Chapter 198: Ch-198: Imperial Factions (3)
Inside a luxurious tent a couple of kilometers away from the Hall Duchy’s border, a tall, slender, and beautiful woman could be seen sitting on a sofa. Her beauty was in no way inferior to Amber’s or Rina’s, and one could say that, being a bit older, she possessed a mature elegance.
Princess Amanda Eindrik of the Kingdom of Eindrik and the younger sister of the former King of Eindrik was one of the most legitimate contenders for the throne. Not only was she renowned for her beauty, but she was also an exceptionally capable and intelligent woman.
She looked at her companion-in-arms and spoke in a solemn tone. "It’s not going to be easy to gain the support of the Hall Duchy. I don’t think they will kneel. They most likely harbor the same ambitions as all the Duchies that have rebelled."
Bianca Ariel, the commander of her army and her personal guard, known as the strongest female Royal Guard in the Kingdom of Eindrik and Amanda’s childhood friend, replied in an equally solemn tone. "Indeed. We want their help, but we don’t have anything significant to offer."
Amanda sighed as she spoke. "We don’t have the initiative in this negotiation. We are like someone thirsty and lost in the desert asking the master of an oasis for water."
"It would have been a good thing if the nobility were loyal," Bianca said with a sigh, causing Amanda to sneer.
"Loyalty? There is no loyalty among nobles, only benefits. If you are not related by blood, then forget it. After this world evolution, the situation became even more dire. I was hoping to gain the support of some Duchies, but would they submit to us when the whole world is in chaos and much of the human population has perished beneath the jaws of monsters? This is the perfect opportunity for them to elevate their Duchies into Kingdoms," Amanda said. She could understand their thinking, as if she were in their shoes, she would have done the same without hesitation. But understanding them didn’t mean she had to like it.
"They will extort us as much as possible if we want to hire their army," Bianca concluded as she looked at the Princess with concern.
"Would you do any differently if we were in their shoes? I think if it were me, I would have tried to squeeze everything of value out of the royal family, and that is most likely what they will do. Moreover..." Amanda remained silent for a moment before calmly continuing as her expression darkened. "My elder brother was the most useless King. He indulged in depravity and squandered the wealth of the kingdom, wealth that could have been used to strengthen the kingdom."
Just thinking about her brother’s actions made her teeth ache. In her opinion, her elder brother was the worst and most unworthy King in the history of the Eindrik Bloodline. Instead of improving the lives of the citizens and strengthening the combat power of the army, he used the kingdom’s wealth to buy pleasure slaves and other luxuries, which many nobles encouraged him to do. In the eyes of those nobles, he was the perfect King because they cared only about pleasure and entertainment and had no interest in governing.
When the King wasted his life away, the nobles became stronger and richer. His reputation among the citizens was also poor, as he spent money that was meant to improve their livelihoods on himself, while the nobles fanned the flames. Honestly, if someone wanted to launch a coup, the commoners would probably aid them. Some nobles who tried to advise him were driven out because he was displeased, and he even executed a few of them. It’s not an exaggeration to say that, because of these actions, the kingdom was on the brink of civil war.
Her elder brother had broken many records during his lifetime, but none of them were anything to be proud of: the King who squandered the royal treasury the fastest, the King with the largest harem, the King with the largest number of slaves, the most incompetent King, and so on.
"Honestly, considering the size of his harem and the only activity he indulged in, which was sex, I am surprised he didn’t have any children," Bianca could not help but say in an incredulous tone.
"If not for me and the others cleaning up after him, the Kingdom would have plunged into turmoil even before the world started evolving," Amanda said in a frustrated tone.
"What is the current size of our army?" Amanda looked at Bianca and asked.
"Not much, only seventy-five thousand soldiers."
Amanda’s expression darkened upon hearing the report. The Royal Army was already weaker and smaller than it had been at its peak, when it could easily surpass the combined armies of all the nobility. Now, the army’s size was barely half of that, and moreover, after the Imperial faction split into three, her army had become even smaller than that of a single Duchy. After the world evolution, she had over one hundred thousand soldiers, but due to attacks from monsters, many of them had perished.
’Sigh, how low the Eindrik Bloodline has fallen,’ Amanda thought heavily, her heart filled with helplessness. Who would have imagined that one of the most powerful kingdoms the continent had ever seen would decline to the point of negotiating with mere Dukes, whom they would not have spared a second glance in their prime?
"Honestly, if possible, I would have invaded the Duchies, plundered their wealth to replenish the royal treasury, and forced them to submit. But we both know that’s impossible, especially with these powerful armies," Amanda said helplessly.
"What about Rosen?" Amanda asked Bianca, who was also responsible for gathering intelligence.
"Ah, about that, the scouts have spotted Rosen’s camp in the northern part of the Hall Duchy."
Hearing Bianca’s words, Amanda’s expression became even more displeased.
"Damn, my uncle... did he have to target the Hall Duchy? Why couldn’t he have gone after some other Duchy? The negotiations will be even more difficult," Amanda cursed after hearing the report.
"Miss, we shouldn’t have much trouble. I heard the Brightflame Duchy attacked the Hall Duchy and lost," Bianca said with a gloating look.
"Huh? Isn’t the Brightflame Duchy one of the Duchies that submitted to my uncle?" Amanda asked in surprise, and Bianca nodded with a smile. Amanda then began smiling. "Ha, tsk. Not only did he lose a Duchy under his command, but he also offended the Hall Duchy. My chances are now higher than his of brokering an alliance between Duke Hilbert and me."
Her goal was never to subdue them, but to form an alliance with them against the other two factions or, at the very least, hire their army for a price.
"There is another matter. It looks like all the factions are heading there. The faction made up of those bitches has also sent a representative," Bianca said with disdain.
"You mean the so-called Council of Queens?" Amanda asked with a frown of disgust, to which Bianca nodded.
"Damn bitches, they dare to show themselves before us?" Amanda slammed her hand on the table, and the poor table simply collapsed from the force of her blow. The reason for her anger was simple. The so-called third Imperial Faction was made up of former lovers, slaves, and a few noblewomen whom her brother had married and made Queens.
The reason for her disgust was that they were nothing but power-hungry women who gained the support of the nobility by spreading their legs for nobles and even soldiers. There were even rumors that some of them had slept with an entire army to gain its support.
"Who is the emissary?" Amanda asked in a cold, murderous tone.
"Maria," Bianca replied calmly.
"Damn, are they crazy enough to send that bitch as an emissary?" Amanda exclaimed in surprise and disbelief. Maria had once been a gladiator slave who warmed the beds of the King and his guests, and it was said that she had slept with a thousand men in a single night.
"I don’t know either, but they sent Maria. That woman is far more than just a bed toy for men," Bianca said, narrowing her eyes. Sending her was not a foolish decision. Those women were highly intelligent, and Bianca did not believe they would have sent Maria unless they were confident she could accomplish the task.
"You’re right. I shouldn’t underestimate them. They were capable of forming a faction, so I must remain cautious," Amanda nodded before saying with disdain, "I know for a fact that whatever she does, she will try to seduce Duke Hilbert and get into his bed. That’s their specialty."
Bianca did not say anything and simply nodded. Honestly, she did not find anything wrong with it. As long as you emerged as the victor, the means hardly mattered.
"Anyway, prepare a small contingent of soldiers. I am going to the Hall Duchy," Amanda said as she rose from her seat.
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