The Grand Duke's Son Is A Heretic-Chapter 448

"Will father be alright?" Martina asked quietly, looking at Roosevelt. His expression had suddenly deflated.

"Why?" Roosevelt answered with a tired voice.

"Can’t bear to let him live longer... Oucchhh!" Roosevelt groaned in pain as Martina stomped her boot hard on his foot.

"Are you sick?" she glared sharply.

"No."

"Can you stop joking then?"

The two continued to bicker the entire way until they finally walked into the Royal residence. The moment they stepped inside, their expressions changed completely. All the playful irritation disappeared as seriousness washed over their faces. The atmosphere was heavy.

Pleard, the loyal minister, stood silently beside the bed. Ramos sat in a rocking chair, his expression exhausted and grim. On the bed, a frail and wrinkled old man lay motionless, his breathing shallow.

"So you are here?" Edward’s weak voice came from the bed.

Both Martina and Roosevelt straightened up and bowed their heads deeply, greeting the Royal father.

"Hmm. Sit."

The two exchanged a quick glance and then sat down quietly.

Before Edward could say anything, Martina suddenly stood up. "Father, I have something to discuss."

Roosevelt frowned at the tone she used and looked at her with a bad feeling rising in his chest. He felt as if he already knew what was coming but wished he was wrong.

However, before Martina could speak, Roosevelt suddenly said loudly, "I know you don’t want to be Empress."

"Huh!"

"Huh!"

Two gasps echoed at the same time. One came from Martina while the other came from Ramos who stared at Martina with eyes full of disbelief.

"For real? Who in the world doesn’t want to be?" Ramos asked, confused.

"It’s me," Martina answered quietly.

Edward coughed weakly and tried to sit up. Martina and Roosevelt immediately jumped to the bedside to support him. Edward raised a trembling hand and motioned for them to stop.

"Can’t believe that I would be in such a situation," he said with a weak laugh.

"Hahaha."

"This feeling of weakness... The wise man was correct. One should never drown in pride."

He then raised his gaze and looked straight at Martina. "Why, my child?"

"Tell me your reason."

Martina hesitated for a moment. Her hands trembled slightly. Then she took a deep breath and spoke.

"I lack foresight and skills." As she said this, memories flashed in her mind. She remembered leading people in the Virtual Realm, how she stumbled again and again and how the situation almost collapsed many times.

It was only due to Kael and the others supporting her that she managed to keep things stable.

She remembered how Kael managed to expose traitors hiding both inside their forces and among the elves. Yet they had been unable to filter them out because they planned to use them during the last battle, but that moment never came due to the sudden appearance of the Archangel.

"Anything more?" Edward asked calmly.

Martina looked at him and paused again. If someone asked whether the Crown was tempting, she would easily say yes. It was a position everyone dreamed of. But was it something she craved?

No.

Why?

Because she saw it as nothing but a burden. A heavy responsibility that would trap her and strip away her life. All she had ever done was struggle to survive. In succession battles, the one who let go of their sword first always died the earliest.

What she wanted was freedom. Freedom to live on her own terms. Freedom to breathe. Freedom from endless duty and suffocating expectations. Sitting on the throne felt like being chained forever, listening to endless nagging and political pressure.

Also,the situation at Heinz was a chaotic mess.She didn’t want to take over such a mess.

’Damn... That is too much.’

’Now that I think about it... Father must be suffering a lot.’

Edward’s lips twitched when he saw the pitying look in Martina’s eyes.

"Can you stop looking at me like that? You are feeling burdened because you do not like it. Meanwhile, I enjoyed every moment thoroughly."

"Yes, you enjoyed it quite thoroughly after abusing your power carelessly and ending up dying like this," Ramos snickered angrily.

"Shut up!" Edward glared at him sharply. He looked back at the two and sighed.

"To sit here, the primary condition is strength and resolve."

"Sadly, you two are still quite soft. An Emperor needs to be cold, resolute and calculating."

"In terms of judgment, Rein was quite good. Alas..."

His words caused Martina and Roosevelt to lower their heads helplessly.

"However..." Edward’s gaze turned toward Roosevelt.

