Chapter 290

Chapter 76 If I Were Still a Man

“Duque Lexis was arrested and imprisoned, now he has become my captive, but I will not underestimate him because of that. He is a very cautious person, especially skilled in psychological warfare. The assassination plot in the palace is not so simple. Duque Lexis is afraid of death; otherwise, he would not have become so agitated. If not for my gaining the support of the Reckmont family, if not for the heavy pressure from the Church, if not…”

Victoria paused momentarily at this point.

Then she sighed softly: “If not for my mother’s self-sacrifice to prove her innocence. According to his usual character, he certainly wouldn’t have shown himself so quickly. He would continue hiding in Fleruska Castle, every day plotting how to make me die silently, unrelated to him, and pinning all the blame on others.”

Yes…

Thinking about everything that had happened before.

The former king’s accident, the regent empress being appointed, the young prince’s death, Victoria’s scars, the disaster in the royal city, the empress’s death, the Gate of Truth… All these events seemed to have nothing to do with the Clive family.

The former king was killed by the empress, the young prince was poisoned by Victoria’s uncle, the mastermind behind the royal city disaster was Teresa, and the empress committed suicide. She died from an unrelenting hatred and deep-seated weakness, being a failed usurper. People would think her foolish, selfish, and suspicious, not trusting even her own daughter, resorting to any means to achieve her goals, even colluding with heretics…

Even someone like me who knows the inside story, if not for Victoria’s clarification, I wouldn’t understand what part the Clive family played in all this. They distanced themselves too cleanly, fully understanding the essence of using others as pawns, except for hiring assassins which anyone with money could do. The Clive family… or rather, the old duke, truly did nothing, leaving no evidence, not even a word to be held against them.

But ultimately, the beneficiaries were always them.

The king died, the government disintegrated, and the regent empress took power hastily, but she was a Northerner who hated the royal family. She would only accelerate the decline of the royal family, building the strongest army of Eisenbell—Iron Guards—to be manipulated and then die, bearing the blame for others after death.

Killing the heart as well.

Such things, those who don’t know will never know. Even if someone guessed, they wouldn’t dare speak out, only keeping it hidden in their hearts. This is why everyone fears the Clive family. Because they can’t win, and even if they win, they can’t fight back.

When Victoria ascended to the throne, it was already too late. The enemy’s power had solidified, no longer something a king could control at will.

To Victoria, the old duke was a formidable and terrifying enemy that required all her efforts to deal with.

“As long as I am dead, losing Boswell City, those high walls and gates would be meaningless to him. The royal family would have no one to stop him. We would lose our glory, our dignity, everything past and present, and the future would be branded on the pillars of shame in the kingdom’s history. I would become the most incompetent king of Eisenbell in centuries, because they would fabricate a reasonable excuse for the coup. This is the inevitable result, and it is exactly what Duque Lexis wants to see.”

Victoria gathered her golden hair behind her head, her two pale jade-like arms resting on the edge of the bed. The hem of her nightgown slightly lifted, revealing her slender, straight legs.

She seemed to be speaking to me, yet also only to herself, gazing out the window at the distant lights. Seeing this, I thought for a moment, turned over, and pulled up the blanket, covering her legs and gently patting them.

I felt somewhat uncomfortable, a heavy sadness, especially after hearing her say those words so calmly.

Because this was not something that couldn’t happen.

Victoria faced an old man who was deeply scheming, skilled in calculations, strategic planning, patient, bold and meticulous, understanding human nature, and ambitious.

If I didn’t understand his governance philosophy, if I hadn’t heard the reckless fat commander talk about new tax policies at my home, if I hadn’t come to the royal city, met and recognized Victoria, if I merely heard about him from afar, I might have admired him in my heart.

He was a remarkable person.

But that was all, not even a regional warlord, let alone a respected king leading Eisenbell and its people to prosperity.

Some people in high positions focus on developing their strengths, solving national problems, freeing people from suffering, teaching them the value of hard work, and finding ways to bring prosperity to the people, like Victoria.

But there are some scoundrels who, once they gain power, monopolize everything, enriching themselves. Their minds are full of exploitation, they don’t strive forward, don’t build anything, only resort to violence, destroying rules and markets, causing chaos and misery among the people, always looking down their noses, unwilling to look down even once.

They spend most of their energy on making themselves more comfortable, keeping others oppressed and fearful, until they dare not raise a single rebellious thought.

Obviously, the old duke is not the first type. As for whether he is the second type… I may not know the details of his castle, but I can think about what he has done.

From what I know, everything is filled with slaughter, destruction, violence, and oppression. He seems to excel at this, completely lacking respect for rules. These years, he has only been expanding military power at the cost of the kingdom’s interests and hindering urban development. His family, for profit, even assisted Teresa, ultimately losing the divine relic that had protected Boswell City for centuries.

If the divine relic still existed, no matter how strong his Iron Guards were or how many troops he had, they could not shake this thousand-year-old city. I even suspect that one of the reasons the Clive family secretly helped Teresa was to remove the divine relic.

This person has no sense of the world, only seeing himself.

He might have become a warlord in times of chaos, but he is not suitable for the current peaceful scene of Eisenbell. If he were to ascend the throne, what kind of future would Eisenbell face? How chaotic would this majestic green city become under his rule? And how would people’s lives end up under his rule, I can even foresee it.

A few days ago, when I had free time, I went to bed early every night, and once in bed, I would start to indulge in wild thoughts, sometimes thinking about these things.

The more I thought, the more detestable these people became.

Click, click.

I frowned slightly, biting my fingernails, quietly listening to Victoria’s words.

