Duke Sigmund frowned at the sudden interference.
"Madam, I said I would accept volunteers. I never once asked for recommendations—what do you think you're doing?"
"I'm not recommending anyone. I'm saying that by process of elimination, the third is the only option left. Think about it."
Despite the duke's rebuke, Lady Veronica didn't even blink.
Instead, she rose confidently from her seat and swept the air around her with the fan in her hand.
"This suppression of the rebellion isn't something you send children to just to gain experience. At the very least, it requires someone who has been to the battlefield at least once. And by that standard, the second and fourth are out."
"Hm."
The duke knit his brows as if he wanted to argue, but soon nodded.
Indeed, when it came to gaining experience, quelling a rebellion was unsuitable.
It wasn't a small skirmish by any measure, nor was safety guaranteed.
Of course, they wouldn't normally be sent to the very front lines—but there was always the possibility of the unexpected.
In case of a sudden turn of events, a minimum level of experience was necessary.
"But by that logic, the eldest should also be a candidate, shouldn't he?"
"Tristan has been in Bornholm for quite a long time under your orders. It's far too soon to dispatch him outside again. Besides, he's already accumulated far more achievements than the others."
"Having many achievements is hardly sufficient as a reason."
"No, that's precisely the most important reason. Do you really want to tie a child who's already pulling ahead in the competition to become head of the family to the First Imperial Prince—the one His Majesty the Emperor is backing?"
"Even if the eldest grows close to His Highness the First Imperial Prince, it won't help the competition to become head of the family in the slightest."
"But what if His Majesty the Emperor forms a strange misunderstanding? Wouldn't that lead to quite a headache?"
At those words, which struck precisely at the concern already weighing on him, the duke's brow twisted.
Was she trying to suggest that the Emperor might already be eyeing Tristan as the next head of the family?
"The head of the Valdeck family is me. And I am the one who decides the next head. His Majesty may be the ruler of the Empire, but don't forget that I am the master of this family."
"Everyone here knows that better than anyone. The problem is His Majesty's will. Interfering in a vassal's family affairs isn't proper conduct for a monarch—but these days, His Majesty has been making rather excessive demands, hasn't he?"
With no counterargument to offer, the duke fell silent.
After all, the very reason they were holding a family council right now was because of the Emperor's excessive demands.
Given the way the Emperor had been acting lately, there was no guarantee he wouldn't do the same again.
'His Majesty wants to tie the First Imperial Prince to my son as a precaution for the future. He might treat the others as little more than insurance, but if he sends Tristan—the one leading the competition to become head of the family…'
If it ended merely as a misunderstanding that the future head of the Valdeck family supported the First Imperial Prince, that would be tolerable.
In the worst case, however, there was even the possibility that outside forces might help Tristan ascend to the position of family head.
If the duke pressed the matter strongly, the Emperor might understand and withdraw—but the deterioration of the relationship between sovereign and vassal would be unavoidable.
"Aren't all of these perfectly reasonable points? Send the third."
"I—I also think… that the third is the most suitable choice…"
While he was still deliberating, the other two ladies joined Veronica.
At the sight, Duke Sigmund's face contorted sharply.
The arguments might be logical, but to anyone it was obvious that the real aim was to trip Lucian up.
It would be one thing if rival brothers were involved—but for the ladies to interfere as well?
"Ladies, please!"
It was just as the enraged duke was about to shout at the three ladies.
"What perfectly sound arguments. In this gathering, who besides me could possibly be the right choice? Please send me, Father!"
At Lucian's sudden step forward, everyone else's eyes went wide.
—
The first to regain his senses was Duke Sigmund.
With an incredulous expression, he shouted at Lucian.
"Lucian, do you even understand what you're saying right now?"
"Of course I do. I'm saying that I'll lead the troops in your stead and assist His Highness the First Imperial Prince in suppressing the rebellion."
"N-no, that's true, but…!"
He had so much he wanted to say, but the words caught in his throat and wouldn't come out.
It was his own proposal to begin with—how could he say that volunteering would bring nothing but harm?
All the more so when the situation demanded that at least one of his children be sent.
Seeing the duke at a loss for words, Lucian smiled.
"Please don't worry too much. I understand the situation. I have no intention of going out of my way to cultivate a personal relationship with His Highness the First Imperial Prince, so you may rest assured."
