A New Grand Duke Rises

A few hours after Valorang's death, I urgently summoned the vassals of our house to his bedchamber. There, upon laying eyes on Valorang's corpse, the generals fell into a state of sheer horror.

"Y-Your Grace!"

"What in the world is the meaning of this?!"

"Young Master, what happened here?!"

Every single one of them turned to me, their faces pale with shock, demanding an explanation.

With a voice laced with quiet triumph and absolute ecstasy, I spoke. "I killed Valorang."

The generals stared at me, their expressions hovering between denial and disbelief.

"Young Master! What did you just say?!" Ellen, the Grand General of our forces, bellowed, his face flushed with fury.

"Are you trying to get us all killed? Do you have any idea what kind of situation we are in?!"

I knew. I knew all too well—which was precisely why I knew this was the perfect opportunity to strike Valorang down.

"The Emperor Faction will tear us to shreds! The morale of our soldiers will hit rock bottom! What on earth were you thinking—"

I cut Ellen off mid-sentence. "Enough. Valorang conspired with the Demon Worshippers to destabilize the Empire, and he executed the late Emperor on a whim."

Ellen scoffed, as if my words made no sense at all. "What nonsense are you spouting? Does the late Emperor even matter right now? We are all on the verge of death! What did we ever do to you, Young Master, for you to ruin everything like this?!"

I could hear the underlying terror in Ellen's voice. Of course he was afraid. Without the Grand Duke—or rather, without the sheer might of the Grand Duchy of Francesco—the Anti-Emperor Faction could not survive. Even a three-year-old child knew that. For generations, our house had been the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠undisputed leader of the Anti-Emperor Faction.

The death of the Grand Duke, the very gravity well that held the anti-imperial nobles together. The death of the Grand Duke right after a successful rebellion. It would be stranger if they weren't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠terrified of the consequences.

"Guards! Is anyone out there?!" At Ellen's roar, the doors burst open, and heavily armed soldiers rushed into the room.

"Yes, Grand General! You called?" The soldiers stood at rigid attention.

Ellen pointed a trembling finger at me and ordered, "Arrest this madman at once!"

The soldiers blinked, utterly bewildered. "Sir...? Do... do you really mean that?"

Seeing their hesitation, Ellen shrieked, "Are you mocking my authority?! Arrest this insane prince who murdered His Grace immediately!"

At his words, the soldiers stole a glance at the Grand Duke's corpse... and their faces contorted in pure horror.

Well, of course they would be shocked. But Ellen, I am no fool, and I have absolutely no intention of dying here today.

Clearing my throat, I projected my voice with as much authority as I could muster. "Ellen! Are you daring to persecute me, the rightful heir to the Grand Duchy?!"

Ellen jabbed his finger at me, his voice cracking with rage. "You ungrateful, treacherous wretch! How dare you murder your own father and then attempt to command me?! Do you possess not a single shred of honor?!"

"Grand General! Rescind your order! I am the heir of the Grand Duchy of Francesco, and from the very moment of Valorang's death, I am the Grand Duke!"

Ellen let out a mocking sneer, looking at me as if I had lost my mind.

"Ha! Do you truly believe you can inherit the Grand Duke's legacy after murdering him with your own hands?! The moment you took his life, your right of succession was forfeited. From this moment on, the rightful heir is Lady Mary! Did you honestly think I would sit back and let a pathetic murderer like you take the throne?"

Those words... those were the exact words I had been waiting for.

"Is that so? Then I am glad."

I reached into my sleeve and pulled out the weapon I had prepared to shatter this deadlock. Tossing an envelope sealed with red wax toward Ellen, I said, "Then look for yourself. See exactly why I am the Grand Duke."

The envelope fluttered through the air and landed at Ellen's feet.

"What is a mere letter supposed to do?! Soldiers, what are you waiting for?! Bind this madman!"

Seeing the soldiers begin to move at Ellen's furious command, I let out a heavy sigh.

"Sigh... I suppose everyone in this room wishes for their families back in the Grand Duchy to be executed for high treason."

The soldiers flinched at my words. Adopting a relaxed, leisurely expression, I softened my tone.

"General Ellen, take a look at the crest on that letter."

Grimacing, Ellen cast a reluctant glance at the wax seal. "Th-this... is Lady Mary's seal?"

"Indeed. It is the seal of my sister, Mary. Aren't you curious? Why I am showing you this letter?"

Slowly, Ellen picked up the envelope and carefully broke the seal. He pulled out the parchment and began to read.

Shock, confusion... and an expression of utter disbelief, followed quickly by dread.

"H-how... why would the Lady write such a thing?!"

Seeing his reaction, the other generals pressed closer. "What on earth does the letter say?"

Having finished reading, Ellen turned to the guards, his voice trembling. "S-soldiers... leave us. Guard the perimeter immediately..."

When the bewildered guards hesitated at the sudden reversal of orders, the Grand General roared, "What are you waiting for?! Get ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠out!"

Startled by his fury, the disciplined soldiers quickly filed out of the room.

"Grand General... what in the world is in that letter?"

"Speak to us, man."

As the other generals pressed him, Ellen ground his teeth. Grit.

"In this letter... Lady Mary..."

Since Ellen was too choked up to continue, I smiled and spoke in his stead. "It is a letter declaring Mary's absolute and unconditional support for me."

