This Kingdom Needs a Coup

The royal authority is absolutely inviolable.

This was the belief that Karl VII, the ruler of the Kingdom of Ullanor, had held since childhood.

The status and honor of a king are sacred rights and symbols personally recognized by the gods.

Unlike the monarchs of Earth, who only hold such titles in name, it was the goddess herself who descended to this land and bestowed them.

From the founding ancestor Ferdinand I, the Liudolf Dynasty has been granted the symbol to rule the kingdom for generations.

Having heard this repeatedly since he was a toddler from his parents and tutors, Karl VII never doubted the permanence of his power and privileges.

If the goddess recognized it and his ancestors had always enjoyed it, how could he be an exception?

However, he was forced to realize that such beliefs were nothing but illusions.

“Your Majesty, I hope you have been well.”

He still remembers it vividly. The image of a general who suddenly occupied the capital and threatened him during a banquet.

Karolus von Roytel.

The kingdom’s greatest general and the guardian deity of the north.

Though young, his combat experience made him an unparalleled hero in the kingdom.

The very general whom Karl VII had personally awarded medals and praised for his efforts suddenly rebelled, overthrowing the kingdom’s order.

With just 40,000 troops, he annihilated the central army led by Grand Duke Alexander, occupied the capital, and stripped Karl VII and the nobles of all their power.

He oppressed and exploited them as if avenging his parents’ enemies.

‘What a devil. Did you crave power so much that you dared to deny the order created by the gods?’

Karl VII couldn’t comprehend the reason with his values and mindset.

He could only vaguely speculate and despise, thinking that Karolus had grown greedy for power as his fame increased.

He had long forgotten the karma of ordering soldiers to retreat for his own trinkets and treating their sacrifices like dirt.

Karolus grabbing him by the collar and exploding in anger? Of course, he forgot.

He only remembered that Karolus dared to lay hands on the king’s body. Truly a marvel of convenient thinking.

‘It’s fine, there’s still a chance. Both I and the Crown Prince are safe, so we can look forward to the future.’

Anyway.

Though he had lost power in the coup and become a puppet, Karl VII wasn’t particularly worried about his safety.

Even if he was a mere figurehead, he was still the monarch.

The absolute ruler of this nation and a blessed bloodline of the gods.

Even the infamous Karolus couldn’t directly harm him.

He and his family still lived comfortably in the royal palace and were treated with respect by all.

As long as he was alive, opportunities would come.

Whether in ten or twenty years, he believed the day would come to crush the rebels and restore order.

However, even this hope was shattered by the second coup two months ago.

“Why are you doing this?! What grudge do you hold to suddenly commit such violence against us?!”

“Why am I doing this? You should know better!! You started a war over some stupid reason and made us suffer for ten years!!”

Karolus, who had returned from negotiating a truce with the empire, flew into a rage and raised an army again.

No, not just ‘as if’ he was mad. He was half-crazed, trying to destroy everything in sight.

–Bang!

“Be grateful. I’m personally ensuring that scum like you won’t leave any more descendants.”

Breaking into the king’s bedroom and firing shots, the Crown Prince was emasculated. The Queen fainted from shock.

Thanks to a noble lady and soldiers who followed, further chaos was prevented, but the damage was irreversible.

From this incident, Karl VII realized.

He could no longer guarantee safety in this country.

Staying here would only lead to losing everything and facing a future of poverty or death.

* * * * *

‘This won’t do. We must flee. Anywhere but here, or my family will end up on the gallows or the guillotine!’

This time, he acknowledged his own mistakes.

Even he understood that hiding the fact that the Crown Prince’s actions had caused the war would naturally anger anyone.

If he were in Karolus’s position, he would have been furious too.

But this was too much. How dare they lay hands on the royal family?

Karl himself had tried to resolve the situation. He attempted to negotiate with the empire and cooperated with the nobles to prepare for war.

Why didn’t they recognize these efforts and instead resorted to violence? Was their upbringing lacking?

……If only the Crown Prince’s head had been properly managed, there would have been no need to negotiate with the empire, no need to fight, and Karolus wouldn’t have been a direct victim of the war.

Karl VII genuinely believed this.

‘But is there a country that would take us in?’

However, deciding to flee was one thing; executing it was another. The king soon faced obstacles.

There was no neighboring country willing to take them in.

The allied empire, with whom they had been at war for ten years, was out of the question.

Albione? As a republic, they despised royalty and nobility, so they would be chased out immediately.

The Ormela Kingdom had a history of betrayal during the reign of Karl VI, and relations were strained.

The Caledonia Kingdom shared a significant border with the allied empire and wouldn’t risk provoking them.

The Daicing Empire? There was some possibility, but they had to give up on being treated well.

Located in the distant western region with a vastly different culture, it was doubtful they would even recognize their status.

‘The Kailas Kingdom is the most likely, but…’

The only remaining candidate was the Kailas Kingdom.

However, they were a minor nation with fewer troops than the central army of Ullanor, making them unreliable.

Even if they fled, Karolus could easily intimidate them.

While pondering this, the Queen, who had been nursing the Crown Prince, suggested an idea.

“What about the Setnil Holy Kingdom?”

“The Holy Emperor’s domain?”

The Setnil Holy Kingdom.

The headquarters of the Goddess Cult and the site of the holy land. Ruled by the Holy Emperor, who also serves as the religious leader, it’s also known as the Holy Emperor’s domain.

A slightly distant neighbor, separated by the Kailas Kingdom.

Though not on bad terms due to the bishopric issue, they weren’t on particularly good terms either. Would they really take in the royal family?

To this question, the Queen answered clearly.

“Just give it up.”

“The bishopric rights?”

“Didn’t you offer it before when you tried to use religion to counter Karolus? Giving it up in exchange for guaranteed safety isn’t a bad idea.”

It was a card they had already considered giving up.

If so, it was better to cleanly hand it over and secure immediate benefits for themselves.

They didn’t care about the criticism for handing over national authority to another country.

It’s a country they’re about to abandon anyway, so a little chaos is fine.

“….Will the Holy Kingdom really agree? What if they betray us to Karolus?”

“They will agree. It wasn’t my idea; they had already made the offer. They even promised to pressure the Kailas Kingdom to open a path for us.”

Since it wasn’t their idea but the other side’s proposal, the risk of rejection was low.

There was no need to waste time coordinating opinions; they just needed to flee immediately.

There was a possibility it was just a ploy to exploit and discard them, but…it was the royal family’s only lifeline.

“What will you do, Your Majesty?”

“…..Alright. Let’s try it.”

Should they stay and face certain death, or bear the stigma of cowardice and betrayal to save their lives?

Karl VII chose the latter.

“Prepare a few carriages. Make them as inconspicuous and long-distance capable as possible.”

“Stock up on preserved food and wine. We need enough supplies to last at least a month inside the carriages.”

“I’ll find a skilled coachman. Someone who can handle long-distance travel.”

“We’ll take the horses from the former royal guard’s stables. They’re strong and have good stamina.”

Once the decision was made, action was swift. The royal family liquidated their assets and quickly began preparing for their escape.

Various items for long-term travel, clothes, jewelry and cosmetics to maintain dignity, hygiene products, etc.

They gathered everything they could and selected trustworthy people to form the escape team.

Though time was short, they did their best to ensure a safe and successful escape.

“Is everyone here?”

“Two are still missing.”

“…..They must have gotten scared and backed out. Let’s depart immediately. Time is of the essence.”

And on a night when the capital was bustling with the celebration of the civil war’s suppression.

Taking advantage of the relaxed vigilance, the royal family fled eastward.

Faster than when Runzo fled to Yizhou.

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