The son of the God-Emperor in Warhammer Fantasy

Inside the palace, the banquet continued with Emperor Karl Franz, Duke Ivan of Griffon, and Duchess Emilia (also known as Emmanuelle) engaged in conversation about the Emperor's proposal.

Emilia sipped her wine, a fine red from the agricultural province of Averland called Conti, a top-tier vintage. However, for Emilia, this wine was not particularly special. She maintained her dignified posture, engaging with the Emperor and Ryan's godfather, Ivan. There was less coldness and impatience in her demeanor; she had simply brought her courtly habits from Nuln to the imperial palace banquet.

In a sense, Emilia's approach wasn't wrong. As she often said, if she always wore a pleasant smile, she might be perceived as an easy target, especially as a woman.

"For men, however, if Ryan always smiled, it meant trouble for someone," she mused.

"So, what do you think of my proposal?" Emperor Karl Franz asked, maintaining his characteristic warm smile. "Emmanuelle, will you consider it?"

"What an explosive suggestion," Emilia remarked, her tone dripping with sarcasm and disdain. "Your Majesty, why concern yourself with my lands rather than managing your own Reikland? This isn't wartime or an imperial council session. I have no obligation to obey your orders—none at all."

"There's no need for such hostility, Duchess," Duke Ivan interjected, trying to defuse the situation. "His Majesty isn't ordering you, just asking you to consider the proposal."

"Like how Karl can't order you around?" Emilia retorted, clearly unwilling to spare even Ryan's godfather from her sharp tongue. "Ivan, or would you like to tell me what terms our Emperor offered you to intervene?"

The pointed question left both Karl Franz and Ivan slightly embarrassed. The Emperor coughed and spoke in a low voice, "Emmanuelle, this isn't the time to discuss that... So, can you give an answer to my proposal?"

Emilia's delicate brows furrowed.

Earlier, Emperor Karl Franz had proposed a territorial exchange. This wasn't between Reikland and Emilia's Wiesenland but between Emilia's Wiesenland and Ryan's Duchy of Mousillon. The idea was to strengthen their relationship and solidify the alliance between Bretonnia and the Empire.

Territorial exchanges were not uncommon, the most famous being the fortress city of Karonburg, which had changed hands several times between Reikland and Middenland. Eventually, a compromise was reached, making Karonburg part of Middenland, with its nobles allowed to swear allegiance to Emperor Karl Franz.

Now, Karl Franz suggested that Ryan, as Duke of Mousillon, and Emilia, as Duchess of Wiesenland, exchange a piece of their lands to reinforce their alliance, facilitating cultural exchange and military cooperation.

Emilia felt instinctively irritated, sensing that the Emperor aimed to leverage her to strengthen ties with Ryan, known to be most accessible through the "wife route." If Sulia and Morgiana were the ropes tying Ryan to the Lady of the Lake and Bretonnia, then Emilia was the key to maintaining a strong alliance with the Empire.

However, upon reflection, Emilia's political acumen and intelligence quickly made her realize the benefits of such a move. It was a good idea with no downside for her, given the years she had spent understanding that personal feelings were separate from broader interests.

"My dear Emperor, instead of pondering various issues for our great Empire, you focus on my and my subjects' territory exchange? I must thank you for such concern!" Emilia mocked, still unwilling to let the Emperor off easily. "With an emperor so dedicated to his people, the Empire is indeed fortunate!"

"What should I focus on, then?" the Emperor asked, playing along with a smile. "As Emperor, should I spend every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday raging, cry on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and devote Sundays to figuring out how to deal with the merchants of Marienburg?"

"Pfft!" Emilia couldn't help but laugh at the Emperor's dark humor, covering her mouth. "Karl, is this how you amuse Helena at home?"

"Not often, Emilia. Unlike Ryan, I'm not that eloquent," the Emperor shrugged humorously, his gaze drifting to Ryan, who was chatting with Boris, Wulfric, and others. "He's quite popular with women, isn't he?"

"And you too, Karl," Emilia replied with a hint of wistfulness, reflecting on her lack of a formal marriage. "But you're not as strong. If you didn't have the Warhammer Ghal Maraz and the enchanted silver seal armor blessed by every god in the Old World, could you match Ryan?"

"Hahaha!" Ivan and Karl Franz laughed, with the Emperor shaking his head. "Don't compare me to Ryan. Even with Ghal Maraz and the silver seal, beating Ryan is unlikely. At best, I'd hold him off with the hammer's power and the armor's protection."

"So don't complain about Ryan's popularity with women," Emilia teased, extending a gloved hand. "Such a quality man is always surrounded by admirers."

"Hahaha!" Karl Franz raised his glass. "Let's toast to Ryan's popularity and to my godson, young Frederick!"

"Cheers!"

