The Path to Lordship Begins in the North

"No, that's too risky."

This was the first time Cliff had ever been so excited in front of his brother.

"Wouldn't this be tantamount to giving back the power we finally managed to reclaim to outsiders?"

After all, Cran's plan to amend the law and expand the Queen's power was nothing short of an earthquake for the Augustins and their ilk.

The power of the prime minister was already released from its cage, and now with the addition of a queen, the centralized power of the previous two Augustinians was all for naught, and they might even have to pay out of their own pockets.

"Brother, she's not an outsider, she's my fiancée."

Since ascending the throne, Crane has become much closer to his middle-aged elder brother. The two, who had both been crown princes, are able to understand each other better among their group of brothers and sisters.

Not to mention that this middle-aged man has never been interested in the throne. If the kingdom were to elect a representative of honest people, his brother would probably be at the top of the list.

"We're not married yet, are we?"

“I will discuss it with the Vatican. If it is really impossible for Lilith to get married during her term as a saintess, her term as a saintess will end early, and the Vatican will start selecting the next saintess ahead of schedule.”

After saying that, Crane coughed twice more, but thankfully he didn't cough up blood this time.

"Your Majesty, are you really alright? Hasn't the new holy water from the Holy See arrived yet?"

Cliff looked at his brother with great concern. To be honest, in order to protect himself, Cliff had secretly left some contingency plans and had been keeping a close eye on the situation in the capital. Cliff was probably one of the people who knew the most about the current situation besides Crane.

The fall of Grand Duke Lars did not bring the expected flourishing of life and vibrant growth; instead, it left the kingdom in a dilemma, with both the north and south sides facing a predicament.

In particular, the demon race is constantly growing stronger.

To outsiders, the two governors of the North are currently at peace, and trade with the demons is proceeding normally. As long as the Kingdom of Anjou in the south can be stopped, the king can regain his former power, and the Kingdom of Capet will return to its peak.

After all, the dukes of the remaining three realms are currently considered loyal, and none of them have become too powerful on their own.

If Kran is given enough time to carry out reforms, it might be able to catch up with the Kingdom of Anjou, which has already taken the lead.

But only those in the thick of it know that the North is a powder keg, and the West is shrouded in a fog of war, making it impossible to see the truth from the falsehood. They can only hear some fantastical and unreliable information from the merchants.

Doug Lars is also building a massive defensive line in the dead of winter. It's almost certain that there will be a battle between the two sides after spring, it's just a matter of how intense it will be.

Crane's condition isn't even a common ailment; it's a curse planted by an assassin. The Magic Association is currently scrambling to remove the curse, but thankfully, they've made some progress.

The person who planted the curse has been found, which is why Kran is so anxious now. The influence of the demons is deeper than Kran imagined; they even began their schemes before entering the capital.

The new king of Anjou ascended the throne much more smoothly than the one in Cran, and the difference in power they wielded was like night and day. It was said that the new king there had completely taken control of the army and had begun to use violent means to intimidate the nobles into reducing his power and carrying out reforms, without causing any internal strife.

Meanwhile, Kran was still arguing with the nobles who owned their own lands, and even the important salt and iron industries were only taken back at Lilith's suggestion and under her guidance.

If the Northern Territory and the Kingdom of Anjou launch their attacks simultaneously next year, the capital will definitely be overwhelmed. The only hope is that the two governors of the Northern Territory, along with the demons and even Dog Brain, will fight to the death, only to end up with a lose-lose situation.

"The church is running low on holy water, but the bishop is trying to raise more. If it can be combined with the new medicine from the Magic Association, it might be able to eradicate the curse along with the illness that has appeared in the capital."

Upon hearing this, Cliff sighed, "The Magic Association has finally become somewhat useful, but only if that saintess is the real saintess."

Crane immediately interrupted Cliff.

"Brother, she's my fiancée!"

"She's more than just your fiancée."

Cliff curled up into a ball, but continued, "Your Majesty, do you know how many men she's been involved with? Apart from the North, almost every other territory has men who are interested in her, and some are even willing to be devoted to her."

Do you know how dangerous it is to give her power?

"That's exactly what I was thinking."

Cliff was stunned when he heard Crane's words.

