Chapter 341

The fierce battle raged on, day after day.

But Celtrine Castle stood firm.

And at the heart of its defense was Princess Oscar.

She had shattered the stereotype of a princess who stayed safe and watched from afar, fighting on the front lines, repelling the enemy who tried to scale the walls.

Her courage and her extraordinary martial prowess inspired the soldiers.

They fought with renewed determination.

It was one of the main reasons why Celtrine Castle had been able to hold out for so long.

‘Hehe, this is the least I can do.’

Thanks to her efforts, the princess’s popularity among the people, especially the soldiers, was at an all-time high.

If they could successfully defend the castle against the Crown Prince’s forces, it would be the perfect ending.

The princess believed that it was possible.

But,

She hadn’t expected it to happen so soon.

“Y-Your Highness! The enemy is gone! It seems like they retreated during the night!”

“Huh?”

The princess’s eyes widened in surprise.

She hadn’t anticipated this.

“Oh, is that true?”

“The enemy retreated during the night?”

“What wonderful news!”

“V-Victory! We’ve won!”

“Long live the princess! Long live victory!”

The lords couldn’t contain their joy.

But there were a few who had different reactions.

“Wait, they retreated so suddenly?”

“Isn’t this too abrupt?”

They were suspicious of the enemy’s sudden retreat.

“What’s so abrupt about it? They gave up and retreated because we held out.”

“That’s right. And they must be running low on supplies. They had no choice but to retreat.”

“How can you be so sure?”

They argued.

The princess raised her hand, silencing them.

And then, she said, “It’s good news, but it could be a trick. Did you check the surrounding areas, not just Celtrine territory?”

“W-Well, it happened so suddenly that we haven’t…”

“Go and check immediately.”

“Y-Yes, ma’am…”

Before the messenger could finish his reply,

“Urgent report! Urgent report!”

Another messenger’s voice echoed from afar.

The princess tilted her head, her eyes blinking rapidly.

The lords also looked at each other, puzzled.

The messenger rushed into the room.

“The Imperial City has fallen! The Celtrine-Erenbert allied forces have conquered the Imperial City!”

“What?!”

The princess jumped to her feet.

It was a rare sight, considering her personality.

“N-No, what?! The Imperial City has fallen?”

“Don’t spout nonsense! They must have gone to Lambert Castle to rescue them, as per Her Highness’s order!”

The lords didn’t believe it.

They knew that the princess had ordered the Celtrine allied forces to go south.

The messenger shouted, his voice filled with indignation, “H-How dare I lie to you! They sent ten thousand soldiers to Lambert Castle, but the rest of their forces continued to attack the Imperial City!”

“What?!”

“H-How could they?!”

(TLN: bruh i want to play total war medival or rome 2 now man)

The lords were shocked.

The southern front was in a precarious situation.

And yet, the Celtrine allied forces had launched an attack on the Imperial City.

That’s why they had put aside their political differences and unanimously urged the princess to order them to go south.

They had prioritized the greater good over their personal interests.

But what?

They had only sent ten thousand soldiers to Lambert Castle and continued their attack on the Imperial City?

It was a blatant disregard for the princess’s order.

It was an unforgivable act, no matter the outcome.

The western lords were especially furious.

Most of their forces, except for the twenty thousand who had stayed behind to defend Celtrine Castle, were fighting a desperate battle at Lambert Castle.

“This is a grave betrayal!”

“How dare they disobey Her Highness’s order!”

On the other hand,

The central and northern lords quickly grasped the situation and started speaking in their favor.

They realized that they no longer needed to be united.

“What betrayal?! Ten thousand soldiers is not a small number! They must have been a great help! They didn’t disobey the order!”

“They must have been confident that they could both rescue Lambert Castle and conquer the Imperial City! Don’t you think the commander on the field has the best judgment?”

“They achieved the best possible outcome for us! They proved it with their actions, not their words!”

The western lords retorted, “What help could they have possibly provided with only ten thousand soldiers?”

“Are you saying that only results matter, and the process is irrelevant?”

“They deceived Her Highness!”

They had finally found a flaw in Max’s actions, and they were clinging to it desperately.

They knew that if they lost this argument, they would never regain the initiative.

But,

How could their feelings compare to the princess’s feelings?

‘So that’s how you’re going to play it? Hehe, interesting.’

The princess covered her eyes with her hand, her head lowered.

She couldn’t control her expression.

She had been certain that she could weaken Max’s forces this time.

But he had defied her expectations.

He had only sent ten thousand soldiers to Lambert Castle, just to show that he was obeying her order.

She couldn’t help but feel annoyed.

But strangely, it wasn’t just annoyance that she was feeling.

A strange feeling was welling up inside her.

Excitement.

A thrill that sent shivers down her spine and made her brain tingle.

She had felt the same excitement when she had first seen the throne in the Imperial Palace’s throne room.

It was something she desperately wanted to possess and conquer.

(TLN: nah man she crazy)

Like a flower on a cliff, too high for her to reach.

She was feeling that same excitement towards Max.

‘Hehe, so that’s how it is. As expected of Senior Max.’

She had sensed it before.

A strange attraction.

But she had dismissed it as mere interest in an amusing person.

It wasn’t.

This feeling.

‘I’ll have you in my grasp.’

She had to pluck the flower on the cliff and make it hers.

But if she couldn’t,

‘I’ll crush it.’

