Chapter 66
In the end, the Fischer Grand Duchy fell, brought down by deeply political maneuvering. Such grim outcomes often emerge from situations like these.
They had never wanted to kill or destroy them. But in politics, if you don’t eliminate your opponent, your own life is at risk, and that kind of stark choice cuts deep.
Since the day House Fischer was annihilated, accused of sedition and treason, the late Emperor had withdrawn into seclusion. He renounced his women, refused food, and abandoned his duties. That was also around the time that his syphilis worsened.
His bond with his brother had been genuine, and the Grand Duke had loyally handled state affairs without greed, filling the Emperor’s gaps. Betraying such a brother must have inflicted enormous guilt on the Emperor, who had struck only to survive.
He had loved his brother, had given everything, but he found he couldn’t sacrifice his life as well. Withdrawing everything, he found himself left with nothing.
It sounds complicated, but that’s politics.
“If he hadn’t been killed, I would have died instead.”
In a way, it was fortunate that Ernst’s mother had passed away earlier. Of the three siblings, Johanna, the imperial princess, was the most beloved. Her life had been flawless from start to finish—a devoted husband, a son, and two brothers who protected her.
If she had known that one brother killed the other, her gentle heart wouldn’t have endured it. Perhaps it was for the best that she never lived to see it.
From that time onward, unrest began bubbling up everywhere:
Rebellions, resistance, suppression, uprisings, civil war.
Previously rare, riots soon spread like wildfire. It was maddening in many ways. Honestly, if it was all leading to this, they should’ve dealt with that lunatic Heinz once and for all. Out of misguided paternal love, that madman was saved, but the soldiers suffering in this hell were paying the price for it.
The root cause of it all, that lunatic, basked in his position as Crown Prince, indulging himself with anyone who caught his eye—yes, anyone, regardless of gender or age. Meanwhile, the masses, already volatile, erupted into rebellion.
It was inevitable. A feckless Emperor concerned only with his pleasures and a Crown Prince even more depraved. The capable Grand Duke had been wrongfully executed, and now the whole country was falling apart—how could anyone expect it to hold?
The nobles, on top of exploiting the lower classes, drained them to the bone. Eventually, people rose, deciding that if this was how they were to live, they might as well take up their pickaxes and fight. Years of this led the rebels to organize, and the riots escalated into outright civil war.
So here’s the question: for a war to last, what is the most essential requirement?
A simple riot could happen in a flash. With nothing to lose, people desperate to survive might pick up pickaxes as makeshift weapons in a frenzy.
But prolonged warfare? That demands massive funding. Supplies like weapons and food need to be replenished, and soldiers regrouped, or the conflict simply can’t be sustained.
Initially, it seemed they were getting funds from merchants to import weapons. The assumption was that their resources would run dry soon enough. But the standoff with the rebels dragged on, year after year.
Anyone with common sense would start to wonder.
Could a war really be sustained for so many years? Were merchants truly funding it independently?
There were clear signs it was a political rift. Some nobles, having witnessed the Fischer family’s massacre, began questioning the monarchy. As skepticism grew toward the imperial authority oppressing the nobility, power began to split.
The Imperial Faction, loyal to the monarchy. And the Parliamentary Faction, seeking reform.
In a way, Heinz was brilliantly talented. Even those once loyal to the Imperial Family would turn against it with disgust—all thanks to him. If his aim was to ruin the Empire, he was certainly a genius.
“Undress, now! Hurry, take it off!”
“Your Majesty, please… please, I beg you, have mercy!”
“What’s wrong, Baron? Is your lovely wife rejecting me? You there, hold her down! Yes, hold her down! Go on, seize her!”
“Noooo! Ahhhhh!”
And there was Heinz, right in front of Ernst.
It was hard to believe they were cousins. No, rather, it was hard to believe the late Emperor hadn’t known how truly depraved his son was.
After winning key battles in the civil war, with the Empire’s forces quelling much of the rebellion, a victory banquet was held. And there, in full view of everyone, Heinz’s despicable behavior was on display once again.
Whether he was drunk or high, this lunatic stripped a Baron’s wife in front of everyone. When she wept in despair, he forced her husband to hold her down, then crawled under her skirts, proclaiming he would lap her up like a dog.
Ernst seriously considered it. Listening to the woman’s pitiful cries was one thing, but knowing that this fool’s antics were the reason he was forced to dig trenches and hide in bunkers made him want to curse. And thinking that this might continue was even more horrifying.
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