"W-what?!"

Unable to believe my words, the generals snatched the letter from Ellen's trembling hands. As they read, a wave of profound confusion washed over their faces.

The Anti-Emperor Faction had just succeeded in assassinating the Emperor. But now, their central pillar, the Grand Duke, was dead, and Mary—who was supposed to be their new rallying point—had declared her allegiance to me. If they ignored her decree and killed me, they would find themselves in the worst possible scenario: caught in a pincer movement between Mary's forces in the Grand Duchy and the remnants of the Emperor Faction.

Trapped here in Roman without any supplies from their homeland, they would be utterly helpless. Worse, their families back in the Grand Duchy would be branded as traitors, subjected to brutal torture, and sent to the gallows. Even if they somehow managed to escape Roman and wage war against their own homeland, there was no guarantee they could defeat Mary, who possessed monstrous, overwhelming strength. After all, she was a beast just like Valorang. This was the trap I had spent a long time preparing.

"Now, what will it be? Will you recognize me as the Grand Duke? Or do you all wish to die a dog's death?"

Watching the conflicted generals, I sat back on the sofa with an air of complete nonchalance. "If you stand by my side, I shall bestow great favor upon you. Grand General Ellen."

When I called his name, Ellen stared back at me with a hollow, defeated expression.

"I have heard rumors that your son is quite capable."

Back when I was still in the Grand Duchy, I had heard that Ellen's son, Leon, was highly competent.

"I was thinking of personally appointing him to a high-ranking government office. What do you think?"

I cast a subtle glance over the other generals as I spoke. They were clever men; they knew exactly what I was implying.

Align with me and support me, or kill me and face utter ruin. But if you support me, you will be handsomely rewarded.

The generals immediately began to run the calculations in their heads. I watched with satisfaction as the shadows of greed slowly crept over their faces. Yes, they were no fools. If they were, they wouldn't have risen to such high ranks in the first place.

Just as I was about to savor my triumph, Ellen suddenly drew his sword.

"Silence, you wretched bastard! I will kill you myself!"

The Grand General lunged at me. In response, I drew my own blade—Clang!—and parried his strike.

"W-what are you doing, Grand General Ellen?!"

The other generals drew their weapons.

"Let me go! Let go of me! Today, I will slay this traitor!"

"Grand General! You must not do this! We do not know when the Emperor Faction might descend upon us, and you want to start infighting?!"

But Ellen paid them no heed.

"Shut up! No matter the circumstances, my loyalty belongs solely to His Grace! I will never swear fealty to a wretched dog like—Urgh!"

Before Ellen could finish his sentence, the youngest of the generals plunged his sword straight into Ellen's back. The young man spoke, his expression and tone perfectly executed.

"Have you lost your mind?! How dare you speak such blasphemy to His Grace, Grand Duke Deviang?!"

His timing and acting were so flawless that I was momentarily stunned, silently praising myself for having recruited him beforehand. Seeing the young man's decisive action, the other generals began to turn on Ellen one by one.

"E-Ellen, you fool! To think you have gone mad! For the sake of His Grace, I shall execute you on the spot!"

As if the recruited general's strike had been the starting pistol of a race, the other generals eagerly began competing to prove their loyalty to me. Yes... that was how it should be. None of them wanted to face certain death, after all.

Amidst the gruesome spectacle, the young man I had bought off stepped back slightly, catching my eye. He flashed a subtle smile and gave me a quiet thumbs-up.

With this, Ellen, the only obstacle in my path, was dead. And now, the remaining generals would have no choice but to pledge their absolute loyalty to me. If they didn't... they would be hunted down by both the Empire and the Grand Duchy.

"Agh!"

Ellen's right hand was severed, clattering to the floor alongside his sword. Someone kicked him down and drove a blade through his chest. Another... severed his head.

A fountain of hot blood sprayed across the ceiling and the wallpaper.

Once the crimson geyser finally ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠subsided, the generals knelt before me. I looked down at them and spoke.

"So... do you all support me now?"

"W-we pledge our absolute loyalty to Deviang, the new Grand Duke of Francesco!"

I smiled at the kneeling generals. "Heh... I shall ensure that none of you ever regret the choice you made today."

Taking a moment to catch my breath, I spoke again. First, I needed to win the support of the imperial citizens and the surviving members of the imperial family. Therefore...

"My first decree is to organize the state funerals for the late Emperor and the male imperial princes who were so brutally executed."

Having secured the allegiance of the Grand Duchy's generals, I made my way back to my chambers. The dark night was slowly receding, giving way to the pale blue light of dawn. As I walked down the long corridor, a familiar voice called out to me.

"Did everything go well?"

"Well... so far, everything has gone exactly as planned."

A handsome man with radiant blonde hair handed me a towel as he spoke.

"That is a relief."

Wiping the blood from my face, I asked, "How did things go on your end?"

Stepping closer, he leaned in and whispered in my ear, "As you commanded... we have captured Crown Princess Theodora, who was attempting to flee."

I nodded in relief. Thank goodness. It would have been a disaster if she had escaped.

"Phew... Good."

I paused in my tracks just before reaching my door. "As soon as the sun rises... have the members of the Emperor Faction assembly gather in my chambers."

With that, I stepped inside.