Free Web NovelChapter 303: Chapter 291: The Seed of Suspicion
Roland stared at the white-haired Crown Prince, doubt surging within him like a dark tide.
Morne was advanced in years, yet he could still personally lead the grand army to the Northern Domain, a clear testament to his formidable strength.
As Morne’s son, Lucius must have also practiced a profound Knight’s Breathing Technique and should possess Extraordinary strength and a long life.
Even with the drawback of the Knight’s Breathing Technique draining one’s life force and causing a decline in strength after their prime, it should never lead to what he saw now...
A state of being so emaciated and gaunt, as if he could waste away at any moment.
The degree of this decay was unnaturally alarming, almost like a...
...kind of corrosion.
As Roland was lost in thought, Prince Lucius raised his eyelids, his slightly cloudy eyes sweeping over the delegation from the River Domain.
He cleared his throat. His voice, tinged with the hoarseness and shortness of breath unique to the elderly, still managed to maintain the proper decorum of the Royal Family.
"Welcome... friends from the River Domain."
He spoke slowly, with stiff pauses between his words, as if reciting an unfamiliar manuscript.
"Thank you for coming all this way. I hope this study exchange will deepen the... friendship and understanding between the Golden Valley and the nations of the River Domain."
After a few dry pleasantries, he didn’t even spare Roland a second glance. He simply gave a slight nod for the reception to continue, then turned to speak in a low voice with a lavishly dressed high-ranking noble beside him, as if he had just completed a necessary obligation.
For a moment, Roland and his party were simply left standing there awkwardly.
The atmosphere of the banquet remained lively. The orchestra played cheerful melodies, and the nobles raised their glasses, drinking and chatting animatedly. But all of this seemed to have nothing to do with them.
This banquet, ostensibly held to welcome them, was in reality more like a common social gathering for the upper echelon of the Golden Valley Kingdom. They, the supposed "guests of honor," had instead become outsiders. An invisible barrier permeated the air.
The surrounding nobles would occasionally cast a glance their way, their gazes a mixture of faint curiosity and condescending scrutiny—the natural arrogance of a powerful nation toward visitors from smaller states.
Though they maintained a veneer of courtesy and this attitude didn’t translate into direct rudeness, the subtle sense of alienation and the occasional muffled laughter made the students from the River Domain feel as if they were sitting on pins and needles.
Master Reggie caught Roland’s eye and gave a slight shake of his head, signaling for him not to mind it.
But Roland had already lost interest.
Just then, a slight commotion at the entrance to the banquet hall suddenly drew everyone’s attention.
Immediately after, the clear and resonant voice of the court chamberlain rang out again, this time with a hint of gravity that had been absent when announcing them.
"Her Highness, Princess Gloria, has arrived!"
As the announcement faded, Gloria, whom he had met once before, stepped into the banquet hall.
Her brilliant golden hair flowed like molten gold under the crystal chandeliers, and her azure eyes were clear and determined. Yet, her delicate features bore an unmistakable trace of worry and the weariness of travel.
Her arrival was like a splash of cool moonlight on a richly colored oil painting, instantly capturing everyone’s gaze.
Roland’s gaze, however, did not linger on the Princess’s face for long. Instead, his brow furrowed slightly.
He keenly sensed that the attitude of the surrounding nobles toward this Princess...
...wasn’t exactly respectful.
Gloria walked straight toward Prince Lucius, who was surrounded by a crowd, and gave a slight curtsy.
Her posture was elegant, yet it carried a sense of detachment that was out of place among the nobles present.
"Brother Lucius."
Her clear voice cut through the decadent music of the banquet.
Lucius, who was in conversation, turned his head at the sound. A flicker of surprise, barely perceptible, crossed his eyes, as well as...
...an obvious distance.
He sized her up for a moment before speaking as if he had just recognized her, his tone polite but distant.
"Gloria? When did you return?"
"I just arrived in the Royal Capital last night."
Gloria straightened up, ignoring the varied stares from all around, her tone growing more urgent.
"Brother, I hurried back because the ’withering’ phenomenon in the Eastern Territory is spreading rapidly. Fertile fields are turning into deadlands, rivers are drying up, and the people are living in constant fear. We must immediately mobilize supplies to aid the victims and thoroughly investigate the source of this phenomenon..."
Her words, however, only seemed to annoy Lucius.
The aged Prince waved his hand impatiently.
"These trivialities again? Gloria, can’t you see I’m entertaining guests who have traveled a long way? We can discuss these matters later. Someone will handle them."
