Chapter 297

‘T-That person is…’

The envoy recognized her immediately.

He couldn’t possibly not know Regina Ehrenbert’s face, especially when visiting the Ehrenbert family.

She was one of the most dangerous individuals if they became enemies with the Ehrenberts.

*Click, click, click.*

Regina approached the envoy.

She was taller than he had expected.

He had no choice but to look up at her.

“You must be Prince Adolf’s envoy, right?”

The envoy’s face hardened at Regina’s words.

What? “You”?

Why were the people in this family so arrogant?

How dare they treat the Crown Prince’s envoy with such disrespect?

But the envoy suppressed his anger.

He was worried that the brute sitting on the lord’s seat, who looked like a polar bear, might resort to violence if he dared to reprimand them.

So he just nodded slightly.

Regina walked past him, ignoring his reaction.

She stood before Lobel.

Lobel spoke first.

“You have something to say, I presume?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, let’s hear it.”

What was she going to say?

The envoy narrowed his eyes, watching them intently.

Regina’s voice, cold and clear, rang through the room.

“The traitor is not Princess Oscar. It’s Prince Adolf. He murdered the late Emperor.”

“W-W-What?! That’s absurd!”

The envoy’s eyes widened in shock, and he immediately protested.

* * *

To prevent the future disaster, we had to side with the weaker side.

That was what Regina and I had agreed on, but we couldn’t use that as our official reason.

It was a secret between us.

We needed a more convincing reason, a reason that could rally people to our cause.

And that reason was the Prince’s patricide.

Whether it was true or not didn’t matter.

No one could prove it either way.

And the Prince’s faction had already declared Princess Oscar a traitor, accusing her of instigating a rebellion in the Imperial Capital to assassinate the Crown Prince and slaughtering countless innocent people.

It was an obvious fabrication.

She had probably killed some people in self-defense while trying to escape.

They had exaggerated and twisted the incident, painting her as a traitor who had attempted to overthrow the Empire.

That’s how wars worked.

Justifications were always fabricated.

Of course, that didn’t mean you could just make up any excuse.

A flimsy excuse wouldn’t work.

It wouldn’t rally people to your cause.

In that sense, the justification Regina and I had chosen was perfect.

It was a powerful accusation, and the circumstances made it believable.

The Prince himself had created a situation where he would be suspected.

He had probably had no choice, to secure control of the Imperial Capital, but we could use it to our advantage.

However,

‘Not just anyone could make such an accusation.’

No, most people would be too afraid to even utter those words.

The weight of those words was unimaginable.

It wasn’t just about their own lives, but the lives of their entire families.

That’s why it was important.

Very important.

That the first person to make the accusation was someone who could bear the weight of those words.

‘Once someone takes the lead, the others will follow.’

I chuckled.

‘Well, there’s nothing to worry about.’

I trusted Regina.

She was one of the most trustworthy people I knew.

Everything would go according to plan.

* * *

*Bang!*

Lobel Ehrenbert slammed his fist on the armrest of his chair and stood up.

He drew his sword.

It was a massive greatsword, one that most people would struggle to even lift.

The envoy’s face turned pale.

“W-W-What are you doing?”

“Go back to the Prince and tell him this. The Ehrenbert family will never tolerate such a heinous act of patricide. He will pay for his crimes.”

“H-How can you believe such nonsense…!”

“Nonsense?”

*Rumble!*

Lobel stomped his foot on the ground.

The ground seemed to shake.

The envoy flinched, his body shrinking back involuntarily.

“How dare you call my sister’s words nonsense? She has never spoken a lie in her life! You suspicious little envoy, don’t you dare question her words!”

Lobel’s thunderous roar echoed through the room.

It was an overwhelming display of power, one that a mere envoy couldn’t withstand.

The envoy trembled.

But he had to fight back.

He had nowhere to retreat.

“H-How dare you make such a preposterous accusation…!”

*Grab!*

Lobel’s massive hand grabbed the envoy by the collar.

The envoy’s feet left the ground, his body dangling in the air.

“Ugh… Ugh…”

He groaned, struggling to breathe.

Lobel tossed him aside like trash.

*Thud!*

“Be grateful that I’m sparing your life. Get out!”

He roared like a beast.

“H-H-Help!”

The terrified envoy scrambled to his feet and ran away.

But he didn’t forget to leave a parting threat.

“Y-You’ll regret this!”

He shouted as he ran away with his tail between his legs.

But no one in the Ehrenbert family was fazed by his pathetic threat.

They weren’t afraid.

Once their lord had made a decision, they would follow him.

That was the way of the Ehrenbert family’s retainers and warriors.

“We will side with Princess Oscar and make that patricide pay for his crimes!”

Lobel’s declaration sealed their fate.

The Sword of the North had chosen the princess’s side.

* * *

I stopped thinking about the Ehrenbert family.

Because I knew they would be fine.

My thoughts turned to my own family.

The Celtrine Earldom, a prestigious family in the central region.

The Prince’s envoy would have already visited them, considering the short distance.

I had instructed my father, Count Celtrine, to avoid giving a definite answer and to buy time with vague responses.

To stall for time.

Because we were close to the Imperial Capital.

If we had outright refused, we might have been attacked as an example.

Thankfully, that hadn’t happened.

It seemed like Count Celtrine had handled the situation well.

But,

It wouldn’t work forever.

Once the Ehrenbert family made their stance clear, our family’s stance would also be decided.

