Chapter 214

Raising my sword with great momentum and making an announcement was, in its own way, a meaningful act—but in the end, it was just empty words. To truly incite a rebellion, we needed to put everything into action.

“Milady Luna—no, my Lord.”

Though I was slightly surprised to hear Mets address me not as “Lady Luna” or “the Lady of the Castle,” but rather as “my Lord,” I knew this was the title I had to grow accustomed to. Slowly nodding, I replied.

“Speak your mind.”

“What shall we do about those who refuse to cooperate?”

While everyone present was already loyal to me, the commanders absent from this room—those diligently serving in their posts—were a different story. They were people who had served Karelia faithfully. It wasn’t as if they would blindly follow me just because the lady of the castle decided to rebel. Though sentiment against Vanessa’s tyranny had weakened their loyalty to Karelia, dealing with them was still crucial if we wanted to take over Tevelo Castle smoothly.

Tifa scratched her head after listening quietly for a moment and said,

“It’s obvious, right? We need to capture them all. If we let them go, they might ruin our entire plan.”

Tifa’s words were logical. The longer news of our rebellion and seizure of the castle remained secret, the more time we’d have to prepare. Moreover, we weren’t just concerned about Karelia’s forces; there were other factors at play.

After some thought, I finally spoke.

“…Violet.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

Despite her young voice, the weight she placed on the word “Lord” was unmistakable. For a moment, I marveled at how the bookish Violet had transformed into such a spirited young woman—but now wasn’t the time for such musings.

“To the east, can I leave that to you?”

Upon hearing my request, Violet quickly understood my intentions and bowed her head.

“I will personally send a letter to the Ohana Army.”

“I appreciate it.”

As Violet mentioned, we couldn’t afford to ignore the Ohana Army to the east. Whether they’d side with us or join forces with Karelia against us was uncertain, but we needed to neutralize them first.

I then turned my gaze toward Mets and Tifa.

“You two, could you gather all the armed forces?”

“Should we imprison them all?”

Mets asked, but I slowly shook my head.

“No need. Just bring them here without causing any harm.”

“Hold up. What exactly are you planning?”

“This part, I’ll handle, Tifa.”

After answering Tifa, I looked around at everyone again. Then, bowing deeply once more before my subordinates, I made another heartfelt plea.

“Please, leave this to me. I beg of you.”

If Sir Swoen found out about this, he’d surely get angry. He’d likely tell me it was the wrong approach. But when it came to earnestly asking for help from my comrades, I didn’t know any method better than expressing genuine sincerity. Even if I got scolded later… it was fine. In fact, hearing his reprimand would bring me relief.

“…We’ll bring them immediately.”

With that, Mets nodded, leaving the room with Francis and Tifa in tow. It was time to settle things once and for all.

* * *

Sometime later…

When the message spread that “The Lady of the Castle urgently requests your presence,” all the commanders stationed at Tevelo Castle gathered in the Audience Chamber. Not long afterward, they began voicing their shock.

“Are you saying, my Lady, that you intend to establish a new nation?”

“That’s correct. Starting today, I declare the establishment of the Lunarien Army, aiming to usher in an era of peace for this troubled continent.”

“But isn’t this ultimately betrayal?”

“…”

Faced with the question, I closed my eyes and remained silent. Mets, visibly agitated, shouted in response, and this time, I didn’t stop him.

“Didn’t I explain everything already?! Vanessa ordered the removal of our Lady, who upheld righteousness! Why should we remain loyal to someone who doesn’t trust us?”

“There must be ways to openly discuss this with our Lord instead of resorting to betrayal.”

“And considering what kind of person Vanessa is—wouldn’t discussing it even make sense?”

“There’s also the possibility that this is merely one-sided claims by you, Mets. Can we really dismiss that?”

“What…? You’ve known Vanessa well enough to understand what I’m saying, yet how dare you—”

“Mets. It’s alright.”

At my words, Mets calmed down and quieted. The commander who had initially questioned me sighed deeply, looking around the room.

“So, why did you call us here? Are you planning to arrest us? If you think betraying our oaths like this will lead to success, then—”

“That’s not the case.”

Interrupting the armed man, I bowed deeply with an apologetic expression.

“I apologize for cutting you off. However, I want to persuade you. I simply wish to give you the freedom to choose.”

“Freedom?”

“I ask only that you freely decide whether to stand with me or return to your original allegiance with Karelia.”

Upon hearing this, murmurs rippled through the crowd—not just among the newly arrived commanders but also among those already aligned with Lunarien.

Still, no one directly challenged my words. Because I had spoken them. Because I asked them to trust me. And so, they trusted and supported me.

“If we choose to return, what then?”

“I’ll ensure your safe departure.”

“How am I supposed to believe that? After stabbing the Lord who trusted you in the back!”

“…”

Watching my silence, the commander raised his voice in accusation.

“Then let me propose this: If you release me, I’ll immediately report back to our Lord, detailing every weak point of Tevelo Castle. Would you still release me knowing that?”

“Yes. I will release you.”

“…Hmph, unbelievable…”

“However, allow me one final request.”

The commander stayed silent. Sensing his acquiescence, I bowed again and continued.

“I humbly implore you. Please trust me and come along. Your strength is desperately needed here at Tevelo Castle.”

“I won’t argue that Karelia has erred. But currently, Karelia cannot defy her… Vanessa. You all know very well what Vanessa has done, don’t you?”

