Dawn of Vengeance — Chapter 38

WHAT ARE YOU ALL SO GIDDY ABOUT OVER THERE?

AND WHY ARE YOU SITTING ON THE FLOOR LIKE THAT INSTEAD OF GOING TO THE BANQUET HALL?

WE WERE HAVING A DRINK AND GOSSIPING ABOUT YOU, YOUR MAJESTY.

THIS DAMNED WINE DISTRACTED ME...

THEY SAY IF YOU KNOW YOUR ENEMY AND YOURSELF, YOU'LL WIN A HUNDRED BATTLES.

I HEARD YOU WERE A WINE ENTHUSIAST, SO I FIGURED I COULD USE IT TO PERSUADE YOU.

IF ONLY YOU'D STOP TALKING AFTER DOING SOMETHING NICE.

HM? DID YOU SAY SOMETHING?

Odelnos

IT'S DELICIOUS!!

ALL RIGHT, THEN.

I GAVE YOU THE HUNDRED CRATES AS PROMISED, SO WORK HARD FROM NOW ON.

WHAT?

I'VE ONLY HAD ONE BOTTLE.

WHERE ARE THE REST?

IN THE KIEL DUCHY, OBVIOUSLY.

Port Fortmeier

WHEN YOU RETIRE LATER, I'LL RETURN YOUR TERRITORY TOO, SO DON'T WORRY.

AFTER I RETIRE...? WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?

WELL, YOU'LL BE BUSY WITH YOUR DUTIES AS CHANCELLOR, SO HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY MANAGE A TERRITORY TOO?

LADY RUTHERFORD IS MANAGING THE KIEL DUCHY WELL, SO LEAVE IT TO HER.

DON'T OVERWORK YOURSELF.

A WARM GAZE

AS IT HAPPENS, I'M UNMARRIED, SO THE PALACE IS COMPLETELY EMPTY. I'LL GIVE YOU A ROOM.

YOU CAN LIVE HERE.

SO YOU'RE PLANNING TO LOCK ME IN THE PALACE AND MAKE ME WORK?

OH MY, REFERRING TO IT AS BEING "LOCKED UP" MAKES IT SOUND SO HARSH.

I JUST MEAN WE SHOULD LIVE HERE TOGETHER IN HARMONY.

*A STRONG DENIAL IS BASICALLY AN ADMISSION.

THEN THE WINE...?

WHY DID YOU LEAVE THE WINE IN THE DUCHY?

IT'S A FADING DREAM...

HAHA IT'S AN EARLY RETIREMENT GIFT.

WINE ONLY GETS BETTER WITH AGE, DOESN'T IT?

I NEED TO STAY CALM. AT LEAST SHE KEPT HER PROMISE...

BESIDES, HER MAJESTY IS ONLY ABOUT THE SAME AGE AS MY GRANDDAUGHTER...

YOUR MAJESTY, SINCE I'M DRUNK, ANSWER ME HONESTLY.

YOU AREN'T REALLY 20 YEARS OLD, ARE YOU?

THERE'S NO WAY SOMEONE SO YOUNG COULD BE THIS SKILLED IN POLITICS!

OH...?

D-DUKE KIEL, THAT WAS A BIT MUCH...

Y-YES, PERHAPS YOU'RE TOO DRUNK. YOU SHOULD PROBABLY--

AS EXPECTED, YOU TRULY ARE WORTHY OF THE CHANCELLOR'S SEAT.

YOU'VE UNCOVERED A SECRET OF MINE THAT NO ONE ELSE NOTICED.

YOU'RE RIGHT. ACTUALLY, I'M OLDER THAN YOU.

YOU MAY REFER TO ME AS YOUR BIG SISTER IF YOU LIKE.

THERE YOU GO AGAIN...

YOU JUST HAVE TO GET THE LAST WORD, DON'T YOU?!

YOU ASKED, SO I SIMPLY ANSWERED HONESTLY. WHY ARE YOU GLARING AT ME LIKE THAT?

WHATEVER.

I'LL DIE AT THIS RATE.

ANYWAY, WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE STEPPING AWAY FROM POLITICS?

EVEN WITH A CHANCELLOR, SHOULDN'T IMPORTANT MATTERS STILL REQUIRE ROYAL APPROVAL?

NO, I INTEND TO LEAVE ALL DOMESTIC AFFAIRS ENTIRELY TO YOU.

I PLAN TO FOCUS MY EFFORTS ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS INSTEAD.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS?

DO YOU REMEMBER WHO I SAID WAS BACKING DAUPHINE?

YOU SAID IT WAS THE EMPIRE. BUT THEIR SUPPORTING DAUPHINE...

...DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN THEY'RE A THREAT TO PHARNAS, DOES IT?

