“So, it was all planned from the beginning?”

Lloyd now came and went from Duke Valois’ residence as if it were his own home.

Threatening that if things went wrong, he would inform the emperor that the duke had been plotting rebellion.

It was the result of blackmail, saying he would never die alone if he had to die.

And as a result, he came to hear about what had happened at the imperial palace recently.

“That’s right. It seems the emperor has made up his mind.”

The selection process for the support project itself was fabricated by the emperor to weed out plagiarism, and the audit revealed everything.

In addition, Lloyd’s own financial situation was also exposed.

“What will you do now? Even I’m in a difficult position to provide more funding.”

“What do you mean? Difficult to provide funding?”

Lloyd glared at the duke with sharp eyes.

“Shouldn’t you take responsibility to the end when we’re in the same boat? To say it’s difficult now.”

“…Do you know how much money you’ve taken away to recruit people? A whole year’s budget for the duchy has already flown away!”

Unlike his initial confidence in taking him in, Duke Valois had been under all sorts of stress lately because of Lloyd.

He had said it wouldn’t be easy to get anything, but Lloyd knew more than expected, and he threatened to tell everyone about spreading rumors about his daughter if push came to shove.

‘I hear the duke’s father dotes on his granddaughter? If such a father learns what happened to the granddaughter he loves so much, do you think he’ll let the duke off easy?’

And that “everyone” included his father, the former duke, who, although elderly, still had the power to control Derek Valois.

The spiteful threat that he wouldn’t die alone if the rebellion was revealed also played a part.

“Did you think it wouldn’t cost that much to gain a country? My, I thought you were good at calculations.”

Lloyd tormented the duke by constantly flaunting his communication with the former duke.

Just yesterday, didn’t he curry favor with the former duke by saying absurd things like he was responsible for Arianna’s well-being?

For Derek Valois, who found his own father more terrifying than the emperor, it was enough to drive him mad.

“Then why don’t you ask your father for funds? If you tell him what Anna did, he’ll probably give you all sorts of wealth.”

“I’ve already secured aid from the former duke. But that’s not enough. Don’t you know?”

Surely, you didn’t think that would solve everything?

The duke was speechless seeing him brazenly talk about receiving financial support as if it were only natural.

He thought he was somewhat intelligent, but was he always this self-centered?

Did he really believe in such a person to attempt such a grand act of rebellion?

Hearing those words, the duke suddenly came to his senses.

This is a path leading to death.

Not just death, but a dog’s death.

“The cost of raising an army alone is astronomical. Are you listening to me?”

He wasn’t afraid of failing in the rebellion.

Such things should always be considered with the possibility of failure in mind.

But if it meant collapsing without a foundation to rise again, that was a different story.

Then there would be no second chance.

Forget a second chance, there wouldn’t even be a way to survive right now.

Duke Valois suddenly saw Lloyd, who had initially seemed quite spirited and intelligent, as the most foolish and stupid person in the world.

At the same time, he couldn’t believe why he had been deceived by such a person all this time.

No matter how desperate the desire, this was not right.

To entrust such an earnest wish to rule at the highest position to such an empty wagon of a man.

He thought it would be far better to plot things on his own rather than this.

The moment Duke Valois judged it wasn’t right, he began calculating in his head how to extricate himself.

He needed to get out of here as soon as possible.

[This is the timeline separator]

Meanwhile, Lloyd was in a very displeased state.

Things that were resolved without any problems when Amelia was around, and even somewhat when Arianna was there, had all come to a halt just because those two were gone.

Was what they did really that much work?

He grew irritated looking at the stagnant affairs.

“Damn it. What exactly is the problem?”

Where was the problem, and where should he start fixing things?

He swept away the papers on the desk while staring at the issues that were clearly stuck due to some problem.

“What’s the problem! What! Why aren’t things working!”

Funding issues, military training problems, matters of recruiting nobles or spreading his reputation throughout the empire.

