When a prince who did not inherit the throne received the status of a Grand Duke, the status was not, in principle, passed on to his children. That was the reason why there were Grand Dukes in Rotair.
When a Prince who became a Grand Duke had children, those children were treated only as members of the royal family without any titles. Later, depending on their individual achievements or actions, they were sometimes granted new titles that suited them, but in most cases, they were only given an honorary title as a collateral line of the royal family and were destined to spend the rest of their lives in the provinces.
However, there were also cases where the title would be inherited by the next generation of the royal family, the Grand Duke. In such cases, the King personally exercised his authority to determine the order of succession, and this could only be expected if the child was a particularly beloved and cherished child of the King.
Krald did not receive such affection from King Jedecayer. Also, it was Krald's own fault that the King delayed awarding him the title of Grand Duke. Duke Laetian thought quickly even in his confusion. What if Judith could persuade King Jedercayer?
This is too sweet a bait. The Duke's thin lips twitched with ominousness. He said.
“You are talking nonsense. You are going to persuade His Majesty to grant the title of Grand Duke to Krald, and then put me next in line for the succession? What on earth are you talking about? Do you really think I would assassinate my nephew just to get the title?”
“That is a bit of a leap. I was merely opening up a possibility that even the Duke has never had, and probably will never have. As you know, the second Prince’s private life is quite debaucherous. Who knows when or where he might die a violent death?”
“So, just wait for the day he dies? Hold your breath, looking at the illusion of the title of Grand Duke that you may or may not be able to obtain. Is that what Your Highness the Crown Princess wants to say?”
“That is also just the Duke’s conjecture. Whether what the Duke sees is an illusion or not is up to the Duke, isn’t it?”
“Are you trying to play a joke with me right now!”
A harsh scream finally burst out of the Duke of Laetian's mouth. Judith deliberately leaned against the railing as if she had been waiting for it.
“Instead of asking the Second Prince to be given the title of Grand Duke, I will make one more suggestion to His Majesty. I intend to send him to the southern territory
of Rotair and make him a Margrave.”
"Southern...?"
“That’s all I can promise for now. However, the Duke is a man of extraordinary intelligence, so you must know what I mean. Even if you don’t know it now, you will probably learn it after staying by the Second Prince’s side.”
“...”
“So, what do you want to do? Will you accept my offer? Or... will you ‘cooperate’ with me until I thoroughly investigate the Duke’s background and uncover the truth behind today’s events?”
There was no change in Judith's expression until she finished speaking. That dry, expressionless look confused the Duke of Laetian even more. If she were a human, and in such a state of emotional intensity, her thoughts would somehow show on her face. However, Judith showed no emotion at all.
He thought she was an easy opponent. He thought she would react so angrily to even the slightest scratch at the ball, and soon he would bite her on the back of her delicate neck and make her scream.
It was a miscalculation. The Duke of Laetian had no choice but to admit his misjudgment. Then he had to make a different decision. The remaining options were...
“If I accept the Crown Princess’s offer, is that what you’re saying? The Crown Princess will believe in my innocence?”
“Think as you wish. Believe it or not, I promise I won’t dig up the background using you as an axis.”
The Duke clenched his teeth. The unnecessary silence was too long. He had no choice but to bite the sweet bait, but there was definitely poison in it somewhere.
He will be able to escape. He will survive and strangle this girl.
"...Great."
Judith's eyes blinked once.
“I will follow the Crown Princess’s suggestion. If you can convince His Majesty, I will volunteer to assist His Highness Krald and travel south.”
“Very well. I am on my way to meet His Majesty now. I will report to him on the Crown Prince’s condition and then report back to you.”
Judith's steps became quicker as she passed the Duke of Laetian, who was laughing incredulously, tilting his head. She had not wanted to use this method if possible. But she had to use it now. For Franz, and for herself.
If Krald were left in the palace like this, it would soon become an unmanageable problem. It would be better to let his mad temper run wild. Let him become even more greedy, and let him become blinded by hatred and jealousy, thinking that the place he could not and should not dare to look down on was his own.
That board had to be laid. It had to be done so that he and those standing behind him could be strangled without missing an inch of their necks.
"Your majesty."
The King, who had been resting his forehead on the table with his elbows propped up, raised his head. Perhaps it was because his voice was so soft, but it took several calls before he finally got a response, and the Duke of Vergy let out an unnoticeable sigh.
“Are you here?”
The King's voice was hoarse and cracked as if he had been silent for a hundred years. The Duke of Vergy nodded.
“I came here as soon as I heard that His Highness the Crown Prince had regained consciousness. Did Your Majesty hear it too?”
“Yes, I heard. I heard that the herbalist named Miss Legadance did a good job of detoxifying. I should give her a reward.”
“Still, you will have to wait a few days and see how things are going. Since he woke up like this...”
A long sigh escaped Duke Vergy's lips. King Jedkair lowered his head, resting his forehead on his clasped trembling hands.
