Chapter 60 – The Collapse of Kainton’s Last Card

Kainton saw it clearly—
Jaden shook his head at him.

All the heat and rage that had been boiling inside him while he shouted… drained away instantly.
His hands trembled as he stared dumbly at the old history book.

“So the family history really was like that…?”

He had spent his entire life believing in the purity and legitimacy of the Abner bloodline —
believing that was the highest value.

Now he couldn’t even understand what he had been fighting for.

But even though his confidence shattered,
The resentment he had stored for years did not disappear easily.

“…Damn it.”

Kainton had no choice but to accept it:

He had lost.

And worse—
He had lost to a five-year-old child.

A child who didn’t even seem hostile toward him.
A child who smiled innocently while casually smashing every argument he had prepared.

Kainton bit the inside of his cheek until blood filled his mouth, then forced himself to raise his head.

“Even if I step down now… I want to leave at least one scar on Sharon Abner.”

She was a woman who had climbed to a position he could never even dream of—
a woman with not a single drop of Abner blood who acted like she owned the place.

So he opened his mouth one last time:

“…I heard the contract with the Imperial Palace will be canceled.”

The room stirred.

“They say the official notice will arrive today or tomorrow.”

Even Chairman Herrmann, who had never heard such news, turned sharply toward Kainton.

“That is the Abner family’s largest business. What will you do?”

Kainton’s bloodshot eyes burned with hatred.

“Abner already has many enemies. Longterm wants to bring us down, and so do others.”

“……”

“In such a situation, how could you ruin relations with the Imperial Palace and receive a cancellation notice…?”

Sharon Abner’s eyes widened more than before.

Seeing her shaken expression made Kainton feel slightly less defeated.

“You may have proven your legitimacy as family head, but you still must answer for this—”

“Enough!”

Someone cut him off sharply.

Kainton turned his head.

Chairman Herrmann glared at him with open anger.

“I will not tolerate any more unilateral actions from you, Kainton.”

“…Chairman.”

“Have you forgotten that you wear the robes of the Elder Council?”

Kainton clenched his teeth but stayed silent.

Far away, Jaden was looking at him with icy eyes.

He didn’t need to see the end to know what kind of fate awaited him.

He lowered his head just as—

“Your Grace.”

A short knock sounded, and the doors burst open.

It was Wendell, Sharon Abner’s closest knight, bowing hurriedly.

“The Crown Prince has arrived. He says he must see you immediately.”

Sharon’s eyes widened in surprise as she stood up at once.

“Let us pause the meeting.”

“No need.”

At that moment, a group of Imperial guards rushed in behind Wendell.

Leading them were high-ranking officials frequently favored by the Empress Dowager.

Kainton frowned slightly.

“Did the cancellation notice arrive already? But why such a grand entrance…?”

Before he could think further, Crown Prince Tiaan entered the hall.

He spotted little Annelia awkwardly standing on the platform and—
Reflexively waved at her before quickly lowering his hand.

“Hello, Ria.”

He then greeted her politely with formal speech.

The branch family members looked completely bewildered.

One of the officials bowed respectfully to Sharon before speaking:

“Duchess Abner. Were you discussing the contract termination just now?”

Sharon hurriedly straightened.

“Yes.”

The official nodded toward Tiaan.

Tiaan began speaking calmly:

“Actually, I’m here with an imperial decree regarding that matter.”

Sharon’s face stiffened in confusion.

Her voice trembled.

“…So the Imperial Palace truly intends to cancel the weapons contract?”

Tiaan briefly paused as if surprised.

Then he shook his head.

“No. It’s the opposite.”

Sharon’s eyes widened again.

“What… do you mean?”

Tiaan glanced at the senior official behind him—
the instructor the Empress Dowager recently assigned to teach him government affairs.
The man nodded.

Tiaan took a slow breath and delivered the explanation he had prepared:

“Recently, the situation in the Eastern Continent became unstable. The Imperial Palace discovered that King Aren was preparing a unification war.”

Gasps rippled through the branch families.

