Chapter 348 -348 The Situation

It was all meant to be perfect.

To show that he wasn’t aiming for the throne—at least not directly—Duke Evermoon made the competition open to all, regardless of origin. A calculated show of fairness.

On the surface, it looked like a generous, risky move. After all, who’s to say some hidden prodigy from outside the kingdom wouldn’t enter? Someone just as powerful, or even more special, than the 13th Prince?

But in truth, it wasn’t much of a risk.

To reach such a high level of strength at a young age—enough to rival a Grand Knight at twenty-five—was no small feat. It required training, resources, powerful mentors, and lineage. And Duke Evermoon didn’t believe people like that could rise from nowhere. If such individuals existed, they wouldn’t be anonymous. They would have names, noble crests, reputations. They would be known.

And within the Lionheart Kingdom, the Duke had eyes everywhere. From the smallest baronies to the largest duchies, he had scouts, informants, reports. He knew who was rising. Who posed a threat. And among the notable youth eligible for the competition, none came close to the prince he supported.

As for outsiders?

Another layer of foresight.

By offering his daughter’s hand as a prize, he’d laid an invisible boundary. One that discouraged foreign nobles from meddling. No true noble would risk offending a duke from another kingdom over a bride already claimed in political spirit. Especially not one like Duke Evermoon, who held considerable influence.

It was an elegant wall. One that didn’t need to be spoken aloud but was understood in every noble court around.

A foolproof plan.

Or so it seemed.

But the ruin changed everything.

At first, the Duke knew nothing about it. The king had kept the ruin discovery buried. Even most of the royal family remained in the dark. But secrets—especially ones that monumental—rarely stay buried for long. And by the time the Duke heard whispers of a Legendary Mage’s legacy, it was already too late.

The stakes had shifted.

The competition, once merely a tool for succession, had become a spotlight. A grand event the world watched, now held in the very kingdom that housed one of the greatest magical discoveries.

And the ruin wasn’t just any tomb.

Even the mighty Black Serpent Empire, rulers of the continent for over thousands of years, had only produced three publicly acknowledged Legendary beings in its entire existence.

The presence of such a ruin was enough to shake the foundation of nations.

Unfortunately for the Empire, they had rules binding them.

“All land under the Empire belong to the Empire… but if governed by due allegiance, seizure without cause is forbidden.”

A law set by one of the most revered emperors in history. It gave security to vassal kingdoms like Lionheart and fostered loyalty across the Empire. Because even the weak could keep what was theirs—so long as they did not rebel.

On a normal day, the Empire could only watch such a pie pass them by.

But this time… things were different.

Thanks to a certain Duke.

The ruin—originally meant to stay within the grasp of the Lionheart Kingdom—could now be opened just wide enough for others to step in.

After all, the LionHeart wouldn’t refuse an in-law with a notable background right?

Rules could be bent and the powerful Empire knew this.

And for a time, the Duke was unaware that the world had begun to take notice.

Not until the second trial ended.

Follow new episodes on the “N0vel1st.c0m”.

Not until a day before the finals, when ‘He’ from the Empire and other powerful kingdoms began to arrive.

It was like clockwork. Like a planned operation.

And it was only thanks to them he knew the secret the kingdom was hiding.

The Duke was not pleased.

He stood tall above the arena, arms behind his back, watching as the noise of the crowd.

The situation had spiraled out of control. This was no longer the competition he had orchestrated. The game board had changed.

He had never been naïve. Ambition, yes. Cunning, always. But disloyalty?

Never.

Duke Evermoon might have thirsted for power, but he was still of the Kingdom. Lionheart flowed in his veins. He had bled for this land. He had helped shape its policy and protected its borders. His daughter—his pearl—was never supposed to be a bargaining chip for outsiders.

But now?

Now she was a tool. A prize for foreign opportunists to squabble over.

He scowled faintly.

Just because the Empire’s prince had joined the competition didn’t mean he was celebrating. On the contrary—he detested it. The Empire’s reach was vast. Their nobility arrogant. Their princes even more so. Becoming in-laws with a crown prince from the Empire sounded powerful in theory… but it was hollow in practice.

He had no illusions.

The difference between their families was a chasm. His daughter would not be a wife. She would be an appendage. Something to be claimed and discarded at convenience. Her voice would be muted. Her future would be unrecognizable.

He’d rather she married no one.

He’d rather his influence remain rooted in the kingdom, where his hands could still shape the future.

And this? This mess?

He blamed the old king.

How could he allow such a discovery to slip out?

How could he, knowing the stakes, allow the secret of the ruin to be exposed?

But Duke Evermoon also knew the man well enough to understand—something must have happened on his end. The king had been careful. Very careful. For him to fail meant an unknown force had intervened.

Perhaps someone within the Empire court. Perhaps the ruin itself wasn’t dormant.

It no longer mattered.

The damage was done.

The Empire had moved, and they had come with company.

That was the part that angered him the most.

If it had been the prince alone, Duke Evermoon could have leveraged the kingdom’s structure, bureaucracy, and political theater to stall or resist. To control the narrative. But with the arrival of multiple dignitaries—”adventurous nobles” from various kingdoms and factions—it had become a diplomatic powder keg.