The Founding Monarch Became the Mastermind

Chapter 62

Katrina Bello was the daughter of the most influential figure in the largest village near Sionia.

Her great-grandfather, Sir John Bello, was one of the knights who came with the first Duke, Jang Si-on, and was appointed as the White Tiger Commander, governing a village with around sixty households—not too big, but not too small either.

Great-grandfather, utilizing the support of the ducal family and his own exceptional skills, managed to double the village’s population and size in just ten years.

The family business continued through his son and grandson, and by the time Katrina was born, the village her great-grandfather had developed had grown into a county with over three hundred households and thousands of residents.

As times changed, the position of White Tiger Commander officially disappeared.

Thus, Katrina’s father remained a large landowner, and her brother was officially appointed as the county governor, managing the village.

Even the county’s guard force, which took orders from her brother (though ultimate command lay with the ducal family), consisted of over fifty men, well-equipped.

In the old days, her father could proudly boast that their family was on par with any prominent small lord.

And that was somewhat true.

In fact, there was no need to look far back.

Outside the Si-on Duchy, the reality was that nobles similar to or worse than Katrina’s family often boasted about being lords.

Anyway, Katrina, whose father was the “ruler” of one of the largest villages in the duchy outside the city, developed an arrogant personality from an early age, bolstered by her striking appearance.

Eventually, she wouldn’t even consider a marriage prospect unless they were from a family greater than her father’s, and ideally, a direct heir.

This ambition, combined with her father’s own aspirations of climbing even higher, led her to become one of the concubines of the ducal family’s heir.

Katrina, who became a baroness despite being a concubine, seemed to have achieved her goal.

She was content with her success for a few years, and when she bore a son, she felt there was nothing more she could desire.

However, when her son turned ten, her husband’s already fragile health deteriorated further, and her anxiety grew.

Even though her father-in-law passed away and her husband finally ascended as the Duke, her unease only intensified.

This was because Eleanor, the Duke’s official wife, openly antagonized her.

Eleanor had seven children with her husband.

However, as if taking after the Duke, four of them died before reaching the age of eight, and the remaining two sons and a daughter were also not in good health.

Duchess Eleanor grew anxious.

– What if my husband dies early, and my two sons meet the same fate?

Eleanor’s anxiety naturally turned into a hostile rivalry against Katrina, the concubine who had given birth to a healthy son.

That rivalry became hatred, and that hatred quickly escalated into outright torment.

It was only natural that Katrina, who endured Eleanor’s scorn and harassment, would come to loathe her in return.

Eleanor and Katrina, both driven by their anxieties, ended up despising each other because of their mutual rivalry.

And although the weight of their hatred was similar, Katrina, who came from a somewhat lesser family compared to Eleanor, a true noble’s daughter, surpassed her in natural ambition and desperation.

As soon as she realized that her beloved husband didn’t have much time left, Katrina acted first.

She made a choice that should never have been made.

She mixed a few potions she had received from ‘someone,’ creating a substance that, though a medicine, would turn poisonous if consumed over a long period, and fed it to her husband and Eleanor’s children.

Why had Eleanor’s two sons grown even weaker?

Why had the first son, who initially suffered from a mild cold, developed pneumonia and died, and why had the second son’s stomachache persisted for over a month before he eventually died vomiting blood?

No one knows anymore.

Those who knew the truth have long since died.

Thus, the path ahead for her son Blint was now clear.

Although her husband’s sudden death was sorrowful, with her son soon to take his place, she had no more worries.

That was, until Gede Si-on discovered her secret and began to blackmail her.

The reason why the next duke was not immediately decided after the previous duke’s death was because of this very secret.

Gede threatened that if Blint were crowned and the coronation held, he would reveal the truth about the deaths of Eleanor’s two sons.

This is why Katrina couldn’t oppose Gede’s proposal to reconsider the next duke from the beginning.

During that time, Katrina focused her efforts on securing the key figures of the Twin-headed Eagle Castle and Sionia.

She believed that if she could gather the capital’s power players in one place, she could somehow turn the situation in her favor.

That plan appeared quite successful.

However, a ridiculous turn of events led to the surrender of the Twin-headed Eagle Castle, plunging her into despair.

After all her efforts, the ducal castle fell to Gede Si-on’s forces!

But then, what was this?

It was revealed that all of this had been orchestrated by “Salen,” a member of the royal family and a descendant of the princess who had been the consort of the ducal family’s founder, Duke Jang Si-on.

The information came directly from Piotr Si-on Kilburn, the grandson of Duke Jang Si-on’s daughter, so it couldn’t be a lie.

With this, Katrina found new hope.

She believed that if she could persuade this “Salen” lord, she could deal with Gede and restore her son Blint to the position of Duke Si-on.

This was why she had dressed in such an overly glamorous outfit when coming out to meet them.

Until she saw Jonas Si-on escort Salen to the high seat and watched as Salen naturally moved to sit there, Katrina’s only concern had been how to appeal to him.

