Ch#164
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It wasn’t that he had perfect foresight. That would be an overstatement. He had simply formed a hypothesis based on how Claude conducted himself. However, there was a massive chasm between harboring a suspicion and confirming the cold reality.
“I discovered Lev while he was on the brink of death in the scorched woods.”
Claude replayed the words Ivan had spoken to Macauliffe. He had mentioned finding Lev in that specific location. At the time, Claude had assumed the knight was already a corpse when discovered. Macauliffe had clearly made the same assumption; it explained why he had been so frantic to know if the man was a ghost and if he was the only witness to the apparition.
“And so, I ensured he survived.”
Yuls kept his eyes fixed on Claude as he spoke. His stare was tranquil, yet it carried a piercing weight. Claude struggled to keep his features neutral, though a small crease formed between his brows. His fingers twitched against the chair’s armrest, betraying his inner agitation.
“Because no matter how I weighed the evidence, that wretch appeared to be the true antagonist.”
“……”
Claude remained silent. A thick, volatile tension filled the quiet chamber. It was Yuls who finally shattered the stillness.
“Claude, my dear cousin.”
Claude’s eyes sharpened with caution at the low, steady tone.
“I am keeping a meticulous record of this favor. You understand that, don’t you?”
“…What is your price?”
Claude eventually spoke.
“Are you making a demand that is within my power to grant?”
“Perhaps not at this moment, but the day will come when you can.”
“Just give it to me straight.”
Though his posture was rigid, he did not flinch. He wore a brittle, artificial grin, trying to project a confidence he didn’t feel. Yuls observed the desperate mask of control and the strangely guarded stance, wondering if he was finally seeing the authentic version of the prince.
“I.”
Yuls pondered if Claude would have been a different man had he been raised by someone other than Grimaldi. If the Margrave hadn’t been the one to place the current monarch on the throne, would Claude be more at peace?
“I refuse to let my lands or my subjects be tethered to or exploited by the Kingdom of Dalkatir.”
Yuls often felt a pang of sympathy for his cousin. But it ended there. Compassion was a separate matter from political necessity.
“Explain yourself.”
Claude, after all, played the part of a brotherly ally while simultaneously manipulating events for his own gain.
“Grant me the authority of independence.”
Initially, the concept didn’t register for Claude. Independence? While the nobility enjoyed autonomy over their fiefs, they were still bound by the reciprocal duties of their feudal oaths. True independence was a radical departure from simple self-governance.
His first absurd thought was that Yuls intended to seize a crown. But then, considering the man’s current standing, Claude narrowed his eyes in suspicion.
“…Are you demanding a Duchy?”
Yuls gave a soft, dry laugh. “You have your moments.”
“You’re quite perceptive for a member of the royal family.”
Claude felt a bitter twinge at the comment. He had spent his life honing that perception because he had to. His father, the King, had always viewed him as an unwanted irritation.
“Even if you enjoy playing the fool.”
“Be direct. Is it a Duchy you want?”
“When you ascend to the throne, I will pledge my fealty to you personally,” Yuls answered.
So he truly wanted the title of Duke? Claude didn’t find the prospect particularly daunting. Recognizing the South as a Duchy wouldn’t fundamentally alter their dynamic. However, Yuls’s subsequent clarification caught him completely off guard.
“But I will not be a subject of the Kingdom of Dalkatir.”
“That makes no sense. You’ll be loyal to me, yet not to the kingdom?”
“My goal isn’t a Duchy, Claude.”
A specific term suddenly crystallized in Claude’s mind.
“A Grand Duchy.”
That was it.
“Woodpecker’s own legislation, its own internal structure, and the authority to conduct its own foreign diplomacy.”
Claude wondered if the ambition stopped there.
“I am seeking total sovereignty, Claude.”
History was full of Grand Duchies that eventually transformed into independent kingdoms. It was a common occurrence across the Northern Continent. Claude was well aware that Woodpecker possessed the raw power to achieve such a transition.
“Do you honestly believe that’s achievable?”
That power was exactly why the reigning King would never allow it.
“I will make it achievable.”
“The King will never agree—”
“You.”
Yuls cut him off mid-sentence.
“Not the King. You are the one who will make this a reality.”
“I will be the one to secure your crown, not the Count.”
Claude knew he had to weigh his response with extreme care.
“Our feudal bond will remain intact. I have no desire to betray you, even if the connection is largely symbolic. I will remain your ally, and should Dalkatir face a crisis, I will honor our pact and come to your aid.”
The Count was also working to make him King, but his motives were a mystery. Claude couldn’t tell if the man sought power for Grimaldi, personal ego, or a way to spite the current King.
“However.”
In contrast, Yuls’s objective was transparent.
“I will not tolerate your interference.”
“So, you want a title that exists in name only.”
