The witch thought I am a Demon God
Chapter 1006 - 515 The Emperor and the Electors_2

Chapter 1006: Chapter 515 The Emperor and the Electors_2

"But now that the original royal family of Alsace has returned, should Alsace’s status as an Elector be restored, and the interim rights of the Marquis of Fort Regen, acting as the Alsatian Elector, be stripped away?"

As these words were uttered, the Marquis of Fort Regen, who was standing on the edge of the most central circular conference area, instantly became tense and looked up at Ivita, who was sitting among the common nobility.

For the nobles within the Empire, the seating arrangement at this Empire Council was a field of fame and fortune they all wished to advance in throughout their lives.

Because Fort Regen undertook the responsibility of hosting and maintaining the Imperial Parliament, and received an annual allocation of imperial taxes, it had a unique status. Thus, when Alsace vacated its position as an Elector and sought independence, Fort Regen temporarily took on the duties of the Elector in its stead.

And now, because of Ivita’s return, it was possible that Alsace might come back.

Thinking this, the portly Marquis of Fort Regen looked at Ivita, a mix of aversion and dislike inevitably appearing in his eyes.

Ivita, not knowing why, glanced at the Marquis of Fort Regen but didn’t think much of it; she didn’t need to fear a mere marquis anymore.

’Alsace is among the most centralized of all kingdoms, quite like a small Kingdom of Frank,’ Ivita thought. ’It’s likely that Alsace was originally the foremost among the Eight Grand Electors.’ ’Henry VII must have wanted to establish his own kingdom, which is why he chose independence. This might be related to some deal with Oyo III.’

’Emperor Oyo III must have wanted to reduce the presence of Alsace in the Empire as much as possible.’

’Now, the fact that this issue has been brought up in the first session of the Imperial Parliament must be at The Emperor’s instigation.’

Looking at Emperor Oyo III, who appeared calm and composed, Ivita knew that The Emperor was already aware that such a situation would arise, and the outcome could be easily surmised.

She had never manipulated the Imperial Parliament before; how could anyone there speak on her behalf?

But that was not a big issue.

Her target was The Emperor, not to regain Alsace’s position as an Elector.

Ivita also closed her eyes, indifferent to the matter at hand.

This surprised the surrounding nobles. How could this young Monarch seem not to care at all whether Alsace could regain its status as an Elector?

From their perspective, it was a very important issue.

A look of surprise flashed in the eyes of the Marquis of Sarhu. Ivita’s indifference could be interpreted in many ways; one was that Ivita did not covet the Elector position, understanding that her kingdom needed to recover; another was that Ivita lacked ambition, which was the least likely; and yet another was that Ivita’s sights were set far beyond just the position of an Elector.

With this in mind, the Marquis of Sarhu erased the disapproval he had written on his ballot and changed it to approval.

As soon as he finished writing, the paper automatically folded itself. After a series of intricate folds, it transformed into a paper dove and flew into the crystal box at the center of the Imperial Parliament.

Fifteen minutes later, the voting results were announced.

As expected, the result was to deny Alsace the restoration of its Electorship and not to recognize Alsace as a territory within the Empire.

The hall was unusually void of any applause.

Even the orchestra and the teams brought in to set the mood by The Emperor and the Electors remained motionless at this moment.

After all, Ivita was sitting right there; since everyone was a colleague within the Imperial Parliament, there was no need to offend her to death.

Seeing this strange spectacle, Ivita turned to look at Emperor Oyo III. This guy must have some kind of follow-up plan; otherwise, the situation would not be so peculiar.

If the votes of the Empire Council could not pass amidst cheers and applause, how could the dignity of The Emperor be displayed?!

Sure enough, Emperor Oyo III waited until the atmosphere was right before suddenly standing up and speaking, "Alsace left our Holy Empire due to internal political turmoil, but now that the Alsace royal family has returned, I decide to invoke The Emperor’s special privilege to counter the council’s decision."

Most of the nobles focused inward, neither surprised nor expecting this turn of events. Conflicts between The Emperor and the powerful nobles did occur, but The Emperor also had his ways to win over the nobles he conflicted with.

Their stances were ever-changing.

The Archbishop of Mainz hesitated but then reminded Oyo III, "Your Imperial Majesty, I must remind you that even you have only three uses of The Emperor’s special privilege per year. Do you need to use it here?"

The Archbishop of Münster was tasked with recording the use of The Emperor’s special privileges and supervising the management of imperial palace expenditures, as well as the Empire’s treasury. He was revered as the Grand Marshal of the Empire and was one of the three presiding chairs of the Empire Council (the three religious Electors each chaired the Imperial Parliament with different responsibilities).

The Archbishop of Münster reminded Oyo III, "Once used, it cannot be revoked, Your Esteemed Imperial Majesty."

"Of course. I will use The Emperor’s special privilege to legally annul the prior vote and propose that Alsace be readmitted to the Empire, should the Monarch of Alsace also agree." Emperor Oyo III looked at Ivita with a piercing gaze, as if full of sincerity. "We may have been enemies, but to protect the Empire, we should put aside our hatred and stand together as brothers."

The gaze of most nobles returned to Ivita.