"That's enough, Mankervis! That's incredibly rude!" Duke Attawa's expression darkened as he sternly reprimanded, "Captain Cross is a rising star in the Marines and is destined to become a high-ranking officer. Don't let your princely status make you so arrogant!"
Hearing the Grand Prince's words, Cross felt a bit embarrassed. He hadn't expected such high praise from the other party. It seemed his feat of killing Moria had indeed brought him some renown. He couldn't help but feel a touch of smugness.
"Tch~ Don't lecture me. When this guy becomes a Vice Admiral or even an Admiral at Marine Headquarters, perhaps I'll invite him for a drink!" Marquis Mankervis scoffed, his gaze provocatively challenging both Duke Attawa and Cross.
"..." Duke Attawa's face turned dark, filled with both embarrassment and anger.
"Is that so? Then when I'm promoted to Vice Admiral, I'll definitely come looking for that drink!" Cross didn't mind Marquis Mankervis's provocation, responding with a smile instead. For Cross, strength was what truly mattered; he didn't care about status.
On the contrary, through their brief exchange, he immediately sensed the severe discord between Duke Attawa and Marquis Mankervis. The fact that these two brothers displayed such open animosity in front of an outsider like him, without even Count Uzair Lart or Marquis Lierda Bashar intervening, clearly showed that the struggle between the Royalist and Noble factions had reached a point of irreconcilable conflict, on the verge of outright rupture.
In truth, factional disputes generally boil down to three points: first, conflicting interests; second, differing ideologies; and third, deep-seated grudges.
The Royalist faction, represented by Duke Attawa, and the Noble faction, represented by Marquis Mankervis, were no exception, encompassing at least the first two points. This kind of struggle between royalty and nobility was very common.
However, the appearance of the Roberts Legion forced both the Royalist and Noble factions to set aside their mutual hostility and unite against the greater enemy. But Cross's arrival, representing the Marines, became a third-party intervention in the Bion Kingdom's internal affairs, disrupting the fragile balance between the two sides.
After last night's anticlimactic battle, Sakazuki, learning of the Roberts Legion's retreat, didn't rush directly to Doma City. Instead, he waited until today, after the main force of the Marine punitive fleet had fully landed, to slowly lead his army towards Doma City, sandwiching the Roberts Legion in between.
However, due to the Bion Kingdom's hostility, Sakazuki wasn't in a hurry to attack. Instead, he appointed Cross as the Marine liaison, giving him full authority to negotiate an alliance with the Bion Kingdom.
Yet, Cross hadn't expected the Bion Kingdom's internal hostility towards the Marines to be so severe. Even with a major enemy at their gates, many still refused to ally with the Marines. The Noble faction, led by Mankervis, was the most hostile; they would rather sit by and watch the Marines and Roberts Legion fight than intervene.
This baffled Cross. The war between the Bion Kingdom and the Roberts Legion clearly had the Bion Kingdom at a disadvantage. If the Marines helped, their combined strength could surely defeat or annihilate the Roberts Legion, which would be entirely beneficial to the Bion Kingdom and cause no harm. Yet, this logic seemed lost on some, as if they didn't understand the meaning of "when the lips are gone, the teeth feel the cold."
It reminded Cross of the petty infighting among European resistance factions during the Napoleonic Wars. After Napoleon's forces swept through much of the continent, several monarchist regimes-in-exile formed in fragmented pockets, each claiming to represent the true crown. On more than one occasion, a royalist army was besieged by French forces outside a city loyal to another claimant. The defenders within had the opportunity to ride out and strike a decisive blow in tandem, but because the army outside flew the banner of a rival king, they chose to do nothing. They watched as their supposed allies were cut down. Predictably, after annihilating the outside force, the French turned on the city itself, storming its walls and butchering the inhabitants. And still, the officials inside died with defiance on their lips—some on the battlefield, others by their own hand—clinging to ideals that had just cost them everything. The irony was as tragic as it was profound. [This didn't happened in history, but merely an adaptation I created for the sake of westernizing this fic.]
Just as Cross was pondering how to break this deadlock, Duke Attawa and Marquis Mankervis began arguing again, having said something to each other.
"Not dealing with the World Government, this was our ancestors' decision, my dear Aniki. Are you going to defy our ancestors' wishes?!"
"The past is the past, and now is now! With a great enemy before us, I must be responsible for all our citizens!"
"Stop with your big talk! You're not Doma VIII yet!"
"I am the first in line to the throne! The Duke of the Kingdom! Unless I die, it's not your turn to inherit the throne!"
"You know about Father King's intention to enfeoff me as Duke, and then Father King was suddenly assassinated. Everyone suspects you did it; you're not qualified to be king!"
"That's slander! It's clearly the nobles behind you who want to open new ports and gain more profit, but Father King disagreed, so you are the most suspicious ones!"
"Nonsense! That's because your governing philosophy is wrong! 'Closed country, self-development,' that philosophy is simply ridiculous!"
"..." Their argument grew increasingly heated, immediately drawing the attention of everyone at the banquet.
Cross listened to their mutual accusations and realized that Doma VII's assassination had far more hidden implications than he thought.
He now understood why Mankervis held the title of 'Marquis.' According to the Bion Kingdom's custom, there could only be one 'Duke,' who was the first in line to the throne, and only two 'Marquises,' who were clearly the individuals holding the positions of 'Grand General' and 'First Consul.' Such enfeoffment of titles was meant to highlight the dignity of these three individuals; even other princes and princesses could only hold the rank of 'Count.'
However, Mankervis became the third 'Marquis,' which clearly deviated from the Bion Kingdom's custom. From this perspective, King Doma VII must have been extremely fond of Mankervis, and it was highly possible he intended to pass the throne to him. Therefore, upon learning this, Duke Attawa would have had ample reason to ruthlessly arrange the assassination of Doma VII before he could name Mankervis his successor.
At the same time, Oneway Port was originally under the control of the Doma royal family, thus bringing in immense trade profits. The nobles of the Bion Kingdom were unwilling to merely subsist on scraps of profit; they wanted to open new ports and acquire more wealth, thus they championed Marquis Mankervis and sent assassins to eliminate Doma VII, who opposed the opening of new ports. Their reasons were equally compelling.
However, in Cross's view, although Doma VII opposed the noble faction's demands for profit, he violated custom by enfeoffing Mankervis as a 'Marquis,' clearly showing great fondness for Mankervis, and even a high probability of wanting him to inherit the throne.
Therefore, the nobles supporting Marquis Mankervis would simply need to wait for him to ascend, and their demands for profit would naturally be realized. There would be no need to risk assassinating the king. From this perspective, Duke Attawa's suspicion was greater.
Of course, one couldn't rule out the possibility that the assassin was sent by the Roberts Legion. Perhaps Roberts, wanting to plunge the Bion Kingdom into chaos to facilitate their invasion, sent an assassin to eliminate Doma VII.
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