"Your Grace, the crown prince was sighted by our men today," a steward reported to the Duke of Mills.
"How close is he?" the duke asked.
"A day at most," the steward answered.
"Are the lords aware of his arrival?" the Duke of Mills inquired. There was no emotion on his face.
The eastern border was about fifteen days from the Royal city on a fast horse, so he was primarily in charge of the affairs in this region. In the past, the east had been poor, and the King had paid little attention to it, so long as he received the taxes due to him.
For the past three months, however, the eastern border had suffered attacks from their neighbors. They had tried to fend them off but were no match for the enemy. Left with no choice, they had written to the royal city for aid. Yet, only a few soldiers had been sent.
Now, just as things had settled down, the emperor had decided to send the crown prince. It was obvious he had an important message to deliver.
"Yes, I hear the lords are preparing to welcome him at the city gates," the steward replied.
The duke smiled. "Ready the carriage," he instructed after a brief pause.
"Yes, Your Grace," the steward bowed and turned to leave, but after taking a few steps, he hesitated. "Your Grace, I am certain the prince is interested in the rumors surrounding the mine."
The duke waved his hand dismissively. He already knew that the prince's supposed visit to inspect the war damage caused by the Krus' attack was just a cover. Even the relief he had brought with him was for show. The real reason for the crown prince's visit was to investigate the mine.
The attack from the Krus had been unexpected, leaving them no choice but to request reinforcements from the capital. They had thought they were careful in hiding the mine and silencing those who had stumbled upon it. Unfortunately, they had not been careful enough.
Though the eastern border was far from the capital, the duke had not dared to hide something so significant without support from someone in the royal city. It had already been several years since the mine's discovery, and no one had expected its sudden exposure. Still, the Duke of Mills was not worried. Every noble in the region had profited from the mine, meaning no one would expose it easily.
After all, if the truth came to light, no one would escape punishment.
The crown prince's arrival had put everyone on edge. Though they had halted all mining activities and done their best to suppress the rumors, a lingering sense of unease remained. one mistake could cost them their lives.
"Wait," the duke said suddenly. "Send a message to the lords. We will meet in the great hall in three hours. Also, inform the duchess to prepare a banquet to welcome the prince."
The fate of everyone was tied together, so it was best to discuss the best course of action.
"Yes, Your Grace," the steward bowed before walking out of the hall.
Three Hours Later Follow current novels on novel~fire~net
Twenty men sat around a long table, the atmosphere thick with unease.
"We all know the crown prince will arrive at our gates soon," the Duke of Mills began. "What should we do about the mine?"
As the ruler of the largest territory in the eastern border, he held the most authority.
"Why are we still discussing this? The mine's operations have already been put on hold. As long as there are no traitors among us, we should have nothing to worry about," the Duke of Ode said.
He had always viewed himself as equal to the Duke of Mills. In the past, the Duke of Mills had controlled the entire eastern region, but after an incident at the northern border twenty years ago, the King had decided to weaken the power of the dukes in his empire. As a result, the eastern border had been divided into three parts. To appease the Duke of Mills, who had remained loyal, the king had allowed him to retain the most influence in the east.
The Duke of Ode, however, did not care about such details. In his eyes, all dukes were of the same status.
"I agree. We should not mention it," the Duke of Yul added. The lords and nobles around the table nodded in agreement.
"You think ignoring the issue will make it disappear?" the Duke of Mills frowned. "We don't know how much information the prince has, yet you're all acting so confident."
"Although we don't know what the prince has uncovered, we do know that this is his first time here," the Duke of Ode argued. "The mine is well hidden, and only a local would be able to find it."
"Right," the Duke of Mills acknowledged, "but can you guarantee that no deserters have escaped from the local population?"
The room fell silent.
During the war, many unexpected things had happened. None of them could say for certain that a local hadn't fled and revealed their secret.
"Then what should we do?" the Duke of Ode asked. Though he addressed the entire room, his gaze remained fixed on the Duke of Mills, an open challenge.
"We must prepare for the worst," the Duke of Mills declared. "At this point, we cannot simply hand over the mine. Doing so would only confirm the rumors."
"What if we give the mine to the prince?" a lord suggested. "We can pretend that the people of Krus have been mining it for years. We cannot cover fire with paper."
The dukes and lords exchanged glances. The king already suspected the mine's existence, which meant it could not remain hidden forever. Even if they managed to deceive him this time, he would not let the matter rest.
Rather than leaving their fate to chance, it might be wiser to find a lasting solution.
"That could work," the Duke of Ode was the first to agree. If they executed the plan well, they could cover up their crime of deceit.
"Do you take the crown prince for a fool?" the Duke of Mills scoffed.
"He is not a fool," the Duke of Ode replied, "but if we offer him something in return, he may be willing to turn a blind eye. After all, an internal conflict would not benefit Nexit."
"I think it's our best option at the moment," the Duke of Yul agreed.
Though it was regrettable that they could no longer profit from the mine, there was nothing more valuable than their own lives.