KIEL,

HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE CROWN PRINCE?

YOU MEAN PRINCE ALEJANDRO?

HE ROSE TO THE POSITION OF REGENT IN PLACE OF THE BEDRIDDEN EMPEROR.

HE'S A LEGITIMATE AND PURE-BLOODED NOBLE,

AND HE'S A REMARKABLY SHREWD AND CAUTIOUS MAN.

HIS MATERNAL FAMILY IS INCREDIBLY POWERFUL,

AND HE'S OVERWHELMINGLY CAPABLE, SHARP, HANDSOME, AND ELOQUENT. THERE'S NOT A SINGLE FLAW ANYONE COULD POINT TO.

BUT I'M NOT ASKING ABOUT HIS PUBLIC IMAGE. I'M ASKING WHAT KIND OF PERSON HE TRULY IS.

I HAVEN'T HEARD MUCH REGARDING HIS PERSONAL CHARACTER.

THE CROWN PRINCE IS EXCEPTIONALLY SKILLED AT HIDING HIS TRUE NATURE.

THERE ARE VERY FEW PEOPLE WHO KNOW WHAT SORT OF TEMPERAMENT OR IDEALS HE TRULY POSSESSES.

IT SOUNDS AS THOUGH YOUR MAJESTY KNOWS HIM WELL.

IS THERE ANYONE WHO KNOWS HIM BETTER THAN I DO?

HE'S A MONSTER WHO WILL ENGULF THE CONTINENT IN FLAMES.

IF THAT MAN BECOMES EMPEROR,

NOT ONLY PHARNAS, BUT THE ENTIRE CONTINENT WILL BELONG TO THE EMPIRE,

AND EVERY NON-HUMAN RACE WILL BE SLAUGHTERED INTO EXTINCTION.

WHAT I SAY IS THE TRUTH.

WHETHER YOU BELIEVE IT OR NOT IS YOUR CHOICE.

THAT SOUNDS ABSURD.

AND YET...

WHEN WORDS LIKE THAT COME FROM THIS YOUNG QUEEN, IT’S DIFFICULT TO DISMISS THEM OUTRIGHT.

WELL THEN, ENOUGH OF THESE COMPLICATED MATTERS.

SHALL WE HEAD TO THE BANQUET HALL?

YOU PROPERLY VERIFIED THE FOREIGN AMBASSADORS' IDENTITIES, I ASSUME?

WE THOROUGHLY CHECKED EVEN THEIR GUARANTORS, SO THERE'S NO CAUSE FOR CONCERN.

IS HER MAJESTY STILL IN THE HALL?

WE SAW HER HEADING TO THE BALLROOM EARLIER WITH THE OTHER NOBLES.

SHE'S LIKELY RECEIVING GREETINGS FROM THE AMBASSADORS BY NOW.

ARE THERE ANY NOTABLE DETAILS ABOUT THE AMBASSADORS?

NOTABLE DETAILS...

AH, DAUPHINE SENT AN AMBASSADOR AS WELL.

I ASSUMED THEY'D STILL BE IN CHAOS SINCE THE WAR ENDED SO RECENTLY.

BUT SINCE THE EMPIRE SUPPORTED THEM, IT SEEMS THEY'RE DOING FAIRLY WELL.

AND WHAT ABOUT THE EMPIRE?

THERE WAS A NAME ON THE LIST THAT I'D NEVER SEEN BEFORE.

ALEC DAMON FROM THE EMPIRE?

OH,

COME TO THINK OF IT, I WAS SURPRISED BY HOW YOUNG THE AMBASSADOR WAS.

HE SEEMED TO BE FROM AN INCREDIBLY PRESTIGIOUS FAMILY. HE ARRIVED WITH 50 GUARDS.

50 GUARDS FOR ANOTHER NATION'S CORONATION?

YES,

AND HE WAS QUITE HANDSOME TOO.

THE SOLDIERS WERE MAKING SUCH A FUSS OVER HIM.

HIS HAIR, THE COLOR OF AUTUMN LEAVES, AND HIS SUN-KISSED SKIN WERE ESPECIALLY STRIKING.

WITH BROWN HAIR AND SUNTANNED SKIN,

HE WAS A YOUNG, BEAUTIFUL MAN FROM A PRESTIGIOUS FAMILY.

AND HE WAS NAMED ALEC.

ALEC...?

OH?

IS THAT YOU, DUKE WHEATON?

AND THAT SHIP...

JUDGING BY ITS BUILD, THAT'S AN IMPERIAL VESSEL.

THIS WAY!

PLEASE STEP INSIDE, YOUR HIGHNESS!

THAT'S THE EMPIRE'S CROWN PRINCE,

ALEJANDRO!