Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 70 The Instigator (Part 2)
The council chamber was finally erupting in a real uproar!
Even Russell frowned!
This time, all the nobles in the hall, except for Duke Cullen and Gilbert, looked at the silent Duke of the North with astonishment.

what happened?

"Your Majesty? Lord Aarond?" Count Zemuto, also one of the lords of the North, looked back and forth between the Duke of the North and the King with a mixture of surprise and uncertainty.

Count Fores, standing beside him, stared at Val in disbelief, motionless.

The commotion and uproar lasted for several tens of seconds.

Until the resolute-faced Lord of Coldhold, Duke Warden of the North, Val Arend, raised his head and looked back at the King.

He broke his silence and let out a long breath.

Amidst the astonished gazes of everyone, including Baron Russell, the resolute and warrior-like head of the White Eagle family smiled, looking up.

"You're still as perceptive as ever, Kai."

The Duke of the North then lowered his head and sighed:
"Just like your damned elder brother."

Thales' eyes widened!

what?
Now everyone realized what was happening.

Judging from the Duke of the North's reaction...

God.

But how could that be?

Kessel lowered his head and let out a genuine sigh.

"Aren't you going to explain, Va?" the king said calmly.

"What's there to explain? It's already failed, hasn't it?" Val said calmly, unconcerned about the gazes of the other lords. "But you, when did you figure it out?"

"It was those other lords who intercepted the delegation, wasn't it? I am clearly innocent, and the Northern Territory and the royal family are clearly the targets of their schemes."

Jann looked at Val in disbelief.

No, that's impossible. The ambush of the delegation was clearly orchestrated by the nobles within our "New Star" faction!

The Duke of the North is not even part of our group!
Kessel lowered his eyes and said dejectedly:

“The day before yesterday, during the National Affairs Conference, when the High Council voted, you cast your dissenting vote too hastily.”

The king's voice was filled with complex emotions: "I had my doubts at that time. You know, compared to the bargaining chip that Kushner offered to send troops to help, I would not stand idly by and watch the North stand by! You have no reason to oppose my son becoming the heir just because of the one-eyed man's promise."

Duke Kushner, the one-eyed lord, looked at the Duke of the North in astonishment, recalling the vote that had taken place the day before yesterday afternoon.

“Really?” Val gave a bitter smile. “How do you know I have no reason? You know, I really dislike you, don’t I?”

“Because of Li Xiya, the person you hate is me,” King Kessel said expressionlessly, but his fist, unseen by anyone under his sleeve, trembled slightly. “But you are a noble person, and you will not take your anger out on my son.”

Many people immediately looked at Thales, especially Baron Russell, whose face was grim.

“Unless you have a special reason to prevent my son from becoming the heir,” the king said in a low voice.

“But this is only suspicion,” Val sighed amidst the complex gazes filling the room. “Perhaps it’s just a coincidence?”

“Therefore, today, I tested Exter’s envoy.” The king raised his head, his voice cold.

“Hmph,” Val sneered, “As expected, you’ve become more and more suspicious since the Year of the Crimson.”

The king ignored him and continued speaking to himself:
"With just a few words, Lyanna figured out he was working for the Grand Duke of Lombar in the Black Sand Territory—only someone from Lombar would be so eager to change the subject to avoid revealing the Grand Duke's ambitions."

The Duchess of Blade's Edge looked coldly at the Duke of the North, without saying a word.

"When he first arrived, he put on a show for you: appearing to be an envoy unaware of the North's strength, testing the defenses of Starry North, and you retaliated without flinching—now it seems he was orchestrating this, stirring up a tense atmosphere as planned," King Kessel V said gravely.

"However, when I deliberately refused to choose between war and compromise, he threatened me very clearly: the North doesn't even have the troops to defend the Dragonbane Fortress... At this point, he was quite clear about the North's trump cards."

Don't you think it's contradictory?

"Doubts began to deepen at that time."

Russell's face immediately turned pale.

The king lowered his head and said, "Moreover, his interest in attacking me, provoking me, or even replacing me with another Star King is clearly greater than his interest in negotiating properly and securing Exter's interests for King Nunn."

"Isn't acquiring the lands of the North enough for Lumba? Why is he so interested in me and in replacing the Starry Sky royal family? Clearly, he's cooperating with someone from within the Starry Sky, and my crown represents the wishes of that collaborator."

"The question is, who is qualified to cooperate with the powerful lords of the Kingdom of Exter, such as the Grand Duke of Lombardy in the Black Sand Territory? Who can achieve mutual benefit and a win-win situation with him?"

“I’ve thought about it for a long time, considering Southrest, Kevindir, Cullen, and even Falkenhausen—but the least likely person to be me was you, Val. Because when the war broke out, the North would be the first to be hit, and you would be more like a poor soul who was plotted against along with me, a sacrifice.”

“Heh heh,” Falkenhausen’s voice shrieked, “unless, this was a voluntary sacrifice on his own.”

King Catherine V's gaze was sharp as a dagger, piercing Val Arend:
"But when I think about it the other way around—what will the Duke of Lombard gain? King Nunn's only son has died in the North, and the Walton family is destined to be out of the next election."

