Behind the Mask of Peace
"Halt! Identify yourself!"
Seeing the guard pointing the long tip of his spear at me, I pulled back on the reins.
Snort! Basileus let out a soft whinny as he came to a stop.
"I am Deviang Lion, Grand Duke of Francesco. I have come at the invitation of His Highness Ioannes."
As I spoke, I pulled the invitation from my breast pocket and handed it over. The guard roughly broke the seal and opened the letter.
After a brief silence, the guard lowered his spear.
"Confirmed. Please dismount, Your Grace. I will guide you."
At his words, my knights and I dismounted and followed him.
An countless number of soldiers and tents filled the area. Spearheads gleamed under the light. Archers practiced their marksmanship, releasing arrows in steady rhythms. Patrols of ten marched in perfect, orderly columns. Their discipline was far tighter than I had anticipated.
Hmm... but their food and supplies seem sparse. Had they marched so quickly because they only intended to lay siege and avoid direct combat? After all, properly supplying a massive army of a hundred and fifty thousand was no simple feat.
While lost in these thoughts, we arrived before a massive tent.
"We have arrived, Your Grace."
"Thank you."
With a nod, I stepped inside.
A man with black hair streaked with gray stood before me. He looked to be in his forties. Judging by his lavish military uniform, this man was undoubtedly King Ioannes Angelos, the leader of the Emperor's Faction.
"Welcome, Grand Duke. I am Ioannes Angelos."
He extended his right hand. I offered a polite smile as I took it.
"It is an honor to meet you. I am Deviang Lion, Grand Duke of Francesco."
His expression remained neutral as he spoke.
"Come this way. Everyone is waiting for you."
I followed Ioannes deeper into the tent, where a group of men sat around a large round table. They were a diverse crowd—some wore armor so ostentatious it practically screamed of their wealth, while others wore fine robes that made them look like wealthy city merchants.
"Please, take a seat."
King Ioannes gestured toward an empty chair, and I sat down.
"First, on behalf of everyone gathered here, I would like to express our deepest gratitude to the Grand Duke of Francesco. We honor the courage and wisdom behind his great decision to preserve the peace and stability of the Empire."
At the king's nod, a uniformed aide stepped forward and carefully placed several documents before Ioannes and me.
"This is the treaty for our armistice and the future development of the Empire."
I carefully reviewed the papers. Seeing that they matched the draft Agrippa had prepared down to the very last syllable, I nodded.
"Everything is in order."
"Then, let us sign."
I pulled a fountain pen from my breast pocket and began to write my name.
Scratch, scritch. The gold nib danced across the parchment, leaving my signature in its wake.
Once I finished, the uniformed aide took my document and swapped it with Ioannes's copy.
I scanned the second copy thoroughly. Finding no discrepancies, I signed my name once more.
Scratch, scritch. With both signatures finalized...
"With this, I officially declare that the war has ended," Ioannes announced to the assembly.
Phew... That puts out the most urgent fire.
"I understand you will be staying with us for the night, Grand Duke."
I nodded politely. "If you will permit me to impose on your hospitality for a day."
Ioannes offered a gentle smile.
"Haha, think nothing of it. Are you not a hero of the Empire? How could we possibly turn away such a savior? Rest easy tonight."
Seeing how quickly he showered me with praise, calling me a hero the moment the ink dried on our treaty—despite us being at war just hours ago—sent a visceral shiver down my spine. I could sense it. Ioannes was the same breed of human as me.
"Haha, thank you for your kind words."
"And since I knew you were coming today, I have prepared a banquet. What are the servants doing? Bring out the food!"
At his command, servants filed into the tent bearing platters of food.
"You must not have eaten properly on your hurried journey here. Please, eat your fill."
An endless array of delicacies, luxuries rarely seen on a battlefield, began to crowd the round table.
And so, the banquet hosted by the Emperor's Faction began.
Women sat beside each of the nobles. They were half-naked, their breasts completely exposed as they poured wine into the aristocrats' cups. The nobles grinned in delight. Watching some of them grope women young enough to be their granddaughters filled me with profound disgust.
Sigh... This is exactly why people despise the nobility. They squeeze exorbitant taxes out of the commoners, only to squander them on these debauched parties. Anger flared deep within me, but I forced my expression to remain calm. While some struggled desperately to rebuild and advance the Empire, these parasites did nothing but indulge in idle luxury. I found the nobles before me utterly repulsive, but I maintained my smile. I couldn't afford to ruin the precious time I had fought so hard to secure.
To suppress my rising irritation, I reached for my glass. The woman seated next to me immediately filled it.
"Ah! Count, stop it~!"
"Come now, don't be shy. Do it."
My brow furrowed as I watched a lecherous old man squeeze a young girl's breasts together to pour wine down her cleavage and drink from it.
Just then, the woman beside me spoke.
"Your Grace, you are even handsomer than the rumors say."
She clung to my arm. Her name was Michelle, if I recalled correctly. Sigh... We didn't grant you the right to collect taxes just so you could hire prostitutes and throw these sordid parties. If they lowered taxes instead of wasting money on this garbage, the Empire would be far more prosperous.
In truth, this Empire was plagued by the most absurd levies. There was the Window Tax, which taxed every single window in a house. There was the stove tax to warm oneself in the freezing winter, and in extreme cases, even a marriage tax. The local lords squeezed every drop of blood they could from their people, only to spend it on this? Absolute scum.
But since I couldn't voice these thoughts here, I kept my smile in place and spoke gently to the woman beside me.
"Thank you for the kind compliment, Lady Michelle."
An old man with a nose flushed bright red from alcohol overheard us and chimed in.
