Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1624 1596. The meeting is fake
Emhyr was not a greedy emperor.

Most of the Nilfgaard nobles thought so.

Of course, this does not mean that he is indifferent to desires. He is always hungry for power and, like a tiger or a lion, will not tolerate any provocation to his power territory.

The nobles of Nilfgaard fully understood this and even agreed with it.

After all, if an emperor does not have this characteristic, it is better to kill him directly.

But his desires in his personal life were not extravagant.

Of course, he would ensure that he had the best quality of life in the world, but that was all. No excessive waste, no extravagance beyond the necessary majesty and face.

Just ask for the highest quality of life in the world.

This is absolutely normal among emperors.

The same is true of his desire for women.

He likes beautiful women, and most men like beautiful women.

But two years ago, he had no attachment to women.

There is even a kind of impatience that wants to "hurry up and deal with the uncontrollable physiological desires so that I can start working quickly."

He is a typical strong man.

——I can love a woman and indulge in the game of love, but this is only because my hormone levels fluctuate uncontrollably. I don't have time to focus all my energy on love, I also have a career. The most important thing is career.

After dealing with physical desires, work comes first.

So even though he liked beautiful women, he basically only had one noble lady as his lover at any given time.

One is enough, more will only cause trouble.

But as the nobles whispered.

After the failure two years ago, he seemed to have changed. He had an urgent feeling to continue his bloodline.

In fact, he did have some results. Two illegitimate children, about one year old, were raised in the palace. They were born from two different lovers.

Although he was an illegitimate child without legal inheritance rights, commonly known as a bastard, he was a descendant of the emperor after all.

But this kind of thing, which under normal circumstances would be enough to cause a slight ripple in the emperor's rule, appeared in Emhyr, which made many people realize that something was wrong with the emperor - he became impatient.

There was another silence that lasted about two seconds.

"Has the Military Academy's research made any progress?"

"Yes, but the success rate is still very low, and it doesn't achieve the expected effect at all."

When talking about the "expected effect", the nobles seemed to have a standard line in their minds as a comparison, but there is no doubt that they would avoid mentioning what that standard line refers to, or who it is.

It seems to be some kind of taboo.

"Mutations always give birth to monsters beyond common sense. Plus, the northern barbarians are superstitious and ignorant. God knows how many secrets there are in this process?"

"Ma'am, you seem to have a very good idea about this."

"I have already transferred two from my manor. I have to say, losing fertility but strengthening physical ability and desire is a really good combination."

"But please be careful, ma'am. We are not studying this to use it as a toy."

"Of course, of course. These are things that you adults should worry about. I'm just trying it out for you. On the other hand, if something that meets the expected effect is really developed, would anyone dare to use it?"

"Then we'd better pray to the Great Sun together, and don't rush to produce results. Look at what's happening now. His Majesty the Emperor is trying to promote those sorcerers and sorcerers, giving them titles and fiefs. My God, where did Nilfgaard get this tradition? Can they be considered Nilfgaardians, one by one?"

"But I still say that you'd better not make suggestions on things that Emhyr has decided. Besides, defeating the legion with personal violence! This power itself is enough to drive all rulers throughout history crazy!"

"Wow! Be careful what you say, Your Excellency. Your words are dangerous."

"So let's get back to the point: Does His Majesty really want to marry that northern barbarian?"

"She's still a child, right? About fifteen?"

"I have to repeat: this is a political marriage, a formality to gain recognition."

"If it is a formality, as you say, then D'Ulla the Fair-haired and the other two beauties should remain in the palace. For formality's sake, the waifs of Cintra sit beside Emhyr's throne during the day. But at night..."

"At night, His Majesty would crown her and give her some jewels to play with, while he would visit the bedrooms of mature beauties. This would last at least until the waif was safe to have children, and maybe even longer."

"Alright! Be quiet! Your Majesty!"

The herald did not have to exert much effort. He only tapped the floor with his staff, and the nobles and knights in their black bonnets bowed obediently, like a strong wind blowing through a field of corn. The throne room was completely silent, so the herald did not need to raise his voice.

"Emhyr var Enreis—Diswin Yadan Ian Carn Ep Monrud has arrived!"

The "white flame dancing on the enemy's grave" walked among the ministers. He was still young and strong, strong and cold. The flat, wide golden necklace, a symbol of royal power, hung on his chest.

He sat on the throne as usual. There was absolute silence in the audience, so he only had to cough lightly, and the herald immediately understood and tapped the floor twice with his palm again.

"The Queen of Cintra, Princess Brug and Duchess of Soden, the heir of Aenys ad Skellig and Aenys an Skellig, and the sovereign of Atre and Aber Yara, Cirilla Fiona Iren Rayanren, has arrived!"

