Chapter 8

“Your Grace?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Would you care to investigate the matter yourself?”

Mary’s calm green eyes met Aiden’s unfathomable amber gaze.

One second.

Two seconds.

Only a brief moment passed, yet to the nobles present it felt as though half a day had gone by.

At last, Aiden spoke.

“I hesitate to say this, Your Majesty…”

Reaching into the inner pocket of his jacket, he withdrew a document.

A quick-witted attendant hurried over, accepted it, and delivered it to Mary.

“What is this?”

“A report regarding Brang’s recent activities.”

For the first time, cracks appeared in Mary’s expressionless face.

Behind her long eyelashes, her green eyes trembled slightly.

Slowly lifting her head, she fixed her gaze on Aiden.

“Are you saying Brang intends to invade?”

“Yes.”

Unlike Aiden’s calm response, the nobles erupted into an uproar.

“What are you talking about?!”

“An invasion?!”

For years, Strovana and Brang had maintained close relations.

Separated only by a narrow sea, the two nations frequently exchanged goods and conducted regular trade.

In fact, Blair—the Second Empress and Evelyn’s mother—had maternal relatives among Brang’s nobility.

The two countries were deeply connected.

So an invasion?

It sounded absurd.

Aiden patiently waited for the murmurs to subside before continuing.

“King Seong claims that Strovana drew its sword against Brang first.”

“What?!”

“That’s ridiculous!”

The chamber exploded into even louder protests.

This time, Aiden didn’t wait for silence.

“Brang is raising doubts about the late Emperor’s death.”

His voice remained steady.

“They suspect poisoning. Or assassination.”

The room froze.

Mary’s dry voice cut through the silence.

“Because of the death of the late Emperor Edward Bournemouth Strovana?”

“…Yes.”

Aiden nodded.

“Brang’s position is that Emperor Mary murdered Emperor Edward, who carried Brang blood, and seized the throne.”

A few weeks earlier, rumors that Brang’s king had made such statements had shaken Strovana.

Many theories had circulated regarding Edward’s death.

But the official conclusion had been illness.

For a foreign kingdom to question that verdict was already offensive.

Yet Brang had gone even further, using its connection to Empress Blair’s family as justification to turn the matter into a diplomatic issue.

Naturally, the entire empire was outraged.

“They’re probably trying to redirect public attention outward in order to stabilize their own domestic situation.”

Robert added calmly.

At those words, Mary’s eyebrow rose.

“So a king of Brang dares question my legitimacy?”

Her voice wasn’t loud.

Yet it carried an almost terrifying sharpness.

“…How dare he.”

No one dared interrupt as she muttered to herself.

No one except one man.

“Your Majesty.”

Robert Edenbarker.

A gentle smile rested on his lips.

As though the matter were insignificant, he spoke casually.

“What is there to worry about?”

His blue eyes gleamed.

“A mere king who worships the gods could never defeat the reign of Your Majesty, who was born with divine blessing.”

Mary gave no visible reaction.

Yet the killing intent radiating from her softened somewhat.

“Still, precautions are necessary.”

Robert turned toward the nobles of the Second Empress faction.

“If one of Your Majesty’s loyal servants personally repelled Brang’s invasion, would that not greatly strengthen Your Majesty’s position?”

A faint smile appeared.

“What if volunteers were accepted?”

He folded his hands.

“There is no defense more reassuring than the deployment of loyal subjects.”

The eyes of the Second Empress faction widened.

Volunteer?

Not financial support.

Not troop contributions.

Robert was suggesting that individual lords personally defend the border against another nation.

And before war had even begun.

In reality, it was little more than a polite way of exiling them from central politics.

Compared to that, investigating rebels and heretics sounded far more appealing.

The nobles drew deep breaths but remained silent.

Then—

“Your Majesty.”

Aiden’s calm voice shattered the tension.

“The House of Gloucester will answer the call.”

Even among the First Empress faction, who had been enjoying the spectacle, surprised breaths escaped.

The reaction from the Second Empress faction was even greater.

Several nobles stared with mouths hanging open.

“The House of Gloucester shall protect Your Majesty’s Empire.”

At that moment, everyone in the room shared the same thought.

The House of Gloucester was unquestionably the most influential family among the Second Empress faction.

To please Emperor Philip and Empress Blair, Aiden’s father had committed countless disgraceful acts.

