Chapter 135
No, it was the opposite.
Now they would have understood clearly. That Yasamin must be eliminated.
So they would throw themselves at him with everything they had.
They would bare their fangs, mobilizing every resource at their disposal—but that was exactly what Yasamin and she wanted.
‘If you’re going to deal with them, do it cleanly, all at once. While the justification of rebellion still stands.’
The ringleaders would be beheaded, and the rest would be exiled to the North, leaving many of Wilkeron’s territories without lords. That would make it easier for the southern ruling class to absorb the existing administrative regions as their new domain.
For the people of the South, food was far more important than currency or jewels. If taxes were drastically lowered for about ten years, the commoners would likely sing their praises instead.
The perception of the South as a land of barbarians could be gradually changed.
‘I need to create several inspiring stories and spread them. Recruiting about a hundred bards and sending them across the land should do the trick.’
How long would it take for the perception to shift? Three years?
If the people of these lands were already weary of the oppression of the old nobility, they might accept the change even faster.
“The banquet ends here. There’s no atmosphere left to enjoy it.”
Not that there had been anything to enjoy from the beginning. Saying so, Siren turned away with Yasamin.
Gazes full of venom stabbed into her back, but they didn’t even tickle. After all, they were just humans.
“Oh, and one more thing.”
Siren came to a halt just before the steps leading to the throne.
“A warning—don’t do anything foolish. If innocent commoners are harmed, I won’t stand by and watch.”
Not that warning them would stop them. No matter what it was, they would still do it.
‘Go ahead and struggle all you want.’
The throne was already in her hands. She had no intention of letting go, and Yasamin would make sure it remained hers—by any means necessary.
Even if it meant wiping out every noble in Wilkeron.
As she observed the nobles scurrying away like a herd of cattle, Siren kept her gaze fixed on Count Brienne.
“Look at them, running off like their tails are on fire.”
Yasamin scoffed with amusement.
“If it were me, I would’ve attacked while we were exhausted from crossing the desert. They don’t even have the guts for that.”
“Exactly. That would’ve been the better plan.”
“Tch.”
Clicking his tongue, Yasamin stood and extended his hand to her. Taking it, Siren descended the steps with elegant grace.
They had summoned the nobles the moment they arrived to gauge their movements. Now, it was finally time to rest in a proper bed—and to seek out something she had been pondering the entire way here.
“What is the meaning of this?!”
“That witch! She must be a witch! Hasn’t she changed completely?”
“I agree. It felt as if someone else was wearing the princess’s skin.”
After that strange event—too crude to be called a banquet and too unsettling to be a proper welcome—the nobles of Wilkeron gathered in secret at a certain mansion, their numbers now two fewer.
That mansion was none other than the Brienne estate.
Originally, the Brienne family had not been a house that garnered much attention.
Politically, they were ridiculed as opportunists, and in business, they failed to stand out. Nor did they possess any unique talent as a family.
They were, in every sense, mediocre.
But once it became known that their house secretly concocted poisons, their status changed.
The houses of marquises and above either perished or remained silent. Some disgraceful ones even packed up and fled the country.
The barbarians who had seized the royal capital did not bother chasing down fugitives, so just recently, two marquis families had joined forces, secured a ship, and abandoned the kingdom.
The only ducal house that should have stepped forward had been wiped out early on.
It was pure misfortune—they had all been guests at Siren Wilkeron’s wedding on the very day of their demise.
Thus, the highest-ranking nobles remaining were the counts, and among them, Brienne had risen to lead the rebellion.
‘This is a gamble. A once-in-a-lifetime gamble.’
Seated at the head of the gathering, Count Brienne took a ragged breath.
The shock of seeing his daughter earlier still lingered in every fiber of his being.
‘No. Just when the Brienne family is finally poised to rise, we cannot let something so tainted be brought into our midst.’
Nicoletta was both a cherished daughter and a valuable asset. Through marriage into a prestigious house, she could have elevated the name of Brienne.
But now, who knew how she had been defiled by the savages? She had become sullied, unworthy. How could he possibly accept her?
It would be a disgrace to the family.
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