The Path of the Great Sovereign 170 The Duchess

The Emperor walked into the Castle to see it's grandeur and luxury superseded his Palace. Marble floors with Obsidion-gold lining, Chandeliers made from the finest Diamonds, and Sapphires as the Duke loves the color blue. Each step he took the more foreign it all seemed to him as the Emperor usually the lower-ranking noble would come to greet him as he had the power to crush them, yet Duke Von Hoga did no such thing. He grabbed his title using outdated Imperial Decrees from when the Nation was a feudal state, He made his fortune using technological advancements never seen before, and with his strength alone he could rule the World.

The Servents within the castle were dressed with better fabrics than Nobles, silk, cotton, wool, and as you walked through the halls although they were doing menial labor they wore smiles rather than scowls. This shows that the Duke was not only an effective leader but an effective Manager as his subordinates are willing to carry out his policies.

The Emperor approached the ballroom and was announced by the Stewart he noticed that the Duke of the North never once looked at him nor got up off his Throne. He continued to drink his wine watching as his children socialized with other Nobles their age, in his stead the Emperor saw the Duchess approach him. Fury rose quickly yet he stamped it out just as quickly, doing or saying something out of turn in the north was A kin to suicide. While the Duke showed no open hostility towards the Emperor currently, The emperor felt if he did anything to displease the man he would have no problems killing him and covering it up as History is written by the Victor.

Taking a closer look at the Duchess the Emperor realized she was a stunning Women yet behind those Grey-Blue eyes was a ruthlessness far different from the indifference of the Duke. The Duchess seemed more like an Angel of Death, ready to pass down judgment if you were even slightly out of line. Upon her head sat a crown which while appropriate for her status made the Emperor appear to be her subordinate rather than her Superior.

"Emperor Jircniv Rune Farlord El Nix, What brings you to the Von Hoga Dukedom? I'm sure you have far more important things to do in the Capital."

Nel says this while grabbing the Emperor's hand leading him out onto a Balcony where a Table was prepared with refreshments for his Majesty. Despite him being one of the Greatest Monarchs the Empire has ever seen at the end of the day he was only a small 18 year old, when placed against an Ancestor like Tatsuo or Nel who have long been over the age of 1,000 he falls extremely short.

"Since your Majesty is here you must partake in the Festivities! My husband went all out preparing for this day bringing in the Best Chefs from all over the lands to prepare some of his Favorite dishes as well as some specialty dishes only found in the Hoga Dukedom."

Nel poured the Emperor what the Duke called the Holiday special which was Black tea, Whiskey, Egg Nog, and Vanilla into his Glass. She then placed two cookies onto his plate while doing the same for herself.

Taking a generous gulp of the Holiday Special Nel inspected the Emperor stealthily while continuing to eat desserts and drink. The Emperor drank while he studied the Women before him, her demeanor was that of an Elegant noblewoman yet her skill with politics was phenomenal.

In the short timeframe that they have been talking she has held the power over the entire conversation, while also conveying that she was capable of making decisions in the Dukedom. Not only that the Specialty items of the dukedom were delicious as the Emperor has never seen before in his life.

"As a Retainer of the Crown, it is within my right to ask you to support my expedition into the Kingdom this ye---"

"The Von Hoga Dukedom currently pays 16.9 Million Gold in taxes a day going in and out of Cities not overseen by retainers of the Dukedom within the Empire. That's 112-114 Million Gold in the span of a week, out of that 114 million around 30% goes to the Royal treasury so we are doing our part as retainers to the Crown your Majesty."
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The Emperor's smile turned into a scowl as he didn't expect to be seen through within meer moments. His plan was to have the Duke's Soldiers spearhead the assault on the Kingdom heavily reducing their numbers which would allow him to regain control over the Duke. Yet with one sentence, he realized that while he may have been smarter than the old nobles but in front of Duke and Duchess Von Hoga he was just a Brat.

"Out of the now 11 million people in the Empire, 3 million Live in the Von Hoga Dukedom, also out of those remaining 8 Million people, 6 Million are fed using Grain and livestock from the Von Hoga Dukedom. So tell me, Your Majesty, how will the Empire fair if we were to pull back on trade or increase the prices since you are trying to send my Soldiers to die."

Now the Emperor went pale as he thought about the repercussions of the statement the Duchess just stated casually as she continued to drink acting as if she was talking about the weather not the potential starvation of 6 million people.

"You see Your Majesty, my Husband is a very direct man so your schemes might not have done much harm as he would rather just eliminate your entire bloodline. Myself, on the other hand, I have the privilege of Money, Power, respect, and Time. I have the Time to watch as the people that support you turn against you because you lack the ability to fulfill something as basic as feed them. I have the Time to watch as the Royal Bloodline which stretches back for 300 years dies out due to an overzealous teenager trying to scheme against individuals that have done things similar to you to far more power and much more intelligent people. So I would tread lightly young Monarch."

Chapter end