Chapter 6: Reveal the Cards

Standing in the courtyard and taking another look at the autumn scenery of Livonia, Komer felt deeply moved. This journey would likely lead to chaos everywhere; he had no idea when he might return here. Galicia and Silesia would be the next targets of his advance. With everything prepared, no one could stop him from moving forward.

Just as Komer was lost in thought, the sound of rolling wheels pulled him back to reality. He was puzzled—who could possibly come here at this time? He was about to leave; who would choose to visit him now?

Fenitz’s delicate figure appeared before Komer. “Princess Kakiya has come to see you.”

Komer raised his eyebrows in surprise, then smiled meaningfully. It was interesting that Kakiya came to him now. He had been in Livonia for nearly a month, yet this princess, who lived in Katin, had kept her distance from him, refusing to come. His request to officially be granted control over Livonia had also been ignored, as she deliberately maintained a cold relationship with him. Now she appeared here. Komer sneered inwardly—this bitch Kakiya didn’t even want to act convincingly. Coming to visit him at this moment only seemed hypocritical.

“Oh, please invite Princess Kakiya to the reception room.”

Facing the proud arrival of Kakiya, Komer showed due respect. Yet he still couldn’t quite understand her purpose in coming to him now. He no longer intended to get involved between her and Hoffman. He had more important matters to attend to and saw no need to stay longer. When the time was right, everything would fall into place.

“Komer, are you leaving?”

“Hmm. Though Livonia is nice, I can’t stay long. The Caucasus and Homer need me.” Komer gazed thoughtfully at Kakiya, who seemed preoccupied.

The relationship between the two grew increasingly distant. Komer’s duplicity made Kakiya feel deceived, especially regarding the issue of Livonia. She realized Komer’s ambitions were unfathomable—ranging from the Zek Valley to entire Livonia, he employed various underhanded tactics, and even managed to gain Hoffman’s support. This made Kakiya aware of the great ambitions of this former minor lord. Hoffman’s scheming was even more intolerable to Kakiya. She repeatedly asked Komer for explicit support, but he always shirked responsibility by claiming the time was not right or that his influence was insufficient, while secretly colluding with Hoffman. Hoffman was the first to recognize Poznan’s sovereignty, which surprised Kakiya, who had hesitated.

Now, tensions in the north had risen again. Orcs were frequently causing trouble in Silesia and Galicia. Komer repeatedly launched propaganda campaigns, claiming to be willing to help the people of Galicia and Silesia resist foreign invasions. These ulteriorly motivated statements won the support of the people in Galicia and Silesia but also caused extreme panic among their rulers. Under pressure from both inside and outside, the situation in both regions became unstable. What exactly did Komer want? With his claws reaching out everywhere and unscrupulously showing off his fangs, did he really think he could replace the Romanov family? Kakiya was filled with anger and concern.

“Komer, I don’t want to hide anything. What are your plans for returning to the Caucasus?” Kakiya asked, her gaze sharp as a needle.

“What plans? What could I possibly have for plans?” Komer pretended to be surprised.

“No need to play games with me. Your tricks in Galicia and Silesia won’t fool me,” Kakiya said impatiently.

Truly, having Romanov blood in his veins gave him a much sharper sense than ordinary people, Komer thought to himself.

“Kakiya, do you think I’m a despicable person?” Komer didn’t answer directly.

“No, you always have your own stance and reasoning in what you do. I don’t want to comment, but I must remind you not to overestimate yourself, nor to push people too hard. Have you ever heard the saying ‘a cornered dog will bite’?” Kakiya remained cold.

“Heh, it seems my actions have touched upon some people’s interests,” Komer said with an indifferent smile. “Between the interests of the orcs and the people of Nicomia, I think anyone who is a native of Nicomia should put their people’s interests first. Those who ignore the people’s interests for personal gain surely don’t deserve to be lords, do they?”
Kakuya gave him a cold glance. No matter what flattery he used, she would never trust him again. He had only one goal in mind—profit. For the sake of profit, he was willing to discard everything else. As for grandiose excuses, they were far too easy for him to come up with, and he would surely present them as completely justified.
“Do you really want to clash with Zelin and the others?” Kakuya couldn’t hold back any longer.
“I never said that.”
“But you’re preparing to do it!”
“That’s just your assumption. Until there’s concrete evidence, anything is possible. You can doubt anything.”
“Komer, I advise you—contentment brings happiness. Aggression leads to nothing good. War comes easily but cannot be dismissed at will,” Kakuya said firmly, gritting her teeth.
Komer replied with a similarly solemn gaze, “I don’t want war, but sometimes it’s beyond my control. I can only ask Princess Kakuya to convey my message to them, hoping they’ll act wisely.”
Watching the dust raised by Komer’s departing carriage, Kakuya almost crushed her silver teeth. Her embroidered gloves were so tightly clenched it seemed water might squeeze out. That guy was too arrogant!
Palermo’s plump figure appeared behind Kakuya. He sighed regretfully. He truly hoped to see Kakuya and Komer reconcile, but he knew such hopes were slim. Both were ambitious, and in some ways, they were astonishingly similar. Seeing their relationship shift from close to distant filled Palermo with deep sorrow.
“Palermo, I’ve done my best. If he insists on his own way, it’s not our fault.”
“Your Highness, won’t you consider it one more time? This time, there might be no turning back.”
“I’ve made up my mind. If it fails, I’ll sacrifice myself,” Kakuya said, her expression dark and cold, her lips trembling slightly.