Chapter 29
Chapter 29: Raising the Banner of "Restoring the Royal Family"
Right as Li Kainan was gripping the young woman's hand tight and refusing to let go—all in the name of showing his earnest respect for talented individuals—leaving Belle so embarrassed she could hardly stand it,
a breathless voice rang out, full of delight:
"My Lord, you're safe—thank goodness!"
Li Kainan turned his head to see Branny sprinting over with a bright, innocent smile on her face, her steps practically bouncing with joy.
The little girl had been worrying every step of the way, terrified of arriving too late.
Seeing with her own eyes that Li Kainan was completely unharmed, she finally settled down.
Seeing someone approach, Belle quickly pulled her hand free from Li Kainan's grip and stood to the side, her face still red.
Li Kainan, seeing Branny had come, took the opportunity to introduce the two to each other and had them exchange greetings.
One was to be Li Kainan's Patronized Witch going forward; the other, the future administrative official of his territory.
Both were talents he intended to cultivate and rely on fully in the days ahead—if the two of them got along well, it would ensure a harmonious working atmosphere and let them make their best contributions to him……
Coming along with Branny was also Belle's father, Maurice.
Because the hellish aura had spooked the carriage horse, and the Retainer Knights had been in a rush to reinforce Li Kainan, no one had had time to attend to Branny and Maurice.
The two had come on foot, only arriving now in a hurried rush.
Seeing Belle alive and well, Maurice—who had not been able to eat or sleep properly out of worry these past days—finally felt relief wash over him.
The castle servants who had followed Belle to hide away gathered around at this moment as well, anxiously asking after the safety of their prince.
It was only at this point that Li Kainan suddenly realized—in his rush to recruit Belle and claim the reward, he had completely forgotten about that poor unfortunate of a prince……
The castle servants hurried off to search, and at last found Prince Adam buried beneath the rubble of a section of wall that had collapsed during the battle with Aurora.
Prince Adam—long accustomed to being the unfortunate one—had not only lost half his own castle to the fighting, but was also the only person who had been injured by the battle's collateral damage……
He had already been knocked into a wall by Li Kainan's punch, and was now buried under the rubble on top of that.
For an ordinary person, he would have been dead long ago.
But the unlucky prince had spent 10 years as the Beast, and that could hardly be said to have been without some benefit—his physical constitution far exceeded that of any ordinary man!
Even now that his human body had been restored, his physical condition remained exceptional—and despite his injuries, he was in no serious danger……
……
Upon learning that Carabosse—the true mastermind behind everything—had escaped, the unlucky prince fell into silence.
After today's battle, many things had become clear in his mind.
The reason the Kingdom of Cape had descended into such chaos was absolutely Carabosse's doing!
Prince Adam had originally envisioned simply stepping forward and raising his voice, upon which the Royalist Forces within the country would rise to answer his call in unison—and the chaos would be swiftly resolved, the Royal Family saved……
But now, seeing that a Witch as formidable as Carabosse lurked in the shadows watching for her opportunity, it was clear this would be nowhere near so simple!
If he stepped forward now, he would likely be subjected to Carabosse's endless curses and schemes.
A powerful Witch, with tricks and methods beyond counting—she was simply not something he was capable of dealing with at present!
At this thought, Prince Adam immediately decided to change his plan:
"In order to rescue the Royal Family and the nation from the evil Witch's grasp, I intend to travel to the neighboring Kingdom of Corona to seek reinforcements!"
"The Cape Royal Family and the Corona Royal Family are connected by marriage—the current Queen of Corona is the Cape King's younger sister, my own little aunt—so I will certainly be able to obtain an allied army from the Kingdom of Corona……"
Saying this, Prince Adam looked toward Li Kainan and extended his invitation:
"Sir Kainan, I ask that you accompany me to the Kingdom of Corona. I believe it would be most fitting for you to command the allied army in saving the nation!"
Having witnessed Li Kainan's display of overwhelming might, Prince Adam had come to see him as almost his greatest hope of defeating the evil Witch Carabosse.
Li Kainan, for his part, had little interest in this.
Saving the Royal Family—at most that was something to use as a rallying banner. Nothing more.
What he wanted far more right now was a territory to develop his own power!
So when faced with Prince Adam's invitation, Li Kainan immediately wanted to refuse.
But considering that Prince Adam had not yet delivered on the reward he had promised earlier, refusing too bluntly wouldn't do.
Beyond that, developing his power in the early phase meant he had to raise a banner of righteous cause—and "Restoring the Cape Royal Family" was a perfectly fitting one.
The chaos in the Kingdom of Cape had arisen because the Royal Family had suddenly vanished, not because the king had ruled unjustly.
In fact, quite the opposite—the Kingdom of Cape at that time had been at the height of its national strength. The people had lived in abundance, at peace and content.
After 10 years of the Age of Chaos, the hearts of the people longed for stability. Countless people missed the Cape Royal Family……
Raising the banner of "Restoring the Royal Family" would not only help build his personal renown and rally the hearts of the people—it would also allow him to inherit the residual foundation and influence of the Cape Royal Family.
Plenty of benefits. Worth trying!
……
With that settled in his mind, Li Kainan immediately spoke with a tone of noble righteousness:
"Prince, if you wish to seek reinforcements, someone must openly draw the evil Witch's attention on your behalf—otherwise, she will inevitably detect your movements and resort to some vicious scheme……"
"Moreover, the strength of the Royal Family has been dormant for far too long. I must build sufficient momentum as quickly as possible, to declare that the Royalist Forces still possess enough power to sustain the Royal Family's influence!"
"Leave this matter to me. I will rally under your banner to check the evil Witch and ensure you have no worries at your back."
"When you return at the head of the allied army, I will respond at once—and together, we shall save the Royal Family and the nation!"
Hearing Li Kainan's words, Prince Adam was visibly moved, seizing his hand tightly with both of his own.
"Sir Kainan—the Royal Family will remember your loyalty forever!"
"I swear upon my life: once the evil Witch is defeated, the Royal Family will confer upon you the title of Grand Duke of the South. Your family will forever share power and glory with the Cape Royal Family!"
In truth, anyone with the slightest sharpness of mind could have noticed—from various signs and details—that Li Kainan had very little genuine respect for the Cape Royal Family.
Even in the presence of Prince Adam himself, a prince of the blood, Li Kainan treated him as little more than an equal, showing not the slightest deference.
From small things, great truths emerge—Li Kainan's loyalty to this Cape Royal Family was clearly not particularly high!
One could only say that the unlucky prince was still young after all. Having been cursed at the age of 10 and locked away in his castle as the Beast, he had missed out on developing a sharp eye for political scheming and the workings of human hearts……
……
Hearing Prince Adam's promise, Li Kainan gave a faint smile.
Grand Duke of the South?
Hm, a little on the modest side!
No matter though—Li Kainan wasn't going to quibble over it.
By the time Li Kainan had swallowed the entire Kingdom of Cape, he would certainly ensure the Cape Royal Family was treated with generosity—he might even take a page from the ancient dynasties of China and establish a system of "Two Kings, Three Guests" for them……
……