On the other side, Lilith, who was lost in thought, finally came back to her senses at the gentle reminder of the Fourth Prince Klan.
“Your Highness, I’m sorry, I was just a bit…”
“These meetings really have no meaning; the only thing that makes me happy is seeing old Lars’s dark face.”
Klan rudely interrupted Lilith’s speech. Although it was out of good intention, Lilith still felt a bit displeased.
“As long as Caudic can negotiate this treaty, peace between the Northern Border and the Kingdom won’t be far away. How about we hold a ball tonight to celebrate?”
Hearing that Klan wanted to hold a ball again, Lilith quickly waved her hands.
“Your Highness, your sister Claire has already invited me tonight. I’m very sorry, but I can’t attend the ball.”
After saying this, Lilith hurriedly left with her maids.
Watching Lilith’s departing figure, Klan muttered softly, “Women, you’re still so interesting.”
Lilith’s statement about Claire inviting her was not a refusal; after all, Lilith’s rise to power was largely due to Claire, the most pampered little princess of Klan and Augustus III.
“Don’t mind it. My brother is like that; he holds balls six out of seven days a week, you’ll get used to it.”
Claire comforted Lilith while sipping her red tea.
“And if there weren’t balls every day, how would you get to know my brother?”
“But this is too frequent! Six times a week? Who can stand that?”
Lilith sat slouched in her chair. This was the women’s gathering organized by Claire, and it was one of the few events where Lilith could relax a bit.
“By the way, what do you think about the treaty discussed with the Chancellor and the Demon King?”
Claire set down her teacup and asked Lilith.
“Are we discussing something serious now?”
Lilith looked at Claire in disbelief. She came to Claire’s place to escape such discussions; how could Claire want to talk about serious matters too?
In fact, Lilith looked down on that treaty, as it seemed like a pacification agreement to her. Could conceding some areas of the Northern Border really bring peace? Moreover, many of those areas were mineral-rich; the Demon Clan would likely digest those quickly and continue the war.
But there was nothing she could do; Lilith was now sitting on the royal side, so she could only follow along and say, “Ah, right, right, right.”
Before Lilith could respond further, a woman with long black hair and an imposing presence spoke up: “Lord Caudic is right; the Lars family is a bunch of trash. After that noble disgrace, Lena, appeared, it’s been a mess in the Northern Border. The only way to solve the problem is to negotiate with the Demon Clan and drive the Lars family out.”
Lilith looked up and saw it was Caroline, the newly elected student council president of the Royal Capital’s Magic Academy, a devoted supporter of Caudic, who had led the outing to Lars’s estate today.
“After that, we plan to personally interrogate the Lars family in the Northern Border. Lady Saintess, would you like to join us?”
“You guys?”
Lilith looked at Caroline and Claire in confusion.
“That’s right. Lord Caudic will soon set off for the front lines to negotiate with the Demon King, and we plan to swing by Graywhite Territory where Lena is to see how she’s doing.”
Claire chuckled lightly, as nothing could brighten her mood more than seeing Lena’s misfortunes.
“Do you want to come along, Lilith?”
Faced with Claire’s invitation, Lilith hesitated for a moment before refusing, “Forget it; it’s better to stay and attend the ball.”
Lilith was initially a homebody; even after crossing worlds and finishing games, she didn’t want to go running around. Wasn’t that a bit like traversing?
Meanwhile, sitting cautiously in a corner of the ball was the First Prince, former Crown Prince Cliff Augustus. This was the ball organized by the Fourth Prince Klan, and Cliff had promised to come and support him.
Originally, he thought it would be a pleasant and relaxed ball as usual, but no one expected King Augustus III to also attend.
After chatting with his Crown Prince for a bit, Augustus III sat next to Cliff, making the usually timid and cowardly Cliff too scared to breathe.
As the King waved his hand, the guards cleared away the surrounding reveling nobles, leaving ample space for the father and son.
“I noticed during today’s meeting that you seemed to have something to say?”
Although aged, Augustus III could not miss any detail during the meeting.
“No, I wouldn’t dare; how could I have anything to say? Father, you know I haven’t had any other thoughts for a long time.”
Cliff fidgeted, rubbing his hands that had nowhere to go, as beads of sweat dripped down his face.
“Do you also think that we are being too forceful with the Northern Border?”
The King’s voice remained as authoritative as Cliff remembered; he knew that when his father spoke in such a tone, lying was no longer an option.
“Y-Yes, just a little bit, Father. The land area of the Northern Border has already occupied more than one-third of the entire Kingdom; it’s almost half. What if we push too hard?”
Augustus III nodded and replied, “There are many in the Royal Capital who think like you. They believe that the Demon Clan has invaded us, and we should support the Northern Border to fight back. However, Cliff, do you know what I saw in the Holy Grail brought back from the Tower?”
The Tower was the most mysterious, most noble, and wisest profession organization in this world. Its existence has almost become untraceable, maintaining a neutral stance on worldly matters for thousands of years, seemingly only interested in discoveries about magic.
The Holy Grail was a divine artifact used by the Tower’s astrologers to predict the future and probe into celestial secrets, and so far, all the predictions made by the Holy Grail had come true perfectly. This was not a legend, but a true historical fact.
“I see the Kingdom perishing in your hands.”
As soon as these words were spoken, cold sweat soaked Cliff’s formal attire. So, his father foresaw the future after his succession? No wonder after the astrologers from the Tower came, his father instantly removed him from the position of Crown Prince and replaced him with his more prestigious and wiser Fourth Brother.
Cliff felt he had figured it out, but Augustus III’s words did not stop there.
“I see an army waving the Northern Wind Bear flag entering the Royal Capital, and at that time, it was already your Majesty who actively took off the crown, abdicating in favor of someone from the Lars family! Although I didn’t see that person’s face clearly, he was surrounded by high-ranking members of the Lars family!”
Upon saying this, Augustus III coughed angrily but quickly calmed down and questioned, “Then Cliff, my child, do you still have any resentment about losing your position as Crown Prince?”
“No, Father, absolutely not! I will always support the Fourth Brother. Even if you exiled me now, I have no complaints!”
Cliff was so frightened he nearly knelt down and banged his head. He had not expected that the Lars family would turn against him in the future, and he would indeed abdicate. No wonder after his father received the Tower’s astrologers, he directly established the wiser Fourth Brother, almost frantically suppressing the Lars family, even resorting to some dirty means.
“Hmph, as long as you know.”
After saying this, Augustus III got up to leave. In truth, Augustus III originally wanted this timid eldest son to inherit the throne. To put it bluntly, he was weak; to say it nicely, he understood compromise and balance. During the Kingdom’s period of stable development, such a character was not only the most suitable but also the best at maintaining the lower line.
In terms of balancing the interests of all parties, the Fourth Prince Klan was not as good as this elder brother, which is why Klan held balls every day to enhance his social skills and understand the needs of various nobles.
Moreover, while Cliff was a bit cowardly, he was not foolish.
But unfortunately, Augustus III foresaw the future of the Kingdom’s demise. To change this future, Augustus III would even sell out the territory to the Demon Clan, as long as the rule of Augustus could last, the rest didn’t matter.
Even the immoral deeds done by Caudic, Augustus III turned a blind eye to it. No matter how loud the cries from the lower class were, Augustus III would only scratch his head and say: “Commoners?” (Unconcerned)
