Isaac set down the sandwich he was eating.
The protagonist of the original novel, Maximilian, who had ascended to the imperial throne, had summoned him. Isaac shook his head.
“No. I’ll go today.”
“But…”
In the original story, Maximilian had killed Isaac.
Although he had suddenly issued an order for him to marry his sibling Luinael, it didn’t seem likely that the call was made with goodwill.
Luinael, too, appeared to sense the hostility Maximilian harbored.
He seemed hesitant about Isaac going to the palace.
“I’ll be fine, Rui. Thank you for worrying about me.”
“…”
When Isaac smiled faintly and spoke, Luinael couldn’t stop him further.
Instead, with a firm expression, he said:
“I’ll go with you.”
“There’s no need for that—”
“I also have matters to address with His Majesty.”
“If that’s the case…”
With such a resolute statement, Isaac couldn’t argue any further.
Despite his words, Luinael likely intended to accompany him out of worry.
It felt like being overprotected by a mother bird.
Suppressing a small laugh, Isaac took another bite of his sandwich.
Maximilian Rodem Beatrix.
The fallen crown prince. The imperial disgrace.
Two contradictory epithets that fit him perfectly.
Though he was born as the child of the avaricious previous Emperor, Maximilian had been a promising crown prince raised under the tutelage of the kind Empress Gabriella.
However, shortly after coming of age, he encountered a great crisis.
That crisis was none other than the machinations of Empress Veronica, who orchestrated the banishment of Empress Gabriella and Luinael to the Cold Palace.
Devastated by the betrayal of the previous Emperor, whom he had trusted, Maximilian fell into despair over the absence of his mother and brother.
Taking advantage of this, agents sent by Empress Veronica lured him into a life of debauchery.
Soon, he was stripped of his title and banished from the palace.
It was at this point that the protagonist of the novel transmigrated Maximilian’s body.
His real name was Park Sihoon, an ordinary web novel reader from Korea.
Like many protagonists of transmigration stories, Park Sihoon had lived a mundane life in Korea but began to display extraordinary traits after transmigrating Maximilian’s body.
Park Sihoon maximized Maximilian’s previously abysmal potential, acquired various skills, and experienced fateful encounters.
Banished to the frigid northern frontier, he earned the trust of the border duke and swiftly built his own power base.
Alarmed, Empress Veronica poisoned the previous Emperor and attempted to place her son Trystan on the throne.
However, the protagonist returned with northern troops, sparking a civil war.
Emerging victorious, the protagonist ascended the throne as Emperor, annihilating Trystan, Empress Veronica, and their noble allies.
With no one left to oppose him, he claimed the imperial seat.
Now standing before this formidable protagonist, Isaac was on edge.
Maximilian’s sharp crimson eyes swept over him.
“You’ve come a long way, Viscount.”
“…I am honored, Your Majesty.”
Maximilian deliberately addressed him by his demoted title, smirking.
It was that familiar, disdainful expression.
Isaac forced a strained smile as he faced him.
Maximilian’s crimson eyes glinted even sharper—he was using a skill.
The skill Ruler’s Gaze.
An overwhelming S-grade skill, it revealed all the target’s skills and information.
Maximilian habitually used it whenever they met.
Fortunately, no matter how powerful the skill, it couldn’t expose the fact that Isaac was also a transmigrator.
If it could, Maximilian would’ve tried to test him long ago.
But so far, there had been no such indication.
After elegantly sipping his tea, Maximilian spoke again.
“You must have been surprised by my sudden order.”
“To be honest, yes.”
“Ha, you’re always so honest.”
The order in question was the proclamation to marry Luinael.
Smirking as though amused by catching Isaac off guard, Maximilian chuckled softly.
“I used to think we were like oil and water—utterly incompatible.”
“…I see.”
“You must know why.”
“…Yes.”
Isaac silently nodded.
Oil and water.
It was an apt metaphor for the relationship between the protagonist and the villain.
Internally, Isaac agreed wholeheartedly.
“But recently… my thoughts have changed.”
“Changed? How so?”
“Well, Isaac, I’ve noticed that the venom in you has faded.”
“…!”
Even without using a skill, Maximilian seemed to see through him.
Like a snake eying its prey, his gaze was piercing.
The venom had faded.
Maximilian was accurately reading him.
Though he couldn’t possibly know Isaac was also a transmigrator, his insight was uncanny.
Isaac thought he’d been performing well, but apparently not.
He bit his lower lip.
“I’ve been pondering why that might be…”
“…”
Did he know?
Was it discovered?
Isaac tensed at Maximilian’s gentle tone.
If the Emperor learned of his identity as a transmigrator… the outcomes were bleak.
Feign friendliness before stabbing him in the back.
Strike immediately without pretense.
Display outright hostility and then attack.
None of the possibilities ended well.
“It seems to me that you’ve turned over a new leaf.”
“…Pardon?”
Maximilian’s calm words caught Isaac off guard, his expression momentarily slipping.
Turned over a new leaf?
Him?
Was he serious?
Isaac stared at Maximilian, disbelief evident in his face.
“Don’t look at me like I’m a lunatic.”
“My apologies, Your Majesty.”
Maximilian still appeared amused.
Whether he was sincere or toying with him, Isaac couldn’t tell.
“Well, in any case, I see a faint possibility. That’s why I’ve decided to give you a chance.”
“A chance, Your Majesty?”
“Since my beloved sibling seems to like you so fervently.”
“…”
It sounded as though he were casually handing over a pet because of a sibling’s whim.
If Luinael were present, he might have erupted in protest.
Thankfully, Luinael wasn’t in the office since Maximilian had requested a private audience.
Still tense, Isaac continued to meet Maximilian’s crimson gaze.
“Is it your intention to tether the Ducal House to the imperial family?”
“I thought I resolved the civil war as peacefully as possible.”
“…”
It was undeniable that the most common tactic used by those in power to expand their influence was through marriage.
Once bound by blood, even Duke Drake, the leader of the aristocrats, would find it difficult to pull any underhanded schemes.
Moreover, it would significantly weaken the aristocratic faction.
Instead of killing Isaac and erasing Duke Drake’s house from history, showing the proud noble leaders helplessly obeying the emperor’s orders would compel the aristocracy to submit to the imperial power.
Just as the protagonist had envisioned, the empire would soon be ruled by an unprecedentedly powerful monarch.
“All that His Majesty wishes for will come to pass.”
“Thank you for the kind words.”
Isaac had no intention of resisting.
There was no point in incurring the ire of the current Maximilian, who was both relentless and unpredictable.
It would be best to remain as inconspicuous and quiet as possible until he amassed enough points to be recognized as a protagonist of another genre within the system.
Although he couldn’t fully grasp Maximilian’s intentions, Isaac assumed that, unlike the original story, his survival was due to the emperor seeing some utility in him.
Therefore, showing docility was the safest course. Isaac slowly lowered and raised his head in acknowledgment.
“To ensure your well-being, I wish to assign someone as your escort.”
“…Do you, now?”
So he was openly saying he was sending a spy.
Did he not trust Luinael alone?
Isaac, with a placid gaze, nodded slightly as he studied Maximilian.
“Who might that be?”
“Someone you’re well acquainted with.”
“…?”
Who could it be?
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