A Treacherous Courtier Manages the Empire Well

29 – It’s Ruined

Hwanggeum’s Adran glared at Duke Pellings, who refused to give up his troops, money, and grain, with a detestable expression and took something out from his pocket.

“Do you know what this is?”

“H-how did you get that!!!!”

Duke Pellings screamed in astonishment. Adran did not answer. It was Seoric, who had been hiding in Adran’s shadow, who appeared without a word and answered instead.

“You!!! It was Seoric!! You stole it!!!”

Duke Pellings yelled at Seoric.

Enraged, Adran pulled out his sword and confronted Duke Pellings.

“I am now certain of everything recorded in these crystals. You are a traitor who planned to overthrow the throne. As a member of the royal family, I can execute you here without any problems.”

Duke Pellings shivered as he looked at the tip of the sword.

It had been a month since the Iron Blood Legion and the Rebel Army confronted each other. The Rebel Army, which rushed to the western grain-producing region in an instant, had already occupied the territory of the Vineyard Party.

It was not a situation where Adran was speaking empty words. He could actually kill him if he wanted.

Duke Pellings shivered and then bowed his head.

“…Take as much as you want.”

The situation was getting more complicated the more she thought about it.

The Marquis Rinea, whom she trusted to be completely on her side.

She didn’t expect that the conversations the Vineyard Party members had secretly recorded and stored in the crystals would be used in case the Pellings faction collapsed.

As the situation reversed and angry rebel forces gathered around Prince Adran and Seoric, Rinea quickly handed over the crystals to Adran and sided with him.

It was a heartbreaking situation, but what could she do?

Now that the one holding the gun had even gained justification, she had no choice but to lower her head.

“Seoric, go and open the warehouse and distribute food to the people.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

As Adran watched Seoric disappear after saying so, his face did not show joy.

The invincible Kahlia’s Iron Blood Legion was descending to suppress the rebel army.

How will this despicable war end, indeed.

His face was filled only with despair.

-From the novel “The Fall of the Ilam Empire: The Songlands of the West”-

“Pellings Duke, through you, tried to assassinate Lendor?”

The day after discovering the truth, I immediately took Seoric and went up to the capital, meeting Prince Adran. Adran was extremely angry upon hearing the detailed story through Seoric.

“It must have been the doing of the jurisdictional residents continuously escaping. It’s beyond imagination!”

Adran was angry, but that was as far as it went.

“However, in order to initiate a proper investigation and make you pay the price for your crime, there must be evidence. Simply having Seoric’s testimony is not enough. We need more concrete evidence to hold you accountable for the assassination attempt.”

I nodded at his words.

“Your Highness, what I desire is not to hold you accountable for my attempted assassination.”

“Then what?”

“What I desire is for the Vineyard Party to completely collapse.”

“Completely collapse? The maximum punishment for an assassination attempt would be to capture Duke Pellings. It would be impossible for the Vineyard Party to completely collapse…”

“What if I bring clear evidence that the Vineyard Party tried to seize the throne? Your Highness?”

Adran’s eyes widened. This changes the story.

“If it’s about attempting to seize the throne, then it’s a different story. In that case, my father can personally seize their titles and execute them all. But it’s unlikely that such evidence exists…”

“It does. I can bring it. If Seoric helps me a little, I can bring it right away. Obtaining the evidence itself is not difficult. What’s important is how we handle things afterwards.”

The Songlands of the West.

Just as it was known as the blessed land, this place was a vast agricultural land covering over a million square kilometers.

“After the collapse of the Vineyard Party, I want to manage the farmland there. Of course, I would entrust the administration to your officials, just like in the Portu commercial city and the Elond Marquisate.”

Adran’s eyes widened.

“Are you saying you want to have both the Golden Plains and the Songlands of the West?”

“I will build more fertilizer factories to greatly increase grain production. Didn’t I tell you? I will make the empire prosperous. In order to prosper, isn’t it basic to eat well first?”

“If it’s you, just a few words to my father after the complete collapse of the Vineyard Party will allow you to take over the farmland right away.”

“That’s correct. It’s not a difficult task for me. If I offer the same conditions as the Golden Plains and send the farmers back to the jurisdiction to work, we will have much higher production than during the Vineyard Party.”

Adran silently nodded at my words.

“The plundering of the Vineyard Party went beyond limits. If you can bring the evidence, leave the rest to me. I will ensure a definite punishment. However, there is a possibility that the Vineyard Party will resist by raising an army as a last resort.”

At his words, I smirked.

“With the Iron Corps, it will be quick to suppress any jurisdiction army that is crumbling. Karlia will handle the military suppression. Your Highness, please ensure proper law enforcement.”

Adran remained silent for a moment at my words before suddenly bursting into laughter.

“It seems like I’m cutting off a big tumor of the empire. Good. Let’s cooperate. Let’s change things properly.”

He took my offered hand and shook it with a bright smile.

After the secretive conversation, I immediately issued an order to Seoric.

“Go to Countess Linnea’s residence and press the left eye of his personal portrait three times, then press his right hand twice. A secret passage will open. Bring one white crystal orb from inside to Prince Adran.”

“…How? How do you know that?”

I didn’t mention that it was in the original novel.

“There’s a way I know. Hurry and go, Seoric.”

“Yes, understood.”

Seoric disappeared into the shadows.

