Clang!

A crisp cracking sound suddenly echoed from Crown Prince's study, alarming the two trusted guards who were standing outside the door. They immediately pushed the door open and said, "Your Highness! Are you alright?"

"I'm...cough, cough...I'm fine."

Thankfully, the Crown Prince was sitting unharmed at his desk. The study room remained intact, with a gentle breeze flowing in through the partially open window and the light silk curtains dancing like the robes of a dancer... It didn't look at all like there had been an assassination attempt.

The only things worth noting were the water stains on the documents and the front of the Crown Prince's clothes. He was also coughing continuously, and the porcelain tea cup that he usually liked, the one supposedly given to him by the Second Princess on his tenth birthday, was now shattered on the floor...

Making a comprehensive judgment...

"Your Highness, did you choke on your tea?" One of the guards, with a baffled expression, scratched his head and awkwardly asked.

Brad's expression froze in embarrassment, his facial muscles twitching twice. He thought to himself, wow, where did I dig up this idiot? Luckily, I have some reason left in me; otherwise, if it were a tyrant, this guy wouldn't even know how he died!

But he managed to suppress his coughing and said, "No worries, you may leave... Oh, and inform Bishop Heinrich to come and see me."

"Ah, yes, understood. I'll take my leave, Your Highness."

"Oh, and one more thing," Brad covered his mouth with his right hand and deliberately coughed twice, "you..."

"Your Highness, are you still not feeling better after choking? Don't worry! I'll go find the court physician to come and see you." The second guard, seemingly thinking he was clever, lit up with an expression that said, "Your Highness, I know you best," stood up straight and quickly ran out.

"Hold on!" Brad was almost choked by his own saliva again. Can't you be a little less clever? You're only clever at the wrong moments!

Startled by Brad's thunderous roar, the guard turned back, only to see the Crown Prince with a red face, struggling to suppress further coughing. It suddenly dawned on him, and he smacked his forehead, understanding what the Crown Prince wanted.

"I understand! Should I also get a maid to clean the study and take care of the wet documents? Understood, I'll go!"

Brad was so angry that he didn't even have the energy to get angry...

...

After finally getting this guy to understand, Brad returned to his desk and absentmindedly wiped the tea off the tabletop. He refocused his attention on the sheepskin parchment that was already half wet. The reason for his sudden choking was written on it.

Ordinary sheepskin parchment was already quite valuable, used to record important information before the invention of papermaking. But the parchment on Brad's desk was an alchemist-made tool, specially used for long-distance communication. The set comprised of two scrolls; just write on one scroll with a special pen, and the information would appear on the other scroll.

The quality of this item was passable, not a waste of Brad's ten thousand gold coins. Even after being splashed with water, the words remained clear and distinct.

Staring at those words, Brad's expression became a mix of laughter and tears. It was the real-time report sent by his own spy, who was monitoring near Gilliast Castle. Ever since the castle guards made a big fuss and captured people nearby, there hadn't been any significant news reported in a long time. Brad never expected his own sister would still not let him have peace. It hadn't even been that long before she started causing trouble again.

Before long, there was another knock on the door. "Your Highness Brad, did you call for me?"

"Please come in, Your Eminence... Oh? And who is this..." When Brad saw the two people entering from outside, he was momentarily stunned.

Heinrich had sent for the guard, but what was the young priest in the silver robe doing there? His name was Johannes, if he remembered correctly. He had officiated the summoning ceremony for the radiant Angel, displaying a level of skill that put him among the top of the younger generation of priests. But even so, there was no reason for him to be here.

"Huh? Your Highness, the guard said you weren't feeling well and urgently needed to see me. I was worried that something was seriously wrong with your health, so I brought this boy along," Heinrich's expression was also quite strange, "I'm curious to know what kind of problem you have that requires a priest's treatment."

...Brad almost couldn't hold back his impulse to curse the priest and all his ancestors, but he silently vowed to kick him back to the countryside to farm when the time came.

"Never mind..." Brad waved his hand weakly and sighed, "Since you're here, help me brainstorm."

He showed them the Magic scroll in his hand.

"Hmm? What is this?" Heinrich and Johannes gradually became more interested after reading the intelligence report.

"Damn, Princess Silver Hime is amazing. She even has time to play at a time like this," Johannes couldn't help but laugh and looked up at Brad, "I'm really sorry for calculating her so much, Your Highness Brad..."

"Hey..." Brad frowned unhappily, then looked at the esteemed Archbishop Heinrich.

"Well," Heinrich's expression grew serious and contemplative, as if lost in thought...but the next moment, he couldn't help but smirk, "It actually seems quite in line with Her Highness' personality..."

"That's enough!" Brad couldn't help but stomp his feet.

"Sorry, sorry, the pressure has been too much recently, couldn't help but make a joke..." Heinrich quickly coughed a few times and regained his composure, "Your Highness, you want to say that there's something fishy about this."