The looks around the room grew even more strange.
Everyone understood the political intentions hidden beneath the discussion—so why would he volunteer?
Without realizing it, Veronica addressed Lucian directly.
"What are you thinking? Are you plotting something?"
"Plotting something? What a strange thing to say. Weren't you the one who recommended me in the first place, my lady? It was only a matter of seconds ago—have you already forgotten?"
At Lucian's mocking tone, Veronica shot him a sharp glare, but she had nothing she could say in response.
After all, she couldn't very well take it back now that she had shoved the nuisance onto him and he had accepted it without hesitation.
Having neatly shut Veronica's mouth, Lucian calmly continued.
"You said it yourself just now. I'm the only one suited for this task. My elder brother could give His Majesty an unfortunate misunderstanding, and my second brother and Joshua have no experience of war. In that case, shouldn't I take it upon myself willingly? However…"
"However?"
"I have one request of you, Father. Grant me full authority over this operation."
"Full authority? You're going in my stead. That alone makes you my plenipotentiary. What further authority could you possibly be asking for?"
The duke blinked as if to say he'd heard all manner of absurd things.
But Lucian did not back down, fixing him with a meaningful look.
"Is that really the case? There isn't another, de facto commander going along under the name of 'advisor,' is there? As a precaution, in case I prove inexperienced and botch matters—or misjudge a command."
Struck by the accuracy of the point, the duke hesitated for a moment.
In truth, he had been considering sending such a person along.
Honestly, could he entrust all military judgment to a boy not yet twenty?
On the battlefield, a single grave mistake could cost one's head.
At the very least, there needed to be a reliable figure who could serve as a safety net and offer counsel.
"…That person would step in only if things went seriously wrong. As long as you don't commit a major blunder, command will remain with you."
"So you're saying my command could be stripped in an emergency."
"As I said, only in an emergency."
"And the one who decides whether it's an emergency would be the advisor, correct?"
"Whoever I assign will have experience ten or twenty times your own. Are you saying you can't trust the judgment of someone like that?"
The duke's expression hardened, but Lucian did not retreat.
At any other time it might have been different—but this was the rebellion at Krepfeld.
If only as a safeguard against the unforeseen, Lucian had to hold full authority.
"This isn't a matter of trust. It's a matter of authority. If I am the commander, then the right to strip an advisor of operational control must lie with me. The reverse cannot be allowed."
"Hah."
A hollow laugh escaped the duke's lips.
It was an excessive and dangerous demand.
At that age, how fiercely did hot blood boil?
Reckless charges or absurd operations in pursuit of glory were commonplace.
If he truly handed over full authority, there was no telling what might happen.
'I want to shout that it's out of the question—but the situation is far too ambiguous.'
Even while the ladies were ganging up on him with one-sided pressure, the boy hadn't so much as blinked before volunteering.
To refuse even this condition now would be no different from the duke himself treating Lucian as a scapegoat.
'I could refuse and send another brother instead, but whoever it is would surely dig in and refuse to go…'
There was simply no way not to agree.
Letting out a sigh, the duke gave a heavy nod.
"Very well. I'll grant you full authority."
"Thank you, Father."
"However, given your lack of experience, I will assign you an advisor. Since you'll have full authority, it will be up to you whether you heed his counsel or not—but do not dismiss it lightly."
"I will keep that firmly in mind."
Lucian nodded with a faint smile.
The other ladies and the brothers all wore rather satisfied expressions.
Judging by their looks, they seemed to have mistaken his earlier demand as the reckless posturing of someone obsessed with fame.
'Well, they're not entirely wrong.'
He did desire fame, and he did intend to do something reckless.
The difference was that Lucian would succeed.
And as a result, the future of the continent was destined to change dramatically.
It would be a long time before any of them realized that fact.
***
—The departure will be in two months. This time, you won't be returning until the rebellion has been completely suppressed, so make sure you get plenty of rest.
"That's far more generous than I expected."
Lucian gave a wry smile as he recalled the timeframe the duke had mentioned.
Come to think of it, this was how things used to be before the age of chaos.
First, legions were organized, supply lines established, troops gathered in one place, and only after delivering a final ultimatum did war truly begin.
Compared to those days—when everyone was always ready to stab a standing army in the back—it was remarkably formal.
'But that, too, ends with this rebellion.'
