The Duke's Reward

A dinner party was not a ball; because the ball had not officially started yet, the host was not required to make an opening speech, needing at most to properly receive the most important guests.

This was common knowledge for attending balls that even commoners understood. That was why when the Duke, someone they had only ever seen in newspapers, made an appearance, a stir rippled through the venue.

Not only in the commoner section, but several nearby dining areas also experienced small commotions. After all, there had never been a precedent for a Duke and a princess to visit the commoner section together.

Everyone stared at Lynch with astonished gazes, whispering among themselves about who this commoner could be to draw the attention of both the princess and the Duke.

In an instant, Lynch became the focal point of all the surrounding guests' eyes.

Yet Lynch did not let it go to his head.

He had self-awareness. While what he had done was indeed remarkably meritorious, it had not reached the level of warranting such extraordinary treatment.

When someone humbles themselves before you with excessive courtesy, they always want something in return. Going to such lengths was practically writing “we want to use you” across their faces.

“Hahaha, I do appreciate your bluntness, Mr. Levive. Just as direct as your report. Well then, we are going to use you—you won't mind, will you?”

“Mind being used? Human interactions are essentially mutual exploitation. Being useful to someone proves one's worth; those whom nobody can use are just trash. Provided, of course, that one goes into it with open eyes and reaps sufficient benefits. What's truly worth minding is being tricked empty-handed into becoming someone else's weapon while in the dark—though what you should really mind then is your own brain.”

Lynch did not hide his thoughts at all, instead rubbing his fingers together in a practiced gesture for money. Duke Vane did not mind in the slightest, patting Lynch's shoulder warmly and gesturing for Lynch to follow them to a quiet corner.

Meanwhile, having given Lynch plenty of face, Princess Sophia began her performance.

“Each of you is an outstanding citizen of the Kingdom of Lande and the cornerstone of the entire realm. Thank you all for facing hardship together with the kingdom.”

“Disease is not frightening, nor is disaster. As long as you stand with the kingdom, the kingdom stands with you. So long as we fight shoulder to shoulder, we can overcome every hardship.”

Though mouthing high-sounding diplomatic platitudes, her actions were quite genuine. She truly walked right into the crowd of commoners, sitting down directly at a commoners' dining table to interact closely and barrier-free with the people.

It gave even Lynch quite a start.

Granted, the commoner representatives consisted of twenty-nine individuals from twelve families, all of whom had been vetted and screened repeatedly, but getting this close at such a time was still a rather risky move. After all, the assassination turmoil from the day before yesterday had hardly blown over.

For a politician to possess such courage, regardless of whether it was just a show, still commanded Lynch's admiration.

Fortunately, Officer Natalie and Miss Valente provided close protection. A team-up between Soul Severers of the Lord of Order and the Lord of Suffering made for a near-flawless security measure.

“Her Highness Sophia has been like this since she was a child, always willing to mingle with the common people. That is how her populist image was built. We weren't at ease either, but Sophia requested this herself, and no one could stop her.”

The princess was conversing with the people one by one. When it came to little Martha, in consideration of the little girl's height, she even dropped onto one knee, prompting the journalists to snap photos furiously. Meanwhile, the old Duke and Archbishop Trinlais led Lynch into the corner, explaining softly:

“Queen Mary passed away early, leaving Sophia as her only daughter. Rudolph disliked Queen Mary, which led to him keeping Sophia at a distance as well. Because the aristocratic circles took their cues from Rudolph's attitude, they gave her the cold shoulder too. As a result, the child often mingled with commoners, and as she grew up, she became the populist voice within the royal family. You might think she is putting on a performance in many matters. In truth... she is putting on a performance, but at least the show she puts on benefits everyone and helps people.”

“There's nothing wrong with putting on a show, nor is it hypocritical,” Lynch shrugged. “The public needs a show that brings benefits, whether that benefit is spiritual comfort or practical gain. Besides, if she can keep acting for a lifetime, then it becomes real.”

Duke Vane and the Archbishop both looked at Lynch in surprise. “It is truly astonishing that you would hold such a view. Even many nobles might not see things so clearly.”

Naturally. That is the accumulation of thousands of years of knowledge from my hometown; I'm just spouting it to impress you. Lynch thought to himself, while maintaining an enigmatic smile on the outside.

