Chapter 524
“I’ll go.”
Clatter.
A massive dining table, big enough to seat dozens, was surrounded by the entire Holrin family. Until Kayla spoke, the atmosphere was almost silent. Since the Duke hadn’t said a word, the retainers sat quietly, only stealing glances at Kayla.
The siblings all spoke up at once, as if they’d been waiting for this moment.
“Go where? To the battlefield?”
“Kayla, I was just about to bring that up.”
“You mean the conditions for becoming the Crown Prince’s consort?”
“I think those conditions will be withdrawn soon. Why not wait a bit? I’ve never heard of anyone being required to fight on the front lines to qualify as Crown Princess.”
“I agree with our brother. Kayla, I know you’re passionate, but the battlefield is too dangerous. We should find another way, together.”
“But sister, don’t you think Kayla would do well? She’s handled a sword more than most soldiers.”
“Handling a sword and actually cutting someone down are two very different things. Quiet now.”
“Tch. You’re always picking on me.”
“Father, are you really considering sending Kayla to war?”
“Our second brother, stop smiling like that. You’d be the happiest if Kayla left her seat. Or why don’t you go instead? Though I doubt the Crown Prince would welcome that. Kayla would be more useful than you.”
Amid the noisy bickering of seven siblings, Kayla only focused on the dull blade of the knife in her hand.
She wasn’t satisfied. Whether it was a massive greatsword or a tiny cutlery knife, a blade had to be razor-sharp in her eyes.
She motioned to a servant to bring a sharper knife. The Duke of Holrin sipped from his glass, signaling he was about to speak, and the siblings quieted down.
“Kayla, are you sure about this?”
“Yes. I can handle a sword well enough. And didn’t His Highness say I don’t have to fight on the front lines? There will be plenty of ways I can help from the rear.”
“Even in the rear, the battlefield is still a battlefield. Life and death hang in the balance every moment.”
“Isn’t it the same here? Every moment, the fate of our family’s prosperity or ruin is at stake. We’ve already lost much of our lands around the palace, and even our business rights are in jeopardy. If I don’t become Crown Princess, the Holrin family faces extinction.”
At Kayla’s words, the second brother whispered to another sibling.
“Isn’t that the mole clan or something?”
“Yes. If we want to continue the general weapons business, we’ll have to compete with them and bid again.”
“Tch. What could those mole bastards possibly make?”
Ignoring the whispering, the sibling turned away, though his face was as red as a toad.
“But Kayla, if an innocent sword cuts you down, who will I hold responsible?”
“I understand your concerns.”
Holrin had many enemies, even aside from Davion.
The past ten years had been a mad dash, taking advantage of the Burgos civil war. Those brought down by Holrin piled up like mountains, and those who hit rock bottom were too many to count. On top of that, there were nobles constantly lurking, waiting for a chance.
Even blood siblings habitually watched each other’s backs; if anything, the danger only increased.
“If I go to the battlefield, there might be assassination attempts in the chaos.”
Faces of siblings and a few outsiders flashed through her mind, but Kayla shook her head lightly, brushing away the thoughts.
“Don’t worry. Lady Davion won’t make a move. She’s at parties almost every day—how would she find the time? And she can’t just give up her fortune either.”
Laughter broke out here and there at Kayla’s sharp words.
They really are fools. They do nothing but play around, yet because they hold titles, they think they’re actually contributing to the family business.
Kayla inspected the new knife the servant brought. Seeing the blade was sharp, her mood lightened a bit. She sliced some meat with it—clean and precise.
“Father, don’t worry about me. You should be more concerned about other families joining the war.”
Better to be the unrivaled candidate for Crown Princess than to be constantly watched and restrained. At least then, clumsy assassination attempts would stop.
Kayla wiped her mouth with a napkin as she chewed the neatly cut meat.
“And brothers.”
“Hm?”
The brothers, who had been drinking and eating without much thought, paused and looked at Kayla.
“You should go to Burgos.”
“What? Why?”
“Because I’m going to ‘join the war’ in Burgos. It’s better for us to be within the same borders in case something happens. Besides, Mother misses you all very much.”
“Clears throat.”
The brothers grimaced and looked at the Duke, but he simply set down his cutlery, signaling the meal was over, and stood.
“Finish your conversations.”
“Father!”
“Sit down, brothers.”
Clatter. One brother stood defiantly, but Kayla didn’t even glance at him as she ‘ordered’ softly but firmly. Everyone felt the weight of her command.
Reluctantly, the brother sat back down and took a sip of wine.
“A while ago, before selling the lands, I sent a letter to Burgos.”
“You mean when Ian Hielo came to the mansion?”
“Yes, you remember well. I don’t know the details, but Minister Ian Hielo seemed to realize we were trying to sell the lands to a third party.”
“Hmph. What a clever trick.”
“The problem is, that third party is connected to Burgos.”
The brothers’ eyes, swirling wine on their tongues, flickered with unease.
“The lands have already been sold, and since we haven’t made any special moves, it went through without issue for now. But I’m worried about the future. If I’m to become Crown Princess, a lot needs to be settled.”
“So, what do you want us to do in Burgos?”
“Meet with Mother first. She’ll explain the detailed plan.”
“No way. I won’t go. Do you know what’ll happen if I cross the border?”
One brother slammed his glass down roughly. Kayla smiled faintly, as if wondering who was being so bold.