The rebellion at Krepfeld was not merely a signal announcing the decline of the Empire.
It was the signal flare heralding the collapse of the existing order itself.
An age of chaos where disgrace was taken for granted and betrayal became routine.
Lucian intended, at the very least, to delay the onset of that age—if only a little.
'Because I still need time.'
For an empire already pushed to its limits, there was no stopping the age of chaos that was to come.
But when that chaos arrived, he was not yet prepared to stand as a ruler with real power.
He needed to buy even a little more time and prepare thoroughly.
Just as Lucian finished his thoughts and was about to go find Hugo and Hans—
"So, I was wondering what you were thinking so hard about. Did you come up with some nasty scheme?"
"Brother?"
At the sudden voice beside him, Lucian turned his head.
Jordi had approached without him noticing and was staring at him with sharp eyes.
"You look quite pleased with yourself—for someone who's about to head to the battlefield and get tangled up with the First Imperial Prince."
"Well, I suppose whether a crisis becomes an opportunity depends on the person. Some people can only ever see a crisis as a crisis."
Lucian returned Jordi's provocation with venom of his own.
After speaking, he waited for the inevitable outburst—but strangely, Jordi remained quiet.
After staring at Lucian in silence for a long moment, Jordi spoke coldly.
"Do you know what it means to found a cadet branch?"
"It means leaving the family you originally belonged to and establishing a new one. Do I look like an idiot to you?"
"No. But you don't seem to understand just how shameless an act that really is."
Bringing it up out of nowhere, Jordi locked eyes with Lucian,
as if he was determined to uncover exactly what Lucian was thinking.
"No right of succession, so you start a new house. It sounds nice enough. But men who do that are usually nothing special. 'Self-made' success is a joke. Most of them end up sucking the marrow out of the family they came from."
"Leaning on bloodline to claim legitimacy, flaunting birthright to siphon off the inheritance. After stealing what belongs to the rightful heir, they put on airs with the grand title of 'founder of a new house.'"
"My, that's rather harsh. Do you have any idea how many heads of cadet branches there are? And if one isn't an heir, what is there to siphon off in the first place? They wouldn't even have the right to take anything."
"No! Everything obtained through that blood is theft!"
The previously quiet Jordi suddenly burst out, clenching his fist tight.
"From birth, they make connections with the family's talents, exchange favors, and in the end steal away those bonds to take them with them! Because they're born of the bloodline, they're acknowledged as noble and deemed worthy to be raised up as rulers! They even go so far as to claim rights to their ancestors' legacy! If that isn't theft, then what is?!"
Bastards. Thieves. Shameless wretches who deserved to be torn apart.
Jordi hurled curses at the ground again and again.
Lucian listened to the tirade in silence, then folded his arms with an impassive expression.
"So? If the heads of cadet branches are all bastards, what do you want me to do about it? To be honest, I don't even know why you're saying all this."
"…Getting entangled with the First Imperial Prince is a grave matter for the family. If things go well, fine—but if they spiral out of control, you could be cut off as a sacrificial tail for the sake of the house. Being drawn into a succession struggle for the throne is dangerous, even for Valdeck."
"Well, that much is true."
"But you weren't worried at all. You spoke as if being cast aside by the family meant nothing to you. As if, even if you failed to become head, you could simply go somewhere else."
Before Lucian could call it a misunderstanding, Jordi seized his shoulder.
It wasn't hard enough to hurt—but precisely because of that, it felt all the heavier.
Leaning in, Jordi whispered quietly into Lucian's ear.
"Engrave this in your mind. You are a Valdeck. So am I. So is our eldest brother, and so is Joshua. We live with Valdeck, and we die with Valdec. Except for the one who becomes head of the family, the rest of us all fall to the bottom."
"If you fail, you fall with us. Don't forget it. Don't even dream of plucking feathers from the family to fashion wings of your own. I won't forgive theft. Either you take everything—or you lose it all. There is no other choice."
The moment he finished speaking, Jordi shoved Lucian aside and strode past him.
As if he had nothing more to say, he quickly disappeared beyond the corner.
Left alone, Lucian let out a short, hollow laugh and murmured to himself.
"Tch, that bastard…"
…His instincts really were damned sharp, weren't they?
READ MORE CHAPTERS HERE : https://shinchangreat.sellfy.store/