Chapter 194
* * *
The Crown Prince of the great nation of Tuaso, Grielrn Rosi Tuaso, threw the crystal glass he was holding.
Crash-!
Finely shattered fragments flew in all directions.
“Failed. And you call this a report?”
The man kneeling before him glanced at the fragments of the crystal glass that had shattered right in front of him, sweating nervously. He involuntarily swallowed.
“Th-they were guarded by stronger people than we expected.”
“You couldn’t bring back Heis Jin Zeint, you failed to assassinate the weak Idwen who can’t even properly handle a sword. What exactly are you good at, my lord?”
“I-I’m sorry, Your Highness.”
“Enough. I don’t want to hear excuses, so get out.”
Recently, the Third Prince Idwen’s movements had been suspicious. Whether there had been some change in his environment, capable people were gathering around his frail brother.
‘He’s just someone who can write poetry and play instruments!’
How could someone like that be suitable for the position of Emperor of the great nation?
Above all, what was most unpleasant was the treacherous idea of those trying to elevate a new figure when he was already the Crown Prince.
‘It was a good plan to deal with those I dislike all at once.’
Grielrn frowned and reached for the table. After fumbling around a few times, he remembered that he had already thrown the glass, and unable to contain his frustration, he stood up abruptly.
‘If only the war preparations had been completed earlier.’
He hadn’t expected Heis Jin Zeint to be brought down so easily. And on top of that, for their collusion to be completely discovered.
Because of that, Grielrn had been spending anxious days. Even though they were enemy countries, there was no guarantee that evidence of their collusion wouldn’t cross over from that side. Rather, they might deliberately spread rumors to cause confusion in his country.
‘Damn. Such a useless bastard!’
If they had at least properly captured Heis, they could have used the secret passages of the imperial palace to easily infiltrate during the war and take control of that side. Then, no matter what trick Idwen tried, he could have consolidated his position. After all, it would be natural for him to become Emperor, having achieved great feats that even previous emperors couldn’t.
But that too had failed.
[…Heis Jin Zeint deceased.
As soon as he crossed the border into the Kingdom of Handra, there was an attack by unknown assailants…]
According to the report, the knights escorting Heis only pretended to save him.
It happened so quickly that before Grielrn’s subordinates could respond, Heis had already passed away. Because of that, they were unable to extract the secrets of the Zeint Imperial Family.
‘Damn it. That sly second son.’
Even though the Kingdom of Handra was a small country without walls, it was clear that they had disposed of Heis in a perfunctory manner.
‘If they had brought him alive, I was confident I could persuade him.’
His plan was to offer him the throne on the condition of demoting the Empire to a Kingdom and becoming a vassal state after conquering the Empire. It was a condition he couldn’t refuse, as he could both get revenge and regain power.
But with Heis’s death, everything had come to nothing.
‘It’s all because of Father.’
If he had the full support of the Emperor, would Idwen’s forces have dared to grow? The Emperor’s attitude of looking down on him in official settings was the beginning of all this trouble.
Especially significant was his failure to properly handle the flood in the provinces. And as luck would have it, Idwen’s proposed policy solved both public sentiment and relief efforts. Idwen, who always looked dumb as if he knew nothing, had seemed sinister from the start, and it turned out his intuition was right.
‘Hah, I wish Father would die earlier, but why is his life thread so tough?’
The Emperor of Tuaso was still robust, and it was impossible to know when he would die. Yet, assassination attempts were impossible because the imperial guards protecting the Emperor were formidable. And if there was even a slight mistake that led to discovery, the Emperor would unhesitatingly behead him.
‘I need another method.’
Starting a war seemed like a very effective means to that end. Despite being enemy countries, joining hands with the First Prince who shared the same grievances, eliminating each other’s political enemies, and weakening their forces all at once—there seemed to be no better method than that.
‘Wait. Might it be fine even without that dim-witted fellow?’
He alone had been sharpening his sword during the long-lasting peace. Moreover, all this time, he had been thinking deeply about how to position his forces to deal with Idwen and his faction.
‘It’s doable?’
War requires justification. Grielrn wanted to ascend to the throne with the blessings and expectations of all, grasping legitimacy and necessity.
‘Justification. Justification…’
He hadn’t discussed this part with the former First Prince of the Empire. From the beginning, the two had planned to start a war much later.
