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Power Struggle Within the Royal Palace – Part 03

Several days had passed since the tumultuous meeting, and Kujastria had secluded herself in her room the whole time, claiming she was unwell. She believed that upsetting Austrin would only put her in an unfavorable position. If the king were to eventually step down and Austrin took the throne, the threat of the Fire Drakon would disappear. It was the ideal outcome.

Why would the Margrave do such a thing?

Sunlight streamed through the clear window glass, a rare item in this world. From her room on the fifth floor of the palace, she had a clear view of the city beyond the castle walls.

A knock came at the door. Kujastria sighed, assuming it was another request for an audience. Grugschilt’s actions had brought her into the spotlight, leading to a constant stream of visitors seeking confirmation of her intentions or simply to form acquaintances.

“I’m not entertaining any visitors,” Kujastria declared before they could mention their business with her.

But the door opened, and to her surprise, Margrave Grugschilt entered.

“Greetings, Your Highness.”

“Margrave!”

Behind him was the princess’s attendant, wearing a troubled look. It seemed that the old man had pushed his way in, displaying a shocking lack of decorum towards royalty. He must have a reason for his actions.

“I was concerned about your poor health, Princess. But you seem to be fine.”

“Why are you doing all this? What do you want?”

“Surely, you already know.”

She did. Margrave Grugschilt made those remarks because he genuinely cared about this kingdom. Kujastria glanced at the attendants and offered Grugschilt a seat. Though it was her private chamber, she occasionally invited in long-time female friends, so it was spacious enough and furnished with a reception table.

“Princess!” an attendant exclaimed, their face pale.

“It’s fine,” Kujastria reassured. “The Margrave is always so concerned. He believes that his words have troubled me mentally. And he’s not entirely wrong. I would like to rest as soon as possible, so there’s no need to serve tea or anything. You may take your leave.”

“But…”

“He will be leaving soon anyway,” Kujastria said firmly.

The attendants reluctantly left, leaving only Kujastria and Margrave Grugschilt in the room.

“You’re quite cautious,” the Margrave said.

“You can tell?”

It wasn’t caution towards Margrave Grugschilt, but the attendants. At the end of the day, the attendants’ superior was the chamberlain. A careless remark would reach him. The attendants must have hurried off to inform the chamberlain every word and detail of their conversation just now.

“I did not expect you to be so wary.” Grugschilt took a seat and closed his eyes. The deep furrows between his brows expressed his profound regret. “Being overly cautious about the empire, I have mostly stayed in my own domain. I didn’t expect the disease to have advanced so much within the kingdom. I regret not noticing it sooner.”

“You were only fulfilling your duties.”

“We can still turn everything around right now.”

“…”

“There are opportunities in everything. That pig, too, must have grabbed an opportunity to gain His Majesty’s favor. For us, now is the chance to purge all the corruption.”

“That is a job for my brother, not me.”

“Unfortunately, the chamberlain had long won Prince Austrin over. He may think he is using that pig to his advantage, but he doesn’t realize that by relying on such a rotten individual, he is tightening his own noose.”

“My brother is very capable,” Kujastria defended.

“Indeed, he is. He is truly the King’s son. He has the potential to be on par with or even surpass His Majesty.”

“Then—”

“But you are several times more capable.”

“…You are overestimating me.”

“I don’t think so. You have deliberately underrated yourself to avoid unnecessary chaos. I, too, was fooled by your façade. You possess the ability to discern trustworthy individuals from the untrustworthy ones, a skill that Prince Austrin lacks, as evidenced by his intention to continue using the chamberlain. Furthermore, you are resilient. Despite being surrounded by people you cannot trust, you have remained wise. You are still young… Such formidable mental fortitude.”

“Margrave, I am telling you once more: you are overestimating me. Your negative sentiment towards my brother is clouding your judgment. In reality, I am much more insignificant.”

“…You don’t trust me, do you?”

“…”

In just a matter of minutes, they had already exchanged more words than they had ever before. Although Kujastria knew about his reputation, she suddenly realized that she hardly knew his true nature at all.

“Lawrence spoke highly of you.”

