An Unexpected Proposal

November 12, 2020

"The Emperor and the High Priest have made contact."

"As expected."

"Neither the imperial family nor the temple would want to deal with Your Highness alone."

Anyone who fought against Cabelenus—win or lose—would suffer severe losses, inevitably weakening their power. For two factions that had spent their entire existence trying to undermine each other, it wasn’t an issue they could easily act on.

"But since things aren’t going their way, they’ll try something else."

It would have been ideal if both factions remained too wary to act.

But they were far too greedy for that.

Neither of them would be content with half-measures. If necessary, they would join hands to get what they wanted.

"We need to create a rift between them before that happens."

"A simple crack won’t be enough. There’s no trust between them in the first place, so we need to drive a real wedge between them."

Jerpeneus and Hermann’s alliance wouldn’t collapse easily.

They had no illusions about each other, and their objectives were clear.

That kind of partnership wasn’t easily shaken.

But it wasn’t flawless either.

A lack of trust meant that, at its core, their alliance was fragile.

"Do you have a plan?"

"It can’t be done in one move. We’ll have to weaken them gradually. If both of their foundations start crumbling, they won’t be able to act as freely."

A deep crease formed on Cabelenus’s forehead.

Even though he had suppressed much of it, the shackles still remained.

Taking on both factions at once carried too much risk.

"If we make the wrong move, we’ll be kicking a hornet’s nest."

"Then we create chaos before they can retaliate. If we scatter distractions that irritate them, even better."

"Do we have something like that?"

"We do. And it’s very close by."

Cabelenus leisurely unfolded a map of the continent.

His gaze landed on an emblem resembling a deer.

"We’ll bring Roakin into this."

"But Roakin…"

Gajev hesitated.

Even if it was kept quiet, everyone knew that Jerpeneus’s birth mother had been a dancer from the Roakin Kingdom.

The Roakin people were known for their striking green eyes—eyes that Jerpeneus despised.

It was the reason he was mocked as a "foreign emperor."

"Jerpeneus loathes Roakin because of his hatred for green eyes. And Roakin hates him just as much."

"But half of the Emperor’s blood is Roakin, isn’t it?"

"He would never see it that way. He once said that if he could, he’d drain the Roakin half of his blood from his body."