Dragon Monarch System

Chapter 1215: Chapter 1215:- Former Prime Minister and Chief Steward Part Two

He could usually recognise that kind of hunger. Yet Roy had seen no genuine greed in Aditya’s eyes when he spoke about the Imperial Throne. If anything, Aditya seemed to view becoming Emperor of the Celestial Dragon Empire as another responsibility that he would eventually have to carry rather than some glorious prize he desperately desired.

Ren gave Roy a completely different impression. Ren craved power and control. And ever since becoming Emperor, almost everything he had done seemed centred around strengthening his own authority and ensuring that everything remained under his control.

Regardless of whether the accusations about Ren controlling Alen and Elena were ultimately proven true, one thing had already become increasingly clear to many people within the Celestial Dragon Empire. Ren was not suited to rule it.

In Roy’s opinion, becoming a true ruler required more than strength, education, political knowledge, or experience. Those things could certainly help someone become a better Emperor, but there were certain qualities that could not simply be taught from a book or gained after spending enough years sitting on a throne.

A ruler needed to understand when to exercise authority and when to restrain it. He needed the ability to inspire loyalty rather than constantly demand obedience. Most importantly, he needed to understand that the Empire did not exist for the Emperor. The Emperor existed to lead the Empire.

Perhaps such qualities could be developed to some extent, but only if the person was willing to change. Ren was not that person who was willing to change. His mindset revolved around power and control, and Roy had seen nothing during Ren’s short reign that convinced him otherwise.

Aditya, on the other hand, appeared to possess many of those qualities naturally.

Of course, Roy had absolutely no intention of sharing all these thoughts with McDominy. His old friend already had enough troubling matters to think about.

Roy released a long sigh before slowly standing from his seat. ”I’ll take my leave.”

His friend looked at Roy. He did not say anything to stop his friend from leaving. ”I’m no longer the Prime Minister. These days, I’m enjoying my retirement with my granddaughter in the countryside, far away from the politics and all this nonsense surrounding the Empire.”

McDominy remained seated, watching his old friend walk toward the door. Just before leaving, however, Roy stopped. He remained there for a few seconds before turning his head and looking back at McDominy. ”I dedicated almost my entire life to serving this Empire. So naturally, I want the Celestial Dragon Empire to have a prosperous future. I want to see another golden age before I die.”

”But when I look at the Empire right now, I don’t see us heading toward that golden future.”

McDominy said nothing in response. ”And McDominy, unlike me, you are still serving this place. You are still the Chief Steward of the Imperial Royal Palace.” It was surprising that Ren did not replace him with an excuse yet.

Maybe because Ren did not see him as a threat. Ren might have seen him as a dog who would follow every order blindly. Because McDominy was this kind of man. He would follow every order given by the Emperor.

Roy understood the kind of man his best friend was. This is why he didn’t say much to him. Some things he needed to figure out on his own. Roy paused briefly before adding his final words.

”If the day comes when you discover undeniable proof that Ren truly placed His Former Majesty Emperor Alen and Her Former Majesty Empress Elena under mind control, then you should already know where your loyalty belongs.”

McDominy’s expression became extremely complicated. After several seconds of silence, he gave Roy a heavy nod. His heart felt unusually heavy. Too many doubts and questions were now colliding inside his mind, and the explanation Ren had given him regarding Alen and Elena no longer felt as convincing as it once had.

Roy did not say anything else. He turned around and calmly walked out of the room without looking back. From there, he headed directly toward the designated teleportation area of the Imperial Royal Palace.

Roy had already done what he could. He had helped Aditya enter the Imperial Royal Palace. He had spoken honestly with one of the oldest and closest friends he still had within the Empire. And before leaving, he had given McDominy a warning about the choice he might eventually be forced to make.

Now Roy intended to return to the peaceful retired life he had chosen for himself. As for what would happen inside the Imperial Royal Palace, on the battlefield, and throughout the Celestial Dragon Empire in the coming hours, that was no longer something Roy could control. All he could do now was wait and see how everything unfolded.

McDominy remained seated even after Roy had left. He was completely lost in his thoughts.

There was one thing that McDominy could no longer deny. Ren was far too cold and cruel to his aunt and uncle, despite how they had raised him like their own child before he became Emperor. And after the civil war began to unfold, that treatment became even worse.

At this point, His Former Majesty Emperor Alen and Her Former Majesty Empress Elena were practically being treated like prisoners of war, or perhaps even enemies of the Celestial Dragon Empire.

There were thirty Sixth Order cultivators stationed around their entire mansion. Their purpose was supposedly to protect the former Emperor and Empress, but such an explanation became increasingly difficult for McDominy to believe.

Those thirty cultivators did not merely prevent outsiders from approaching the mansion. They also ensured that the two people living inside could never leave.

No one was permitted to visit them. No friends, old officials, nobles, or even people who had served them for countless years were allowed to meet them. Their meals were simply delivered directly to their residence by a specially selected servant.

Before Ren became Emperor, McDominy had regularly interacted with Alen and Elena. One of his responsibilities as Chief Steward of the Imperial Royal Palace was overseeing the daily operation of the entire palace, including meals and supplies. Alen and Elena had their own preferences, and it was normal for them to occasionally request certain dishes or personally decide what they wanted to eat.

Yet after Ren became Emperor, all of that suddenly stopped. McDominy had not personally seen either of them even once since then. Their meals were no longer chosen according to their requests. Instead, McDominy simply decided what meals should be prepared and had them sent to the mansion every day.

Until now, he had never thought too deeply about it. But sitting alone in that room after his conversation with Roy, McDominy suddenly realized something disturbing. He did not even know whether Alen and Elena were actually eating the meals he sent them.

He had never personally watched them eat. He had never spoken to either of them. He had never received any requests from them. In fact, for months, everything concerning the former Emperor and Empress had been handled through other people under Ren’s strict orders.

The more McDominy thought about it, the more uncomfortable he became. Aditya’s accusation had originally sounded like an outrageous conspiracy.

The exiled Crown Prince had returned and publicly claimed that Ren had placed his own uncle and aunt under mind control. Naturally, many people initially dismissed those words as something Aditya had fabricated to damage Ren’s legitimacy and strengthen his own position in the civil war.

But the rumour refused to disappear. Instead, it had spread throughout the Celestial Dragon Empire, from powerful noble families and high-ranking officials all the way down to ordinary citizens.

And now, for the first time, McDominy seriously examined that accusation alongside everything he had personally witnessed. Ren’s behaviour suddenly began fitting into the larger picture far too well.

Why completely isolate Alen and Elena?

Why prevent even trusted people from meeting them?

Why station thirty Sixth Order cultivators around their residence?

Why prevent them from leaving?

Why had Ren himself barely allowed anyone to interact with the two people who had raised him like their own son?

If Ren was truly only trying to protect them from the painful news of Aditya’s return and the civil war, then such extreme measures seemed increasingly difficult to justify.

McDominy slowly leaned back in his chair. What had begun as an outrageous rumor was starting to feel disturbingly possible. Perhaps Aditya had not invented the accusation at all. Perhaps the pieces had always been there. And only now was McDominy beginning to put them together.

’I need to get to the bottom of this.’ But he also felt conflicted. If everything was true, then to whom was he supposed to show his loyalty? Was he supposed to still follow the orders of the Emperor?

Since assuming this role, he had never once questioned the orders of the Emperor, much less not follow them. But now he was in a position where he needed to make a choice between following orders or questioning the Emperor.

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