Chapter 1951: Escalation of Conflict
“Miss Parul, what did you do? How did it turn out like this?” The Knight Captain walked over and asked me hurriedly. He also discovered what their Lord of Cando City was up to, actually trying to bring the Crown Prince down.
“Believe it or not, I didn’t do anything. I didn’t even get a chance to act yet. This is probably Rodrigo’s doing,” I said with a wry smile, wondering how to explain this.
The Knight Captain only knew a little about the situation, and since he also had Rodrigo’s Tzeentch Mark on him, I didn’t dare to tell him too much, lest he do something that would alert Rodrigo.
The Knight Captain knew I might have planned something tonight, but he didn’t know the specifics. The current sudden turn of events had clearly exceeded his tolerance.
My mind was filled with nothing but curses. The situation had completely deviated from my original plan. I never intended for it to escalate this much. My goal was just to lure a few people, expose the Crown Prince’s scandal, and then pin the blame on Rodrigo, letting them kill Rodrigo for seducing a noblewoman, and then act as if nothing had happened.
But now, Rodrigo had turned the tables. And he wasn’t planning on a small-scale resolution; he wanted to blow things up.
The original cowardly and useless Lord of Cando City would have never dared to do something like forcefully bringing the Crown Prince down. But now, he was acting like a devoted lover, insisting on going down to reason with the Crown Prince, even if he was facing him. This was definitely Rodrigo’s influence on his mind.
The crowd below looked at each other in disbelief. While this might sound absurd, it wasn’t entirely impossible. As the saying goes, my vassal’s vassal is not my vassal. In Europe’s feudal system, if it wasn’t a direct liege-vassal relationship, there wasn’t a clear distinction of hierarchy.
The Crown Prince was a noble, and I, the Lord of Cando City, was also a noble. Even if you are a prince and I am just a baron, you have no direct authority over me in name, and I owe you no allegiance. Therefore, we are equals in status.
The concept of a higher-ranking official crushing a lower-ranking one, common in the East, doesn’t apply to Western nobles. For example, a baron could hold the rank of General or even Marshal in the military, and at such times, Counts and Dukes would have to obey him on the battlefield.
But the spoiled Crown Prince clearly didn’t think that way. He shouted loudly, “Insolence! This is an insult to the Royal Family! You dare to make a move?!”
“What is there to fear? Please, Crown Prince, come down and explain yourself to everyone!” the Lord of Cando City roared, appearing so righteous at that moment.
His guards, all under Rodrigo’s mental influence, responded with fervent shouts and reached out to grab the Crown Prince.
“Take your filthy hands off me! You lowly scum!” the Crown Prince roared in fury, and with a casual wave, a muffled “snap!” sent several guards near him exploding into pieces of flesh and blood mist.
He was also a descendant of the Bourbon family, possessing the excellent bloodline passed down from his family. Although his strength might not compare to Alicia beside me, he was still very powerful. At the very least, a few soldiers couldn’t take him down.
“Help! Murder! His Royal Highness slept with my wife and killed my guards!” the Lord of Cando City ran to the window and shouted at the top of his lungs, ensuring all the guests below could hear.
Everyone’s expressions changed. With blood spilled, this was no longer a minor matter. While it was seemingly normal for a member of the Royal Family to kill a few commoners, it was not normal when it happened to the guards of the Lord of the City.
Especially since this was the Lord of the City’s own home. The Crown Prince coming to a vassal’s home, cuckolding him, and casually killing his guards was a serious provocation to the noble class, and their expressions turned unnatural.
“It’s not just my wife! He also slept with Countess Roberts, Viscountess Cordova, Viscountess Fabel…” The Baron gasped before he could finish speaking, only to be sent flying by a punch from the Crown Prince.
However, a shield emerged from the Lord of Cando City, protecting him from a fatal blow, though his shield was shattered by the punch.
“No! I can’t just stand by and do nothing!” The Knight Captain, seeing his Lord being attacked by the Crown Prince, could no longer stay still. He stood up and shouted, “My lords! Please uphold justice!”
With that, he leaped up, clearing the four-story height in one bound, and charged in through the window. Just as the Crown Prince was about to deliver another punch, he raised his sword and blocked the Crown Prince, saving the Lord of Cando City.
Although the punch sent him staggering back a few steps, the Knight Captain endured the chest tightness and shouted, “Your Highness, please respect yourself! Unjustifiably murdering a vassal, even you cannot escape punishment!”
The Crown Prince calmed down at these words. Sleeping with noblewomen could be overlooked, and killing a few guards could also be explained away. But killing a vassal was a major transgression.
Even His Majesty the Emperor could not arbitrarily kill a vassal without due process. It would cause a collective protest from his vassals, and if the Emperor couldn’t quell this anger, he would be close to exile or the executioner’s block.
After all, a country cannot go without a ruler for a day, but emperors come and go. The throne is always coveted. Another prestigious member of the Bourbon family could be found, or an emperor from another foreign family could be welcomed, or even a reputable figure could be elected from among the nobles.
As for the Crown Prince, he was even less important. There were plenty of people in the Bourbon family who wanted to be Crown Prince. If news of him killing a vassal spread, the nobles wouldn’t even need to act; other members of the Bourbon family with succession rights would wish him dead.
After the Knight Captain leaped up, the nobles who had been cuckolded also turned greatly alarmed and rushed up to the fourth floor. Several highly respected strong individuals, upon hearing this, nodded to each other and followed suit.
Soon, the Crown Prince was surrounded. Although the nobles still showed him outward respect, the displeasure in their eyes was evident. This was undoubtedly a royal scandal.
The few nobles whose wives had affairs caught sight of their wives and were so enraged that they dared not attack the Crown Prince. They rushed into the bedroom and began to discipline their wives, turning the Lord of the City’s mansion into a scene of crying, shouting, and cursing.
The minor nobles below looked at each other, unsure of the implications of this incident, but they all instinctively felt that something significant was about to happen.
“Brother, I’m going to help him. Mr. Norton, please stay here and don’t say a word later. Getting involved in this matter would be troublesome for you!” Alicia instructed before jumping up as well.
I looked at Rodrigo, who was hidden within the venue, holding a glass of wine with a smug grin on his lips, as if to say, “Mission accomplished.”
