Chapter 104 : Chapter 104

Chapter 104. Omens of Upheaval

In the royal capital of Orlandia, outside the heavy oak doors of the Prime Minister’s office, a young guard dressed in court attendant’s uniform came to a halt.

He drew a deep breath, but the fear on his face was impossible to hide.

He forced a pleasing smile at the knights standing on either side.

Then, after a moment of hesitation, he raised his hand and lightly knocked on the door.

“Enter.”

A calm yet deeply authoritative voice came from within. It belonged to Duke Federico La Roche, Prime Minister of the Kingdom.

The guard pushed the door open and stepped inside, his movements so cautious that he scarcely dared make the slightest unnecessary sound.

Lowering his head, he hurried to the great desk, not daring to meet the eyes of the old man who held the kingdom’s power in his grasp.

Federico raised his head and swept his gaze over the newcomer.

He recognized that face. It belonged to a collateral descendant of the Montauban Family.

At present, he served in the palace as the King’s cupbearer, a trivial figure, yet one who, at certain moments, could come close to the center of power.

“P-Prime Minister,” the guard said, his voice tight with obvious nervousness.

“Summer has arrived. His Majesty the King... has decided to hold a hunting contest in the Royal Forest this afternoon.

“To... to pray for the gods’ protection over the peace of the kingdom.

“His Majesty... and the assembled ministers wish to invite you to attend.”

Federico’s gray eyes remained calm and unreadable as he merely looked at the guard without answering at once.

That silence doubled the guard’s pressure, and cold sweat nearly broke across his brow.

Only after a moment did Federico slowly speak, his voice devoid of emotion.

“Who else has been invited?”

As if he had been granted a pardon, the guard let out a hurried breath of relief and answered more quickly.

“In reply to Your Grace, His Highness Prince Aiden will naturally accompany His Majesty.

“In addition, the heads of the noble houses of the Royal Domain, as well as the ministers of the cabinet, will all be present.”

Federico’s gaze lowered slightly and fell upon an unfinished report on his desk, while his fingertip tapped it lightly once.

A hunt that would gather nearly every core figure of power in the royal capital...

Though the King had often used one pretext or another to hold various banquets before, never had the attendance been so complete, and never at such a sensitive moment.

His keen political instincts immediately caught the scent of something unusual.

But he could not refuse to go.

The King had invited him personally, and nearly every important minister would be there.

As Prime Minister of the Kingdom, if he were to absent himself from so grand an event personally presided over by the King, that absence itself would become a powerful political signal.

It would spark endless speculation and might even be used against him by his enemies.

“Very well.” Federico raised his head, with not the slightest trace of anything unusual on his face.

“Inform His Majesty that I will arrive on time.”

“Yes! Prime Minister! The Royal Forest awaits your honored presence!” The guard felt as though a great burden had been lifted from him and hurriedly bowed.

He nearly backed out of the office, then carefully closed the door behind him.

After the faint click of the door shutting, silence returned to the room.

Yet Federico’s gaze did not return to the documents. Instead, it remained calmly fixed on the closed door.

After a moment of silence, he suddenly raised his voice toward the outside.

“Attend me.”

The office door was pushed open, and a personal guard clad in dazzling armor bearing the golden lion crest strode in and saluted with a fist to his chest.

“My lord!”

“Go and tell Tos,” Federico said in a low voice.

“Have him keep a close watch on the Royal Capital Garrison. Without my direct order, no one is to move them, and under no circumstances are they to act rashly.

“Also have the troops in our camp outside the city make ready.”

The guard’s expression sharpened at once, and his eyes turned keen, instantly recognizing the urgency of the matter.

Without asking a single unnecessary question, he immediately answered in a deep voice,

“By your command, my lord!”

He saluted again, then turned and strode away.

Federico rubbed the golden lion ring on his right hand several times before speaking again.

“Go and summon Count Bos to see me at once!”

“By your command, my lord!” came the answering voice of another attendant from outside the door, followed by the rapid sound of retreating footsteps.

Count Bos was the strongest and most trusted of the vassals Federico had brought with him from the Western Frontier.

He was also one of the Western Frontier’s titled knights, bearing the title of the Cinderblade Knight.

At the same time, deep inside another luxurious estate in the royal capital, within the study of the Montauban Family,

the heavy curtains had been drawn halfway shut, leaving the room dim.

Several figures stood gathered together, speaking in hushed voices as they plotted in secret.

“Father, do we... truly have to do this? That is... a duke, and the Prime Minister...”