But the circumstances have changed now. The First Prince is dead, and if evidence of their collusion reaches the Emperor’s ears and he believes it, his own life could be forfeit at any moment.
Of course, there was no immediate way to start a war. Everything requires groundwork.
‘For instance, if small villages in the frontier were annihilated because of those imperial bastards… that kind of justification.’
He needed to build hostility toward the Empire to make the majority say, “We must go to war.” And if he opposed it while the Emperor initiated the war, the picture would be perfect. The Emperor already disliked the Empire, so with just a justification, he would readily draw his sword.
‘Then I, who initially opposed it, would achieve tremendous feats!’
Having finished his thoughts, Grielrn burst into laughter.
* * *
The weather, which had been warm as spring approached, suddenly turned cold.
“Ugh… Why does it have to be so cold today of all days?”
Today was the day Rona’s family was scheduled to arrive at the ducal territory. Rona had accepted our proposal more readily than expected. She did have a considerable liking for my sister, but Master’s influence was the greatest. She had been formally invited to become his disciple.
‘Though tempted, she had been fretting about her family, and I helped resolve that concern.’
On a day like today, when everyone was seeing the happy ending they had achieved, the sudden cold seemed to pour cold water on the celebration.
I rubbed the frosted window with my hand, making a scrubbing sound, as I looked outside. The carriage was not yet in sight.
“The window is cold. Please come inside.”
“Okay.”
Luwen draped a blanket over my shoulders and guided me. As I followed him, I glanced outside the window once more. Rona, who had been excited all morning, was pacing in the garden. She stood on tiptoe, craning her neck to gaze into the distance, then kicked the ground.
“Rona doesn’t seem to feel the cold. She’s been outside all this time.”
“She’ll be anxious until she sees them arrive safely.”
Fair enough. Although we had sent the family knights as escorts, they weren’t invincible. I fully understood Rona’s feelings. If it were Luwen coming right now, I wouldn’t be able to stay so calmly in the estate mansion, sipping tea.
“We should get more firewood for the fireplace.”
My sister, who had found a moment to visit the reception room, rang the bell to summon a servant. Before long, the fireplace was blazing more vigorously.
At that moment, Luwen spoke.
“The carriage is coming.”
“Really?”
I immediately stood up to check outside.
It was true. The carriage was approaching. As it got close enough to be visible from the garden, Rona began jumping up and down, waving both arms wildly. She, who had always been calm and quiet, looked like a child.
“Let’s go too.”
“Ah, Fei. Before you go out…”
“Yes?”
While I turned around because my sister’s words were cut off, Luwen removed the blanket from my shoulders and put a cloak on me. I unconsciously fastened the cloak carefully and looked back at my sister, who was watching us with a very pleased expression.
“What? Why did you stop talking? What is it?”
“Nothing. I was going to tell you to dress warmly before going out, but Luwen was already holding the cloak.”
“Ah.”
I smiled sheepishly and fingered the cloak Luwen had put on me.
“Let’s go quickly!”
Clearing my throat with a “ahem” out of embarrassment, I hastily moved. I can act naturally when I’m alone with Luwen, but for some reason, I feel shy in front of my sister. I don’t know why I can’t get used to it.
When we went out to the garden, Rona looked like she was about to cry. Thinking she might burst into tears upon reunion, I quietly handed her a handkerchief.
“I do carry a handkerchief, you know.”
“Oh, r-really?”
“Thank you anyway, Young Master.”
Rona, with tears welling up in her eyes, grinned as she took my handkerchief.
“I’ll use what you’ve given me to wipe my parents’ tears. Is that okay?”
“Of course.”
“…Thank you. Really, truly thank you. I don’t know how to repay your kindness. I am truly, so happy…”
“Just take good care of my sister. That’s enough.”
“I will definitely become an excellent doctor following in Master’s footsteps. Don’t forget that you’re my rival, Young Master!”
Despite her bold statement, Rona was smiling very brightly.
“I won’t just sit around either.”
“Hehe. Of course not!”
Rattle-rattle—
As the sound of the approaching carriage grew louder, Rona’s head whipped around. I too followed her gaze to confirm the carriage approaching the mansion.
But… something was strange.
‘Why do the knights look like that?’
There seemed to be several injured people, and the exterior of the carriage was in shambles. It looked as if they had been attacked on the way.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