“Yes, that’s fortunate. It’s truly... fortunate.”
“Your Majesty, please get some rest. Your Majesty has not slept properly even for a single night since he collapsed. If this continues, Your Majesty’s health will deteriorate even further.”
“Don’t worry about me.”
King Jedecayer rubbed his face with a tired expression and groaned softly. Even without Duke Vergy’s concerns, he had already reached his physical limit over the past few days.
Only his determination to uncover the truth no matter what was keeping him from collapsing. However, there was no progress in the investigation. According to Rogero, he was from a country that disappeared due to the Delaca Empire, and after his homeland was destroyed, he survived alone and wandered around until he came here.
Even so, King Jedecayer could not rule out the possibility that he had some enemies here, so he ordered his soldiers to search the entire capital city for any trace of him. However, not a single person, from the nobles to the poor, recognized his portrait.
The King also had a suspicion about who had done this. Immediately after Franz was attacked by him, King Jedercayer returned to the palace and first inspected the Queen's palace. However, Queen Gilsis was still in her seat, and no one was staying or coming into the Queen's palace except for the palace doctor, one or two maids, and servants.
The Duke of Laetian and Krald were also included in the investigation, but even this was not an easy task. Krald had been spending his time drinking and gambling every day at the Serene Palace with his government after Flavia was imprisoned, and although there were some suspicious aspects to the Duke of Laetian's actions, no evidence could be found linking him to the assassin.
Duke Vergy seemed to be worried about the King's condition, and he could not seem to rest. He opened the window and blew out a few incense sticks that the courtiers had lit. However, the stuffy air showed no signs of going away. It was as if King Jedercayer's worries were floating around the room like clouds.
“Your Majesty, I saw the Crown Princess coming out of the palace. Her expression did not look good. Is there a problem?”
Another long sigh escaped the King's lips at the Duke of Vergy's question. That was the reason why he remained lost in thought without even answering until the Duke called him several times.
“That’s not true.”
The Duke looked noticeably relieved at the King's answer. However, he could not maintain his composure after hearing what followed.
“The child came to me... to tell me to award the title of Grand Ruke to Krald.”
The Duke of Vergy's face hardened terribly. He stared at the King for a long time with eyes that seemed as if he couldn't believe what he had heard, then clenched his fists and asked.
“What do you mean? Why did Her Highness the Crown Princess ask such a favor of Your Majesty?”
“Not only that, she told me to designate the Duke of Laetian as the next in line for the title that Krald would receive.”
“What kind of nonsense is this...! Your Majesty, this is unacceptable. Why did Her Highness the Crown Princess...! Was she perhaps threatened by Duke Laetian?”
King Jedecayer did not answer readily. Duke Vergy interpreted this silence as an ambiguous affirmation, which made him even more angry, but the King simply remained lost in thought.
“Your Majesty, I ask you to listen to what I am about to say without any misinterpretation.”
When Judith suddenly came to Magnus's palace and asked to inherit everything around him, it was easy to guess that it was not a light matter. However, even King Jedecayer could not have imagined that it was a request to make Krald the Grand Duke.
At first, he too had similar thoughts to the Duke of Vergy. He was worried and angry that someone might have pressured her while Franz was in a state of confusion and bewilderment after his collapse.
But when Judith looked up, he could tell just by looking at her eyes that she had not come here because of anyone's pressure, nor because her judgment had been clouded by Franz's accident.
“Why?”
Instead of exploding in anger, the King calmly asked back, genuinely curious as to why she was making such a request.
"Southern...?"
“That’s all I can promise for now. However, the Duke is a man of extraordinary intelligence, so you must know what I mean. Even if you don’t know it now, you will probably learn it after staying by the Second Prince’s side.”
“...”
“So, what do you want to do? Will you accept my offer? Or... will you ‘cooperate’ with me until I thoroughly investigate the Duke’s background and uncover the truth behind today’s events?”
There was no change in Judith's expression until she finished speaking. That dry, expressionless look confused the Duke of Laetian even more. If she were a human, and in such a state of emotional intensity, her thoughts would somehow show on her face. However, Judith showed no emotion at all.
He thought she was an easy opponent. He thought she would react so angrily to even the slightest scratch at the ball, and soon he would bite her on the back of her delicate neck and make her scream.
It was a miscalculation. The Duke of Laetian had no choice but to admit his misjudgment. Then he had to make a different decision. The remaining options were...
“If I accept the Crown Princess’s offer, is that what you’re saying? The Crown Princess will believe in my innocence?”
“Think as you wish. Believe it or not, I promise I won’t dig up the background using you as an axis.”
The Duke clenched his teeth. The unnecessary silence was too long. He had no choice but to bite the sweet bait, but there was definitely poison in it somewhere.
He will be able to escape. He will survive and strangle this girl.
"...Great."
Judith's eyes blinked once.
“I will follow the Crown Princess’s suggestion. If you can convince His Majesty, I will volunteer to assist His Highness Krald and travel south.”
