Peleus met Medeia’s gaze. In his sister's green eyes, there was neither trembling nor hesitation.
Despite having been exploited more than anyone by the Regent Duke’s family, Medeia analyzed the situation coldly rather than being swept away by emotion. She calculated the Eastern Emperor’s reaction and even factored in the disposal of the Castulo Grand Duke.
Her vision was excessively broad and meticulous for a mere seventeen-year-old.
Peleus could have been wary of such extraordinary wit, but instead, he felt only surprise and sorrow.
*‘Dea, you have grown so much. How much persecution and hardship must you have endured alone while your brother was away?’*
The desperation of seeking only what was best for Baldina hung upon her small shoulders. Recognizing that weight, Peleus’s handsome brow furrowed slightly.
*‘Dea, I wanted you alone to be free from this yoke.’*
It resembled the burden of the young boy leading Baldina's army, who once had to head to the battlefield leaving even his sister behind. At the same time, Peleus understood that cold reality could not be changed merely through wishes and lamentation.
For his sister’s sake, and for the sake of this land’s future, Baldina could not stop now.
“Do as the Princess says.”
Peleus’s grave voice settled over the room.
***
*Clop, clop. Clop, clop.*
The sound of hoofbeats thundering against the ground was incessant.
The one riding was Count Kensington, returning to her home country with the letter from the King of Baldina. To be more precise, the expression "deported" would have been more accurate.
“Commander, why don't you take a short rest? If you keep riding without sleeping or resting like this, you’ll collapse before you even reach the Imperial Palace.”
Umberto advised Kensington. Kensington shook her head.
“I must reach the Imperial Palace as soon as possible. His Majesty’s rage will be no small matter, so I must devise a countermeasure as quickly as possible.”
Thus, she arrived at the Imperial City in a dead run, entering the office of the Kazen Emperor.
“Have some tea, Kensington.”
Kensington sat down, hiding her anxious heart. The Chief Attendant approached and poured the tea.
Iason was also present. After being expelled from Baldina, he had returned to Kazen and been summoned by the Emperor. Their reflections on the gilded statues in the office appeared slightly distorted.
The Emperor’s envoy, who had traveled to Baldina, handed the King of Baldina’s letter to Perdicas II.
The Emperor’s hands trembled as he received the letter. The ripples in the teacup on the table surged violently. And just as Kensington had expected, Perdicas II flew into a rage.
“They want the Strait! Have these mad Baldina bastards grown their brains outside their heads?!”
A glittering statue was smashed to pieces by the staff Perdicas II swung, unable to contain his fury.
“What did they say? Does Peleus, that green brat, think the Anfron gold mines are not enough to satisfy him?!”
The Emperor asked the envoy through narrowed eyes.
The Elamuz Strait!
While the task of subjugating the indigenous people there remained, the importance of the region's location was second to none. Since Baldina demanded that strategic point, it felt like a sharp, stinging blow to a spot he hadn't expected.
The Emperor’s envoy stuttered.
“H-He said to t-tell you that the p-price is set by the s-seller….”
“What? This arrogant—! Peleus, you are indeed as wicked as your father. Now that you have the plains in your hand, do you see nothing else? You wretched brat who wouldn't die even if cast into fire!”
He roared in anger.
The Elamuz Strait would provide a lifeline for Baldina. Knowing this, the Emperor felt as if his heart were rotting at the thought of handing it over with his own hands.
*‘Had the King of Baldina considered even this point when he demanded the Strait from me?’*
A chilling tension ran down Perdicas II’s spine. This young brat had never even met him face-to-face. Nevertheless, from the distant land of Baldina, he had uncannily identified the maximum line Perdicas II could yield and demanded exactly that.
He shuddered at that insight and shameless cunning.
When weighing the Strait against Claudio, the Emperor’s heart was forced to lean toward Claudio. He had not yet abandoned his obsession with the Philosopher’s Stone.
*‘The Philosopher’s Stone…. There is no way that arrogant King of Baldina will ever hand it over obediently.’*
Therefore, the only way for Perdicas II to obtain the Philosopher’s Stone was to pull Peleus down. To do that, Samon Claudio had to survive.
*‘I must also consider Angelique’s reputation.’*
He had to settle the matter before rumors spread further within Kazen. Since there was also the request from his favored Eastern Empress, he had a duty to protect his daughter as much as possible and bring her back to the Empire.
Perdicas II let out a sigh.
“Those clever Baldina wretches are playing a truly cunning hand. Knowing that I have no choice but to yield, he is trying to play right on top of my head!”
