Chapter 58

King Faustino of Sanluan was awakened from his sleep and it took him quite a while to grasp the situation.

When he was told by a servant to look outside the window, he saw that the route, which had been protected by the strict law that "anyone who leaks information will be beheaded with their entire family," was now clearly visible, marked by a line of white buoys. Moreover, small boats, presumably from the Allied Nations, were steadily making their way to the land, each carrying about twenty soldiers.

"What is this! Remove those buoys immediately!"

"However, the Allied Nations' soldiers have already seized all our ships and we cannot move them!"

"Is this an invasion?"

"It might be, but they haven't done anything other than seizing the ships."

"What about the archers?"

"We checked the waiting room, but there was not a single one to be found!"

(What is going on...)

Without taking anything, Faustino headed towards the audience chamber. The Allied Nations' soldiers were already standing at key points in the palace, and they only sent him a cold stare without moving. The palace guards, who were young men chosen for their appearance to serve as tourist attractions, were nowhere to be seen.

Sweating coldly, fearing he might be attacked or captured at any moment, Faustino pushed open the large doors of the audience chamber without waiting for the staff to open them.

Inside the audience chamber, soldiers lined the walls, and in the center stood Prince Erenfried, the younger brother of the Emperor, Prince Claudius, the second prince of the Centaur Empire, and a black-haired man whom Faustino had never seen before, who was undoubtedly Cecil of the Allied Nations. Beside them stood Bertine, not sitting but standing.

The three men and Bertine were looking at him. Despite his entry as the king of this country, the three men remained relaxed and did not even stand up.

"Bertine! Why are you here? Prince Erenfried, what is the meaning of this!"

Cecil responded.

"Finally, Your Majesty King Faustino. To ask the Empire about the situation after seeing our Allied Nations' ships is quite the foolhardy move."

"What! What insolence!"

At that moment, Queen Edel and Crown Prince Odalis rushed in, out of breath.

Cecil slowly stood up, approaching the royal family with large strides, and began to speak in a low voice.

"Are you all here? The one who is being impolite is you, Faustino. A country that has lost a war and yet haggles over reparations and offers the daughter of a subject is unheard of. The crime of breaking a treaty is serious. It has been three years since the payment deadline specified in the treaty. Since you seem unwilling to pay, I have come to take this palace as compensation."

Edel's shrill voice, like a fabric being torn, echoed in response.

"Don't be ridiculous! We can pay! To cause such a commotion over a thousand gold coins! What do you intend to do!"

Edel, eyes wide with anger, shouted at a servant,

"Bring the gold coins! Hurry up!"

Cecil, seeing the servant move, called out sharply,

"Stop. If you move, you will be punished."

The servant, frozen by the intensity of Cecil's voice, stopped moving.

"Strange, isn't it? According to this country's law, if a debt is not paid for more than a year without proper procedure and without an explanation, the land or building of the debtor can be seized. Is that not the case?"

Edel, unable to think of a counterargument, bit her lip.

"Moreover, the law states that a punitive interest rate of 20% per year is applied from the date the loan was made. The interest for three years, added to the principal, amounts to 1,728 gold coins."

"I will pay immediately!"

"The gold coins are no longer necessary. The Allied Nations has decided to take this palace."

"Bertine is the daughter of our Sanluan's chancellor. Do you intend to take the reparations as well after taking Bertine?"

Bertine stepped forward and clearly denied it.

"I am only in a superior-subordinate relationship with Sir. I work independently in the Allied Nations. I am here to testify to that."

"Such...," the voice, barely audible, was King Faustino's.

"Such? After funding the Empire's military, are you now claiming to be uninvolved?"

"Come now, Sir Cecil. Let it go. These people are not fit to be royalty. After all, they are the ones who offered their subjects' daughters as reparations. I thought it was a story from a bygone era."

Edel, still unable to grasp the situation, called out to Prince Erenfried.

"Prince Erenfried?"

"You were too greedy, Queen Edel. Sir Cecil's point is valid. If our country had been treated this way, we would have invaded. We wouldn't have waited three years. But the Empire has a decent relationship with Sanluan. That's why I came to mediate."

