The meeting hall finally erupted into an uproar!
Even Lasalle furrowed his brows!
This time, all the nobles in the hall, except for Duke Cullen and Gilbert, looked at the silent Duke of the Northern Territory in astonishment.
What was going on?
"Your Majesty? Lord Arunde? " Count Zemunto, who was also one of the suzerains of the Northern Territory, looked back and forth between the Duke of the Northern Territory and the king in bewilderment.
Beside him, Count Friess looked at Val in disbelief and did not move.
The commotion and uproar lasted for dozens of seconds.
Until the resolute suzerain of Cold Castle, Guardian Duke of the Northern Territory, Val Arunde, raised his head and looked back at the king.
He was no longer silent, but let out a long breath.
Under everyone's astonished gaze, including Baron Lasalle's, the resolute warrior-like head of the White Eagle Family looked up and smiled.
"You are still as sharp as ever, Kai."
The Duke of the Northern Territory immediately lowered his head and sighed.
"Just like your damned elder brother."
Thales widened his eyes!
'What?'
This time, everyone came to a realization.
'From the Duke of the Northern Territory's reaction …
'God.
'But, how is this possible?'
Kessel lowered his head and let out a genuine sigh.
"Aren't you going to explain, Val?" the king said flatly.
"What's there to explain? It has already failed, hasn't it?" Val looked calm and did not care about the other suzerains' gazes. "You, on the other hand, when did you realize?"
"The ones who intercepted and killed the diplomat group were obviously the other suzerains, weren't they? I appeared to be so innocent. The Northern Territory and the royal family were obviously the targets of the scheme. "
Zayen looked at Val in disbelief.
'Yes, impossible. The assassination of the diplomat group was obviously done by the nobles in New Star!
And the Duke of the Northern Territory was not even in our group! '
Kessel lowered his eyebrows and said gloomily,
"Yesterday, during the National Conference, during the Higher Parliament's vote, you voted against it too hastily."
The king's voice was filled with complicated emotions. "I had my suspicions at that time. You know, compared to Koshder's help, I would not sit idly by and do nothing about the Northern Territory! You have no reason to oppose my son becoming the heir just because of the One-Eyed Dragon's promise. "
Koshder, the One-Eyed Dragon Duke, looked at the Duke of the Northern Territory in astonishment as he recalled the scene of the vote yesterday afternoon.
"Is that so?" Val smiled sadly. "How do you know I have no reason? You know I hate you, don't you? "
"Because Liscia, the person you hate is me." King Kessel was expressionless, but his fists under his sleeves, which no one could see, were trembling slightly. "But you are a noble person. You will not vent your anger on my son."
Many people immediately looked at Thales, especially Baron Lasalle, whose expression was unpleasant.
"Unless you have a special reason to stop my son from becoming the heir," the king said in a low voice.
"But this is just a suspicion." Under the complicated gazes of the hall, Val sighed and said, "Maybe it's just a coincidence?"
"That is why I tested Eckstedt's envoy today." The king raised his head. His voice was cold.
"Hmph." Val sneered. "As expected, after the Bloody Year, you've become more and more paranoid."
The king ignored him and continued to speak.
"With just a few words from Lyanna, she managed to find out that he was Archduke Lampard's man from Black Sand Region. Only Lampard's men would be so anxious to change the topic to avoid exposing Archduke Lampard's ambitions. “
The Duchess of Blade Edge Hill stared coldly at the Duke of the Northern Territory without saying a word.
"When he first arrived, he put on a show with you. He appeared to be an envoy who did not know the depth of the Northern Territory and was testing the defensive capabilities of Constellation's Northern Territory. You retaliated without showing any sign of weakness. Now, it seems that he was following the plan and stirring up a tense atmosphere," Kessel the Fifth said solemnly.
Kessel the Fifth said solemnly, "However, when I deliberately refused to choose between war and compromise, he clearly threatened me that the Northern Territory did not even have the military strength to defend Broken Dragon Fortress.
