Chapter 101

The Grand Hall of the Imperial Palace was in utter chaos due to the Wolphall family’s commotion.

For some reason, it was a familiar scene.

In my past life, I had contributed to the ruin of a project my father was working on. To be precise, I had played a part in its failure.

Father had conspired with a few people to commit stock manipulation fraud.

Although the method itself was typical, the involvement of celebrities turned it into a news sensation.

When father fell, his accomplices and supposed victims wailed. Some even confronted me at the court as a witness, yelling about how I was the reservoir of all their problems, that I had caused their divorces, and had ruined their lives.

The only difference this time was that there was bloodshed.

“Dare to touch anywhere! Where!”

Was the氛围 still unclear even after witnessing the shattered clavicles and knees of the direct lineage? A middle-aged woman yelling at the guards before being beaten unconscious with the butts of rifles.

“I am not of the Wolphall family. I truly have nothing to do with these people. I only married Hayden Wolphall. Why am I here in this situation…? I don’t understand why I’m being treated as a criminal. I am not Wolphall.”

One person sobbed, desperately denying any association with the Wolphall family. So far, he had benefited from being under the Wolphalls’ wing, but it seemed his stance had changed now.

“Please, look at me.”

And then there were those who simply stood there, pleading dumbfounded.

Normally, the Grand Hall was a place where nobles would gossip and admire crafts, but now the Wolphalls had become the spectacle.

There were indeed many spectators. The Chief Steward, who looked like he had aged ten years within a few hours, was there. And under his command were many palace attendants.

They all appeared shocked, having witnessed the grotesque scene before their eyes.

There was, however, one spectator who was smiling.

“Even so, they were let off easy, weren’t they? Only the clavicles were shattered.”

The person speaking, of course, was Siena, who had appeared next to me.

‘This kid wouldn’t miss such a scene.’

Everyone else appeared serious except Siena, who was smiling.

Was she happy because her sister’s political base had been erased in an instant?

Indeed, Siena had been the beneficiary of this situation. The Heiress Apparent position was practically Victoria’s, given her faction’s blind support from their maternal relatives. But that support had disappeared due to this incident.

However, Siena’s smile wasn’t due to political gain. She simply enjoyed others’ tragedies.

She wasn’t just a passive spectator. Siena had been the one to gather the Wolphall family here alongside Victoria.

“Father was worried about the lack of justification, wasn’t he?”

“Even with Her Highness Victoria’s plea?”

“Of course, while misappropriation of military supplies is a grave offense, we’re not in an emergency war situation, are we? It was said that morphine alone wasn’t enough to justify the accusations. Hayden Wolphall… this man drew a pistol inside the palace, so he would have to be killed anyway, but…”

It seemed it wouldn’t be enough to dismantle the entire family. While such hesitance could be seen as indecisive for a ruler, it wasn’t entirely without merit.

However, the Emperor’s concerns were soon to be resolved.

“Siena, contrary to His Majesty’s worries, there’s no lack of justification for the purge.”

“Ah, of course, there will be no complaints. It’s a matter that both my sister and I requested, and father approved.”

“No. There is, in fact, sufficient justification. The Wolphalls will soon provide the missing evidence themselves.”

“…?”

Siena blinked in confusion, but soon, as if catching on, her eyes began to spark once more. She even licked her lower lip with her red tongue.

“You mean they’re about to betray each other?”

“Yes. They will competitively denounce each other’s hidden malfeasances, and even incriminate themselves in the process. … Logically, it’s absurd. It ends up adding to their own guilt,”

“I get it. I understand.”

“…?”

“Because they believe revealing others’ sins will make them look innocent. … Or at least, they believe they’ll be treated as accessories rather than participants.”

She quickly understood again. If it wasn’t the Wolphall family but Siena who was my rival…

If I didn’t know any better, it would have been an incredibly difficult battle. Perhaps I would have resorted to some underhanded tactics to easily neutralize her.

I was secretly amazed by Siena’s quick understanding at that moment.

Just then, the Wolphall family started moving according to my expectations.

“Wait, Your Highness Siena! I have something to say! It was about the removal of the commander of the 3rd Artillery Brigade two years ago!”

“Why are you saying that!”

“It’s all your doing, Ian. I can’t let myself die too.”

“Such dogs…!”

They began hastily stabbing each other in the back. It wouldn’t be long before enough dirt came out to justify the annihilation of the entire family.

Now there was no lack of justification.

What remained was the degree of punishment.

That decision was entirely in the hands of the Emperor, the ruler of the Britannia Empire. The dissolution of the Wolphall family was already a decided matter; what remained was how many would die. Now that it had come to this, a mere demotion or forced retirement wouldn’t suffice.

