Chapter 250: An absurd idea

Inside a tearoom, maids carefully served fine tea before leaving. The atmosphere was solemn, so they knew when to leave. Sir Winstin stood watch by the door, while Lady Christina and Lord Archibon became dejected. It was as if their souls had left their bodies, resulting in their sunken eyes. No one said a word, adding to the tense air.

Elizabeth felt nervous and immediately asked, "Is it about the inheritance race? What happened?"

By now, the inheritance race was starting to heat up as all factions were preparing. There were three primary factions: hers, Lord Fredrick's, and Princess Samanthie's. There were other smaller parties, but they were a lost cause without a powerful backing, like the Grand Nobility Households. That said, Elizabeth's 'faction' was actually not much better off. Her only support was the Royal Family and the Lannisail Household. Initially, she hoped to utilize the household's connections and experience in establishing a firm foundation for her faction. This was not a bad idea at all. The Lannisail Household was originally a genuine Grand Nobility Household that had sweeping authority across the kingdom, reaching out to the entire nobility. Their name was like a clap of thunder next to everyone's ears, all knew of the Lannisail Household!

However, it was a hollow vessel of what it was once, no longer one of the great Grand Nobility Households. The stain of leading the Whispering Shadow and attacking the heir apparent made it worse, dragging their reputation through the mud. Who knew how many dastardly crimes the Whispering Shadow committed? They were one of the leading criminal organizations, profiting off the wars by kidnapping refugees and selling them for a premium. Whether it be the extreme north, or the southern seas, their tendrils tainted everyone and everything. Now that Lord Wenmord was ousted as the Second Shadow, their family became public enemy number one! Furthermore, the nobles took this chance to assimilate the ownerless lands like wild beasts. Understandably, any power that Lord Archibon had became nonexistent, hence leading to the ugly state of Elizabeth's factions.

"No, it's not that, Your Highness," Lord Archibon said. "It's related to the Xingyuu Empire…" Then, he thoroughly explained the news to Elizabeth, who grew increasingly stunned.

"Are you sure? The Xingyuu Empire actually descended into civil war?" Elizabeth paled. "But what about the three-way deadlock! Weren't the Imperial Council and Li Family restraining each other?"

"We don't know either," Christina interrupted. "The empire attacked suddenly with ferocious momentum and unknown methods. Five fortresses fell practically overnight."

"But the fortresses you named should be nigh-impenetrable. At the very least, it should be incredibly hard to siege and capture it overnight! Can we confirm the accuracy of these reports?" the girl asked incredulously.

That was five strongholds they were talking about, not a defenseless town! Sieges were notoriously time-consuming. Unless an invading force could breach the fortress defenses, then they could only wait. Famous sieges, such as the Siege of Linjora Fortress or the Siege of Denmai Yi Fortress, took years while the longest siege in history lasted more than an entire decade! That spoke of how stubborn and tenacious some strongholds could be. Of course, times changed, and with inventions like the glider and magic, the sieges grew rarer and the resource investment lessened. But that did not apply in this case. The Li Family's famous five citadels were some of the most well-fortified cities in the empire! Falling overnight should not be possible!

"It's been verified through multiple sources. This is the truth… We're entering another war."

Although this civil war looked simple on the surface, it was not. In normal circumstances, neither the Imperial Council nor the Li Family would start fighting. They might skirmish here or there, but never a full-blown conflict. After all, the titanic Alzar Kingdom was eagerly watching like a predator. The second that the Xingyuu Empire showed any weakness, then the kingdom would pounce! To prevent this, the three parties acted as a restraining force, hence the 'three-way deadlock'. And yet, the situation still deteriorated to the point of civil war. How could Elizabeth not be stunned?

"What about the Imperial Princesses Xiuying and Ming? What about the Li Family?" she grew worried. Although the time spent together could be seen as small, almost to the point of nonexistent, and involved many questionable acts, she felt awfully close to the princesses. It was truly a case of fighting only to become friends in the end!