"Don't you think that this is contradictory?"
"Suspicion began to deepen at that time."
Lasalle's face immediately turned pale.
The king lowered his head and said, "Moreover, he was obviously more interested in attacking me, provoking me, and even changing the King of Constellation than negotiating properly and fighting for Eckstedt's interests for King Nuven.
"Is it not enough for Lampard to obtain the land in the Northern Territory? Why is he still so interested in me and changing the Jadestar Royal Family? Obviously, he is working with someone from within Constellation, and my crown is the will of the collaborator.
"The problem is, who is qualified to work with the powerful vassal of Eckstedt, Archduke Lampard of Black Sand Region? Who can benefit together with him and achieve a win-win situation?
"I thought about it for a long time and considered Nanchester, Covendier, Cullen, and even Fakenhaz. The most unlikely person is you, Val. Because when war breaks out, the Northern Territory will be the first to bear the brunt. You are more like a pitiful person who has been schemed against, a sacrifice, just like me. "
"Heh heh." Fakenhaz's voice was sharp. "Unless, this is his voluntary sacrifice."
Kessel the Fifth's gaze was as sharp as a blade as he stared at Val Arunde.
"But when I think about it from another perspective, what can Archduke Lampard gain? King Nuven's only son died in the Northern Territory, and the Walton Family is destined to withdraw from the next King Selection Congress.
"So, what Lampard can gain is the territory in the Northern Territory, and the death of his competitors in the Northern Territory.
"In Constellation, who can ensure that these two things happen at the same time to the greatest extent possible?"
Kessel silently raised his gaze. There was a sorrowful expression on his face.
"It is you, Val Arunde, the Guardian Duke of the Northern Territory who controls the Northern Territory.
"But I still do not believe it. I would rather believe that this is just a coincidence."
"No," the Duke of the Northern Territory said coldly, "In fact, you already believed it a long time ago. You just needed to exhaust everything to prove your suspicions, didn't you?"
The king snorted softly and glanced at the emergency envoy of Eckstedt with a profound gaze.
"I sent someone to intercept Baron Lasalle in advance. Under the eyes and ears of all the suzerains, I sent them directly into Eastern City District with great fanfare. But until this morning, the hidden sentries of the Secret Intelligence Department ensured that they would not come into contact with any Constellatiates. They also did not know about yesterday's National Conference, did not know about the change in the heir, and did not know that their collaborator in Constellation was actually in a terrible state.
"Take a guess. Under such circumstances, how many batches of people did the hidden sentries of the Kingdom's Secret Intelligence Department intercept yesterday in an attempt to contact Baron Lasalle?"
Morat's hoarse and unpleasant voice rang out just in time.
"Three batches, Your Majesty. The military scouts are very stubborn and unwilling to reveal their master's identity." He chuckled and said, "But what is the use of this? There are only a few places in the entire kingdom that have such tough soldiers. It is a piece of cake to track down the person behind them. "
Val lowered his head and sighed. "They are my most elite scouts."
The supreme king said coldly, "But I have not figured it out.
"But I haven't figured it out yet. What exactly is your agreement with Lampard, and how can it be fulfilled?"
"Until this Eckstedtian said that Eckstedtians prefer heroes on the battlefield. Yes, when war comes, the hero will always be the most dazzling person. Isn't that how Eckstedt was built?
"And in this possible war, who has a better reason than the Duke of the Northern Territory to fight to protect his homeland? If the enemy is simply your collaborator, then it will be even easier for you to gain prestige and reputation on the battlefield.
"When war breaks out, you pledge your life to defend the Northern Territory and become the hero of the fight against Eckstedt. You are also the only person who can deal with them. With no heir to the royal family, aren't you the most suitable to be the next king?"
Val laughed coldly.
King Kessel looked at Val sadly. "Did I say anything wrong? The one who betrayed the Northern Territory, the Guardian Duke of the Northern Territory?
