Chapter 67: The Tragedy of That Day (2)

While an unsettling atmosphere spread among the northern nobles, centered around three of the five great families,

The Northern Duke, Richard, was secretly meeting someone.

“A short while ago, the northern nobles gathered in secret.”

Hearing the report, Richard leaned against his bed, coughing violently. Only after he managed to calm himself did he finally speak.

“Haa… So they’ve finally made their move.”

“Your Grace, if you give the order, I will mobilize the knights from headquarters and arrest them all.”

Richard’s conversation partner was Arthur, the captain of the knights. When he spoke with a face mixed with concern and anger, Richard weakly shook his hand.

“No. If the knights take action, they won’t sit still either. That would mean a civil war breaking out inside Wintercannon.”

“But—”

“Captain, do not forget your duty. You are a knight sworn to protect the North. Not me.”

“Your Grace is the Duke of the North. It is my duty to protect you.”

Richard let out a pleased smile at Arthur’s loyal response and then asked,

“Captain, do you think Grace can fulfill the role of the Duke?”

Arthur hesitated for a moment before answering honestly.

“The young lady is the finest knight I have ever seen. If I may speak freely, her aptitude as a knight surpasses even Your Grace’s.”

“That is good to hear.”

“However, while her prowess as a knight is unmatched, her path as a leader will be filled with hardship. More than anything, the reason the noble council is plotting behind the scenes is that they do not believe she can inherit the title of Duke.”

Both Richard and Arthur had long been aware of this.

As Richard’s illness worsened and the future of the North became uncertain, the nobles, led by the Berta family, were already preparing for what was to come.

Their reasoning was not entirely baseless.

The Duke of the North, who was supposed to be strong and resolute, was now bedridden, too weak to leave his chambers.

If not for the longstanding prestige of the Northrein family, he would have been replaced long ago.

Richard had seriously considered abdicating the title of Duke.

As the Duke who loved the North more than anyone, he could not allow its prestige to decline because of his frailty.

And yet, the reason he had not relinquished the position was simple.

“If only they had a little more capacity, I would have considered passing it to another family.”

The current heads of the five great families were far too dangerous.

The head of the Berta family was violent and would rule with an iron fist, making the North stronger than ever but devoid of joy.

The head of the Atik family was cunning and greedy. He desired power not for the future of the North but for himself.

The head of the Ironfall family was calm and tolerant, but his weak convictions and susceptibility to persuasion would make him a puppet of the other noble families.

Among them, the head of the Deepsnow family, Lynel, had both wisdom and character. Yet, Richard could not quite grasp his true intentions, making it difficult to fully trust him.

In contrast, Grace was everything Richard envisioned in an ideal leader—aside from her gender.

She possessed strength, character, and courage.

She had been raised as his only daughter with some degree of indulgence, leading to a mischievous streak. However, rather than being a flaw, her unrestrained nature had a magnetic appeal that drew people to her.

“No matter what happens, our knights will protect the young lady until the end.”

“That is reassuring to hear, my friend.”

Richard coughed violently before lying down, clearly exhausted.

Arthur gazed at him with sorrowful eyes.

Beyond their liege-subject relationship, Richard was a man he had sincerely respected as a knight.

Though lacking in martial prowess, Richard possessed the capacity to unite people and the virtue to care for even the lowest-ranking soldiers.

Despite being in a position where he could have taken concubines to bear heirs, he had loved only one woman since his youth. His unwavering devotion had touched the hearts of many.

When he lost his wife, he had wandered the battlefield, crying out in grief. The fact that Arthur had not been able to protect him then still weighed heavily on his heart.

“Has the young lady decided to inherit the title?”

“She is a strong child. She says she cannot, yet she has been preparing for it all along. Perhaps that is why… I feel reassured, yet even more guilty.”

A shadow crossed Richard’s face, one not caused by his illness.

“Because of my shortcomings, I have placed too heavy a burden on her. She is not even thirty, and yet she must forsake the life of a woman to live as the Duke of the North.”

As sorrow filled Richard’s voice, Arthur forced a smile and replied.

“The young lady would have followed His Grace to the battlefield rather than dancing with noblemen in the hall, even if he were in good health.”

