Queen of Revenge - Chapter 66

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 66
The King’s herald could force open the gates of any territory and military installation with merely three trumpet blasts. No one could obstruct the sovereign’s command.
As silence fell over the assembly, mounted knights bearing the royal crest emerged beyond the castle gate.
Two flags billowed dramatically in the wind.
The newly arrived Guard Knights drove their horses hard through the snow, charging straight into the heart of the fortress.
Soldiers parted to either side, clearing a path. The mounted herald nearly leaped from his saddle.
Dietrich’s pupils dilated as he identified the colors of the flags affixed to the saddle.
‘Gold… and crimson?’
The herald bearing The King’s orders flew a flag emblazoned with the royal golden crest. Crimson signified that the royal decree pertained to military matters.
The herald dismounted and raised aloft with both hands a scroll wrapped in crimson silk.
“By command of His Majesty The King, I hereby deliver the royal decree to the Northern Fortress!”
Everyone in the fortress, including Dietrich and Emeric, fell to their knees.
The herald proclaimed the royal decree in a thunderous voice.
“As disturbances at the border grow increasingly severe and the people tremble in anxiety, We cannot stand idle. Therefore, We entrust Third Prince Emeric with authority to restore order throughout the Northern Fortress region, including Winterbark.”
“What?”
Dietrich’s jaw fell slack.
But the proclamation was not finished.
“The Third Prince shall open the castle gates and mobilize the military to implement whatever measures he deems necessary. This royal decree takes precedence over all previously issued commands, and any who defy it shall be deemed to have defied the royal will itself.”
Precedence over all previously issued commands?
Dietrich’s complexion drained of all color.
He too had received a royal decree upon descending to the Northern Fortress.
It had granted him complete authority over both the administration and military command of the Northern Fortress.
The Late King had stripped it all away and placed it in Emeric’s hands instead.
“That bastard—what possible justification could he have…!”
“And you still don’t understand, elder brother?”
Emeric rose to his feet and stretched languidly.
“I warned you before. Once you began suspecting the youngest might be behind this, it was already too late.”
Emeric approached with a casual stride, hands thrust into his pockets. Dietrich sprang to his feet in fury.
“What did you say to Mother to manipulate her like this?”
“Manipulate such a timid woman? Hardly. I merely noticed that Mother was trembling along with your tyranny, so I performed my filial duty and reassured her.”
“You contemptible little rat…!”
“Besides, I’ve done nothing wrong. Tsk tsk, with such poor rapport, how could you ever become a virtuous ruler? You’ve set your own people against each other in civil war.”
Emeric gestured alternately at the Fortress Army and Capital Guard locked in standoff on either side.
“What kind of governance is this?”
“Civil war? There was merely a minor dispute within the same camp—don’t distort it like that!”
Emeric chuckled upon seeing bloodstains scattered throughout the fortress.
“We’ll investigate that presently. As you just heard, everything that occurs in this fortress now falls under my jurisdiction. Including you, of course.”
Emeric gestured to a nearby soldier.
“Escort my elder brother. Oh, there’s no need to be ceremonious about it. Just… adequately.”
“Y-yes, sir. Where shall I escort him?”
“Hmm. Somewhere appropriately dim and damp? Like an underground dungeon, perhaps?”
“Who gave you the right to order me about? Don’t lay a hand on me. How dare you touch the body of royalty without permission!”
Dietrich shoved away the soldiers who were cautiously approaching.
Prince Emeric clicked his tongue in disdain.
“If this weren’t your own mistake, I would naturally have you released. Please be patient. Consider those people who lost their precious families because of you.”
“Because of me?”
Dietrich glared, his eyes sweeping across the surroundings.
“Don’t be ridiculous! People died in this place even during peacetime. You’re going to pin all of that on me?!”
But the eyes that met his were nothing but cold.
“Ha!”
Dietrich laughed like a madman, his voice echoing wildly.
Beyond the fortress’s open gates, a wave of mercenaries poured in. Emeric’s Personal Mercenaries surrounded Dietrich and the Capital Guard.
“Shall we escort you respectfully, or shall we drag you out by force, brother?”
“Shut your mouth, you cunning bastard.”
Now that The Late King had sided with Emeric, Dietrich had no choice.
Swallowing his seething resentment and humiliation, Dietrich raised his right hand. At that signal, the Capital Guard began dropping their weapons to the ground one by one.
Emeric jerked his chin toward the mercenaries standing nearby.
