Chapter 79
“First, send a letter. Tell them Luto no longer covets the western lands and refuses to be used by Haiman any longer. Even if it’s a trap, if there’s a chance for peace negotiations, isn’t that still a gain?”
His arrogant demeanor was unpleasant, but what Miss Mighty said made sense.
And so, Hannibal decided to send the letter for now.
Some time later, Luto responded swiftly to Hannibal’s letter with a proposal for peace talks.
Given that they had just attacked Edith Tara, tensions between Haiman and Luto were high. Yet Luto accepted the offer without hesitation, which only deepened suspicions.
“Why did you come alone and surrender?”
“Because my people are just as precious to me as yours are to you.”
Despite Hannibal’s deep distrust, Miss Mighty remained unfazed.
Her every word still carried an air of arrogance, and when Hannibal’s expression didn’t soften, she clicked her tongue and added,
“My father was deceived by Haiman and waged war for three years. The price of underestimating you and the West was far too great. What good would come of chasing desert land anyway? While I’m here, I’d like to at least take a look around Tegenes.”
Even with ropes binding her, Miss Mighty was as relaxed as if she were on a leisurely sightseeing trip.
Something clearly reeked of deception, yet Hannibal couldn’t pinpoint it, which only made it more frustrating.
As Luto’s second-in-command and a great mage, she could have easily used magic to escape or disrupt Hannibal’s soldiers. And yet, even after several days, she obediently remained a prisoner without playing any tricks.
It was clear now—she wasn’t here for a battle of force but for something else entirely.
That night, inside the field tent, Hannibal sat with Oliver, troubled by conflicting thoughts.
“Why would she become a prisoner voluntarily?”
“If she insists on negotiating in Tegenes, maybe she’s aiming for the Golden Key?”
“No matter how much she wants it, she can’t take it. It’s sealed underground in a vault that only a Clayde can open. It’s a relic no one else can access.”
“Hannibal, are you really going to end the war like this? Or should we use the army we’ve already gathered and march straight to Luto?”
The plan had been drafted, but moving the army all the way to Luto’s capital, Kailas, would mean significant sacrifices.
It was a path they could avoid. If peace was truly on the table, forcing a hard road felt pointless.
Hannibal soon reached a conclusion.
“We’ll pursue peace negotiations.”
Even if it was a trap, even if it was bait—if it was a viable alternative, they had to try.
Ending the war came first.
To Hannibal, the safety and lives of the West mattered more.
“Then I’ll stay close and keep a sharp eye on her.”
Sensing his unease, Oliver patted his chest reassuringly.
The army had been painstakingly assembled, but Hannibal thought it better to disperse them without further loss.
Not long after, word spread that Luto’s conscripted army in Kailas had been disbanded.
Once the diplomatic visit was scheduled, Miss Mighty transitioned from prisoner to guest and headed toward Tegenes with Hannibal’s army.
Meanwhile, having received an early message via courier, Anne hurried to prepare the Lord’s Castle.
“Since the future king of Luto will be arriving, we’ll need to pay extra attention to the preparations.”
“Right, Anne! We’ve got to make sure we don’t lose our edge. Let’s show them the strength of the West!”
Victoria clenched her fist in determination beside Anne.
Though it was a peace negotiation, it was merely a battle where pens replaced swords.
“Yes, we must not lose.”
They had to show Luto the grandeur and dominance of Clayde in full force.
At the very least, the scale of the Lord’s Castle was sure to impress.
Anne cleared out the leftover ornate decorations from the last party and instead adorned the castle with massive statues, tapestries, and the Clayde family banners to project a solemn and commanding atmosphere.
In just two weeks, Anne and Victoria completed preparations for Hannibal’s welcome celebration down to the last detail.
But Hannibal’s army failed to arrive, even after nearly a month.
“They ran into monsters on the way. It’s the season for subjugation, after all.”
“They must be exhausted from the long war. It must be hard.”
Victoria and Anne sipped tea in the drawing room, gazing out at the cold wind rustling past the windows.
After spending several years in the West, they had grown used to winters without snow.
“Did the Luto army really withdraw? What’s the news from the capital?”
When Victoria asked, Anne unfolded the morning’s gazette.
“They say Luto’s attack on Edith Tara has created a strong public sentiment to end the war. And since news spread that the West is negotiating peace with Luto, I doubt anyone wants more fighting. But the succession battle between the princes is still intense.”
“Isn’t Prince Daniel supported by the nobles?”
By now, Daniel should’ve secured his lead—but the capital was still caught in a fierce power struggle.
Had her own actions changed more than just herself? Could others’ fates have shifted too?
“That’s what I thought… Oh, my goodness!”
Anne suddenly exclaimed in shock as she read, and Victoria leaned over to peek at the gazette, eyes widening in surprise.
