Disguised as a Male Servant in the Duke's House (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 170

The Crown Prince, seated with his legs crossed at the head of the audience chamber, looked down at Klaus with not a shred of mercy in his gaze.

Klaus, meeting the Crown Prince’s stare without flinching, soon slowly lowered his head and spoke as calmly as he could.

“To the Empire, Valtezar is nothing but a ticking time bomb. Three centuries ago, during the war, the previous Duke Valtezar conquered the Kingdom of Venethis—the territory that now constitutes the Duchy of Valtezar—and to this day, the majority of the duchy’s residents remain Venethians.”

The Crown Prince lifted his chin leisurely, as if urging him to go on. Klaus hardened his gaze and continued.

“Thanks to the efforts of House Valtezar, the duchy has grown prosperous and resentment toward the ducal family has largely subsided, but regional animosity toward the Empire still lingers.”

“Since when has Duke Valtezar cared about his subjects’ regional grievances?”

Interrupted by the Crown Prince, Klaus frowned slightly but quickly composed himself and pressed on.

“The accumulated restrictions and checks the Imperial Family has imposed upon the ducal house have pushed the residents’ discontent to its breaking point. If things continue like this, there’s a strong risk the citizens will rise in revolt—even without the ducal family taking the lead.”

Listening quietly to Klaus’s earnest tone, the Crown Prince rested his chin in his hand with a bored expression.

“Skip the lamentations about events that haven’t even occurred yet. Try convincing me with something more realistic.”

At the Crown Prince’s pointed remark, Klaus’s eyes swiftly returned to their usual calculating sharpness as he stared directly into the Crown Prince’s eyes.

“Lugbeljet is an empire that has grown in size by subjugating neighboring kingdoms. Unlike Rapellios, which maintains friendly relations with other nations through an open policy, Lugbeljet is a country where war could break out at any moment.”

Narrowing his eyes as if challenging Klaus to say more, the Crown Prince responded to Klaus’s incisive remark.

“If the duchy were to gain independence as a sovereign principality, even if one could tunnel through the Fjord Mountains, all Western kingdoms would still have to pass through the duchy to reach Lugbeljet. Naturally, the principality would serve as a gateway—and effectively, a barrier—between the Western nations and Lugbeljet.”

Seeming somewhat impressed by this plausible argument, the Crown Prince snorted and straightened his posture.

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