"Therefore, what Rumba can gain is twofold: first, the territory in the North, and second, the death of his rivals in the North."

"Among the stars, who can ensure that these two things happen simultaneously to the greatest extent possible?"

Kessel silently raised his eyes, his face filled with sorrow:
“It is you, Val Arend, the Duke who controls the North—the Warden of the North.”

"But I still don't believe it; I'd rather believe it's just a coincidence."

“No,” the Duke of the North said coldly, “you already believed it—you just needed to exhaust all means to prove your suspicions, didn’t you?”

The king gave a light scoff, glancing meaningfully at Exter's urgent envoy.

"I sent men ahead of time to intercept Baron Russell and, in front of all the lords, ostentatiously escorted them directly into the DC district. But until this morning, the secret agents ensured that they did not contact any Star People, were unaware of the events of the Heavenly Kingdom Conference the day before yesterday, were unaware of the change in heir—and were even less aware that their collaborators in the Stars were actually in a state of utter chaos."

"Guess how many groups of people the Kingdom's secret service intercepted the day before yesterday, trying to contact Baron Russell, under these circumstances?"

Morat's hoarse and unpleasant voice rang out at just the right moment:

“The third group, Your Majesty—the army scouts are skilled, but very stubborn, refusing to reveal their master’s identity.” He chuckled, “But what good is that? Such tough soldiers can only be found in a few places throughout the entire kingdom—finding out who’s behind them is a piece of cake.”

Val sighed and lowered his head: "They are my most elite scouts."

The Supreme King said coldly:

"But I still don't understand what exactly your agreement with Lumba is, and how it will be implemented?"

"Until this Exter man said that Exter people prefer heroes on the battlefield—yes, when war comes, the hero will always be the most dazzling one, isn't that how Exter itself was built?"

"And in this potential war, who has a better reason to fight to protect their homeland than the Duke of the North? If the enemy is actually your collaborator, it will be even easier for you to gain prestige and reputation on the battlefield."

"War breaks out—you swore to defend the North to the death, becoming a hero against Exter and the only one who can deal with them. With the royal line dying out, aren't you the most suitable successor?" Val sneered.

King Kessel looked at Val sadly: "Did I say something wrong, you who betrayed the North, the Duke Warden of the North?"

"Is being king really that important to you? So important that you, who were originally noble and pure, would betray your territory, your people, and your country?"

The hall fell silent.

Even Russell looked embarrassed and remained silent.

Val Arend stared blankly at the floor for a long time.

Until he closed his eyes tightly.

"Haha."

Amidst a mournful laugh, he finally opened his eyes, his tone calm:
"This shouldn't have been the case."

With a complex expression, Val slowly spoke:

"All of this should have gone according to my script."

The king squinted.

"'New Stars,' this group of star lords, was originally formed five years ago after the Desert War to counter your increasingly blatant monarchy."

“They, whether it was Cullen or Southrest, came to me, but I refused them.”

"But I realized this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I could achieve my goals through their struggle against you."

"That goal is so distant that I don't even believe it myself."

Val walked to the center of the hall, looked into the non-existent distance, and sighed.

“I risked going to Exter to find Rumba—you should see the look on his face when I took off my hood in front of him—and that night, we made an alliance.”

“I was responsible for encouraging Zemuto and Forrest to provoke them into occasional conflicts with Exster on the border—for which I even gave Zemuto the Pinecone County.”

The two earls from the thirteen noble families of the North, their brows furrowed in struggle and their faces ashen, looked at the Duke who had fought alongside them for many years.

"Lumba went to Exter to operate within the country, using these conflicts to portray the mission to the stars and the repair of the borders of the Treaty of Peace as a great mission, which led King Nunn to decide to secretly send his only son to accumulate qualifications for his future selection of kings—he was old, and old people always want to arrange everything after their death."

"I leaked this information to the 'New Stars'—among them were many ambitious men like Southrest and Kevindir, who quickly realized this would be a good opportunity to weaken royal power—there was only one thing I didn't tell them, and that was that the delegation included King Nunn's only son, secretly sent by him. Now that I think about it, they were probably quite frightened when they found out, but as the Far Eastern proverb says: 'Once you ride a tiger's neck, you can't get off.'"

Duke Cullen shook his head, while Jann snorted coldly. Only Kusder stared at Val with gritted teeth.

“The lords thought they were using Exter’s questioning and anger to weaken the king’s prestige and royal power—only Lumba and I knew that they were provoking a war between the two countries.”

“Rumba was Exte’s source of information, providing the mission’s itinerary and personnel. I, on the other hand, had the advantage of the North, bribing the host, monitoring and guiding them to the best assassination location. Meanwhile, the unsuspecting ‘New Star’s’ people carried out the final blow. With our three parties working together without each other’s knowledge, even the extreme expert by the prince’s side could not escape.”

