2026-10-05 01:18:08
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97.
Those words pierced Claude’s soul like a great temple bell shattering the dense fog in his mind.The unease and phantom dread that had momentarily paralyzed his senses dissolved into nothingness. Claude drew a deep, steady breath, straightened his spine with effortless poise, and allowed the iron dignity of the high nobility to course through his veins once more. His signature calm, composed expression returned to his face.“Forgive me, Sister,” Claude said, his voice deep, resonant, and devoid of tremor. “A father’s desperation for his daughter’s life clouded my vision. You speak the truth. We have yet to see the final card held by that young lion of Cordova.”Queen Victoria offered a graceful, knowing smile as she saw the resolute fire rekindle within her brother’s eyes. She gave an approving nod. “Now that is the younger brother I know.”Rising from her velvet armchair, the Queen glided gracefully toward the grand arched window, her gaze settling upon the pale crimson dawn creeping
96.
“Sigh… Perhaps, Sister. But truth be told, it is not merely the Emperor’s decrees that unsettle me,” Claude replied, his eyes fixed intently upon his elder sister. “The reports from our outer perimeter scouts beyond the western gate paint a deeply alarming picture. The Iron Cavalry encampment is under complete lockdown at the highest state of war readiness. A suffocating stench of blood hangs in the air, and scorched wreckage marks the site of a violent clash around the central command pavilion. I fear with every passing second… that Maxime and the martial experts dispatched by the Emperor truly succeeded in cutting down Theodore and his younger sister, Serena.” Claude’s tone dropped to a stifled murmur, weighed down by an inner torment he was struggling to contain. “If the twin pillars of House Cordova have truly fallen to the imperial vaults’ forbidden poison, Angela’s fate hangs by a thread. She is inside that encampment tonight, carrying the covert terms of our alliance. If she
95.
Claude drew a slow breath through his nose, then exhaled heavily. “Very well. You may take your leave. Order every soldier in the Salvador clan’s private garrison to stand ready at their posts, without arousing the suspicion of the palace spies.”“It shall be done, My Lord!” The captain of the guard saluted, then withdrew in silence.As soon as the heavy teak door clicked shut, Claude walked back to his desk. The nobleman, renowned for his composed smile, closed his eyes for a fleeting breath, feeling the crushing weight bearing down upon his shoulders.His worst fears were materializing.If Maxime and the palace shadow assassins had truly succeeded in poisoning or incapacitating Theodore and Serena Cordova, the empire's delicate balance of power had shattered overnight. Thirty thousand Iron Cavalry troops, deprived of their commanders, were little more than a pack of enraged beasts, primed to be starved and broken by the court’s logistical blockade.Yet, what weighed most heavily on
94.
Following the sudden proclamation of the imperial decrees, wild speculation ignited among the nobility like wildfire. Yet within the private study of the Salvador manor, a suffocating silence hung heavy in the air.Duke Claude Salvador stood rigid before the tall arched window framed by towering marble pillars. The stately, handsome aristocrat took pride in his iron restraint, never permitting his raw emotions to run unchecked, yet a deep, foreboding crease had carved itself between his tightly knitted brows.His hands, bearing the silver signet ring of House Salvador, were clasped behind his back, clutching the heavy velvet of his robe so tightly that his knuckles had turned bone-white.From beyond the city walls, the lingering blare of the heralds’ bronze trumpets still vibrated through the leaded glass panes.“His Majesty has finally bared his fangs,” Claude murmured under his breath. His voice was deliberate and calm, but his sapphire eyes burned with an icy current of anxiety.Th
93.
“Elias, bring me the silk scroll and the imperial jade seal at once!”Emperor Aldous summoned his chief eunuch, a venomous sneer curling upon his lips.The paralyzing dread that had haunted his chest since midday had vanished without a trace. A flush of feverish triumph surged through the old ruler’s wrinkled face.“At once, Your Majesty!”Elias, guarding the stone dais, hurriedly presented a sandalwood tray bearing a scroll of imperial yellow silk, a vessel of crimson vermilion ink, and the carved jade lion seal.“Splendid! Truly splendid!”Emperor Aldous seized the wolf-hair brush without hesitation. His eyes burned with malice as he glared down at Maxime, who lay soaked in blood upon the cold floor tiles. Every stroke of ink across the golden silk was driven by raw, vengeful fury.“Tonight, I shall exterminate those barbaric northern mongrels once and for all!” Emperor Aldous hissed, applying heavy, deliberate strokes. “Prime Minister Ford has endured supreme humiliation to draw th
92.
Maxime pointed toward the North with a trembling finger. "Tonight, the Northern Iron Cavalry will undoubtedly lose its commander-in-chief, whilst his rightful heir is now nothing more than a cripple fighting for his life against poison! Those thirty thousand heavy cavalry troops are now nothing but a giant, headless serpent. Without logistical supplies from the capital, they will starve, panic and lose their way! They will be very fortunate indeed if they can even stabilise that colossal force to prevent them from mutinying and slaughtering one another right outside the imperial walls!” A suffocating silence blanketed the subterranean chamber for several seconds. Emperor Aldous stared blankly at Maxime, his mind spinning at full speed to process every single word from the assassin. Slowly, the deathly pallor and terror on the tyrant's face began to fade, replaced by the flushed red hue of an overwhelming relief. The corners of Emperor Aldous's lips twitched, slowly curving
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