Chapter 197: Ch-197: Imperial Factions (2)
"What did you say? Imperial factions?" Hilbert asked again.
"Yes. The soldiers sent these images," the butler said as he handed several pictures to Hilbert, whose face darkened when he saw them.
"Tsk... I didn’t expect them to arrive so soon. The last I heard, they were busy preparing their armies," Hilbert clicked his tongue.
Victor looked somewhat out of the loop and asked, "What factions are you all talking about?"
"Oh, right. You were just a Baron, so you wouldn’t know. You do know that the King of Eindrik didn’t have any children, right?" Rina looked at Victor and asked.
"Yes, I know that..." Victor’s words trailed off as he remembered something.
"Exactly. Those with Eindrik blood in their veins and the strongest claim to the throne had already started building their factions and were waiting for the King to die before plunging the kingdom into civil war. This world evolution was the perfect opportunity," Hilbert said before explaining everything to Victor.
The Eindrik Royal Family was split into three factions.
The first faction belonged to the King’s younger sister, who had the strongest legitimate claim to the throne.
The second faction belonged to the King’s concubines and many wives, who united to claim the throne. Their motto was to rule through a council instead of a single monarch. It had gained a lot of support among the commoners but was not very popular with the nobility. Even so, many nobles still supported them, as they were infamous for seducing influential nobles to secure their backing.
The third faction belonged to the King’s uncle, who commanded the Royal Army and was the most dangerous of them all.
Victor took a few minutes to digest the information before looking at the Duke and asking with a raised eyebrow, "So which faction are you going to join?"
"Join them? What gave you that idea? I was planning to form my own faction, which I’m sure many Dukes have also done. I’m equally certain some of them won’t submit, as they have the strength to establish their own kingdoms. And don’t forget, after you marry my daughter, I gave you my word that the Hall Duchy will become part of the future Silvernum Kingdom," Hilbert said calmly.
Rina, beside Victor, nodded in satisfaction as Hilbert continued, "If they are willing, I might form alliances with them for mutual benefit."
"I see," Victor replied, nodding calmly.
"You should be prepared. I’m sure the Prince’s faction might target you and challenge you to a duel to reclaim the Brightflame Duchy from you," Hilbert warned.
Victor looked completely unbothered and gave a malicious smile. "Do you think I’m afraid? If they challenge me, I’ll beat them so badly that even their ancestors won’t recognize their faces."
Hearing Victor’s roguish reply, which was far from befitting of a noble, Hilbert, Rina, Eleanor, and Emily couldn’t help but twitch their lips.
"The Imperials." Hilbert rolled the name around in his mouth with a thoughtful expression. He narrowed his eyes and revealed a cold smile. "These Imperials think they are superior just because their ancestors founded the kingdom. I hope they come with a sincere attitude, or I’ll beat them black and blue."
Eleanor agreed with her father’s words. Then she remembered something and looked at him before saying, "Father, I heard that the Princess’s faction was backing the Brightflame Duchy, and they might have been the ones who ordered them to conquer us."
"I know. Let’s go. I can’t wait to see the Prince’s expression," Hilbert said with a look of amusement and malice.
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Rosen Eindrik was a middle-aged man with a handsome face, long black shoulder-length hair, and a beard around his chin. He was the former commander of the Royal Army and a contender for the throne.
In just two months, the former commander had managed to gather over 300,000 troops, with most of them being Tier 2 soldiers. One could easily deduce that the combat power of these soldiers was far above that of an ordinary army.
Currently, a frown covered his handsome face as he read the reports.
"So, other than a few Counts and two Duchies, no one is willing to submit, is that it?" Rosen looked at his subordinate, who nodded with a firm expression.
"Yes, and we have also heard that one Duke has joined the Princess’s faction," the soldier said, causing Rosen’s expression to darken even further.
"What about those Black Church members?" Rosen asked gloomily. He was the one the Black Church had been willing to support if the kingdom descended into civil war.
"They did not reply directly but said they would no longer support you, as their forces cannot be divided. They are focusing on conquering larger kingdoms," the soldier reported.
Bang!
"Damn it!" He slammed his hand on the table and cursed.
After calming down, he rubbed his temples with a sigh and asked, "What about the other two factions? Any movements from them?"
"Yes. According to our sources, the Princess is most likely going to recruit the Hall Duchy, while the Tiger faction has sent the Third Queen," the subordinate replied respectfully.
Thinking about the Hall Duchy, Rosen’s face darkened as he thought about his useless subordinate, Duke Brightflame. He had already noticed that both the Duke’s Life Tablet and his heir’s Life Tablet had shattered, meaning they were dead and had failed to conquer the Hall Duchy.
’I don’t think the Hall Duchy would submit to me or even initiate an alliance, as the Brightflame Duchy being part of my faction is public knowledge. Fuck,’ he cursed inwardly. If he had known Duke Brightflame was so incompetent, he would never have recruited him. It had greatly reduced his chances of winning over the Hall Duchy.
"He has two daughters... What if I offer to marry one of them and make her Queen? Will he agree?" Rosen rubbed his chin thoughtfully before standing up.
"Prepare a small contingent. I am going there personally," Rosen said. At first, he had planned to send an envoy, but he had changed his mind. He also wanted to see if he could bring the Brightflame territories under his control by paying an appropriate price.
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