Chapter 421: A Single Word to Disrupt the Country?
Chapter 421: A Single Word to Disrupt the Country?
"It seems you should understand what I'm trying to say..."
As the princess suddenly paled and unconsciously clenched her fists, Lyon sighed and said,
"Just as you've summarized, you and your reform party represent a 'royal family that wants to reclaim power,' rather than a 'royal family that wants the kingdom to thrive and the common people to be free from hardship.'
For the royal family, and even the king, the 'reforms' you advocate are not the ultimate goal but are more like a means to reclaim power. In reality, your reform party does not speak for the royal family."
"..."
Upon hearing Lyon's summary, Princess Veronica subconsciously wanted to refute him, but after considering the royal family's situation, she couldn't help but tightly press her lips together.
Indeed... what she wanted had never been what the royal family desired.
Furthermore, many of the reforms she advocated required the royal family to make sacrifices. Although her most significant 'power' came from the royal family's support, she had never truly been their spokesperson.
"Additionally, among the four factions in the capital, your reform party is very different from the other three."
Glancing at the princess's pale lips, Lyon hesitated to remind her,
"Whether it's the nobility or the parliamentary faction, they are all advocating for the interests of their respective classes and the powers they represent. Only your reform party is different.
Your greatest support comes from the royal family, but what you want to promote and fight for conflicts with the royal family's interests, and they are even completely contradictory. So your 'base' is not as stable as the other three factions.
The reason there haven't been any issues so far is that your primary goal has been to reclaim the power seized by the old nobility and regulate commercial activities to prevent the parliament from passing absurd proposals.
This aligns with the royal family's desire to reclaim power, especially since you are a princess. The power you take back also benefits the royal family. But..."
"But things will change from now on, right?"
Leaning back in her chair with a sense of powerlessness, Princess Veronica's face turned pale.
"Father... the royal family's tolerance of me is limited to insignificant matters. Once I attempt to fully implement reforms and start to thin out the power in the royal family's hands, their support will immediately cease.
This is truly... I originally thought that those measures could revive the stagnant kingdom and even make it stronger, and the royal family would naturally support me since it benefits them all. But... I was thinking too simply..."
"Not necessarily, after all, I'm just speculating."
Seeing her somewhat lost and dejected, Lyon couldn't help but offer comfort,
"The measures you implement can make the kingdom's 'cake' bigger, and the royal family might still support you. These things may not necessarily happen."
"It's not 'may not,' but 'will' happen."
Princess Veronica, leaning back in her chair with a bitter smile, closed her beautiful eyes slightly and said,
"Before you appeared, although I knew Joshua was incompetent, Father... he still wanted to marry me off, and all the candidates he chose were from other kingdoms.
I used to think that he was preparing to marry me off once my reforms encountered obstacles and the kingdom's conflicts intensified, to resolve disputes and stabilize the chaotic situation. But now it seems his plan might be even 'earlier' than that."
Thinking about the files she brought home yesterday, Princess Veronica spoke with a complex expression,
"If I haven't guessed wrong, he should be patiently waiting right now.
He was waiting for me to finish pushing through the Officer Replacement Decree and to complete the purge of the Military Department, thereby suppressing the influence of the Old Nobility within it. He was also waiting for me to propose the Expansion of Civic Suffrage at the upcoming Parliament session, gradually diluting the power held by the Grand Merchants and the Prime Minister.
And once I’ve handled these two matters, helping him resolve the constraints posed by the nobles and the Parliament, all he has to do is find a far-off kingdom and marry me off to get rid of this troublesome daughter with her wild ideas. Then, everything else will no longer be a problem.”
“……”
“Haha, no familial affection, only interests, this truly is the way of the Royal Family.”
After a glance at the silent Leon, Princess Veronica gave a self-deprecating smile and said, “I could have pushed through the reforms just by completing the marriage alliance with you. But after I approached Father several times, he never gave a direct response, instead showing some ambivalence.
At the time, I thought he wanted to place Joshua on the throne and therefore didn’t want me to have too much power, giving Joshua a chance to struggle. But I never expected that he never considered me at all, I was just a tool to clear the obstacles!”
“……”
……
Oh, this… I seem to have caused a problem…
Looking at the pale neck with faint blue veins and the abnormal red flush on the cheeks of the princess, Leon couldn’t help but open his mouth, wanting to comfort her but not knowing what to say, so he could only dryly say, “Um… do you want to eat something first?”
“I’m sorry, I don’t think I can eat.”
The princess, who had always been emotionally stable, lost her composure this time. With a pale face and a bitter laugh, she stood up and stumbled toward the door.
Noticing that her emotions were off and even showing signs of a breakdown, Leon quickly reached out to support her, unable to help but ask, “Where are you going?”
“I… I…”
Biting her lip and taking a deep breath after Leon grabbed her arm, the princess pushed his hand away and said with a tight mouth, “I need to go back and finish what I need to do…”
What you need to do… what does that mean?
Hearing her answer, Leon’s heart couldn’t help but jolt in alarm.
Given your current state of mind, the “what you need to do” wouldn’t be what I suggested before, rallying a group of guards to storm the palace and forcing your father to hand over the throne, hanging anyone who dares to oppose, would it?
Oh, this… I was just waiting for the food and couldn’t resist talking a bit about politics with you, how did it turn into a bloody revolution?
“Um… do you want to think about it some more?”
Seeing the three parts anger, six parts reluctance, and a part of unhidden sorrow in her eyes, Leon quickly pulled her back, stammering as he tried to dissuade her, “I’m not saying you shouldn’t seek justice for yourself, but shouldn’t you prepare a bit more?
If you storm the palace now and aren’t prepared, what if you can’t beat the palace guards and get killed by your father? You should at least plan for a few more days!”
“You… what are you talking about!?”
Despite the anger in her heart, Princess Veronica couldn’t help but pause when she heard Leon’s words. She then stomped her foot hard and glared at him, somewhat annoyed.
“No matter what, he is still my father. He just wants to marry me off far away, not kill me! How could I do something like that!”
“Oh, I see…”
“……”
Seeing Leon let go of her arm and sit back down with a sigh, Princess Veronica’s lips couldn’t help but twitch.
Why do I feel… like you were a bit disappointed that I didn’t act on impulse just now?
(End of Chapter)
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