She was prepared to offer money, women, or even a share of the duchy’s business rights if necessary.

After all, once her son became Duke Si-on of this generation, such offerings would be a small price to pay.

‘Everything will go well.’

Katrina truly believed this.

That is, until Salen declared:

“As the owner of this place, I command.”

* * *

Blaho found the much-anticipated Lord Salen incredibly intriguing.

Of course, it was puzzling and suspicious that the royal family still cared about the Si-on Ducal Family, which had been semi-independent for so long.

However, as a close relative and strong supporter of the Obla royal family, it wasn’t unreasonable for the royal family to intervene in the Si-on Ducal Family’s internal conflict.

Also, in Blaho’s opinion, Lord Salen’s plan, while not perfect, was the best course of action, and it had produced the best possible outcome, enhanced by an unlikely stroke of luck.

That’s why Blaho was deeply curious about Lord Salen, who not only formulated and executed such an excellent plan but also seemed to have fortune on his side.

When Blaho actually met Lord Salen, he looked remarkably young.

Furthermore, for reasons Blaho couldn’t quite comprehend, Salen evoked a familiar feeling while simultaneously exuding an unsettling aura that made him an incredibly fascinating figure.

Therefore, when Lord Salen said:

“Lock the doors first.”

“As the owner of this place, I command: shut your mouths.”

Blaho nearly burst out laughing instead of reacting with shock like the high-ranking officials of the Twin-headed Eagle Castle.

If it weren’t for the strange messages that appeared in his vision a few seconds after Salen’s sharp command, Blaho wouldn’t have been able to hold back his chuckles.

[You have joined the clan of User 01, Jang Si-on.]

[You are registered as a retainer of the stronghold, Twin-headed Eagle Castle, owned by User 01, Jang Si-on.]

[Without permission from User 01, Jang Si-on, you cannot leave the clan.]

[You are….]

Translucent messages composed of bizarre characters that Blaho had never seen before appeared continuously before his eyes, scrolling up one after another.

Blaho stood frozen, his eyes wide open.

“Wha…? Wh-what?”

“Wh-what!?”

Piotr and Sirvan, who were standing near Blaho, also seemed to be experiencing the same phenomenon, exclaiming in shock.

Even the high-ranking officials who had been awkwardly standing at the conference table were visibly unsettled.

“What is this!? What the hell is this?”

“Is it… magic!?”

“Disappear! Go away!”

Some frantically waved their hands in front of their faces as if possessed, while others, their expressions twisted with fear, stumbled backward and collapsed on the spot.

Of the more than ten high-ranking officials, about two-thirds were in a state of utter confusion and fear.

“Sir Neto? What’s wrong all of a sudden?”

“Garileno, have you lost your mind?”

“What’s wrong with everyone?”

However, a few of the officials simply watched their colleagues with bewildered or exasperated faces.

Bang!

“You, you, you, and you. You four.”

Si-on tapped the stone table lightly and pointed at four nobles, then signaled Stelman and Piotr with his eyes.

Momentarily flustered by the sudden appearance of the message, Stelman quickly regained his composure and, understanding Si-on’s signal, subdued the four nobles.

“What are you doing!?”

“Ugh! Do you even know who I am to dare do this!?”

“Are you all just going to stand there and watch!?”

Though high in rank, the nobles’ physical abilities were ordinary, and they were quickly overpowered and made to kneel.

Si-on looked coldly at the four struggling nobles.

“Should I be relieved that it’s only four of you…?”

The four nobles struggled and yelled, unable to understand Si-on’s cryptic remark, but they froze at his next words.

“Did Gede promise to protect your positions? Judging by the fact that the messages didn’t appear, it seems you joined forces with him quite some time ago.”

“……!”

“Gasp!”

Si-on glanced at the four, whose faces had turned pale as they held their breath, then turned his gaze.

Blint, still with a dumbfounded expression, and Katrina, whose earlier haughty demeanor had vanished as she stared with her mouth agape in shock.

Si-on was furious.

He was far angrier that Blint, his bloodline, and Katrina, who was, at least for now, considered the duchy’s mistress, hadn’t received the clan-joining messages, unlike the four traitorous high-ranking nobles who had once been part of his “Si-on Clan.”

The mother and son were not traitors like the four nobles.

At least those four had once been members of the Si-on Clan.

But the fact that Blint and Katrina, born into the Si-on Ducal Family, had not received any messages meant…

“You were… never my bloodline to begin with.”

“……!?”

Blint flinched, standing there foolishly.

Yet, he still didn’t understand what Si-on’s words meant.

Katrina, far smarter than her son and harboring a secret known to no one but herself, was horrified.

“And you’re nothing more than a cuckoo.”

“Hiiik…”

A crude whimper, unbefitting of a noble lady, escaped Katrina’s thin, red lips as she realized another of her secrets had been exposed.