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Kali Kingdom’s Coup (7)
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One month since the coup d’état. I, who became the new king of the Kali Kingdom, was busier than I had ever experienced in my life. Problems caused by the elimination of the nobility arose daily, regardless of size, and I had to announce various policies to calm the entire kingdom, which was in turmoil.
In the midst of this, Talis brought a letter.
“Your Majesty. A petition has arrived from the former king.” (Talis)
“From Father?” (Rudolf)
It was a letter from my father, who abdicated on the occasion of the coup d’état. I deliberately interrupted my work to check the contents, but after reading just the first two lines, I stopped.
“Release the imprisoned nobles.”
“You are about to become a tyrant who will go down in the history of the kingdom.”
Petitions from Father had been arriving almost daily in recent days. At first, I read them properly and even wrote replies justifying my actions. However, since the content was exactly the same every single time, I eventually grew tired of it.
“Good grief, this man. If such a weak-willed person was king, it’s no wonder the nobles fattened themselves and strutted around the kingdom as if they owned the place.” (Rudolf)
Judging from Father’s letters, he had been completely powerless against the nobility. To put it nicely, Father was a cooperative man who avoided making enemies, but to put it bluntly, he was a people-pleaser who let everyone use him for their convenience. He was never suited to be king in the first place.
“Talis. You no longer need to relay Father’s letters.” (Rudolf)
“Understood.” (Talis)
As Talis picked up the petition I had thrown away, the door to the office burst open, and a soldier rushed in.
“Your Majesty, we have a situation! Lady Carlotte…!” (Soldier)
“What!?” (Me)
As I listened to the soldier’s report, I felt the blood drain from my face.
Before I knew it, I was already running. The prison tower where the nobles were confined. In its infirmary, Carlotte lay there. A deep blue bruise was clearly visible on her neck.
“Ah, Your Majesty.” (Doctor)
“Carlotte…” (Rudolf)
Ignoring the doctor, who bowed his head awkwardly, I rushed to Carlotte’s side.
Her beautiful face was deathly pale, devoid of blood. Her cheeks were ice-cold. Behind me, the doctor spoke in a subdued voice, explaining the situation.
“Lady Carlotte hung herself using her clothing on the iron bars. We did everything we could to treat her, but she was found too late…” (Doctor)
“I see… Leave.” (Rudolf)
“My deepest apologies.” (Doctor)
Once the doctor left, I turned to Talis.
“Talis. I broke off my engagement with Carlotte. But the people are unaware of the annulment. I want to hold her funeral as an empress. Is that possible?” (Rudolf)
“Yes. I will make the arrangements immediately.” (Talis)
“I’m counting on you.” (Rudolf)
The word “funeral” that came from my own mouth made my body react.
Tears began to overflow uncontrollably. Talis, who was watching my face intently, hesitated before speaking.
“Your Majesty. Your engagement with Lady Carlotte was a political arrangement, and you had little interaction during your engagement period. Moreover, from what I saw when you broke off the engagement, I never imagined that Your Majesty would grieve so deeply.” (Talis)
Talis must have found it unexpected that I was mourning Carlotte’s death so much.
Indeed, even though she had been my fiancée, there had been no love between us. She had always looked exasperated with me, who spent my time playing around. But I strongly denied Talis’s words.
“What are you saying? Carlotte was my savior.” (Rudolf)
“W-what do you mean? Pardon me, but Lady Carlotte looked down on Your Majesty.” (Talis)
I often went hunting, leaving my royal duties to her.
She endured my reckless behavior for a long time. She must have had many thoughts about me. I recalled the contemptuous gaze she gave me when I announced the annulment of our engagement.
“Yes, Carlotte was utterly exasperated with me. She frequently sent letters to her family, the Edel Ducal House, complaining, ‘Prince Rudolf is always off playing’ or ‘The prince does no work at all.'” (Rudolf)
“Indeed. She belittled Your Majesty like that…” (Talis)
“That’s why the House of Duke Edel let its guard down.” (Rudolf)
“What?” (Talis)
Talis raised a voice of surprise.
Let their guard down? What am I saying?
