The Empror's Trap

The messenger's loud announcement caught the attention of others, including Sonya. However, when she and most people saw Kenji holding the letter clearly marked with the military seal, they didn't interfere.

After all, military matters were part of the Grand Marshal's duties, and handling urgent military reports was something even Pluvia had approved. No one else had the authority to meddle.

Kenji returned to his room, opened the letter, and began reading its contents.

The moment he saw what was written, his body stiffened.

Strictly speaking, this wasn't entirely a military matter. While it had some connection to military affairs, it was more of a political issue. However, the situation was so severe that it couldn't be disclosed casually—hence the use of a military urgent report seal.

----0----

"To Her Majesty:

Currently, Assistant Minister Qiwan, Attendant Ling, Commander Jinzhe, along with several officials including Governor Lius of Hexi County and Right General Dueno, have joined forces with Prince Nizam Camelot, Prince Yutu Camelot, Princess Nina Camelot, and others to discuss the matter of appointing an heir to the throne.

Initially, we intended to wait for Your Majesty's return to deliberate on this matter with all court officials. However, information provided by Miss Siyue from Duke Anos' household and suspicious troop movements around Luminara City indicate a potential coup attempt aimed at forcing Your Majesty off the throne.

These individuals have been distributing weapons and armor among their soldiers with clear intent to rebel. General Balinos has taken command of the Red Kite Army and Imperial Guards under the pretense of using the Grand Marshal's seal and has declared that any troops entering Luminara City will be treated as traitors.

The situation is tense and could erupt into chaos at any moment. We implore Your Majesty to return as soon as possible to take charge of the situation. This matter is of utmost urgency."

----0----

Kenji's scalp tingled as he finished reading.

To be honest, he and Pluvia had already made arrangements for domestic affairs before leaving for the Vishi Empire. Kenji had left his seal with Siyue and granted Lina certain powers to stabilize things back home. They'd also agreed that General Balinos would remain in Camelot to handle military matters if necessary—even borrowing Duke Anos' seal when required.

He'd anticipated some unrest after their departure but hadn't expected things to escalate so dramatically.

From what was written in the letter, this wasn't just a minor disturbance—it was practically a full-blown coup attempt that had been meticulously planned in advance. The measures he'd put in place—like giving Siyue authority over critical decisions or allowing Lina to act decisively—were meant for smaller issues at an early stage.

Siyue had done her best by providing intelligence and lending the seal to General Balinos for military control. But there were simply too many conspirators involved this time—it couldn't be contained.

What made it worse was their blatant disregard for subtlety. Discussing appointing an heir? Pluvia had only recently ascended the throne and wasn't even married yet—let alone having children! What heir were they talking about? They might as well openly demand she abdicate in favor of another royal family member.

Kenji understood why Chancellor Long didn't want him informed initially.

This was a massive crisis that required careful handling. The situation was already chaotic enough that General Balinos had to use Kenji's seal personally to maintain order in Luminara City. If Kenji received this report first and decided to side with those pushing for an heir? It would be game over—Camelot would fall into complete disarray.

Pluvia could still command most of Camelot's forces (though Kenji's personal troops might not obey her). If she learned about this before him, she could devise a plan to keep him in Vishi for a few days while returning home herself to rally support on the court floor.

While she might not be able to crush these conspirators outright (since some older factions in the army likely harbored ulterior motives), she could at least maintain a stalemate.

In short, Chancellor Long had thought everything through carefully.

Since there was no immediate threat to him personally from what was written in the letter, Kenji felt reassured enough to take action. After some thought, he decided it was best to hand the letter over directly to Pluvia.

Standing outside Pluvia's chambers, Royal Guards opened the door upon hearing Kenji's request for an audience and seeing the military urgent report seal in his hand.

Inside, Pluvia sat groggily on her bed with messy hair and a sleepy expression. Fortunately, she wasn't prone to morning grumpiness; after sitting for a moment in her half-awake state, she asked softly:

"What's going on?"

"Your Majesty, Grand Marshal requests an audience."

"Let him in…"

After Sonya helped tidy up Pluvia's clothes and hair properly, Kenji entered quickly and explained his purpose before handing over the letter.

