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Sally Jeffrey was continuously making dissatisfied expressions. It was incredibly awkward for Alex, who had been tasked with persuading her.

“So, to summarize the contents of the bill, it effectively disbands the Southern Alliance as a political entity. The military power of the South will be wholly transferred to the central government. Jenis Harker’s territory will be stripped away. That’s three points, isn’t it?”

Sally Jeffrey neatly summarized the contents of Rose’s ‘Normalization of Emergency Statutes’ bill. Alex agreed with her statement.

“That’s a good summary.”

“I don’t see how this benefits me, so why should I, Sally Jeffrey, support the Crown Princess’s bill, Your Highness?”

“Duke. It will certainly benefit the Duke. The essence of this law is to restore the situation to what it was before the emergency. Although the direction is slightly different, its significance is similar to the Duke’s theory of imperial reconstruction, which means there is less political burden for the Duke when he supports it.”

“It’s just wordplay. This Jeffrey, who was proclaiming to return our people from the center, is suddenly expected to agree to hand over all soldiers to the center? Is that really going to be seen as consistent behavior? I’ll speak plainly since this is private. For this Jeffrey to support the royal family, the political losses must yield greater benefits.”

Sally Jeffrey still had her own factions. Although they had weakened significantly compared to before, the lords who felt pressured by Jenis Harker’s monopolization, particularly those heavily influenced by the Jeffrey Ducal Territory, remained politically and economically subordinate to Jeffrey.

Even Jenis’s rash cuts couldn’t eliminate the prime territories and strong production abilities of Jeffrey Ducal Territory. She is still a Duke, politically, economically, and in some sense, she is one of the most important figures in this Empire.

“I said this law is to return abnormal situations to normal.”

“Yes, I heard that.”

“After dismantling the Harker County Territory, returning the lords who were forcibly moved from their original territories back to their position is also part of this. So it’s clear who the vacant land will return to, isn’t it?”

“You mean to restore my family’s ancestral land.”

“We will restore every inch back to the territory of the Jeffrey Kingdom era. This is something my sister has also affirmed.”

“If I were truly a king, I’d find it disgraceful and unbearable to have my territory taken away, regardless of its value. For a king, a violation of territorial sovereignty is fatal.”

Jeffrey quietly shook her head.

“But I am a Duke. After all, I am a subject of the Audrich Empire, and this land essentially belongs to His Majesty the Emperor. This is a different position. Jenis Harker has not taken away my most crucial resources. She likely thought I would compromise this much and back down. What she wanted was to show everyone that I was backing down, not to slice off my limbs and silence my voice.”

“So you’re saying you’re satisfied with the current situation, so it’s not enough profit?”

“I’m telling you that what she did to me and what the royal family intends to do to her are fundamentally different, Your Highness. You seem to be mistaken. You think that since I was beaten by Harker, I’d want to retaliate by hitting back just as hard. Yes, that’s somewhat true. Harker’s actions were a great insult to me, and I can’t say I bear no grudges.”

Jeffrey slammed her fist down on the armrest of the chair. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t be a display acceptable in front of the Emperor’s eldest son, but this is Jeffrey Ducal Territory. And it’s clear that Sally Jeffrey holds conversational dominance in this setting.

“This is a game the royal family cannot handle, Your Highness.”

“Are you saying the royal family will lose to Harker?”

“I don’t know. But why would I want to get involved in a game where the outcome is uncertain? I can remain silent, keeping my place without gaining or losing anything. Why should I involve myself, risking everything for the slightest chance of reclaiming my lost land?”

“Losing everything, you make it sound like Jenis Harker is staging a coup to overthrow the royal family.”

“If she does, is the royal family prepared for that battle?”

“Do not overstep, Duke. Speaking positively about treason is a very dangerous topic.”

“If that’s the case, asking me to support the law in exchange for a favor is also a very risky proposal. Whose eyes are you worried about in a private conversation?”

Jeffrey was fundamentally an eloquent speaker. She understood that commanding the atmosphere was more important than the content of the words. Had the person sitting across been Rose Caprice herself, Jeffrey wouldn’t have been able to act this assertively.

However, upon seeing Alex, Sally Jeffrey quickly realized he was an easy target to manipulate. As expected, Alex was floundering against the highest-ranking noble from the South without landing proper blows.

“Do you think this proposal will lead to a civil war, Duke?”

“Probably not. But do not think the royal family will get everything it desires, Your Highness. One Empire, one regime, one military. It sounds good, but it cannot be obtained in an instant. If you truly wish for genuine unification, you must first kill the Demon King.”

“Didn’t you oppose advancing precisely because you thought that would take time?”

“How would I have known that it was possible for the Great Sage to kill the Kraken? The Jeffrey Ducal Territory is a region close to the sea. And I know exactly how significant it is to control the ocean. The war has entered another turning point. We need to reassess whether this war can be concluded swiftly.”

