Chapter 154

One of the most important elements within noble society is “legitimacy.” Lacking legitimacy means having no right to inherit absolutely anything from one’s ancestors, including one’s very status as a noble.

For that reason, in great houses it was not rare that, at the slightest doubt regarding legitimacy, everyone involved would be silenced.

It was not a mere domestic scandal—it was a problem capable of shaking the very identity of the family itself.

At the same time, even among families with extremely hostile relations, the legitimacy of a rival lineage was rarely attacked.

One misstep could cause the opponent, driven mad, to wager the survival of both houses in a fight to the death.

‘And yet, for a problem of legitimacy to arise not in just any house, but in the imperial family itself.’

The vassals, stunned, were unable to say a single word.

In times of peace, knowing such information would have been reason enough to live under threat of death for the rest of their lives.

Even though the current situation allowed it, the sheer weight of the revelation made it hard to breathe.

“Your Highness… does anyone else know this fact?”

Raymond asked after regaining his breath.

Lucian shrugged.

“I don’t know. That His Majesty entrusted it to me was already extraordinary. Do you think he would also have told me who else knew?”

“Does the second prince himself know the truth about his lineage?”

“That is not certain either. But from what I can see, I would say he still does not know. It does not seem that the former emperor told him.”

Bloodline secrets, curiously enough, were often guarded most carefully from the very person involved.

Being the center of a secret and being able to keep it were two very different things. In fact, upon learning the truth, the person involved might collapse and end up revealing everything to the world.

“From what I saw, the second prince never doubted his own legitimacy. If he knew the truth, he would not appear so confident.”

“Uh… huff…”

Raymond interrupted the conversation, unable to continue bearing the weight of the information.

At the same time, the other vassals resumed the breath they had been holding, tugging at their collars. Their clothes, soaked in sweat, clung to their skin without coming loose.

“Isn’t this far too dangerous?”

Hugo asked after several minutes, being the first to compose himself.

“No matter how we think about it, this is not information that should be revealed just to win a political struggle.”

“True.”

Lucian replied without hesitation.

“If this comes to light, the second prince’s faction will collapse from the foundations. But even so, do you think the first prince will be able to regain power?”

“Difficult.”

Lucian was blunt.

“He already lacked popular support. From the start, there must not have been many nobles at court who supported him. And now that the second prince has already taken power, in the eyes of the first, all of them would be nothing but traitors.”

And the first prince was not someone who would leave in peace those who turned their backs on him.

Once in power, he would initiate a great purge and stain the imperial palace with blood.

To survive, the nobles of the court would have no choice but to overthrow him.

“They will probably try to install some distant member of the imperial family as a puppet. Though I don’t think the territorial nobles would accept something like that.”

“Then what will become of the empire from now on?”

The second prince lacked legitimacy. The first had no support from the court.

Most territorial nobles would not recognize a distant relative due to his weak legitimacy.

With an unstable throne, control over the provinces would inevitably collapse, and the imperial magical artifacts would become useless.

Lucian already knew that future.

“A true era of chaos will begin.”

***

“Why the hell won’t the Black Lions come?!”

Bang!

In Kelhaim, the heart of Valdeck, a furious Jordi slammed his fist down on the table.

The old rosewood desk could not withstand his strength and shattered into pieces.

“I am the owner of Valdeck now! I am the lord of the Black Lions! Then why aren’t they responding to the summons?!”

“I have already explained the reason several times.”

Chief butler Edwin replied.

Despite standing before a Jordi overflowing with killing intent, Edwin’s face remained expressionless.

“The Black Lions are the ones who support Valdeck from the shadows, concealing their identity. In other words, changing lords does not stain their honor. Since they are not bound to the knighthood, they have the freedom to choose whom they serve.”

In other words, they did not want to serve Jordi and had fled.

That reasoning only fueled his rage further.

“Choose their lord? Since when can a knight choose his lord?!”

“Have you forgotten, young master? Unwavering loyalty is a virtue of knights. The Black Lions, on the other hand, are those who abandoned knighthood and soil their hands. For them, that degree of freedom is only natural.”

“Call me Grand Duke! I’ve warned you several times already and you still don’t listen!”

“My apologies. With age, my memory is not what it used to be.”

At Edwin’s brazen attitude, Jordi’s insides boiled, but there was no way for him to get rid of him.

Edwin controlled Valdeck’s entire espionage network and its activities in the shadows.

If he dismissed him outright, the chain of command would collapse, and more than half of Valdeck’s power would evaporate into thin air.

‘Damn it, if only there were someone capable of replacing this man…!’

Grinding his teeth, Jordi finally let out a sigh and sank back into his chair.

Even if someone capable of replacing Edwin appeared, it would not solve all his problems.

The Black Lions had openly turned their backs on him, and even among the knights, dissatisfaction toward him was evident.

Tristan, who had been expelled, lurked relentlessly around Kelhaim, searching for an opportunity to kill him.