“Escort my brother.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The mercenaries surrounded Dietrich.
Emeric watched with satisfaction as his half-brother turned away, spitting curses under his breath.
Until that moment, the fortress remained silent as a tomb.
“Well then.”
Emeric clapped his hands together sharply and turned around.
He smiled faintly as he faced the large, gnarled tree standing in the corner of the military camp.
“Do come out, Princess. Won’t you accept my gratitude?”
* * *
By the time Kairon Winterbark returned from thoroughly exerting himself, dawn was breaking over the Eastern Fortress Wall.
“What? It’s already finished?”
He had just swept through one company of the Capital Guard that had been blocking the Mining Site after organizing it.
The Fortress Army soldiers who had rampaged alongside him were methodically throwing the Capital Guard into the Supply Warehouse. The Guard Knights, beaten until barely clinging to life, let out dying groans.
He had come to clean up the battlefield and deal with the remaining company, only to find the situation already resolved.
Mercenaries—neither Capital Guard nor Fortress Army—were carrying supplies throughout the fortress.
It appeared that Prince Emeric had arrived with The King’s orders faster than expected and concluded the situation.
Since Emeric’s maternal relatives held weak influence and he had no connections with the Military Forces, he regularly employed the Mercenary Guild as his means of military power in emergencies.
Though called mercenaries, they were no less disciplined and coordinated than elite troops. Dietrich’s Guard Knights, who had been oppressing the Fortress Army until yesterday, were now completely submissive to the mercenaries.
‘Impressive. I never expected Emeric to actually enter the fortress.’
Two major powers that controlled the Kingdom had arrived at this remote Border Frontier, a place where no amount of gold could normally draw anyone.
Kairon let out a low whistle.
Truly a feast for the eyes.
He smacked his lips as someone approached him.
“Commander Winterbark? The Third Prince requests that you be brought to him immediately upon your return.”
“My wife?”
“The Princess of Elovis has returned to her quarters. Once you’ve met with His Highness, I shall escort you there at once.”
Kairon Winterbark followed the mercenary without protest.
The space that Dietrich had occupied until just before the expedition had transformed into something entirely different within mere hours.
A colorful canopy adorned the chamber, while geometric ornaments reflecting Prince Emeric’s tastes lined the shelves.
Prince Emeric sat cross-legged atop the desk.
He raised one hand and laughed like a boy.
“Hello, Kairon. It’s been quite a while since we’ve met like this.”
Prince Emeric’s face had scarcely changed from Kairon’s memories. His delicate cheeks remained feminine, his eyes still sharply angled upward, and his physique showed little alteration.
What remained most consistent was that loose, languid smile. Beneath his slightly parted lips, unusually sharp canines gleamed.
Whenever Kairon faced Prince Emeric, he always felt the urge to silence that frivolous mouth—to sever the tongue within it.
“Let me see… it’s been nearly ten years, hasn’t it?”
Prince Emeric counted the years silently, his lips moving as though measuring the passage of time.
“You’ve grown so much. I barely recognize you.”
“I have received the royal command.”
Kairon cut off the frivolous conversation with a single stroke.
“All records pertaining to the military, administration, and operations of the Northern Fortress are kept in the Records Repository on the left side of the corridor. The Fortress Army quarters are in the Western Building, with a Medical Facility in front of it, and the Supply Warehouse directly across from that. Manage them as you see fit. I shall take my leave.”
“You’re leaving?”
Prince Emeric’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Without even catching up with your older brother after all this time? I thought we might share a drink to celebrate reclaiming the fortress.”
A bottle of whiskey and two glasses sat upon the table.
“These days, every time I open my eyes, my superior has changed.”
A sneer twisted Kairon’s lips.
“I have no way of knowing who will replace you tomorrow, so there’s little point in exchanging words. Besides, you likely already know everything about my current circumstances without me needing to broadcast them.”
“I thought perhaps marriage might have softened your disposition, but you’re utterly devoid of charm—exactly as you were before.”
Prince Emeric grumbled and leaped down from the desk.
He moved toward the table, dropping carefully cut ice into a transparent glass before pouring whiskey over it.
“Then how about this topic instead? Your bride’s cleverness—or perhaps her naïveté.”
His voice rose and fell with a lightness like humming, creating an unsettling unease.
“You haven’t told that woman much about me, have you?”
The moment the Princess became the subject, Kairon’s expression transformed in an instant.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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