"Of course! Our Grand Duke is quite the catch! After all, isn't he marrying the Crown Princess, the greatest beauty in the Empire? Am I right?"
"Bwahaha! If I were just ten years younger, I would have taken the Crown Princess and done this—and that—to her!"
The man who stood up and began thrusting his hips in a vulgar display... was Duke Manuel of Ithaca, wasn't he? I hadn't paid much attention to him before, but I would certainly remember his name from this day forward. Watching a drunk old man gyrate his hips like that was truly... nauseating.
"Hahaha! Duke! You're completely wasted!"
"Who says I'm not?"
Suppressing my disgust at the old men's crude jokes, I forced a smile and spoke.
"Duke Manuel, I must ask you not to insult my beloved Crown Princess."
At my words, a sudden, heavy silence fell over the banquet hall.
"Everyone, watch yourselves. Is the Grand Duke not our guest?"
Ioannes stepped in to break the icy tension.
"As subjects, how can we insult our future ruler? Duke Manuel, your jest went too far."
"Indeed! The Duke seems to have had a bit too much to drink."
"Hahaha! Quite right. They don't call Duke Manuel the 'Stallion of Ithaca' for nothing. The rumors are spot on."
Manuel let out a boisterous laugh, his flushed face beaming with pride at the title.
"Haha! Grand Duke, my tongue slipped. If I offended you, please accept my apologies."
I shook my head. "No offense taken."
Once I gave my response, Ioannes spoke up.
"Now, now, let us call it a night. We shall conclude the festivities here."
The guests nodded in agreement. Duke Manuel stood up, stretching his limbs.
"It's been a while since I've eaten this well. Grand Duke, I'll be sure to bring a grand gift to your wedding."
With that, the nobles began to leave one by one, each wrapping an arm around the woman beside them.
"Ah, Duke~!"
"Come here. Tonight, I'll show you what a real man is."
I swallowed my anger as I watched them go. If you have the money to throw such decadent parties, you should be investing it in developing your territories. Once I seized power and stabilized the Empire, I would make sure they could never indulge in such depravity again.
"Grand Duke, allow me to show you to your quarters."
I nodded. "Thank you, Your Highness Ioannes."
He glanced at me briefly before leading the way out of the banquet tent. I followed him.
Step, step.
We walked side by side across the bare, grassless earth. He guided me to a fairly spacious tent pitched a short distance away.
Crackle, pop!
A brazier burning inside cast a warm, cozy glow throughout the tent.
"I tried to make proper arrangements, but looking at it now, it seems a bit shabby."
Despite Ioannes's humble words, the interior was decorated quite lavishly. I took a seat on one of the chairs inside.
"Not at all. It is more than adequate."
I sat down and looked up at him.
"Please, sit, Your Highness. Since you escorted me all this way, I assume you have something you wish to discuss?"
Ioannes smirked and took the seat opposite me.
"You are quick-witted."
I offered a dry smile. "The feeling was mutual."
"Is that so?"
An awkward silence settled between us for a moment.
"It must have been a long journey from Roman. You have worked hard."
I shook my head. "It was no trouble at all. But what of you, Your Highness? You have traveled all the way across the sea from Nicaea."
Ioannes nodded slowly.
"If your father hadn't assassinated the Emperor, I would have had no reason to set foot here."
I merely offered a faint smile in response.
"Sigh... You are truly different from the rest of the Lion family."
"I will take that as a compliment."
Silence fell once more. But it wasn't a peaceful silence; rather, we were testing the waters, waiting for the perfect moment to reveal our true hands.
"I know what you are plotting."
"My plotting, you say?"
Ioannes nodded, his gaze locking onto mine.
"You want the Empire, don't you?"
His tone was deadly serious, leaving me unable to answer immediately. The ink on our treaty hadn't even dried yet. I never expected him to bring up such a dangerous topic so soon. My plan had been to gently coax him into moving in the direction I wanted. Seeing him drop such a massive bombshell so abruptly filled me with a sudden sense of unease.
Damn it... Why is he telling me this? Is he planning to void the treaty and have me killed right here? A flurry of thoughts raced through my mind, and anxiety began to take root.
"You do not have to answer," Ioannes said, breaking my train of thought. "But I shall be the first to lay my cards on the table."
He leaned forward, his eyes gleaming.
"Because I, too, want the Empire."
I fell deep into thought, waiting for him to continue. His blatant confession made my mind spin. Why on earth was he revealing this to me now?
"Do you know why I, a man who wishes to rule the Empire, accepted your proposal for an armistice?"
I shook my head. My mind raced. I had a strong suspicion that his desire to claim the Empire was the reason he had tried to get his hands on Princess Joy. It was merely a hunch without concrete proof, but there was no other logical explanation for why he would target her. But why bring this up now? When we are completely alone? I tried to decipher the hidden meaning behind his words.
"No, I do not."
He nodded at my response.
"It is because there are simply too many obstacles in the way of claiming the Empire."
I thought the exact same thing. To take the Empire for myself, I needed time. Time to solidify my internal foundations, and time to win over or conquer the other noble factions and cities. King Ioannes was likely in the same position. The Emperor's Faction wasn't as unified as the Anti-Emperor Faction, so it wouldn't be an easy task for him. However, I needed to keep my own ambitions hidden as much as possible.
"I... only care about Her Imperial Highness, the Crown Princess."
At my words, Ioannes let out a chilling laugh.
"Fufu, do not lie to me. I can see right through your ambitions. Others may call you a mere cub or a weak lion... but I can see it. I see the massive ambition you hide within."
Hearing his words, a grim realization washed over me. This was not going to be an easy game to play.