That old fool had to do something unnecessary!
Duke Robley’s turned beet-red when he realized he’d been outsmarted by a dead mage. He was so furious he wanted to rip the diary to pieces, but he knew that would be like admitting his own wrongdoing.
“So you’re claiming there was no intent behind this?”
The Emperor, after receiving the journal, grinned as if he had just won.
Robley realized that getting out of this unscathed was unlikely. But there was no way he was going down alone. If he was to fall, he intended to drag others down to hell with him.
Quietly, Robley sent a glance towards Grand Duke Camelon. He knew exactly how much Flu Camelon had hidden in Vizhreng, and what he planned to do with it.
Camelon’s lips twitched when their eyes met.
“It seems Duke Robley’s guilt is evident, Your Majesty. He took Lockhart’s land by fraudulent means, so it’s only right that it be returned to Lockhart.”
Return the land and back down—that was the message Camelon was sending.
Does he think this will end with just handing back a small piece of land? How foolish.
Sure, it annoyed Robley that Lockhart would step foot in the south again, but that wasn’t the real issue.
The new Count Huate had recently inherited his title, taking land next to Lockhart’s. Sig’s influence was evident in how the new count managed to bypass other relatives and claim the title.
“I’ll have to think about this. I’ve only just inherited the title, and I can’t make such a major decision so soon.”
The new Count Huate had been stalling, putting off offers to join the Southern Union. Robley had even tried to meet with him directly, but the man had run away like a rat, clinging to his life. Clearly, the mad dog had ordered him to avoid Robley at all costs.
Just dealing with Count Huate was enough of a headache. If Lockhart returned and formed an alliance with him, things could get much worse.
A significant portion of the southern grain could bypass Robley entirely and flow straight to the north, meaning Robley’s influence over the north would diminish.
We managed to keep that beast in check with great effort. If you don’t want to starve, don’t mess with us.
That was the message he had been sending, and losing that control would be disastrous.
“Yes, returning the land to Lockhart is the right thing to do,” others started to chime in, siding with Camelon.
‘They’re going to regret this, just like me.’ Robley scowled at the hypocrites surrounding him, gossiping as if the consequences wouldn’t affect them, too. If the mad dog’s army got its hands on that much grain, there’d be no place it couldn’t reach.
The east wouldn’t be safe either. Did they really think they’d be protected just because they had stockpiled a considerable amount of Flu? Perhaps they were confident about their chances in war, but Robley thought that was a gamble worth reconsidering.
The mad dog controlled the violet mines, the source of Flu. It was said that the amount extracted from those mines was far less than that of the famous Devon’s mines. But the truth was known only to the mad dog and the Emperor.
There had been reports in the past from Altheim that they were using large quantities of high-grade Flu recklessly, almost as if they were wasting it. If the supply of Flu was truly so limited, how could Altheim’s mages afford to be so wasteful?
Robley was worried.
If he went down, he wouldn’t go alone. As his mind raced, planning to drag Grand Duke Camelon down with him, he glanced at the Duke, ready to speak.
Sensing Robley’s intent, Camelon closed his eyes briefly and then reopened them, as if telling him to trust him and stay silent.
“Returning the land isn’t enough.”
Duke Scanders interjected, shaking his head dismissively.
“Not only the land but also the exorbitant interest that was imposed on Lockhart over the years should be returned as well.”
Robley felt a surge of irritation toward Scandars, who kept raising his voice.
‘He’s so full of himself now that his daughter is the Crown Princess.’
Duke Robley clenched his teeth, silently hoping that Grand Duke Camelon’s rebellion would succeed. If that man had backed the wrong side, he would fall flat on his face.
The debate raged on: return the land, return the land with interest, or just the interest alone. As the opinions varied, the Emperor sat back, amused by the growing anxiety on Robley’s face as he was torn apart by the court.
Sig watched the Emperor’s face from the side, feeling conflicted. While he was pleased that the Emperor was punishing Robley, he couldn’t bring himself to feel entirely happy about it.
“A large amount of Flu has flowed from the Devonne violet mines through the south and into Vizhreng.”
Sig had informed the Emperor a few days ago.
“It’s not as much as what we possess, but it’s still a significant quantity. Grand Duke Camelon is planning a rebellion with Robley, targeting your throne, Uncle.”
The Emperor had initially been shocked but quickly dismissed the idea with a scoff. He had even reprimanded Sig for doubting his uncle’s loyalty.
“But, Uncle, we’ve confirmed the Flu hidden in Vizhreng, and there are signs it’s being moved back to the south.”
“If it entered the south and then came back out, isn’t Robley the owner of that Flu?”
The Emperor couldn’t imagine that Camelon would ever turn against him. To someone like that, words meant nothing.
