Chapter 48 The Witch's Intentions
Chapter 48
48.1
When Oledsi said softly, "You finally realized the true meaning of 'Witch's Grace'."
Constance's pupils twitched suddenly.
He looked at the lady in front of him, and for the first time, a crack appeared in his expression of arrogance and contempt.
"You really want to do this," he said. "You really want to weaken the power of all nobles, not just the Karagaran family."
"Yes." Under the moonlight, Olidesi's smile was both grim and gentle. "I really want to do this. I really want to weaken the power of all nobles, not just the Karagaran family."
Prince Constance was somewhat incredulous. "This is exactly your purpose... You started your plan from the first day you arrived in Ravenmont."
Olidisi looked at him curiously. "Oh, are you going to go back and rethink my plan from the beginning?"
Constance seemed not to hear her words and whispered, "Hersong Karagaran is the beginning of the implementation of 'Witch Grace.' From the very beginning, your choice to marry Hesong was the first step of your plan—you chose him early on."
Constance said this, and Hesong was slightly startled.
He looked at Euridice in front of him; he could only see her back.
Suddenly, Hesong remembered that when he received the title of "Baron of South Hill," Euridsi had said with a smile: "You are an important step in my plan to 'completely eliminate the nobility from this ethereal continent.' This has been the plan from the very beginning. I am glad that it is progressing smoothly."
That's when she said, "Is this why you chose to marry me?"
And Euridice jokingly said, "Oh, no, I am marrying you because of your personal charm, Your Excellency the Honorable Baron Herson."
Hesong stared at Euridsi's back in a daze, thinking:
The real reason behind this marriage is about to be revealed.
"You chose Hesong Karagaran early on and entered into marriage with him," Prince Constance said. "Hesong was a bastard, disfavored by the Duke, and no one saw his existence. If you became his wife, not only would you not attract the Duke's attention, but you could also use your status as 'wife' to secure a title for your 'husband.'"
He Song murmured unconsciously: "Title..."
Prince Constance gave him a cold look.
"After the fire, you, through your father's hand, presented the 'spice oil' to your mother." Prince Constance curled his lips. "With this 'spice oil', you won your mother's praise and earned Hesong Karagaran the title of baron and a small piece of territory."
Olidisi looked at him curiously without saying anything, but her expression was encouraging, like a master in an academy encouraging his apprentice to continue answering.
Prince Constance's expression gradually changed from ferocious to calm.
He said: "Now that the cowardly bastard Hersong Karajalan has received the title and the land, the other children of the Duke are restless - especially Eustace Karajalan. He also wants a piece of land for his mad mother."
"Well," Euridsi smiled, "that's what the wise man said, 'It's not the lack of something that's worrying, but the inequality of it.' When one child has something, all the other children want it too."
Constance curled her lips. "Eustace had no merit, so he could only plead with Duke Carragaran. Duke Carragaran truly loved him and asked his mother for a reward on his behalf. The Duke accepted the 'witch's grace' without question and granted all his children titles and territories, fulfilling Eustace's wish."
The prince said, repeating, "That is why you chose Hesong."
Hesong was completely stunned, and Prince Constance sneered unconsciously: "The husband you choose must be the illegitimate son of Duke Karagaran, his biological child, but he must also not be valued or favored by the Duke——"
Euridsi wanted Duke Karagaran to accept the "witch's grace" without any doubt. The first step was to let an unfavored illegitimate child obtain the title and territory based on his merits.
The second step was to seduce the illegitimate son who had no merit but was favored, to ask Duke Karagaran for the title and territory.
In order to protect the favored Eustace and for the sake of "fairness" among the children, Duke Carragher accepted the "grace of the witch".
Prince Constance sneered, "That's why you chose the unloved Hesong Karagaran over the favored Eustace."
Olidisi suddenly laughed.
"Once there's a 'Witch's Grace,' there will be countless more." She smiled gently. "Noble children will one after another obtain their own small fiefdoms, and the cohesion of the great noble families will begin to fall apart from within."
Prince Constance's expression gradually became gloomy, but the smile on Euridice's face became sweeter and more lovely.
"The three newly appointed barons already own three territories," she smiled. "They each have knights they met during their time at the academy. Do you think the commoner knights who haven't been appointed by Duke Karagaran will be willing to take a chance and pledge allegiance to the new barons in their new territories?"
Prince Constance's cheek muscles twitched slightly, and Euridice shrugged innocently. "Taxes in small territories can be determined by the new baron. Do you think some of the commoner-born farmers, artisans, and merchants would be willing to move into the new territory?"
Prince Constance gritted his teeth and did not answer, but Bertha Caragaran, who had been silent beside him, suddenly spoke.
"They will," Bertha said calmly. "Under the 'Witch's Grace,' Duke Karagaran's taxes, territory, and knightly orders will be slowly and invisibly divided into many small factions."
Euridice looked at her and Bertha smiled at her.
"These illegitimate children have different ambitions and abilities. They are suspicious of each other and hinder each other, making it difficult for them to unite. Small forces can only form a loose sand, unable to form a strong rule; driven by greed, everyone hinders each other and cannot form a united force."