On the red carpet, Kensington listened to the Emperor’s words as he droned on with curses toward Peleus.
“…….”
Beneath her neatly folded hands, an invisible finger twitched.
*‘It is not so, Your Majesty. The one who devised all these moves was not the King of Baldina, but his sister, the Princess.’*
Kensington knew. She had seen and experienced it firsthand in Baldina. So she could tell. The one who drove the situation so that Perdicas II had no choice but to accept this demand was, once again, the Princess.
“…….”
However, instead of correcting her lord’s misconception, Kensington remained silent. It was unlike her, and even Kensington herself could not properly explain the reason. Recalling the Princess’s vivid green eyes, Kensington soon cleared her thoughts.
In the meantime, the Chief Attendant approached the Emperor, who was trembling with rage, and whispered in his ear.
“Your Majesty, a message has arrived from the Holy Kingdom. They wish to celebrate the 4th Imperial Princess’s joyous news and offer a quiet blessing.”
“Dammit! Do they think I won't handle it myself without them saying so? It’s a riot both inside and out!”
He did not hide his irritation. He recognized the inner thoughts of the sly Pope, who sought not to miss an excuse to interfere in Kazen’s internal affairs.
Galling his lip, Perdicas II spoke to the envoy.
“Go to Baldina immediately, settle this matter, and bring Angelique and those Claudio wretches back. As quickly as possible!”
The envoy hesitated.
“I-In that case, what shall we do about their demands?”
Perdicas II’s face contorted. It was rare for him, the supreme ruler of Kazen and hegemon of the continent, to reveal his emotions to such an extent.
“Tell them I accept.”
He ground his teeth.
*‘Once I have the Philosopher’s Stone in my hands….’*
Baldina would pay the price for its current petty schemes. He wouldn't even need to use Kazen’s spears and blades; the demonic beasts would trample that land into the ground.
“Yes.”
The envoy hurried out with bowed head.
A short silence hung over the room. The Emperor turned around. His sharp eyes scanned back and forth between Iason, standing on the red carpet, and the letter from Baldina.
His nephew appeared haggard beyond comparison to when he had first left the Empire as part of the delegation. In truth, Iason’s return journey had been truly grueling. He had been driven out, monitored by the Agema who radiated killing intent all the way to the Baldina border.
After losing his final shadow guard to Peleus, the only ones left by his side were his strategist and the Varangian unit. Even they had been struck by Giliphos and the Agema, with only about half surviving.
*“You all hide yourselves again. I will try to divert my uncle’s eyes somehow.”*
To hide the existence of the Varangians, Iason had sent even them away and had to return to the Imperial City exposed to all sorts of threats and assassination attempts targeting him. He felt as if he were naked. He never wanted to experience such misery and humiliation again, having exhausted every card he held.
However, Iason did not know. His suffering was not over yet.
“Iason, what on earth were you thinking?”
Perdicas II looked down at Iason with disapproval.
“Your Majesty. I….”
*Snap!*
Before Iason could even move his lips, Perdicas II hurled the letter from Baldina in front of him.
“Iason, the reparations demanded by Baldina are more than I or the Imperial Family can handle.”
Iason was shocked by the numbers written on the golden paper, but a moment later, a bolt from the blue fell.
“I shall reclaim the Castulo Grand Duchy.”
“Uncle!”
Iason was struck dumb.
“The Baldina Royal Family is slandering me! You must not fall for the shameless schemes of those who seek to fill a national treasury impoverished by war with absurd reparations.”
“Whether it is truth or exaggeration, I cannot be at odds with Baldina on your behalf. Since Angelique’s situation is involved, you surely understand.”
Before Iason could make an excuse, Perdicas II ruthlessly cut him off.
“Since it is a deed you committed, you must bear the responsibility yourself. Am I wrong?”
“I will procure the reparations somehow. So please, withdraw the Imperial decree to reclaim the territory. Uncle, your nephew begs of you.”
Iason did not give up. Normally, he would have lowered his tail and behaved himself under the Emperor’s sharp gaze. But the Castulo Grand Duchy was his final stronghold. It was a grand territory ranked among the top five in the Empire for tax revenue.
Even if the result of the trip to Baldina was painful and his cards were exhausted, it was fine. Although it would take some time, he could accumulate strength and leap forward again as much as he wanted in the Castulo territory.
But the reclamation of the territory itself meant that the very nest where Iason could grow was disappearing.
“A full twenty years of tax revenue? There is no time. Do you have some other way to procure the reparations?”
“…….”
Iason could not answer. The fact that the Castulo territory was one of the wealthiest places in the Empire paradoxically stabbed him in the back.
