The Kingdom, the capital.
In front of the magnificent royal palace, several men dressed in luxurious clothing walked through the grounds.
They came from the lower-ranking noble house, the Montserrat House.
Leading them was a middle-aged man, the current head of the Montserrat House and a baron by title.
Beside him were his eldest son and third son.
As he walked through the palace corridors, Philip could not stop himself from being drawn to the extravagant surroundings.
As expected of the royal palace. Compared to his own home, the difference was like that between the finest restaurant and a roadside food stall.
Even so, Philip did not dare stare for too long.
In terms of status, as the third son of a baron, he was practically worthless.
Philip often fantasized that his second brother had already died from illness. If only his eldest brother were to die in some accident, perhaps he might have a chance to rise in rank.
Unfortunately, the goddess of fortune never seemed to favor him.
Now his eldest brother was about to inherit the baron's title, and Philip could do nothing but watch helplessly.
It was not that he had never considered foul play. But whenever he thought about what would happen if he were discovered, he hesitated.
His family's territory was poor. Even after squeezing as much money as possible from the residents, it was still nothing compared to the wealth of real noble families.
Still, once he came of age, as the third son he might at least receive a small piece of barren land.
It would not be anything impressive, but it would be enough for him to live out the rest of his life comfortably.
Philip struggled with his thoughts for a long time. In the end, he suppressed his darker ideas and chose instead to curry favor with his eldest brother.
The only reason he was able to come to the palace today was thanks to that brother. If his elder brother had not pleaded on his behalf, their father would never have brought along a third son like him.
It was said that this meeting had been proposed by Princess Renner herself. Officially, the claim was that she had found a way to resolve the kingdom's crisis.
The nobles were already overwhelmed by the Empire's invasion, so naturally none of them refused.
Inside the grand hall, numerous nobles were engaged in conversation.
Seeing the lavish clothing worn by the others, Philip instinctively shrank back.
Although his own attire was already quite luxurious, compared with the others it looked little different from what commoners wore.
At the center of the hall sat an elderly man resting with his eyes closed.
Ramposa III paid no attention to the nobles around him. His mind was occupied with thoughts about the kingdom's future.
"Your Majesty…"
A concerned voice nearby interrupted his thoughts.
"What is it, Gazef?"
"Your Majesty, you look unwell. Perhaps you should rest for a while."
"I know… but not now. This is a critical moment. The fate of the entire kingdom may be decided in a single thought."
Ramposa III shook his head and refused Gazef's suggestion. Still, he felt a slight sense of relief in his heart.
At least Gazef was still here.
The Warrior Captain, known as the strongest warrior in the kingdom, brought a measure of comfort to the old king's troubled mind.
"Where is Renner? Why hasn't she come out yet?"
The eldest prince stood beside the king, his tone filled with impatience.
"Don't be so anxious, brother. Since Princess Renner summoned us here, she must have made preparations already. Let's wait a little longer."
The second prince replied with a light chuckle. Though he also felt a bit puzzled, he was not overly worried.
With the Empire pressing in so aggressively, as the kingdom's princess Renner could not possibly remain uninvolved.
Everyone was tied together now.
Surely she had not defected to the Bloody Emperor and planned to wipe them all out today?
The second prince jokingly thought to himself.
...
Elsewhere in the hall, among the crowd, Marquis Blumrush, one of the Six Great Nobles, was chatting with a noble beside him while quietly counting how many nobles had already arrived.
At first glance, he looked gentle and refined, giving off an upright and respectable impression.
At the same time, his territory contained both a gold mine and a mithril mine, and the precious metals produced there had made him the wealthiest man in the Kingdom.
But in secret, he had long since betrayed the Kingdom.
For the sake of profit, he had sided with the [Baharuth Empire], and privately he often leaked intelligence to the Empire.
Aside from Renner, today's meeting had also been pushed forward by him. His goal was to lure all of the Kingdom's nobles here.
A cold sneer rose on Marquis Blumrush's face.
Enjoy yourselves while you can. This is the last chance you'll ever get.
Thinking of that person's plan, Marquis Blumrush could not help showing a look of admiration.
To ignore the possible chain reaction and decisively order the slaughter of every noble here, that was truly bold.
He considered himself fortunate to have pledged loyalty early. Otherwise, he probably would not have escaped today either.
After all, who could have imagined that even the Kingdom's princess was in league with that person?
Marquis Raeven, who had been talking with him moments ago, noticed the slight curl at the corner of his mouth and, for some reason, suddenly felt uneasy.
Time slowly passed. Just as the nobles were running out of patience, Renner finally stepped out from the side.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, everyone."
Renner walked to the front and spoke softly.
What stood out was that she was not wearing her usual pure white princess dress today, but a black formal gown instead.
Her gaze swept across the crowd. She was clearly smiling, yet there was something deeply strange about it, enough to make people shudder.
"Since we're all here, let's begin. Renner, you informed us that you had a way to deal with the Empire's army. I trust you haven't deceived us. Otherwise…"
Marquis Boullope, one of the Six Great Nobles, stood up and spoke first.
He was the central figure of the noble faction, and among the great nobles, he possessed the largest territory. His face was covered in scars, making him look more like a warlord than an aristocrat.
From his raptor-like eyes and voice alone, it was obvious he was not someone to be taken lightly.
This marquis had no reverence whatsoever for the royal family.
Under his command was an elite corps of 5,000 full-time soldiers, to the point that even the king did not dare provoke him lightly.
The assembled nobles immediately settled in to watch the show. If Renner failed to give them a satisfactory answer today, even her status as princess would not protect her.
"How enviable…"
Hiding in a corner, Philip looked on with naked envy. When would he ever be able to draw the attention of all the nobles with a single sentence like that?
"Hmm… although some people are missing, it doesn't matter."
Renner glanced over the crowd and muttered to herself. Before anyone could press her further, she raised a hand.
"This farce should come to an end now!"