After the series of events had settled,
Luna was slowly coming to terms with the unbelievable truth.
"So... all of you are..."
"We deceived you. I apologize, Luna."
Francis knelt down and offered a sincere apology.
Beside him, Charlotte and Violet also knelt in unison.
"My na is Francis von Eingart."
"I am Charlotte von Eingart."
"...I am Violet von Eingart."
Cain Nerkis—no, Kyle von Eingart—had desperately hidden these three figures of great legitimacy,
and now, they knelt before Luna.
They had been nothing more than distant relatives of the Eingart bloodline,
so powerless that the only thing they had was the royal blood flowing through their veins.
Perhaps that was precisely why they had survived until now.
Kyle had risked his life to smuggle them south, hiding them throughout the chaos.
"Luna-kong."
"Cain—no, Kyle. This is..."
"Please, call whatever you wish, Luna-kong.
Whether Cain or Kyle, my decision to follow you remains unchanged."
Seeing the complicated expression on Luna’s face, Kyle nodded in understanding.
"I know that you harbor ill feelings toward the imperial family. But—"
"I know. And I have no intention of blaming you for it.
Rather, I’m grateful."
Luna stood from her seat and bowed her head to him.
"If it weren’t for you, Kyle,
I don’t think I would have been able to convince anyone properly.
And going forward, having soone from the Eingart family support
will, in itself, serve as justification for many.
...And also."
Then, with a bright smile—
"You’ve always been by my side, helping .
So, my feelings toward the imperial family... are a secondary matter."
"My lord..."
"The one who is at fault is Serpina, that woman... So, it’s fine."
"......."
Serpina is the one at fault.
Kyle faltered for a mont at those words—
but soon, he bowed his head deeply and replied.
"My lord. Please, unify the continent.
Erase the remnants of the long-expired Eingart Empire... and build a new nation.
This Kyle will devote the rest of his life to you,
breaking his body and bones for your cause."
As Kyle finished speaking, the three before him also gave their vows.
"We feel the sa, Luna."
"We have never forgotten the grace you have shown us."
"If we can assist you... it would be an honor."
"Everyone..."
Even if they were only distant relatives,
the support of surviving mbers of the Eingart royal family was legitimacy that even Serpina would envy.
Even though they had betrayed Karelia,
they had never been the first to draw their blades—
and so, they had no reason to be ashad.
Just as Swen had said—
that in the end, they would win—
the mont they seized their chance, everything seed to fall into place.
But—
‘Not yet.’
This was rely the first step forward.
There were still mountains of challenges ahead.
Even so, they had to press on.
Because he would return.
And when he did, she had to be able to stand before him with her head held high—
which ant she had to establish a proper nation as soon as possible.
Their situation was already far better than when she had been stranded in Zeilant Castle.
‘Lord Swen. We have raised our banner once more.
I will wait for as long as it takes.
You must return to us...!’
The ti that had stopped for Luna in Zeilant Castle—began to move once more, after a long, long pause.
***
The uprising of Lunarian, the lord of Tepello’s army under Karelia.
The news that she had turned her blade against her own sovereign spread at an astonishing speed.
The royal castle of Madralan.
Sitting upon the ruler’s throne, Makana Karelia, the absolute authority of the Karelia Army, had an expression filled with shock and disbelief.
"Is that... really true?"
"It is with utmost regret that I must deliver such news..."
Lunarian’s uprising.
In other words—Lunarian had betrayed her.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
"That cannot be... Then what about the generals who were with her...?"
"General Gail and two others have been imprisoned, and as for the rest...
It seems that most of the generals stationed at Tepello Castle... have defected to her side."
Thud.
All Karelia could do upon hearing those words was collapse into her seat.
She had rely trusted.
She had simply believed in people.
What else could she have done?
Of course, she had never even considered a "Plan B."
Karelia had thought of Lunarian as soone similar to herself.
Even Vanessa had repeatedly said that the reason she kept Lunarian in check
was because she was too much like Karelia, her sovereign.
If she ever displayed greater qualities as a ruler,
Lunarian’s presence would grow far larger than Karelia’s—
Vanessa had warned of this possibility multiple tis.
And yet, Karelia had believed in Luna.
She had thought—
I trust her this much.
We are fundantally alike, so she would never betray .
Truly, up until this very mont, she had never once seriously considered the thought,
"Lunarian will betray ."
Too fragile to be called a ruler,
naïve and innocent like a maiden—
The one and only "weakness" of her sovereign that Vanessa had so feared—
had decisively seized Karelia’s ankle and dragged her to the ground at the crucial mont.
‘Then... what am I supposed to do now?’
"My—my lord...?"
