Chapter 154
nP7One 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.DXb
CMFzuFor that reason, in great houses it was not rare that, at the slightest doubt regarding legitimacy, everyone involved would be silenced.p1j2
QWWKOTIt was not a mere domestic scandal—it was a problem capable of shaking the very identity of the family itself.NQDGK
8VyYAt the same time, even among families with extremely hostile relations, the legitimacy of a rival lineage was rarely attacked.HH4aJEj
Y9MegOGOne misstep could cause the opponent, driven mad, to wager the survival of both houses in a fight to the death.wVjk
UdrEr‘And yet, for a problem of legitimacy to arise not in just any house, but in the imperial family itself.’YlSA8Q
rkV3YTWThe vassals, stunned, were unable to say a single word.kfO3
8H5iBguIn times of peace, knowing such information would have been reason enough to live under threat of death for the rest of their lives.Qsn
6lPzEVEven though the current situation allowed it, the sheer weight of the revelation made it hard to breathe.FEsgR
4MVv“Your Highness… does anyone else know this fact?”mf8W6I
7dVC99pRaymond asked after regaining his breath.dqt
b60jLucian shrugged.WcPK9w3
qEd6t“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?”XKx
p6xNN“Does the second prince himself know the truth about his lineage?”f85KLH
XKtP2Z“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.”D83
p8ujoBloodline secrets, curiously enough, were often guarded most carefully from the very person involved.ZsC6iK
I6KBZBeing 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.W2Kc
tZtU4“From what I saw, the second prince never doubted his own legitimacy. If he knew the truth, he would not appear so confident.”JCt
KlJlNZ“Uh… huff…”tRZ2
MSa2Raymond interrupted the conversation, unable to continue bearing the weight of the information.Z12qYgp
t1LAt 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.9I4RXS
jFEAX“Isn’t this far too dangerous?”272FP
whps1AHugo asked after several minutes, being the first to compose himself.3MoRw
sjXe“No matter how we think about it, this is not information that should be revealed just to win a political struggle.”SL2tY
38HsS“True.”lSkLHf
6n2mABLucian replied without hesitation.q954rRE
0IqxS“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?”7aQ
WHDvf“Difficult.”1QUp
zkH5eLucian was blunt.tdYE4Z
QPUT“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.”VXe
07nAnd the first prince was not someone who would leave in peace those who turned their backs on him.BkZA
H6tGOnce in power, he would initiate a great purge and stain the imperial palace with blood.hoqBeD
obILB8lTo survive, the nobles of the court would have no choice but to overthrow him.jDkP
Ewj“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.”3sy
qMX“Then what will become of the empire from now on?”qop7
28fIN7The second prince lacked legitimacy. The first had no support from the court.bss7
hYizbnaMost territorial nobles would not recognize a distant relative due to his weak legitimacy.HzRdU1
NQLPWith an unstable throne, control over the provinces would inevitably collapse, and the imperial magical artifacts would become useless.WDlVVd
Fp0MKP7Lucian already knew that future.6T8Pn
DHc“A true era of chaos will begin.”ZDbDd
bPHQJb***Dk9dO
bghIoOH“Why the hell won’t the Black Lions come?!”EKPx
Nm2Bang!K26dRQ
TxIR6oAIn Kelhaim, the heart of Valdeck, a furious Jordi slammed his fist down on the table.Ebgdzj
bS97The old rosewood desk could not withstand his strength and shattered into pieces.ElTeX7Y
FM9mq6“I am the owner of Valdeck now! I am the lord of the Black Lions! Then why aren’t they responding to the summons?!”SFB
HE8a“I have already explained the reason several times.”Lvq
tOmChief butler Edwin replied.SieqG
zks4Despite standing before a Jordi overflowing with killing intent, Edwin’s face remained expressionless.D99EFU
dCcO“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.”HMY7
ReMSojIn other words, they did not want to serve Jordi and had fled.IeV3
xnSLjFWThat reasoning only fueled his rage further.krr
8PaXw“Choose their lord? Since when can a knight choose his lord?!”g7YPvPS
wpB2j“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.”2gevP
1LtyT“Call me Grand Duke! I’ve warned you several times already and you still don’t listen!”MCekK
QyeX0jx“My apologies. With age, my memory is not what it used to be.”tFyrQA
TWyaOAAt Edwin’s brazen attitude, Jordi’s insides boiled, but there was no way for him to get rid of him.ru7qbE
NXBEdwin controlled Valdeck’s entire espionage network and its activities in the shadows.b0JqJ
tpXzWjLIf he dismissed him outright, the chain of command would collapse, and more than half of Valdeck’s power would evaporate into thin air.9AvC7o5
27o4tE‘Damn it, if only there were someone capable of replacing this man…!’oiw6Adw
p3bGrinding his teeth, Jordi finally let out a sigh and sank back into his chair.uFi
ulvJGnVEven if someone capable of replacing Edwin appeared, it would not solve all his problems.4snowB
