The current owner of Chelano and the head of a family known as the Grand Duchy above the Imperial Family, receiving the loyalty of 32 vassal houses.

That was Raminoff Chelano.

The middle-aged man with striking bright red hair and brown eyes, which could be considered the symbol of the Chelano Grand Duchy, was sitting with his legs casually crossed, looking at Ludmila.

He seemed momentarily flustered by her sudden visit, but it didn’t last long.

“I didn’t expect you to come all the way here, Marchioness. Or should I call you Princess now?”

Kedilen had died.

Celia quickly finalized the divorce proceedings and completed the inheritance in her name before all the family assets could be transferred to Ludmila.

Thanks to that, Ludmila, no longer an Erdi, returned to the Imperial Family.

If she had been just a Marchioness, she couldn’t have come like this and sat down for a conversation, but she had Imperial blood in her veins, however little, and was a Princess.

Even Raminoff couldn’t turn her away.

“I heard you left with Duke Habertz right after the commotion at the Imperial Palace. Weren’t you staying in the Duke’s territory?”

However, while he couldn’t turn her away, how to treat Ludmila was entirely up to him.

He was the head of a family that enjoyed such power that even the Emperor’s presence wouldn’t change his demeanor.

There was no way he would show courtesy to a mere divorced illegitimate Princess.

However, since she hadn’t expected any courtesy in the first place, Ludmila swallowed a small laugh and politely pushed away the teacup Raminoff had offered.

As Raminoff silently watched the teacup move closer to him, raising his eyes vertically, Ludmila adjusted her posture and calmly began to speak.

“I won’t take up much of your time. I’ll get straight to the point. Please grant my request.”

“Request?”

At the blunt statement, Raminoff’s upper body, which had been leaning against the chair, tilted forward.

Resting his elbows on his thighs to support his upper body, he let out a chuckle.

“Go on. What is it?”

“Please end the war.”

Raminoff burst into a hollow laugh at the audacity that didn’t change her expression one bit.

Feeling so incredulous that he wondered if he had heard correctly, Raminoff rubbed his face and then flicked his finger.

As the butler waiting near the door withdrew and they were left alone, Raminoff’s gaze changed.

“Why should I do that?”

The little respect that had remained disappeared, replaced by arrogance.

The look of a powerful person who knew that even the Emperor couldn’t do anything to him.

If he became the father-in-law of the Crown Prince who would soon become Emperor, he would gain unprecedented, absolute power.

He could become an absolute being encompassing the old nobility, the new nobility, and even the Imperial Family.

“People might simply think this war is about rooting out cancer, but that’s not the case. The main goal of this war is to unite the interests of the old nobility and the new nobility. The war is just a pretext for this. In the end, when the war is over, the two groups will gather around the Crown Prince, and in the process, the Crown Prince will become an Emperor with a stable support base.”

Taking that Emperor into his fold – that was the goal of this war.

The reason the Grand Duke wasn’t directly involved in this war was for one reason only: the risk was too great.

Although it was said to be a war that couldn’t be lost, no one could guarantee the outcome.

If the Crown Prince lost or failed to achieve a perfect victory, in the worst case, he could risk falling from power.

There was no need for the Grand Duchy to get directly involved in that.

“The ignorant rabble might cry about justice or whatever, but those who crave power all know this story. So, I ask again, Princess.”

Raminoff grinned and his eyes flashed.

“Why should I do that?”

It was the look of a predator eyeing its prey.

A month had already passed.

It was the same amount of time that the Imperial Central Army, without their cannons, had been unable to cross the massive walls and had set up camp on the outskirts.

The Central Army, with its 20,000 strong force, had attempted to forcibly cross the walls using battering rams, ladders, and makeshift catapults, but ultimately failed to overcome those high walls.

After three attempts, they seemed to have decided to wait for the cannons and began an indefinite standby, no longer launching any attacks.

Thanks to this, for a month, the people here had been enjoying an untimely peace amidst tension.

However, that was merely on the surface. A thick anxiety, like that of a terminally ill patient, hung over the Black Barrier.

“Yesterday evening, the Central Army was reinforced by troops sent from the capital. It’s confirmed to be 6,000 troops, bringing their estimated total to 30,000 soldiers currently gathered.”

