The Lord of Another World: All Wasted at the Beginning, and He Made His Fortune by Taking in the Fem

Aarons is not a selfish person without a sense of national honor, and he also understands the simple truth that with power comes responsibility.

But he still felt unhappy - not because he wanted to resist this righteousness, but because he sensed the other party's selfish desires mixed in it.

"We will certainly take Her Royal Highness's feelings into consideration and will not force her to choose someone she doesn't like. So Marquis, we hope that you can voluntarily give up the engagement before His Majesty officially issues an edict, and give Her Royal Highness a chance to make a new choice."

"…Your Majesty, have you made your decision?"

"Your Majesty will definitely do so, because this time, the three dukes are of the same opinion."

Armand IV almost lost his throne because his power was stripped away by the great nobles.

When the Spiritual Martial God brought Armand V back to the throne, he only maintained the royal orthodoxy. The three dukes and several marquises still controlled huge fiefdoms and firmly controlled the empire's food and mineral output.

After Armand VII ascended the throne, the balance of aristocratic power was broken only when the war on the southwestern border was completely quelled by a young up-and-coming man.

But now... the Marquis only left behind an heir without any power.

“What would happen if I disagree?”

"The Marquis is a smart man. He would not do such a thing that would not bring him any benefits. I don't think the people in his family would want him to get into trouble outside."

This is completely a threat - if I don't agree to cancel the engagement, not only myself but also my family members may be implicated.

The three dukes are still suspected of murdering the old marquis. Even if he really compromises here, he may not be able to live a peaceful life afterwards.

"Marquis, although we all have some selfish motives in this matter, our ultimate goal is to ensure the stability and peace of the country."

As if realizing that it was a bit impolite to threaten others like this, the elegant man touched his beard uneasily, then turned around and made a cup of tea for Aarons himself.

——But Aarons did not take the initiative to take the cup of tea.

"It is precisely because we have all been abiding by these rules that the empire has been able to maintain the existing peace and order."

"You mean, it's the rules that require Her Royal Highness and I to make necessary sacrifices?"

"Marquis, do you know what kind of problems the empire is facing now?"

Aarons was not very clear about what was happening in other regions, and most of the psychic news programs only reported good news and not bad news. It was rare to see any news about internal or external troubles.

"Five years ago, the Kingdom of Dusk in the south of the Empire cleared all surrounding forces and established a large country with a tendency towards military expansion. Since then, they have been trying to seize the Empire's land."

"I heard that His Royal Highness the Second Prince has been in charge there for a long time. Is there any problem?"

"Although there weren't too many problems at the beginning, the enemy's strength has been growing stronger in the past two years, forcing the Empire to transfer most of its warships to the south. If the Cadians suddenly invade here at this time, the Empire will likely be trapped in a quagmire of fighting on two fronts."

Airships are indeed powerful weapons, but they are not invincible.

Since most of the main structure is actually alchemically processed wood and light metal, the defense of the airship is not as strong as imagined. If it is attacked by a powerful magic attack released by the fixed array, it may be severely damaged or sunk.

"The three great dukedoms have contributed a lot of resources to maintain the stability of the border. But even so, the empire may still go to war with its neighbors at any time."

In this matter, the great nobles do have the reputation of being righteous.

Although the great nobles were only interested in the princess's bloodline, for the empire as a whole, letting a princess with great talents marry an incompetent noble was indeed a loss.

"Marquis, you should understand that compared to the interests of the empire, is it really a sacrifice just to choose a new fiancé for Her Royal Highness the Princess?"

If it were Aarons from before, he might really back down and compromise.

But the souls that came here from another world are very aware of the trap hidden in it.

"I admit that what you said does make sense, but can I ask one last question?"

"Go ahead, Marquis."

"——If Her Highness the Princess is just an ordinary person, will the rules and order you just mentioned be destroyed?"

After hearing Aarons' unexpected question, the elegant man was stunned for a moment, and then his face quickly became gloomy.

That’s the flaw in this question.

The other party was actually using a form similar to the trolley problem to morally blackmail Aarons - he placed the princess's engagement and the interests of the empire on two tracks respectively, inducing Aarons to choose to sacrifice one of them.

But in fact, there is no direct connection between the two.

"Even without Her Royal Highness, the Empire can still run stably, right? There has been no news from Her Royal Highness for nearly ten years, but the Empire has not encountered any problems."

Neither the interests of the empire nor the princess's engagement were tied to the rails. So Aarons didn't need to choose which one to sacrifice, he could have both.

"So what I want to know is, do the rules and order you just mentioned really have anything to do with who the princess plans to marry?"

"Marquis, I think you made a mistake from the beginning."

Unexpectedly, the elegant man quickly adjusted his mood, as if the gloomy expression just now was just Aarons' illusion.

But what he said next was not so gentle.

"It is because we abide by these rules that I can discuss this matter with you in a friendly manner. And it is because you are also protected by the rules that you can live to get the title of Marquis."

"——Because all nobles must abide by this rule, the empire will have stability and order."

"And now you are questioning the rule that protects you, and even want to rebel... Do you know what the consequences of breaking the rules are?"

Protection? Killing the old marquis and his genius young son, leaving only the incompetent eldest son alive, can this be called protection by the rules?

Aarons had seen through the nobles' high-sounding moral blackmail, so a disdainful smile appeared on his face.

"I am an incompetent waste. I don't really understand the rules you mentioned. But since you are planning to take something important from me, I will give you a reply."

——As he spoke, Aarons turned around without any courtesy and nodded to the "servant" who had been standing by the door.

"If you want it, you have to come and get it yourself. You already know the rules."

After saying this line with his back turned, which left a deep impression on his past life self, Aarons, feeling satisfied, walked towards the door without hesitation.

"...Marquis, you'd better remember that the reason you are still alive and able to say these words is because we still respect the rules."

"Then I have to thank you. Thank you so much. Goodbye."

"Hmph, don't be too happy too soon. I think after listening to our advice, Her Royal Highness the Princess will know how to weigh the pros and cons better than you do."

——This is probably unnecessary, after all, she has already heard it here once.