Chapter 25

“Chapter 25: The Seven Electors”

Feeling the resentful gaze from Rhine, Lynn smiled at him.

Seeing everyone treating this matter like a trivial squabble, he lowered his head and resumed his battle with the roasted sausage on his plate.

After a moment, someone started discussing official matters with Ivyst.

“Your Highness, Duke Tilius has once again declined your invitation, what do you think?”

Duke Tilius?

Lynn felt that name sounded familiar.

Upon recalling, it struck him that this guy was a duke in the original story from the Saint Roland Empire, also serving as the governor of the southern province.

Moreover, he was a distinguished elector.

Although the system of electors had been declining in recent modern times due to the strong royal power, their influence in the royal election ceremony was still not to be disregarded.

In total, there were seven electors.

Besides the four secular electors, there were also three ecclesiastical electors, all held by the archbishops of the three major churches in the Saint Roland Empire.

So before each royal election begins, any prince aspiring to the throne tries to befriend these old-timers.

If a prince gains the support of more than four electors, it’s basically a sure shot at the throne.

It seemed that the currently weak Ivyst was a bit anxious, not wanting to lag too far behind others.

Thinking back to the royal election plot in the original story, Lynn shook his head.

Saint Roland VI had a total of nine children, most of whom were nothing short of terrible people.

In order to win the election, they killed each other, schemed against one another, and in the end, it was Princess Shirina who laughed last with the help of the protagonist.

Generally, after winning the election, the victor would temporarily serve as regent, managing imperial affairs while waiting to formally ascend.

As for Ivyst, all Lynn could say was good luck.

She didn’t have Shirina’s protagonist glow, nor did she have a powerful family backing her.

Besides being seen as an evil force, she couldn’t even win people’s goodwill.

That was practically a death sentence.

After all, public opinion was a significant factor in becoming emperor.

Of course, by public opinion, I don’t mean the common folk; it’s more like the nobles who pile onto the roots of the empire, sucking out its lifeblood like parasites.

Lynn shook his head.

Not interested in politics, he focused back on his plate.

The sausages were delicious.

Starving, Lynn wolfed them down, slathering grease everywhere.

Just then, a voice full of admiration and curiosity came from beside him: “I didn’t expect you could make that arrogant guy lose it like that; that’s impressive!”

Lynn looked up to see a blond teenager sitting next to him.

The kid resembled Rhine quite a bit but didn’t have that same arrogance; instead, he seemed a bit clueless.

“Who are you?”

Lynn wiped the grease from his mouth.

“I’m Greya Augusta. Sorry for the trouble my brother caused you.”

The boy named Greya scratched his head.

Lynn nodded and pointed to the food on his plate. “Do you want some sausage?”

“No thanks.”

Greya felt warm inside, about to politely decline the offer.

However, before he could finish his sentence, he watched in disbelief as that guy eagerly forked over the untouched roasted sausage from his plate.

What the heck.

Greya finally understood what his brother felt just now.

This guy is such a jerk! He felt a bit indignant in his heart.

He actually liked sausages, too!

So Greya thought about it, planning to return the favor in kind.

He pointed at the lamb chop on his plate and asked, “How about some lamb chop?”

Greya intended to mimic Lynn and be a little petty when he rejected it, thinking that would even the score.

Unexpectedly, that guy excitedly forked over the last lamb chop from his plate.

“Sure!” he mumbled, “You’re really nice.”

Greya’s eyes widened, as he hadn’t expected such a move.

Looking at his now empty plate, he felt like smashing the table. But just as Greya was about to act, he suddenly noticed the surroundings had grown quiet.

Instinctively, he looked up, realizing that the esteemed princess at the head table was staring at him with a calm, indifferent gaze.

Greya nearly wet himself.

Lynn set me up!

Feeling like a frightened quail, he drooped his head, “Y-Your Highness?”

“It seems you have something to say?”

Ivyst replied flatly.

“N-Nothing, Your Highness.”

Greya was close to tears.

“No, you do.” Ivyst’s dominance resurfaced, “Since you have something to say, it means you have your own unique ideas on how to handle the more than three hundred commoners.”

“If that’s the case, I’m assigning you to take care of it; I want to see results within three days.”

Ivyst’s words fell lightly.

But to Greya’s heart, they felt like a heavy weight! He was completely dumbfounded.

Though he was the second son of Baron Augusta and had a half-arsed title, with Rhine’s overpowering presence, Greya would never have a chance to inherit any title.

His biggest hope in this life was to build a plantation down south and marry a noble lady, living a secure and carefree life.

Even if his father and brother pledged loyalty to the princess, it didn’t really involve Greya.

He just sauntered around the manor and Orlen City, taking life easy.

After all, no one truly expected anything from him.

But suddenly, that princess tossed such a heavy responsibility onto him.

Greya was left bewildered.

Huh? Me?

Just as he was feeling lost and helpless, he suddenly heard a commotion from beside him.

Greya glanced out of the corner of his eye.

Indeed, that Lynn brat was bowing his head, shaking all over as he stifled laughter.

“Oh, by the way, you can take Lynn along as your assistant. If it flops, you should know the consequences.”

Ivyst’s voice came again.

At this, Lynn’s smile instantly froze on his face.

He looked up with a face full of discomfort.

This time, it was Greya who was stifling laughter.

Turns out smiles don’t vanish; they just shift from one person’s face to another’s.

“Let’s go.”

After breakfast, Rhine walked directly up to Lynn.

His expression cold, he pointed to the door, gesturing for Lynn to follow him.

In fact, he was already daydreaming in his mind about how exactly he wanted to teach this detestable guy a good lesson.

The “cellar” wasn’t just a place for storing junk; it was situated deeper than the underground prison.

Rhine had been there a few times and was thoroughly shocked.

In simple terms, it was Ivyst’s storage room for all kinds of extraordinary items and ancient curses, filled with bizarre and eclectic things.

There were even many high-level dangerous artifacts.

It was said that once released, they could easily turn into a disaster sweeping through the city.

Luckily, most things in there were perfectly contained, thanks to her efforts.

Her power was terrifying, able to forcibly suppress even those dreadful ancient artifacts.

And once they entered the cellar, Rhine planned to use some ancient artifact’s property to give this kid a good lesson, letting him know who the real boss of this manor was.

With that thought, Rhine revealed a cold smirk.

Seeing this, Greya glanced at Lynn with a bit of sympathy: “Let’s save the princess’s task for later when you get out. Also, good luck.”

There weren’t many people of the same age in the manor, and those who could get along were even fewer.

He genuinely hoped that Lynn could stay safe here.

After all, he seemed like an interesting guy.

Watching the two leave, Greya thought to himself.