Hope appeared on the faces of the king, queen, and crown prince.

At that moment, Prince Claudius spoke for the first time.

"I am Claudius, the second prince of the Centaur Empire. I have been entrusted by the Emperor of the Centaur Empire to deliver this to you."

Edel rushed to the document Claudius held and, upon reading it, whispered, "No! No!"

King Faustino also approached and read it.

"Order to cede the throne to Claudius... Order?"

Hearing the king's weak voice, Crown Prince Odalis shouted.

"This is a takeover! The Empire and the Allied Nations are trying to take over this country! There is no such justice!"

At that moment, the voice of Chancellor Maximus was heard.

"Prince Odalis, the judgment of the Queen was wrong. The king and queen had hidden it from me, but Sir Cecil had informed us that he wanted reparations, not a bride, before my daughter left this country. If we had paid the reparations properly at that time, this would not have happened."

"Maximus! Have you betrayed us!"

"Blaming your father is misplaced, Your Highness."

"Bertine! You and your father have betrayed the country!"

The excited Crown Prince Odalis suddenly drew his sword and lunged at Bertine and the chancellor. Before the soldiers around them could react, Cecil, who was nearby, kicked Odalis in the side without drawing his sword, then struck Odalis' wrist to make him drop the sword, and kicked the fallen sword away.

"Edel, your son is not only weak in the mind but also in swordsmanship."

"What have you done to Odalis!"

Odalis was restrained by the Allied Nations' soldiers, and the king and queen were surrounded by the Empire's soldiers.

"Prince Odalis, you were not aware of what the Queen was doing, were you?"

Bertine's voice was more filled with sorrow than anger.

Erenfried, who had been watching the scene with interest, raised his voice.

"Shall we end this here? The Sanluan royal family surely does not intend to defy both the Empire and the Allied Nations. Therefore, from this moment, the rule of the Sanluan royal family has ended. The formal ceremony will be held later, but from this moment on, the king of this country is Claudius Augustus Centaur."

The soldiers who had followed from the Empire knelt first, followed by Chancellor Maximus.

Cecil, Erenfried, Bertine, and the Allied Nations' soldiers placed their hands on their chests and bowed deeply.

Claudius, with a dignified voice, called out,

"Rise."

He then addressed the former royal family.

"The Emperor of the Empire has a message for you. 'I will grant you a territory within the Empire, so use your talents to manage it. If you wish, you may bring those who wish to follow you.'"

Chancellor Maximus immediately interjected.

"Your Majesty, I have already confirmed the intentions of the main nobles. As a result, not a single person has offered to follow the former King Faustino and the former Queen Edel to the Empire. Your Majesty, if you have any doubts, please verify it yourself."

The audience chamber fell silent.

After a while, the former King Faustino spoke first.

"I see. No one will follow us. That says it all. Maximus, I have been a great burden to you. My sin was not stopping Edel, even though I knew what she was doing. I realized long ago how the people and subjects viewed me. I was the only one who thought everything would be fine."

"Your Majesty! I don't want the Empire's territory! I will not go!"

Cecil, who had been looking exasperated, spoke in a resigned tone.

"Edel, if you value your life, beg for the Empire's mercy. The Emperor of the Empire is far more short-tempered than I am. This is your last chance. Know your shame and when to back down."

"Shut up! You... you..."

As Edel searched for words, Bertine calmly interjected.

"Sir is working with all his heart for the country and its people. I have been observing Sir's work since I was sent to the Allied Nations. He is not the same as those who used my father and kept him in chains. Please stop insulting Sir."

Bertine's low voice reached everyone, but the former queen and the former crown prince only glared at her.

That day, the change of the royal family and the change of the country's name were announced throughout Sanluan by the officials. The people, who had been trembling in fear at the early morning landing of the Allied Nations, rejoiced upon hearing that "the second prince of the Empire will become the king."

"This will make it easier to do business with the Empire."

"The previous royal family was unreliable."

"With the Allied Nations as an ally, this country will be safe."

The citizens, who had made their living through their own talents in trade, did not mourn the departure of the previous royal family. The custom in this country, where "those who fail in trade are those who lack ability," had led to this outcome.