“Swear loyalty to me, or I will seize my land from you. Making those words sound noble changes nothing.”

She gathered courage and approached the chef.

“My Lord.”

As she called softly, the eyes of two men turned towards her simultaneously. In Ines’s eyes, she didn’t miss the relief on Noah’s face.

“May I come in?”

Carson brushed his hair back and managed to create a smile. He knew he needed to make her feel at ease.

“Sure, come in.”

Ines entered, glancing briefly at the royal letter carelessly placed on his desk.

“Sit down. Would you like something to drink?”

“No, thank you.”

Although she had an indifferent face, Ines knew he was quite angry.

“I heard a messenger came from the palace.”

“Yeah.”

“Is it from the Empress?”

“No, it’s from the Emperor, but the content is probably written by the Empress.”

“Can I know what it says?”

He hesitated for a moment, but it was short-lived. Carson, who walked directly to the desk, handed the royal letter to Ines. She read it carefully.

The content was as follows:

The Empress decided that on her upcoming birthday, her second son, Anthony von Raymond, would ascend to the position of the crown prince.

“So, it means they need your support, my Lord.”

“Yeah.”

“If you don’t come and swear loyalty, they will consider it a violation of the sacred contract.”

Carson let out a deep breath. This meant that even if they stripped him of everything he had, it wouldn’t be a problem. He had violated the contract with the gods and the royal family.

At that moment, Noah intervened between them.

“The problem is not only that.”

“What else?”

“The Empress has staked something significant on the fact that Monstera has expanded its territory.”

It was a unique authority to have an expanded territory. It didn’t make sense to change the law they made to shove it in as they pleased.

“So?”

“The Prince Consort still needs assurance that he remains a faithful servant of the royal family.”

The content he spoke of was from another letter brought by the imperial messenger. It was obvious that it was a separate letter sent by the Empress. Ines sighed softly, without realizing it.

“What does that mean…?”

“The main point is to relinquish the territory Monstera has expanded. Either move more to the northwest or divide the territory of Landhill. That’s what they mean.”

“Why don’t they come and take the land beyond Monstera themselves?”

Ines’s cold words made Carson laugh, suppressing the choking sound, and Noah bit his lip.

“Ines, we haven’t heard back from the messenger yet.”

But she didn’t hear Noah’s words because she was lost in thought. The Empress was eyeing Landhill’s land. She probably wouldn’t stop there. What she ultimately wanted was the right to build the railroad.

Now the Empress was certainly aware that Carson wanted to install a railroad that would traverse the entire empire. What that meant.

Moreover, Carson was now the most likely successor to the imperial throne throughout the empire. Due to the pandemic and the remaining rebellion, the current emperor’s number of children was not even eight.

The rebellion had not yet ended. In this situation, the order of succession to the throne was not a problem.

Carson was a war hero who had solved the empire’s lingering problems and the lord of the wealthiest territory in the empire. Building the railroad required a large workforce. The number of people mobilized for him had already reached tens of thousands.

The flow of the economy was something that permeated his entire being.

It was only natural for people to support him, like their bodies naturally swaying in the direction the wind blows.
If Carson supports the Empress’s second son and becomes the Crown Prince, his position will undoubtedly strengthen. However, it wasn’t that straightforward. There was a willingness to yield if pushed, but if someone tried to devour him, it would become unbearable.

“What do you plan to do, my Lord? Are you thinking of going to the capital?”

“If I go there, they will try to strip me naked.”

“If you don’t go, they will invade Landhill.”

“I know.”

Conquering an ownerless castle was as easy as it gets. If he went now, he would only have to give up the land of the old Landhill. However, if he didn’t go, he might lose the entire territory. Everything coming out of it would fall into the hands of the Empress.

Otherwise, there might be an all-out war between Monstera and Cains. Even if Cains’ military power had weakened, their numbers were still overwhelming. Moreover, it was difficult to win with land located at the far end of the territory.

So, logically, going was the right choice.

“But I don’t want to.”

Ines nodded as if she completely understood him.

“My Lord, actually…”

Again, with a nuance that seemed like another confession, both Carson and Noah’s brows furrowed.

“Again?”

“Actually, I received a letter from the temple yesterday. Did you hear about it, Advisor?”

“I heard.”

“It seems that within about two weeks, I have to return to Edmont.”