“The other kingdoms formed an allied force to oppose him. But it seems they had trouble securing weapons. They secretly searched everywhere for a supplier.”

Tiaan’s eyes flicked briefly toward Annelia.

“And I happened to be the one who made contact with them. So, the Taranta Empire will supply weapons to the allied forces.”

Everyone looked stunned, and then Tiaan finished:

“So instead of canceling the contract with Abner… we decided we actually need to increase our orders.”

The statement was unbelievable.

Just moments ago, Abner had been worried sick about losing the contract entirely.

Now the Crown Prince himself appeared, saying he wanted more weapons.

Everyone was still trying to process this when Tiaan continued speaking gently:

“But it seems you heard the earlier news first. About the cancellation.”

This time, the senior official stepped forward.

He bowed politely to Sharon.

“That earlier decision was made unilaterally by Her Majesty the Empress. His Majesty scolded her harshly for acting recklessly during such a critical time.”

Tiaan nodded.

Then he spoke to Sharon:

“I understand how upsetting the sudden notice must have been. But the Imperial Palace needs weapons urgently. His Majesty already made a formal agreement with the leader of the allied forces.”

Sharon opened and closed her mouth, unable to respond.

Tiaan continued, speaking with an unexpectedly mature tone:

“So regarding the previous notification, I want to apologize on behalf of the Imperial family. I hope Abner will continue this contract with us—based on trust.”

Sharon finally regained her senses.

She quickly knelt.

“There is no need for Your Highness to apologize to me.”

“No. This was the Imperial family’s mistake. That is why His Majesty has decided to increase your payment by 10% starting today.”

Sharon’s eyes shook in disbelief.

Tiaan smiled reassuringly.

“Don’t worry. The Imperial Palace gained a great deal through helping the Eastern Allied Forces.”

His voice was gentle—
but carried an authority that hadn’t been there before.

He was no longer the timid, sheltered boy who had been ignored within the palace.

He was growing into something else entirely.

“The allied forces will win with the weapons we supply. Both I and His Majesty are certain of it.”

For a moment, the youthful face overlapped with the young version of the Emperor himself.

The Emperor’s Words Echoed in Tiaan’s Mind

“Once the allied forces win and the Eastern Continent stabilizes, they will strengthen our Empire’s power.”

Tiaan remembered how surprised the Emperor had been.

“I thought you were still a child, but you’ve done well—discovering the movement of the Eastern Continent.”

The trust in the emperor’s eyes was something Tiaan had never tasted before.

“Have you done no administrative work until now?”

“I’ll ask the Empress Dowager to assign someone to teach you. Go with him to Abner. You need these experiences.”

At the same time, the Emperor removed Empress Karin from overseeing the weapons contract.

In other words—
The Emperor had placed the entire Abner contract under Tiaan’s authority.

Once the Eastern matter concluded and Tiaan matured further, the Emperor would hand more responsibilities to him.

The Empress Dowager was delighted—
It meant Empress Karin had lost influence.

Tiaan recalled all of this as he looked at Annelia.

“Everyone wondered how I knew.”

The formation of the Eastern Allied Forces had only become public earlier today.

Until then, they had been growing secretly in the shadows.

Most nations couldn’t even tell such a force was gathering.

But Tiaan had realized it first.

“…All thanks to Ria’s letters.”

Even after sending Lubawen and Lubarina to Logrio, he and Ria continued exchanging letters.

One letter in particular changed everything:

***

Your Highness,

Do you think Lubarina and Lubawen will sell in the Eastern Continent too?

My teacher and I promised we would try selling them there, but suddenly we can’t anymore.

When I looked into it, it turned out the entire market in the East disappeared.

Even if we sell them, we can only sell in the Pantheon Kingdom now, not the entire Eastern Continent.

I’m so upset I can’t sleep…

The market in the Eastern Continent disappeared?

Even if they sell, distribution is limited to one kingdom?

Tiaan had recalled a famous diplomacy book he once read.

Something felt wrong.

Then he reached a conclusion:

“Did the Eastern trade routes… collapse?”

***