Chapter 95

Courage is needed.

And wisdom is needed too.

After sending her maternal relatives “for now,” Victoria spent a sleepless night in thought.

“If father were in my place, what would he have done?”

The first person Victoria thought of was her father.

Her father, who had ascended the throne and practically eradicated the seed of the royal guards, had this to say: “It was a case of survival—either you don’t kill first, or you get killed.” But upon verifying the sparse records, she honestly felt doubts.

Victoria surmised that her father, Edmund III, had likely pulled out a sword by chance, leading to a larger conflict. Despite the bloodbath, he ruled the empire effectively. After the storm had passed, executions were rare, and even house arrest or title stripping grew uncommon, marking the start of a peaceful era.

“Can I do the same?”

She wanted to believe it, but honestly, she was uncertain.

Victoria’s maternal side wasn’t adversaries but the most reliable allies.

…At least, that was the case so far.

When her mother was alive, she was the powerful leader of the Wolphall family. After her mother passed, the uncles stepped in, managing and supervising factions, offering steadfast support for Victoria.

“They didn’t support me, they used me to expand their influence.”

What would happen after she was officially named heir? Even those who’d observed from the sidelines would soon align themselves with her uncles, as pledging loyalty to the legitimate successor wasn’t disgraceful. It would be virtually impossible to dismantle that structure once established.

To be honest, even now it wasn’t moving swiftly enough.

Her maternal relatives had already started tidying up, and their actions were almost too swift.

“Colonel, we’ve just received a tip-off regarding the misconduct of young members of the Wolphall family. Lieutenant Timothy Wolphall of the Ordnance Command and Lieutenant Henry Wolphall of the 2nd Infantry Brigade have conspired to divert military supplies and assaulted a military doctor to cover it up. Would it be… acceptable to investigate?”

A colonel from the military police had dared to come to Victoria and seek her permission to investigate members of the Wolphall family.

“Heather has made a big decision. Honestly, the situation isn’t serious enough to burden young Lieutenant Haydn with. He’s merely in his early twenties, yet holding him accountable for this seems excessive. But if he feels personally responsible for the incident, then isn’t it strange to stop him?”

After that, her aunt visited and suggested, “Let’s settle this here.”

The maternal relatives were urging Victoria to make a quick decision.

“If I just nod, the matter will be resolved immediately.”

Two young officers would be fired; her maternal uncle Haydn would retire and return home to reflect on his actions. But such reflection would be superficial, and nothing substantial would change. Instead, they would likely operate more covertly from then on.

She had to resolve this before it was too late.

To ensure the Wolphall family couldn’t exploit her authority in the future.

She knew she should, but…

“This is difficult.”

She had no idea where to start.

Actually, this was an excuse. There was a method, but the aftermath of action worried her. To risk eradicating her political base and face the uncertain future was terrifying. Even Siena wouldn’t purge her entire family. Who would commend her for cleaning the slate of her powerful relatives?

Her foundation,

Her reputation,

Even her potential son-in-law of superhuman abilities, who she’d planned to lead the empire to its prime, all could be gone.

“All of it could be lost.”

She had no intention of sparing her maternal family just to avoid a predetermined trial.

But there was someone she wanted to consult before making the tough decision.

Alan Medoff.

The knight who had used morphine to save wounded soldiers, who had managed to secure half of the Great Forest for the empire with only two wounded, and who had dared to educate students about the dangers of stimulants, despite the dishonor it brought him.

Thinking about it,

Whenever she encountered a complex situation, Alan always seemed to provide the answers.

Surely Alan could help her this time with his wisdom.

Even if he didn’t, it wouldn’t matter. Simply seeing his face could probably bolster her courage, after all he had tackled challenges much harder than purging her family.

Right now, what Victoria needed was exactly that courage.

**

“Sister wants to have a private meeting with you.”

Siena mentioned this while strolling through the main garden of the Temseugung Palace (a sea of poppies).

“Princess Victoria?”

“Yes. Since she came all this way, rejecting her seemed unfair, so I allowed it under the condition I’d be present too. Sister has something important to say, and it would be too cruel to stop her, right?”

“…”

“Alan, please be respectful and listen to her.”

Siena seemed convinced that Victoria was coming to declare her surrender.