“Since you have such insight, the matters that follow will be much easier to discuss,” Duke Vane said. “Let us start with your assignment. I have read the report. While somewhat incomplete due to limited information, that is of no consequence—the key issues were all clearly highlighted. Combined with reports from others, we were able to obtain a fundamentally comprehensive picture. Thus, I am very satisfied, and I believe Rudolph is quite satisfied as well. Ah, I probably do not need to state it, but the client behind the scenes was actually His Majesty the King.”

Lynch's lips twitched slightly. He had already guessed it, but hearing it still stirred some feelings.

“The reason behind this commission is quite complicated to explain. William and the little prince, Richard, are Queen Nina's sons, though Queen Nina has also passed away. Rudolph actually favored his son William very much and had long decided to pass the throne to William upon his death. It was only in recent years that he began to hesitate, considering the possibility of giving Lande another queen in the future.”

“Hold on. Is it really all right for you to tell me all this?”

“Would you not know if I didn't tell you?” The Duke cast a meaningful glance toward Miss Valente. “Quite a bit of information in that report carried the suspicion of ghostwriting, hehe. Besides, if we don't explain things clearly, would you allow us to use you?”

Sly old fox. Lynch gave the old Duke a mental thumbs-down.

“Some advisors analyzed that the existence of Parliament might well undermine royal authority, though that would be far in the future. While it is uncertain whether their analysis is true or false, the conflict between Parliament and the royal family has indeed grown increasingly sharp.” The Duke put away his smile, speaking gravely, “Under these circumstances, Prince William being close to Parliament was not a bad thing. His succession could have eased the intensifying conflict, but under one premise: he must still represent the interests of the nobility. He could play the role of an enlightened reformist inclined to cooperate with Parliament, but he could not truly consider himself one of Parliament's own.”

Lynch nodded thoughtfully, roughly understanding where the contradiction lay.

“This aroused Rudolph's concern, and as it turned out, his concern was justified. When he seemingly inadvertently revealed his thoughts, the first thing William did was not alter his behavior to dispel his father's doubts, but instead deepen his cooperation with Parliament, intending to use Parliament's power to force Rudolph to change his mind.”

“And the appearance of the Shadow Alliance provided them with the perfect method. Using that artifact would allow Rudolph to publicly pass the throne to him in a process that could withstand any scrutiny, guaranteeing a seamless transfer of power without loss. In truth, we did not know what his real objective was, but the Shadow Alliance put us on guard, which led to this commission.”

“Through your report, we have been able to roughly deduce which factions the parliamentary faction actually controls and to what extent. While we do not intend to take drastic action over this just yet, having a thorough understanding of the situation gives Rudolph far greater confidence in handling what comes next. It must be said, this is all thanks to your meritorious service, Mr. Levive.”

Lynch felt a headache coming on from taking all this in. Pondering, he said, “For Her Highness the Princess to rush over at this particular juncture, I imagine it's not as simple as merely comforting disaster victims.”

“Let us set her motives aside for now and address them shortly. First, let us speak of your reward. As you said, if you're going to use someone, you should make them comfortable being used.” The Duke said with a smile, “Not only did you submit the report, but you also resolved several major hidden threats along with it, even directly dismantling William's patricidal conspiracy. If we were to brush you off with a single Red Moon Memory as originally agreed, not only would you feel uncomfortably used, but we ourselves would feel thoroughly embarrassed. Therefore, let us do this: first, regarding the Red Moon Memories you require, we will do our utmost to help you gather them. While we might ultimately only be able to provide clues, it should still be of some help to you. After all, when relying on the power of a nation, many things tend to become far easier.”

Lynch gave it some thought. He already possessed the second memory provided by Countess Hathaway, and as long as he reclaimed the third Divine Authority, he could advance to rank three. But he had no leads on the memories after that; with the assistance of the Kingdom of Lande, his path of immortality should become somewhat easier.

“I accept.”

“Yet that is far from enough, as it is merely an empty promise after all. I have prepared another reward for you as well. Though I suspect you may not find it particularly appealing, it is actually of paramount importance to you.”

“What is it, exactly?”

Lynch's curiosity was clawing at him like an eager cat. Don't you know cliffhanger fiends never come to a good end?

The Duke looked Lynch up and down from head to toe, asking in return, “How does the title of Sir Lynch Levive of the Kingdom of Lande sound to you?”

Huh?