That was the expression on his face as he looked at me.
So, I explained it clearly.
The benefits of being perceived as a fool.
“If I had been a wise and responsible prince, what would have happened? The nobles would have been wary of me. Before I could crack down on the nobles growing fat on the country’s wealth, they would have gotten rid of me first.” (Rudolf)
In fact, at first, the nobles were wary of me.
‘The king is a pushover, but what about his son, the prince?’ they wondered. And the person feeding them information about me was none other than my fiancée.
“The more Carlotte complained to her family that ‘the prince is an incompetent fool who only plays around’, the more the nobles felt reassured and lowered their guard against me.” (Rudolf)
“I see. The nobles felt safe, thinking, ‘Lady Carlotte is keeping a close eye on Prince Rudolf as his fiancée, so there’s no need to worry.'” (Talis)
Talis finally understood and looked impressed.
“Exactly. So, in this coup d’état, the greatest contributor was her. She showcased my ignorance to the nobles.” (Rudolf)
As I spoke, I stroked her now-cold head.
At that moment, I realized for the first time that I had never touched her before. The sorrow of her death washed over me once more.
“Carlotte. You didn’t have to die. Why did you die?” (Rudolf)
She had taken on the work I had neglected while I played the fool. Though whether reading reports full of flattery and falsified data counted as “work” was debatable. At the very least, as a duke’s daughter and a prince’s fiancée, she had performed her role.
If I had not staged a coup, she would have become a fine empress. If this kingdom had not been in such a state. If the royal authority had not been so weak. If the House of Duke Edel had not sought the throne. If I had not started a coup. She was simply unlucky.
“Carlotte. If you are reborn, do not be born as a noble.” (Rudolf)
Wiping away the unstoppable tears, I prayed for Carlotte’s soul.
I cried more than I expected, and feeling a slight headache, I returned to the office, where a government official was waiting.
“Excuse me. Your Majesty, a petition has been submitted by a noble.” (Official)
“I should have told you to ignore petitions from nobles.” (Rudolf)
Countless petitions requesting clemency or amnesty arrive from the relatives of nobles remaining in the provinces or from the captured nobles themselves. At this time, when we are extremely busy right after the political upheaval, there is no time to look at each one.
“Of course, under normal circumstances, we would handle it ourselves. However, this time, considering the person in question…” (Official)
“Who is it?” (Rudolf)
“A baron’s daughter named Luna.” (Official)
I had never heard of that young lady’s name.
“Luna? Which baron?” (Rudolf)
As I tilted my head, Talis, who had been listening beside me, remembered.
“Your Majesty. If we speak of Luna, is she not the young lady Your Majesty used for the annulment of your engagement with Lady Carlotte?” (Talis)
“Ah, ah. Now that you mention it, there was such a woman.” (Rudolf)
I finally remembered as well.
To break off my engagement with Carlotte, I framed it as if I had committed an act of infidelity. At that time, the one I used as my ‘true love’ was Luna. As the daughter of a baron, which is the lowest rank in the noble daughter’s hierarchy, Luna must have had many bitter experiences.
When I teased her a little, she followed me easily.
“Since she is a lady who had a relationship with Your Majesty, I believe an amnesty should be granted.” (Official)
I see.
Luna must have sent the petition, expecting that she would be granted amnesty because she was loved by me. However, she was such an insignificant existence that I had forgotten about her until now. There is no reason to give her special treatment.
“What are you saying? Just like the other nobles, keep her locked up in prison.” (Rudolf)
“Eh?” (Official)
“That woman is a whore who seduced an engaged man, and not just any man, but the Crown Prince. There is no way she would be granted amnesty. She should be grateful she isn’t sentenced to death.” (Rudolf)
Hearing my slightly angered words, the official nodded repeatedly with a somewhat frightened expression.
“U-Understood. There is one more report.” (Official)
“What is it?” (Rudolf)
“We have succeeded in capturing Hangue Warden of the Warden Trading Company.” (Official)
Hangue Warden.
A man we had been searching for with national power.
“I’ve been waiting for this report. Drag him to the grand hall immediately.” (Rudolf)
A smile naturally formed on my face.
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