I! Cleaner!

Indeed...

After listening to this, the old nobility present in the room couldn't help but nod, showing expressions of helplessness.

The Duke of Lionheart's succession ceremony was of course not something to be missed, and more than half of the old nobility there had been present at the event, witnessing firsthand how the "Three Elders of the Ryan Family" fell, and they were well aware of the Ryan Family's current situation.

According to the traditions among the old nobility, if one wanted to depose the current Duke of Lionheart and bring in a new duke, it was necessary for a person with a status high enough from the "Ryan People" to step forward and take the lead, before the "in-laws" could follow suit.

Although this might sound somewhat old-fashioned, as if the fire is already at one's feet yet one must first find a raft before taking action, this was indeed one of the "unspoken rules" that the old nobility had to adhere to.

After all, within the old nobility, there were many who had conflicts with each other, and even some feuds that had lasted for centuries. If these unspoken rules were not followed and one moved at will, the entire old nobility could collapse due to internal conflict before the Princess could even take action.

"We can't worry about that much anymore!"

Looking at the newspapers on the table with headlines that made one's scalp tingle, a younger member of the old nobility stood up, proposing somewhat anxiously,

"Even if no one from the Ryan Family can take the lead, we can't go on like this. Everyone knows what the Princess wants. If she really succeeds in the end, we might not even qualify as royal appendages, only to be strangled by her bit by bit!

No matter what happens later, we must find a way now to remove this troublesome duke! At the very least, we can't let him take the Ryan Family's resources and seats over to the Princess, or else it will be too late!"

"That's what I think as well."

Another "young and vigorous" member of the old nobility stood up, nodding in agreement,

"Compared to those old rules, it's more important to stop the Princess right now. We're no match for the royal family in terms of support, and we can't compete with the Lower House's commercial guilds in terms of wealth. If we don't act now, it will be too late."

"I second that!"

"Well... I have no objection."

"Agree, even if it doesn't work, we have to try!"

"Wait, calm down."

Just as the old nobility were getting up, expressing agreement to forcibly replace the Duke of Lionheart, another older nobleman stood up, reminding them,

"You must not forget, even if we could pass a vote in the Upper House and forcibly replace the Duke of Lionheart, someone still needs to sit in that position."

"That's not important!"

The young noble who spoke first said loudly,

"It doesn't matter who sits in the Duke of Lionheart's position, as long as it's not the current one."

"No, that does matter a lot!"

The old noble shook his head and said,

"Have you not looked at the Ryan Family's genealogy? Do you know? If you pass a vote in the Upper House and forcibly replace the current Duke of Lionheart, according to the line of succession, the next Duke would be his own younger sister."

"Then take a vote and remove his sister as well!"

The young noble said fiercely,

"It's not a problem to concede some more benefits. Compared to being choked by the Princess's new decrees or competing with the Lower House businessmen, the cost of replacing two successive dukes is entirely acceptable, as long as we can remove this pair of siblings..."

"After removing that pair of siblings, there's another pair still waiting!"

The old nobleman snorted coldly,

"Take a good look through the Ryan Family's genealogy! After her, the next in line to succeed as Duke would be the current duke's younger brother, and then another of his sisters.

Heh, changing four Duke of Lionheart appointments in one day, you think the royal family is dead just watching you force these changes?"

"..."

After consulting some closely related nobles and receiving a definitive answer, the young noble who proposed the forced replacement couldn't hold it together anymore.

"So this family of four is putting a stranglehold on this path to change? Are we just going to do nothing and watch?"

"Sitting by idly is certainly not an option, but acting directly won't work either. This is such a good opportunity. With the Princess's character, she will definitely be on guard, not leaving us any chance."

"So what you're saying is, there really is no solution?"

"There is a solution."

Once most people's attention gathered around, the old noble finally unfurled his "Map of Yan Country," squinting as he spoke,

"But before I discuss my idea, I must remind everyone that our Duke of Lionheart is far from as simple as he seems.

Although he seems like a fool who doesn't understand the rules and acts recklessly according to his whims, just lucky.

But let's calm down and think from his position. Even if he doesn't hand over the Ryan Family, does he have the ability to keep it safe?

Without this incident, aside from holding the empty title of duke, what else would he have left? Would the Ryan Family's situation be any better than it is now?"

After posing these questions, the old noble watched as the others began to think along his lines, their faces gradually showing a sense of realization, and he continued analyzing with narrowed eyes,

"To be honest, I think our Duke of Lionheart is the truly clever one.

From the very beginning, he understood that he had no ability to keep the Ryan Family. Whether he tried to make allies of us in-laws or strained to maintain the Ryan Family, in the end, nothing would be left.

But his mind was clear. Knowing he didn't have the ability, he straightforwardly distanced himself from us, shamelessly proposing to the Princess, bringing in someone capable of defending the Ryan Family."

"After all, we don't need him to acquire the Ryan Family inheritance, so he as a duke is worthless to us. But to the royal family and the Princess, his duke status is the only entry ticket, worth every effort to win him over.

And because of our presence, the royal family can't fully take over the Ryan Family, having to use his Duke of Lionheart title to compete with us for the Ryan Family's resources. This has instead created a subtle balance, allowing him to control the Ryan Family.

Tsk, tsk, our Duke may not really understand how to be a noble, but he definitely knows how to do business, how to sell himself to the right target and at a great price."

After expressing his admiration for Leon, the old noble paused briefly to give the crowd a moment to think, then picked up a newspaper from the table, lightly patting the words "Princess" before making a suggestion in a loud voice,

"Gentlemen, it's time we learn from the clever Duke and seek out a more suitable 'buyer' for ourselves... What do you think of Prince Joshua?"

Prince Joshua?

Hearing the old noble's suggestion, the crowd couldn't help but frown, with someone unable to resist directly opposing,

"You want us to fully turn to the royal family? How is that any different from surrendering to the Princess? Wouldn't we still be controlled by the royal family?"

"First of all, I'm only suggesting turning to Prince Joshua. Moreover, since when did the Princess represent the entire royal family?"

Asking this meaningful question, the old noble then completely unfolded the "Map of Yan Country," revealing a "dagger" he had prepared in advance, and asked,

"Gentlemen, consider this carefully. Is what our Princess wants the same as what the entire royal family wants? And is what the royal family wants the same as what Prince Joshua, and the Queen and Minister of Finance behind him, want?"

Glancing at the crowd who seemed to grasp something, the old noble leisurely explained,

"Or to put it more clearly, besides the throne, what the Princess wants is to limit the power of us nobles, which is also the desire of the whole royal family. So in the past, the Princess could represent the will of the entire royal family.

As for the Queen and the Minister of Finance supporting the royal family, it's because they received the King's promise, believing the Princess would be married off, and the entire Kingdom's future would belong to Prince Joshua. Naturally, they were happy for the Princess to help him clear obstacles.

But now, not only is the Princess not married off, but she has also acquired enough power through her marriage to the clever Duke to sway the entire Kingdom. The situation is quite different.

Right now, the Princess is strong and, with the King who wants to curb the old nobility's power applying pressure, even if the Queen and Minister of Finance are unhappy, they dare not make rash moves at this time.

However, if the old nobility collectively turns to Joshua, giving our Prince a strong arm of support... Can the Princess still represent the will of the entire royal family?"