Chapter 78: The Debate
“By the way, why was Lustria invited, Prince Ludwin?” a noble child from Ronya’s faction asked.
Eli agreed. She wanted to question why Claire had been invited to the duke’s table. Was this children’s pretend political debate so important that the king had prepared an avenue such as this?
“Hm? I am—” Ludwin was about to feign ignorance before Thor came up to him and whispered something. At that moment, Eli knew something was up.
“Ahem. We invited Claire because she claimed to have nothing to do with the Western Front. However, my sources said that Heracles, your fiancé, was there. So, if you were not allied with the Western nations, how could Heracles be there unimpeded?”
“Oh, I heard you lay claim to destroying the Arcane Initiator. Is it true? However, I must say that your information was incomplete. Didn’t you know that Lustria also helped? So, that makes us friends, right?” Claire answered.
“I see,” Ludwin nodded. “In that case, let us hear your proposal. How do you prove that you are friends and not spies?”
Eli almost facepalmed. Ludwin was still a teenager. He was still young. He didn’t know that he was supposed to pressure Claire about why her fiancé had been there. Claire had answered and diverted the topic beautifully, skipping the issue of how her fiancé had been there and moving to the fact that he had helped destroy the Arcane Initiator.
“Well, first of all, how about a free trade agreement? Our merchants can come and go as they please while paying taxes, and your merchants can do the same. I believe that we can settle several differences between our nations if you see things firsthand. Oh, did you want to talk to your brother? I’m sure you are curious as to why he was exiled. It was a sad story, Prince Ludwin. he was merely exiled because he had differnt world view than other nobles here.”
Bad decision. Letting people from the other side come in meant spies and possibly assassins.
Eli sighed. But Ludwin nodded. After all, from the outside, it looked fair. Yet Ludwin was the prince. Eli was merely a count’s daughter. She couldn’t interfere.
“Yeah. I always wondered about that,” Ludwin said. “So, Brother, why were you exiled?”
“Ahem, Prince Ludwin. He is no longer an Althemer prince. It would be prudent to call him by name instead of brother.” Gladius whispered, loud enough for Eli to hear.
“Sorry. So, Heracles, why were you exiled?”
“It was merely a scheme, Prince Ludwin. The nobles of the court didn’t like losing their power. They oppressed the people, trying to keep power for themselves,” Heracles said.
“That is an incredible claim. Why do you feel that way?”
“Yes. Nobles were privileged from birth regardless of their ability. I’m sure you have felt this way too, haven’t you, Ludwin?”
“Not in particular. We mages were chosen by the goddess to serve the people. People depend on us for their livelihood,” Ludwin said.
Eli sighed. Ludwin was clearly out of his depth in this political debate. She could feel his supporters decreasing by the minute. He didn’t know that mages and nobles were at each other’s throats. Heracles and Claire were probably trying to take advantage of the gap between those two factions.
Hm… I wonder how Duke Luca’s faction would react. Duke Luca seemed to worship gold. Did Claire offer him any benefits?
“Is that what you truly believe, Ludwin? You believe that status does not matter for nobles and royals? I heard that Eli and Alicia were sent to the front lines during the war against the liches. Yet why weren’t you also sent? The reason is simple. It might be obscured, but the kingdom, the nobles, and the king prefer that others get hurt while they save their own skin.”
“...” Ludwin was silent. He then turned to Elidranthia.
But before Eli could reply, Alicia muttered,
“What’s wrong with saving your own life?” she said while munching on a fried potato.
“Oh? Are you saying the king and Ludwin did the right thing, Alicia?”
“Well... as long as it didn’t impede me, who cares?” Alicia answered. “It’s not like he would help much on the frontier.”
“...” People went silent. Ludwin lowered his gaze, nodding in shame. Even Heracles gaped at Alicia’s blunt remark.
“Ahem. My apologies. Let me clarify. I think what Alicia meant is that people should only do the jobs they are trained for. Alicia and I come from Shadowstep. We handle monsters almost every season, while Prince Ludwin has never fought with a sword before.” Eli stood up. She couldn’t handle it anymore. She had to do something before public support shifted to Claire.
“That’s correct!” a noble from Bron’s faction spoke out loudly, desperate for anything to resist Claire and Heracles. Several nobles from that faction nodded, while nobles from Luca’s faction frowned.
With that gesture, Eli knew who was who. Apparently, Bron was firmly against Claire, while Luca’s faction firmly supported her. She didn’t know why.
Now, if she could secure Slane’s faction’s support, the nation as a whole would be safe. But from what she could tell, Heracles and Claire were not out of arguments yet.
