Episode 127

“The morning’s work is done. Now it’s time to rest.”

I groaned and slumped into the leather chair.

And I leisurely soaked in the sunlight streaming in through the window.

“It was a very satisfying day.”

I intentionally delivered the finished jams to the deputy commanders, not to the princesses.

If I had sent them to the princesses, they might use it as an excuse to come looking for me.

‘Besides, lately, the way they look at me has been strange…’

Honestly, they were all so attractive that I’d often come close to crossing the line.

I even kissed Irina’s chest recently.

Of course, it was the last resort to quell her aura.

But, misunderstanding that, Irina’s gaze towards me became even more dangerous.

‘But it didn’t go all the way.’

I sighed deeply.

And then I looked at the horizon visible beyond the window.

By now, the baskets I sent should have reached the deputy commanders of each knight group.

Inside them were jars of jam and a letter.

The letter contained the date of the next regular meeting of the secret knight group, written in code.

‘Soon, their responses will arrive.’

I waited leisurely with my eyes closed.

And I fell asleep in the peaceful sunlight.

‘It’ll be fine. I definitely instructed to only send them to the deputy commanders, not to the princesses.’

Meanwhile, in the Central Imperial Palace.

A military meeting was taking place.

Seated on the throne, Leonhardt ordered the next agenda item to be discussed.

In response, a servant stood before the empire’s many nobles and recited loudly.

“The next agenda item is the approach to handling the city-states currently in a standoff in the southern part of the continent.”

“……”

The empire had unified the continent but still faced potential threats.

In the northern part of the continent, the warrior nation of Bakal remained, supported by maritime states.

If war broke out with them, the city-states in the south might attack the empire from behind.

The goal of today’s meeting was to find a solution to this.

“Everyone, present your thoughts.”

The Emperor commanded in a low voice, as if assessing his nobles.

The Crown Prince then spoke as if he had been waiting to do so.

“If Your Majesty permits, I propose deploying the capital’s knights to punish the south.”

He claimed that the knights’ skills were nearly unmatched, and their leadership was abundant.

“Deploying a few as officers to display overwhelming bravery will make them offer negotiations on their own.”

A strategy to intimidate by showing the prowess of a select few elite.

Supporting this proposal, the Crown Prince spoke assertively.

“Show them the clear difference in military power between our nations, so they won’t even think of stabbing us in the back.”

“That’s correct, Your Majesty.”

The Crown Prince respectfully thanked his father for understanding his intention.

“That’s a good approach. We’ll take it into consideration.”

The nobles also agreed, following the Conqueror Emperor’s sentiments.

Knowing the Crown Prince’s martial abilities well, they felt reassured about entrusting the task to his subordinates.

“I propose sending a part of the entire force of the seven knight groups, including my own.”

Leon planned to deploy all the princesses’ forces to the front lines.

Of course, he promised to deploy his own knights as well.

However.

Amidst the agreement, someone opposed.

“Please wait a moment.”

The radiant blonde woman sitting opposite the Crown Prince.

The empire’s Chief Strategist and 1st Princess.

It was Rea Andalusia.

“I would also like to present my opinion.”

“Go ahead, Chief Strategist.”

“Thank you for permitting me, Your Majesty.”

When the empire’s 1st Princess began to speak, the meeting hall quickly fell silent.

She pushed up her monocle and smiled slightly.

“I would like to commend the Crown Prince’s strategy. Breaking the enemy’s spirit in the initial battle is very important.”

The Princess soon withdrew her formal smile.

And spoke with cold blue eyes.

“However, that alone won’t solve the fundamental problem.”

Leon’s brow furrowed at Rea’s words.

“If we press them too hard from the beginning, we’ll become a common enemy, prompting them to unite even more.”

A common enemy.

Several nobles nodded at this.

“As a result, they will gradually increase their forces. If we then go to war with Bakal, they’ll have both the numbers and a cause…”

“Attempting to intimidate them might just give them a solid reason to strike back at us.”

“That’s right, Your Majesty.”

The nobles looked at each other nervously, swayed by the Emperor’s explanation.

A situation where the opinions of the empire’s 1st Princess and the Crown Prince diverged.

They wondered if supporting one over the other might inadvertently cause trouble.

“……”

Proving this point, the Crown Prince looked more seriously than usual at the Princess.

However, Rea paid him no mind.

She simply brushed her bangs aside, maintaining a relaxed expression.

‘Do you think I don’t understand your intentions?’

If the Crown Prince’s opinion prevailed, he would only need to send a small portion of his troops.

About twenty elite knights.

However, the other princesses had fewer troops compared to him.

If they were all conscripted in the same manner as Leon…

It would mean twenty knights per princess, totaling sixty, a greater loss compared to the Crown Prince.

Noticing this, Rea spoke with a firm expression.

