Chapter 41 : Otto Kingdom

Otto Kingdom

In the end, the anger in Gibusk's heart was extinguished by the cold, numb gazes of those around him, and he slumped powerlessly onto the royal throne, remaining silent for a long time.

Seeing this, Elma and Mocha exchanged a glance, and then Elma spoke first.

"Your Majesty, the envoy from the Ailera Empire is still waiting for your reply."

"Reply?"

"Yes, they're waiting for your response regarding the marriage alliance."

"Does that still require a reply? Serea already sacrificed herself for this. Do you expect me to send yet another daughter?"

"Your Majesty, you can't put it that way. There's still a chance that Princess Serea truly died at the hands of bandits, so I believe the marriage alliance should continue."

With that single sentence, the king's anger flared up again. He immediately grabbed the sword that symbolized royal authority and drew it as if to strike at Elma.

Seeing this, the young man next to him hurriedly stepped in to stop him.

"Father, please calm down. I think Lord Elma does make sense."

"You!!!"

Gibusk turned his head to look at the person blocking him—his eldest son, Aurela Otto, the Bloody Storm.

"Your sister already died because of this. Do you really want Ina and Lilith to follow in Serea's footsteps?"

Gibusk tried hard to restrain his anger, and these words were mainly directed at his only son, 'Aurela'. In his view, no matter how confused the others were, Gibusk still hoped he could stay clear-headed.

But to his disappointment, Aurela maintained that same cold expression...

"Father, in fact, the Ailera Empire's third prince and our younger sister Ina originally met as friends in the Magic Academy. The third prince specifically requested to marry Ina. To be honest, second sister insisting on going in Ina's place was a mistake from the start. I regret what happened, but at least the third prince values his feelings for Ina, doesn't he? Why can't we use this to exchange for peace?"

"You too?!"

Gibusk trembled all over. He couldn't believe that his own son, Aurela—the elder brother of Serea and Ina—still harbored illusions of peace and would push his own younger sister into the fire.

"I sincerely request that Your Majesty permit Princess Ina to participate in the marriage alliance."

Elma stepped forward. Gibusk stared wide-eyed at him.

"Elma, you!"

Gibusk stepped back, collapsing into the throne, and at that moment, nearly half the ministers in the palace stepped forward.

"We sincerely request that Your Majesty permit Princess Ina to participate in the marriage alliance."

"You all!!!"

Gibusk stared at the ministers in the hall, his body trembling.

Clang!

He could no longer hold onto his sword—the symbol of royal authority fell to the ground.

Only then did he realize how wise his elder brother had been to insist on abolishing the noble titles system.

But he had prevented his brother from succeeding. Gibusk became king with the support of these so-called nobles, while his brother had been executed by Gibusk for opposing the nobility.

Retribution had come. Wasn't he now walking the same doomed path as his brother, ultimately being forced into a corner by these so-called Otto nobles?

Brother, father! What should I do?

Gibusk cried out weakly in his heart, but those only two who had opened their eyes had long since been sent to the gallows by his own hand. Soon, his time would come as well.

"Your Majesty, the envoy from the Ailera Empire will stay in Oakento for three days. Within three days, you may make your decision—whether for war or peace, we shall all support you."

The speaker was Elma, whose expression remained indifferent. He didn't feel a shred of shame uttering such hypocritical words.

By now, Gibusk no longer had the strength to argue. He waved them off, signaling that they could withdraw.

"We shall take our leave for now. If Your Majesty reaches a decision, you may summon us at any time."

With that, Elma left the hall, and then more people followed, until finally the great hall was empty.

"Father, I shall excuse myself as well."

Aurela spoke. Hearing this, Gibusk covered his eyes with a hand, waving weakly to allow Aurela to leave.

Listening to the sound of Aurela's footsteps departing, Gibusk recalled the words of his elder brother.

"The decline of the kingdom has its reasons, and the root cause is the decadent nobility system. Only by restricting or abolishing the noble class can the kingdom hope to survive."

In the past, he had found those words outrageous, but with the benefit of hindsight, his brother's wisdom far surpassed his own. Perhaps if his brother had become king, Otto would look very different today.

As he thought about it, Serea's face appeared in Gibusk's mind, and he whispered a long-hidden secret.

"Brother, I'm sorry. My narrow vision meant I couldn't see your wisdom, and I couldn't even protect your only daughter. I have failed both you and Father."

As he spoke, the once strongest warrior of the Otto Kingdom, the inheritor of the title Bloody Storm—Gibusk—shed tears for the first time.

As the sun set on the kingdom and night drew near, Crown Prince Aurela, having left the great hall, returned to his quarters, where Elma and Mocha were already waiting.

"Oh, handsome Crown Prince, you're finally back."

Seeing the two already seated at the round table, Aurela joined them, and a maid served them wine and food.

As soon as he sat down, Aurela shot them a look of approval.

"You've done very well. With such farsighted ministers as you two, the kingdom is indeed fortunate."

"Your Highness flatters us. It is truly the kingdom's fortune to have a royal like you."

Elma responded with flattery, but upon hearing this, Mocha, who had been restraining himself, spoke up.

"Of course the crown prince is a blessing for the kingdom, but now that the old king seems unwilling to send off his beloved daughter, in Otto Kingdom—where men and women equally inherit the throne—you still have two rivals, prince Aurela: Princess Ina and Princess Lilith."

Hearing Mocha's words, a shadow flashed across Aurela's face that had just been smiling.

"Ina? Hmph, she won't stay in Otto. The real threat is my dearly beloved sister—Lilith. The Church is very interested in her, after all."

"Yes, but that will take time, won't it?"

Elma reminded him, and Aurela nodded.

"Lord Elma, you're right. Princess Lilith won't return for quite some time. So, for now, we need to marry off my other beloved sister first."

"But His Majesty probably won't agree to that."

"That sort of thing—you few agreeing is enough, isn't it?"

Aurela said, flashing a knowing smile. The other two exchanged glances and also laughed.

"Then let us congratulate you in advance, Your Majesty Aurela."

"But until then, you'll still have to call me 'Your Highness.'"

Aurela reminded them, and the three burst into laughter.

Meanwhile, far away from the Otto Kingdom, the second princess, Serea, knew nothing about the turmoil brewing in Otto. Even if she had known, she probably wouldn't have cared.

Because the former Serea had already ceased to matter to her. Now, all she cared about was whether her Blood Well could be built.

(To be continued)

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=

Stupid people scheming in the kingdom when there's an external threat...

Stupid is what stupid does... I guess...