Chapter 47

Lucian didn’t stop there. Looking around at the other lords, he added.

“The same goes for the rest of you. Even if the advice was offered in loyalty, it ended up offending the commander-in-chief, His Highness the First Prince, and you must bear the consequences. There’s no need for anyone to defend me.”

“Ah, no…”

“Still…”

“I’ll say it again—I understand this decision and I accept it. So I’d appreciate it if nothing unnecessary is said.”

With that firm warning, Lucian exited the tent, and the color drained from the lords’ faces.

Though spoken in gentle words, it was nothing less than a clear warning: if they tried to put him at the front again, he wouldn’t let it slide.

Under those conditions, there was no longer any way to try to change the First Prince’s mind under the pretense of benefiting House Valdeck.

‘This is madness. What are we supposed to do now?’

‘What else? All that’s left is to pray to the eight gods of the sky.’

‘Maybe it’d be better if I angered His Highness too and got myself pulled out…’

‘You want your whole house blacklisted? Don’t be stupid. Sit tight.’

Amid the murmurs of the lords, the marquis stood up, staggering.

How the hell had it come to this?

At first, his only goal had been to end the war quickly and minimize expenses.

But now, it was no longer about money or anything like it—he was about to watch the elite troops of his house be wasted for nothing.

‘If only I hadn’t been so hostile from the beginning…’

If he had even slightly acknowledged the validity of Lucian’s words, even with empty pleasantries—

If he had said he understood the concern and maybe retreating was better—

If he had done that, he could’ve taken that very stance now without issue.

But after openly opposing Lucian in front of everyone, that option had completely vanished.

Now, no matter what happened, he had no choice but to follow that incompetent First Prince.

‘…Now that I think about it, wasn’t there a saying that a lord who’s too smart or too foolish is never good for his vassals?’

The marquis recalled a phrase his father had taught him long ago.

A smart lord controls his vassals completely.

A foolish lord drags his vassals into the pit he falls into.

Most of his late father’s advice had become life lessons, but he had never fully understood that phrase.

He always thought the dumber the lord, the easier it was to manipulate him.

‘Is this what he meant…?’

The marquis let out a hollow laugh at the sight of himself being dragged into the pit.

Having backed the First Prince thinking he would be easy to control had completely backfired.

It was all the result of his own choices.

All he could do now was pray that the pit wasn’t too deep.

***

Despite the First Prince’s abuse, no one came to Lucian’s defense.

Or, to be precise, even if they wanted to, they couldn’t.

Neither the First Prince, who had given the order, nor Lucian, who had been affected by it, wanted anyone to intervene.

If someone tried to defend him, they’d be marked by both sides.

And so, the lords had no choice but to watch as Lucian was pushed aside, swallowing their frustration.

All except one.

“Brother, this isn’t right.”

The next day, just as they were preparing to discuss the army’s next movements, the Second Prince—who had remained silent until then—stepped forward.

As he straightened the back he had kept slightly hunched, his imposing height and presence became clear.

At the sight, the First Prince scowled harshly.

“What now? You’ve stayed quiet all this time, and now you’re making a scene?”

“At first, I thought after a day passed, elder brother, you would calm down and retract the order.”

“And since I didn’t, you’ve decided to step in? With what authority? Do you even hold a position to do that?”

The Second Prince had accompanied the First Prince only as support, without any official position.

In rank, he was just below him, but he had no right to interfere in military decisions.

Even so, the Second Prince was not intimidated and met his brother’s gaze.

“I don’t hold an official position. But as a member of the imperial family, it is my duty to step in when you stray from the right path.”

“What did you just say? That I’ve strayed from the right path?”

“Yes. House Valdeck, the greatest contributor of military merit and the most loyal vassal of the Empire—even if they had made a mistake, they should not be treated this way. And yet, just for speaking the truth, you’ve cast them aside. I beg you to reconsider your order.”

“Are you lecturing me now? Suggesting that you know the right path and I don’t?”

The First Prince shouted, completely enraged, but the Second Prince didn’t back down.

Instead, as if to prove his sincerity, he dropped to his knees and raised his voice even more.

“People are not perfect. Sometimes it takes courage to listen to those around us and correct a wrong decision.”

“Shut up! From the sound of it, you’re scared that House Valdeck’s forces have withdrawn. If you’re so scared, then you stay in the rear too! I’ll handle everything myself!”

“Brother!”

“Prepare for the march! We’ll advance as fast as possible, secure drinking water at the next village, and then march straight to Bodium to take the fortress!”

As if he didn’t want to hear anything more, the First Prince brought the war council to an end.

The sudden dispute between the two princes left the feudal lords wearing uncomfortable expressions.

They would never have imagined that the Second Prince—who had until now stayed quiet and out of the spotlight—had such a side to him.

‘What was that? A sincere attempt at counsel? Or a ploy to stand out by seizing the moment?’

‘I don’t know if the Second Prince desires the imperial throne, or if he truly has no ambition for power.’

It wasn’t a trivial matter—it was far too serious to be talked about lightly, so there were no murmurs.

Amid that uncomfortable atmosphere, the feudal lords quietly left the tent one by one.

Lucian also stepped out, blending in among them.

“Duke Lucian.”

The Second Prince, Cedric, approached Lucian with an apologetic expression.

Lucian immediately bowed his head to him.

“My respects to the Second Prince.”

“No need to be so formal. I came precisely to apologize, and if you bow like that, you’ll only make it harder for me.”

