The Silent Moves of a Lion
In the Empire, numerous nobles coexisted. With so many factions, friction was inevitable, and there were many times when territorial wars broke out as lords sought to force their demands upon one another. However, after the imperial authority was strengthened, various laws were enacted to suppress these territorial wars as much as possible. From the Emperor's perspective, such conflicts were highly undesirable. To put it bluntly, if the nobility engaged in unrestricted warfare, one dominant survivor would eventually emerge, growing far too powerful. For any ruler, the rise of an overly mighty vassal was an existential threat. Moreover, the extreme drain on the Empire's human and material resources severely hindered its progress. Consequently, obtaining the permission of either the Imperial Parliament or the Emperor was mandatory to wage a territorial war. Any conflict initiated without approval was deemed illegal.
As for me... well, holding a position akin to a regent meant I had no need for the Empress's permission. I was free to act; all I had to do was submit a declaration of war to the Parliament.
"Have you arrived, Grand Duke?"
I offered a smile as I greeted Speaker Charles, whom I hadn't seen in quite some time. "It has been a while. I trust you have been well?"
At my words, a prominent vein seemed to throb on his forehead. "Do you truly think I have been well?"
He clearly still held a grudge over the time I kidnapped him, not to mention the bill Yohanes and I had railroaded through the Parliament.
"Haha. Are you not the very pillar of our Empire, Speaker? I do not know what has troubled you, but surely the Gods will watch over you."
Speaker Charles raised his voice, his face flushing with anger. "Grand Duke! Are you mocking me right now? Have you completely forgotten that you had me kidnapped?"
At his outburst, I adopted a solemn expression and bowed my head in a straightforward apology. "For that, I offer my sincere apologies. At the time, I was merely doing everything in my power to prevent an unnecessary war from breaking out in Roman."
No matter his attitude toward me, Speaker Charles was a true patriot who had stood against me solely for the sake of the Empire. Unappeased by my apology, he spoke coldly. "You may rationalize your actions however you wish, but you showed utter contempt for the Imperial Parliament and insulted the Imperial Family. I cannot forgive you for that. Please, leave my office."
In response to his firm dismissal, I reached into my coat, pulled out the declaration of war, and placed it on the desk before him. "Very well. I shall take my leave."
Staring at the white envelope I had produced, Speaker Charles frowned. "What is this?"
"A declaration of war. I am officially submitting it to the Parliament."
Charles's brow furrowed even deeper. "You hypocrite..."
I merely shrugged. A hypocrite. I couldn't deny that my current actions made me look exactly like one.
"I will present it during today's plenary session," Charles said, scowling. "So please, get out of my office this instant."
Leaving the grimacing Speaker behind, I stepped out into the hallway.
The imperial parliamentarians representing the territories against which the Grand Duke had declared war were gathered in one place. There were about five of them. The Imperial Parliament was not merely a venue for reviewing and passing laws; it was a stage for high-level diplomacy. Only a few weeks ago, these very men had desperately courted the Grand Duke, the leader of the Anti-Emperor Faction, only to be coldly ignored. But the anxiety that had plagued them then was entirely gone, replaced by an overflowing confidence. Several of them sat around the table, puffing on cigars, wearing broad grins. One of them spoke up.
"Ha! That young lion cub doesn't know his place, declaring war on us."
An elderly noble chuckled in response. "He's nothing but an ignorant, reckless brat. Perhaps because of his youth, he doesn't even know when to step forward and when to back down."
Laughter erupted around the table.
"Indeed. The little cub acts so insolently because he hasn't the faintest clue who is backing us."
"Exactly. He isn't even half as strong as Valorang was, yet he dares to wage war? He's a greenhorn who has never even set foot on a battlefield. He must think war is some kind of game."
"Haha!"
They laughed merrily, speaking as though victory was already guaranteed.
"By the way, do you know who the commander-in-chief of the Grand Duke's army is?"
"Who knows? Valorang is dead, and Ellen is gone. Who could it possibly be?"
"It's Agrippa, the man who recently became engaged to Lady Mary."
"Engaged to Lady Mary? Isn't he a commoner? I heard he graduated top of his class at the military academy, though."
Someone sneered in response. "So what? He's still just a green boy who has never fought a real battle."
"Quite right. Haha... It seems the historic Lion family has met the wrong patriarch, and their bloodline is about to end."
"Bwahaha! We can't let that happen! Shouldn't we take 'good care' of Lady Mary to ensure the prestigious Lion bloodline doesn't die out?"
At those words, lewd grins began to spread across the faces of the parliamentarians.
"Of course! Lady Mary would surely prefer spending a night with noble gentlemen like us over some commoner."
A man sitting in the corner, who had been listening silently, finally spoke up. "This is no time to be laughing so carelessly."
As his words chilled the vulgar atmosphere, the other members turned their heads toward him.
"What is the meaning of this, Representative Franken? Are you suggesting we will lose to that lion cub?"