2sNtThe Black Lions had openly turned their backs on him, and even among the knights, dissatisfaction toward him was evident.XWRNR2h
eMDNFiTristan, who had been expelled, lurked relentlessly around Kelhaim, searching for an opportunity to kill him.BCed
EMZyyEven 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.n9L3qyX
dtqSimply becoming the owner of Valdeck did not mean he could relax and enjoy power.h8hk
0zx‘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.’kWnA
HqEc6Thinking of Lucian made Jordi feel his headache return.TaOcJ6I
ZBD6rYhWhen he heard that the former emperor had granted him Asagrim, in the north, he could not help but scoff.Utf
skZNo matter how deep its history was, it was still a ruined land, completely uninhabited.cu8
JKENZdWith 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.Tmz9Aw
Boz‘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?’wvbQ
6o1kNSeeing Lucian suddenly become the absolute sovereign of the north had been madness for Jordi.8MGt
cAkBeing the lord of a region was not just a medal indicating strength.jT0ShD
JPCxIt meant becoming someone whom neighboring lords had to watch cautiously and constantly appease.3FHu
Af2In other words, when the time came, he would not attack alone, but at the head of a coalition.c5bN0
mBTprTo Jordi, Lucian represented a far more real threat than his other brothers.xrwru
ax9OYAll the more so because, unlike Lucian, Valdeck had lost all its alliances except that of the second prince.QJJ
I6mth‘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…?’ZuSYq
Xib“By the way, I have something to report to you, second young master.”ptae0i
WiAcLost in thought, Jordi frowned deeply at Edwin’s words.cLXsFw
UaTC90WDespite so many warnings, he was once again using the title “second young master” as if nothing were wrong.r0kfL
B16GfHowever, he was far too exhausted physically and mentally to argue about it again.tkvQ
0c1“What is it?”sxe
6yA“A suspicious visitor has arrived after a long time. He is still covered from head to toe in a black hood.”N3o
HAYF2M“…And why are you telling me this now? Bring him in immediately!”no0S
gSi0TOCJordi sprang to his feet, shouting urgently, as if all the previous frustration had vanished.i0yDQ
uXHvz6That “suspicious visitor” could only be someone sent by the second prince.Zqe
4D4r***f0P
1eJaeaL“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?”EUn3uW
huIG6d1Walking through the corridors of the imperial palace, the second prince, Cedric, muttered with a complicated expression.q1moQU
hZwgUnlike the Lucian he remembered, his political offensive was surprisingly poor.9ZSxREj
65x8Cg“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.”OLC
jaGMAO— He must have grown too confident after his successes in the north.0eWAy
vvjg5o3A shadow wavering behind him replied, brushing it off.lEXS4R
1xC4V— 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.O2PY7ra
2EI“That conclusion is hasty. There are too many suspicious points.”H7IXFwW
QqwCedric could not relax his frown despite his subordinate’s words.36rgrQl
eJK“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.”Y7tFZ
Upng2Even if it were revealed that he was keeping his brother under arrest, Lucian’s losses would be far greater.nuSbM0Q
YCNOaDHis 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.uSJTgnA
SUY7Thus, when Cedric ascended the throne, he would be left isolated without allies.m5Y
2nsN“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.”Orvu
JcaPThe problem was that it did not seem possible. By now, Lucian must also know that Cedric had completely won the struggle for succession.Yed0qy
RebVwsSo what hidden card did he have to appear so confident?Ka1c0
N2xGfy4— 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.E09
7lXa“Do so.”TcHJCbe
yMYrvTCedric 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.vmsJak
eRGPrecisely because of that distance, he doubted they knew each other’s most intimate affairs.wY7U
SXoDRo‘If only one person would cooperate, I wouldn’t have to go through all this…’zoMl0U
DbImAuvThinking 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.6Zo
3yZUO5UWhile lost in thought, Cedric arrived at his destination without realizing it.Gz90s
UrYoroZHe took a deep breath and knocked on the door of a small room located in a corner of the imperial palace.AWi
Y8Gaq“It’s Cedric. I’m coming in.”t2gysu
UzkzCHe 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.JQ0
kLi2KRAn ordinary person would have screamed and dodged the object, but Cedric remained still, letting it hit him squarely.RJWFKs
2r1YPuff.l2iwNcO
AZziZJust as he expected, it was nothing more than a soft pillow.Tjxd
ViHhHard or sharp objects had long since been removed, so there was not much else to throw.s6tvhT
14gPJudging 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.7A1xmC
nLvWith a faint smile, Cedric caught the pillow and tossed it into a corner before saying,FmET
FUltOAB“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.”A8a9y
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