Even Joshua, who had barely saved his life by fleeing to his maternal family, watched him like a hawk, waiting to take advantage of the situation.

Simply becoming the owner of Valdeck did not mean he could relax and enjoy power.

‘And on top of that, now that bastard Lucian, who went north, is stirring up trouble as well. This is enough to drive anyone insane.’

Thinking of Lucian made Jordi feel his headache return.

When he heard that the former emperor had granted him Asagrim, in the north, he could not help but scoff.

No matter how deep its history was, it was still a ruined land, completely uninhabited.

With no army and not even a population to pay taxes, what was he supposed to do there? Gathering outsiders and acting like a true feudal lord would take, at the very least, an eternity.

‘That’s what I thought, and I felt at ease—but who would have imagined that in less than two years he would dominate Calix and even subjugate the barbarian tribes beyond the tundra?’

Seeing Lucian suddenly become the absolute sovereign of the north had been madness for Jordi.

Being the lord of a region was not just a medal indicating strength.

It meant becoming someone whom neighboring lords had to watch cautiously and constantly appease.

In other words, when the time came, he would not attack alone, but at the head of a coalition.

To Jordi, Lucian represented a far more real threat than his other brothers.

All the more so because, unlike Lucian, Valdeck had lost all its alliances except that of the second prince.

‘And now that guy goes and attacks the second prince? Damn it, what is his objective? Loyalty to the first prince? A means to satisfy his ambition? Or is he aiming at Valdeck…?’

“By the way, I have something to report to you, second young master.”

Lost in thought, Jordi frowned deeply at Edwin’s words.

Despite so many warnings, he was once again using the title “second young master” as if nothing were wrong.

However, he was far too exhausted physically and mentally to argue about it again.

“What is it?”

“A suspicious visitor has arrived after a long time. He is still covered from head to toe in a black hood.”

“…And why are you telling me this now? Bring him in immediately!”

Jordi sprang to his feet, shouting urgently, as if all the previous frustration had vanished.

That “suspicious visitor” could only be someone sent by the second prince.

***

“I really can’t understand what’s going through the duke’s head. Does he really think that by mentioning my brother he can corner me?”

Walking through the corridors of the imperial palace, the second prince, Cedric, muttered with a complicated expression.

Unlike the Lucian he remembered, his political offensive was surprisingly poor.

“If I simply deny it and don’t release my brother, his words will gain some weight. But even so, it’s not like the situation will change much.”

— He must have grown too confident after his successes in the north.

A shadow wavering behind him replied, brushing it off.

— The earlier a man succeeds, the easier it is for him to overestimate his own abilities. And in his case, he has accumulated several achievements worthy of being called feats. It wouldn’t be strange if he had fallen into the trap of arrogance.

“That conclusion is hasty. There are too many suspicious points.”

Cedric could not relax his frown despite his subordinate’s words.

“Arrogance and stupidity are not the same. The duke has always taken risks, but they were risks that, if successful, guaranteed clear benefits. And as if to show off, he always emerged victorious. This time, however, the risk is enormous, and what he can gain is minimal.”

Even if it were revealed that he was keeping his brother under arrest, Lucian’s losses would be far greater.

His image as a loyalist would be further solidified, yes, but at the same time he would be closing off any possibility of negotiation with his own mouth.

Thus, when Cedric ascended the throne, he would be left isolated without allies.

“That’s why, if the duke wants to gain something, proving his accusation is not enough. He would have to completely eliminate any possibility of my ascending the throne.”

The problem was that it did not seem possible. By now, Lucian must also know that Cedric had completely won the struggle for succession.

So what hidden card did he have to appear so confident?

— In fact, I’ve already sent a shadow to the Grand Duke to investigate. If any relevant information about the duke comes up, I’ll let you know immediately.

“Do so.”

Cedric replied without much expectation. Although they shared a father, they had always been rival brothers, constantly clashing over the position of head of the family.

Precisely because of that distance, he doubted they knew each other’s most intimate affairs.

‘If only one person would cooperate, I wouldn’t have to go through all this…’

Thinking of someone specific, Cedric let out a sigh. No matter how much he turned it over in his mind, it did not seem that that individual would do him any favors.

While lost in thought, Cedric arrived at his destination without realizing it.

He took a deep breath and knocked on the door of a small room located in a corner of the imperial palace.

“It’s Cedric. I’m coming in.”

He said that without waiting for a response and opened the door immediately. At the same time, something white shot out at high speed toward his face through the gap.

An ordinary person would have screamed and dodged the object, but Cedric remained still, letting it hit him squarely.

Puff.

Just as he expected, it was nothing more than a soft pillow.

Hard or sharp objects had long since been removed, so there was not much else to throw.

Judging by the speed, it seemed the one who threw it had used all his strength, but a pillow was not enough to cause any damage.

With a faint smile, Cedric caught the pillow and tossed it into a corner before saying,

“Do you really want to have a pillow fight with this brother after so long? I didn’t expect you to still retain that childish side, elder brother.”