"That's right. Although Tiran is capable of such a thing, I still think the timing is too coincidental." Brad admitted, "Just as my father and I began negotiations, something like this happens, completely disrupting our rhythm. The probability of it being a coincidence is too low."

"Was it intentional?" Heinrich stroked his beard, "In other words, they sensed Your Highness' intentions."

"I didn't really expect to keep it a secret for long. My father knows me too well, it's not difficult for him to guess my intentions. The key is how much of our actual strength they have guessed."

In fact, before the New Year coup, Brad had considered this situation between failure and success. He didn't like putting all his cards on the table at once; the power he could bring to bear wasn't just the Iron Wall Shield. And his hidden card was the confidence he still held onto.

But if Granzon had also guessed those hidden cards, it was hard to say how things would develop next.

"It's a bit troublesome... Oh, by the way, have we been able to find out where Princess Tiran is?"

"Not yet, my people are doing their best, and we should be able to find out soon." Brad turned around and looked at the map of the Western Continent hanging on the wall, "Bishop Heinrich, how is the situation with that gardener? If she can't succeed, then we'll have to..."

Brad was clearly a bit troubled. The top combat power on his side was still lacking, and even if he could invite just one more Holy Rank powerhouse, the situation would be much better.

In my current strategy, the first step is to ensure that Tiran cannot interfere with the battlefield, and the second step is to defeat the War King's army. Both of these tasks are extremely difficult, even if I have hidden tricks up my sleeve, it is impossible to defeat my father head-on with just these powers.

The only way is to seek external help.

To put it bluntly, it means involving neighboring countries and completely disrupting the current situation, such as Masdon, who has been eyeing the opportunity for a long time.

Although the civil war in Milanía is about to break out and neighboring countries are eager to take action, the power difference between Brad and Granzon is huge. Unless the central army of the kingdom suffers heavy losses and shows signs of defeat, no country will be willing to join the war and risk being held accountable afterwards.

After all, eighteen years ago, except for the neighboring countries with friendly relations with Milanía, most of the neighbors have already suffered from the iron army of the War King. Moreover, the protagonists of Milanía's civil war are a father and son. Who knows if they will reconcile after I invade and then stab me in the back?

But it would be different if I took the initiative to contact and entice them with benefits.

In fact, even before the coup, Brad's people had already met with the Prince of Masdon, and they had reached some kind of agreement, including the possibility that Brad would be willing to exchange parts of Milanía's land for Masdon's support when necessary.

Undoubtedly, Brad is aware that this would be seen as a treasonous act. Even if he becomes a king, future history books would not speak kindly of him. That's why he has been hesitating.

But what if it comes down to the final moment?

Brad asks himself this question.

Am I willing to accept a total defeat? Am I willing to compromise?

The journey of a hundred miles begins with the first step. After coming this far, would giving up be nothing but a laughing stock? What is the meaning of the meticulous preparations I have made for years, even turning myself from a noble royal to a rebel? Even the ambitious self who was willing to give everything for his dreams would surely laugh at me if he saw me now.

Is that all there is to the desire of creating an ideal country with my own hands?

"Damn it..."

"Your Highness?" Heinrich looked at Brad, who suddenly held his head and sat back in his chair, and asked with a frown.

"I'm fine." Taking a deep breath, Brad forced himself to calm down. When he raised his head again, his jade green eyes had regained their clarity. "Bishop Heinrich, please inform the gardener to act as soon as possible. I need a result, whether it's success or failure."

"No problem." Noticing the determination in Brad's eyes, Heinrich nodded unconsciously.

...

"What? Act as soon as possible? I don't even know where that Your Highness went to now."

In the aerial garden of the castle, Vira leaned on the railing, gently poking a newly bloomed delicate flower with her fingers, while receiving communication from Heinrich through the holy seal engraved on her wrist.

Vira wasn't in a good mood now either. It's really troublesome. The targets she used to deal with would either hide themselves or quickly flee when they were targeted by the judges of the Court of Justice. Although they each had their own tricks, they couldn't escape the mindset of a fugitive. Coincidentally, she knew that mindset very well, so it was easy for her to track down those guys.

But the problem now is that this princess behaves completely differently from the usual, and based on the results she has observed so far... this guy doesn't have the slightest sense of nervousness.

To the point that now, Vira can't even believe the several possible whereabouts of Tiran that she has speculated.

"My Lord Bishop, although I am a professional, it does not mean that I am capable of such difficult tasks, does it? Moreover... that blazing Angel you summoned earlier not only did not disappear, but it seems to have been tamed by Prince Tiran. Although I don't mind challenging difficulties, that Princess is not an easy character to deal with. Being too hasty can only lead to trouble."

"What...?! Angel?!" Heinrich was clearly shocked. "Are you sure?"

"If you don't believe me, it's fine... Hmm?" Vira suddenly noticed a figure on the lawn below.

It was... the maid? Vira remembered this pretty girl who allowed her to enter the castle at that time.

"My Lord Bishop, it seems we have found some clues about finding the Princess. Let's withdraw for now."

"Wait! You, explain the situation with Angel first!"