TLRP 27

chapter  27

Lie

A group of nobles, led by the Duke of Nord Hill, began to insist on the theory of Babel’s invasion.

At first, everyone dismissed it as nonsense. It was true that Babel was a warlike nation, but they had just ended a seven-year war with Carcas only four years ago and entered a period of long rest. No matter how extraordinary the Queen of Babel was, it was impossible to wage consecutive wars against two nations in such a short span.

However, as more nobles sided with the duke, and as arms dealers who followed wars testified that an increasing amount of weaponry was flowing into Babel, it became harder and harder to dismiss their claims.

The duke repeatedly requested an audience with the Emperor, who remained silent without providing a clear answer. Yet the Emperor, citing various reasons, continuously refused to grant him a private meeting. Even when nobles submitted petitions every day, it was no use.

That was when the duke began to move in earnest.

At the very least, some defense was necessary. Together with the crown prince Cesare, he traveled around Marmar’s powerful houses, persuading nobles to prepare. Since the duke had previously incurred the Emperor’s displeasure for secretly expanding his private army and had lived in seclusion, his sudden reappearance drew even more ears to his words.

Perhaps the Duke of Nord Hill wasn’t plotting treason but purely preparing against war.

When Adeline heard the news, she scoffed lightly.

“Naïve fools. The duke is just gathering soldiers. He needs an excuse to raise an army. With the terrifying enemy Babel looming overhead, he invokes their name while amassing forces in the south to march on the imperial capital. It’s nothing but a ruse.”

The Lion King, who had been quietly listening, replied:

“It’s hard to believe the Emperor doesn’t already know what you know.”

He had been summoned to Seisia’s office right after dinner and had maintained a grave expression since.

Adeline sat perched on the table, criticizing the duke with sharp words. Then she recalled something Ringo had told her the night before.

“Lach.”

“Speak.”

“The duke’s private troops are nearby. My father ordered them to the Saurian Archipelago to suppress pirates, but that’s not an easy task. They failed to go out to sea and instead lingered at a coastal fortress nearby.”

“There are fortresses along the coast?”

“Of course. They’ve fought pirates for a long time. We call ourselves freemen, but most Marmarans still believe all freemen are pirates. That’s why the fortresses exist. Lately, pirate activity has waned, which allowed the duke’s troops to seize the fortress.”

This last part came from Seisia, who pulled out a map of Morogon, pointed far beyond the city to the coast, and tapped her finger on a spot.

“Here lies a fortress.”

“Lach, you must not move.”

The Lion King must not engage them. If he did, Cesare and the duke would claim not only Babel but also Odium coveted this land, insisting that war preparations were urgent. The Emperor would no longer be able to ignore them.

“Will the freemen move for us?”

Seisia asked. Of the three present, she was closest to the freemen, yet she still knew less about them than she wished.

Unless the Emperor himself declared the Duke of Nord Hill guilty of treason, there was no justification to strike him. Since Cesare and the duke cloaked themselves in the pretense of protecting the realm, even the Lion King couldn’t act rashly.

That left only the freemen.

Adeline stayed silent. Seisia pressed the same question twice more, but Adeline only deflected with laughter.

The Lion King finally asked:

“You’ve done something already, haven’t you?”

He was getting sharper these days. Adeline had no choice but to recount the conversation she had on the Sawblade Crab with Shima Hon, leader of the freemen.

From here the chapter shifts between Shima Hon rallying the freemen, the duke’s mercenaries trapped at the fortress, Adeline’s calculated scheme to pit them against each other, and the comedic interludes with Zakarian, Vladimir, and Seisia trying (and failing) to confess the Lion King’s feelings for Adeline amidst the chaos.

By the end:

• The freemen lay siege to the coastal fortress.

• The duke’s mercenaries refuse to come out.

• The freemen hurl insults when arrows run out, while the soldiers hurl filth and stones back.

• Seisia, flustered by her own feelings and by the Lion King’s obvious devotion to Adeline, nearly blurts the truth—but is constantly interrupted by the freemen’s deafening shouts.

• Adeline, alone on the hill, reflects. She knows the Lion King loves her wholly, blindly, with no expectation of return. She also knows rejecting him would hurt them both more deeply.

• As she stands in the night, the Lion King approaches with warm milk and a blanket, quietly placing it on her shoulders.

The chapter ends on this unresolved, intimate tension between them.