Everyone let out a low sigh at Neser’s report.

The number 30,000 was terrifying enough, but they knew well that the word ‘minimum’ was missing.

Despite erasing 20,000 through a month-long siege and surprise attacks, they were back to square one. Moreover, while the enemy’s numbers grew, their own dwindled.

The soldier count, which had been close to 6,000, had decreased to 4,000 now, and even that number was only maintainable thanks to young men who had volunteered to join the war.

“That’s not the only problem. Food is also an issue. We initially thought we could last half a year, but there’s more spoiled food than expected, and not much left. We’re currently clearing half the gardens inside the fortress to grow crops that can be harvested quickly, but it’s questionable whether the remaining food will last until those crops can be harvested.”

“Morale is also a problem. There’s a spreading atmosphere that we’ll all eventually die trapped here. There’s even talk about whether it might be right to surrender… It seems we need some kind of countermeasure.”

Various comments were exchanged in the meeting, but when summed up, it all came down to one thing.

The situation was heading towards the worst possible outcome. That was all.

The meeting was long, but despite the time spent, there was no progress.

As the sun was setting and the meeting ended, with everyone leaving the room, Aden was still standing, staring out the window.

“Your Grace.”

Neser, who had been watching from behind, waited until the last person left and the door closed before approaching Aden.

“It seems it’s time for you to make a decision.”

Aden turned his gaze slightly and stared at Neser.

The elderly man bowed his head once to his grandson’s gaze.

“We must abandon the Black Barrier.”

“…”

“Two weeks ago, after the last siege, I secretly ordered a tunnel to be dug. It leads to a waterway behind the castle walls. If we place boats there, we can travel to the highlands via the river.”

“Are you suggesting that only I should escape from here?”

The Central Army was camped outside the walls.

In this situation where they were keeping a close watch, and with the possibility of spies having infiltrated, it was impossible to move many people through a secret tunnel.

They couldn’t move such a large boat, nor was it a suitable method for moving people secretly.

“I told you before. I’d rather die than abandon these people.”

“I know. But you need to think differently. The people in the Black Barrier are not the only clan members who follow you. The chieftains and clan members scattered throughout the highlands number in the hundreds of thousands. Will you abandon them all?”

“…”

“If you die, the Imperials will ruthlessly plunder this place. It will be an even more severe time than before the war. Eventually, the clan will gradually decline, and in the end, whether slowly or quickly, everyone will die regardless.”

The clan follows the rightful heir.

The Kan clan has followed this rule for hundreds of years, and it remains unchanged even now.

They needed bloodline to unite them. Aden was the only one who could do that.

“You must live, even if it’s cowardly. You must endure even if self-loathing fills you.

That’s what Duke Benito, your father, who lost Olua… my daughter like that, did despite enduring everything.”

The words that burst out with a low breath made Aden’s eyes waver.

Aden had hated his father’s powerlessness in losing his mother like that, and despised his decision to give up his position after his mother died.

Aden had cursed those who were too weak to protect their loved ones more than anyone else.

To such an Aden, Neser was now arguing that he should emulate his father.

“Now…”

Aden’s face crumpled, turning red as if he might explode in anger at any moment, but his lips only quivered without uttering any meaningful words.

As much as he didn’t want to admit it, Neser’s words were the truth.

In the past, he had cursed and resented his father, but as time passed, he realized that Benito had no choice but to make that decision.

Benito chose to protect the clan over protecting his family, and he himself, who had criticized that, also abandoned Ludmila and returned to the clan.

In the end, he had to admit that he had no right to blame his father.

Knock knock−.

The knock came just as Aden was turning his head, unable to give a proper answer due to the complexity of his thoughts.

With a light response, the door opened and Salom entered, bowing his head respectfully.

“Master, a letter has arrived.”

“Is it another letter urging surrender?”

He was tired of those threatening advisory notes that came almost daily.

Just as he was about to wave his hand in annoyance, Salom carefully reached into his chest and pulled out a letter.

“…It’s a letter from Lady Ludmila.”

At that moment, Aden’s frowning face froze stiff.