Kingdombuilding: All My Inventions Are Novelty

"Gius."

Baldwin and Simon looked outside to see Gius entering.

During the previous incident, Richard had suffered greatly in prison. When the executions took place in the eastern market, Richard was replaced by a death row prisoner.

Since Richard had been dishevelled and the focus of the execution was on Cedric, Richard hadn’t drawn much attention. However, Richard’s injuries were severe, and he was now recuperating at home.

For the time being, the secret guards were under Giu’s command.

Gius approached and spoke. "My Lord, I came precisely for this matter. You must not go to the Chandlier residence."

"Why?" Gius’s serious demeanour gave Simon an uneasy premonition.

"Following Your Highness’s orders, the secret guards have been monitoring the powerful families these past few days. We’ve discovered that many private soldiers from these families have entered Brambleford City. Lothair’s invitation to Your Highness was not his own idea but a request made by the visiting powerful families." Gius explained.

Baldwin’s expression changed. "Aside from the four major families, Goldwynd, Redwyck, Chandlier and Duskry, there are many smaller, powerful families scattered across the six cities. This decree affects their interests as well." 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"The sword has been drawn; it cannot be sheathed. Since they want to challenge me, I’ll show them what I’m capable of. Some people can be won over with virtue, while others can only be made to bleed with swords." Simon said, slamming the table. "If they want to set a trap, we’ll turn the tables and wipe out these families in one fell swoop."

Baldwin anxiously said. "My Lord, you must not take such a risk. Any mishap now would only bring joy to our enemies and sorrow to our allies."

"My Lord, Minister Baldwin is right. You cannot take this risk." Gius also urged.

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained. These powerful families are a cancer in my domain. This is the perfect opportunity to eliminate those who refuse to obey. Otherwise, how can I justify removing them one by one in the future?"

Simon’s mind was made up. As long as these hidden threats remained, he would never sleep soundly.

"But how will Your Highness ensure your safety?" Baldwin, seeing Simon’s determination, could only strategise a way for him to escape unscathed.

Simon was no fool. These powerful families might threaten him during the banquet, demanding he revoke the decree or risk mutual destruction.

This was a game of chess between him and the powerful families. Whoever lost would be erased from Brambleford’s history.

"It’s simple. Change the location of the banquet. Say that the Chandlier residence is too dull and suggest we all go outside the city for a spring outing, drinking, and enjoying the scenery." Simon said calmly.

Baldwin and Gius exchanged glances. "Your Highness truly thinks outside the box. This is a good idea. It will give us time to prepare."

"Exactly. We can also have secret guards blend in with the servants to protect Your Highness in secret." Gius added.

"In that case, let’s proceed. These powerful families are so eager to coerce me that they won’t pass up this opportunity. Outside the city, they’ll think it’s easier to act." Simon said.

With the plan set, Baldwin carefully considered the location for the outing and left the Governor’s Office with Gius to make arrangements.

To be honest, Simon was also a bit worried. After all, he wasn’t invincible. But this was indeed the perfect opportunity to lure out the snakes.

After all, if he missed this chance, those with ulterior motives might go into hiding, making them even more dangerous in the future.

As Baldwin and Gius made their preparations, Simon thought about his own protection. He decided to wear a breastplate under his clothes.

The breastplate was custom-made for him by the Armaments Department and could be worn under his robes without being noticed. He would have preferred to wear full plate armour, but that would have been too obvious.

The news of the location changes quickly reached the Chandlier residence. Lothair smiled and spoke. "Gentlemen, His Highness seems to be in a good mood. He suggested we all go for a spring outing by the Ford River tomorrow. Since the banquet is off, why don’t we enjoy the feast ourselves today?"

Over thirty representatives from various powerful families across the six cities had gathered in the Chandlier residence, including the Redwyck and Duskry families.

Hearing this news, many showed disappointment. Bertram then said. "Lothair, there’s no need for that. Since His Highness isn’t coming, we won’t trouble you further. After all, you’ve suffered significant losses recently."

Lothair’s expression stiffened. He hadn’t been dwelling on it, but Bertram’s reminder brought back the pain of losing his land and fortress.

Bertram smiled faintly and added. "We’ll take our leave now. Let’s meet another day again."

"Another day." The group said, bowing to Lothair before following Bertram out of the Chandlier residence.

Arnulf approached Lothair and spoke. "Bertram is as arrogant as ever. Humph, with the Goldwynd family gone, I don’t know what he has to be so proud of."

"Hmph, he’s probably upset that we took the lead in complying with the decree. Hahaha..." Lothair suddenly laughed.

Outside, Bertram and the group didn’t go far before stopping in front of a residential house. After ensuring they weren’t being followed, they entered the house.

"Sir Bertram, do you think Prince Simon suspects something? If so, we should flee. How can we stand against the Brambleford army?" One person worried.

"Flee? Where would we go? Are you willing to abandon your mansions and lands?" Another retorted.

"Then are we just waiting to die? What’s more important, money or our lives?"

"..."

The room erupted into chaos.

"Enough!" Bertram suddenly shouted. "I have endured humiliation all this time to avenge Cedric. When the Goldwynd fortress was besieged, I didn’t send a single soldier or horse, all to lull the prince into a false sense of security. Now you want to flee? Are you not ashamed before the spirit of the late Cedric? Don’t forget, many of you are related to the Goldwynd family by marriage."

"Don’t use that to threaten us." Someone protested.

"Hmph, you can leave, but I will not stop. Let’s see if His Highness spares you then." Bertram said, his eyes filled with madness.

The room fell silent. The plan to coerce or assassinate Prince Simon during the banquet had been Bertram’s idea. According to the plan, they would suddenly strike during the banquet, using the prince’s life as leverage to force him to revoke the decree and become a puppet of the powerful families.