“Haha, that’s true. She always said that if she were to marry, it would have to be a man as strong as she is.”

“Does such a man even exist in this world?”

“Well, I’m not sure. If he does exist… he would be the one capable of breaking down that damned fortress I have yet to conquer.”

“Then he must be nothing short of a legendary hero.”

Feeling much more at ease, Richard thanked Arthur and, before falling asleep, entrusted him with a request.

“There should be a piece of paper in the drawer. It’s my will. I have named Grace as the next Grand Duke of the North, so I want you to take care of it.”

“They won’t accept it.”

“That’s not all there is to it. Those bastards will have quite a headache, too. Heh heh heh.”

As if he no longer had the strength to stay awake, Richard gestured for Arthur to leave.

Arthur bowed politely, carefully placed the will inside his coat, and left the room.

“Commander Arthur?”

“Lady Grace.”

Grace had just arrived for a visit.

“His Grace just fell asleep. It would be best to return later.”

“I see…”

Grace turned away with a hint of regret, and the knight following her also turned back.

Arthur, upon seeing her, called out to Elaine.

“Is he her bodyguard?”

“Not officially, but since the young lady has been struggling lately, I’ve been staying by her side.”

“What’s your schedule after this?”

“Nothing in particular.”

“Follow me.”

“?”

“If you want to protect the Grand Duke of the North, mediocre skills won’t be enough. I’ll train you personally.”

One week later.

Having regained some strength, Richard called for a long-overdue meeting.

The grand conference hall was filled with nobles, military officials, and administrators. The head of the Bertha family made a grand entrance, openly leading his faction.

He had a clear objective in mind for this meeting.

‘There can only be one reason why the ailing Grand Duke summoned this many high-ranking officials.’

Richard was likely trying to handle as much internal governance as possible while he still had the strength. Once his condition worsened again, he wouldn’t be able to perform his duties as Grand Duke.

That meant that as soon as policy discussions wrapped up, it would be time to bring up the matter of succession.

By discussing multiple policies at once, they could argue that they wouldn’t know when the next meeting would be, pushing the conversation toward selecting a successor.

Most of the nobles in attendance had already aligned themselves with him, and he had reached out to those in the administration and military who had ties to noble families.

Just as Lionel had said, the head of the Bertha family knew that dealing with the Northrein family wouldn’t be easy.

After all, they were the undisputed ruling family of the North.

Even if a coup was being planned, it was better to attempt persuasion first.

If the Grand Duke could be swayed, it would be a peaceful resolution. If he remained stubborn, even if their scheme was exposed, they would at least have justification for opposing him.

As expected, the main focus of the meeting was a comprehensive discussion of the matters that had arisen in the North during Richard’s absence.

Once those discussions concluded, the head of the Bertha family exchanged glances with the head of the Atik family, preparing to shift the topic.

“The reason I have gathered you all here today is not only to discuss internal affairs but also to address an essential matter regarding the future direction of the North. It concerns my successor.”

“?”

As soon as Richard brought up the topic of succession, the entire room widened their eyes in surprise.

Despite his prolonged illness, he had never once mentioned his successor.

For him to bring it up now, in such an official setting, meant that this was the real purpose of today’s meeting.

‘What an opportunity!’

The head of the Bertha family was just as shocked.

He had been waiting for the right moment to introduce the subject, but the Grand Duke had brought it up himself.

The head of the Atik family smirked slightly.

“As you all know, my condition has not improved and is worsening by the day. At this rate, it is only a matter of time before I am unable to rise from my sickbed. That is why I have decided to appoint a strong successor in advance.”

Richard had no sons.

The Northrein family traditionally had only one direct male heir, meaning there were no collateral relatives to adopt as an heir.

That meant the successor would have to be chosen from one of the five great families.

At that moment, a chilling thought crossed the Bertha family head’s mind.

‘Wait, no way?’

As he felt an ominous premonition, Richard spoke.

“My daughter, Grace Nosrein, has been acknowledged by the knights for her skills as a knight, and she has long studied the disciplines necessary for a grand duke. Though she is female, I believe that ignoring an individual’s talent based on gender goes against our beliefs here in the North, where strength is revered. Therefore, I would like to ask everyone what they think about Grace Nosrein as the next Grand Duke of the North.”

