Tak tak tak tak.

Even when rounded up, over a thousand troops formed an orderly formation and surrounded the Crown Prince’s palace.

“Who are you people! How dare you use force in the Imperial Palace!”

The captain of the Imperial Knights stepped forward and delivered an angry rebuke.

“Who am I, you ask?”

Thud. Thud. Thud.

A middle-aged man with a chilling presence, as if the harsh northern winds could be felt just by him standing there, stepped to the front of the formation. Beside him, a bear-like man who closely resembled him exuded an equally menacing aura.

“I have come to capture a traitor.”

Although he rarely showed his face in the capital, there was no mistaking the Red Bull of the Lyuschino family, the Emperor’s shield. The captain of the knights, with evident confusion on his face, asked again.

“Count Lyuschino, sir. A traitor, you say? So who exactly have you come to capture…?”

The captain had a feeling that the traitor the Count spoke of was certainly not the one they had just cornered with hundreds against one. And the Count confirmed his feeling without hesitation.

“Crown Prince Nigel. He orchestrated the assassination of His Majesty the Emperor. I have come to capture that cruel and ruthless traitor.”

It was the same claim that Leon had made earlier. The captain realized he could no longer dismiss it as nonsense and tried to resist, gritting his teeth.

“That… that’s impossible! Who on earth is making such an absurd claim!”

“That would be me.”

A noble lady revealed herself amidst Count Lyuschino’s terrifying army. Recognizing her, the captain became even more confused.

“Prin… Princess Melissa?”

The princess spoke again with a dry face, impossible to read any emotion from.

“Yes. Will the captain dismiss my claim as absurd as well?”

“But… but, Your Highness! We cannot simply create confusion in the chain of command based on such a claim alone! Currently, the legitimate heir to the Empire is His Highness the Crown Prince, so we have no choice but to follow his orders!”

“Even if that legitimate heir directly ordered the assassination of His Majesty the Emperor?”

“Pardon? That… that’s impossible! Why would His Highness the Crown Prince…”

“There is a witness.”

The princess’s prompt reply left the captain with no choice but to shut his mouth.

“Come out here.”

As soon as the princess gave the order, someone who had been hiding behind her stepped forward, trembling.

“You… aren’t you a servant in the Crown Prince’s palace?”

The captain frowned as he recognized the other person.

“I… I am… well.”

The servant cowered as if he wanted to crawl into the ground, under the gaze of the noble figures.

Above his head, the princess’s scolding fell like a bolt of lightning.

“Have you already forgotten? That I saved you when you were about to die on the Crown Prince’s orders?”

“That… that can’t be! I was just… scared… sob sob.”

The servant waved his hands in denial, his face gripped with fear.

“If you don’t want to experience something even more terrifying, report exactly what you saw and heard in that room.”

The servant did as she said, half-sobbing.

He had been dragged away by the Crown Prince’s guard and was about to have his head cut off without knowing why, but thanks to Princess Melissa, who happened to be there, his life was saved. So he had to repay the debt somehow.

So he disclosed what the Crown Prince had said in the room where Leon, Lady Eve, Lady Margaret, Lady Kasha, and Princess Melissa were present.

“I don’t know the details, but… when the Crown Prince heard the report that His Majesty the Emperor had passed away… he said that since he was going to go anyway, he just helped him go a little faster… sob.”

“Since he was going to go anyway…?”

When the captain frowned and asked, Princess Melissa firmly dismissed his question.

“It means that since he was going to die soon anyway, he just killed him a little faster, Captain. I was right there. Not just me, but several others heard the Crown Prince’s words together.”

“…But… but just based on those words alone, it’s too much to accuse His Highness the Crown Prince, the legitimate heir to the throne, of being a traitor…”

If the claims of the princess and Leon were true, the Imperial Knights would be in a very difficult position. After all, hadn’t they been functioning as nothing more than an extension of the Crown Prince?

As if understanding his position, Count Lyuschino smiled in a way that made the other man’s legs tremble.

“Listen, Captain. You must know that in order to receive the throne as the legitimate heir to the Empire, one must obtain a majority vote in the House of Nobles. His Highness the Crown Prince has not yet gone through that process.”

“Of course, that… that’s true, but… we can’t just summon the House of Nobles right now…”

The captain of the Imperial Knights barely managed to reply, trying not to be intimidated by the veteran.

Then the bear-like man standing quietly next to Count Lyuschino – presumably his son – spoke up.

“Hmm. What’s so difficult about that? My father and the others present here are the House of Nobles itself.”