“Very well. I am on my way to meet His Majesty now. I will report to him on the Crown Prince’s condition and then report back to you.”
Judith's steps became quicker as she passed the Duke of Laetian, who was laughing incredulously, tilting his head. She had not wanted to use this method if possible. But she had to use it now. For Franz, and for herself.
If Krald were left in the palace like this, it would soon become an unmanageable problem. It would be better to let his mad temper run wild. Let him become even more greedy, and let him become blinded by hatred and jealousy, thinking that the place he could not and should not dare to look down on was his own.
That board had to be laid. It had to be done so that he and those standing behind him could be strangled without missing an inch of their necks.
***
"Your majesty."
The King, who had been resting his forehead on the table with his elbows propped up, raised his head. Perhaps it was because his voice was so soft, but it took several calls before he finally got a response, and the Duke of Vergy let out an unnoticeable sigh.
“Are you here?”
The King's voice was hoarse and cracked as if he had been silent for a hundred years. The Duke of Vergy nodded.
“I came here as soon as I heard that His Highness the Crown Prince had regained consciousness. Did Your Majesty hear it too?”
“Yes, I heard. I heard that the herbalist named Miss Legadance did a good job of detoxifying. I should give her a reward.”
“Still, you will have to wait a few days and see how things are going. Since he woke up like this...”
A long sigh escaped Duke Vergy's lips. King Jedkair lowered his head, resting his forehead on his clasped trembling hands.
“Yes, that’s fortunate. It’s truly... fortunate.”
“Your Majesty, please get some rest. Your Majesty has not slept properly even for a single night since he collapsed. If this continues, Your Majesty’s health will deteriorate even further.”
“Don’t worry about me.”
King Jedecayer rubbed his face with a tired expression and groaned softly. Even without Duke Vergy’s concerns, he had already reached his physical limit over the past few days.
Only his determination to uncover the truth no matter what was keeping him from collapsing. However, there was no progress in the investigation. According to Rogero, he was from a country that disappeared due to the Delaca Empire, and after his homeland was destroyed, he survived alone and wandered around until he came here.
Even so, King Jedecayer could not rule out the possibility that he had some enemies here, so he ordered his soldiers to search the entire capital city for any trace of him. However, not a single person, from the nobles to the poor, recognized his portrait.
The King also had a suspicion about who had done this. Immediately after Franz was attacked by him, King Jedercayer returned to the palace and first inspected the Queen's palace. However, Queen Gilsis was still in her seat, and no one was staying or coming into the Queen's palace except for the palace doctor, one or two maids, and servants.
The Duke of Laetian and Krald were also included in the investigation, but even this was not an easy task. Krald had been spending his time drinking and gambling every day at the Serene Palace with his government after Flavia was imprisoned, and although there were some suspicious aspects to the Duke of Laetian's actions, no evidence could be found linking him to the assassin.
Duke Vergy seemed to be worried about the King's condition, and he could not seem to rest. He opened the window and blew out a few incense sticks that the courtiers had lit. However, the stuffy air showed no signs of going away. It was as if King Jedercayer's worries were floating around the room like clouds.
“Your Majesty, I saw the Crown Princess coming out of the palace. Her expression did not look good. Is there a problem?”
Another long sigh escaped the King's lips at the Duke of Vergy's question. That was the reason why he remained lost in thought without even answering until the Duke called him several times.
“That’s not true.”
The Duke looked noticeably relieved at the King's answer. However, he could not maintain his composure after hearing what followed.
“The child came to me... to tell me to award the title of Grand Ruke to Krald.”
The Duke of Vergy's face hardened terribly. He stared at the King for a long time with eyes that seemed as if he couldn't believe what he had heard, then clenched his fists and asked.
“What do you mean? Why did Her Highness the Crown Princess ask such a favor of Your Majesty?”
“Not only that, she told me to designate the Duke of Laetian as the next in line for the title that Krald would receive.”
“What kind of nonsense is this...! Your Majesty, this is unacceptable. Why did Her Highness the Crown Princess...! Was she perhaps threatened by Duke Laetian?”
King Jedecayer did not answer readily. Duke Vergy interpreted this silence as an ambiguous affirmation, which made him even more angry, but the King simply remained lost in thought.
***
“Your Majesty, I ask you to listen to what I am about to say without any misinterpretation.”
When Judith suddenly came to Magnus's palace and asked to inherit everything around him, it was easy to guess that it was not a light matter. However, even King Jedecayer could not have imagined that it was a request to make Krald the Grand Duke.
At first, he too had similar thoughts to the Duke of Vergy. He was worried and angry that someone might have pressured her while Franz was in a state of confusion and bewilderment after his collapse.
But when Judith looked up, he could tell just by looking at her eyes that she had not come here because of anyone's pressure, nor because her judgment had been clouded by Franz's accident.
“Why?”
Instead of exploding in anger, the King calmly asked back, genuinely curious as to why she was making such a request.
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