“I understand you dislike Camelon because of your brother, and while I find your loyalty to me and your brother endearing, you’ve gone too far.”
The Emperor was convinced that if anyone was gathering Flu for rebellion, it would be Robley.
That explained why he was targeting Robley and leaving Camelon untouched.
Sig let out a small sigh of frustration.
At that moment, the Empress, who had remained silent, finally spoke.
“What does Count Lockhart think?”
All eyes turned toward Crave, who already looked pale. His face turned even whiter under the pressure.
“Would the Count prefer to have the land returned to him?”
Crave’s mind went blank. He knew he needed to respond, but his thoughts were frozen.
“I’ve heard you’ve nearly finished preparing to move to Taraf to start anew.”
Returning to Lockhart now would be a hassle, but there was always the saying that nothing beats home.
“Still, wouldn’t it be better to return to your homeland?”
The Empress pretended to show concern for Lockhart, while clearly angling the situation in her own favor.
After a moment of hesitation, Crave finally gave his answer.
* * *
Crave and Tia sat side by side in the empty courtroom. In the end, Crave had chosen not to reclaim his land from Robley. Instead, he settled for the return of the original loan and interest that Lockhart had paid.
“You wouldn’t have been happy there, anyway. At least, I know I wouldn’t.”
After a long silence, Crave spoke in a hoarse voice.
He could have taken back the land from Robley, but he chose not to. Some might have seen it as foolish, but Crave believed it was the best decision.
“When I paid off the last of the debt, I felt invincible, like I could conquer anything. I proudly returned to my homeland with a heart full of joy.”
“Yes, I remember.”
Britia said with a soft smile, recalling that time.
Crave’s face twisted in pain.
“The truth is, on the day I returned to the castle, I cried my eyes out.”
His mother had burned herself terribly trying to cook an unfamiliar dish in the kitchen. And how many insults had his father endured from the debt collectors in the Great Hall?
“Everywhere I went in that castle, I saw their faces. Faces worn down by hardship, wrinkled and tired.”
It was impossible to convince himself that things would get better from now on, or that he could focus on happiness moving forward. His parents were already gone, and it broke his heart that they had lived their lives in constant struggle, burdened by worry until their final moments.
“But what was the point of all their suffering?”
Crave began to feel not only sadness but also resentment. What had all that hardship been for? He wasn’t sure he could bear the weight of that anger.
“Am I thinking this way because I’m just too soft-hearted?”
He wondered if others, perhaps Britia herself if she were the Count of Lockhart, would have taken pride in reclaiming the land and lived contently, feeling like justice had been served.
“What can I say? I’ve always been a soft-hearted fool. Still, can you do one favor for your pathetic brother?”
Crave tried to steady his voice, holding back tears, but his voice still trembled.
“Don’t blame me. Just tell me I did the right thing. Say I chose the best I could. Tell me that both you and I can start fresh in the North, and that everything will be okay.”
Britia, seeing the desperation in his eyes, sighed deeply.
“If you think you did the right thing, you should be smiling, not crying.”
“I can’t help it. And you’re tearing up, too.”
“These tears are because you’re such an idiot.”
Britia let out a snort and wiped her nose.
“You did the right thing, you fool. It was the best choice.”
“Take out the ‘fool,’ you crybaby!”
“You’re the one who’s getting mad when I’m just doing what you asked.”
Britia frowned, pretending to be offended, but Crave playfully leaned on her arm.
“It’s not like we just lost the land for nothing. We got the money and interest back, so really, we sold it fairly.”
Crave smiled faintly, mentioning how moving to Taraf had strained their budget. Getting the money now would really help.
“Now, I can even pay our butler and chef. They said they’d wait a year if we brought them to Taraf, but I didn’t want to be that kind of terrible employer.”
He looked relieved, truly believing they had made the best out of a bad situation. But Britia had a nagging feeling that things wouldn’t go as smoothly as he thought.
“There are bandits causing chaos in the South right now. Returning such a large sum of money all at once won’t be easy.”
Duke Robley had spoken, seemingly resigned, suggesting they give him until next year or accept land in return.
“We can’t give criminals that much time. How about completing it before winter?”
Grand Duke Camelon had chimed in, appearing to push Robley, but Britia could tell they were working together.
They were planning a rebellion before winter.
At the same time, Sig also realized Camelon’s true intentions.
“We can’t just sit around waiting until winter.”
“True, but do you have a better plan?” the vice-captain asked, noticing the dissatisfaction on Sig’s face after the trial’s outcome.
Sig glanced at him and smirked slightly.
If Robley refused to pay up, they would just have to pressure him until he did.
“Gather the knights. We’re sending them south.”
