Chapter 12

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: The Empire's Shadow
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#12

A look of bewilderment appeared on the lords' faces.

It was an uncharacteristic entrance for the Grand General, who usually arrived early to observe the meetings with quiet discretion. Before their surprise could fade, Walter turned to the side and bowed respectfully to the woman who had entered with him.

“Please, enter, Your Highness.”

As he spoke, the woman behind him revealed herself, and the lords let out a collective breath that was somewhere between a sigh and a lament, their mouths agape.

Her hair, a mix of gray and gold, her deep golden eyes, and her almost pallidly white skin, combined with her sharp, upturned eyes, contributed greatly to her piercing image.

“This is the first time we're meeting like this. It's a pleasure to meet you all.”

The woman, who seemed to embody the features of the western nomads, captivated the eye with a beauty that was at once familiar and mysteriously enchanting.

Kill, who had been staring at her with wide eyes, soon narrowed them and let out a dry laugh. A sense of disbelief crossed his mind as he posed a question as politely as he could.

“I believe this is the first time we've met since you were three or four. Is Ansilla doing well?”

Lucy, unfazed, offered a gentle smile.

“She is quite well. It's a strange feeling to hear my mother's name spoken by someone of your renown. In fact, since leaving the palace, her complexion has improved wonderfully.”

A sense of dismay slowly spread among the lords who had been listening to their conversation as if enchanted.

They had finally grasped the origin of her exotic beauty and the identity of the unnamed woman.

Amid the murmurs, Lucy slowly lifted her head.

To take control of the atmosphere, she had to seize the initiative before the commotion died down. Lucy stared intently at Kill, contemplating how to steer the flow of the conversation.

Her opponent was an old statesman, unparalleled in political prowess; by no means an easy adversary. But in terms of years lived, he was a much younger man than Lucy. She was confident she wouldn't lose in a battle of words.

The outcome hinged on whether his pride was great enough to fall for her leading questions.

Goedel Kill.

The Kill Duchy, which monopolized the fertile plains and the Portmeier Strait, was one of the wealthiest territories in the kingdom from trade revenue alone. He was also the man who had brought prosperity to his domain by using the skills he'd honed dealing with merchant caravans to win over the capital's influential socialites.

Born the eldest son of a prestigious family, he had completed courses at the Military Academy and the Royal Academy before inheriting the family title without any hindrance. His path alone was enough to earn him the title of a noble among nobles.

The glory of his past, combined with his own achievements, gave him a dignity loftier than anyone else in the room.

However…

*That could also be his weakness.*

Most nobles live as a privileged class from birth. They feel they are of a fundamentally different breed than commoners.

They operate under the delusion that their subjects should naturally be beneath them and that their lofty lives will never be infringed upon until the day they die.

Duke Kill would be no different.

He had never once in his life met someone who dared to challenge his authority. Even the late King of Parnas had been cautious in his speech, wary of the Duke's reactions.

Outwardly, he always projected the image of a calm sage, feigning generosity, but inside, there was likely a serpent coiled, unwilling to have its high-mindedness violated.

How would he react if his authority were challenged?

Lucy watched him with a cautious gaze and carefully began to speak.

“I ask for your generous understanding for my sudden and rude intrusion.”

She lifted the hem of her white dress and bowed her head politely. Perhaps it was her imagination, but the stinging gazes directed at her seemed to soften just a little.

“I have heard about the current situation at the royal palace from the Grand General. I hesitated, thinking this was no place for an ignorant person like myself, but I have made my decision and now stand before you.”

“I am quite curious as to what your decision is. Seeing as you've come all this way accompanied by the Grand General, it must be no small matter.”

Kill rose from his seat and stared at Lucy with sharp eyes. His calm tone was devoid of emotion, as if he were genuinely curious.

“I am unlearned, so my words may be rather blunt. Will you be able to tolerate them?”

“Generosity shown to one so young can hardly be considered a courtesy. I will take what you say with a grain of salt, so speak freely.”

Lucy bit her lip, cautiously gauging his reaction.

The ability to conceal any hint of arrogance, despite being in a position where he could be more arrogant than anyone—that was why Kill could be the chairman.

He would likely use his maturity as a weapon to refute her arguments.

To guide the flow in her favor, it was more practical to wear a different mask, not that of Arsinoe the individual.

“To leave the throne vacant and neglect the royal palace for so long—is this not an unprecedented event?”

Lucy's voice changed, taking on an interrogative tone as she continued.

