Chapter 71 Aftermath Of The War

1st January 301 Paign Era.

The civil war ended a few months ago. In that span of time, many incidents happen in the kingdom. Mostly, a bad one which places Bagyarosia in its turbulent time.

To start with, the death of Richard took more than a week to reach the capital. Riz has put all his effort into covering up the news as long as he can. But nothing can stay secret forever.

In fact, the day when the news reached the capital, King Nicholas I personally organized a grand banquet. He invited all the nobles to attend it. The nobles gladly attend the banquet and celebrate it as if it were a national day. Apparently, the nobles still didn't know about their disastrous defeat at that time. It's not weird considering the happy-go-lucky attitude of the nobles during the banquet.

They were completely clueless and Nicholas I had done a great job keeping that way.

The saddest part is House of Ryntum receives a condolence letter from no nobles except Tetherswest. Instead, he was swarmed by insults and rude remarks about his father.

Riz initially plans to ignore them. He doesn't want to waste his energy entertaining a group of monkeys. However, their insults are getting more harsher and ruthless to the point of questioning his legitimacy as an heir.

Something that he can let go of. He believes they are trying to sow discord within the Ryntum household by bringing up this issue.

Once Richard's funeral finished, Riz was the first to depart from the graveyard. His business there is over. He let Josephine wail on her own. He is sad but he doesn't see any reason to cry excessively. The dead will never come back to life. The way to show Richard his gratitude is by continuing his legacy and bringing glory to the House of Ryntum.

Afterwards, Riz begins his retaliation. He released the details about the war in his newspaper according to its chronological order. Their happiness ceases to exist.

The newspaper has painted Nicholas I as a fool king while it portrays Riz as a wise strategist. Nicholas I tried his best to fix his image among the nobles but soon it spread like wildfire. He didn't expect most of the commoners to know about this since they were not literate. This is where the literate Ryntum populace and merchants play a role.

As a result, Nicholas I has no choice but to beg Riz to fix the mess. This newspaper is beyond his control. Nicholas doesn't have the slightest idea how Riz can produce that many copies. Not wanting to let go of this opportunity, Riz pressured the king to let go of the duchy territory to him. Nicholas I was buying time to think of a way to save the second prince and Riz knows it. In addition, no sane king would let half of his kingdom's land be ruled by a single family.

Leaving with no choice, Nicholas I reluctantly agree at least for now. He naturally tries to bid more time. He most likely wanted to groom the duke's son to claim the territory. Unfortunately, this handover was reported in the newspaper which caused another drop in his reputation. Even so, Nicholas I ignore all the ridicule from the nobles. He believes he can still change the tide in his favour.

As Riz gets his hand on the acknowledgement letter, the royal messenger urges him to release Prince Niel. Riz merely scoffs at the request and chooses to wait for a piece of news. It didn't take long for news that shocked the entire kingdom and reached his ears.

The duke's bloodline was massacred. Nicholas I rage in anger. Now he has completely lost the duchy. He tried to raise another army but the nobles refused. They didn't recover from the previous war. Furthermore, the harvest season is near and fields need manpower.

As promised, Riz handed Niel to the first prince but in a lifeless state. There's no point keeping him alive since he has no more use. Niall was given the fleshly dead body of his little brother without making any noise. Their contract does not state that Niel has to be handed alive. He decides to depart for the capital. He has no power to touch Riz despite being a prince.

It is reported that Nicholas's hair turned white as he saw the lifeless corpse of Niel. Since then, Nicholas often fell sick but he doesn't let go of the throne nor let Niall handle the kingdom's affairs. Despite pressure from Count Naharog, Nicholas I didn't budge from his stance. In his mind, Niel is the only successor he has. Riz added the oil to the flame using his newspaper by saying that the king has become mentally incapable of governing.

The news was welcomed by the nobles as the news is working in their favour. Many pressured the king to step down which worsened his condition. Some didn't do anything as if they hope the situation stays as it is.

"The kingdom slowly went downhill. The grasp of the royal family on the nobles slowly becomes loose." Riz said.

Together with him in the office right now is Theodora. She temporarily works as Riz's secretary and helps him manage the governance affairs.

"Isn't this what you want?" asked Theodora. She still remembers the day Riz told her about his plan to break up the counties and territories in the kingdom and turn them hostile toward each other.

The idea was too far-fetched for her. "Are you sure this is gonna work?"

"It will. The feudal system itself is a loose system and the nobles are selfish creatures. If they can get more by betraying others, then they will do it."

The key to this plan is the nobles.

"How are you sure they're not gonna unite to fight you?" Theodora asks again.

"As for attacking us, they wouldn't dare to do it. The previous war has shown them our military prowess. They might try after unravelling the secret behind my weapon but it takes a long time to do so. To top it off, years of living in luxuries have turned them into cowards. Tetherswest might be brave enough to attack me but fortunately, their lovely daughter is in my hand." Riz said while smirking at Theodora.

Theodora turns her face to the side as she tries to hide her blush. "Who said I'm in your hand? I can leave for home whenever I want."

"Yes you can but you won't. I have confidence in keeping you here." Riz whispered in her ears causing her face to turn redder.

'I better not tease her too much. Her punch is no joke.' He still remembers the day he teases her beyond her limit. His ribcage still aches.

"Theodora, let's go and see the finished government plaza."