She said, “But he cannot continue doing so. He is anxious, wanting to take advantage of the Church’s attention being focused on Xilagya and the Abyss, wanting

Seizing the opportunity when Boswell disappeared, he took advantage of the Iron Armor Guards temporarily still willing to listen to him and was determined to kill me at all costs, aiming to take control of the royal city. He was in a hurry; when people are in a hurry, they tend to rush into things, become reckless due to various pressures, and fail to carefully consider the situation or calmly assess the circumstances. They also overlook important information that should not be ignored, leading to mistakes. Therefore, he failed this time.”

“However, even so, I do not believe that Duke Lex would easily hand over the initiative to me. It’s not that simple. He must have considered what to do after failing. The Clive family still has his eldest son, who is more brutal and a rational madman than Duke Lex. Elder Rekmon might underestimate this person, but I won’t… I think that without Duke Lex’s restraint, they might do something bolder and unexpected. Perhaps I also need to consider the Gate of Truth and those enemies lurking in the shadows… These people must capture the royal city; it’s imperative… But if I were them, how would I act…”

The words that followed, Victoria seemed to be talking to herself.

Hearing this, my frown deepened further: “The Abyss is coming. Margaret said that the canyon, with horned carriages, can reach here in three days. It’s very close. If…”

After some thought, I didn’t continue.

I don’t want to jinx anything. The royal city hasn’t recovered from the last disaster, and those whose homes were destroyed still haven’t found new places to live. People are still anxious and afraid. Such a thing cannot happen again.

But Victoria understood my meaning.

I continued to tell her, “Clearly, the most terrifying enemy is right before our eyes. Why don’t these people pay attention… Why do they still have the mind to do these things… The shell is gone, everything was fine… If the defenses of the royal city are further weakened, and if the Abyss is powerful, then everyone will be in danger… Don’t they fear anything…”

These disjointed words were merely complaints. I knew the reasons behind them.

“Because for those people, the Abyss is not the enemy; I am.”

Victoria reached out and touched my head.

In the indifferent and emotionless tone, there was a more complex feeling hidden.

“Perhaps they will consider this problem after they occupy the palace. Before that, what happens here, whether the citizens are safe, and how Ethenbel will be affected, are not within their considerations. They might even hope that I die in battle against the Abyss. The reason the Iron Armor Guards haven’t appeared yet might be because of this.”

So I understood the reasons.

People are often blinded by immediate benefits, opportunities, openings, and situations, becoming foolish and selfish, acting recklessly, or perhaps they are already such people.

But why…

Why do these scoundrels dare to openly confront the true king who has shed blood for the royal city… They even acted during Victoria’s birthday party, but Victoria is the hero. How dare they…

What contributions have they made to this country…

I felt annoyed, holding back my frustration. But I am not a citizen of this country, nor am I a noble here. I belong to another royal family, and there are some things I cannot do, so I can only watch.

…But there are things I can do, and I will do my best to accomplish them.

“In any case, the royal city will be fully prepared,” Victoria said.

“The Iron Armor Guards cannot possibly lay siege unless they have three hundred thousand men. The clearing work outside the city has begun, and I will make sure as many guards as possible arrive at nearby villages and farms within the limited time. Food, livestock, everything that can be brought back to the royal city will be brought back; what cannot be brought back will be burned on site, leaving nothing usable for them. If they really want to attack, I will force them to storm the walls, forcing them to seek death, forcing them to make more mistakes…”

Victoria grabbed my hair and scratched my scalp continuously, her face calm.

“The garrison currently stationed in the city consists of twelve thousand infantrymen, two thousand cavalry, two thousand archers, over two hundred knights, and more than three thousand horned beasts capable of fighting. Plus, the Sword of Kanri… Elder Rekmon has supported us almost to the fullest extent, mobilizing his troops from home. Although other city lords wrote letters, support may not arrive in time… But it doesn’t matter, it’s enough to defend the city.”

A cold glint flashed in her eyes: “Although I don’t know where they are hiding or what they are planning, I can confirm one thing: the Clive family must be very anxious. No matter what they intend to do, they are more anxious than I am. I will make them increasingly anxious… Wait, the news might come tomorrow.”

Victoria lightly patted my head twice and withdrew her hand, turning to extinguish the candle on the bedside table.

The bedroom dimmed slightly.

“But this isn’t something you need to worry about. Rest now.”

“Mm…”

I looked at her profile and smiled sweetly at her.

Victoria talked a lot tonight. She never used to tell me these things before… Maybe it’s because of what happened in the bathhouse, maybe it’s because… she has worries that I don’t know about. That’s why she said these things, as if to bolster her own confidence.

“Vicky.”

“What is it?”

“You will definitely win. Whether it’s the Abyss or the Iron Armor Guards, no enemy can defeat you or us. If they dare to come, we will hit them hard!”

Victoria gave a faint smile, without responding, just stroking my face.

“Go to sleep,” she said.

It was late at night.

I lay on the unfamiliar bed, smelling the familiar fragrance on the pillow, seeing the exquisite beauty with golden hair intertwined next to me, her eyes closed peacefully, lying on her side facing me, breathing evenly.

Facing each other, my eyes wide open, staring at her unblinkingly.

At this moment, Victoria was quiet and fragile, evoking sympathy.

I kept looking at her, feeling an inexplicable sense of security. Whether it was the Abyss, the increasingly turbulent chaotic power within me, or the inexplicable terrifying dreams, I seemed to fear nothing anymore.

I wondered if I were still a man, things would be different.

If that were the case, perhaps I would truly fall in love with her, willing to protect her with my life, stay by her side contentedly for a lifetime, wholeheartedly supporting her until death or old age.

But…

If I were still a man, Victoria would definitely not fall in love with me, would she?

Fate truly enjoys playing tricks on people.

I continued watching until drowsiness overcame me, my eyelids began to droop, and my consciousness grew hazy.

Sleep…

In a daze, a hand gently rested on my waist.