Most of the victims had belonged to the First Empress faction.

Now the son is making a reckless gamble to reclaim power.

Several nobles nearly laughed aloud.

Mary drummed her fingers thoughtfully against the document.

Then her crimson lips curved upward.

“Your loyalty is admirable, Duke.”

For the first time, light appeared in her normally dry green eyes.

“I approve Gloucester’s deployment.”

Sighs bordering on despair echoed throughout the chamber.

Later, Aiden’s carriage rolled through the gates of the Gloucester estate in the capital.

The immaculate gardens stretching from the entrance reflected their master’s personality—elegant, orderly, and imposing.

“Your Grace.”

Scott, his adjutant, entered the study carrying a thick stack of documents.

The muscles in his forearms bulged beneath his shirt.

“How did it go?”

“We leave for the border before the month ends.”

“Ah…”

A sigh escaped Scott before he quickly corrected himself.

“Do you truly believe Brang will invade?”

“You’ve read the reports yourself.”

Aiden’s amber eyes settled on him.

Scott lowered his head and pressed his lips together.

The intelligence was troubling.

According to their informants, Brang was recruiting soldiers on a massive scale and spreading anti-Strovana propaganda throughout the kingdom.

They had every reason to prepare for a declaration of war.

Still—

There was no need for the Duke of Gloucester himself to be stationed at the border.

“Do you really trust the princess’s words?”

“So that’s—”

“Scott.”

Aiden’s sharp voice cut through the air.

Realizing he had crossed a line, Scott immediately fell silent.

“My apologies.”

Aiden released a quiet sigh and rose from his chair.

Walking toward the window, he moved with the effortless elegance of someone born into the highest nobility.

Even his footsteps seemed soundless, as though he were walking on clouds.

“In any case, I need to demonstrate loyalty to the Emperor.”

His gaze remained fixed outside.

“If that’s the case, this may be the better option.”

As Evelyn had predicted, Mary had handed responsibility for investigating rebellion and heresy to the nobles of the Second Empress faction.

Officially, it was to silence criticism surrounding the destruction of the Chester and Sands families.

Yet perhaps because of Evelyn’s warning—

Something about it felt wrong.

More than anything, Aiden would rather guard against a foreign kingdom than arrest and transport his own countrymen.

“We need to prepare thoroughly.”

His eyes narrowed.

“The enemy may not be beyond the border.”

“It may be within it.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“And this may last longer than expected.”

Evelyn had said six months.

But nobody truly knew.

That was the nature of war.

Scott nodded and left the study.

Aiden remained by the window.

The familiar gardens stretched before him.

The sight of fresh green leaves reminded him of someone’s eyes.

Eyes he had known in childhood.

Not long afterward, the House of Gloucester departed amid a grand military ceremony.

That same night—

Mary lounged against a large sofa, visibly displeased.

“He’s irritating.”

“You mean Aiden Gloucester?”

Robert sat across from her.

As always, his posture was flawless.

“Yes.”

Mary narrowed her eyes.

Images of the countless citizens who had gathered earlier to see Aiden off flashed through her mind.

“Unlike his father, Aiden Gloucester paid attention to the common people.”

“Fortunately, today will be the last day that matters.”

Robert’s blue eyes drifted toward the window.

His gaze seemed fixed on somewhere far away.

“Hayden Gloucester will die a miserable death on the border while waiting for reinforcements.”

A crooked smile appeared.

“Your Majesty will mourn his loyalty, of course.”

Unlike other noble houses, dealing with Gloucester had always been difficult.

Under Philip, the family had acted as little more than political opportunists.

But the moment Aiden inherited the title, everything changed.

Some called him a hypocrite.

Most commoners welcomed him.

People struggling to survive had no reason to hate the man who put food on their tables.

That popularity was exactly why Robert had been careful.

For Mary, who valued her legitimacy above all else, provoking public backlash was unacceptable.

As her strategist, Robert also wanted to minimize risk.

Originally, he had planned to use Brang’s suspicious movements as a pretext to eliminate other members of the Second Empress faction.

But since Aiden had volunteered himself—

There was no reason to refuse.

At last, the irritation in Mary’s green eyes disappeared.

The murderous expression that looked ready to tear the Duke of Gloucester apart softened.

A faint smile appeared on her lips.

And for the first time that evening, she looked pleased.