Minister of Finance Etienne Fugger, Marquis was the first to be caught.
At that time, he had received notice to attend a meeting regarding the future investment direction of the Kingdom.
Thinking he could rake in more money, he rushed into the Royal Palace, only for his trusted attendants to be barred at the entrance.
Fugger felt something was not quite right, but he didn’t pay it much mind.
As he approached the doors of the conference hall, the Royal Palace guards specifically assigned to deal with him immediately stepped forward.
When Renault and several elite guards pinned him down in the corridor, Fugger panicked.
“I’m here for a meeting! What are you doing?!” he shouted while kicking and punching, struggling desperately to resist.
Renault and the others were all exceptionally skilled, and Fugger was quickly subdued.
His arms were twisted behind his back as he was hauled into the meeting room.
There, Princess Charlotte Durand waited for him with a cold face, reading aloud his charges of “corruption and collusion with Heresy.”
Before Charlotte could finish reading, Fugger suddenly let out a roar, violently broke free from the guards’ grip, and lunged toward Crown Prince Charles Durand, who was five or six meters away!
He worshipped the Evil God and was bolstered by the Power of the Evil God within his body.
If he were to reach the Crown Prince and injure him, the consequences would be unthinkable.
The Crown Prince, a veteran of many battles, calmly watched the Minister of Finance’s frantic actions with cold eyes.
In that critical moment, the Armed Sister of the Inquisition standing nearby reacted quickly.
She lunged forward and tackled Fugger to the ground, binding him tightly and cutting off the influence of the Evil God.
During the process of arresting all the members of the Heresy, Fugger was the only one who attempted to resist with force.
After being thrown into the Judgement Court dungeon, the torture he endured was also the most severe.
……
Charlotte witnessed the Minister of Finance’s pathetic downfall and was instantly plunged into a state of confusion and complex emotions.
At this moment, only she and her brother Charles remained in the meeting room.
Charles stood by the window, gazing into the distance without speaking.
“I… I really didn’t expect him to be greedy to this extent…” Charlotte murmured.
Like Charles, she possessed dazzling golden hair and sapphire-like eyes, with a gentle and moving temperament.
For the first time in a long while, she dropped her usual facade of being kind and approachable, revealing the exhaustion and hint of fragility expected of a sixteen-year-old girl.
Charlotte knew that Fugger had embezzled plenty, but she hadn’t expected the amount to be so staggering!
The figures he preliminarily confessed alone were enough to fill the Kingdom’s current massive financial hole. The hidden assets he possessed were simply immeasurable!
Most crucially, he and his accomplices had not only done everything possible to plunder the Royal Treasury but even dared to embezzle the funds intended for disaster relief!
The relief funds that could be distributed were already meager, and after being skimmed off at every level, not even a bowl of thin porridge remained for the disaster victims!
Charlotte had always been puzzled as to why rebellions were increasing despite the Kingdom investing large sums to restore Production and provide disaster relief.
Now she understood; the money never reached the common people—it had all gone into the pockets of those Corruptors!
Even the mild-tempered Princess was now nearly driven mad with rage.
How many more things had this Robe Nobility hidden from her?!
They already had wealth they couldn’t spend in several lifetimes; why were they still so greedy?
Who were they being greedy for? Their descendants?
If the Kingdom fell, their descendants would all become Outcast Slaves, and all that greed would only benefit the people of the Empire.
Bastards! What a bunch of bastards! Charlotte was so angry she felt like quitting everything!
“My dear sister,” Charles turned around with a teasing smile, “you always say the Sword-Bearing Nobles are the main culprits behind the Kingdom’s financial crisis. Now it seems the people under you aren’t any better.”
Charlotte, still in a fit of anger, snapped back, “Brother! Do you think I enjoy being the leader of the Moderate Faction? Since Father started ignoring state affairs, we’ve had to shoulder the burden of this Nation! Managing military affairs is straightforward for you; those Sword-Bearing Nobles start howling and charging forward the moment they hear about a battle. If you had to deal with those damned bureaucrats, you’d know how skilled they are at dragging their feet and passing the buck!”
“Alas, my unfortunate sister.” Charles showed a rare, relaxed, and sincere smile. “You’ve worked hard.”
“Yes, I’ve worked very hard.” Charlotte finally dropped her facade completely, complaining like an ordinary girl.
“If Mother were still here, Father might have listened to reason. Now, he won’t listen to anyone anymore.”
Charles expressed his understanding. “I can understand him to some extent. This country is filled with Corruptors occupying high positions. How can anyone manage politics well when surrounded by such vermin?”
“Eh?” Charlotte was surprised to hear her brother say such a thing for the first time. “Brother, don’t you hate Father the most?”
“I do hate him,” Charles admitted frankly.
“But we have our helplessness, and he has his. What truly annoys me about him is that arrogant attitude; he seems to truly believe he can easily uproot all the ills. I think he should really leave his Alchemy Workshop filled with the smell of herbs and jars and walk among the people to see how the commoners actually live.” His tone was laced with disdain.
Charlotte remarked with emotion, “That’s true; that’s just how Father is. He’s too idealistic, to the point where he doesn’t realize that even if the Noble system were truly abolished, new nobles would just appear under a different guise. The ugliness of human nature is rooted in every one of us.”