A somewhat hesitant female voice rang out, filled with unease.

What answered her was a steadier voice, though one that could not conceal its bone-deep hatred for Federico.

“Yes. We must strike first.

“Bernard’s people have discovered that old lion... Federico... has been making frequent moves lately, as though he is shifting things in secret.

“If we continue sitting by and doing nothing, then by the time he finishes preparing everything...

“the next ones to suffer will most likely be us.”

The speaker was none other than the head of the Montauban Family, the former Prime Minister of the Kingdom from the Royal Domain—Marquess Cons Montauban.

“But, Father,” another young voice spoke up again. It belonged to the Marquess’s son.

“We truly were not involved in the Queen’s matter...

“He should not target us for no reason, should he? And besides, over in the Eastern Frontier, Duke Russell’s side...”

“Utterly foolish! Hopelessly naive! Vilus! How could I have a son like you!”

Marquess Cons’s voice carried the sharp rebuke of a father furious at his child’s inadequacy.

“Remember this well: the truth has never mattered!

“What matters is what the kingdom’s nobles and citizens believe, what he believes, and what he can use that belief to do!

“Can you guarantee that old lion, who is already half a step from the grave, would show mercy to nobles of the Royal Domain like us?

“As for the Eastern Frontier... the Eastern Frontier now... in any case, they cannot give us much support.”

At that moment, another voice cut in, calm and level.

“Lady Livia, Young Master Vilus, please rest assured.

“This matter has already been planned thoroughly since the moment he entered the royal capital. There is no chance of failure.

“On top of that, that old lion Federico has been acting arbitrarily and without restraint for some time now. He has long since provoked public outrage.

“This time, he must be made to pay the price.”

Vilus Montauban, who had earlier voiced his concerns, still seemed somewhat uneasy.

“But... the Royal Capital Garrison is already firmly in the hands of that old lion’s trusted men.

“The deputy commander of the garrison, Marquess Leon—Lady Livia’s husband—seemed to have held talks with him before as well...

“If we move the family troops, there is no way he would not know...

“And besides, their Western Frontier troops are still occupying the camps outside our city... if he decides to move his forces...”

The moment Lady Livia heard Leon mentioned, she shot to her feet in anger.

“Vilus, what do you mean by that!”

Then she turned to Cons. “Father, please trust me. Leon will listen to me!”

“Listen to you? Hah, then—”

“Enough! All of you, be silent!”

By this point, Marquess Cons had already raised a hand to cover his eyes.

He could not understand how a man whose entire life had been full of schemes and intrigues could have children this... childish.

It seemed that among those who carried Montauban blood, the only truly clever ones were his grandson, Kellers, heir of the Black Family,

and his grandson Kane Montauban, in whom he took such pride. Could intelligence really skip a generation?

That calm voice spoke again, easing the tension in the room.

“Please, everyone, calm yourselves. Lord Vilus, sometimes, when it comes to killing someone...

“you do not need a naked blade. Poison, public opinion, pressure, even a single sentence—any of those can do the job.”

“That is enough.” Marquess Cons cut off their discussion, his tone allowing no argument.

“The Roman Family and the Memphis Family of the Royal Domain have already sent me their replies. Earlier, I had also already reached a preliminary agreement with the envoy from the Eastern Frontier.

“His Highness Aiden... neutral Bernard, the Graham Family, and Leon... they are indeed somewhat troublesome.”

At that, Vilus jumped to his feet excitedly.

“Father, the nobles of the Royal Domain have intermarried for generations. They will definitely help us. I can go persuade them!”

Cons was already used to his son’s foolish remarks.

“You idiot. It is precisely because the nobles of the Royal Domain have intermarried for generations that their choice of neutrality is itself a rejection of us.

“Remember this well! When you are in conflict, and your friend chooses neutrality,

“whether intentionally or not, they have already taken the side of your opponent.”

Used to being cursed by his father, Vilus scratched his head and finally seemed to understand.

Cons sighed helplessly and turned to the middle-aged man who had been watching this loving father-and-son spectacle with a smiling expression.

“Bernard, personally arrange for reliable men to travel in secret to the Southern Frontier as fast as possible.

“They must see Duke Hackson and deliver both our plan and... our sincerity to him.”

Yes, the owner of that calm voice was none other than Bernard, the current Minister of Intelligence of the Kingdom.

Called by name, Bernard, the Minister of Intelligence of the Kingdom, gave a slight bow.

There was not the slightest expression on his face, and his voice remained steady and emotionless.

“Yes, my lord. I shall obey your command.”