The moment Pluvia saw its contents, she snapped awake completely—her entire body tensed as adrenaline surged through her veins.

This letter was far more effective than any coffee or strong tea—it didn't just wake her up mentally; it sent her blood pressure soaring too.

"I didn't expect them to be so… enthusiastic about this," Pluvia muttered as she read further—her tone carrying equal parts amusement and frustration.

The throne truly seemed like an irresistible temptation for people—not just for themselves but even for those supporting other royal family members' claims.

"How do you think we should handle this?" she asked Kenji after finishing.

"Your Majesty, I recommend returning home immediately. If General Balinos can't hold them off and they manage to install a new ruler—even temporarily—it'll be disastrous for Camelot."

Even if they didn't openly crown someone new but instead seized control of Luminara City and court proceedings? Pluvia would still lose significant authority—and without many troops accompanying her abroad—her legitimacy wouldn't carry much weight against entrenched conspirators back home.

While she could likely rally forces later for direct confrontation? The political damage would already be done—and Camelot would suffer greatly from such turmoil.

"They're probably expecting me to return soon anyway," Pluvia said coldly. "But dangerous or not—I have no choice but to go back."

"Your Majesty is wise, Returning now is our best chance at suppressing them while Luminara is still under our control. I'll request Emperor Feit lend us several gryphons so we can fly directly back to Camelot—the convoy can follow later."

Pluvia nodded decisively:

"Let's do it."

....

In Duke Anos's mansion, Siyue sat in the study, staring at Lina's blood-stained clothes.

Blood dripped from her blade. She looked as if she'd been painted red, yet her hand gripping the knife remained perfectly steady. This was the eleventh person she'd killed today.

"It was my mistake. If I'd made the decision for you to act sooner..." Siyue sighed deeply.

Meanwhile, the servants of Duke Anos's mansion walked in with completely normal expressions. They dragged away the corpses, wiped clean the blood from the floor, replaced the blood-stained curtains, and lit fresh incense to dispel the metallic smell of blood.

Ordinary people would likely abandon such a mansion—eleven deaths in one day would make any place haunted. But for Duke Anos's household, this was commonplace. As one of the empire's power centers, the mansion had seen such scenes before.

"Miss, this isn't your fault," Lina said, cleaning her blade before sheathing it. "We couldn't have predicted they would suddenly unite against the court like this."

It had been completely unexpected. Even Kenji himself probably wouldn't have anticipated these officials being so brazen in court.

When it first happened, Siyue had initially planned to have Lina eliminate the most vocal troublemakers. But upon seeing who they were, she hesitated.

Her hesitation was simple: these outspoken officials were high-ranking central government officials. Killing them would cause tremendous upheaval. Some were even royal relatives, with several princes waiting in the wings...

No matter how decisive she was, Siyue understood one principle: these people couldn't be killed casually.

Some were on the list, but without solid evidence, killing them would only bring trouble to her brother. So she hesitated for two days.

Those two days of indecision allowed the situation to spiral out of control.

Now Siyue found it difficult to act, as a large group of officials was causing trouble together. Having Lina kill them now would only make the situation more chaotic and harder to control.

So she implemented the most effective damage control possible: she gave General Balinos the troop mobilization orders bearing the imperial seal, instructing him to quickly gather troops from surrounding areas while taking command of Luminara City's forces.

Siyue hadn't completely surrendered her power. She kept a significant portion of the military authority Kenji had given her for self-protection, while ordering the rest to support General Balinos. This was precisely why these officials hadn't dared to completely revolt.

However, this situation couldn't last long.

These people would eventually summon all the forces at their disposal to pressure the imperial court in Luminara City. If Her Majesty and her brother didn't return soon...

"Lina, you're tired too. Please sit down and rest."

She spoke to Lina, who hadn't rested for a long time.

"I'm fine, Miss." Lina removed her blood-soaked clothes and changed into clean black attire.

She truly was fine. Although she'd been stabbed by a cunning assassin while protecting Siyue, it was just a flesh wound, nothing serious.

But if her young master didn't return soon, this wouldn't be something she could resolve with force alone. Fortunately, things hadn't escalated to open conflict yet—they were only attempting assassinations.