To be honest, I didn’t know what Siena had requested in exchange for covering up the Wolphall misconduct. I could only guess it was something closely related to me.

But regardless of Siena’s intentions, there’s one thing I agreed with:

“Abandoning family isn’t easy.”

Not my line, but reality. Sever punishments were rare, often replaced by leniency and cover-ups. After all, the arm bends inward. That tendency would intensify if the family ties were interwoven with political support.

I had no clue why, amidst all this, she wanted to see me.

“But I’ll soon find out.”

…

The first princess of the empire, Victoria, visited Siena’s Palace, accompanied only by two bodyguards.

She remained silent for a while upon meeting me in the audience chamber.

As Siena predicted, Victoria was likely in a dilemma. But she seemed composed, unaffected even by Siena’s mocking gaze. She was the same Victoria as always.

“No, she’s changed slightly.”

While she often stood with hands behind her back, now she rested her hand on the sword at her waist. And rather than meeting my eyes, she looked at my neck.

After a while, Victoria slowly lifted her head.

What she said next was unexpected.

“Sir Alan, the first emotion I felt towards you was pride. Your dedication to erasing your liege’s disgrace, by even studying pharmacy, impressed me. Looking back, I was quite arrogant — I couldn’t even gauge your skills.”

“What do you mean, Your Highness?”

“Hold on. Just listen.”

“…”

“Later, I felt awe at your talent. No apothecary or doctor in the empire could match your achievements during your knight’s service. The effort you must have put in to acquire such vast knowledge is beyond my comprehension.”

“Princess Victoria.”

“And finally, I felt pity.”

At this point, Victoria faintly smiled. Her blue irises shimmered.

“It’s peculiar, isn’t it? You own one of the most promising companies in the empire and recently secured mining rights for silver. You’re bound to become one of the richest figures in the empire, yet I feel pity rather than envy.”

“…”

“But it’s genuine. You’ll likely live a life under constant scrutiny and jealousy. But knowing you, Sir Alan, you would endure even the most unjust treatment silently. And that is what makes me sympathize with you.”

“I am fine, Your Highness.”

“That’s exactly what troubles me.”

Pride, awe, pity.

I couldn’t pinpoint why Victoria was sharing her thoughts about me.

It wasn’t unexpected though. She was influenced by me to think this way. I had intentionally sought to gain her favor and elevate my standing with the powerful first princess.

“I never expected to hear this from her mouth, though.”

Something felt off.

Siena, who had been watching, started to tilt her head, curious why Victoria was giving such an unexpected speech instead of surrendering.

After reading the expressions on our faces, Victoria spoke again.

“Sir Alan.”

“Yes, Your Highness?”

“My cousin, Lieutenant Timothy Wolphall, has been diverting morphine and distributing it to civilians. The exact amount is unknown. It is suspected that Timothy didn’t act alone. Someone likely approved, assisted, or even ordered it.”

Victoria confessed, her expression complex.

The princess of the empire wouldn’t seek pity, so she must have been genuinely troubled.

I noticed her lower lip was slightly swollen, as if from a sleepless night of pondering.

“I’m sorry to disappoint, Sir Alan. Despite your repeated warnings about the potential abuse of morphine, and despite monitoring unethical military doctors and nurses, I failed to supervise my own family.”

“You don’t need to apologize to me, Your Highness. Such things are bound to happen eventually. Perfect prevention is impossible.”

This wasn’t mere consoling — I genuinely believed it.

A substance worth a thousand talers per gram would naturally tempt anyone. A clever distribution could easily generate two to three times the military procurement price. If it weren’t for Siena, this misuse could have continued undetected for years.

But Victoria seemed to interpret my comfort differently. Stunned, she hesitated momentarily before a mysterious smile appeared.

“This is why I can’t abandon you. Even without my family, with you by my side, I’ll be fine.”

“Your Highness?”

“You’re right. Controlling human greed is hard. But… it’s my duty to purge entities that act as one body yet suppress any scrutiny. Even if it costs me dearly.”

Then she glanced at Siena instead of me.

“Siena, I decline your offer.”

“Sister, now…”

“I will personally purge the Wolphall family. By the time I’m done, there will be no one left for you to attack.”

That was her brief but shocking announcement.

The two princesses stared at each other across me. Siena, who had been smirking, and Victoria, who had been melancholically smiling, were now expressionless.

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