Constance's throat twitched, and Bertha calmly explained Euridice's purpose for her:
"Under the 'Witch's Grace,' these small nobles check and balance each other, weakening the power of the Karagaran family. The administrators and judges selected by the queen based on ability rather than hereditary bloodline will slowly retake these small territories and the power of 'Ravenmont County.'"
Oledsi smiled: "Really?"
"Yes," Bertha curled her lips. "The territories controlled by hereditary nobles will gradually shrink, while those controlled by administrators and judges will gradually increase. Eventually, the smaller nobles will also gradually decline. However, this will not come from King Lucinda's direct intervention. What my father has to face, what the Caragaran family has to face, is not external enemies, not the royal family, nor other great nobles, but his own children."
Bertha Karagaran said this and sighed softly.
"You are truly very clever, Euridice Arquitas. Which nobleman doesn't have many children? Which nobleman doesn't want his children to inherit a wide range of titles? Ordinary nobles don't feel repulsed when they hear the phrase 'Witch's Grace,' but those without insight may not immediately see the deeper meaning behind it."
Bertha stared at Euridice. "You used such gentle methods, quietly and without conflict, that you gradually dismantled the power of the nobles and weakened their influence before they even realized it. People thought you were seeking revenge against the Caragaran family out of a personal vendetta against Beatrice Caragaran. So, they overlooked your true intentions. You are very, very clever, Euridice Aquitas."
Olidisi was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed out loud.
"Ah, yes," she smiled sweetly. "You all thought I was seeking revenge against the Caragaran family out of a personal vendetta against Beatrice Caragaran. And when I helped Hesong obtain the title, you thought it was out of ordinary selfishness to support Hesong, didn't you?"
As she spoke, her smile grew wider. "Before 'Witch's Grace', our Duke and Duchess of Karagaran, and our Prince Constance, didn't take a 'lowly' commoner merchant like me seriously. After all, it's too easy for those noble nobles to crush an ant like me, isn't it? Even my resistance is considered amusing entertainment in your eyes."
Bertha Karagaran stared at her with a subtle expression: "Yes, this is the arrogance and pride of the nobility."
Olidisi smiled, and in that smile, there was both crazy malice and gentle sweetness, as if he was a madman crawling out of the abyss.
"Oh, it's too late." She smiled gently. "You can capture me, imprison me, chop my head off with a sword, or burn me alive at the stake. But it's useless, my dear. The wheel of history has moved on. The 'Witch's Grace' has been accepted by Duke Karagaran, and its promotion on the Ethereal Continent is inevitable."
Bertha sighed deeply.
"Yes," she said slowly, "the most difficult part of this plan might not be coming up with the 'Witch's Grace', but getting the noble families to accept this 'Grace' without suspicion. You chose Hesong and used Eustace, hiding your true, calm intentions beneath the surface of revenge. Your formulation and execution of this plan are more terrifying than this 'Grace' itself, Euridsi. Under your plan, without anyone realizing it, the largest noble family on the Ethereal Continent—the Karagaran family—had already accepted the 'Witch's Grace'."
As long as the Karagaran family accepts the 'grace of the witch', as Oulidsi said, everything will be too late.
"Duke Ebrard, Lorenz Ebrard," Bertha said, "After the Karagaran family accepted the 'witch's grace,' Duke Ebrard immediately responded to the queen and quickly assigned the territory of Oprunsi to his two 'illegitimate sons.'"
Euridice spread his hands. "Hey, let's be fair. Lorenz and Matilda searched carefully for a long, long time before finding two upright and capable girls from the academy. They recognized them as Lorenz's 'illegitimate children' and made them baronet."
After the Karagalang and Abrad families accepted the "grace," the Wanzeta Empire's messenger announced the Supreme King Lucinda's grace to the entire Void Continent:
Noble titles were no longer exclusively inherited by one heir; all descendants of the nobility were entitled to lower titles and territories, allowing the noble bloodline to continue widely. This was the grace of King Lucinda, and also the "grace of the witches."
When the other noble families saw that the two largest noble families - the Karagaran family and the Ebrard family - had accepted the "Witch's Grace", they also thought about it and began to practice the "Grace" in their own territories.
As for the children of the nobles, did all of them get territories, or only some of them? Did illegitimate children get territories, or legitimate children get territories? These undercurrents are matters that each noble territory has to resolve on its own.
Prince Constance's face turned slightly pale in the moonlight, and his lips finally began to tremble uncontrollably.
"You have always been targeting more than just the Karagaran family. You are targeting—"
Olidisi sighed softly.
"Yes, I'm targeting all the nobles. I want to gradually disintegrate and erode the power of all the hereditary nobles on the Ethereal Continent. I want to divide all the nobles and then gradually eliminate them."
A trace of fear flashed in Prince Constance's eyes, and Euridice tilted her head with a clear and innocent smile.
"I've already told you," she said softly. "I've already told you: I'm going to kill all the nobles who oppress the common people on the Void Continent."
-----------------------
The author has something to say: It’s finally time, so cool ^^
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com