As soon as Vanessa’s name was mentioned, the commanders’ expressions darkened. Yes.

Her cruel actions, backed by military power, were so extreme that no one would tolerate them anywhere—not just within Karelia’s army. It wasn’t just about her underhanded treatment of me. Having served under Karelia for so long, witnessing such behavior was not what they signed up for. Naturally, they were swayed by my words.

“Our current ruler, Karelia herself… I don’t believe she’s suited to lead during these turbulent times. Instead, wouldn’t it be better to place your hopes in Lunarien under my leadership?”

After my speech, an oppressive silence enveloped the Audience Chamber.

Truthfully, it was a reckless suggestion—but everyone harbored deep resentment toward Vanessa. Especially here at Tevelo Castle, located near the border. Public opinion among the territorial people had already soured against Vanessa, and her harsh commands had left her subordinates seething with resentment. Moreover, her backing came directly from Karelia.

Rebellion is wrong. As members of Karelia’s army, many still held onto that belief. But if our leader was merely going to be manipulated by Vanessa… perhaps this path might actually be the right one. Such thoughts lingered, preventing the commander from speaking rashly.

If there were no thoughts at all, rejecting my offer outright would’ve been simple. Listening to me speak meant they were already halfway toward betrayal.

Then, at that moment—

“My Lady Luna, may I ask you one question?”

An elderly male commander cautiously raised his hand to speak. This was Shain, who had served in Tevelo Castle for over forty years since the imperial days. He had been instrumental in helping me adjust to my role as the new Lady.

“Speak.”

“Why should we follow My Lady Luna solely because of Vanessa’s tyranny? Isn’t that insufficient reason?”

And thus, this seasoned veteran began pressing me with pragmatic questions.

“Even if you’ve increased your forces, there’s still a significant disparity in territories. There’s no clear strategy regarding the neighboring Ohana Army, and despite having justification for rebellion, betrayal remains betrayal. Setting aside moral considerations, nothing changes the fact that we’re overwhelmingly disadvantaged, does it?”

“…”

“I don’t doubt Mets’ words. They’re likely true. My Lady Luna isn’t one to fabricate falsehoods.”

Shain cleared his throat briefly before continuing.

“Moreover, I can’t deny that My Lady possesses certain strengths. If Karelia is the setting sun, then you are the rising one. Someone with decisive qualities like yours might indeed be better suited to navigate these chaotic times. However, if we’re to place our dreams elsewhere, shouldn’t there be more compelling reasons?”

“What kind of strengths do you mean?”

“There could be various answers. But right now, they’re glaringly insufficient. Simply put, choosing to side with My Lady doesn’t feel appealing enough to risk our lives for.”

To summarize Shain’s point: Show us something more convincing. We’re dissatisfied with the current Karelia regime, but this isn’t enough to commit fully.

Realizing this conversation was a pivotal moment in persuasion, I paused to reflect.

“That’s…”

Until now, I had relied on the thought process: “What would Sir Swoen do?” to reach this point. But now, trying to highlight our advantages, I struggled to find adequate responses.

This was fundamentally a plea for trust. A situation where I begged others to believe in me. Despite being at a disadvantage in every aspect, I promised to persevere and sought their assistance. How many tangible advantages could I claim over Karelia’s army? The sole difference seemed to be the absence of someone like Vanessa—and that was it.

But at that moment, absurdly enough, all I could recall was—

Sir Swoen’s words from before:

“Don’t worry too much, my Lord. No matter how dire the current situation, we’ll win in the end.”

“Sir Swoen…!”

Even if declaring “we’ll win in the end” might invite ridicule, if those words came from Sir Swoen…

Suddenly, I blurted out:

“Legitimacy.”

“…?”

“Wouldn’t you agree that our army possesses legitimacy that Karelia lacks?”

The reply didn’t come from me. It came from Cain, the elderly man standing quietly among my three closest aides.

“Legitimacy, you say?”

“Indeed. Legitimacy. Our army holds an overwhelming legitimacy that Karelia does not. At least when it comes to uniting this continent under a rightful cause.”

“My… Cain?”

At my query, Cain glanced at me. His eyes gleamed brighter than ever before—the same look he had during his final conversation with Sir Swoen.

“Sarin, do you know why tyrant Serpina managed to maintain her rule despite her cruelty?”

“I don’t see how that’s relevant now.”

“What if there were living members of the Einhardt family besides Serpina?”

“!!!”

“And what if that Einhardt member declared support for My Lady Luna?”

Everyone was stunned by this revelation. Only the three children Cain had brought—Francis, Charlotte, and Violet—remained unfazed. Most shocked of all was me, who had always stood beside him.

――We’ll win in the end.

The seemingly ordinary old man, Cain Nerkis, proved Sir Swoen’s words as though affirming them.

“Now I reveal the truth. My name is not Cain Nerkis.”

Cain looked directly at me, not at Shain.

This moment wasn’t about preserving life by hiding behind a false identity after abandoning the fallen royal family.

“My name is Kyle von Einhardt. Brother to the late king and father to Serpina. And I possess undeniable physical proof!”

Overwhelming legitimacy, previously exclusive to Serpina, now rolled effortlessly toward me—someone who had done nothing.

Recalling the face of the white-haired man once more, I realized…

His words were… once again, correct.