Sally Jeffrey stood up and approached Alex.

“However, the Crown Princess doesn’t seem to have any considerations for that. She concluded that the landing was meaningless just because our forces were briefly stalled at Febria Bay. I’d like to hear if the Hero agrees with that opinion as well.”

Alex couldn’t lie in response to Jeffrey’s words.

Rose had thoroughly excluded Walter from the entire series of events. Walter attempted to calm Rose down a bit, but Rose retorted like this.

“You didn’t stop Harker from achieving her intentions in the council when she crossed the line. I won’t ask you to support me. But if you try to interfere with me, I might become a little suspicious about whether you’re on her side or mine.”

Walter couldn’t stop Rose from saying that. Ultimately, Walter decided to remain silent about Rose’s bill and continued to stay in the North to guard the defensive line.

Meanwhile, Rose and Alex had taken political actions moving southward through the system, but Alex ultimately had to acknowledge that Walter was not too keen on Rose’s movements.

“I take it you have no intention of following the royal will, Duke.”

“I won’t deliberately go to vote against it. But I won’t be attending the council, nor will I agree with your views. At least for the time being.”

“I hope you don’t come to regret that choice.”

“Everyone lives creating regrets daily. You should think carefully about that, Your Highness.”

Jeffrey responded without backing down, face to face with Alex. Alex, displaying a displeased expression, stood up and left Jeffrey’s reception room without a word.

Sitting quietly in her seat, Duke Sally Jeffrey spoke.

“Was that sufficient, Baron?”

“That was more than enough.”

Jeongjae, who had been hiding in the corner of the reception room using concealment magic, revealed himself in his robe. Sally Jeffrey shrugged as she looked at Baron Harriet.

“I wouldn’t have agreed to this matter even without Baron seeking me out. But this must have been important information for you. The fact that Alex Caprice has come to make contact with us directly.”

“According to Walter, Alex is apparently a very different person from his sister.”

“You can see that, can’t you? If Rose Crown Princess had been here, I likely wouldn’t be sitting here safely.”

Jeffrey shrugged. Jeongjae asked.

“Then, do you believe the strategy of Count Harker could be… useful? You wish for this war to continue in its current state…”

“Baron. I am simply a person who governs my land and an ignorant noble who has not studied military matters. If you wish to discuss strategic issues, you should consult with the Baron.”

“Having spent a few days together, Douglas Koesernis wasn’t particularly exceptional in the grand strategy.”

“Is that so? Then this country seems to have only Harker and Hellhound as strategists. Those two seem to believe the landing at Febria Bay has significance. If that’s the case, it would indeed be a meaningful action. I’m not one to stir up matters I’m unaware of. As for what you think, I’ve no idea.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

Sally Jeffrey’s specialty is management. The persuasive power of Jeffrey’s ‘Theory of Imperial Reconstruction’ stemmed from her ability to gather the nobility by providing an accurate analysis of the Empire’s economic condition rather than focusing on tactical issues.

Even Jenis couldn’t point out that her economic analysis was wrong. The Empire’s economy is collapsing. There’s even a half-joking notion circulating that after winning this war, the only way to repay all the debts the royal family owes is to raid the dragons’ nests.

“Count Harker is throwing a fit and saying she’ll head directly to the south instead.”

“I felt it would really cause an incident if Jenis were sent in that state. I believe there are no bad people. If someone is not a bad person, I wish for no one to get hurt.”

“Count Jenis will need my strength.”

Jeffrey said. Jeongjae tilted his head.

“What do you mean by that, Duke?”

“Douglas Koesernis is a person who must be suppressed. She could perhaps suppress him with her own strength, but the best method is to select a noble who could be a rival and establish them as a competitor. She used Koesernis to suppress me. Soon she will likely reach out to me to help suppress Koesernis.”

Jeongjae blinked, unable to say a word. He hadn’t considered that Jenis might think that way.

“But to someone like Rose Caprice, I’m just a means that loses its necessity shortly after use. Even if I help you take down Harker, it doesn’t mean I can cling to the royal family for long. Please convey to her that I wish to maintain a good relationship with the Harker family. For some time, she will need to weigh her options between me and Koesernis, and all I can do is secure the greatest profit from that weighing, isn’t it?”

This was a frank and candid assessment of her own position.

Jeongjae already sensed that she had given up on rising to a leading position in the Empire.

In some way, Sally Jeffrey seemed to have realized that this war was not something she should heavily involve herself in.

“Well then, I must go up to Caprice because time is tight. As you said, I hope our next meeting will also be a friendly one.”

“Travel safely, Baron. And please, do be careful there as well.”

Jeffrey waved her hand to say goodbye. Jeongjae thought her words struck a chord. It’s not just about traveling safely; the most important thing is being cautious when going to the council.

 

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