“What do you…”

The captain, who had a puzzled expression, immediately shut his mouth.

This time, a group of nobles with an ominous atmosphere emerged one by one from behind Princess Melissa.

Most of them had very anxious and confused expressions. And at the forefront of them stood an unexpected figure. None other than the leader of the moderate faction in the House of Nobles, Duke Tyrot.

“Why is Duke Tyrot here…?”

Before his startled words could finish, Odette, the heir to the Tyrot family with disheveled hair, popped out from behind the duke.

“Father, I’m safe! My child is trapped in there!”

The duke sternly restrained Odette with a scolding look, then surveyed the miserable scene all around with experienced eyes.

“Captain. As you just heard, I came to the palace to file a complaint after hearing that Crown Prince Nigel kidnapped my newborn grandchild with evil intent and is holding the child captive in this palace. His Highness even beat my son-in-law like a dog and allowed my daughter to witness the scene with her own eyes.”

“……”

“But on my way to the palace, I received an urgent message from Her Highness the Princess. It said to report to the Imperial Palace immediately for the convening of the House of Nobles.”

“Pardon? Such…”

The captain looked at the expressionless princess with fresh eyes. The princess, who had always been quiet and lacking presence, had arranged such a thing alone without anyone’s help.

“But you see, I thought the order for us nobles to remain in seclusion was meant to mourn the passing of His Majesty the Emperor, but upon arriving at the palace… I found that His Highness the Crown Prince had forbidden the nobles from entering the Imperial Palace altogether, except for his close associates?”

“That… that’s… we were just acting as ordered…”

“If Her Highness Princess Melissa had not personally come out and opened the door to welcome us, we wouldn’t have been able to enter this far. I understand that Count Lyuschino’s army also entered the palace in response to Her Highness the Princess’s summons after learning of His Highness the Crown Prince’s treason.”

“……”

The captain felt his mouth going dry. If the princess and high-ranking nobles had banded together like this, it might really be difficult for the Crown Prince to ascend to the throne.

‘But why isn’t His Highness the Crown Prince coming out to face this situation?’

He glanced at the tightly closed second floor of the Crown Prince’s palace and fretted. Then, Duke Tyrot spoke again in a firm tone.

“We intend to exercise the voting rights of the House of Nobles here and now to prevent Nigel Lamon von Aranias from succeeding to the throne.”

Backed into a corner, the captain suddenly remembered one fact.

“But… but! For the voting rights of the House of Nobles to be exercised, the approval of at least two grand nobles is required!”

His point was correct. Currently, the only grand noble present with a rank of duke or higher was Duke Tyrot.

Thud, thud.

Then the sound of heavy, steady footsteps was heard.

Leon Aranias. He threw the sword he had just used to fight the Imperial Knights in front of everyone’s feet.

Clang.

While everyone remained silent, Leon put his hand inside his jacket and pulled out a blood-stained paper, unfolding it for all to see.

“No, this is…!”

Duke Tyrot’s eyes glinted.

“What is that, Leon?”

In response to Count Lyuschino’s blunt question, Leon replied calmly despite his rough breathing.

“It is a document stating that my father, His Highness Grand Duke Osilote, can no longer maintain his title due to mental and physical illness and is transferring the title to me, Leon Miloyonif Aranias, his eldest son.”

“Then…!”

Everyone gasped in surprise. Except for Count Lyuschino, who smiled faintly with a stoic face.

“So from now on, you are Grand Duke Osilote, Leon.”

“That’s right.”

Brushing back his platinum blond hair, matted with blood and sweat, and straightening his uniform, Leon declared solemnly.

“I, Grand Duke Osilote, by the authority of a grand noble bestowed upon me by His Majesty the Emperor, lend my support to the voting rights of the House of Nobles that Duke Tyrot wishes to exercise.”

Despite his gruesome appearance as if he had just returned from war, his manner as he declared this was undeniably noble.

Duke Tyrot immediately called out, taking his words.

“The location may not be appropriate, but reflecting the urgency of the current situation, I ask for the opinions of the nobles gathered here who have the right to attend the House of Nobles! Those in favor of Crown Prince Nigel’s succession to the throne, raise your hands!”

Hearing his words, the captain suddenly felt a glimmer of hope in his heart.

Who was Crown Prince Nigel? The invincible figure enjoying the highest popularity in the history of the empire, with remarkable recognition and influence.

‘Surely there won’t be that many nobles openly opposing the succession of such a prince…?’

Thinking that, the captain’s face gradually darkened as he looked at the group of nobles.

There was no one. Not a single person raised their hand.