Chapter 12
#12
A look of bewilderment spread across the lords' faces.
It was an unlike appearance for the Grand General, who always seemed to arrive beforehand and observe the meeting as if he were not there. Before the surprise could fade, Walter turned his body to the side and bowed to the woman who had entered with him.
"Please come in, Princess."
As the woman behind him revealed herself with his words, the lords opened their mouths and let out a breath that was somewhere between a sigh and a lament.
Hair that was half gray and half gold, golden eyes of a deeper hue, and skin so pale it was almost white, all contributed greatly to a sharp image, along with her upturned eyes.
"It's my first time greeting you like this. I'm glad to see you all."
The woman, who seemed to have directly transplanted the characteristics of the western nomads, captivated the eyes with a beauty that was somehow familiar yet mysterious.
Kill, who had been staring at her with wide eyes, narrowed his eyes and let out a hollow laugh. With a feeling of disbelief, he asked as politely as possible.
"It seems like the first time I've seen you since you were three or four years old. Is Ansila doing well?"
Lucy smiled softly without panicking.
"She is doing well, without incident. It feels strange to hear my mother's name in the voice of such a famous person. Since she left the palace, her face has become much better."
A sense of dismay slowly lingered among the lords, who were eavesdropping on the conversation between the two as if they were bewitched.
It was only now that they realized where that exotic beauty came from, and what the identity of the unknown woman was.
Amidst the murmuring, Lucy slowly raised her head.
In order to take the lead in the atmosphere, it was necessary to seize the initiative first, before the commotion subsided. Lucy stared at Kill, pondering how to guide the flow of the conversation.
The opponent was an old veteran unmatched in political power, so he was by no means an easy opponent. But if you only considered the years he had lived, he was a man much younger than Lucy. She was confident that she would not lose in a conversation.
The game depended on whether he was a man with enough pride to fall for her leading questions.
Godel Kill.
The Kill Duchy, which monopolized the fertile plains and the Portmeier Strait, was one of the wealthiest territories in the kingdom, thanks to trade revenue alone. He was also the man who led the revival by winning over the pleasure-seekers of the royal capital with his skills in dealing with merchant guilds.
Born as the eldest son of a prestigious family, he went through the courses of military academy and royal academy, and naturally succeeded the family without any interference. Even if you only looked at his footsteps, he was worthy of being called the aristocrat of aristocrats.
The glory of the past and what he had achieved on his own combined to give him a higher dignity than anyone else in this place.
But….
That might be a weakness.
Most aristocrats live as privileged people from birth. They feel that they are essentially a different race from commoners.
They take it for granted that the lords' people should be below them and that their noble lives should not be infringed upon until they die.
Duke Kill would be the same.
He had never met anyone in his life who shook his authority. Even King Parnassus of his lifetime was careful to read his face and be cautious in his remarks.
On the outside, he always showed the image of a calm sage and pretended to be generous, but perhaps there was a snake inside him that hated to have his elegance violated.
If his authority was challenged, how would he react?
Lucy looked at him with a cautious gaze and carefully opened her mouth.
"I apologize for the rudeness of suddenly intruding. I ask for your generous understanding."
She lifted the hem of her white dress and bowed politely. Whether it was just her imagination, it felt as if the stinging gazes towards her had softened just a little.
"I have heard about the current situation of the royal palace from the Grand General. I hesitated because I thought this was not a place for someone as foolish as me to be, but I still made a decision and stood here."
"I'm very curious about what your decision is. Seeing that you brought the Grand General all the way here, it seems like it's no ordinary decision."
Kill rose from his seat and stared at Lucy with fierce eyes. The question in his calm tone did not betray any emotion, as if he was really curious.
"I may make some rather direct remarks because I have not learned much, but would you be able to tolerate it?"
"The leniency given to someone young in age cannot even be considered consideration. I will listen and let it flow."
Lucy bit her lip and carefully read his expression.
Not showing any signs of arrogance, even in a position where he could be more arrogant than anyone else, was the reason why Kill could be the chairman.
Perhaps he would try to refute her opinion by using his maturity as a weapon.
In order to lead the flow to her side, it was more practical to wear a different mask than Arsinoe as an individual.
"Isn't it unprecedented to leave the throne vacant and neglect the royal palace for such a long time?"
Lucy changed her voice and continued in a tone that seemed to be questioning.
