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“What do you think you’re doing right now?”
Kaizen seemed emboldened by the fact that he stood in front of his own palace. He stood in front of Joshua with his arms crossed and glared furiously at the young knight.
“Are you deaf? I’m asking you, Joshua Sanders, why you are barging into my palace like this. Rudely, at that, I might add.”
After Kaizen repeated his demand, everyone went silent at once and turned to Joshua. Prince Kaizen was a violent Prince, and everyone knew about that. Their fear turned the air around the palace grounds cold.
Joshua’s mouth remained stubbornly shut for a long moment.
“...I… Your Highness the Second Prince… You and I are standing in a public square.”
“HUH?”
“I am standing in front of you now not as Joshua Sanders, but as a count of the Avalon Empire and the captain of the Auxiliary Battalion of the Imperial Knights,” Joshua proudly declared. This simple affirmation of his values made everyone’s eyeballs pop out of their sockets.
No one here was so stupid that they didn't understand what Joshua was saying. His words were not a threat tacked on as an afterthought.
“You… What are you suddenly saying?”
Joshua looked down on him.
“It means… you need to show me some respect.”
“You…” Kaizen scoffed and snarled, visibly offended.
To elaborate, Kaizen was not as well-regarded as Joshua in the public eye. His lack of a higher title like “crown prince” perhaps just added salt to the wound—not to mention the power struggle between him and the First Prince taking place.
The problem lay in Joshua’s words: how dare an aristocrat demand “respect” in front of the royal family?
There was no mutual respect for each other. The royal family would do whatever they wanted to do, and the aristocrats would crawl beneath the feet of the most noble family in the country. That was how things had always been and always would be.
Or should have been…
Kaizen’s footsteps resonated quietly in the still air as he stepped forward.
“Are you mocking the Second Prince in front of these people?”
Before any of them realized, word spread like wildfire, attracting the attention of the nobles who were in the palace for official and non-official business. Since the competition for the Princess’s Concubine had begun, many high ranking nobles were still staying in the palace.
Joshua looked around, acknowledging their presence, before he started speaking.
“I’m not here for you, Second Prince. I believe that I made that very clear.”
“You came to my palace and you expect me to believe that?”
“I will make this clear… again. I came here because I have something to settle with the Fourth Prince, Kaiser. That is my business.”
Kaiser flinched and trembled in fear.
In the end, Kaizen blew up.
“I see that your arrogance knows no bounds! Imperial Knights, what are you doing right now?! Will you stand and watch as this arrogant man tramples on the pride of the Imperial Family?!”
Nearly three-hundred Imperial Knights all drew their swords at the same time. These knights were under the direct command of the Imperial family and Kaizen.
But Joshua’s people didn’t just stand and watch either.
“Help the Captain!”
“11th and 12th Battalion Knights, draw your swords!”
The other knights and nobles broke into a furor as swords hissed against their sheathes. This is a once in a lifetime show, but many wondered if the future held similar events.
Calling it a “challenge” would be an understatement. These knights, though they were supposed to be comrades, were now pointing their swords at each other.
“This is crazy…” Kaizen unconsciously clenched his fist.
This situation wouldn’t be as crazy if it wasn’t about his brother.
Two hundred knights pointed their swords against the Prince at the orders of a kid that has just become the Count—a mere noble. And even younger than Kaizen.
What the hell was this Joshua Sanders guy?
Kaizen couldn’t hide his internal struggle.
“Please stop.”
Kaizen’s head whipped around to the side toward the voice.
“Brother, there are a lot of eyes watching.”
“Kaiser.”
“Count Sanders said he has some business with me. In that case, it's better to face him head on.”
Kaiser moved forward.
“Ke-Keep the Prince safe!”
In case of an emergency, the rest of the Imperial Knights, who didn't have a side, gathered next to Caesar. Five hundred in total.
“Now that I think about it, I believe your particular choice of words is reserved for criminals. Tell me,” he added when Joshua opened his mouth to speak, “what’s my charge?”
“I must emphasize, I am a Knight in the service of the Imperial Family—I would never touch a prince’s body without a proper reason.”
Kaiser was about to reply, but Joshua’s sudden smile made him flinch.
“Why are you laughing?” he nervously asked.
“The Imperial Family defines treason as ‘harming the Imperial family,’ right?”
“What?” Kaizen pushed for clarification, but Kaiser’s mouth was firmly shut.