"Lumba quickly leaked the news to the 'Dark Room' and then to Dragon City, while recommending Russell Vida to the desperate King Nunn. I, on the other hand, rushed to bring the news to Eternal Star, using war mobilization to exaggerate the seriousness of the situation and get Kessel to convene the nobles of the stars to discuss the matter and gain support—the more the better."

Russell looked at Val, then at Keith, his face pale.

But nobody paid him any attention.

Val looked up at the young Duke of Iris.

“Jane Kevin Deer, kid, you should have died in that assassination attempt—not only the nobles of the rising stars knew your whereabouts, but also I, who had been planning this all along.”

Jenn's expression changed!
“Yes,” Duke Val Arend nodded weakly, “the one who assassinated you was not one of your ‘New Stars’—it was me.”

"But look at your collaborators. They started to suspect each other just two days ago after learning about your assassination attempt. This shows how fragile your alliance is."

The dukes and earls all narrowed their eyes slightly.

Jann slammed his hand hard on the armrest.

The young Duke Kevin Deer said bitterly, "So that's why you spoke up for him and sowed discord among the lords the day before yesterday, when that brat... was around! Because this was all part of your plan!"

Val smiled with relief, and under Jenn's livid expression, continued:
"In this way, the already unstable 'rising star' will fall apart amidst doubts, the pressure on the royal family will increase dramatically, and I will lose a powerful competitor in the future."

"The 'New Star' plan is to force the king to establish his own heir when he needs their support for the war the most. But in the chaotic and suspicious High Council, this is doomed to fail. At the same time, my and Kessel's proposal to resist the invasion of Exter will lose the support of almost all other lords—it will look as if we have been tricked."

"And a few hours later, Russell Vida will arrive in Everstar City, carrying Exter's wrath—he is destined to provoke us madly, to propose conditions that the stars cannot accept, with only one goal: war."

Thales looked at Val in disbelief.

“If Kessel chooses war, my previous plan ensures that he will not have enough troops, and Rumba's swift invasion of the North will be unstoppable. With the tacit understanding between Rumba and me on the battlefield, it is enough to ensure that Kessel dies a glorious and dignified death—like Prince Horace before him. At the very least, it will make him suffer a few defeats, be humiliated, and lose all his prestige.”

“If Kessel chooses to compromise and cede the northern territories, he himself will become a sinner of the kingdom. I will incite the voices of the lords and the people to force him to abdicate. But I will still join the war in the north. When the army of Exter, especially Lombard, comes to take over the territory, the royal family and the lords will hide their heads. Only I will gather troops and fight to the death. That will make me more noble, like the only light in the darkness.”

"Hey! Someone actually called me a hypocrite!" Upon hearing this, the one-eyed dragon glared fiercely at Thales.

Duke Arendt crossed his arms and gave a bitter smile:
"Yes, no matter which choice we make, we will suffer a catastrophic defeat in the North—however, I will turn the tide and 'repel' Rumba in the darkest hour, on several key battlefields. Afterwards, Rumba, out of mutual respect with me, will retreat with the territories they have already occupied, satisfied after we form an alliance. I will become the undisputed hero of the kingdom, and compared to Kessel, who suffers great blame and has no lord's support, I will become the most sought-after candidate for the next king."

“Val Arend!” Count Zemuto’s anger was barely contained. “That’s our North! The place your ancestors began to rule and protect for generations!”

“Enough with the nonsense,” Earl Fores said, looking at Val with a gloomy expression. “Can’t you tell? He’s no longer the ‘Iron Eagle’ Duke we used to know.”

Val looked dejected and completely ignored the two Northern Earls behind him. He continued absentmindedly:
"The lords are suspicious of each other, and I, being neutral, am the least suspicious. Moreover, I am the close friend of the king—if he were still alive at that time—the brother of the high priest of the Sunset Temple, and the hero of the Star Kingdom who resisted the invasion, as everyone expects. I am destined to become the supreme king of the Star Kingdom."

"As for Exter, the Walton family has lost its last heir and is destined to withdraw from the next election of kings in disappointment. At the same time, Lumba will gain a large territory in the North and the glorious achievement of conquering the northern border of the Starry Sky. With his strength expanding rapidly and the support of me and the entire Starry Sky, he is destined to become the next King of the Union."

“Everything was going well,” Val Arend looked at Thales with a strange expression and regret in his eyes, “until this boy suddenly appeared and disrupted all plans.”

“Jane did not die, but instead sided with you; forcing the establishment of an heir did not work well. The lords of the ‘new star’ did not fight to the death for the throne, but confronted the royal family over the appointment of the new prince. The envoy of Exeter was even trapped in your scheme without knowing about the state council meeting and the new prince.”

"But I can only keep going, until..."

Val sighed, gave a mocking laugh, and shook his head indifferently:
"And that's how I failed."

At this moment, the hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

I have a dream.

One day, he woke up to find that Thales was no longer seven years old.

And.

One day I woke up to find that the total recommendations for "Kingdom Bloodline" exceeded the total clicks.

But judging from the current situation, the second goal seems quite close. ORZ
In addition, I wrote a side story and put it in the work's related section. This side story seems to reveal quite a lot of information.



(End of this chapter)