The Inner City is under full martial law, but that doesn’t mean there are no infiltration methods, just like how the couple was delivered right to Lilith’s presence.
Augustus and those noble factions have long been intertwined in the Royal City; even if Lilith’s forces from the Northern Border are miraculously strong and have won over a vast majority, they cannot influence the hidden powers lurking in the Royal Capital.
On the surface, showing loyalty to Lilith while secretly granting some people favors isn’t contradictory; after all, these nobles have been doing this for millennia.
Many people have placed their bets on three parties: the Demon Clan, Lilith, and Claire, all of whom have these hidden nobles behind them.
However, the Northern Border is notably absent from betting; it’s not because the Northern Border isn’t powerful, but because Lind’s strategies against the nobles have already spread throughout the Royal Capital. No one is willing to voluntarily put on shackles and bet on the Northern Border; it makes more sense to place bets on the Queen.
With the help of the contact, these adventurers began changing into the Royal Guard’s armor.
Claire glanced at her pocket watch, confirming that those on duty in the Royal Palace were her people. After bringing this group of adventurers to the palace door, Paul stepped forward and said to the guard on duty, “It’s shift change.”
The guards understood the signal and replied, “His Majesty is at the Northern Border Revenue Bureau; we must protect His Majesty well.”
After the exchange of signals, Claire appeared and commanded the Royal Guards, “Seal the gates!”
A coup has always been a technical job, and even in this small kingdom where a coup is as rare as a comet, once it starts, it cannot be stopped. Coup attempts must still be taken seriously.
Claire had prepared for this day for a long time; unlike typical coup leaders, to this palace, Lilith is the outsider.
Not to mention that Claire, as a member of the Augustus family, knows the palace better than Lilith, an outsider. Back when Claire served as a Royal Guard, she was in charge of the armory and the guards at the path leading to it, ensuring that her people were in place without anyone noticing.
Those weapons were produced by the palace; Claire rigorously controlled the incoming goods, and there were no inferior products, with many firearms and advanced weapons among them.
As long as she controls the palace’s armory, Claire holds a significant portion of the palace’s military power. After all, in the palace, many factions once a conflict arises don’t necessarily know whose side they should take. Moreover, most of the Augustuses have already sided with Claire.
Of course, Claire also acknowledges that Lilith undeniably has her methods. In the palace, there are many who have been drawn over by Lilith from the southwestern army, wholly loyal to her, but once chaos ensues, these people may find themselves bewildered and at a loss.
Ultimately, the most populous group within the palace consists of the servants of the Augustus family; their loyalties are clear.
This is Claire’s natural advantage in the coup, and it’s one of the reasons why those people are willing to invest in Claire.
As for the soldiers outside the city, as long as Claire can keep Lilith in check, everything will be over.
While a coup is dangerous, no one can refuse the allure of power. Did those adventurers who followed truly believe Claire’s rhetoric? Upon closer inspection, it doesn’t seem very reasonable, but as long as Claire successfully stages the coup, that rhetoric can become plausible.
If Claire has one shortcoming, it’s that due to Lilith’s constant vigilance, Claire has never fully controlled the palace guards. The forces at her command, apart from the Augustus family’s Shadow Guards, are too scattered. Those scattered forces can make actions in various positions within the palace, but it’s challenging to unify them into a main attacking force.
The adventurers with their different intentions have been preparing for this moment.
Claire just needs to lead these people to the armory, let them execute tasks they usually perform in the Outer District to create chaos, while spreading rumors about Lilith and declaring that the true owner of the palace, Princess Claire, has returned. That will be enough.
The amount of power at hand is not important; what matters is that the voice is loud enough to let most of the neutral forces in the palace understand whom they should pledge their loyalty to.
Claire could not have her Shadow Guards perform such actions, and these adventurers are thus quite suitable for the job.
…..
At this moment, Lilith was beside the communication device, waiting for news from her brother. It would be impossible to say that Lilith wasn’t afraid; those monsters are gradually advancing toward the Royal Capital, and the railway connecting the Royal Capital to the Northern Border was already incomplete, with some parts even destroyed.
Even though Lind had long been prepared, it was easier to evade the Demon Clan than to block them. On that long stretch of track, those humans commanded by the Demon Clan only need to blow up one section to succeed.
Of course, it wasn’t large-scale destruction; it would be quick to repair, and during the time the engineers fix the railway, Lind is continuously gathering troops. Many units had already temporarily abandoned the railway and directly entered the central region to push forward.
However, just then, Nora suddenly barged in, shouting, “Not good, Your Majesty, Princess Claire has broken in with her people.”
At the mention of that name, a sense of foreboding surged in Lilith’s heart. As she rushed out of the room, the area around the palace was already engulfed in flames.
When it comes to destruction, that group of adventurers are professionals.
“Your Majesty, the Revenue Bureau can hold out for a while longer; you must escape from the secret passage! As long as you get outside the palace and find Sir Judith, there is still hope!”
Thanks to the Revenue Bureau in the Northern Border being an institution entirely established by Lilith, many of her loyalists have been assigned here, and for the time being, they can hold their ground. They even have a secret exit for emergencies.
Lilith quickly realized that Claire has returned and has launched a coup against her.
But hadn’t Lilith already placated those Augustuses? They were even preparing to select the next leader of the Augustuses. Why would they choose to allow Claire to return at this moment?
What troubled Lilith the most was that even though the Demon Clan is attacking the Royal Capital, can a chaotic Royal Capital really withstand the Demon Clan’s assault even if a coup succeeds?
Lilith isn’t surprised by the coup aimed against her; she had wanted to take this opportunity to bring her brother’s forces into the Royal Capital, yet she never expected the enemy would stage a coup at this time.
But Lilith never anticipated someone would initiate a coup at such a moment.
Launching a coup right now is almost synonymous with self-destruction.
In an instant, Lilith thought of her father’s family tree given to her by Koen. Was that family tree leaked? Did the Augustuses realize they were all descendants of the Old Empire? That’s why they chose to launch a coup at this pivotal moment, disregarding everything.
Lilith immediately rushed back to her room and, with the fastest speed, sent a message to Lind: Coup, danger!