“Apologize? Why would Your Highness apologize to me?”

“I wanted to say that I’m sorry I wasn’t able to restore your honor. Forgive me.”

“There’s no need for concern.”

“How could I not be concerned? A loyal servant of the Empire was treated in such a way…”

“That’s not what I meant.”

Lucian gave a faint smile at Cedric’s continued apologies.

“I meant that I’ve already achieved my goal of being reassigned to the rear guard, so there’s no need to say anything further.”

“…!”

For a moment, Cedric froze in place.

Just as he was about to grow angry and ask what he meant by that, Lucian added:

“The First Prince is walking a truly dangerous path. Now that the Great Accord has been broken, we don’t know how the enemy will react—and yet he’s marching straight into their trap.”

“Are you implying that I used you to guarantee my own safety?”

“At the very least, you must have heard that I didn’t want to be defended. Even if you hadn’t, someone as perceptive as Your Highness would have known it.”

“Duke Lucian, I fear you are gravely mistaken.”

Cedric looked Lucian in the eye and spoke firmly.

“I stepped forward only out of fear that the relationship between sovereign and vassal would suffer irreparable harm. I didn’t do it to use you for my own safety. I don’t care if you take offense—but I would hate for you to believe I used you.”

“If it displeased Your Highness, I offer my apologies. However, since things have come to this, I suppose I should begin preparing for the march as well.”

“Preparing for the march? But by my brother’s order, you must remain in the rear guard.”

“But that won’t be the case for long, will it? If the order comes, I’ll be ready to deploy as a reinforcement at any moment, so please don’t worry.”

With those ambiguous words, Lucian turned and walked away from Cedric.

Cedric didn’t take his eyes off his back until he had completely vanished from sight.

***

A while later, after Lucian had left, Cedric loosened his tense expression and let out a sigh.

“Lucian Valdeck… is a truly terrifying man.”

— Terrifying, you say? In my eyes, he’s just an arrogant man. One who failed to recognize the true value of his lord and jumped to conclusions on his own.

Cedric’s shadow twisted, and a low voice emerged as if someone were hidden inside it.

It was an eerie scene.

Cedric walked slowly toward a secluded corner and replied to the shadow.

“Arrogant? What a strange comment. In the conversation just now, it was precisely my arrogance that he pointed out.”

— …Forgive my ignorance, but I find it difficult to understand your words, my lord.

“Anyone with a little intelligence could have deduced that I was using him. But realizing what would come afterward is something else entirely.”

— What do you mean, what comes afterward?

“Rescuing my brother.”

Everything had already strayed from the original plan.

Could the First Prince, Claude, really suppress the rebellion by relying solely on the size and quality of his troops?

“It’s impossible. Even if no one dares say it aloud, everyone knows. This campaign to suppress the rebellion will fail. My brother will be defeated. The only question is how badly.”

If the enemy were to defeat the coalition and capture Claude alive, it would be ideal.

But what if, blinded by resentment, they lost their minds and beheaded him?

Cedric didn’t even want to imagine such a situation.

“If it ended with the Empire losing prestige, we’d still be lucky. In the worst-case scenario, His Majesty would go mad with rage and raze Kreppelt, draining the last of the Empire’s strength. And after that, what do you think would happen?”

The Empire was already short on resources.

If it recklessly tore away its last remaining supports out of anger, it would collapse completely.

That’s why Cedric had to save Claude at all costs.

As long as Claude lived, the Emperor might retain some sense.

“If my brother suffers defeat and his life is threatened, he’ll come to his senses and order a retreat. But just in case, reinforcements must be ready at the right time.”

— Don’t tell me you’re thinking of sending that man as a reinforcement?

“Not just any army. We’re talking about the one thousand elites of House Valdeck. They’re more than enough to rescue a single brother in danger.”

Having grasped the situation to some extent, Cedric had stepped back to the rear, using Lucian as an excuse.

There was no reason to stick his neck into danger and create more problems.

At the same time, he approached Lucian—who held troops under his command—with the intention of earning his personal favor.

In an emergency, asking for help from someone you’d bonded with was far better than ordering them with authority.

“But he saw through all of it. Not just that I mentioned him to pull back, but that I invoked sincerity to win his favor—and that I planned to use that favor later to ask him to rescue my brother.”

— …

“When he said at the end that he’d prepare for the march, he was mocking me. As if to say, don’t pretend to be sincere after doing something you didn’t even want to do. That there’s no need. That when the time comes, he’ll send the troops without complaint.”

Cedric let out a deep sigh and looked up at the sky.

Had anyone ever seen through his schemes so completely?

He had always thought himself the best at manipulating people through strategy.

“Truly, the world is vast. I’m embarrassed to have believed I was someone special.”

— What will you do?

“What do I do? About Duke Lucian?”

— If he’s so dangerous perhaps it would be best to eliminate him ahead of time…

“Forget it. If you reach into a hornet’s nest without care, neither of us will get out unharmed.”

At the shadow’s suggestion, Cedric gave a bitter smile.

Lucian was a man who, after unraveling all of Cedric’s intentions, had stood before him without hiding anything.

If he had been that open knowing he’d be monitored, he undoubtedly had countermeasures in place.

“If he became an enemy, he’d be more dangerous than anyone. He must be made into an ally—no matter what it takes.”

And more than anything, having someone of his caliber as an ally would be a tremendous asset in Cedric’s path to the throne.

Cedric’s eyes gleamed with a fierce hunger for talent as he looked toward the place where Lucian had disappeared.