He thought he could surely do it since Amelia had created everything from start to finish in the past and he had executed it.

He couldn’t even solve the funding problem that should be the top priority right now.

For now, he was borrowing a little here and there from women who supported him, but…

“Young Lord. A message from Duke Valois.”

“Duke Valois?”

Lloyd, who had been pounding on the desk and fuming, took the note handed by his aide.

And as he unfolded that note.

[For old times’ sake, I’m sending a little more. Given the state of the territory, it’ll be difficult to lend any more than this. Considering our past relationship, I’ll tell you one more thing – your reputation in high society is hitting rock bottom. It would be best to be careful from now on.]

“Oh, damn it!”

Lloyd, unable to contain himself any longer, crumpled up the note and threw it away.

‘Lending’? Not only was that word itself infuriating, but Duke Valois’ attitude was even more absurd.

For old times’ sake? How much of a relationship did he and I even build?

Moreover, he even investigated his reputation in high society?

Cutting ties because things seem to be going wrong, regardless of partnership or whatever?

Lloyd, unable to contain the anger rising to the top of his head, pounded on the desk repeatedly.

Until the aide standing beside him took frightened steps back and eventually fell on his backside.

Until the writing instruments and documents on the desk finally tumbled to the floor.

“Huff… huff… How dare he… How dare he say such things to me…”

Lloyd pounded on the desk until sweat beaded on his forehead from breathlessness, then gasped for air.

After venting his anger so frantically, he felt his mind clearing up.

There’s nothing I like.

There’s nothing satisfactory.

Changing the world was a task that consumed tremendous energy and resources.

In the process, money might change hands in large amounts, and human and material resources might be exchanged without reservation.

And, some people might have to die.

With his mind clearer now, he thought such things, then straightened up and turned his head to look at the aide sitting on the floor.

“Right now, contact Duke Valois immediately. Tell him I’ve just left to tell the former duke about his daughter. No, since the message might reach him first, try to deliver it to the duke in person if possible.”

“So… so, you’re saying you’re going to the former duke right now? You want me to go tell the duke?”

The aide, startled by Lloyd’s anger, squeaked while organizing the instructions he had just received.

It was a rather desperate voice, knowing that if he didn’t do his job properly even in this situation, his master would unleash his fiery anger.

Of course, Lloyd, not caring about such things at all, looked at his aide with gleaming, vicious eyes.

“You think I would go? You should go.”

“Me?”

The former duke is in the Valois duchy…

The voice that couldn’t fully express itself dissipated into the air.

A piercing gaze rained down as if to say, ‘Do I need to know that?’

The aide muttered in a shrunken voice, ‘Yes. I’ll go, I’ll go.’

Seeing this, Lloyd clicked his tongue with a displeased face.

To think that the one he appointed as an aide would cower like this.

Most of the aides he had so far were like that, but this one in particular was excessively whiny.

Always complaining about how hard things are and looking for approval. Always saying he doesn’t know and prostrating himself on the ground.

Still, he had been quietly observing because the way he handled work was quite satisfactory.

But now he’s even being impudent like this.

Lloyd frowned deeply at his attitude.

“Are you being sarcastic now?”

“What? No! How could I dare…”

The aide, who had been lying flat on the ground, jumped up at Lloyd’s words.

Saying how could someone as lowly as him dare to think such thoughts, but why did that sound even more sarcastic?

Lloyd glared at the aide for a while, then reached into his chest and rummaged around for a bit.

Then he threw something forcefully towards him.

“Take it and get out. I don’t need someone like you anymore.”

There was a clear sound of something hitting, but he didn’t care.

He thought, what does it matter to him whether such a guy gets hit or not?

So he didn’t know what he had thrown or what kind of act he had committed.

He just got up from his seat and left the room, fuming with anger.

Thinking only about how to regain his former glory and how to bring Amelia back.

Not even noticing what was truly important.