“I've heard that you haven't even decided how to deal with foreign envoys, and have been postponing diplomatic responses day after day. Setting aside my personal position, as a citizen of this kingdom, I lament the indecisiveness of you lords.”

“…Hah.”

Kill opened his mouth, then closed it again.

Though her words were rather audacious, they were all true, so he could not deny them. But he wasn't the only one who felt animosity toward her bluntness.

The lords stared at Lucy with gazes that had grown colder. Lucy clasped her hands and stood before the table with a polite demeanor.

“However, I can also understand your position, my lords. With the royal family having collapsed, you must be struggling to decide whom to endorse as the new king.”

Kill watched her with narrowed eyes, suppressing a scoff.

If her next words were a declaration that she would become queen, the other lords would step forward to condemn her, not him.

No matter how much protection she had from the Grand General, it was absurd for a half-baked royal like her to claim the throne.

However, her next words instantly wiped the smile from Kill's face.

“Considering your standing and your contributions to the kingdom, by my standards, I believe the person most suited to be king in this room is you, Duke Kill.”

The air froze at the statement, so out of place in the current situation.

Walter, who had been standing by and observing the situation, stepped in front of her with a hardened expression.

“Your Highness. That is not right. I brought you…”

“But there will be those who doubt Duke Kill's suitability. Our Grand General is one, as are some of the lords present here, and most importantly, so are the people of the kingdom.”

Lucy kept her eyes fixed on Kill's face as she squeezed Walter's hand reassuringly.

The situation was unfolding strangely, contrary to Walter's intention to handle things himself, so he must have been flustered. Walter glanced back and forth between her hand and Kill with sharp eyes, then gave a slight heave of his chest to show his forbearance.

“Why do you think the people of the kingdom would reject me?”

Kill asked in a calm tone, his arms crossed.

His tone had shifted to an informal one, and his eyes, as he looked at Lucy, were clearly testing her.

Instead of calling him rude, Lucy explained in a gentle tone.

“They won't exactly reject you, Your Grace. The Kill family is a renowned house, famous even to those ignorant of politics. However... the timing is not good. With a war between two neighboring countries that could break out at any moment, if the nation's leader changes, all sorts of conspiracy theories will circulate among the people.”

“Rumors among the masses last three months at most.”

“It seems you are unaware of the rumors circulating about Dopein, Your Grace.”

“…Dopein?”

Kill furrowed his brow slightly with a baffled expression. He couldn't understand what rumors from another country had to do with the current topic.

Lucy glanced at Walter before turning her gaze back to the assembly.

Perhaps they had been too focused on internal affairs to pay attention to the outside world, but it seemed not a single noble here was aware of the rumors.

“The relationship between Dopein and Antevasila deteriorated because Dopein provoked Antevasila, claiming they had first violated their territorial rights. This is a well-known fact. But as you all know, Dopein is the militarily weakest of the three nations.”

Why would the weakest of the three nations provoke the strongest?

The answer to this fundamental question was simply that tensions had reached a boiling point. Dopein and Antevasila, originally one nation split into east and west, had kept each other in check for ages.

People said that what was bound to happen had happened, and they naturally predicted that Antevasila would win.

But is that truly the case?

“I spent the last two years living in Pomnos, watching the world go by, and in the last year, I noticed some rather interesting movements.”

“Pomnos… in the north? Why in a city of the Raphi?”

Duke Witten, who had been sitting and watching them intently, stroked his cheek and interjected. The image of the late king throwing a tantrum over his missing favorite concubine flashed through Witten's mind.

*So this is where she ran off to? Hiding in Pomnos?*

He looked at Lucy with curious eyes and posed a question.

“So, what did you discover in Pomnos?”

“I heard the Empire is conscripting large numbers of Lycans as forced laborers. They call it conscription, but it's really forced abduction. The oppression of other races was already severe, but I hear it has become even harsher recently.”

The Lycans, drafted as porters and galley slaves, were worked to death one after another, receiving no pay and not even proper meals.

This was the reason for the increase in Lycan refugees, and why the Lycans living on the border went all the way to Pomnos to ask Lucy for asylum.

The reason the Empire was conscripting Lycans was…

“Those Lycan slaves were being sent to Dopein.”

Witten, who had been watching Lucy with cold eyes, let out a gasp, his mouth falling open.

“Are you saying that the Empire is behind the war between the two countries?”

Lucy slowly nodded her head.