Because everyone knew that the Ehrenbert and Celtrine families were bound by a strong marriage alliance.

‘It’s alright. We still have time.’

Even if the envoy had arrived at the Ehrenbert family, it would take time for the news to reach the Imperial Capital.

I would finish what I had to do at the Celtrine family before that.

“Dolph.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

“Speed up a bit.”

“Yes, sir!”

The carriage sped towards the Celtrine territory.

* * *

I returned to the Celtrine territory after a long absence.

The territory was still peaceful.

But there was a sense of tension in the air.

Even the commoners knew that the situation in the Empire was dire.

“Brother!”

My younger sister, Liss, was waiting for me at the main gate.

She must have been worried.

“Why are you so late?!”

“Who said I was late?”

I smiled nonchalantly.

My attitude seemed to reassure her slightly.

Her expression softened a bit, and she said, “Anyway, come in, brother!”

We headed straight to where Count Celtrine and Countess Celtrine were waiting.

“Ah, you’re finally here!”

“Thank God, you’re safe!”

Count Celtrine had also been anxiously awaiting my return.

And Countess Celtrine was even more worried.

I had to pry myself away from her tearful embrace before I could start talking.

“What’s the situation?”

“The Prince’s envoy visited us, as you predicted.”

“What did you do?”

“I hinted at our willingness to support him, but I said we needed time to prepare.”

As expected of Count Celtrine, he was a shrewd man.

It was always best to stall for time while pretending to cooperate.

That way, you could avoid being attacked and buy yourself more time.

“Good job.”

“But they made an outrageous demand.”

Count Celtrine frowned.

“A hostage, right?”

“How did you know?”

“It’s obvious.”

Of course, even the Prince wouldn’t openly use the word “hostage.”

He would sugarcoat it, saying that our child would be treated with honor in the Imperial Capital.

But the essence remained the same.

It was just a deception.

“So how did you respond?”

“I said we needed time to prepare.”

“Good job.”

“But I don’t think it’s that simple.”

Count Celtrine’s expression turned serious.

“What do you mean?”

“…Viscount Sephir, who refused to send a hostage, was punished by the Prince. Brutally.”

“I heard about it.”

I nodded.

An example.

A bloody example.

It was a tactic often used by the psychopathic Prince.

And it was effective.

There was no faster way to control people than through fear and violence.

Lords who feared for their families would have no choice but to send hostages to the Prince, regardless of their true intentions.

And once their children were taken hostage, they would have no choice but to obey him.

“The Prince is more cruel than I thought.”

I said, even though I already knew.

“I didn’t expect him to go that far.”

Count Celtrine frowned.

And then he muttered, his eyes filled with determination, “His ruthlessness and cruelty… They might be assets in a power struggle. But I can’t follow such a man. Never.”

“I see.”

“Regardless of your thoughts, my decision is final.”

Count Celtrine seemed to have made up his mind.

Thankfully, I didn’t have to persuade him.

“Don’t worry. I also believe that such a man should never ascend to the throne.”

“Oh, I’m glad to hear that.”

Count Celtrine’s face brightened.

“The only one worthy of the throne is Princess Oscar.”

I’m sorry, father.

…She’s just as bad.

But in the current situation, she was definitely the better choice.

Because she hadn’t revealed her true colors to the world yet.

Liss interrupted, “B-But if we’re siding against the Prince, aren’t we in danger? We’ll be attacked soon!”

Count Celtrine and Countess Celtrine’s faces hardened.

They knew that their daughter was right.

“That’s true.”

I agreed.

“T-Then what do we do?”

Liss’s eyes widened in fear.

“Hmm, in the worst-case scenario, we might have to abandon the territory and seek refuge with our in-laws in the north.”

Count Celtrine said, biting his lip.

He wasn’t saying that because he was a coward.

He was saying that because he prioritized the lives of his people.

The Celtrine territory wasn’t easy to defend.

It was surrounded by open plains, and the castle was a simple lowland castle.

The abundance of plains might be beneficial in peacetime, but not in wartime.

‘Come to think of it, Count Celtrine had also abandoned the territory without hesitation in the past when things got dangerous.’

It was a move that reminded me of our ancestor, the master of retreat.

It might have been a cowardly act for a lord, but it had saved the lives of many of our people.

But this time,

‘It’s not an option.’

My goal was to support the princess in this civil war and gain as much influence as possible.

A family that abandoned their territory wouldn’t have any influence.

We had to defend our territory, even without the Ehrenbert family’s help.

‘No, there definitely won’t be any help in the beginning.’

It would take time for the northern army to mobiLisse.

The east and south, which supported the Prince, would also need time to prepare, but that wasn’t all.

The Prince had the Imperial Army at his disposal.

‘We have to hold them back.’

Of course, he couldn’t mobiLize the entire Imperial Army.

He had to leave at least half of them behind to defend the Imperial Capital.

And he wouldn’t send all of his remaining forces to attack the Celtrine family.

We weren’t his only enemy.

And,

‘They’re underestimating the Celtrine family.’

The Celtrine family was known for their wealth.

They might respect our wealth, but not our military strength.

They would think that we were insignificant without the Ehrenbert family’s support.

Especially since our territory wasn’t easy to defend.

I had already anticipated all of this.

“Father, mother, and Liss.”

I said firmly.

My family looked at me.

“I will protect this territory. I swear it, with my life.”