"Is being king that important to you? So important that the originally noble and pure you will betray your territory, your people, and your country. "
The hall immediately fell silent.
Even Lasalle looked troubled and did not say a word.
Val Arunde stared blankly at the floor for a long time.
Until he shut his eyes tightly.
"Haha."
Amidst the desolate laughter, he finally opened his eyes and said sadly,
"This should not have been like this."
With a complicated expression, Val spoke slowly.
"Everything should have gone according to my script."
The king narrowed his eyes.
"'New Star', this group of suzerains of Constellation was originally formed after the Desert War five years ago to fight against your increasingly arrogant royal power.
"They, whether it was Cullen or Nanchester, all came to me, but I rejected them.
"But I realized that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. In the fight between them and you, I could achieve my goal.
"The goal that was so far away that even I did not believe it."
Val walked forward to the center of the hall and looked into the non-existent distance. He sighed.
"I took the risk to go to Eckstedt and found Lampard. You should have seen the look on his face when I lowered my hood in front of him. That night, we formed an alliance.
"I was responsible for instigating Zemunto and Friess, inciting them to clash with Eckstedt from time to time at the border. For this, I did not hesitate to confer Pine Nut County to Zemunto."
The faces of the two counts from the Thirteen Distinguished Families of the Northern Territory were pale and ashen. They looked at the duke who had fought alongside them for many years.
"Lampard went to Eckstedt to operate. He made use of these conflicts to portray the diplomatic mission to Constellation and the revision of the 'Treaty of Peace' as a great mission. This made King Nuven decide to secretly send his only son to accumulate qualifications for his future king selection. He is old, and old people always want to arrange everything after their death."
"I leaked this news to 'New Star'. There were many ambitious people like Nanchester and Covendier. They quickly realized that this would be a good opportunity to weaken the royal power. There was only one thing I did not tell them. That was, King Nuven secretly sent his only son in the diplomat group. Now that I think about it, when they found out about this, they were probably quite frightened. Unfortunately, as the Far Eastern proverb goes, 'Once you ride on the tiger's neck, you will never come down.'"
Duke Cullen shook his head. Zayen snorted coldly. Only Koshder stared at Val with gritted teeth.
"The suzerains thought that they were using Eckstedt's questioning and anger to weaken the king's prestige and royal power. Only Lampard and I knew that they were provoking a war between the two countries.
"Lampard was Eckstedt's source of information. He provided the diplomat group's itinerary and personnel. I, on the other hand, had the geographical advantage of the Northern Territory. I bribed the receptionists, monitored and guided them to the best assassination location. Then, those in 'New Star' who did not know about this would deliver the final blow. With the three of us working together without knowing about each other, even the supreme class elite by the prince's side was not spared.
"Lampard used the fastest speed to leak the news to the Secret Room and Dragon Clouds City. At the same time, he recommended Lasalle Weider to the despairing King Nuven. I, on the other hand, did not stop to bring this news to Eternal Star. I used the war mobilization to exaggerate the severity of the matter. I had Kessel gather the nobles of Constellation to discuss this matter and obtain support. The more the better."
Lasalle looked at Val with a pale face, then at Kessel.
But no one paid attention to him.
Val raised his head and looked at the young Duke of Iris Flowers.
"Zayen Covendier, boy, you should have died in the assassination the day before yesterday. The nobles of New Star were not the only ones who knew about your whereabouts. I, who had planned this beforehand, also knew about it."
Zayen's expression changed!
"Yes." Duke Val Arunde nodded weakly. "The one who assassinated you was not someone from 'New Star', but me.
"But look at your collaborators. They only learned about your assassination yesterday, and they began to suspect each other. It goes to show how fragile your alliance is."
The dukes and counts narrowed their eyes slightly.
Zayen slammed his palm on the armrest.
