The Debt Of Fate

Chapter 345: Hiding

Edward left the harbor estate with a dark face. The ride back to his residence was silent. The lords following him did not dare speak. They knew it would not be easy to convince the Steward, but they did not expect his attitude to be so strong.

The sea wind was strong, but it did nothing to calm the anger burning in Edward’s chest.

A king.

Yet he had been forced to lower himself before a steward.

"I should have killed Ernest when I had the chance."

He began to regret not killing Ernest openly. At most, people would have cursed him, but he would not have fallen to this state.

When Edward finally arrived at his residence, a servant hurried forward and bowed.

"Your Majesty, messages have arrived from the two southern kings."

Edward frowned.

"Bring them."

The letters were placed in his hands. He opened the first one.

As he read, his expression grew colder.

The king wrote that he had heard news from the royal city. The daughter of the King of Gube, who had married the second prince, had pledged to support him. Her son had been promised the crown prince position.

Since Edward had already disposed of Queen Elizabeth, the southern king believed it would be better if Edward married his unmarried daughter.

"This way," the letter stated, "our alliance will become a family bond."

Edward’s hand tightened around the parchment. This request was not unreasonable, but he had already promised Dorothy twice to make her queen and had failed. This time, he was unwilling to betray her trust again.

Sighing, he opened the second letter.

This king did not mention marriage.

Instead, he asked for more land along the southern border after the war ended.

Edward’s face turned red with anger.

He slammed the letters onto the table.

"They dare!" he shouted.

The lords in the room lowered their heads.

"These men want to turn me into a puppet king!" Edward said angrily.

"First they promised support, now they demand marriage and more lands. This alliance benefits everyone from the beginning. What makes them think they can raise the stakes?"

His chest rose and fell with anger.

One of the older advisors stepped forward slowly.

"Your Majesty," he said carefully.

Edward turned to glare at him.

"What?"

The advisor bowed slightly.

"Why not agree on the surface?"

Edward frowned. "What do you mean?"

The advisor lowered his voice.

"Right now, Your Majesty needs their soldiers. Without them, marching back to the royal city will be very difficult. We cannot leave the southern border unguarded without their support. Otherwise, while we march to the royal city, when we return our lands here would be gone."

Edward said nothing. He knew the old advisor was right.

"Once Your Majesty becomes king again," the advisor continued calmly, "there will always be ways to put them back in their place."

The room became quiet.

Edward stood there, thinking.

Slowly, the anger on his face faded, replaced by a cold smile.

"You are right," he said at last.

"For now... they can dream."

He picked up the two letters again.

"Send replies," Edward ordered.

"Tell them I agree."

Lands could be claimed back in the future. A princess was even easier to take care of. Far away in the royal city, sickness, kidnapping, and even death could happen.

Days passed, and the celebration slowly came to an end. Music faded from the halls, the banners were taken down, and the guests began to plan their return to their homes.

On the final night, everyone gathered once more in the great hall of the palace. The air was quiet as King Ernest rose from his seat. When the king stood, the hall immediately fell silent.

"I have an announcement to make," he said, his voice firm.

The lords and nobles looked at the king. After three days of celebration, it was indeed time for him to talk about serious matters.

"We all know war is coming. The runaway king and his loyalists are planning an invasion. But a man with no fear of God is not fit to rule. Perhaps that rebel Aureline was right when he said God had rejected his reign."

Ernest paused and looked at the faces of the lords and nobles who had decided to stand by him.

"I have secured ten thousand soldiers from the veterans’ slave market through the Lord of the Dark Sea. These men are experienced fighters who have survived many battles."

Murmurs spread through the hall. Everyone knew of that market. The soldiers there were trained by veterans who had fought in many wars. The soldiers began their training from a young age. Their training method was the best among all the kingdoms. They were known as elite soldiers. The men who came from there were famous for their strength and skill in combat.

"The Lord of the Dark Sea has also agreed to provide weapons and food supplies for the army," King Ernest continued.

The nobles exchanged glances. This was no small support.