Everyone turned to look at the door. The tall and dignified Countess of Liederthal, Stella Congreve, was standing at the door, and beside her were the holders of a long string of titles - thin, silver-haired, pale-skinned, and even the dress she was wearing was almost unable to hold it up.

Even if it is a tailor-made style.

Emhyr stood up as if to greet him, and the courtiers bowed their heads even more. Stella Congreve gave the girl a push and told her to move forward.

'She has forgotten how to walk here.'

The Countess thought to herself. As expected, Cirilla fell down.

But there were so many court officials that no one dared to look up or laugh out loud.

The thin girl in luxurious clothes was struggling with her skirt on the ground. In the quiet hall, the only sound was the sound of fabric and soles rubbing against the marble floor.

Quiet and eerie, the contrast is almost creepy.

The Countess came forward with her, and helped her to her feet.

"A momentary embarrassment is nothing, you ugly, skinny little thing. I will train you to be a princess, as long as it is the emperor's will."

But at this moment, the Countess, who was the only one who raised her head, found that the emperor stood up from the throne with a smile on his face.

Stella was still far away, but she saw it clearly. She was so frightened that she almost couldn't move, causing the Queen of Cintra to fall again.

“Something is wrong! Emhyr is laughing! Someone is going to lose his head, and by the Great Sun, someone is going to the gallows!”

Stella managed to calm herself down, walked closer, knelt down towards the throne, and asked the girl to follow her example.

Emhyr stood above, addressing the girl with perfect courtesy.

He addressed 'Cirilla' as Her Majesty, but at the same time, he did not even look down at the girl, but instead looked at the crowd of courtiers who did not dare to raise their heads.

This was followed by a long string of official language, which roughly meant: It is an honor to host the Queen of Cintra. Your territory and the lands you have inherited are now caught in the flames of war, and this is all the work of ambitious people.

The Nilfgaard Empire, upholding the noble and traditional spirit of mutual assistance, will help you put down the rebellion. Those who attack us are harming your interests. There is no legitimacy or justice at all.

In time, the Nilfgaard Empire will be willing to help you and put those crowns back on your heads. Please just wait patiently in Nilfgaard.

As he spoke, he focused his attention on the envoys from Kovir and the envoys from the Hengfus Alliance, which borders Kovir.

These two are the northernmost forces in the continent that claim to be neutral.

He also announced that he would give the Queen of Cintra a castle in Nilfgaard as a place to stay.

This move surprised many people.

Because the castle was very remote, it seemed that Enhyr didn't want to marry her at all, or even see her, and he was eager to send her away and go far away.

This is very different from the 'flash marriage' that many people imagine.

As the girl followed the countess, Emhyr threw his legs over one of the throne’s armrests.

"Chirak," he said, "come here."

The royal steward stopped at the distance required by etiquette and bowed.

“Come closer,” Emhyr said. “Come closer, Chirak. I will lower my voice. I intend my words for you alone to hear.”

"His Majesty."

"What else do you have planned for today?"

"We need to sign several licensing documents, officially issue certification certificates to the envoys from Kovir, and appoint new provincial governors, local officials, and noble fiefs and titles."

"Give him the certificate directly, and then meet him in private. The rest can be put off until later."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Inform Vatir and Skellen that I will meet them later in the library. Privately, you come too. Also, bring the wizard you value, the astrologer called... Shashishaus?"

"Your Majesty," the Royal Chamberlain whispered, "Would it be unwise to receive an astrologer now, when rumors are spreading about your policy toward wizards?"

"That's an order, Chilaq."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

So there was no doubt that half an hour later, the emperor arrived at the library, and all the people he named were waiting for a long time.

Emhyr seemed to have known what the obscure and mysterious astrology required. After some intimidation and warnings, he handed over a person's birth date accurate to the hour and a lock of mouse-gray hair to the astrologer.

This understanding of astrology undoubtedly sends chills down the spine of astrologers.

After sending the astrologer away, the emperor turned to his chief intelligence officer, Wattir de Lidaux, and the royal coroner, Stephen Skellen.

"If anyone dares to leak even a word of what I am about to say," the emperor said slowly, "I will tear him into pieces. Wattir!"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Even though he had received a response from his subordinates, Emhyr still paused before continuing.

"That Princess Cirilla is a fake! The people who sent her here thought I had never seen her and didn't know her! But that's totally wrong! Even if the world is destroyed and I am in a dark hell, I will never forget her!"

For a moment, everyone on the scene fell silent, shocked by the emperor's determination and the words that came out of his mouth.

But then, with a bang, the heavy door of the library was pushed open.

Two persons of noble status rushed in hurriedly.

Emhyr’s face was cold.

But before he could react, the two men shouted, "He's back! He's here!"

Suddenly, a greater and more intense silence enveloped the library.

(End of this chapter)