‘Damn it!’

His bad feeling was right.
Richard had put Grace forward as his successor.

‘Cunning bastard.’

His face was clearly gaunt, and his eyes were sunken.
Yet, he was still an opponent that could not be underestimated in the slightest.

But retreating now was not an option.
He had already gathered the nobles and plotted to eliminate the Grand Duke and the Nosrein family.

If things continued like this and Grace successfully inherited the position of Grand Duke,
there would inevitably be a traitor from within who would spill the truth to save themselves.
That would lead to a civil war, and since Grace would be the Grand Duke, it would be branded as treason for real.

Besides, he had already anticipated that something like this might happen, so there was no need to panic.
At a signal from the head of House Berta, one of his loyal nobles spoke up.

“Your Excellency, there has never been a case where a woman became the leader of a faction. Even if the Lady possesses great talent, many will be confused. The North is filled with capable individuals, and surely other families have young men with both talent and ambition. Why, then, would you create controversy over the grand ducal seat by passing it to the Lady just because there are no men in the Nosrein family?”

“I agree as well. The royal capital will also find it strange, and other regions will stir with discontent. While we acknowledge Lady Grace’s talent, considering diplomatic factors, her future will not be smooth. Especially if the capital refuses to recognize her position as Grand Duke, it will be difficult for her to maintain her seat.”

As soon as one person opened the floodgates, the nobles of the faction chimed in, as if they had been waiting for their turn.
With the situation stabilizing in their favor, even the head of House Atik stepped forward.

“Long ago, our ancestors yielded the position of Grand Duke to the Nosrein family for the prosperity of the North when they deemed it difficult to continue the line within their own house. I apologize for speaking against Your Excellency’s decision, but for the sake of both your daughter and the North, I urge you to reconsider just this once.”

Even outside of the nobility, voices of concern arose from the military.
For the Nosrein family to continue their lineage, Grace would need to bear an heir.
What would happen if a war or an expedition arose during her pregnancy?
What if a monster outbreak occurred during her cycle, causing the command structure to collapse?
They focused their attacks solely on the fact that Grace was a woman.

Arthur was astounded as he observed the faces of those speaking—it was clear they were all closely tied to the Five Great Houses. Richard’s eyes also narrowed.
Yet, they weren’t arguing without any basis; they were presenting logical counterpoints, making it difficult to simply dismiss them.
Even those who were not part of their faction seemed somewhat in agreement.

“Then, recommend a suitable candidate to replace Grace. Since we don’t have much time, I will accept only three names.”

“!”

Silence filled the room at Richard’s words.
In truth, this was an issue that had not yet been settled among them.

Each of them had their own ambitions.
The head of House Berta and the head of House Atik both wanted to become the next Grand Duke.
For that to happen, they first needed to eliminate the Nosrein family—only then could they decide who would take the position.

However, openly nominating themselves would be too obvious and would instantly destroy the support they had carefully gained from outside their faction.
Yet, putting forth their sons as candidates…

They weren’t fools.
There was a reason why they had opposed Grace based on gender rather than her abilities.
No matter which young man they presented, the moment Richard said, “Let them compete in a duel,” it would all be over.

A long time ago, at a banquet, a noble boy had suddenly proposed to young Grace.
She had rejected him, saying she wasn’t interested in men weaker than her.
Enraged, the boy challenged her to a duel—only to be left unable to walk for a while.

“Urgh…”

They had only planned to pressure and corner her, yet things were not going as expected.
Glancing at each other, none of them dared to speak first.

“It seems there are no other candidates. Then, Grace Nosrein shall be appointed as the next Grand Duke of the North.”

“!”

Without giving them time to respond, Richard quickly made his decision, citing exhaustion as an excuse, and left the hall.
The Berta faction was left stunned, their mouths opening and closing as they struggled to hide their frustration.

Shortly after, when the meeting had ended and the nobles had dispersed, the Berta faction reconvened in secret.

“This won’t do. We must take action.”

Realizing that continuing like this would be dangerous, they decided to resort to the most extreme method.