"I heard that you have not even decided on a way to respond to the diplomatic envoys, and you are postponing the diplomatic response day after day. Apart from my personal position, as a citizen of the kingdom, I feel dismayed at the indecisiveness of the lords."
"...Huh."
Kill opened his mouth and then closed it again.
Even though it was a somewhat presumptuous remark, it was all true, so he could not deny it. But it was not only he who felt resentment at the direct words.
The lords looked at Lucy with a much colder gaze. Lucy clasped her hands together and stood in front of the table with a polite attitude.
"But I can also understand the lords' position. With the royal family sunk, you must be wondering who to nominate as the new king."
Kill stared at her with narrow eyes and swallowed a hollow laugh.
If the next words were a declaration that he would become king, then other lords besides himself would step forward and criticize her.
No matter how much protection she received from the Grand General, it was absurd for such a half-baked royal to become king.
However, Kill's smile vanished in an instant at the words that followed.
"Judging by position and contribution to the kingdom, I think the most suitable person for the king in this place is Duke Kill."
The air froze at the remark that did not fit the situation.
Walter, who had been standing still and observing the situation, stepped forward in front of her with a stiff face.
"Princess. That is not right. I am."
"But there may be those who doubt Duke Kill's suitability, like our Grand General, some of the lords here, and most of all, the people of the kingdom."
Lucy fixed her gaze on Kill's face and held Walter's hand tightly to reassure him.
Unlike Walter's intention to take care of it himself, the situation was flowing strangely, so he must be flustered. Walter looked back and forth between his hand and Kill with sharp eyes, and then announced his patience by heaving his chest once.
"Why do you think the people of the kingdom will reject me?"
Kill asked in a calm tone with his arms crossed.
The tone that had changed to a casual one, and the look in his eyes as he looked at Lucy, were full of probing.
Lucy recited the explanation in a soft tone instead of saying it was rude.
"Well, they won't reject the Duke. The Kill Dukedom is a famous noble family that even people who are ignorant of politics know. However… the timing is not good. If the leader of the country changes in a situation where it is not known when the war between the two neighboring countries will break out, all sorts of conspiracy theories will circulate among the people of the kingdom."
"The rumors circulating among the people will last for three months at most."
"Doesn't the Duke know about the rumors circulating about Dopein?"
"...Dopein?"
Kill frowned slightly with an absurd look on his face. He could not understand what the rumors of other countries had to do with the current topic.
Lucy looked back at Walter and then turned her gaze to the audience again.
Whether it was because they were too busy paying attention to internal affairs to look outside, it seemed that there was not a single aristocrat in this place who knew about the rumors.
"The reason why the relationship between Dopein and Antevassila deteriorated was because Dopein provoked Antevassila by first infringing on its territorial rights. This is a well-known fact. But as you all know, Dopein is the weakest country in the Three Kingdoms in terms of military power."
Why would the weakest country among the Three Kingdoms provoke the strongest country?
The answer to the fundamental question was simply that emotions had built up enough. Originally divided into east and west in one country, Dopein and Antevassila had lived in check with each other for a long time.
People were saying that it was just a matter of time before it exploded, and they were naturally predicting that Antevassila would win.
But would that really be the case?
"I've been living in Pomnos for the past two years and watching the world go by, and I've discovered some pretty interesting movements in the past year."
"Pomnos… the north? Why in Lafi's city."
Duke Whitten, who had been sitting and staring at the two, stroked his cheek and interjected. The image of the late king, who was causing a ruckus because his concubine had disappeared, flashed through Whitten's mind.
Where did she run away to, I wondered, but she was hiding in Pomnos?
He looked at Lucy with a questioning look and asked.
"So, what did you find in Pomnos?"
"I heard that the Empire is conscripting a large number of Lykan as forced labor slaves. They say it's conscription, but they're forcibly taking them away. The oppression of other races was already severe, but I heard that it has become even more harsh recently."
The Lykan who were drafted as porters and boat slaves were dying one after another, doing only labor without even receiving proper meals, let alone wages.
The reason why there were so many Lykan refugees, and the reason why the Lykan who lived on the border came all the way to Pomnos to ask Lucy for asylum, was based on that.
The reason why the Empire was conscripting Lykan like that was.
"The place where those Lykan slaves were flowing into was Dopein."
Whitten, who had been staring at Lucy with cold eyes, opened his mouth and let out a sigh.
"Are you saying that the Empire is behind the war between Dopein... the two countries?"
Lucy nodded silently.
