In the Name of Empress-Chapter 506 - 326: Emperor or Clown?

Christine spoke softly.

"What is it?" Alina was somewhat surprised, all preparations for the expedition were complete, what could have been overlooked?

Christine, like performing a magic trick, took out a crown she had prepared earlier from under her robe, placed it on a tray, and lifted it with both hands. Alongside, she also lifted a thick stack of documents.

"This is the voice of the people, Miss Alina, please follow the public sentiment and ascend the throne to become Emperor."

Alina: "..."

She looked at the crown in Christine’s hands with a complex expression.

This crown was designed very cleverly, perfectly combining golden irises with the family crest, representing both the wearer’s nationality and the family.

Moreover, on the side of the crown, there was an engraving of the Civil Code and a sword and shield symbolizing expansion and the protection of the nation.

She inexplicably wanted to laugh.

The juxtaposition of the progressive Civil Code with the despotic crown felt as discordant as a supposed virgin who is known to everyone.

Contradictory and absurd.

"This crown..."

Christine thought Alina was inquiring about the crown’s origin and calmly responded, "It was crafted by the top jewelers and artists of your country, with Mr. Victor’s signature on it."

"I’m not talking about that, I can appreciate the artistic taste of this crown."

Alina laughed self-deprecatingly, gently mocking, "But I always feel that wearing it on my head doesn’t feel like a crown at all, more like the pointy hat a clown would wear in a shabby troupe."

Christine was not moved by Alina’s nonsense, and simply said calmly:

"You’re right, this world is inherently a giant shabby troupe. You, I, or anyone else strong, in the eyes of the Great Goddess, are no different from clowns."

"Stop!"

Alina warily interrupted Christine’s words. She couldn’t let her continue, once she started talking about the goddess, this woman would endlessly belittle humanity.

Any divine oracle given by the Goddess had to be obeyed by believers; any doctrine of the Goddess had to be accepted without question.

Fanatics are like that, very stubborn.

Alina often discussed life and philosophy closely with Roland, enjoying gazing at the night sky and pondering life. She had her own judgment and couldn’t listen to this.

Christine did not insist.

Those with unsteady faith always find excuses for their divergence. The sincerely devout have far fewer things to consider.

Faith is sincere, it’s that simple.

Despite their great differences in faith, it did not affect their friendship.

During Christine’s aid in building the new army for the Jin Yuan Kingdom and leading the forces to annex the Weimar Federation, they assisted each other, trusted each other, and developed a deep friendship.

Apart from faith, they found countless brilliant points in each other.

Facing Christine’s crown, Alina didn’t rush to refuse. They’re all foxes, so there was no need to play coy, just some things needed to be clarified.

"Do the people truly support me?"

"Very much so, they generally believe that the chaos of the past twenty years was due to the lack of a wise and capable emperor, replaced by irresponsible politicians."

Christine didn’t name names, but Alina knew very well that her father, Carlo, was also among those irresponsible politicians.

Was it grievance?

Grievance.

Grievance, my ass!

It’s the common people, harmed by political chaos, who have the right to cry grievance. Although her father’s intentions were good, he misjudged character and made mistakes in employing people, overly trusting the likes of Robert, a sinister person, and failing to rein in opportunists like Marco, resulting in the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives.

He indeed did wrong.

The public may not necessarily need an emperor, but they definitely need a strong leader.

The atmosphere had come to this point, it would be somewhat impolite to continue declining.

But Alina still had a moment of caution and asked, "Do the nobles support me?"

This was a standard pointless question.

Of course the nobles support her; the emperor is the greatest noble, how could they feel at ease without an emperor.

Christine didn’t speak, but just picked up several letters, "These are handwritten letters from eleven dukes and seventy-three counts in the country, all supporting you."

"What about the Parliament and the Cabinet?" Alina continued to ask.

"Unanimous support, here’s the meeting minutes." Christine picked up another document.

Alina smiled self-deprecatingly, showing a complex expression, softly saying, "If that’s the case, if I don’t accept, it would be inappropriate, right? This is turning back the wheel of history."

Christine slowly shook her head, "I don’t know if it’s turning back the wheel of history, but the country needs an emperor now. If you find it unsuitable, then be a lifetime emperor, with no succession rights for descendants."

Her gaze towards Alina carried a hint of mockery and ridicule, Alina followed suit and laughed.

People cannot go backward.

A family that once held the emperor’s title would either stay at the top forever or be exterminated upon stepping down; thinking of retiring peacefully is a pipe dream.

The Old Empire’s Luise Clan surrendered, did it help?

They were still sent to the guillotine by the angry populace, the entire family, young and old, tied to stones and thrown into the West River to drown.

If Alina really let her descendants relinquish the throne, the outcome wouldn’t be much better.

In politics, what you want to do is not important; what you can do is crucial.

The offspring of the Imperial Family naturally have the right to claim the nation, wishing to stand aloof is impossible.

Alina is a competent politician, obviously would not make such low-level mistakes, her earlier words were just a bit of sentimental pretense.