It was only then that Karelia realized the person who had delivered the news
was standing there, staring at her blankly.
With a trembling voice, she issued a command.
"For now... Gather everyone we can... That would be... appreciated."
"Y-yes! Right away!"
Fortunately, the soldier seed quick to grasp the situation and ran out in a hurry.
And almost at the sa mont,
a familiar voice pierced Karelia’s ears.
"My lord!"
From the distance, Vanessa was running toward her.
Just from her expression, it was clear—
She must have already heard the news.
"Va... nessa."
The mont Vanessa saw her lord’s hollow, empty eyes,
her face contorted in sorrow.
But—
She swallowed down that grief,
let out a short sigh,
and spoke.
"It has already happened. We cannot undo it.
I have no intention of wasting ti arguing about whether I was right or wrong.
Right now, we must act.
We must do what must be done."
"That... that cannot be... Lord Luna has... betrayed us...."
‘.......’
Lunarian’s betrayal.
Vanessa imdiately saw through it—
this was not tz simply inciting her.
tz... had defected.
To her.
Considering how no information had leaked,
and that she had successfully secured her forces,
it was clear.
‘I was a fool.’
Lunarian was soone similar to Karelia.
Of course, if she followed Karelia,
then she, in turn, would be easy to follow.
Their temperants and ambitions were alike.
And the biggest reason Vanessa had kept her in check was—
that even in Vanessa’s own eyes,
Lunarian was more suited to be a ruler than Karelia.
Even knowing this,
assuming that the ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) infiltrator would remain loyal was,
in hindsight, a devastating mistake.
‘The question is... how much did Lunarian figure out?’
But it didn’t matter.
The fact that Lunarian had betrayed them would not change.
If anything, rather than letting her remain and continue growing,
it was far more beneficial to eliminate her here and now.
Losing the troops was painful,
but in the end, it was just a single territory.
Their forces still had the advantage in every aspect.
What remained was to stabilize Karelia’s heart,
and help her focus on commanding—
Up until that mont.
"My lord...?"
Vanessa imdiately noticed.
There was sothing Karelia had yet to say.
And in that instant,
a crushing sense of unease weighed down upon Vanessa’s shoulders.
"...Is there sothing more?"
"T-that is..."
Karelia opened her mouth, her voice trembling.
"The military supplies and war funds..."
"...What?"
"Lord Luna said... that the army might not have enough war resources...
So she claid... that she would seize three territories... simultaneously..."
Hearing her lord’s shaking voice,
Vanessa’s face turned deathly pale.
"Don’t tell ... Did you transfer all available resources except for the bare minimum?"
――Nod.
‘...This cannot be happening.’
It was the worst possible situation,
but Vanessa couldn’t bring herself to say anything.
Transporting resources was within the sovereign’s authority.
If anything, expecting Karelia to report every single detail to her was unreasonable.
After all, she was rely the second-in-command under an absolute ruler.
Even though she now controlled military power,
this was still a war—
and in order to preserve Karelia’s charisma,
she had taken on the role of "dirtying her hands."
But never once had she intended to overstep Karelia’s authority.
So there was nothing she could say now.
However, seeing how Luna had systematically drained all available resources—
it was clear that she had planned this betrayal from the very start.
Lunarian Iniang.
Behind that innocent face—
had she been sharpening her blade all along?
‘...Is this truly her true nature?’
Even as soone who had anticipated this,
Vanessa found it impossible to fully accept.
She had always kept a close watch on Lunarian.
Ever since she had begun producing unparalleled results as the lord of Tepello Castle,
Vanessa had monitored her movents and behavior closely.
Just as Karelia had said—
Lunarian was soone very similar to Karelia.
She wasn’t the type to be cunning.
She was straightforward, unwavering,
and valued loyalty above all else.
Vanessa had already taken note of the strengths that set her apart—
Overwhelming military prowess,
and a charisma that naturally made others favor her.
So she understood.
This kind of calculated, thodical betrayal...
was completely out of character for the Luna she had observed until now.
Neither Tifa nor Cain, the ones closest to Luna,
seed like the type to devise such a sche.
Even the generals who had joined the betrayal...
At best, they were diligent n.
They were not ones to stand out in any particular way.
Had Luna been hiding this side of herself all along?
If so, then Vanessa should have noticed it long ago.
She was well aware of her own cunning nature—
which was precisely why she could always identify those of her kind.
This was almost as if—
Yes.
‘There’s soone else... by her side.’
Soone unknown to Vanessa.
And that person—
Soone incredibly skilled in devising strategies,
a scher who thought only of efficiency,
a ruthless tactician—
The shadow of that person was now wrapping around Vanessa.
And the realization sent a shiver down her spine.
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