After the verbal tussle with the marquis, the next day Lucian went out again with his mask on and clicked his tongue.
Even the few nobles who remained had almost disappeared, and those who were still there ran off as soon as they saw Lucian.
“Tsk, looks like the rumors spread completely in just one day.”
“Could it have been that Nigel guy who was with us yesterday who spread them?”
“Who knows.”
It wasn’t impossible, but Lucian didn’t think it was likely.
In his past life, Nigel was famous as a master of political balance.
Would he really do something that would deliberately provoke Lucian’s displeasure?
During all the time they spent together, Lucian had seen with his own eyes how Nigel tried not to reveal his identity.
“It’s more likely the marquis’s fault. He kept hinting at his identity to get special treatment. If someone saw from a distance how he argued with me, it wouldn’t be strange for them to more or less guess who I am.”
“That also makes sense. But as things are now, we won’t be able to hear the true intentions of the other lords anymore.”
“There’s no helping it. In exchange, we gained something else, so we’ll have to settle for that.”
“What do you mean by ‘something else’?”
“There’s no one left enjoying the fun. Do you really think the imperial crown prince will want to continue this party when no one’s around?”
“Ah.”
Raymond nodded, understanding immediately.
This masquerade farce was entertainment prepared by the imperial crown prince to watch the nobles clash with each other.
But no matter how beautiful the stage, if there were no nobles to face off, there was no fun to be had.
As the host, he would lose interest—and also the reason to continue the show.
“Now that there’s nothing left to enjoy, soon the imperial crown prince, who was hiding, will show his face. At least it’s a relief not to have to play along with these pranks anymore.”
If this absurd entertainment had dragged on, the other heads of houses’ discontent would have continued to build up.
Putting aside Lucian’s goals, from the standpoint of the allied army’s morale, this was actually for the best.
And, just as expected, the next day a messenger from the imperial crown prince visited Lucian’s tent.
“The imperial crown prince, commander-in-chief, has issued a summons.”
“I’ll go immediately.”
Couldn’t even last two days?
Lucian let out a bitter smile, but promptly prepared himself and headed to the imperial crown prince’s tent.
The tent, several times larger than the others, was already filled with lords and their representatives.
While observing the interior, Lucian suddenly locked eyes with the marquis sitting in the seat of highest honor.
“…”
“…”
For a moment, sharp gazes clashed between them.
At the same time, the surrounding lords swallowed dryly.
But it lasted only a moment. The marquis looked away first, and Lucian also diverted his gaze.
Soon after, when Lucian sat to the right of the commander-in-chief’s seat, the room stirred.
“Is that boy really the grand duke’s representative?”
“No way, at such a young age…?”
“Shh. Quiet. He might hear.”
The murmuring quickly quieted down, but the stares from all directions continued.
Especially Marquis Bernhardt Roglan, who frowned, clearly displeased.
Even if he was a representative, the fact that he was seated on equal footing with a third young master barely sixteen years old didn’t sit well with him.
Luckily, the uncomfortable silence didn’t last long.
“The imperial crown prince, commander-in-chief, enters the room!”
With the servant’s shout, the tent’s entrance opened and a young noble with platinum hair and green eyes appeared.
From his appearance alone, one might believe he was a hero from legend.
However, his sullen expression and irritated gaze dulled half that brilliance.
‘The imperial crown prince, Claude fin Bey Astria.’
The emperor’s favored eldest son and commander-in-chief of this allied army.
But Lucian’s gaze didn’t linger on Claude—it was on the person walking behind him.
A man taller than the imperial crown prince, slightly hunched as if trying to hide.
He had the same platinum hair, but his cold aura and grayish-blue eyes gave him an even more regal presence.
‘Cedric fin Bey Astria.’
The imperial family’s last hope, known as the second imperial prince.
***
“We salute the imperial crown prince, commander-in-chief of the allied army!”
“Mm.”
At the appearance of the imperial crown prince, the lords bowed their heads and raised their voices in unison.
However, he responded with just a slight nod, wearing an indifferent expression.
“Be seated.”
“Yes!”
When the imperial crown prince sat in the main seat, the lords also sat again.
Now calmly settled into the commander-in-chief’s seat, he scanned the room and spoke.
“First of all, I thank you for gathering here. The empire will not forget your loyalty.”
“As those who have sworn loyalty to the empire, it is only natural.”
“By the way, I prepared a little entertainment, but it seems it didn’t go as I expected. Who would’ve thought that in less than two days, no one would be left. I regret that my good intentions caused discomfort.”
As he spoke, the imperial crown prince’s furrowed gaze passed over both Marquis Bernhardt Roglan and Lucian.
Though he pretended to apologize, he was clearly expressing his resentment toward the two who had ruined his show.
Marquis Bernhardt Roglan quickly bowed his head.
“My apologies. It was due to my carelessness that I revealed my identity, so all of this is my fault.”
Carelessness, my ass. He never intended to hide it in the first place.
Lucian almost let out a dry laugh at the marquis’s maneuver, but it wouldn’t look good for him to completely wash his hands of it either.
“How could it be solely the marquis’s fault? I, too, can’t avoid responsibility, so I can only offer my apologies to His Highness the Crown Prince.”
“Hmm, is that so?”
The imperial crown prince looked back and forth between the bowing marquis and Lucian, then waved his hand dismissively.