Seeing that his elder brother didn't understand, Crane explained, "Brother, don't you know how Lilith brought the salt and iron back under our control? It was Lilith who went to talk to the heirs of each realm."

"Only Lilith can navigate these situations with ease, and only Lilith has the charisma to make these people submit to us. Cough cough!"

Seeing his younger brother start coughing, Cliff quickly took the silk handkerchief from the servant and tenderly wiped away the blood from his brother's wounds.

The once proud younger brother can now only hide in his older brother's arms and complain. Moreover, the younger brother is now the king, which makes Cliff feel both heartbroken and relieved that he is not the one who ascends the throne.

The king's power is gradually being restored, which makes some people impatient. They start to take action against the king at the risk of being discovered. Fortunately, this is only a slow curse and is not fatal to the royal family. As long as it is not a sudden death like that of Augustine III, they can use a huge amount of resources to bring him back.

But this is also a warning: reforms are about to enter a critical phase, and Ukraine will be facing a behemoth called the old forces.

Cliff believed that if the situation were the same, Crane might not be any worse than the new king of Anjou, but his father had planted too many landmines, and now Crane had to pay the price.

Recalling the prophecy his father had told him, Cliff shook his head again. Was it all really worth it? It seemed like he had just walked from one dead end to another.

"Okay, that would be best if everything went smoothly, but if, I mean if."

“I know what you want to say, brother. My will has already been written.”

Cliff paused for a moment, then said, "That's not what I meant. Your Majesty, you are still young, and this curse is not fatal to us. You will be fine."

"Brother, didn't Father's death and my curse make you realize anything?"

Upon hearing this, Cliff immediately waved his hand, and all the surrounding servants retreated to stand guard outside.

“What I’m doing now is even more difficult than what my father did. It wouldn’t be surprising if I were assassinated like him one day. So I’ve already written my will and left it with you, my elder brother.”

"You are crazy!"

If this will hadn't been given to him by Crane, Cliff would have definitely thought it was some nobleman's lame joke.

"You want to make Lilith queen?"

"It's just an agency; the power will be returned to us later."

Do you think this is possible?

The will stipulated that if Crane were to die, Crane and Lilith's potential children would succeed him, with Lilith exercising power on behalf of the children, which is known as regent.

If the couple has no children, Lilith will directly succeed to the throne and exercise royal power until the reforms are completed.

As for the criteria for the end of the reform, it was determined by Cliff. To prevent anyone from using the eldest brother to cause trouble, Crane also set a minimum time limit. Within this time limit, Lilith was the true queen.

"I believe her."

"Foolish! You're going to use the power you just won to do this?"

Cliff finally lost his temper and slammed the will on the table.

"Then tell me, brother, besides Lilith, who can continue to push forward with the reforms? Can you do it?"

"I... I won't, and no one else can either."

Cliff considered it for a moment and realized that if he took over, he would probably not be able to withstand the pressure and would compromise with those nobles, causing all of Crane's current efforts to go to waste. If it were his other brothers and sisters, they might even use the cancellation of the reforms as a bargaining chip to appease those nobles.

However, the reforms must continue. If Anjou sees the domestic policies wavering, she will probably take immediate action. The Kingdom of Capet must now put on a brave face and buy itself enough time.

“That’s right. If Lilith really becomes queen, then reforms will be the source of her legitimacy. Whether she likes it or not, she will have to take over my reform policies and continue to implement them.”

"You're making too many assumptions, little brother."

Cliff changed his address from His Majesty to Brother: "The more complicated the matter, the easier it is to mess it up. Your father should have taught you that when you became Crown Prince."

"That's why I need your support, brother. Besides, this will might not even be useful. Brother, please help me. You're one of the only two people I can trust now."

"Moreover, I've considered it. Lilith has suitors in the other three realms and the royal family. Who knows, Lilith might actually be able to do better than me."

"They're after your woman!"

Cliff felt the world had gone mad, that must be it, otherwise there was no reason for things to turn out this way, but Cliff also had to admit that everyone liked Lilith.

In fact, Lilith maxed out the favorability of all the characters she could in order to achieve the perfect ending, but by a twist of fate, she gave Kran hope of supporting Lilith to the throne.