“The thought of the idealistic you criticizing our father for being too idealistic makes me want to laugh,” Charles teased.
“Brother! No making fun of me!” Charlotte’s mood improved slightly as she also looked out the window at the bright Sunshine. “Recently, another Empire noble proposed to me. He is the heir to the Archduchy of Babenberg and is also among the candidates for the Empire’s throne.”
“Do you want to go? Being an empress is better than being insulted here,” Charles asked.
Charlotte shook her head. “I don’t want to. I hate those barbarians in the Empire. I heard they hit their wives over there.”
“I’m glad our views on this point are strikingly consistent.” Charles smiled, but his expression soon turned serious. “Charlotte, I’m almost unable to hold them back anymore.”
Charlotte fell into silence.
“The Minister of Finance has fallen, so those vultures can be satisfied for one meal, but their appetites are growing larger. Father’s suspicion might be correct—the Bloodline of the Sigil… is undergoing some unknown change. The war on the Empire’s side is spiraling out of control, and they are likely to turn their blades toward us. We don’t have much time left.”
“Will we die?” Charlotte asked suddenly.
“Maybe. I feel like I will, anyway,” Charles said calmly. “Last night, I heard… ‘their Voices’ again.”
“Brother…” Charlotte looked at him with worry.
Charles reassured her, “Don’t worry about me. Father already told us about the curse in our Bloodline. Previous kings have all maintained their sanity amidst such whispers; we can overcome it too.”
“When that day truly comes, I will lead them toward our destined end. At the very least, taking the Empire down with us won’t be a problem. Charlotte, the future belongs to you. It’s just… you should really take a good look at whether those Robe Nobility are truly qualified to take over this country.”
“…Do you have a candidate for the new Minister of Finance?” Charlotte asked.
Charles nodded. “Yes, you can probably guess who it is.”
Charlotte thought for a moment. “Could it be… Bernard Viscount?”
“Yes. He is the most suitable candidate.”
“Indeed.” Charlotte sat on a nearby chair, gently swinging her Legs. “But in the end, Father has to agree. The power of appointment and dismissal is in his hands.”
“It doesn’t matter.” Charles thought of that interesting youth. “I guarantee he will present a reform plan that will satisfy Father.”
“Really? Brother, didn’t you set him up before? Why are you suddenly giving him such an important role? Did you find your conscience?” Charlotte asked curiously.
“I don’t need something like a conscience.” Charles smiled, seemingly remembering something. “Charlotte, I’m going to your Rebirth Banquet as well. No objections, right?”
“Eh? What kind of scheme are you cooking up now?” Charlotte looked at her brother suspiciously. “I’m telling you, this banquet is my turf! If you dare to steal my spotlight, I’ll ban you from attending permanently!”
Charles shrugged with feigned sadness. “How heartbreaking, my dear sister. Am I just a cunning fox in your eyes?”
Charlotte admitted bluntly, “Yes, aren’t you? You brought down my Minister of Finance, and now I have to go back tonight to appease those Corruptors and tell them it was just an accident, not that you intend to start an open conflict. My tea party with Miss Livia has to be postponed again!”
“Speaking of Livia, you heard about the Duel, didn’t you?”
Charlotte sighed. “Of course, the whole Capital is talking about it. Sigh, Livia is truly pitiful. I’ve met her ‘mother,’ who is indeed a noble lady. But ancient Empire families like theirs loathe illegitimate children the most. Livia must have been very unhappy there.”
“The head that wears the crown must bear its weight. Since she chose to get close to Father, naturally, no one can help her.” Charles said indifferently.
“On the other hand, her fiancé, Allen de Laval, is quite interesting. I’d love to meet this ‘suddenly enlightened’ playboy,” Charlotte’s eyes flashed with interest.
Charles narrowed his eyes. “My dear sister, when you were little, you always liked to steal my toys. Every time I said anything, you’d run to Mother crying, and I was always the one who got scolded.”
Charlotte also realized that Charles had an unusual relationship with the Laval House and immediately refused to back down.
“My dear brother, didn’t you always like to barge into my beloved garden and pick the flowers I carefully cultivated? This time, you mustn’t cross the line.”
“Then we’ll each rely on our own abilities.”
“Who’s afraid of you!”
After the siblings exchanged their harsh words, the atmosphere fell silent again, yet it carried a sense of mutual warmth.
“Charlotte, maybe you really should consider that marriage,” Charles said softly.
“I won’t run away, Brother. Aren’t you the same?” Charlotte answered firmly.
“Yes,” Charles remarked with emotion.
“How could I abandon my subjects? Each of us plays our role on the chessboard, following the Order of being subjects, fathers, and sons; it’s nothing more than that. But unfortunately, now everyone is failing to do their duty.”
“I don’t agree. Who says this Order must be sacred and unshakeable?”
“The Lord decreed it.”
“Tsk, you religious fanatic.”
On June 29, A.S. 1082, the Minister of Finance Etienne Fugger, Marquis and his followers were sentenced to death by the Lorraine High Court on multiple charges including corruption, bribery, abuse of power, being a Spy, treason, and Heresy.
They were stripped of all titles and privileges, and all Family property was confiscated.
The speed of this case, from arrest to sentencing, set a record in the history of the Lorraine Kingdom.
While the common people cheered, the political crisis of the Kingdom slid toward an even deeper vortex.