“Indeed. In that case, wouldn’t you agree that Eli shouldn’t bow to Ludwin and the other nobles? I heard you are a count’s daughter. Yet, out of everyone here, you have achieved the most.”
Eli frowned. Heracles had just painted a target on her back.
“Are you suggesting that I should rule instead of my father or my brother?” Eli asked.
“Well, I believe you are destined for something far greater, Lady Elidranthia.” Heracles nodded.
This time, Eli smirked. She had him.
“Well, I believe that people who are taught to rule make better rulers. Similar to how woodworkers are better suited to working with wood and how knights are better suited to maintaining security. People have their own roles to play,” Eli said. She turned toward Slane’s faction and added, “Isn’t that what is taught in mage courses? Mages shouldn’t become leaders just because they are chosen by the goddess. We should delegate leadership to someone better suited for it.”
“That is correct, Lady Elidranthia. I am honored that you accept that teaching to heart.”
“Do you think the nobles here fulfill that role, Lady Elidranthia?” Heracles pressed on.
“Some of them definitely didn’t fulfill their role. That’s why it is up to Prince Ludwin, as the successor to the throne, to discipline them. It is because part of the nobility is failing that stronger kings must uphold the law.” Eli said. Impressed, Ludwin glanced toward Elidranthia and made a bold claim.
“As expected of my fiancée!” he smiled. His words sent a ripple through the room. Eli could see Margareth and Ronya frowned at her in disgust.
At that moment, Eli seriously considered deserting him. Maybe independence was better after all. She was utterly tired of his charade.
Calm down, Eli. Remember, he is still a teenager. It’s understandable that he doesn’t know these things. He isn’t a reincarnator.
Eli took a few deep breaths before returning to her seat, neither refusing nor affirming Ludwin’s claim.
“Excellent. I agree with you that those who have betrayed their people should be punished. However, I believe that instead of kings or my brother here meting out punishment, we should have trials decided by the senate. In Lustria, we have something called democracy, where people vote. That way, we can judge whether a noble has done something wrong. Wouldn’t you agree, Alicia?” Heracles asked.
Eli tilted her head. Why did Heracles ask Alicia? There were other nobles ranked higher than Alicia. She understood why Heracles and Claire avoided Ronya and Julius. But Alicia was a peasant. Did he want to attack the foundation first?
“Nope. Democracy is a pain. Even the trials were tiresome. I am under Duke Bron, but somehow I have to obey laws from other dukes. My parents had a huge debt, and I was almost enslaved because of it.” Alicia shrugged off Heracles’ attempt.
“... I see. I guess we do have different views after all.”
And so, the tea party continued.
Meanwhile, in the background, the butlers and maids reported everything to the king.
“So, how is it going?”
“There are some hiccups with Duke Luca, but the majority of the noble children seem to side with Elidranthia and Alicia,” Darius said, omitting Ludwin’s blunders.
“So… Duke Luca is a traitor? That was unexpected.” The king frowned. He had expected Slane to be the traitor. He was the one who invited Claire here.
“Most likely. He is an ambitious man. Claire probably paid him generously.”
“How did she pay him? One can’t simply pay a duke to do their bidding. She must have some resources he desperately wanted.”
“I’m not sure about that. Should we hire the Reapers for this?”
“Ugh. No. We can’t owe them a favor. Let’s ask Duke Bron instead. He probably has men on the inside. Was Duke Slane in the clear?”
“We are not sure. Julius seemed to be pandering to the mages, like always. That’s why, during the debate, he seemed to side with Eli and Alicia instead of Ludwin. But Claire was also a mage, so he meandered between both of them.”
“I guess it’s decided that Elidranthia will be the queen, huh?”
“Duke Luca and Duke Bron won’t be happy with that decision.”
“Yeah. They were expecting either Margareth or Ronya to marry Ludwin. They might accept becoming concubines if another girl was chosen, but if Eli becomes queen and we force the other two to become concubines, there will definitely be tension.”
“Yeah. Ronya and Margareth rank higher in the hierarchy.” The king nodded. “What if we make Eli a concubine?”
“Ludwin seems to favor Eli and even Alicia more than the two dukes’ daughters. If we make Eli a concubine and Ludwin asks her opinion on every state matter, she would essentially overpower the queen. Not to mention the other concubine candidates.”
“Then, it’s war with Duke Luca.”
“Most likely, Your Majesty.”
“Let’s prepare. He has been too ambitious as of late. I don’t know what secret dealing he had with Claire, but we can’t let him continue.”
Without Elidranthia’s and Alicia’s knowledge, the situation had begun to change. A civil war loomed on the horizon, all centered around Claire and Elizabeth.