Arestia Empire'S World Domination
Chapter 9: Before the Battle

...—Capital of Latva, Kingdom Forbrenne—...

...—23 July 1238—...

"Dam." The Second Prince of the Forbrenne Kingdom, Ruon, clenched tightly on his right palm, greatly annoyed after hearing the rebels begin to prepare their heavy military weaponry outside the walls of the capital.

Being exactly a few steps away from him, Filipe frowned, not expecting that a situation that was impossible for him, could happen.

Not without reason. Medieval commoners were very obedient to the rulers, including the inhabitants of Forbrenne to Ruon and Philipe many years before.

With different reasons, whether it was out of awe or even fear, it would be very strange if the commoners could take up arms too quickly, both consider enemy agents among the rebel leaders.

Being inside one of the offices that Ruon had inside the palace, the atmosphere of the room instantly became hot, just because of what a knight who was kneeling down was just shaking, he said, worried about his life safety.

Moreover, Ruon's vexation was not only rooted in the matter. The other two Princes of the Forbrenne Kingdom, the First Prince and the Third Prince, rejected the temporary alliance, although they understood very well that things had become very precarious.

Not only because of prestige, but both princes have mothers from more prominent families, he said, it was very different from Ruon's mother who came from an Earl-ranked family as well as Felipe's mother who came from the Viscount family.

What should I do with just 15,000 soldiers?!

The attitude of those two idiots really gave me a headache!

In total, the army of nobles belonging to the Forbrenne Kingdom army numbered around 45,000, mostly made up of slaves. Of course, the higher the social position of a prince, the greater the influence he had on controlling the movement of the troops.

The First Prince of the Forbrenne Kingdom commanded many nobles who had great military power, making him control of 20,000 soldiers from the army. The same was the case with the third prince, who had control over 10,000 soldiers.

Ruon turned her gaze with an annoyed expression, "Oi, how is the sabotage operation inside the rebel forces?! It's been more than three days I haven't gotten their report!"

"Ka—we are too, Your Majesty!" Panicked, the reporting knight sweated profusely, deeply worried about his safety, feeling like he could be killed at any moment.

"Once, it clearly failed." Felipe raised his right hand, momentarily holding his forehead while closing his eyes with a headache with his troubles, "I think it's right that we assume there's an enemy agent in the rebel army."

Geck.

Geck.

Geck.

Geck.

The sound of a very fast knock on the door filled the room, making the entire room turn its attention to the source of the sound.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Bad news!" The loud voice of a guard knight sounded from behind the door.

"Lake in." Ruon gave the order.

Cklek.

Frantically, the guard knights who were outside the room as well as one other knight entered the room, they knelt down with their heads bowed deeply right after being a few steps away from Ruon's table.

"His Highness the First Prince escaped!" report the knight who was with the guard knight.

"Damn it! That idiot!" Ruon was immediately upset, her tightly clenched right hand hitting her desk.

"D—and also, His Highness the Third Prince has been found murdered in his room!" keep the knight.

For a moment, no one could process the information which to them was shocking.

"Impossible..." Felipe broke the silence, his tone impressed deeply distrusting the news he had just received.

Ruon's mind instantly spun rapidly. He immediately understood that the control of the situation was no longer within his grasp. Moreover, with the news of the killing of one of his half-brothers who had the tightest security, Ruon realized that the royal palace or even the capital was no longer safe for him.

However, he could not rule out the murders that happened to his half-brother. For the royalty, no matter how small the territory they command, it would be a disgrace to them if they did not take action against the murderer.

"How was he when he was killed?" ruon asked, it is very intimidating for many people around her.

"Ba—baik, Your Majesty! A knife that was supposedly covered in poison pierced the chest of His Highness the Third Prince while he was asleep!" answer the knight rapporteur.

"Are there any witnesses to this incident?" ask Ruon.

"Some of the servants in charge of taking care of the room of His Highness the Third Prince entered the room after some time did not hear an answer from him! They found out His Majesty had been killed!" timpal knight rapporteur.

"Hmmm..." Ruon slightly bowed, looking at some of the parchment reports on her desk, though her eyes were not focused on the sheet.

"Did Brother run away immediately after hearing this news?" Felipe asked, suspecting his brother.

"No, Your Majesty! He had left the palace long before the servants learned of the Third Prince!" timpal knight rapporteur.

"So, so he—" Filipe interrupted.

"No. Don't be in a hurry to draw a conclusion" Ruon said.

"But, if we don't do it, we don't have the extra hand to take care of the rebels." Felipe protested, he understood the impact of the palace's internal turmoil.

"That's not what I meant." Ruon objected, "As information that we will spread to the public, we will accuse brother of being the prime suspect. However, we cannot conclude that as our answer. Didn't you know that among the rebel leaders there are agents from other countries?"

"I see, I understand." Felipe nodded lightly, his expression full of seriousness.

"From now on, don't eat food unless it comes from your confidant knight. We do not know how the enemy can act. Moreover, almost the entire Forbrenne Kingdom Region was no longer within the grasp of the royal family." Ruon suggested, take a roll of parchment on her desk and give it to Felipe.

"What's this?" asked Felipe, frowning.

"If your safety is no longer assured, flee." Ruon stared firmly at Felipe, to the surprise of him.

"What do you mean, brother? Are you planning to die in this city?!" asked Felipe, frowning.

"really. At least, my name will go down in history as a responsible member of the royalties." Ruon smiled faintly, a strong resolve etched into her eyes.

"Huh?! If so, I—" Felipe panicked back, though Ruon interrupted him once again.

"Don't be stupid. If you are also killed, the pure blood of the Forbrenne Royal Family will be destroyed." Ruon stared strongly at Felipe, "I really hope that if you can rebuild the glory of Forbrenne, even if it starts in another land."

Right after his words ended, Ruon took out her beloved sword, walking out indifferently despite the opposition from her knights. However, his steps came to a halt just before he left the room.

"Don't worry, I'll order some of my bodyguards to protect you." Ruon said it without looking at Felipe and immediately set her legs back leaving the room.

Amidst the noise from the panic of the knights that had engulfed Ruon's office, Felipe slightly bowed weakly, restraining his two eyes which had involuntarily been glazed over while making a very soft voice, "Idiot."

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