“Furthermore, what kind of crime is it if you made an undead from the Imperial family you spoke so highly of?”
“Heup!” One of the noblemen watching inhaled sharply.
Joshua’s words were a great shock for everyone.
Undead—that word made a huge difference.
That day thirty years ago still was engraved deep in the hearts of the people of the continent. The day that Gallas Kingdom was attacked because they were nurturing dark magicians.
Kaiser’s eyes sank deep.
“Your words… What is your basis?”
“I know you've set up a separate place to do experiments with the dead. Isn't that enough proof?”
“That place doesn’t exist, right?” Kaizen mumbled, refusing to believe it.
No place in the Empire is safe from the priests' watchful eyes. If someone made an attempt to tinker with undead or such dark practices, the watchmen would notice immediately.
“Above ground, it would be impossible, yes. But if it’s below the palace of the great Avalon Empire, then…”
“Huh?” Kaizen was stunned even before Joshua was done talking.
“Count Sanders, are you willing to take responsibility for what you’ve just said?”
“I don't say things for which I can't be held accountable.”
Following Kaiser’s example, the place went dead silent. Even the Imperial Knights swallowed nervously. The nobles couldn’t even breathe.
A voice, a beautiful voice broke the undying silence. Unfortunately, the voice’s words didn’t fit the mood.
“That work… Do you need help?”
The voice came from the back of the palace, not from where the princes were standing.
The gathered crowd couldn’t believe their eyes, for they beheld a miracle.
---
A pristine palace stood in the middle of Arcadia.
“Hah…” Someone stood in front of the lobby stairs, which spanned the full height of the mansion, and sighed deeply. The woman looked barely a day over thirty. She had baby blue hair, green eyes, and porcelain white skin.
A lone figure approached her from behind, making her flinch.
“What’s up with the heavy sigh?”
The woman backed away in shock, but when she realized who it was she immediately bowed her head, though she was confused.
“I-I greet the Duke.”
“What’s up with the heavy sigh?” Duke Agnus repeated, not acknowledging her greeting.
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“It was… nothing,” she answered.
Duke Agnus looked into her eyes and said, “I see.”
Lucia’s hands were tightly tightly against her skirt.
“It must be because of Joshua’s actions, right? I don’t know what you’re thinking, but even if you grow old, you can’t leave this mansion.”
“But… You… Your Grace!”
Duke Agnus’s eyes turned cold.
“Are you still not aware where you stand?”
His words suggested that they’d fought over this before.
Lucia rarely raised her voice, but she did right now, as if she refused to lose this time.
“Duke, I’ve never left the mansion even once, never went against your order even once since I’ve been here!”
“You said it yourself, didn’t you? You said that you’re happy just being in the same place as your kid. On top of that, Joshua wanted this.”
Lucia bit down hard on her lips.
“But—! Even though I sound rude, I’m still going to say this: I’m worried about him… I’m worried about my son.”
They say that a mother is always strong.
Lucia didn’t even have an ounce of power against the Duke, yet she spoke so boldly.
“My Joshua is still so young. That child is handling not a hundred, but a thousand knights all on his own.”
‘So that was it…’
Duke Agnus’s expression shifted a bit when Lucia voiced her concerns.
“Stop. It's nothing to worry about. He is a lot stronger than you think.”
“But you see, Duke….”
“D-Duke!”
At that moment, a man rushed through the mansion door. One look at the man’s face put Duke Agnus on alert.
“Why are you rushing, Armstrong?”
“There’s something going on!”
With no further details, Duke Agnus could only remain confused.
“This is an emergency! The Sun’s Retribution will be held for the first time in twenty years!”
“What…”
However, the surprises didn’t end there.
“The person making the request is Captain Sanders of the Auxiliary Battalion against 4th Prince Kaiser ben Britten. It’s an execution request.”
Before Armstrong could even finish his words, Duke Agnus suddenly stood up with his eyes wide open.
The Sun’s Retribution was not an easy order.
“Armstrong, follow me.”
“I heed your orders!”
“Lucia, remember what I said.”
“B-But!”
Duke Agnus kept walking forward, heedless of Lucia’s cries.
“Duke, I need to report something else.”
The Duke paused when Armstrong spoke. “I’ll listen as we walk.”
“Princess Serciarin will be present as a witness.”
Duke Agnus never stopped moving, merely tilted his head.
“Who?”