“I propose a much simpler solution without needing to go that far.”

Rea lightly clapped her hands.

Then, the strategist, Damian, approached and unfolded a prepared map.

“What is that map?”

The Emperor asked with a serious look.

Following him, the nobles also focused on Rea’s map.

“It’s a secret passage to the southern states. My knights and I have analyzed it precisely for several months.”

Rea sipped her tea with an elegant gesture.

Then, placing the cup down slowly, she continued.

“We will send knights through this route to assassinate some of the successors in each nation.”

An assassination mission.

The hall fell silent at these words, which were perhaps more sinister and brutal than the Crown Prince’s.

“Ah, and the force to be deployed in this operation will be…”

However, her statement was just the beginning.

She had already deeply irked the already upset Crown Prince.

“The Black Knight Order would be suitable.”

“…!”

The Black Knights.

The Crown Prince’s aides flinched upon hearing those words.

“If we succeed in assassinating the successor, they will suspect each other before making us the public enemy.”

Rea emptied her teacup as if it were a problem that would be easily resolved.

“After we start the punitive expedition according to Leon’s plan, they will surrender to us first.”

Her intent was to elevate the Crown Prince’s opinion while increasing her own speaking authority.

Leon, having grasped her intent, maintained a cold, expressionless face.

“I also agree with the Commander’s opinion.”

“We can certainly trust and leave it to the Black Knights.”

The retainers praised the Black Knights, one of his greatest forces.

Unaware that Rea’s strategy was a check against the Crown Prince, they just nodded cluelessly.

“I, too, find the Commander’s opinion quite interesting.”

“However, Your Majesty, it is a very dangerous plan.”

As even the Emperor showed interest, Leon opened his mouth calmly.

“If the assassination fails and it’s revealed that the Empire is behind it, then it will truly be an irreversible war.”

In the Crown Prince’s opinion, Rea chuckled and raised her hand.

“Don’t worry. The passage I suggested is so safe that it hasn’t been used for 10 years. Moreover…”

The empire’s 1st Princess removed her monocle.

Then, with her beautiful eyes, she smiled broadly and said,

“Could the elite Black Knights possibly fail in their operation?”

At the Princess’s smile, the retainers tightly closed their lips.

They all knew of the Black Knights’ prowess and the Princess’s meticulousness.

They looked very pleased with the collaboration between the two royals.

“……”

The Emperor also looked at his two children with pleasure.

“Let’s discuss this issue more in-depth at the royal meeting.”

The Emperor was the first to rise from his throne.

“I will end the meeting here. Leon and Rea must prepare a more detailed plan for the royal meeting.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Thank you for your efforts.”

The two children respectfully bid farewell to their departing father.

They only raised their heads after the Emperor completely left the meeting room.

“Aren’t you too casually talking about not using your own forces, Rea?”

On the way out, Leon asked her.

“When else would I use the Empire’s greatest power if not now?”

The 1st Princess, alone, crossed her arms and sent a mature smile.

“And I am the commander. I only said to utilize the forces we have in the Empire. What’s the problem?”

At Rea’s confident words, the Crown Prince stopped in his tracks.

Then, looking at his younger sister ahead, he said,

“Do you think you can be safe after provoking me?”

The Crown Prince showed murderous intent by mentioning his hidden weapon.

“Why should I have to watch your mood when using the knights of the Empire, Leon?”

However, Rea was neither afraid nor anxious.

“Do you really think the Black Knights you have are personally owned by you?”

Instead, she casually turned to the Crown Prince and said,

“Don’t be mistaken. Everything you own was born from Father.”

The Princess, after leaving a warning for the Crown Prince, nonchalantly turned the corner.

Then, she left the Central Imperial Palace to board her carriage.

“Excuse me… Your Highness, the Princess?”

Damian looked worriedly at Rea, who was leisurely walking in her white uniform.

He carefully opened his mouth.

“May I ask why you provoked the Crown Prince’s mood?”

The Princess didn’t even look at Damian.

She just walked silently forward, calmly responding.

“It’s nothing. I just don’t like to see foolish schemes.”

“……”

The Chief of Staff had a curious expression, wondering if that was the real reason.

The Black Knights were like a thorn in the Crown Prince’s side.

Merely mentioning them in front of their father was enough to irk the Crown Prince.

“Is that really all…?”

The two boarded the carriage.

And, when they were finally alone, Rea revealed her hidden intent.

“In fact, the Black Knights recently attacked Vail.”

“What…? Does that mean Prince Leon also knows that Sir Vail is a Grand Master?”

The Chief of Staff’s mouth fell open.

But Rea firmly shook her head.

“That can’t be. Because two Black Knights approached Vail on their own.”

She was informed of information throughout the capital in real-time.

So she knew the full story of the incident.

