After Yunis was led away, Kenji’s voice ca from behind the screen:
"It seems there is great conflict between you two."
He had been there from the start, not by his own choice but by Pluvia’s order. Though she treated her brother well, it didn’t an she would allow him near her unguarded. If he had any ill intentions, it could put her in danger.
So she had specifically called Kenji over as an extra precaution. Kenji was quick - if anything unexpected happened, he could protect her imdiately.
Assuming Kenji was reliable, of course. But for now, at least, Pluvia believed he was.
"If not for today, I wouldn’t have realized this," Pluvia said, now feeling a headache and slight dizziness. "Kenji, I didn’t expect things to turn out this way. You must find it quite amusing."
"Not at all, Your Majesty. What his highness said, no one else knows except perhaps your two trusted imperial guards."
"You don’t know?"
Pluvia gave him a sidelong glance.
"Your subject doesn’t have a habit of rembering such trivial matters."
Kenji smiled.
"Smooth talker hah…." she cald herself. "Kenji, aren’t you curious?"
"About what?"
"What my brother said," Pluvia turned to look into his eyes. "You’re a perceptive person. Because you understand, you must see even more than he does. Aren’t you curious? My brother’s doubts do have so rit."
"Naturally I’m curious," Kenji said. "However, I hope Your Majesty understands that I believe Calot’s thousand-year continuity must have its reasons. What I do is simply try my best to maintain Calot’s operations and help it develop quickly - as for the future, that’s sothing to consider gradually later."
Hearing this, Pluvia relaxed slightly. She looked at the man before her as if seeing him for the first ti.
"What does Your Majesty plan to do after his highness returns to his mansion?"
"What do you an?"
"Your subject believes his highness won’t give up easily after returning - he faces death either way," Kenji said. "Though when I went there, he had disbanded his ard forces, I don’t think it will be that simple."
"Let him be. I’ve investigated," Pluvia leaned back in her chair. "Even if he called all his forces together, it’s only two thousand n. Outside Luminara, two thousand n would struggle just to breach the city gates, let alone storm the palace. My brother may be young, but he’s not foolish."
"Very well."
Seeing Pluvia say this, Kenji said nothing more.
However, after taking his leave, he wrote several letters to contacts outside the city and had Lina prepare so gifts before heading to the prince’s mansion. After all, Her Majesty had said the prince was ill - surely there was nothing wrong with paying a sick call?
With this thought, Kenji knocked on the mansion’s main gate.
This ti, no one in the mansion stopped him. Even if they tried, what could they do? Even without soldiers protecting him, Kenji could leave safely - these servants wouldn’t be enough to defeat him even if a dozen ca at once.
The sa burly man led him to Yunis’s quarters.
Then Yunis simply had the door shut in his face.
Kenji wasn’t at all angry about being refused entry. If anything, being shut out was most normal, since he was seen as "in league with" the emperor. In many people’s eyes, he definitely had a part in this matter.
Of course, this was indeed the case.
However, after being refused entry, the prince sent him a letter.
The letter’s contents were simple, just thanking him for the visit, with one strange passage:
"Sotis I wonder if my ideas are right or wrong. Now it seems they will finally be tested."
It was a cryptic statent that even Kenji found odd.
However, he didn’t think much about it.
What he didn’t know was that Prince Yunis wasn’t in his mansion.
After being treated by the imperial physician and returning ho, he had imdiately left under the cover of several trusted subordinates. The one in his quarters was a servant. Though the letter was indeed written by him, he hadn’t delivered it personally.
As the letter said, he didn’t know if his ideas were right or wrong.
He only knew that others would judge success or failure.
But this ti, he hoped to win.
Prince Yunis wasn’t alone - he had his own faction behind him.
Though not as large as Kenji’s forces and without as much military authority, most were people of so influence in court, including several military leaders.
Of course, these leaders were still Kenji’s subordinates, but even if they didn’t use national troops and only their private forces, they could still form a considerable army.
Moreover, shared interests could sotis create unexpected relationships.
Like several of his royal brothers and sisters, including so married princesses.
These were all resources, the result of years of maneuvering. And now these results would soon be tested in Luminara.
He never believed anyone’s words, only believing in himself. Now he decided to stake everything on one throw - this battle would determine his fate, whether he should bare his neck for execution or teach his sister - no, the emperor - a lesson.
This final struggle, his greatest struggle - even if he could only shake people’s faith in imperial authority slightly, it would be worth it. Having done what needed to be done, Yunis felt an unusual sense of ease.
It had been a long ti since he felt this way. People often say having no official duties leaves one carefree. Now, knowing his life was forfeit and nothing mattered anymore - what use were material possessions after death? They couldn’t be taken along, at most they’d be burial objects. He didn’t care how others would view him, he only wanted to prove whether he was right or wrong.
Even though such proof would co at an enormous cost.
Even though such proof might overturn all of Calot.
Even though after such proof, he himself might not survive.
But often, considering one’s own survival was itself an act of cowardice. If he only thought about surviving, why bother going to such lengths to defy the emperor?
The armor and weapons hidden outside the city had been distributed. How big a wave this would create now depended on his fate.
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