Top Tier Perversion: Dual Cultivate Secretly

Brunelle Mansion, the Capital.

Inside a study, Duke Brunelle sat behind a desk while many cloaked figures sat on chairs before him.

"What’s the meaning of this, M’lord? You said House D’Arc would most likely collapse and we did our best to aid in it. But everything failed and we’re now completely ostracized by House D’Arc."

Hiding behind the hood, Marquis Morvell clicked his tongue.

"Multiple trades have stopped and every hour is resulting in severe losses."

"I completely agree," a man beside Marquis Morvell added. "D’Arc controls the most rail lines and Radson Bay is one of the most important ports. Please do something to make our shipment move."

"Duke, you also said D’Arc’s collapse would lead to vast riches. It did not collapse, so what now? How do we recover from this?"

The small crowd erupted in frenzied dissatisfaction, complaining one after another.

Duke Brunelle listened to all without interrupting.

When they finished and quieted down, he asked, "How many of you are about to go bankrupt?"

They all looked at each other.

None raised their hands.

Duke Brunelle closed his eyes and relaxed his shoulders.

"Then, let me ask, how many of you lost your title?"

None answered again.

"How many lives did you sacrifice?"

Still no answer.

Duke Brunelle smiled and began snapping his fingers.

"House Brunelle lost 137 of its elite soldiers during the operation that ran for over two years. You merely refused them a grain aid and were waiting for the right opportunity to grab the spoils."

Duke Brunelle’s smile slowly faded.

"I can understand the sentiment of losing gold but I can’t understand why you’re trying to find someone to blame for your own incompetence."

The nobles furrowed their brows and were about to raise their fingers but stopped.

They couldn’t refute him even if they wished to.

They had never entered the troubled waters themselves and had merely listened to the Duke’s words on how many resources could be extracted after this house fell.

When they saw the situation turning, they went ahead and did whatever they could to make the house fall.

The Duke had not explicitly advised them to do so.

In fact, he never asked them to commit any harm. He merely listed what he would be doing and they tried to involve themselves at the right time.

Duke Brunelle snapped his fingers again, grabbing everyone’s attention.

"If you wish to turn the tides, remain seated. If you wish to discuss saving yourself from potential bankruptcy, have some tea in the guest lounge until called upon."

None moved.

The Duke was now explicitly stating he could help turn the tides. This was a big matter.

"Very well."

Duke Brunelle opened his eyes and looked at them.

"The key to victory lies with accepting that House D’Arc is no longer our enemy. Our interests instead align."

"What?"

Count Mirrec couldn’t help but blurt.

Duke Brunelle looked at him.

"Today... whose authority do you think weakened?"

Being counter-questioned, Count Mirrec found himself at a loss.

"Yours?" He questioned again.

Count Mirrec shook his head. He lost face in the court but certainly not authority.

"Mine?"

Count Mirrec shook his head again.

"Was it House D’Arc?"

The room fell silent.

It definitely wasn’t House D’Arc.

In fact, with them, it was the complete opposite. None in the room wanted to accept it but such was the truth.

Duke Brunelle’s lips curved.

"Then, who could it be?"

"Duke, nobody seems to have lost any authority."

A noble reminded about today’s court session.

"No. Someone lost it. Think who it could be."

The nobles pondered over the matter.

Duke Brunelle stood up and brewed himself a cup of tea.

Even by the time it was done, none came to a conclusion.

"Here’s a hint," he said while pouring himself a cup.

"House D’Arc fired the first cannon. But someone could not stop it. The kingdom noticed."

He added four teaspoons of sugar and began stirring while staring at the small crowd.

They fell into deep thought.

The Duke walked over to his chair and sat down, taking a sip and patiently waiting.

A minute later, one of the nobles said, "M’lord... could you be referring to..."

He hesitated.

"Go on. Not a single word will leak out of this study."

The Duke took a sip.

"....um... is it His Majesty?"

The man’s voice was low.

Heads turned in his direction but none said a word, the silence getting increasingly louder with each moment.

Clink.

Duke Brunelle laughed lightly.

"That’s right."

The nobles frowned, having a hard time understanding where the Duke was getting at.

"All of you spoke but one person couldn’t — His Majesty. If he spoke for you, House D’Arc would be wronged and everyone would lose confidence in his rule. But if he spoke against, your funding would be gone and his campaigns would come to a halt."

"In either case, not coming to a decision and letting his daughter speak for him was enough to express his position."

Duke Brunelle took a sip of tea.

One of the nobles shook his head and asked, "M’lord... where are you getting at with this?"

Clink.

"We are all looking at the wrong opponent. We were all focusing on a small goal."

He stared outside his window and looked at the Capital’s flickering lamps.

"Why bother with a county when you could’ve had the entire kingdom?"

Silence.

The nobles pulled their hoods and tried to hide their faces.

What the Duke said were words that should’ve never been spoken.

Duke Brunelle looked at them and laughed.

"Look at your faces! Are you so afraid that going against His Majesty feels like a crime?"

He swirled his cup by the handle on the saucer while grinning.

"It’s understandable. You’ve never been to war. But need I remind who’s the kingdom’s head of military? The one responsible for its security and expansion?"

The nobles raised their heads and looked at him.

This time with utmost seriousness.

"M’lord, are you perhaps suggesting what we’re thinking?"

Duke Brunelle snapped his fingers.

"Kings fall."

He snapped his other hand’s fingers.

"Kingdoms remain."

He continued to grin.

"You can go home and think about this. We’ll meet the day after tomorrow for further discussions."

The nobles hesitated once more, but many stood up and bid the Duke farewell. Staying any longer would risk making their heads explode.

Though, a few still remained, one of them being Marquis Morvell.

He looked at the Duke and asked, "There’s something that has been bugging me, M’lord."

"What is it?"

"When we all refused aid to House D’Arc, why were you the first to help them? Wouldn’t it hinder your own plans?"

Marquis Marvell was aware that the Duke was responsible for the collapse, but then, why would he help them and do something so counterproductive?

Duke Brunelle took the last sip of his tea.

Clink.

"If the house had collapsed, who would’ve inherited their railways?"

Before Marquis Morvell answered, Duke Brunelle shook his head.

"Certainly not me. There’s Leurox, Heinrich, and even His Majesty who would try to snatch it. Railways are too big to let go. By providing them aid, I became their biggest ally, and after their collapse, naturally... it would go to me."

Marquis Morvell stared at the man’s face for a good few seconds, unable to utter a single word.

No wonder he was the head of the kingdom’s military. No wonder he was able to conquer so many nearby territories.

"I understand."

Marquis Morvell stood up and bid his farewell.

Eventually, only the Duke remained in the study.

He stared outside the window, at the tallest spire in the district.

A hearty chuckle left his mouth.

"I shouldn’t have waited so long..."

...

A/N: I added two auxiliary Chapters at the start titled "Relationship Wiki" and "Everything Wiki".

You can read them to understand more about the relationships and power system. I also added fun character images, so do check them out.

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