His tone was dismissive, making it clear he considered the strange events happening in the land far less important than the banquet before him.
Listening to their conversation, Roland raised a slight eyebrow.
After exchanging a few quiet words with Reggie, he signaled for Galvis and Teresa to prepare to leave.
Gloria, however, was clearly not willing to give up.
She pressed her lips together, a flash of disappointment and helplessness in her azure eyes.
Just as she took a deep breath, about to speak again, the great doors of the banquet hall were pushed open once more.
Amidst the sound of heavy footsteps, a burly figure barged in.
’Sean...’
Seeing his friend’s figure, Roland couldn’t help but stop in his tracks.
"Your Highness, Prince Lucius."
Sean strode before Lucius and dropped to one knee.
"Captain Sean of the Northern Border Legion, returned under the secret orders of His Majesty Morne. I have urgent military intelligence to report to you privately!"
’War in the Northern Domain?’
All this time, a blind optimism regarding the war in the north had permeated the noble circles of the Royal Capital.
People firmly believed that with His Majesty Morne leading the campaign personally, victory was only a matter of time.
For a frontline officer to burst into the banquet so urgently now instantly sparked a low murmur through the crowd, as curiosity and a vague sense of unease quietly spread.
And Prince Lucius, having been interrupted twice in a row, saw his expression darken completely.
Gloria’s "tactlessness" had already displeased him, and Sean’s intrusion ignited his fury.
He slammed his wine glass down on the table, producing a sharp sound.
"Report privately?"
Lucius’s voice suddenly rose, filled with offended indignation.
"There are no outsiders here! What military intelligence could possibly need to be hidden from the loyal subjects of the Golden Valley Kingdom? Speak! Say it now, in front of everyone! Otherwise, I will have you executed on the spot for disrupting the court and delaying military affairs!"
This sudden outburst of anger silenced the entire hall.
But Roland, standing in the corner, narrowed his eyes slightly.
He peered through the layers of people, carefully scrutinizing Lucius’s every move.
’Was it just my imagination, or in that instant Sean had burst in, right before the outburst of anger, had I glimpsed the corner of the Prince’s mouth twitch upward ever so slightly?’
As Lucius’s words fell, the bustling banquet hall fell deathly silent.
Sean’s body went rigid.
He looked up, his eyes filled with shock and dilemma.
His Majesty Morne’s order to secretly investigate a traitor was absolutely not something that could be revealed in such a public setting.
He opened his mouth, trying to report only a general overview of the unfavorable battle situation.
"Your Highness, the situation in the Northern Domain... the Beastman offensive is unusually fierce. Our army... our army has suffered a temporary setback. His Majesty hopes..."
"A setback?"
"How is that possible?"
A low murmur began to spread among the nobles.
Just as Sean was struggling to choose his words, trying to conceal the most crucial part, a sinister voice spoke up.
It was none other than Earl Auston, who had scurried away in disgrace earlier.
Now, with unconcealed malice on his face, he deliberately raised his voice.
"Oh? Just reporting on the battle situation? Captain Sean, if I recall correctly, just before you left, His Majesty Morne mentioned an extremely important ’special instruction’ that had to be delivered to His Highness personally. Surely that counts as an urgent matter?"
Auston’s words were like a viper striking from its hole, sinking its fangs precisely into the secret Sean could not speak.
The color drained from Sean’s face in an instant.
He glared fiercely at Auston, then looked at Prince Lucius, whose face was grim and whose eyes glinted with a cold light.
Caught between the Prince’s pressing gaze that screamed ’speak or die’ and Auston’s venomous words, he finally closed his eyes in despair. When he opened them again, his voice was hoarse, heavy, and full of powerlessness.
"His Majesty said the Beastmen’s movements are abnormally precise. He suspects... that someone within the Kingdom is leaking military intelligence to them. He therefore secretly ordered His Highness the Prince to investigate covertly and root out... root out the potential traitor..."
The moment the words were spoken, the entire banquet hall fell into absolute silence.
The music had long since stopped, and all conversation came to an abrupt halt.
Wine glasses hung in mid-air; the fine food was forgotten.
The hall, which just moments ago had been filled with a lighthearted, festive atmosphere, was now as if frozen by an invisible Ice.
Shock, disbelief, and a flicker of panic, buried deep beneath their lavish facades, were interwoven on every noble’s face.
The seeds of suspicion had been sown in public.