"With His Highness Yohanes backing us with such massive support, how could we possibly lose?"
Representative Franken let out a heavy sigh. "While it is true that King Yohanes is backing us, the Grand Duchy's military is still the strongest in the Empire."
The other representatives burst into laughter.
"That was only true when Valorang was alive! Now, Valorang is dead, and the Grand Duchy's pride, the Giant Legion, cannot leave Roman. Furthermore, I hear the elite forces the Grand Duchy can actually mobilize right now number fewer than thirty thousand."
Indeed, everyone in the room knew that the Giant Legion and ten thousand elite troops were stationed to defend the massive capital of Roman, meaning the main force could not be moved. Unless those troops joined the fray, the public consensus was that the Grand Duchy was committing absolute madness—essentially fighting a war with its right hand tied behind its back.
"Exactly! In contrast, we have fifty thousand elite troops of our own, plus thirty thousand mercenaries. How could we possibly lose?"
"But the Grand Duke is no fool. It troubles me that he declared war under these circumstances."
"Bwahaha! Representative Franken, you worry far too much. He simply killed Valorang and now thinks he is Valorang, running wild with unearned confidence. Our lords will handle everything anyway, so stop stressing and drink up!"
"Cheers!"
With that, the representatives raised their glasses, their faces flushed red as they sank deeper into their drunken revelry.
Creeeak!
"Deviang! Is it true that you declared war?"
Theodora flung the door to my office open with a slam.
"Yes. I delivered the declaration of war to Speaker Charles this morning. You heard the news quickly," I replied with a calm smile, looking at the huffing Empress.
"I knew you would wage war eventually, but if you were going to declare it, you should have told me in advance!"
I had mentioned that war was coming, but I had never given her a specific date. The reason was simple: I did not fully trust her.
Though we had grown much closer personally, and I had shared sensitive information with her to teach her statecraft, I had kept the exact timing of the war strictly to myself.
First, the sensitive information I had shared was solely to help her secure funding for her chemical fertilizer research and to teach her how to raise capital when she eventually had to stand on her own. Second, if such critical information leaked to the enemy, it would spell disaster. Whether she did so intentionally or not, if the enemy caught wind of our plans, it would introduce unpredictable variables. Thus, I had blocked any possibility of a leak at the source.
To put it bluntly, I simply didn't trust her. In the realm of politics, I trusted no one except Agrippa and Mary. Besides, the Grand Duchy had absolutely no obligation to inform the Empress of when it would go to war.
I shrugged, drawing a clear line between us. "This is a matter for the Grand Duchy. It is not something the Empress should interfere with."
At my cold response, Theodora bit her lower lip, her shoulders trembling as she struggled to find her voice. "H-how can you say that to me?"
Just then—
Knock, knock!
Hearing Lucius's voice, I called back, "Show them to the drawing room. Tell them I will be there shortly."
With that, I stood up from my desk and walked past Theodora.
"Wait! We aren't finished talking!"
I let out a soft sigh. "Theodora... I am truly sorry, but can we speak tonight? I am a bit busy preparing for the war."
It was no joke; I was incredibly busy. Aside from winning this war, I had to prepare for a massive financial coup.
"My guest is waiting, so let us talk later."
Leaving her trembling in my office, I headed toward the drawing room.
Lucius followed me into the drawing room. Inside, I spotted Karl and Rebecca, whom I hadn't seen in a long time, and greeted them warmly. "Have you been well?"
Karl nodded. "We've been doing well. And how have you been, Your Grace?"
A faint smile touched my lips. "Well, I'm barely surviving."
I meant it literally. Working overtime every single night, it was a miracle I was still breathing. How many hours of sleep did I get today? Two? Since Lucius worked late every single day, it made no sense for me, his superior, to leave before him. I would help him with his tasks, wait for him to clock out, and then return to my room to continue working before finally falling asleep.
"Pfft... Your Grace, your sense of humor has improved," Rebecca said with a playful curve of her eyes.
I kept my face perfectly serious. "I am entirely earnest. It is a marvel of human biology that a body can function on so little sleep. But enough pleasantries... How are the trading company and the bank we established?"
I had entrusted Karl with running the trading company I had set up under a pseudonym.
"We have the basic structure in place... but to call it a trading company is a stretch. We have absolutely no distribution network to speak of," Karl explained.
I nodded. "That does not matter. I have no intention of making money through actual trade anyway."
I extended my right hand toward Lucius, who promptly placed a stack of documents in my palm. Since these documents contained highly sensitive information that would cause a catastrophe if leaked, I gave them a stern warning beforehand. "This is highly classified. Keep in mind that not a single word of this must leave this room."
With that, I began to lay out my plan to them.
That jerk... How dare he speak to me like that?
Theodora stared intensely at the chair Deviang always sat in, long after he had ignored her and left the office.
Just you wait, Deviang. No matter what happens in the future, I will make sure you consult me first.