kscans

Chapter 11 - The Usurper King

The new royal house, called the Dindrion Royal Family, was originally a ducal family with deep ties to the old monarchy.

The foolish former king and the current king who overthrew him were cousins.

The current king, Allen Halright Dindrion, is a military man. His position as general during the previous king's reign was not merely due to his high birth.

It was his ability that allowed the coup d'état to succeed so smoothly. And to purge the corruption as much as possible, he conducted a large-scale purge. While many vassals were devoted to King Allen for his charisma and skill, his harsh judgments also earned him considerable resentment.

The common people, their lives having improved, were now supportive, but the sight of countless severed heads displayed in the public square had initially instilled more fear of the new king's brutality than relief that their past suffering was over. He was even mockingly called the Decapitator King behind his back.

The people's lives had improved considerably, and the court had stabilized, but the potential for any spark to ignite into a flame was still not low. The dissatisfaction and resentment simmering within the country from demotions, stripping of titles, and confiscation of private property would not disappear so easily.

King Allen was not particularly cruel, but he understood that if civil war broke out while the populace was severely weakened, it would invite foreign intervention and could even lead to an invasion. Thus, he carried out a drastic purge in a short period to swiftly quell the political turmoil. It was also a way to demonstrate his harsh resolve and ensure that neighboring countries would not take him lightly.

His strategy had worked as intended, but now King Allen secretly worried that it had been too effective. The last remnant of the former king, the one he had shown mercy to, was slated to be sent to a strict convent to isolate her from the world before she could become a spark. He had also been using her as bait to lure out dissenters, calculating that just before she reached the age of majority at sixteen would be the ideal time. But events had moved faster than he anticipated. His spies had discovered a plot: domestic malcontents, secretly connected to that merchant, were planning to launch an armed uprising as soon as the neighboring country secured the girl, coordinating their military actions.

Executing the former princess for plotting treason would be the logical course of action, but to execute a powerless girl who had not yet come of age would only worsen King Allen's already feared reputation.

King Allen was well aware of the dangers of ruling through fear. If the hearts of the people turned away from him, the first to act would be the wealthy among the commoners. With money, they could live comfortably abroad. Though wealthy, they were still commoners, and unlike nobles protected by their titles, they could be ruined by a single whim of a ruler. If they feared being targeted and destroyed by a cruel king, they would easily abandon the country. If the wealthy fled with their fortunes, the major merchants who did business with them would follow. Eventually, even the nobility would send their wives and children abroad with their assets. The economy would shrink, a recession would hit, and the people's dissatisfaction would grow even more. Once that flow began, it was nearly impossible to stop.

Therefore, a reputation as a merciless king was the last thing he wanted. That was why King Allen had decided to completely erase the existence of the princess along with her hidden village. The neighboring country might protest with a fake former princess, but he could simply feign ignorance. Proving the authenticity of a former princess completely unknown to the public would be extremely difficult.

And so, for the sake of the country's future, King Allen had used the pitiful former princess one last time. As a trial for his firstborn son, who had not yet been formally invested as Crown Prince.

From King Allen's perspective, his son Ebalt was a bit too prone to preconceptions, and his intolerance for even minor sins bordered on narrow-mindedness. Of course, he had been educated as an heir since childhood and, even without a father's bias, was a clever boy who had learned to compensate for these flaws with reason. However, the shortsightedness and intense likes and dislikes he sometimes displayed when his emotions ran high were nothing short of exasperating.

If he himself was a king to be feared, he wanted the next generation to be loved and respected by the people and the nobility. To make the peace he had forcefully created richer and more secure. For that task, he had recently begun to think that his second son might be more suitable. The second prince, Fascal, had a gentle nature and was skilled at maintaining harmony with those around him. He was a step behind Ebalt in intelligence, but it was Fascal who naturally drew people to him, around whom cheerful laughter could always be heard. It pained him as a father to make his sons compete, but as a king, he had to choose the better successor for the country. Ebalt had reached the age of majority at sixteen. It was time to make his judgment, and so King Allen had given Prince Ebalt that order.

A former princess living a life that was the very picture of noble poverty. How would his son perceive the truth of the one he was supposed to condemn, and how would he handle the situation? Depending on the outcome, the king was even considering disinheritance. As he dealt with his political duties, the wrinkles on his brow deepened at his son's delayed return.

Unbeknownst to him, the deadline he had set—today—was drawing to a close. And still, his son had not returned.

"Ebalt, do not disappoint your father…"

Glancing at the sky, now draped in the curtain of night, a small murmur escaped the king’s lips, too quiet for his attendants to hear.