Lilith left the Old Pope’s prayer room with mixed feelings and returned to the royal palace, waiting for Klan to finish work.
The lantern was small, with a special mechanism that could cover its light, causing no discomfort at her waist.
However, Lilith felt this little lantern was incredibly heavy.
Wasn’t she supposed to have crossed over to enjoy life as the protagonist? The situation was becoming increasingly terrifying, and Lilith even regretted taking the place of the female lead.
Now, for the sake of her happy life, she had to protect Klan no matter what. Not only that, but she also had to find a way to help Klan push forward the reforms in the kingdom. Although she had learned a bit from her older brother before crossing over, the resistance to some reform policies was greater than she had imagined. Currently, the reforms could only be conducted in a small pilot area controlled by the Church.
The pressure from An Zhu was growing larger, and both the Southern Border and Western Border had begun to cooperate with the royal capital to implement some reforms.
It was at this moment that Lilith understood why the internal reformers in history were likely to fail; even if they succeeded, they could only survive in a precarious state. Klan’s identity meant he could not overthrow the kingdom and start anew, so Lilith could only try to carve something out of the mess left behind by Augustine.
Meanwhile, the royal palace was brightly lit, and Klan, who had just ascended the throne, no longer had time to hold a ball and was still sitting in the conference room.
“The last topic, concerning the Northern Border.”
The remaining members in the conference room were mostly the top decision-makers of the kingdom, indicating that the remaining topics were no longer for the lower-tier nobles to overhear.
“We need to reevaluate the issues in the Northern Border. Duke Lars is dead, and now the whole Northern Border is in chaos. Lena Lars and her fiancé have defeated the nobles of the western Northern Border and are currently consolidating power in that region, while the other three who killed Duke Lars are busy carving out their own territories.”
Klan no longer exhibited the frivolity of his time as the crown prince; instead, he began to appear solemn, steady, and somewhat fatigued.
“My opinion is that we should ease relations with the Northern Border, but we cannot be too lax. At least on the surface, the kingdom must withdraw its deployments in the Northern Border.”
Caudic, who had always been very proactive regarding Northern Border issues, now acted like a mute chancellor, merely repeating “yes, yes, yes,” and only spoke when topics about the Demon Clan were mentioned.
Duke Monroe of the Eastern Border added, “We need to calm down those mad dogs from Lars. We border the Northern Border the most, and several of their soldiers have already raided our territory. If they don’t handle this soon, I will have to take action myself.”
Klan nodded in acknowledgment.
Duke Scott of the Western Border also suggested, “We are under immense pressure from the Western and Southern Borders recently. The kingdom cannot continue to waste resources on the Northern Border. Your Majesty, I suggest following your father’s wishes; having given the stick, it is time to offer the carrot.”
“Then how about appointing those Lars as governors?”
Klan humbly sought the opinions of the nobles present. The position of governor can be traced back to the Rom Empire era. The current kingdom does not establish regional governors, so using this to control the Lars would indeed be a good position.
At this point, the previously silent Southern Border Duchess, Judith, spoke up, “Then, concerning the western Northern Border, Your Majesty could appoint Lena’s fiancé, Lind Ror, as governor. This could not only sow discord between Lind and the Lars but also provide the other party with a way out, avoiding being labeled as rebels.”
Scott nodded in agreement, “Your Majesty, if the western Northern Border declares rebellion, then the Anju Kingdom could very likely connect with these rebels. At that time, the pressure on both the Western and Southern Borders will be even greater. At least, on the surface, there cannot be any rebels appearing within the kingdom.”
Monroe sneered, “Judith, I heard that Lind Ror is also a descendant of the Empire; you wouldn’t be colluding with these rebels, would you?”
Klan interjected, “Duke Monroe, watch your words. There are no rebels within our kingdom. Lind Ror may not even be a descendant of the Empire; my fiancée has black hair and black eyes as well. Is she also a descendant of the Empire?”
In any case, the matters concerning the Northern Border were finally settled. Klan planned to appoint four governors for the Northern Border. This position of governor is merely nominal; real power and territory depend on each governor fighting for themselves. It was just short of writing “stir up trouble” on the appointment letter.
After the meeting ended, seeing Lilith still waiting for him in the corridor, Klan’s mood relaxed a bit.
As usual, after listening to Klan finish discussing the meeting’s key points, Lilith weakly complained, “Isn’t the approach to the Northern Border really going to raise a monster?”
For her upcoming happiness, when Klan asked for her opinion, Lilith suggested, “Your Majesty, why appoint four governors at once? We could first appoint Lind Ror as governor, then Doug Lars, establishing Doug’s leadership position to prevent the other three Lars from starting a chaotic fight. Furthermore, if we do this, we could quickly appoint another governor to oppose the victorious governor once one is defeated.”
A four-way conflict is hard to control, but a confrontation between strong opponents is simple. There’s no need to worry that if Doug Lars wins, he can truly unify the Northern Border; the three Lars who conspired to kill their former kin cannot unite. At that time, it would just be a matter of supporting a new puppet.
The more Klan thought about this plan, the better he found it, and he immediately praised, “Lilith, you truly have a way. I can’t wait for you to become my queen.”
After returning to her mansion, Southern Border Duchess Judith eagerly took a bath, wanting to wash away the fatigue of the day. As the new king’s pressure was huge and safety was lacking, the nobles in the royal capital often had to hold meetings, and with the current chaotic situation, everyone was exhausted.
“Has that distant cousin of mine sent any new letters?”
Judith naturally referred to Caroline. Since the last letter from Caroline had arrived, Judith had immediately checked the family tree.
“Not at the moment, my lord. Miss Caroline has just finished fighting and may be quite busy.”
At the same time, a curious maid asked, “My lord, is that Lind Ror really a descendant of the Empire?”
Judith’s response was somewhat ambiguous: “There was indeed a bloodline of the Empire that headed north, but who knows?”
Though she said that, thinking of the name of the ancestor who fled north in the family tree, Judith felt that her distant cousin was too impatient. Now, the identity of being a descendant of the Empire not only couldn’t offer help but might even put her in danger.
There was nothing she could do; she could only help a little if she could.
At this moment, Claire was gazing towards the north from her castle window, with neither maidservants in attendance nor guards for protection.
“Is there any news from over there?”
It seemed Claire was talking to the void.
A voice responded from the void, “No need to rush; someone has already gone to the Northern Border with a lantern, and considering the time, they should be arriving soon.”
Then, a figure appeared by the windowsill, shrouded in black fog.
“Is it really wise to waste such a precious opportunity on a nameless nobody? Even if that person is truly a descendant of the Empire, it is not worth expending the power of the lamp.”
The figure gradually became clear; it was a nun dressed in a modified version of the Church of the Light Goddess’s attire.
“If we are going to expend the lamp’s power, we could use it on someone more worthwhile, like your brother?”
“There’s no opportunity left.”
Claire retorted, “My brother has already realized something, starting to restrict foreign ministers from entering the palace, and he is also beginning an internal investigation. It will be very hard for me to help you set up the magical array in the short term.”
“What a pity.”
The alluring nun seemed genuinely regretful.
“Don’t rush; we still have plenty of time. Let’s first establish a line with An Zhu. I can hardly wait to see my brother exhausted.”
Claire licked her lips and turned to look in the direction of the king’s chamber.
