logically, with Bright Champion by his side, something like this shouldn’t have happened…

Could it be that the Champion family is already plotting a rebellion?”

Morick, on the other hand, was still deep in his analysis, his voice growing more panicked with each word.

“Calm down. That’s just speculation.

Besides, didn’t the intelligence reports say that the Marquis has been making regular appearances before His Majesty?”

“That may be so, but such things can be faked with magic or an impostor, can’t they?” Morick remained worried.

“Even if it isn’t a rebellion, if what that little wench from earlier said is true, the situation is still dire.”

The Empire’s most powerful Marquis trying to steal the Crown Prince’s fiancée…

The very thought of such a rumor spreading was enough to make one’s skin crawl.

“That’s impossible. Let me ask you, in that old man’s eyes, who is more important, me or the Marquis?” Ryan said.

Morick dared not speak.

But the answer was obvious.

“If the Marquis wanted that woman, couldn’t he have just asked that old man to bestow her to him?

Why resort to so many petty tricks behind the scenes?”

Ryan let out a self-deprecating laugh, his eyes filled with sorrow and rage.