“Is that insufficient?”
The proposal was blunt. It was a demand for sovereignty that went beyond mere autonomy, offered in exchange for a nominal alliance. Claude debated the merits. For the long-term health of the realm, the Count might be the wiser path. But for his own immediate survival?
He had to decide if he cared more about what happened to the Kingdom of Dalkatir after his death, or the kingdom he would actually get to rule during his lifetime.
“Once we reach Pallesa Palace.”
Claude reached his decision.
“We will put this in writing.”
He felt no loyalty to a future he wouldn’t see.
“The moment I am King, I will elevate you to Grand Duke.”
He recognized his own limitations and the smallness of his own ambition, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.
*
By the following morning, the majority of the visiting nobles had departed. Claude remained for two extra days before heading toward Pallesa Palace with the capital knights. On the surface, the Knights of Pallesa Palace were still monitoring Adi, but in practice, they were simply ignoring her.
With the capital knights gone, Adi found she could move about with much more freedom. The only observers left were the people of Woodpecker or the palace guards. While there had been constant friction between the two groups back at the palace, being out in the field seemed to soften their edges; they shared a common background, and their current leniency felt bizarre to her.
Adi continued her work as an escort, and no one hindered her. Her reputation had been bolstered by the fact that she had protected the Duke when everyone else had been paralyzed. Even the knights, who had been skeptical before, now looked upon her with genuine respect.
“I intend to open a dialogue with the Count,” Yuls declared.
He sat with his inner circle of advisors. Adi stood nearby, fulfilling her role as his guard.
“I want to hear your thoughts on this.”
The staff understood his reasoning perfectly. It was about Adi. If the law took its course, she would face execution for treason. By the same token, the Count was guilty of the same crime against the Duke.
The upcoming proceedings at Pallesa Palace were going to be dominated by these charges.
For Adi, the consequences would end with her. But for the Count, the stakes were much higher. He had land, wealth, and countless subordinates. A treason conviction would strip his family of their status and honor. He would be put to death, and his kin would be cast into exile.
Given Yuls’s royal lineage, the entire Grimaldi line might even be wiped out. But what if the Duke simply chose to look the other way?
What if he offered a pardon on the condition that the Count formally recognized Adrina as his legitimate daughter?
“In a strange way, Sir Lev Zid has proven to be a very useful servant,” someone remarked.
The Count would never pass up a chance like this.
“He’s providing the Count with a lifeline even at the end, isn’t he?”
The weight of the situation pressed heavily on Adi. She stared hard at the floor, her eyes strained and weary. Her pupils flickered with emotion before she closed her eyes briefly. When she looked up again, she had forced her expression into a mask of calm.
“We will prepare a draft for the Count and present it for your review,” Dimitri stated.
The rest of the room signaled their agreement. There are moments when a person’s vulnerability is too painful to witness, making everyone in the room feel like an intruder. Yuls turned to look at Adi and nodded. “Very well.”
“You are all dismissed. Bring me the draft in a few hours.”
As the advisors stood up to leave, Adi tried to offer a smile, though it was clearly hollow. They all moved past her with practiced ease, pretending not to see her inner turmoil. They offered casual parting words to keep the atmosphere light. Bert was the last to go, giving her shoulder a quiet, supportive pat.
Despite their kindness, Adi was drowning in a sea of remorse.
“Adi.”
Yuls spoke her name once the room was empty.
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
“You are the reason I’m alive.”
She didn’t know how to answer, so she just looked at him.
“You saved me at Grimaldi, and you saved me again in the woods.”
She disagreed. In her mind, the disasters at Grimaldi and the forest were her fault. She believed that if she hadn’t been there, Yuls would never have been targeted by the Count or Lev.
“Don’t look at me like that.”
“…I’m not sure what my face is doing right now.”
Yuls looked up at her. Her jaw was set, and her skin was slightly flushed. She was trying so hard to be the stoic knight, but her feelings were bleeding through. Her eyes, in particular, were overflowing with a guilt she couldn’t hide.
She was still struggling to process her own heart, but she was slowly learning how to let her emotions surface.
“Perhaps it’s better that you don’t see it,” Yuls said, his voice light with a chuckle.
Adi found herself returning his smile.
“This time, I will be the one to protect you.”
Yuls reached out, his hand hovering for a second before his fingers brushed against hers. Then, he slowly and firmly took her hand in his.
“No matter what the future holds.”
He held her hand as if it were a priceless, fragile treasure.
“I will ensure that no one brings you pain or harm ever again.”
The red ruby ring glittered on her finger.
“Adrina.”
Yuls leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to the back of her hand. He held the kiss there for a long moment before pulling her hand up to rest against his cheek.
“Once this storm has passed.”
He looked into her eyes with a question.
“Will you formally become my fiancée?”