Remember.

You were the ones who started this war.

I’m just retaliating.

Today’s meeting was a mess, as usual.

Peasants fleeing every day.

Randor’s thriving territory.

And as a result, the declining economy and power of the Vineyard Party within Randor’s territory.

But what can we do?

Randor had an overwhelming advantage in money, power, and force.

“We need to make Randor and Adran, the Celene faction, fight each other again! There’s no other way!! There’s no answer!!”

“What on earth are you suggesting to make them fight again?! They seem to get along so well, regardless of whatever tactics were used! They get along!!”

The proposal was to create a scheme that would split the Prince and Princess of the Huang family and make them fight each other until they self-destruct.

“Why don’t we just pay taxes like everyone else? Let’s pay taxes and ask for a return. That should work, shouldn’t it?”

“As if they would come back after being so stubborn! There would be even more peasants wanting to commit suicide when they see our warehouses getting fuller!!”

There were those who suggested that we should also reduce our taxes since the other side was reducing the peasants’ taxes.

But well.

Neither side had a convincing argument.

Countess Linnea gritted her teeth as she watched them.

“Marquis Fellings!! Didn’t you say that something would happen in Randor’s territory within a few days?! Why is it still silent?!”

“I told you to wait!! I told you to wait!! It means to have patience and wait!!”

Marquis Fellings nervously responded to the questioning directed at him.

“Yes. Let’s believe Marquis Fellings’ words. Let’s wait a little longer. There’s nothing more we can do here.”

Countess Linea was merely paying lip service to the Pelings Duke during the meeting, doing everything she could to minimize her presence. She had already made up her mind.

“The defeat is certain now. It’s dangerous to remain associated with this faction any longer.”

Having recorded countless conversations and gathered the most crucial ones, she had the crystal orb in her possession. She planned to present it to Prince Adran as an offering, hoping to switch sides when she went to the capital soon.

Although it was evidence that could almost be considered self-incriminating, she had a chance of surviving if she could clear her name as an internal whistleblower in exchange for handing over the crystal orb.

“I can’t bear to listen to this any longer!! Leave!!”

Finally, the meeting ended that day, rendering it meaningless.

The seven members of the Binyard party each expressed their frustration, continuing to discuss how to resolve the situation.

Internally, Countess Linea secretly mocked their foolishness as she got into her carriage.

“Let’s return to the manor.”

Now, all the preparations were complete.

She planned to take the teleportation station and travel to the capital tonight with the crystal orb.

With irrefutable evidence that could bring down the Binyard party in one fell swoop, Prince Adran would be unable to refuse the trade.

Surviving in any way possible through this deal.

That was currently the only way for her to survive.

“Prepare the teleportation station. I’m heading to the capital.”

After instructing the preparation of the teleportation station at the manor, Countess Linea hurriedly made her way to her study.

Her study, which no one, not even her family or housekeeper, was allowed to enter without permission.

“What a waste of a day and time because of that stupid strategy meeting.”

She had gone yesterday evening and returned tonight, all for a meeting that had little substance.

Although she had no choice but to attend the meeting to keep her betrayal a secret until the very end, it was inevitable that she would find it intolerable due to the meeting’s foolishness.

“At least it’s over now, so I should be grateful…….”

Muttering to herself, she entered her study. But the moment she stepped inside, she froze as if time had stopped.

“………Huh?”

A secret passage.

And it was wide open, revealing her most important possessions.

A cold shiver ran down her spine.

“Oh no, this can’t be happening. No!!!”

She rushed down to the basement in a panic.

Please, let this not be the worst-case scenario she had imagined.

However, the worst was the answer.

Sujeong-gu.

It was his escape route and salvation, but it was gone.

He sat down heavily, his strength leaving his legs.

His head started spinning.

‘Who could it be?’

They were not members of the Vinyard Party.

They were unaware that they were preparing to betray him.

‘Could it be a family member or a servant?’

That was impossible.

He was lenient with everything else, but he punished anyone who entered his office without permission to the point of fear.

He had already shown several examples, so there would be no one sneaking in here.

‘Not Adran or Selene either…’

Even the friendly Vinyard Party had no knowledge of the enemy forces, Adran and the Selene faction.

Even if they did know, neither of them were the kind of people who would send someone secretly to steal it.

Then, although it was hard to believe, there was only one remaining possibility.

“….Randor.”

How could he let slip his most secret information?

But if it was that traitor Randor, he might somehow be able to figure it out.

Count Linea desperately turned his head.

“It’s not too late yet.”

He would go to Randor and try to persuade him.

If he put himself in his faction, it could be helpful.

He thought he could tell him that he would be able to help bring down the Vinyard Party.

With his persuasive skills, he believed it could be possible, and he hurriedly went to find the butler to tell him to redirect the teleport station coordinates.

But it was already too late.

“My lord, the teleport station coordinates are not connecting.”

“….What?”

“The coordinates are not connecting. Neither to the capital nor to the Portu Commercial District, nor anywhere else. It seems like someone on the other side deliberately blocked our coordinates.”

As the butler said this, looking puzzled,

Count Renaie sat down on the floor, completely distraught. The meaning behind it was clear.

Lan-dor had never once considered making a deal with Ashidangcho himself. He was hoping for the complete downfall of Vinyard.

“It’s over,” he murmured in despair.