In July, the Imperial Alliance had not yet reached the front line, and bad news came from Titaneya that another coup had occurred within the royal family.
Elio Cang Jusselberg, son of the former Crown Prince Ansroy, killed the false regent King Edren and ascended the throne with the support of a group of nobles and military officers. At only 16 years old, he became the second youngest emperor in the history of the empire. (The first was the twins Kingsley and Kinrosa, who ascended the throne at the age of 12 over 700 years ago, during the era of the Verdant Kingdom.)
In August, Queen Lily fled to the North, then, under the protection of loyal knights, changed direction and headed south. During this time, she was pursued several times by the Order of the Rose, but each time she escaped capture. Finally, the Order of the Rose stopped at an unnamed village in the East, where they were stopped by an unknown peasant woman.
During this period, the powerful Rose Knights were defeated by that woman alone, and General Darcy, who held the holy relic, was also unable to win. In the end, he could only sigh and stop on the hill in front of the village.
Afterwards, the new emperor recalled the Order of the Rose, stating that as long as the queen swore to leave the Western Continent with her children and never set foot on the territory of the empire again, he would no longer pursue their crimes.
In September, after staying at the border for two months, the coalition forces that were suppressing the rebellion finally disbanded due to internal disagreements. The eldest son of the Griffin, Jerlann, and the son of the Raven, Elon, returned to their respective territories.
At the end of October, an imperial edict arrived in the southern border led by the Emperor's messenger.
"Due to the despicable tactics of the former false king, the most loyal Red Dragon Duke, a branch of the royal family, the Pascal family, fell. Countless citizens of the empire died in the civil war, and many loyal and brave nobles sacrificed their lives in the unnecessary catastrophe."
"Therefore—"
"I pardon all crimes committed by the Duke of Red Dragon and the nobles of the Southern Territory who rebelled. I also re-appoint the Pascal family as the protectors of the Southern Territory, and appoint Miss Xia Lanluote Pascal, the family's only descendant, as the new Duke of Red Dragon."
"After this order is issued, all Imperial legions and soldiers stationed in the Southern Territory must pledge allegiance to the new Protector of the Southern Territory, Duchess Shallanlot, or her designee. For the next ten years, the Southern Territory will be exempt from all taxes paid to the Imperial Family. Duke Shallanlot will lead the people of the Southern Territory in self-government. For the next twenty years, the Imperial Family will not appoint any officials or nobles to interfere with the governance of the Southern Territory."
"This order has been unanimously approved by the Imperial Senate. The Emperor promises everything in his edict to be implemented immediately. Anyone who disobeys will be considered a traitor to the Empire, guilty as the false king's remnants, and will be wanted and tried by the Empire."
This winter, the empire, which had experienced years of turmoil, finally ushered in precious peace. Perhaps the situation under the surface had long been different, and everyone had different intentions, but in the end, everyone needed time to ease the situation.
The new emperor needs to stabilize the situation and gradually control the empire. The North needs support from other territories to survive the cold disaster. The Griffins in the West need to reconsider the situation. The Landsworthy family in the East does not care about worldly affairs. The people in the South also want to be free from the torture of war and get precious respite and recuperation.
In this way, another year's winter festival is slowly approaching.
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