"The situation remains unclear, and we aren't privy to many details," her aunt replied slowly. That was obvious enough. She might be a brigade commander, a relatively high-ranking status, but her authority was far from imperial matters. She had no right to that information.

"What about the Alzar Kingdom? What are they planning to do?" Hesitation was written on Elizabeth's face. She had a bad feeling.

Lady Christina spread her hands in helplessness. "At this point, you should know better than me what's going to happen. The kingdom won't sit around."

Elizabeth frowned. How could anyone let go of this precious chance? The feud between the kingdom and empire had gone on for far too long so she was confident that the Alzar Kingdom would plan an invasion!

"We need to stop this!" Elizabeth panicked. "The peace that they fought for shouldn't be ruined by us!"

"Calm down, Your Highness. You're getting too agitated," Lord Archibon advised calmly.

"Calm down? How could I? We're about to enter another war, aren't we? Who could sit still!"

"Pardon me for saying so, but this is where Your Highness is wrong. Strictly speaking, the Alzar Kingdom never ended the Second Great Kingdom War. We only entered a temporary non-agreement ceasefire. We didn't even negotiate with the Imperial Council. This is simply… a continuation of the war half a year ago."

"Hmph! Are you saying that we should plunge the world into conflict and bloodshed again?"

"I apologize if I offended Your Highness," the boy bowed. Seeing his attitude made her really want to hit him. Taking this time to forcefully calm herself down, the redness in her eyes dimmed.

"What are you planning to do?" Her aunt's heart jumped. She knew that Elizabeth was prone to… decisions out of the norm. Maybe another storm was about to brew!

Elizabeth slapped the table, stood up, and replied determinedly, "I'll need to speak with Her Majesty and the Royal Assembly to convince them! I can't let them continue!"

Before she could charge out, the sound of her aunt's exasperated voice came, "I came because I wanted to say… I've been chosen as a brigade commander for the upcoming operation. At this point, you won't be able to change anything."

Sadly, Elizabeth underestimated the extent of the kingdom's ambition. A tremendous amount of manpower and resources had already been dedicated to this with the plan being drafted even further back. The downfall of the Whispering Shadow was largely attributed to this! Because the Quinvoren Army had been preparing a large-scale mobilization, that way, when the order came, the army moved swiftly to crush the opposition! If Elizabeth were queen, then she could veto the invasion and stop everything. However, she was but a mere heir apparent. She lacked sufficient authority to change anything, especially when everything developed to this point!

Elizabeth understood that too. Her actions would simply be viewed as a childish tantrum. Nothing more. Thinking so, the girl sat back down dejectedly. "Can I really do nothing?"

Lord Archibon then said, "That was the only news I wanted to inform Your Highness of so I shall take my leave here, Your Highness."

"Wait!" Elizabeth shouted, startling the boy.

"Is something the matter, Your Highness?"

"If I can't stop it, then I'll just have to go there as well," she smiled, as if she stumbled upon the greatest idea in the world. Silence fell, leaving everyone speechless and even Sir Winstin, the silent and composed Protector, felt his vision darken slightly. This girl was… just too ridiculous!

"Elizabeth," her aunt made a forced smile. "You're the heir apparent of the Alzar Kingdom. We can't have you running off to the empire at this crucial time. What about the inheritance race? Are you forgoing your right to the throne? Weren't you trying to become queen? Forget that ridiculous idea and focus on this instead."

"I don't think it's ridiculous at all," the girl retorted. "Our relationship with the empire is a key matter for the kingdom. If everything can be resolved peacefully, isn't that ideal?"

"I think you're greatly underestimating the difficulty…"

If it were so easy, then what were King Harth or Lord Korogin doing? What did they die for? As shown time and time again, peace was an impossibility! Two lions could not rule the same mountain. One side had to submit and perish!

"Furthermore, Her Majesty and the Royal Assembly will not grant you permission to act as you wish. It's better to give up early on your absurd idea," her aunt stressed. This was her final trump card!