"Remember, never use someone you do not trust. And never doubt those you choose to use. An Emperor may be cruel to the world, but he should never be cruel to his people and his followers."

"Everyone should be treated according to the situation."

"So do you understand, Roosevelt?"

Roosevelt froze. His mind went blank. He stared at Edward in shock, unable to process the meaning behind those words.

"Are you asking me?" he pointed at himself, stunned.

"Or is there anyone else?" Edward asked coldly, silencing him instantly.

The next moment, Roosevelt felt his heart swell uncontrollably and he shouted, trembling, "Don’t tell me... That I am..."

Edward looked at Martina. She looked at her brother and spoke in a calm voice.

"You can have it."

Her words struck Roosevelt like lightning. He almost jumped to his feet. He felt excitement rising inside him without control.

But he had no idea about the heavy fate waiting for him ahead.

......

"Is that older geezer still in the palace?" Kael asked later, after freshening up and finally having a long, wholesome sleep. It had been days since he rested properly.

"He might take his time. After all, the mess is quite big to handle," Rami answered calmly.

Kael nodded and looked at Rami who was preparing breakfast. Rami carefully cut the meat with perfect precision. The knife slid smoothly and silently across the surface.

Now that he thought about it, even though Rami was an S-rank, Kael had never seen his real skills properly.

"Sir Rami, what did you do before becoming a butler?" Kael asked while eating, curiosity flickering in his eyes.

"Are you interested in this old man?" Rami asked with a gentle smile.

"Hmm." Kael nodded seriously. "I think I should start learning about the people around me, which I neglected before."

Rami paused for a moment and placed the knife down carefully. His eyes softened as he began to speak. "I was a member of the Black Lion Legion. Sadly, I had to retire because of an injury and my strength regressed."

"Injury? What injury?" Kael tilted his head slightly, genuinely interested.

Rami smiled faintly, though a shadow passed through his gaze. "It was an old battle. We had a mission in the Bloody Oasis in the Sultanate where we were trapped by those blood-thirsty barbarians. Being in unfamiliar terrain, we struggled a lot."

"The Sultanate?" Kael murmured, trying to recall what he knew.

The Sultanate was a barren desert land ruled by Khans. It was known as a place where wanted people and criminals gathered openly.

Law did not exist, and people acted as they wished as long as they did not provoke the Khans. And those Khans ruling them were gruesome in their own brutal ways. However, despite the chaos and brutality, they were not powerful.

The reason the Sultanate had not been conquered was simple. There was no benefit in claiming it. The land produced nothing, and the resources were worthless. Only sand and violence existed there.

"Black Lion Legion... Do they have a faulty brain or what?" Kael muttered, rubbing his forehead with annoyance.

"Haa, no," Rami chuckled softly. "It is just that we are trained in such a way. Except for the Grand Duke, we do not listen to anyone. Even if you are the heir, you will be ignored."

"Is this done to make sure that they are not used wrongly?" Kael guessed.

"Not bad. Not bad," Kael felt genuinely impressed by the decision.

Rami nodded. "However, you are not wrong with your words, Sir. Most of them are quite simpleton."

"I think you heard the saying. The more stupid the knight is, the stronger they become."

"...."

Kael froze, staring blankly at Rami. He did not know what to say for a moment. He simply lowered his head and resumed eating silently, pretending nothing happened, while Rami cleaned the table politely.

Kael picked up his cup and took a long sip before letting out a slow sigh. "I should finish my breakfast. After that, I need to meet my father."

He leaned back slightly and stretched lazily, feeling the weight of responsibilities falling on his shoulders once again. His expression darkened.

"I wonder what sort of nuisance he is going to cause for me now," Kael muttered under his breath, rubbing his temples with mild irritation.

"By the way,do you know anything about Mariana?"

"Yes..She had been imprisoned after Lady Adele’s betrayal."

Kael frowned a bit,’Did she turn herself in.’

"Don’t torture her..I have some things to discuss with her."

"I will convey the message,Sir."

Kael nodded and stood up, taking a deep breath as he walked toward the door.

Somehow, he felt that whatever awaited him next was not something simple.