She would crush it, so no one else could have it.

That was the right thing to do.

It was only fair.

She raised her head and lowered her hand.

Her expression was as usual.

“Can everyone please be quiet?”

Her voice wasn’t loud, but it was clear and sharp.

The lords, who had been arguing heatedly, fell silent.

“I understand what you’re all trying to say. But right now, I just want to celebrate our victory.”

“Y-Your Highness!”

“Conquering the Imperial City is something that no one has been able to do for two thousand years. And Senior Max has done it. It’s an incredible achievement. Thanks to him, we’ve gained a decisive advantage.”

She meant it.

‘Hehe, Senior Max is truly amazing.’

Something that no one else could do.

That’s why she was so attracted to him.

That’s why she wanted him.

“I-It’s true, but Your Highness, discipline…!”

“We’ll talk about that later.”

“Ugh.”

The lord who had been trying to criticize Max was silenced.

The princess smiled.

“Now is the time to prioritize the important things.”

“W-What do you mean…?”

“Ending this civil war by crushing my dear brother.”

“…”

The western lords were speechless.

They couldn’t refute her words.

‘Hehe, let’s wrap this up for now. But you’ll still have to pay for deceiving me, won’t you, Senior?’

The princess seemed to have something in mind.

“Send messengers to the Imperial City and Lambert Castle immediately.”

* * *

Lambert Castle.

“W-We’re alive!”

“The enemy has retreated!”

“We won! We won!”

The soldiers cheered.

But the western army’s commanders were glum.

They had been rescued.

But it was the most infuriating rescue they had ever experienced.

They felt like they had been played.

The ten thousand reinforcements, the conquest of the Imperial City, it was all a mockery.

“Ugh, that bastard…”

Emily shuddered, unable to finish her sentence.

“B-But shouldn’t we be grateful?”

Ethan said, his brain as simple as his muscles.

Emily’s anger flared up again.

“Are you kidding me, you idiot?! We were fighting for our lives, and you’re saying we should be grateful?!”

She was so angry that the veins on her forehead were bulging.

On the other hand,

Marquis Safia’s face was grim, but he was surprisingly calm.

He seemed to have made a decision.

He spoke, “Listen carefully, everyone.”

“Huh?”

“What is it, Father?”

Ethan and Emily looked at him, puzzled.

Marquis Safia stared into space for a moment, and then he said, “We’re giving up on our ambition to become the most powerful family in the empire.”

“W-What?!”

Emily was shocked.

“What do you mean?”

Ethan asked.

“It means that we’ll faithfully serve Her Highness from now on.”

“Huh? But we’re already…”

“It seems like I need to explain further. We’ll become one with Her Highness.”

“T-That means…?!”

Ethan finally understood, but Emily had already understood what her father meant.

Their ambition to become the most powerful family in the empire, a dream they had cherished for so long,

They were giving it up and submitting to the princess.

They would become her loyal dogs, content with scraps from her table.

“Ugh.”

Emily’s eyes welled up with tears.

Her voice trembled as she said, “B-But it’s not time to give up yet…”

“No, Max is more cunning than a raccoon, more venomous than a snake, and more sly than a fox. I hate to admit it, but I can’t defeat him. The tide has already turned.”

“F-Father…”

Emily bit her lip.

Ethan asked hurriedly, “B-But will anything change if we become one with the princess…?”

“Yes, of course it will.”

Marquis Safia said firmly.

“Her Highness won’t want Max to become too powerful.”

“Huh?”

“We’ll help her keep him in check.”

Emily seemed to understand.

“I-I see! If we do that, we can become her favorite dog!”

It was a slip of the tongue, but it was an accurate description.

An owner didn’t want a dog that was too ambitious.

They just needed a loyal dog that wagged its tail.

Of course, it was a different story if the dog was too powerful to control.

That was what the Safia family had been aiming for.

But now that their dream had been shattered, they had to prevent their rival from achieving it.

That was what Marquis Safia was saying.

“Emily.”

“Yes, Father!”

“This is important, so go and tell Her Highness our intentions personally.”

“I will!”

The tide within the princess’s faction was shifting again.

* * *

“You’re not going to pursue them?”

Lobel asked.

The Crown Prince’s forces, having lost their capital, were retreating to the south.

They could surely achieve a victory if they pursued them, now that their morale was low.

But Max wasn’t giving the order to move.

“We can’t move alone. A cornered rat will always bite a cat.”

Max replied with a grin.

He wouldn’t let anyone else take all the credit.

That was his number one rule in this civil war.

“So you’re saying that we don’t have to push ourselves anymore.”

Lobel nodded.

“We’ve already pushed ourselves enough.”

Regina said.

Max had pulled off one impossible feat after another, and they had been constantly on the verge of disaster.

“Yes, our morale is high, but the soldiers are definitely exhausted. It’s time to rest.”

Max agreed with his fiancée.

“Heh, you’re right.”

Lobel chuckled and emptied his cup.

It was a rare moment of peace and quiet.

“The princess’s messenger will arrive soon. She’ll probably summon us to the Imperial City.”

“The Imperial City?”

“Yes, she’s planning to gather all her forces there and then march south to end this civil war. And that’s the right thing to do. However,”

“However?”

“Stay alert. The battlefield isn’t the only place where blades are drawn.”

Max’s words were filled with meaning.