“But investigating the two dead knights will put Vail in danger again.”

Damian listened to the Princess’s words and fell silent for a moment.

Then, realizing her true intention, he raised his glasses.

“Ah, could it be…?”

At the clever Chief of Staff’s inference, Rea’s lips curled into a smile.

“Yes, I plan to divert the Black Knights’ attention from Vail and get them out of the capital.”

The Princess elegantly crossed her legs.

Her stockings tightened tautly.

“So, the recent strategy was all for Sir Vail, just one person.”

Damian chimed in agreement.

But Rea immediately rebutted.

“No.”

Quite rapidly, almost excessively so.

“It’s just to imprint that the Black Knights are not Leon’s property but belong to the Empire.”

The Princess said so and got off at the Western Imperial Palace.

And then, she calmly went ahead.

“……”

Damian intently watched the retreating figure of the 1st Princess, whom he had served all his life.

Then, chuckling to himself, he followed her back to the Western Imperial Palace.

“Feeling bashful, are we?”

The elegant and beautiful Western office.

In front of its entrance, several lavish gifts were piled up.

The knights were pondering how to deal with these gifts.

Upon seeing Rea return, they all bowed their heads at once.

“What are those?”

When the 1st Princess in white uniform asked coldly, the members answered with tense expressions.

“Ah, those… they are gifts sent by the nobles who met Lady Rea at the last party.”

Rea tilted her head at the mention that they were sent by the nobles.

After all, no one had dared to send her gifts until now.

“They are probably trying to get in line because of your standoff with the other princesses at the party.”

Damian, true to his role as her closest aide, spoke assertively.

“Of course, your appearance that day was especially beautiful.”

“You jest too much.”

Rea responded expressionlessly to the friendly Chief of Staff’s words.

Then, she carefully looked over the gifts.

Uncomfortably matching crystal shoes.

A fur coat she wouldn’t wear.

And even cumbersome jewels.

“Impressive. They chose only useless things to send.”

The Princess said coldly.

And nonchalantly gestured for them to be cleared away.

“Distribute them all to the members as rewards. Take one for yourself, too.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The Commander, with her hands clasped behind her, went into the office alone.

Meanwhile, Damian fairly distributed the gifts among the knights who had worked to move them.

After the expensive luxury items were gone, the last gift left on the floor was a small, modest basket.

“Who sent this…?”

Damian picked up the basket.

Then, after looking at it closely, he brought it to his office.

“Haah…”

Rea, left alone in the office, dealt with the accumulated national affairs.

She was tired from the contest of wills with Leon.

Moreover, she had run out of chocolate and tea that were stocked on the table.

“Oh no…”

Having finished her work, she got up from her seat.

And went out to the corridor to grab a light snack.

Then, as she entered the Chief of Staff’s office,

“Hmm?”

She met eyes with Damian, who was sitting at the table, spreading apple jam on biscuits.

“Ah, did you call for me, Your Highness?”

“No, but… what’s that you’re holding?”

The Princess pointed to the sweet jam on the biscuit.

“Ah, there was jam among the gifts that arrived, so I was trying it out myself.”

“They sent ‘jam’ as a gift…?”

As Rea asked with a dumbfounded expression, Damian smiled and showed her the glass jar.

“Yes, and it’s very fresh, as if it were just made.”

Rea intently looked at the jam, which seemed obviously sweet.

The glossy, sweet flesh of the jam greeted her.

“Hmm…”

Rea’s pride wouldn’t allow her to eat during work hours.

However, as saliva kept pooling in her mouth, eventually…

“Give me one too.”

“Yes, here you are.”

She took the basket filled with bread and jam and returned to her office.

“Haah… This is really strange for me.”

She used to be meticulous during work hours.

Lately, she has been craving sweets, and her interest in unusual things has increased.

“I should start by disciplining the military myself…”

Rea carefully spread the jam on the bread.

And the moment she took a bite…

“…!”

She was surprised by the unexpectedly delicious and fresh taste of the jam.

“It’s sweet.”

The 1st Princess chuckled and looked at the gift basket.

Who could have sent such a cute gift to the Western Imperial Palace?

Curious, she found a gift card in the basket.

And inside it was…

“Apples were abundant on the back mountain, so I’m sending them, Sir Damian.”

“Vail Mikhail?”

The sender’s name was boldly written.

“Ha…”

Rea chuckled upon seeing the man’s name.

Then she put her nose to the paper and sniffed the subtle scent.

“Indeed, you always exceed my expectations.”

The Princess, realizing who gave the gift, smiled softly.

Her eyes were soft and beautiful, not like those of a commander but of a lady.

“But then…”

However, she soon became suspicious.

“Why did he send it to Damian, not to me?”

Rea pursed her lips.

Then, with a playful look in her eyes, she stood up.

As if she were off to scold someone.