Sister, I'm the Queen This Life (330 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 374

It wasn’t only Ariadne who doubted her ears. Alfonso, too, furrowed his brow, unsure if he’d heard correctly.

But once those words were spoken aloud, there was no taking them back. Seizing the moment without hesitation, Alfonso pressed forward—another lesson learned in Yessak.

“So you’re saying… His Grace the Grand Duke also agrees to the annulment of the engagement with the Grand Duchess?”

Grand Duke Aud stared silently at Alfonso. After a long pause, he abruptly shifted the topic entirely.

“…Prince, how great is your ambition?”

Caught off guard by the sudden change of subject, Alfonso simply fixed his steady gaze on Grand Duke Aud instead of answering.

Skilled negotiators often threw unexpected questions to catch their opponents off balance and gain leverage.

Through experience, Alfonso had learned there was no need to answer every such maneuver—sometimes, a cold, silent stare was the best reply.

Recognizing his feint had failed, Grand Duke Aud didn’t press for an answer. Instead, he gave Alfonso a faint, knowing smile.

“Well, Prince Alfonso—you’re clearly not a man burning with ambition. If you were, you’d have taken that sword already.”

He nodded toward Caladbolg hanging at Alfonso’s waist.

“You’d have clung desperately to the throne of the Kingdom of Yessak instead of handing it over to Grand Duke Yuldenburg.”

“I merely distinguish between what can be protected and what cannot.”

Alfonso replied calmly, though he made no effort to conceal his displeasure.

“To ask about ambition is foolish. The same drive for self-improvement becomes either a noble achievement—if it fits one’s capacity—or reckless folly that burdens one’s family, subordinates, and nation—if it exceeds one’s limits. The Kingdom of Yessak is like an island adrift alone in a sea of heretics. Even if seized, defending it would be exceedingly difficult.”

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