Lucia

(1)

TN: ┐(︶▽︶)┌ | So I guess this could also be called ‘The Capital’s Social Circle’ but I feel like ‘high society’ is a glaring indication that the title refers to nobles.

It was a late evening gathering done to avoid people’s gazes. Every single member in this secret gathering was a great figure in society. It would likely be very hard for this group of people to be able to gather in secret again.

Crown Prince Kwiz, Duke Taran, Duke Ramis, Marquis Philip and Marquis DeKhan. Excluding the Crown Prince, all four were Gong and if one were to add up all the territories they governed individually, they were high-ranking influential nobles that governed half of the country.

“So, what is Taran Gong’s view on this?”

Hugo thought about Kwiz’s question for a moment and spoke.

“War will happen. It is just a matter of time. Therefore, the anti-forces certainly needs to be cleaned up.”

“Mmm…”

They all hummed thoughtfully. There was no one here that didn’t know that even though it was said the war had ended, it was closer to being a ceasefire.

The Southwest Allied Forces were defeated in the war and were paying dearly for it because they had to pay many reparations for the war.

Unable to bear the heavy tax, rebellions rose all over, civil wars broke out, some countries were overthrown and dynasties were changed. Except from war, there was no other way to escape their current predicament.

“I agree with Ramis Gong’s idea of leaving them to grow in strength for the time being.” (Hugo)

“What is the problem with just dealing with them from the start?”

“Instead of snapping the branches, pull it out from the roots. If dealt with a half-measure, hidden enemies could emerge later, during the war.”

This was a place to discuss how to handle the so-called, anti-Imperial forces, which was basically the Crown Prince’s half-brothers.

Duke Taran and Duke Ramis were of the opinion to leave them for now and deal with them later but the two Marquis’ were of the opinion that it was cleaner to just clear them out now.

Both sides had reason to it so Kwiz was pondering it over.

“If Taran Gong is making the decision, would you leave it alone for now?”

“No. If I am making the decision, I will deal with it now.”

Hn? They all turned their gazes to Hugo, signaling they didn’t understand his meaning.

“Why have your words changed? I thought you wanted to pull it up from the roots and not handle it sloppily.”

“That is playing by the books but I am not Crown Prince. I can’t stand annoying things buzzing around me. It suits me more to start killing everything.”

“…Ah. Is that so.”

Kwiz suddenly remembered how the Duke of Taran handled the northern lords that betrayed him over a year ago. Close to 1,000 people died.

Even the King who tolerated and stayed out of northern affairs showed significant discomfort at the time. Even without knowing the details, there was no doubt that the previous King had received an enormous gift to block his mouth back then. After all, the incident had fizzled out as though nothing happened.

“If they crawl up later, one can just kill them again. Even if they are dealt with right now, I will not object. But I am confident to kill them all, disregarding the aftermath. Isn’t that what troubles Your Highness Crown Prince?”

Kwiz looked disinclined. It seemed like complete understanding of the Taran Duke who thought of people’s lives like insects would forever be impossible. But whenever this extremity surfaced, Kwiz felt strangely relieved.

This was because the Duke of Taran was not likely to act like a fox and scheme behind his back. But one cannot know everything.

Kwiz would not do something stupid like understanding someone with feelings alone. But when it came to understanding someone, it was inevitable to trust the image drawn in one’s head instinctively.

“…Mm. For now, I will watch the situation unfold. What do the rest of you think?” (Kwiz)

Duke Ramis as well as the two Marquis’ agreed. Duke Ramis turned to look at Duke Taran with a profound gaze. Perhaps he was growing senile but he sensed that the Duke of Taran had deliberately phrased it that way.

I am ignorant so I want to kill everything but what does Crown Prince think.

In that way, he naturally drove the Crown Prince’s thoughts to the other side.

‘Hmmm…’

Unintentionally, Duke Ramis kept comparing his son and the Taran Duke. Probably because they were the same age. And every time his son lost. From the outset, the capability itself was different. It was really fortunate that the Duke of Taran did not hold much interest in political power.

Duke Ramis decided that he would give his son a firm warning again when he got home. He would tell him not try to compete with the Taran Duke out of pointless childishness.

His son, David, had a passably exceptional head on his shoulders but he was arrogant and haughty. He only received worship from young and did not know how scary the world could be.

If one pushed forward boldly, it could become an advantage but if one didn’t know their place, it could become a huge problem.

Duke Ramis was now old enough to begin worrying about matters after his death. The Crown Prince, who would rise to the throne, was at his prime and so was the Duke of Taran.

Under the reign of the new King, the ones that would guarded the family were the children. So Duke Ramis’ attention was focused on the issue of sucession.

Kwiz did not resemble his predecessor. On the surface he seemed virtuous but his nature was a powerful. If one wanted to protect their family under a King that was sure to pursue strong royal authority, one had to know how to lower their head.

But in that regard, David made him uneasy. It would be fortunate if David didn’t run himself against the wall thinking he was extraordinary.

‘Perhaps Robin might be better a option than David.’

Duke Ramis was beginning to consider his gentle second son, Robin as his successor, instead of the overly confident and prideful David.

And David was unable to even fathom that the Duke of Ramis could be having such a thought.