The Strongest Dull Prince’s Secret Battle for the Throne

Chapter 674: The Death of the Chancellor

The Imperial Palace.

Brunhilde, the mistress of the palace, wept when she saw her son enter the room.

The beloved child she once cherished more than life itself.

He was her everything.

Her talented firstborn.

One that was loved by all, including the Emperor.

Even if she wasn't loved, her son was. For a time, that was Brunhilde's identity.

She could accept being a decorative Empress.

In return, her son would be the next Emperor. Wilhelm was expected to become one of the greatest rulers in the history of the Empire.

If that could happen, she could endure everything.

But suddenly, her beloved son died.

Not in a major battle or a political struggle.

Just from a stray arrow in a border skirmish.

Deep despair engulfed Brunhilde.

The grief and pain in her heart turned towards the Emperor.

If only he had taken better care of the Crown Prince. If only he had kept him closer.

The more she thought about it, the more the accusations wouldn't stop.

And then, alone in her room, she would fall into self-loathing, wondering why she said such things. This had been Brunhilde's life for the past few years.

She couldn't say that the Emperor was entirely blameless. Wilhelm was an important heir. If only he had assigned more close guards, the accident might have been prevented.

But that was all.

The Emperor couldn't be held responsible for everything.

In her self-loathing, Brunhilde often thought.

She wanted him to come back.

It didn't have to be the ideal prince.

It didn't have to be a talented one.

She just wanted him to come back alive.

It wasn't because she lost her identity that she grieved.

It was simply because she lost her beloved son that she was in the depths of sorrow.

That would never heal.

However, the more she thought about it, the more she realized that having her son by her side was all she needed. She only noticed this after losing him. ṞÁŊőꞖÊs̈

The simple happiness of having him there.

This thought deepened after Traugott left for his own fief.

With Traugott no longer visiting often, her loneliness grew.

That time allowed Brunhilde to grow.

She came to terms with herself as the Empress.

So.

"It's been a long time, Mother."

She noticed.

The slight awkwardness in the way her son entered the room and greeted her.

Yes, Wilhelm would have entered like that.

He wouldn't come in with such deep regret.

He would come in a bit lightly, but truly repentant deep down.

"...I'm sorry for coming back so late."

"...Welcome back."

Brunhilde quietly wiped her tears after saying this.

Then she looked at Therese, who was at the back of the room.

Wilhelm also turned to see Therese.

"Vil..."

"Therese..."

No words were exchanged.

Wilhelm silently embraced Therese.

Therese, with tears streaming down her face, wrapped her arms around Wilhelm's back.

But her eyes were on Brunhilde in the background.

Brunhilde slowly shook her head.

Therese gave a small nod in return.

Both felt the same sense of unease.

The atmosphere remained warm.

Conversation flowed.

It was a nostalgic and long-awaited time.

But the doubt couldn't be erased.

Why?

His appearance was Wilhelm's. His voice, his mannerisms, everything was Wilhelm.

But a voice in their heads insisted he wasn't.

Even if all their senses said otherwise.

Brunhilde and Therese trusted that voice.

Maybe it was intuition. Maybe it wasn't.

But that voice seemed more credible.

They wanted to believe. They wanted it to be true.

That feeling grew and grew.

But still.

"See you later."

After Wilhelm left the room, Brunhilde and Therese embraced each other.

Crying.

Both had their lives turned upside down after losing Wilhelm.

They fantasized about what life would have been like if Wilhelm had lived, reminiscing about the past.

For both of them, it was painful to deny the current situation.

It would have been so much easier to accept it.

But still… but still.

"I'll inform the Chancellor..."

"Yes..."

They steeled their resolve.

If they let their weakness take over, they would want to observe a bit longer, wait and see a bit more.

If that happened, they wouldn't be able to decide.

Now was their only chance.

So.

"That Wilhelm is... an impostor." TL: Revived Elder brother is NOT beating the sus allegations

_________

The Chancellor acted swiftly upon receiving the report.

If he was an impostor, there was no need for hesitation in capturing him.

His supporters would be silenced by the Empress.

The claims of the birth mother had strong credibility.

But…

"As expected, the knights he brought with him are the elite of the elite..."

Franz was in his office.

Seeing the knights who had come for him, he quietly murmured.

Currently, there were no significant forces left in the Imperial Sword Castle.

The Imperial Guard was entirely deployed, and many reliable forces within the Empire were on other missions by the Chancellor's orders.

So it was no surprise that the guards he sent were defeated. From the start, he had no significant forces left.

With the Chancellor's attack, more and more knights would flood into the castle.

It was only a matter of time before the castle was overrun.

Using the attack as a pretext, Wilhelm would seize control of the Empire.

If he was to attack, now was the time, but that attack had failed. Waiting longer wouldn't bring a better opportunity. So he had struck, but it had failed.

He was aware of his lack of military sense, but to have it drag him down at the end was ironic.

Franz had no more moves left.

He would now be framed as the century's greatest traitor.

But that was fine.

Knowing he was an impostor, he couldn't allow the succession ceremony to proceed.

And.

If he were genuine, he wouldn't kill him. He would seek dialogue to resolve the misunderstanding.

But,

"Of course, it's as I thought."

Seeing the knights draw their swords, Franz laughed.

This confirmed to the true-hearted that he was an impostor.

Wilhelm wouldn't cling to power.

He wouldn't eliminate a loyalist from his father's reign just because he was an obstacle.

But the impostor couldn't leave Franz alive. He couldn't take that risk. As someone who had served as Imperial Chancellor for many years, Franz was more of a threat to someone seeking power than the current Emperor.

With Franz's death and the Empress's denial, the suspicion of Wilhelm being an impostor would become even more solid.

He had done everything he could.

Now, it depended on how those left behind would act.

Thinking this, Franz murmured his farewell to his beloved wife.

"My wife once said I would die from overwork... I'm sorry it's a different kind of death. I was supposed to be taken care of by you."

I'm sorry.

With those words, three swords pierced Franz's body.

Seeing the blood flow, Franz smiled faintly.

It wasn't a bad life.

Born as the son of an innkeeper, he was discovered by a prince of the Empire.

And for decades, he had served the Empire as its Chancellor.

How many people could say that had they lived such a life?

Not everything went as planned.

It wasn't a perfect end.

There were regrets.

But that, too, was a part of life.

He had done what he could.

But—he didn't expect to go first.

Would he be okay alone?

Thinking this, Franz closed his eyes.

"I can no longer... resolve your troublesome matters... Johannes..."

He wished.

For his dear friend to find happiness in the days to come.

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