Kujastria’s eyes widened. Commander Lawrence D. Falcon was one of the few individuals she trusted.

Grugschilt rose from his seat and knelt on the floor.

“Wh-What are you doing?”

He lowered his head and pressed his forehead against the floor, prostrating himself without hesitation. His pride as a noble was nowhere to be found.

“Princess, I beg of you. You are the only one who can save this kingdom. Lead the ten million subjects of this nation and bring about an era of prosperity.”

“P-Please stop.”

She didn’t want to see Grugschilt in such a state. She never imagined that the Margrave, who commanded the strongest army in the kingdom, would come and plead like this.

Kujastria quickly rose to her feet and tried to lift Grugschilt’s face, but the man remained stubbornly still.

“Margrave, please don’t do this.”

“Then, will you become the queen?”

“I will not!” Kujastria declared.

She sighed inwardly. Nominating herself for the throne would only amplify the chaos within the already turbulent palace. There was a high likelihood that either Austrin or herself would end up dead. Grugschilt knew that too. He was asking her to be prepared to sacrifice herself for the kingdom.

“I don’t want unnecessary bloodshed, even if it’s for a better future.”

“It is not unnecessary. Unnecessary bloodshed is what you call military campaigns fueled by greed to expand territory. A wise ruler should focus on the nation’s internal affairs, address grievances, eliminate corruption, and find a way to develop the entire nation, instead of seeking dominance over the continent. Time is running out.”

“…Has our nation really fallen to such a state of decline?”

“With all due respect, Princess, you have not left the palace. I know you were only thinking about the consequences, but you should have ventured outside. There are far too many places suffering from exploitation by the privileged class.”

Kujastria grasped her skirt tight. She had never imagined such a situation. The window glass in her room offered only a limited view of the outside world—the royal capital dotted with houses belonging to the upper class. The ongoing construction of mansions everywhere led her to believe that the Kingdom of Ponsonia was thriving.

No, she had convinced herself that.

A little bit of reflection would have made it clear. The numerous military campaigns would have been costly, yet the nobility were obsessed with buying and flaunting jewelry. How could she have lavish meals every day without any technological advancements or new sources of income?

Where was all that money coming from?

She had turned a blind eye to the uncomfortable truth, believing that if Austrin ascended the throne, she would be deemed useless and married off wherever necessary. It was a way to ensure a long life, one of the very few paths to survival available to her.

So she decided that it was none of her concern. That the people’s suffering had nothing to do with her. Powerless to do anything, there was no need for her to shoulder any responsibility.

“If Prince Austrin were to become king, the people would suffer even more. The nobility is no exception. A tragedy similar to what befell Viscount Zaracia’s family could happen again.”

Grugschilt’s head was lowered, so he didn’t notice the change in Kujastria’s expression. Her face froze, and she turned pale.

Viscount Zaracia… Roland’s family…

A boy with flowing golden hair and gentle blue eyes appeared in her mind. Constantly absorbed in his research, he did not seem like a noble at all. He was completely different from other nobles of his age who only engaged in power struggles and flattering those higher in rank.

They had met at a party attended by teenage children from noble families. It was a somewhat decadent gathering, where attendants wore masks and forgot about their titles, enjoying a thrilling night, and somehow Kujastria also received an invitation. Perhaps the organizer meant it in jest, or maybe it was because Austrin was invited. Intrigued, Kujastria decided to attend.

But the masks were meaningless, and it ended up being a party where higher-ranking nobles asserted dominance over lower-ranking ones.

It was there that Kujastria met Roland.

“…Princess?”

Grugschilt lifted his head, his forehead red from rubbing against the floor. He had no idea that Kujastria and Roland were briefly acquainted. Kujastria had kept that information to herself.

“Margrave, I don’t think I have it in me. Please leave.”

“Would you really not consider it?”

“Please leave.”

Grugschilt sensed from her tone that there was no room for persuasion, so he promptly apologized and exited the room.

“Roland…”

Standing alone in the room, Kujastria felt bewildered by her sudden surge of emotions. So she was unaware that someone else was present in her chambers.