The young Duke Covendier said hatefully, "So yesterday, when that boy … That's why you spoke up to support him, and sowed discord among the suzerains! Because this was your plan all along! "
Val laughed bitterly. Under Zayen's livid expression, he continued.
"This way, 'New Star', which was already internally unstable, would turn into a pile of loose sand amidst the suspicion. The pressure on the Royal Family would also increase rapidly, and I would have one less powerful competitor in the future.
"'New Star's' plan was to force the king to appoint his own heir when he needed their war support the most. But in the chaotic and mutually suspicious Higher Parliament, this plan was destined to fail. At the same time, Kessel and my proposal to resist Eckstedt's invasion would lose the support of almost all the other suzerains. It would look as if we had all been schemed against.
"And a few hours later, Lasalle Weider would come to Eternal Star City with Eckstedt's wrath. He is destined to provoke us madly, and propose conditions that Constellation cannot accept. There is only one goal: war."
Thales looked at Val in disbelief.
"If Kessel chooses war, my previous plan would ensure that he would not have enough military strength. Lampard's rapid invasion in the Northern Territory would be like a hot knife through butter. With the tacit understanding between Lampard and me on the battlefield, it would be enough to let Kessel die in glory and dignity, just like Prince Horace in the past. At the very least, he would suffer a few defeats, be disgraced, and lose all his prestige.
"If Kessel chooses to compromise and cede the Northern Territory, he would become a sinner of the kingdom. I would urge the suzerains and the people to force him to abdicate, but I would still join the war in the Northern Territory. When Eckstedt, especially when Lampard's army comes to take over the territory, the royal family and suzerains would shrink back and not come out. Only I would gather my troops and fight to the death. Only then would I appear more noble, like the only ray of light in the darkness."
"Hey! There's actually someone who calls me a hypocrite! "Hearing this, the One-Eyed Dragon glared at Thales fiercely.
Duke Arunde crossed his arms and flashed a bitter smile.
"Yes, no matter which choice we make, we would suffer a catastrophic defeat in the Northern Territory. But I would reverse the situation and 'defeat' Lampard in a few key battlefields during the darkest moment. After that, Lampard and I would appreciate each other's talents. After we formed an alliance, he would withdraw his troops in satisfaction with the territory that he had already occupied. I would become a well-deserved hero of the kingdom. Compared to Kessel, who was greatly condemned and had no suzerains to support him, I would become the most popular candidate to become the next king. "
"Val Arunde!" Count Zemunto could not suppress his anger. "That is our Northern Territory! The place that your ancestors have ruled and protected for generations! "
"Stop talking nonsense." Count Friess looked at Val with a dark expression. "Can't you see? He is no longer the Duke 'Iron Eagle' we knew."
Val's expression was desolate. He did not pay any attention to the two counts of the Northern Territory behind him.
He continued in a daze, "The suzerains are suspicious of each other. Only I, who is neutral, am the least suspicious. I am also the king's close friend, if he is still alive at that time, the brother of the Head Ritual Master of Sunset Temple, and the hero of Constellation who resisted the invasion. I am destined to become the Supreme King of Constellation.
"As for Eckstedt, the Walton Family has lost their last heir and is destined to withdraw from the next king selection in dejection. At the same time, Lampard will obtain a large territory in the Northern Territory, as well as the glorious achievement of conquering Constellation's Northern Territory. His power will expand rapidly, and with the support of me and all of Constellation, he is also destined to become the next common-elected king.
"Everything was going smoothly." Val Arunde looked at Thales with a strange expression. There was regret in his eyes. "Until this boy's sudden appearance messed up all the plans.
"Zayen did not die. Instead, he stood on your side. The effect of forcing the selection of an heir was not good. The suzerains of New Star did not fight to the death for the throne. Instead, they confronted the royal family over the appointment of a new prince. Eckstedt's envoy was trapped in your trap without knowing about the National Conference and the new prince.
"But I could only continue walking on until …"
Val sighed and laughed mockingly. He shook his head indifferently.
"Just like that, I failed.
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