“I’m crossing the border too, brother.”
“You’ll have countless eyes and ears around you. Especially with His Highness the Crown Prince by your side, you’ll be safe.”
“And Mother will be with you too. What is there to fear?”
“Don’t you know? You’re not even related by blood!”
“Enough.”
Screech.
Kayla scraped the knife against her plate, then slammed it down roughly.
“They say even portraits in the palace have ears. The Holrin mansion is no different.”
A small, dark secret of the Holrin family.
Outwardly, all the Holrin children were legitimate heirs of the Duke, but the truth was different.
For a long time, the Duke had two women.
The Duchess, the family’s matron, who bore three children, and a secret woman who bore Kayla and the others.
Kayla smiled gently and slowly rose from her seat.
“You’ve always been careless since childhood, but lately, it’s gotten out of hand, brother.”
“Father’s been spoiling you, and now you’re getting cocky.”
“Because you look like that, Father has high hopes for me. Honestly, if it weren’t for Mother, could we have made a deal with Burgos? Could you, so great brother, have sold a single blade? The Duchess knew this early on and stepped aside. At least so that a fool like you could function as a person!”
“Kayla!”
One day, the Duchess suddenly disappeared. Officially, she went to her distant hometown for rest and never contacted anyone again. She occasionally sent letters to her children, but even those stopped years ago.
“I’ll kill you!”
“Kayla, that’s harsh!”
Clang! A glass flew and shattered, but the other siblings, used to this, just kept chewing their meat.
“If it weren’t for your lowly mother, Mother wouldn’t have left like that! You’re nothing but filthy blood!”
“If she’s so filthy, why don’t you run to the palace and tell on her? Who would lose the most? Me, or you, who’s always in court?”
Thus, the Duchess’s seat remained vacant, becoming a stain on the Duke’s reputation. The Holrin family covered this glaring flaw with countless lies.
Meanwhile, a civil war broke out in Burgos, and Kayla’s birth mother sensed it was a chance to revive the family. So she personally ‘returned’ to Burgos and opened a weapons supply line to the warring faction, as the Duke’s secret consort.
Outwardly, she was a suddenly appearing matron after many years, so the Duke had to manage the situation somehow. He came up with a clever plan.
He gave Kayla’s birth mother the title of the reclusive Duchess—a ‘fake Duchess’ was born.
“So, brother…”
Kyla approached him slowly and gripped the collar of his shirt firmly. Though her gesture seemed like she was just straightening his collar, he felt as if she had grabbed him by the scruff of the neck—a deep insult.
“I’m telling you nicely, Burgos, just step aside. There’s a limit to living uselessly, isn’t there? Go and wait as Mother instructed.”
If they couldn’t even hold onto the weapons business rights, they’d have no choice but to shift their strategy—maybe dealing in the piles of mana stones and raw gems stashed beneath the hay, or high-end goods circulating amid the civil war.
“And who knows? Depending on how things go, your brothers might just save me and His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince on the battlefield.”
“What nonsense is that?”
“Use your imagination a little. If you want things spoon-fed, go ask the lady downstairs.”
With that, Kyla lightly tapped her brother’s shoulder and left the dining hall. One by one, the other siblings who had been eating rose and followed her—each with violet eyes or black hair.
Clang!
“Ah! Young master! Are you alright?”
“B-Blood! He’s bleeding!”
“Bring something to stop the bleeding! Hurry!”
The sound of breaking dishes and the servants’ frantic voices echoed behind her, but Kyla ignored it and walked down the corridor. At the far end, a butler approached and whispered to her.
“Miss, a guest has arrived.”
“My guest? Who is it?”
“Well…”
As the butler whispered, Kyla’s brow furrowed.
Chloe’s close friends coming to visit the Hallin family? Their intentions were obvious. Surely they weren’t that foolish?
“Show them in.”
“Yes, Miss.”
Kyla tidied her hair, which caught the light from the window, then headed to the front door to receive her guest.
“Iaaan!”
Crash!
Romandro, who was filling out paperwork, jumped in surprise and dragged his pen across the page, ruining it. He was almost done—just the last line left! Fuming, he crumpled the paper and threw it at Beric.
“You idiot! You scared me!”
But Beric just tilted his head and easily dodged. Then he rummaged through his pocket and pulled something out.
“Ian, have you seen this?”
“What is it?”
“The diplomatic invitation list. I found it on Old Jarrett’s desk. It’s insane. Look!”
Beric rarely showed interest in papers, so what could it be? Ian put down his pen, and Romandro crumpled every scrap of paper he could find, tossing them at Beric.
Swish, swish—Beric dodged every one without a sound. Romandro, burning with frustration, suddenly jumped up and lunged at him.
But Ian ignored the scuffle and carefully read the paper Beric handed him. It was a list of foreign dignitaries invited to the ceremony. Since the Crown Prince would need protection on the day of the coronation, the list was probably shared temporarily. It would soon reach the Ministry of Magic as well.
“Astana, here?”
“Yeah! Hasha’s coming too!”
“So what if Hasha’s coming? It’s been a while since we’ve seen him, but it’s not like it’s a big deal—”
Romandro froze, then tilted his head, realizing why Beric was so worked up. From the small nation of Astana, there was only one person worthy of the Empire’s invitation.
Ian quietly read the last line on the paper.
“…King Hasha of Astana, along with Tokundaira.”