The veterans’ slave market had a strong reputation. The fighters sold there were known to be fierce and disciplined. Many kingdoms tried to buy soldiers from that place, but they never sold more than two thousand at a time. To be able to buy ten thousand men, the influence of the Lord of the Dark Sea was clear to all.

With ten thousand trained men, their military power would grow greatly.

For a moment, the hall remained quiet as everyone understood the meaning of the king’s words.

Until Lord William stood up.

"Your Majesty, we have heard rumors that this Lord of the Dark Sea has already pledged to Edward. Now he agrees to help you... Could he be playing both sides?"

When everyone heard this, they felt he had a point.

"Like you said, it is a rumor. Not all rumors are true," Ernest said.

"Your Majesty is right, but there is always a small element of truth in every rumor. We all know that the strongest place of influence for the Lord of the Dark Sea is the Seventh Region. Now that Edward is in charge there, can he withstand royal pressure?" Lord William did not think everything was so simple.

"I have had my trusted men verify it. The ten thousand soldiers are real. Moreover, the one who stays in the south is only a steward," Ernest said.

Seeing that he remained confident, everyone relaxed.

Soon someone started praising Ernest.

He had made so many plans ahead.

Some felt a bit regretful. During these days of celebration, they had been worried that the king was acting too arrogantly. Only now did they understand he had also been making plans.

King’s Study

Later that night, Ernest received an urgent message.

"Your Majesty, the army of Gube is already marching toward Lowe Pass. They should arrive in another two days," a spy reported.

Ernest nodded. He had already anticipated this. Since he refused Princess Karen’s offer and she lit up her signal, he knew this would happen.

"How many men?" he asked.

"Five thousand," the spy said.

This number caught Ernest off guard. He did not expect the King of Gube to move so many men.

"We are ready, even if he sends more," Ernest said.

"Your Majesty, we are not worried about Gube," the spy shook his head. "We just noticed five thousand elite soldiers secretly moving from the plains. We have investigated. They seem to belong to that royal—the one you asked us to keep an eye on."

Ernest frowned.

He had been trying to find out the identity of this new royal. All he managed to discover was that the other person was also from Nixel.

He was certain this person was not Edward. That left either the second prince or Mary. But he had helped Prince Lucan for a few months. No matter how patient he was, he should have made a move by now. So it was most likely Mary.

"How soon before they reach Lowe Pass?" Ernest asked.

"Three days, at most," the spy replied.

Ernest stood up and spread out a map.

These five thousand men had not been accounted for, and moving men from other regions at this time would weaken his control. Besides, no army could reach Lowe Pass within three days.

Ernest began to have a headache.

He had made his plans carefully, hoping to reduce bloodshed.

He immediately called for his war advisors to look at the map together. They argued about different plans for a long time, but there was no solution. If Lowe Pass fell, he would definitely lose the region.

It was easier to defend Lowe than to attack.

Anastasia, who had fallen asleep, woke up. It was almost morning, but Ernest had still not returned, and she became worried.

Something must have happened.

So she changed her clothes and went to the royal study.

Anastasia was stunned to see that a meeting was being held.

Ernest, seeing her, asked her to come over. Then he explained the situation to her.

The advisors felt the king was wasting his time. Anastasia was just a woman—what insight could she have?

"I suspect these men belong to the former Queen Mother. We cannot win if they attack from both sides," Ernest said.

Anastasia lowered her head after hearing this.

"Actually, you don’t have to worry about this group of men," she said.

When the war advisors heard this, they all looked at her with disdain. Indeed, she knew nothing about war and should stay out of it.

But Ernest thought differently.

Anastasia had once asked him about his connection to the Lord of the Dark Sea because of her wedding dress. She was not ignorant.

"Why did you say that?" Ernest asked.

"These five thousand men are for us," she said.

Back then, she had decided to buy a few soldiers and train them. It was to protect herself from Edward and the royal family’s schemes. Later, Ernest confused his identity, so she bought more, hoping to help him when he rebelled.

But Ernest never seemed to need her help. However, after Edward allied with the southern kings, she knew they were short of manpower, so she decided to move them closer.

The advisors were confused, but Ernest was not.

He immediately dismissed them.

"So, would my lady mind telling me what else she is hiding?" Ernest asked as soon as they were alone.