Chapter 22

The Emperor’s angry command swept through the capital like a great storm. The imperial knight order, without a moment’s delay, completely surrounded the manor of the Reinhardt family, one of the empire’s three marquis houses. At the unprecedented incident unfolding in the heart of the empire, every noble in the capital held their breath and watched.

“How dare you commit such rudeness in the name of safety! Do you know where this is!”

The Marquis of the Reinhardt family remained arrogant and defiant even before the imperial knight order that had broken down his manor’s doors. He firmly believed his political power and his family’s prestige would stop all of this.

“By the command of His Majesty the Emperor. Marquis of the Reinhardt family, you are under arrest on charges of conspiring against the Crown Prince.”

Sir Allen presented the arrest warrant in a cold voice.

“Treason? Preposterous! Are you insulting the pillar of the empire without any evidence!”

As the Marquis sneered and shouted, Sir Allen leaned in and whispered into his ear.

“The evidence was provided by your own knights. About the ‘Fontaine family’ and the ‘the Fairy Spring’—things no one was supposed to know.”

At that moment, for the first time the Marquis of the Reinhardt family lost color in his face. His arrogant expression contorted into shock and disbelief. He realized the trap he had set had instead become the noose around his own neck. He was completely ensnared.

There was no resistance. The Marquis of the Reinhardt family was taken without struggle, but his eyes, as he was escorted to the imperial palace, burned with a deep hatred for the Aster family and the Crown Prince.

The fall of one of the great pillars that supported the empire shook the entire capital. Nobles who belonged to the Reinhardt faction trembled in fear and began seeking ways to survive, while his rivals busied themselves seizing the power vacuum. The capital became an invisible battlefield.

That evening, Aster Manor.

Kaion returned from the imperial palace with a complex expression. He relayed the entire situation to his younger brother, Rian.

“It’s true… the Marquis of the Reinhardt family has been arrested. Everything unfolded just as you planned.”

“No, brother. The prelude has only just begun.”

Rian said calmly as he looked out at the chaotic capital.

“We’ve cut off the head of a great serpent, but its body still writhes. Countless snakes will bare their fangs to fill the power vacuum left by the Reinhardts. And their first target will be us, those favored by the Crown Prince.”

Rian’s analysis was correct. The Aster family now stood in the eye of the storm.

“Then what should we do?”

“You must walk the path of light. Stand firmly by the Crown Prince’s side and become the most reliable sword in the empire. Show a loyalty that no temptation can shake. That will be the strongest shield to protect our family.”

Rian’s eyes glittered in the dark.

“And I’ll walk the path of shadows. I’ll set Argos in motion to monitor the movements of every noble faction and cut off any second or third Reinhardt before they can appear. We’ll absorb the fallen Reinhardt family’s assets and intelligence, and even the abandoned Fontaine family. All of it must be absorbed into our strength.”

A few days later, the Emperor officially declared a trial for the treasonous crimes of the Marquis of the Reinhardt family. A grand political stage was set, attended by all the nobles of the empire.

While everyone’s eyes were fixed on the imperial palace’s splendid stage, Rian had spread a map of the capital in his room. His finger traced the manors of other houses in turn, not the Reinhardt family’s manor.

The shadow that had toppled a great mountain was now drawing the map of a new mountain range.