Kingdombuilding: All My Inventions Are Novelty

Goldwynd Family Residence.

A loud slap echoed through Cedric’s study.

Inside the study, Walter knelt on the floor, a bright red handprint on his right cheek.

"You fool! If it had been anyone else today, you’d already be dead! I’ve told you time and again not to lose yourself in women, but you’ve forgotten everything! With such behaviour, how do you expect to achieve anything great in the future?"

Cedric’s chest heaved with anger, clearly furious.

Walter clutched his face, his voice trembling. "Father, I was only thinking of the Goldwynd family! If I could somehow win Princess Lisa’s favour, wouldn’t that give our family a direct connection to her? Then we wouldn’t have to kowtow to Simon anymore. Aren’t you also suspicious that the prince is planning to eliminate the powerful families of Brambleford? If we don’t find a powerful ally now, when will we?"

"Bah! Do you really think someone like you could win Princess Lisa’s favour?" Cedric snapped.

Walter was taken aback and muttered. "How do you know if you don’t try..."

"Hmph, but Princess Lisa’s leniency toward you seems to carry a deeper meaning. Her visit to Brambleford is undoubtedly about the prince’s goods, but Simon will never agree to her demands. Princess Lisa may be looking for a local, powerful family to secretly keep an eye on Brambleford for her." Cedric speculated.

Walter’s eyes lit up with excitement. "Father, are you saying Princess Lisa has taken an interest in our family?"

"I can’t say for sure, but if she were to choose, our family would undoubtedly be the most suitable. Moreover, Princess Lisa has always been close to Prince Gerad. If Prince Gerad ever needs us, our family could coordinate with him to keep the prince in check." Cedric explained.

"Exactly! Three years ago, Prince Gerad hinted that we should take advantage of the reaver chaos to kill Simon. Prince Gerad has designs on Brambleford. It’s a shame that Simon was too cowardly and fled back to Eldora. Otherwise, I would have led the men to do it myself." Walter said with a sinister grin.

"Enough of this reckless talk!" Cedric’s expression turned grave. He nervously stepped outside, looked around to ensure no one was listening, and then returned to the room. "Whether that person was sent by Prince Gerad or not is now impossible to prove. We must never speak of this again. If word reaches the prince, our family will be utterly destroyed."

Walter came to his senses, a cold sweat breaking out on his back, and he quickly fell silent.

Cedric sighed. "Let’s hope Princess Lisa summons us tonight. With her as our ally, our family will truly be secure."

Meanwhile, at the Horch Hotel outside Brambleford City, Princess Lisa was instructing Zephyrus to summon the Goldwynd father and son.

"Your Highness, why summon the Goldwynd father and son? They are utterly uncouth." Zephyrus said disdainfully.

Princess Lisa calmly combed her hair and replied. "What do you know? Haven’t you noticed the changes in Brambleford during our journey? Not to mention the fully armoured soldiers at the city gates, even the common people outside the city seem more prosperous than elsewhere. In three to five years, even Prince Gerad won’t be able to underestimate Simon. If we don’t plant a pawn here now, when will we?"

Zephyrus frowned. "But why choose the Goldwynd family?"

"It’s simple. During the banquet, Simon seemed almost gleeful about the Goldwynd family’s predicament, and the other powerful families reacted similarly. This suggests that the Goldwynd family is struggling. That makes them easier to control."

Zephyrus nodded. "If Prince Gerad learns of Your Highness’s efforts on his behalf, I wonder how he will repay you."

"This time, I’m not doing this for Prince Gerad. My nephew Simon is quite intriguing. The more he refuses to share his crafts, the more interested I become. By having the Goldwynd family keep an eye on things, we might find opportunities in the future." Princess Lisa said with a sly smile. Simon’s offer of a high-level membership hadn’t satisfied her appetite.

Zephyrus nodded again. The Goldwynd family owned many estates outside the city. He only needed to contact their people and have them summon the Goldwynd father and son.

As Zephyrus left, Princess Lisa turned to gaze at the pond outside. The setting sun painted the lake’s surface red, and the tips of the leaves seemed to be brushed with rouge.

As someone deeply entrenched in the political centre of the Eldorian Empire, she was acutely sensitive to any shifts in power. Her visit to Brambleford was far from just about Simon’s crafts.

She had also come to assess the situation. What she had seen so far had given her a new perspective on Simon and allowed her to gauge his potential in the struggle for the throne.

She knew that her status and wealth were entirely dependent on Emperor Alaric. Once the throne changed hands, everything she had could vanish. Therefore, she couldn’t afford to stay neutral in the princes’ power struggles. Choosing the wrong side would lead to a miserable future.

After all, no amount of wealth could protect her from the whims of an emperor.

It was for this reason that she navigated carefully among the princes. After careful consideration, she had already chosen her side. Planting a pawn in Simon’s domain was part of her plan.

"Simon, don’t blame your aunt for being ruthless. Blame your lack of a powerful maternal family." Princess Lisa murmured to herself. In her eyes, Simon’s fate was already sealed; he would become a sacrificial pawn in the princes’ power struggle, just like Prince Ezekiel before him.

As she lost herself in thought, a sudden ’whoosh’ broke the silence. A cold breeze brushed past her ear, and an arrow embedded itself in the pillar of her room.

The villa was built by the water, and her room overlooked the lake. She looked in the direction the arrow had come from and saw a dozen black-clad figures emerging from the water, armed with crossbows.

"Assassins!" Princess Lisa’s face turned pale with fear.

She had never experienced such terror before and screamed at the top of her lungs.

The golden-armoured guards quickly noticed the black-clad figures in the water. Dozens of archers rushed over and began firing arrows into the lake.

The assassins, seeing the guards closing in, fired another volley of arrows before diving back into the water and disappearing.

The guards then noticed hollow reed tubes sticking out of the water. The assassins had used these to breathe while sneaking in.

No wonder they hadn’t been detected earlier.

"After them!" One of the golden-armoured guards shouted, leading a group in pursuit.

The remaining guards quickly formed a protective circle around Princess Lisa.

Richard retreated after the initial attack, as planned. Seeing the golden-armoured guards giving chase, he led his men toward Brambleford City.

Outside the city, Lancelot was waiting with a cavalry unit. Once Richard and his men reached the city, Lancelot would capture them.

After swimming to the shore, Richard sprinted toward the city, with the golden-armoured guards hot on his heels. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

As the city came into view, the golden-armoured guards spotted a group of cavalry approaching. The leader, a burly general, called out. "Aren’t you Princess Lisa’s guards? What are you doing here?"