Cain held out a teacup in front of him.
And Vanderbilt’s rough hand grabbed the teapot and poured tea in front of him.
Cain’s violet eyes shone from beyond the scarlet tea.
“Don’t make it hard on yourself. No matter what you say, your treatment has already been decided.”
Moliot, who was holding the teacup, raised his head in surprise.
“Yes?!”
“So you can speak freely. Comfortably.”
Sweat began to sprout from Moliot’s hair. He was also worried that he might also go missing.
He desperately suppressed all those thoughts.
He was a nobleman with his own territory, no matter how humble it may be.
Moliot straightened his back as much as possible and conveyed the message Brediol wanted to deliver.
“To cut to the chase, he said he would find a way to smuggle you out.”
“Smuggle? To the continent?”
“Yes. No matter how different their families may be, Young Master Brediol is still your uncle.”
Cain nodded with a wry smile.
He couldn’t deny it, no matter how much he wanted to.
Seeing that Cain’s reaction wasn’t bad, Moliot spoke a little more confidently.
“He said that Airian Island will now be engulfed in the flames of war. That the revenge of Marquis Ross and the greed of Marquis McLoud will burn everything.”
“Both marquises are capable of that.”
“This kingdom consists of the royal family, two marquisates, and five counties. A total of eight pillars. The problem is that the weakest pillar among them is Ethelred.”
Cain nodded slowly.
When Edmund was there, it was definitely the strongest.
But just as too much power was concentrated on him, as soon as he disappeared, it became the weakest.
“So, he said that he would give you enough wealth to live on for the rest of your life, and he hopes that Young Master Cain will live comfortably on the continent. That’s what Young Master Brediol wants.”
“My uncle, whom I’ve never met seems to care a great deal for me.”
Cain lifted his empty teacup.
Vanderbilt once again grabbed the teapot and filled the cup.
Cain took a sip of his tea as if it were nothing and made eye contact with Moliot.
“I understand that it would be profitable to spend some wealth and take over Ethelred’s territory, but wouldn’t it be worth making a deal with the second son, who is also my uncle?”
At that moment, Moliot shook his head.
It was a completely different attitude from the fear he had shown until now.
“Tedley, the second son, is unreadable.”
“How noble.”
“It’s not like that. He is a man who will kill to achieve his goals and kill anyone who gets in his way. He will try to kill Young Master Cain.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s convenient.”
Cain grinned.
Perhaps the story he just heard was the reason why Moliot sided with Brediol.
“Tedley is someone I can’t deal with, and Brediol is someone I can at least make a deal with. They both want this Ethelred.”
“Young Master Cain. There is the law of the land and the flashy political struggle, but in the end, the way to survive is through power. It is impossible to overcome this crisis without power.”
Moliot desperately hoped that his sincerity would reach Cain.
No matter how much Ethelred had changed, they were still weak compared to other families.
It wasn’t just about the knights’ military prowess.
The economic power and population of the territory that could mobilize soldiers.
The charisma to lead the nobles under his command.
Nobles with rich tradition and experience who could stand at the forefront and encourage soldiers and knights.
As all of these things had to be in harmony to win a territorial war, Ethelred was rated the lowest.
Of course, the existence of ‘Master’ Edmund alone made Ethelred the strongest, but he was not here now.
This was the point Moliot was making.
Cain stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, then looked up at Oleciren and asked,
“It’s like a declaration of war.”
“If they go this far to set the stage, even you can’t refuse.”
The first conflict in the Airian Kingdom would begin with the dispute between the Lamaring and Ethelred Counties, and……
Cain opened his mouth to the bewildered Moliot.
“Thank you for bringing me such a kind offer. You will not disappear. But.”
It would overturn everyone’s expectations.
“I don’t need it.”
Cain smiled brightly.
Baron Moliot felt his heart drop.
Because a chilling air began to suffocate him.
“Count or Marquis. If they stand in my way, I will cut them all down. I don’t care what Tedley does. If he gets in my way, I will cut him down.”
“Power…….”
“I have it. A lot of it.”
Moliot hurriedly added,
“Justification is also important. Other counts and marquises will use their political power to obtain the royal family’s approval! On the contrary, they will thoroughly block Ethelred’s refusal.”
“If you don’t get the approval of the royal family, you’ll just become a rebel, so it’s fine, right?”
Cain agreed with Moliot’s words.
He had the illusion that his persuasion was sinking in.
Cain looked back at Oleciren, hoping she would break that illusion.
She lived up to his expectations.
“In my name, Oleciren Rune Airian. I approve of Ethelred’s territorial war.”
Moliot stared blankly at her, who was smiling, and muttered,
“Your Highness, the First Princess?”
“It’s my first time seeing you, Baron Moliot. I am the first princess, Oleciren. I am one of the three people who can approve a territorial war.”
Of course, a territorial war approved by a princess rather than a king could cause problems later on, but that was a matter for later.
“H, How!?”
“Well.”
Cain replied nonchalantly.
His indifferent answer was enough to shut Moliot’s mouth.
Then he pointed to the open door of the office and said,
“I told you your treatment had already been decided. Go out and let everyone know that the territorial war, approved by the First Princess, has begun.”
Moliot was confused.
He couldn’t understand why Princess Oleciren was in Ethelred, which he had thought was the weakest, and he couldn’t understand why they were so confident.
He staggered to his feet and walked out, wiping the sweat off his brow.
‘Could this be how the Airian Great War begins?’
At the same time, he instinctively felt it.
Lamaring and Ethelred.
They had once held banquets together and even formed a marriage alliance, but now one of them would disappear.