It wouldn’t take long.

“I’m going to see Dad. Sister Victoria will probably be in the audience chamber.”

The two princesses were set to assist the Emperor’s decision.

Siena glanced at Hayden Wolphall, who was groaning in agony, before hurrying along.

**

The Audience Chamber connected to the Grand Hall.

The Emperor seated there was on the verge of losing his mind.

Was he pitying the sudden downfall of the Wolphall family?

No, that wasn’t it.

He had personally killed his half-brothers even in his youth. Even if it was his in-laws, it was just the cost of maintaining power. Though prolonged peace had softened him to some degree, he knew he couldn’t let emotions sway him. He also knew he needed to rein in the Wolphalls for the sake of his daughter, Victoria.

‘But wasn’t this too sudden?’

What’s more, this purge had been orchestrated by his own daughter, Victoria leading and Siena smirking alongside her.

Right now, the two princesses were standing by the Emperor.

The Emperor, who had been pressing his aching head with his hands, finally opened his mouth.

“He should receive treatment.”

“Treatment?”

Siena tilted her head in confusion. The Emperor sighed.

“I’ve heard that Hayden Wolphall’s both clavicles have shattered.”

The Emperor, being a seasoned swordsman, well knew the immense pain one endured when the collarbone fractured.

Leaving him untreated could result in a severe disability.

Regardless of his sins, a saintess must be summoned to heal him. After all, he was the Emperor’s brother-in-law, a general of the Empire, and Victoria’s eldest maternal uncle. At the very least, basic civility called for this.

Wouldn’t that be the right thing to do?

However, Siena shook her head.

“He’s the man who drew a pistol within the confines of the Imperial Palace, very near to this audience chamber. Even though his target was Alan, Hayden surely intended to commit more sacrilegious acts after presumably attempting to kill Alan.”

“Princess Siena.”

“Why would he draw his weapon otherwise? Why bother treating a man who’s resigned himself to death?”

Especially since he was going to die soon anyway.

The Emperor glanced regretfully at his second daughter, whose execution had already been decided.

Of course, considering Siena’s character, it wasn’t surprising that she would talk about killing. It was true that Hayden Wolphall had little chance of survival.

However, with Victoria, his elder daughter, right beside her, there was no need for Siena to press the issue further.

The Emperor cleared his throat and turned to Victoria, expecting her to be troubled after the incident in the Grand Hall.

But Victoria’s reaction was unexpected.

“Siena’s right…”

Though her expression was gloomy, her stance was resolute.

“处置 General Hayden Wolphall any way other than execution would be difficult. If we punish him leniently, it might send the wrong signal. If the situation was supposed to end at merely a fall from power, we wouldn’t have called him to the palace in the first place.”

“We must punish decisively. …The lives of the remaining family members can only be saved by executing at least the two main perpetrators.”

Victoria, urging for the execution of her maternal uncles.

Upon closer inspection, it seemed she was actually using her uncles’ impending deaths to eliminate any chance of resurgence.

But was it alright for her to so easily condone the execution of her maternal relatives?

As if sensing the Emperor’s troubled gaze, Victoria nodded calmly.

“Mother Majesty, or rather, Your Majesty.”

“Speak, Victoria.”

“If we handle this vaguely, the prestige of the Imperial Court might collapse. Some might mistakenly believe that I am still supporting the Wolphall family. We must punish harshly and publicly to avoid misunderstandings.”

“…”

“This way, we can also prevent similar incidents from recurring.”

The Emperor looked at his daughter with a mixture of complex emotions.

The girl who had once cherished her maternal relatives was now demanding the death of her own uncles.

Perhaps he should have been more wary of the Wolphall family for Victoria’s sake. The Emperor felt a sudden pang of regret.

“I apologize.”

“Your Majesty has done enough to guard against them. The Wolphall family had… at least on the surface, been extremely compliant. They even set their own cap on promotions and avoided key positions. Now, it seems, they simply didn’t need those positions.”

“…”

“Ultimately, this was my fault. I apologize for burdening Your Majesty. I am also sorry for making Sir Alan Medoff do something he shouldn’t have.”

Why had Alan Medoff’s name come up here all of a sudden?

Regardless, with both daughters speaking thus, there was no way for him to refuse.

He decided against consulting the Empress; it was clear she would demand executions anyway.

Certainly, further investigations would still be necessary and additional crimes needed to be uncovered, but those were mere formalities. Ultimately, the fate of the Wolphall family remained in the Emperor’s hands, and with only one real option available, was this truly a choice?

“Then, it’s settled.”

The Emperor finally made the decision to execute two of Victoria’s maternal uncles.

The method of execution was public.

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