Though not completely satisfied, he was signaling that he would let it go this time as a special favor.
“Well, we’re all human—mistakes happen. It was just a bit of light entertainment anyway, so let’s put it behind us.”
“Thank you for Your Highness’s mercy.”
“That said, I’d like to hear your opinions on this rebellion. What should we do with Kreppelt?”
Satisfied after receiving their apologies, the crown prince moved directly to the main topic.
It was a broad question, encompassing everything from how to suppress the rebellion to how to treat Kreppelt afterward.
The first to step forward was Marquis Bernhardt Roglan.
“We should end this as quickly as possible with a blitz campaign, and then show mercy.”
“Mercy? Are you saying we should forgive those who dared to rise against the Empire?”
The crown prince didn’t seem to like the response and frowned.
However, the marquis nodded calmly, unflinching.
“That’s right. Once the rebellion is crushed, Kreppelt will claim it wasn’t their intention and offer up scapegoats as the culprits. We should execute those sacrifices and then withdraw.”
“And what’s the reasoning behind that? Why should we forgive these rebels?”
“Because the Empire’s very magnanimity demonstrates its power.”
At that seemingly out-of-place answer, the crown prince tapped the table with his fingers, urging an explanation.
The marquis laid out his arguments smoothly, as though he had prepared them in advance.
“Right now, the Empire faces both external threats and internal strife. And yet, it hasn’t weakened to the point of letting a place like Kreppelt succeed in rebellion. They know this themselves.”
“Then why did the rebellion occur? Are you saying they rose up knowing they would fail?”
“They likely used this as a test. A rehearsal for a real rebellion they plan for the future.”
To assess whether the Empire still had the strength to suppress an uprising, how long it would take, and how much it had declined from its peak.
By measuring their opponent, they naturally defined their objective. That was, without a doubt, Kreppelt’s true aim.
“Of course, since this isn’t something that can be overlooked, their excuses will be flawless. They’ll claim the king was confined, or that another royal member was acting unilaterally, or something of the sort.”
“And we’re just supposed to swallow such a perfect excuse?”
“Even if the excuse is clearly false, we must accept it. That in itself displays the Empire’s ease of power—the confidence that it can crush another rebellion whenever it wants.”
The marquis explained again, patiently, to the crown prince, who still seemed to be struggling to understand.
If the rebellion was quickly suppressed, it would demonstrate the Empire’s might.
But if that was followed by excessive punishment, it could be interpreted as the Empire fearing it couldn’t withstand a second rebellion—hence trying to root out the problem entirely.
A measure intended to prevent rebellion could, paradoxically, become a threat to the Empire itself.
“On the other hand, if we accept an obviously false excuse, it makes Kreppelt appear as something we can crush anytime. Would rebels really dare rise again after witnessing the Empire’s mercy?”
“Hmm, that makes sense.”
At some point, the crown prince’s eyes began to gleam as he listened intently.
To show both the power and benevolence of the Empire while flaunting that the rebels were no big deal—
Wasn’t that a perfect plan tailored for him?
Just as the crown prince, seduced by the marquis’s eloquence, was about to adopt that policy—
“That is an excessively optimistic forecast. I’m afraid the marquis is viewing the situation too lightly.”
Lucian’s cold voice abruptly extinguished the heat that had been building in the tent.
The air inside froze.
No matter that Lucian was the representative of Duke Sigmund—he was still just one of his sons, not even the heir.
Neither in status nor in experience could he compare to Marquis Roglan.
And yet he dared to openly oppose him?
It was practically a humiliation—like saying the marquis had less foresight than a green youth.
“Too optimistic? Sounds like you’re saying I can’t see reality and just spout pleasing words.”
The marquis glared at Lucian with eyes as cold as ice.
Unlike yesterday, there were no masks now, and their identities were clear.
There was no need for excessive honorifics.
“If that’s how you took it, I apologize. But I can’t help but be concerned about possible contingencies.”
“Contingencies?”
“Suppressing the enemy quickly and then showing mercy to display greatness and composure—if everything goes according to plan, it’s perfect. But where’s the guarantee that it will?”
“Are you insulting everyone present? Are you implying that His Majesty’s loyal subjects could be defeated by the army of a mere vassal state?”
“I’m not speaking of spirit or morale. I’m asking for realistic grounds.”
At Lucian’s words, the marquis’s face twisted.
A boy with nearly no real experience dared treat him as a dreamer blind to reality.
“Fine! You want realistic grounds? I’ll give you as many as you like!”
The marquis raised three fingers and bent them one by one.
“First, we have a clear numerical advantage. No matter how big Kreppelt is among the eastern vassals, it can’t compare to our forces gathered from across the Empire. Second, the quality of our troops is superior. These are all professional soldiers, and we have numerous knights. Third, the enemy has barely any geographical advantage. The Empire charted all of Kreppelt’s territory in detail long ago. Want more reasons?”
With a condescending look, as if saying he could go on if needed, the marquis stared down at Lucian.
However, Lucian shook his head and replied calmly.
“Everything you said is correct. But I believe the marquis is speaking of victory while assuming one crucial premise.”
“And what premise is that?”
“The Great Agreement.”
The unwritten rule of war, respected for centuries, and the final safeguard to avoid the worst-case scenario.
“What will you do if the enemy has no intention of honoring the Great Agreement?”
____
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