The courtyard fell eerily silent for a moment.
Except for the brief syllable ’ah’ from the staff lady and the merchant lady glancing around nervously.
Princess Griffine stared at her brother as if he were an object, her expression icy cold, making others hesitant to speak. Brand’s hand had stealthily gripped the sword hilt beneath his coat, closely watching every move of the siblings. He suspected that the Crown Prince had suffered such a significant shock that it had unhinged his mind. Nonetheless, he was confident that if the Prince showed the slightest threat, he would drive the black blade of the Earth Sword into the prince’s heart.
As for the identity of the Crown Prince, did it carry any significance in Brand’s eyes?
But the Crown Prince made no move. He stood unruffled at the focal point of everyone’s gaze, his long hair falling naturally, eyes closed, with not a trace of tension in his demeanor—as if he had merely greeted with an ’ordinary afternoon hello’, rather than ’please relinquish the throne to me’.
"Give me a reason, brother." Finally, like a drop of water echoing down a well, the Princess broke the deathly silence with her voice.
Yet her face seemed sealed with a layer of ice.
"The reason is simple, Griffine," the Crown Prince answered calmly, "because you need time to unify the Southern Territory. South of Ambeser, you’ll find many supporters. Mr. Brand—indeed, the Earl of Tonyger might soon replace Count Rangdenier. Not to mention the less power-hungry Duke Lantoniyan and Duke Viero. The Highland Knights, thanks to Mr. Brand, would side with you. Once you have a united Southern Territory, the North will no longer be your resistance."
"And what about you," Princess Griffine asked, "becoming the King of the North?"
"You need someone to break promises without compromising the Royal Family’s dignity. Besides, compared to you, the northern nobles would accept me more readily due to the Xifah Family’s innate leadership, Griffine. There’s also a war awaited in the North, and I can serve as your natural barrier. A unified South pitted against a Northern war—it’s already evident to you who would prevail."
Brand felt a slight stir in his heart.
He couldn’t help but raise his head, as if wanting to reevaluate the Erune Crown Prince. Her Highness the Princess was doing the same, raising her head to ask seriously, "If this is a lie... it’s rather clumsy, brother."
"There will inevitably be a battle between the North and the South, but it depends on when it will occur. You and I both know, Griffine, with the Broken Black Blade Legion and the disobedient White Lion Legion, overcoming the South is now an impossible task."
Levin answered calmly, then turned an ear as if confirming that Chief Priest Wood had left. "Would the Flame Temple allow Erune to partake in a civil war under such circumstances?"
"No."
"They hope you’ll reach such a compromise with the North, ideally maintaining the current status quo in Erune, just as after the Astrologer’s Year."
"But—"
"What if you have absolute power to sweep the North, before they have time to protest—"
The deathly silence settled like dust in the courtyard, suppressing all other sounds to the ground and immobilizing them.
"Forgive my directness," Brand finally couldn’t resist speaking, after seemingly contemplating deeply for a long while. "Prince, although the Queen and Duke Xifah treat you as a puppet, isn’t it true that you’ve been participating behind the scenes in this ’game’?"
Levin abruptly turned around, facing the source of the voice.
His eyebrows, like long swords, suddenly drew together, causing him to appear remarkably tall and imposing: "You are even more exceptional than I anticipated, Mr. Brand. I consider myself fortunate not to be your enemy. Can you tell me how you reached this conclusion? Was it speculation, or intuition?"
Neither. It’s merely the case of planting trees for future generations to enjoy the shade. The historical records about this Prince were sparse, and no one even knew his fate clearly. However, players innately curious were adept at chasing shadows, resulting in numerous articles analyzing Levin Onesen Sifah’s character and life experiences.