Elsewhere, Ryan, Boris, and Wulfric's conversation had shifted to a lighter tone, involving humorous and possibly risqué topics. Such discussions were inevitable among men, and their earlier disagreements and minor tensions were quickly forgotten over drinks and laughter. Ryan and Elector Count Wulfric even debated the merits of stockings versus garter belts, reaching a consensus on several points.

At eight o'clock, the dinner ended, but the night was still young. The palace offered various entertainments, the most popular being tabletop wargames. Many nobles, including Ryan, had collections of intricate miniatures for these games, eager to stage epic battles on the tabletop. Others preferred to gather around pianos and harps for musical performances or to play cards.

Ryan observed the games but showed little interest in participating. The expensive miniatures, like those owned by Boris Todbringer, who had a collection worth thousands of gold marks on the black market, made him uncomfortable.

"Ryan, aren't you playing?" Emperor Karl Franz asked, evidently a skilled player himself. He had a complete set of miniatures, including one of himself on a griffon, meticulously crafted with a tiny, metal-sculpted Ghal Maraz.

"No, I need some personal space, Karl," Ryan shrugged, glancing at Emilia, who clung to his arm. "Well, we need some space."

"If you really need privacy, there are plenty of rooms upstairs," Wulfric quipped, drawing laughter.

Ryan didn't respond, smiling awkwardly without explicitly agreeing or disagreeing, which made him seem evasive and suggested Emilia was in charge.

But only Emilia knew Ryan's strategy. As the Lady of the Lake's chosen champion and head of the Grail Knights, Ryan was often seen as a "perfect man," a paragon of virtue and charm. Such men often faced subtle exclusion or hostility from their peers.

But this was not Ryan's purpose in the Empire.

By displaying traits of being "under the thumb" and showing ineptitude at the tabletop wargames, Ryan quickly shifted from a perfect man to a relatable, even mockable, figure, making him more approachable.

It was all part of Ryan's act. "Perhaps that's why I fell for him," Emilia thought, holding his arm. She suggested, "How about a game with me?"

"Uh, I'm not very good," Ryan replied, playing along.

"I'll teach you!" Emilia revealed her hidden agenda. "Let's play. You can borrow miniatures from your godfather, right, Duke Ivan?"

"Alright," Ivan agreed with a wry smile.

And so, under everyone's watchful eyes, Ryan and Emilia faced off in a tabletop game.

Predictably, Ryan lost, though not badly, as Emilia never gave him a chance to win. The maid seemed particularly delighted to defeat Ryan, packing up the pieces with a smile. "I won, Ryan."

"Yes, you did, Emilia," Ryan acknowledged, unfazed by the loss.

"Now, your heart and kidneys belong to me," she joked, stretching out her hands. "Hand them over; they're my spoils of war."

"Hahaha!" The room erupted in laughter at the couple's playful exchange.

"What kind of prize is that..." Ryan chuckled. "You beat me, well done. I'll give you a title in this game, 'tossgirl.'"

"Tossgirl? Swinging girl?" Emilia pondered, feeling she shouldn't lose out. "Then you can be 'tossboy'!"

"Alright, from now on, my tabletop nickname will be 'tossboy,'" Ryan agreed readily, rarely conceding so easily but acknowledging the loss without hesitation.

At that moment, the Imperial nobles, including Karl Franz, had a strange feeling. It seemed like Ryan was the real winner.

They felt as though they had just been given a hearty serving of affection.

The Emperor clapped with a smile, thinking perhaps this was a case of "losing the game but winning in life."

Unknown to them, Ryan and Emilia's performance at the banquet and the tabletop game became the subject of a ballad by a court poet, turning into a timeless classic that touched generations. Their love story, celebrated in the famous song "The Wind Rises," became a household legend in the Old World. The song, challenging to sing, became a benchmark for bards' singing skills.

**[Cut to a gruesome scene]**

Following the banquet, another horrific massacre occurred in Altdorf's wealthy district. The Von-Lach family was targeted, with Baron Werner von Lach, several family members, and a dozen guards killed swiftly. Other noble scions also perished in the estate, with the killer remaining on

 the scene for hours, just like in the previous incident.

The double massacre shocked Altdorf, spreading fear among the nobles and prompting them to tighten security. Rumors spread wildly: some claimed a Chaos demon was loose in the city, while others suspected the Emperor of purging disloyal nobles. Some even accused either the Great Alchemist Gelt or the Supreme Patriarch of the Bright College, German, of orchestrating these events to delay the competition.

In response, Emperor Karl Franz imposed martial law, with extensive patrols and a strict curfew, even for nobles without permits.

He also announced that the Imperial Royal Archmage competition would proceed as scheduled.

And so, amid growing tension, a week quickly passed.

The competition proceeded as planned, pitting Gelt against German in a battle for the title of the Old World's most powerful human sorcerer.

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