“Gasp! The Benton family’s illegitimate son became a duke?! Oh my—Anne, look! Duke Gray Benton is coming to visit Clayde!”
Victoria shouted as she turned the page.
Why was Duke Benton coming to the West? Why now?
Dizziness hit Anne as she clutched the crumpled edge of the gazette.
[The Throne Must Go to the First Prince! Duke Gray Benton Publicly Declares Support for Prince Nathan Haiman!]
**[From Illegitimate to Duke!
…Last week, the new Duke of the Benton family attended a party supporting the First Prince, alongside his fiancée, Lady Tess of the Marquisate. Their dance together at the party solidified the union between the two noble houses.
As a result, many nobles who had previously supported the Second Prince, Daniel, are beginning to shift sides… The political landscape in the capital is expected to spiral into further unpredictability…
Meanwhile, Duke Benton announced plans to visit Tegenes to meet with Count Clayde, seeking close cooperation regarding the future of the Western front.
Will this mark a new chapter in the relationship between the capital and the West?
High society in Edith Tara is watching the bold new duke’s next move with great interest.]**
The gazette featured a massive special article on Gray Benton’s elevation to Duke.
It explained how, in the aftermath of Luto’s attack on the capital, both the previous duke and the heir had perished. In the chaos, Gray naturally inherited the title. Following this, the Benton family radically shifted political allegiance to support First Prince Nathan.
“So that’s why…!”
It was a complete deviation from what Anne had expected. In the original future, Daniel was supposed to ascend smoothly at the war’s end.
But now, with one of the capital’s most powerful noble houses backing the First Prince, conservative factions that supported Daniel were thrown into disarray.
Thanks to that, the succession struggle had intensified.
Anne’s fingers turned pale as she stared at the gazette, her head growing cold.
The deaths of the duke and heir were supposed to happen far later.
But they’d died earlier than expected. And Gray had risen sooner than he should have.
Was it because she had changed the future by drawing Daniel to the West?
“He must be on his way to the West by now. Anne, we’ll need to manage the Lord’s Castle even more diligently. Let’s not take down any of the decorations.”
“Yes… let’s do that.”
Anne answered flatly, devoid of spirit.
After all her efforts to escape, to sever ties—he was coming again?
She wondered why her younger brother, who’d been keeping in touch through occasional letters, hadn’t said a word about this. But there was no end to the questions.
She just wanted to run away.
“Anne? Anne, are you okay?”
“Yes… I’m fine…”
But she couldn’t just up and leave anymore.
She was now the fiancée of Hannibal Clayde.
Well, perhaps it was for the best. What did it matter if Gray came?
According to the gazette, it was for business.
All she needed to do was greet him at the party while standing next to Hannibal. Confident and unbothered.
Just like how he had done to her so many times in their previous life.
As meaningless as it was then—as meaningless as it still was now.
“Call the servants immediately. We need to prepare the castle!”
Anne sprang to her feet, throwing herself into her duties.
Anne Ferro—no longer involved with Gray, the Benton family, or even the capital—was now the dignified lady of the Western Lord’s Castle.
Commanding the servants with sharp precision, Anne pressed her lips firmly together and gave her orders—
Just like any elegant noble lady would.
Capital: Edith Tara.
Following the Luto assault, the Benton House lost both its patriarch and heir.
A man returned from the battlefield to a mansion soaked in tears, only to ascend as the new duke as if the past mistreatment had never happened.
“Gray Benton, my son.”
Even Elizabeth Benton’s voice had turned gentle—exactly as it had before time was turned back.
“Yes, Mother.”
Though he found her utterly detestable, Gray smiled kindly at her.
Because he knew this was the only time he could ever smile like that.
Not long after Luto’s army withdrew, citizens began increasingly opposing the prolonged war.
Just then, a scandal erupted on the First Prince’s side involving military supplies, strengthening support for Prince Daniel.
At that moment, newly appointed Duke Gray Benton boldly declared that Nathan, the First Prince, should be the next emperor.
Elizabeth Benton, the former Duchess, flew into a rage upon hearing it.
“How could you support the First Prince?! Gray Benton, we’ve already received a marriage proposal from the Marquisate of Tess!”
Despite her outrage, Gray didn’t even blink.
He was no longer the man who bowed low at her feet as if to kiss her shoes.
He had begun to fully spread the wings he had long held back, ever since that party.
In preparation for this, Gray had cultivated ties since his academy days with lower-ranking nobles, the bourgeoisie, and fellow illegitimate children like himself.
Just because he became a noble overnight didn’t mean the old-guard aristocrats would accept him.
At best, they’d see him as Elizabeth Benton’s puppet.
“Mother, the next emperor will be the First Prince.”
The boy once scorned as a bastard had now grown into a man.
And the only emotion he had left for the former Duchess of Benton—was vengeance.
