Merchant Noble is out (2/4 chapters for today)
Kali Kingdom’s Coup (5)
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“Rudolf. You are to be engaged to Lady Carlotte of the House of Duke Edel.” (King)
The first time I felt something was off was when my engagement to Carlotte was decided.
“Father… I am to be married?” (Rudolf)
As I asked in disbelief, my father, the king, looked away awkwardly.
“Yes. She is from a great noble family. Be sure not to be disrespectful.” (King)
Having studied the principles of monarchy as the “son of the king”, I found it offensive that a noble family would be the one to propose marriage. It was as if they were openly declaring, “We want to marry into the royal family and take over the country”. Yet Father accepted the marriage proposal from the House of Duke Edel without a second thought.
Why was it agreed to so easily?
“Father, I am royalty. Others may be considerate of me, but I have no reason to be considerate of them.” (Rudolf)
“A ruler does not make enemies needlessly. You must grow up.” (Father)
Even though our family’s status was higher, the actual relationship was completely the opposite. The royal family was being considerate of the House of Duke Edel. Having been taught all my life that “the king is the absolute ruler”, this fact was extremely confusing for me.
“Are you going out again?” (Carlotte)
“Yes. The margrave has invited me on a hunt. I will be away for about a month.” (Rudolf)
Leaving behind my newly betrothed Carlotte, I decided to travel and see different regions.
From the outside, it must have looked like mere amusement. Everyone must have sighed and thought, “Just another one of the prince’s indulgences”. But I was serious. A palace more extravagant than the royal castle. A city larger than the capital. Land more fertile than the royal domain. The reality I saw was completely different from what I had learned through books and lessons. I had to rewrite the common sense that my private tutors had drilled into me since childhood.
“Our Kali Kingdom’s royal authority is weak.” (Rudolf)
After several months of travel, overcoming significant internal struggles, I engraved this truth into my mind.
“At this rate, we are a kingdom in name only. If an external enemy invades, we won’t even be able to act as one.” (Rudolf)
“That is true. In fact, the House of Duke Edel is already connected with merchants from the neighboring Laplace Kingdom.” (Talis)
The only person I could truly trust was Talis, my childhood friend and secretary. Having grown up together since childhood, he took my concerns seriously.
“Your Highness, forgive my rudeness, but the current king is merely a puppet of the House of Duke Edel. We must do something about this situation.” (Talis)
“Queen Casablanca of the neighboring kingdom eradicated the nobility and abolished their status entirely. I’d like to follow her example.” (Rudolf)
When I murmured this, Talis turned pale, frantically glancing around.
Then, he shook his head multiple times, warning me sternly.
“Your Highness, how terrifying! Please, never say such things again.” (Talis)
His concerns were valid.
If the nobility and the royal family went to war, the already weakened royal family would surely be defeated. However, sooner or later, we had to eliminate the nobility and establish a system of rule under the king alone. Otherwise, this kingdom would continue to have its wealth drained by the nobles forever.
“No, I’ve already spoken it aloud. There’s no turning back. We will remove the nobility and rebuild the kingdom.” (Rudolf)
From then on, we began drafting a detailed plan.
“We cannot act like the neighboring Laplace Kingdom. If we challenge the nobility head-on, we will certainly lose.” (Talis)
“Yes. The Minister of the Army, the Knight Commander, and most of our military power are under the command of the House of Duke Edel.” (Rudolf)
The military forces controlled by the royal family and those controlled by the nobility were nearly equal. On top of that, many of the commanding officers in the royal army were nobles themselves, making it even worse. At this point, the royal family could barely move the military without the nobility’s consent. However, despite our small numbers, there were still some forces directly under the royal family’s control.
“Conversely, what military forces exist that are not under noble control?” (Rudolf)
“There are approximately 100 royal guards, 50 elite guards, and 300 city guards under the direct command of the royal family.” (Talis)
“A total of 450… That’s not even 1% of the entire military.” (Rudolf)
Talis frowned.
“This is tough…” (Talis)
“The army, navy, royal knights, and other knight orders… As I said before, the vast majority of the country’s military power has been privatized by the nobility.” (Talis)
“With this, we cannot eliminate the nobility. We would be annihilated instead.” (Rudolf)
Talis’s concerns were valid.
But that was only if we started a full-scale civil war against the nobility.
“If we fight them directly, yes.” (Rudolf)
“Is there another way?” (Talis)
Talis leaned forward, intrigued.
“We strike when the nobles are at their most vulnerable and gathered in one place.” (Rudolf)
Talis’s eyes widened as he realized what I was implying.
“You mean… a coup?” (Talis)
“Yes. A coup.” (Rudolf)
I nodded firmly.
A coup.
Unlike a civil war or a revolution, it would allow us to seize power while minimizing the country’s suffering.
Given the royal family’s limited numbers, this was the only way to defeat the nobility.
“A coup… How do you plan to carry it out?” (Talis)
“We cannot take on each noble family one by one. We must overturn everything at once through the coup.” (Rudolf)
While I spoke with confidence, Talis still seemed unsure, his expression troubled.
“But the nobles never all gather in one place.” (Talis)
“There is one time when they do—the academy’s graduation ceremony.” (Rudolf)
The academy’s graduation ceremony, just a few months away.
Noble families from all over the country would gather to celebrate their children’s graduation.
“Yes, that’s true. This year, Prince Rudolf and Lady Carlotte, along with many others from prestigious families, are graduating. Even nobles without graduating children will attend to establish connections.” (Talis)
Hoping to build relationships with the royal family and major nobles, many would attend just to offer their congratulations.
It was the perfect opportunity to capture them all at once.
“We strike then.” (Rudolf)
The more I thought about it, the more I felt confident that this plan would succeed.
However, Talis’s expression remained uncertain.
“But we cannot arrest them without a valid charge. We must create a reason for their arrest.” (Talis)
He was right.
On the surface, the nobility still showed deference to the royal family.
Arresting them without justification would provoke resistance from their remaining relatives and knights, leading the country into civil war.
We had to provoke them first, even at the risk of great danger.
“I will annul my engagement with Carlotte.” (Rudolf)
“Annul your engagement!? Are you sure about this?” (Talis)
Talis’s eyes widened in shock.
Annulment.
For noble families that valued honor, this was an act of ultimate disgrace.
For a noble daughter, nothing was more humiliating than having her engagement broken.
Some had even taken their own lives in despair.
Carlotte herself was innocent.
But by breaking the engagement, I would be delivering the greatest insult to the House of Duke Edel.
“I will challenge the greatest noble house in the kingdom. I will be condemned.” (Rudolf)
“The nobles will hold the royal family accountable. They will surely escalate this issue into a crisis.” (Talis)
It would be the perfect opportunity.
The moment they attempted to hold the royal family responsible, they would be committing treason.
We could arrest them under the charge of high treason.
“So, we strike when the nobles accuse the royal family?” (Talis)
“Exactly. That is our plan.” (Rudolf)
I had made my decision.
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