Upon seeing Shane walking in with Tielle and Lilith, Lady Cappelen almost instinctively stood up and greeted him with an expression of indescribable complexity.
Not just Lady Cappelen, but even the surrounding Female Knights cast glances at Shane that ranged from shy, shameful, indescribable, to bitter helplessness as they hurriedly turned their heads away, as if they dared not meet his eye.
These reactions left everyone else present puzzled.
Only Shane recalled how just a few days ago, these very same knights, all neat in appearance and fully armed, had crowded around him in the nude.
Could this become one of the thousands of memorable images in Shane's mind?
In any case, it was certainly worth collecting.
Thinking this, Shane turned his gaze back to Lady Cappelen.
By now, Lady Cappelen had shed the disheveled and downtrodden look of a few days prior, presenting the spirited and valiant air she had the first time they met.
The difference lay in her attitude, now lacking the previous self-entitlement and overbearing demeanor, eyes no longer filled with scrutiny but with a very straightforward, candid gleam.
It seemed, the experiences of this period must have forged Princess Cappelen, rendering her considerably more composed.
Shane felt a pang of wistfulness at this thought but didn't let it show, instead taking a seat across from Lady Cappelen.
That was Lord Rocque's seat.
But Lord Rocque had already stood up, moving to the side by Lady Cappelen, as if to suggest that she would lead the forthcoming discussion, prompting a slight raise of Shane's eyebrows.
From this stance, a lot could be inferred.
"It seems that Viscount Bigusler and Princess have prepared to work together."
Shane spread his hands as he disclosed the subtleties of the situation.
Lord Rocque, who had previously claimed he would cooperate with Shane unconditionally, still stood by Lady Cappelen's side after all.
"What I support is Prince Harvey and Lady Cappelen, or rather, the faction opposed to the Imperial Concubine."
Lord Rocque stated emotionlessly.
In essence, even though he would cooperate with Shane unconditionally, before the object of his support, he would still maintain the courtesy of a vassal.
That is to say, his loyalty was not only to Prince Harvey but also to Cappelen.
Tilly silently moved to stand by Lord Rocque's side.
Lady Cappelen first glanced at Tielle by Shane's side, then her gaze landed on Lilith, flickering vividly.
A moment later, Lady Cappelen solemnly bowed her head towards Lilith.
The scene mirrored exactly how Lord Rocque had first reacted upon meeting Lilith.
Clearly, Lady Cappelen had also come to know Lilith's identity.
Only Tilly still seemed in the dark, looking astonished by the situation.
But Lady Cappelen did not elaborate and sat back down.
"I've already met with my brother." Lady Cappelen said, looking at Shane and pursing her lips, "To be honest, I don't agree with the content of that deal."
Clearly, Lady Cappelen and Lord Rocque were on the same page.
Having met with Harvey, she surely had learned a lot from him by now?
"So why did you come to me?" Shane remained unfazed, looking at Lady Cappelen with a wry smile, "Do you intend to replace Harvey and cancel that deal?"
"...No." Lady Cappelen fell silent for a moment, then sighed, "If it were in the past, I definitely would have done so, but now, I've been persuaded by my brother."
"Oh?" Shane expressed surprise, "So you chose to compromise?"
"What other choice is there to make?" Lady Cappelen said self-deprecatingly, "With our current strength, thinking to oppose the Imperial Concubine faction without sacrifice is simply impossible."
"Is that so?" Shane countered, "After all, now that you are back, you shouldn't be scared of the Imperial Concubine's faction, should you?"
Certainly, the Imperial Concubine's faction had many supporters, but with Cappelen's return, the situation was bound to change.
Lady Cappelen was a princess of the Empire, and from a young age inherited the replica of the Holy Sword, a talent so exceptional that everyone marveled. Although she wasn't as exaggerated as Luoqi, she was still a luminary symbol rising like the sun within the Empire.
A beautiful, powerful, excellent princess with a distinguished family background, hailed as a Valkyrie, was undoubtedly a national facade, held up as a role model to aspire to.
Countless people adored her, admired her—an exclusive privilege only a princess could possess.
Given this, the Empire surely had many Nobles who supported Lady Cappelen, and public sentiment would definitely side with her, so it was not impossible for Lady Cappelen to take on the Imperial Concubine's faction head-on.
"Now that the Lefirut Family too has perished, and you yourself being no less formidable than a Legendary figure, coupled with Lord Rocque's support, even if you cannot overthrow the Imperial Concubine's faction, you could still put up an equal fight, right?"
That was Shane's view.
But Lady Cappelen shook her head helplessly.
"Indeed, the current situation is not entirely unfavorable to us, even with my brother being under house arrest. The Nobles supporting us haven't all defected, and without the Lefiruts, we seem to have a fighting chance."
As Lady Cappelen spoke, her expression was less than optimistic.
The reason was simple.
"This is a calculation of the visible strength," Cappelen said.
"Visible strength?" Shane seemed to understand something, pondering as he spoke, "You mean, the enemy has hidden forces as well?"
"Of course," Cappelen hinted to Shane with a subtle tone, "This is something you've already experienced, isn't it?"
Had anyone known about the existence of the High Priest before?
A Legendary Necromancer commanding an Undead Army would have a massive impact on the battlefield, as anyone could imagine.
Now, the High Priest had been dealt with in advance by Shane, and that secret base had been destroyed by him as well.
"We have every reason to suspect that the Poisonous Consort has the support of the Old Demon Clan Faction behind her."
Shane's eyes narrowed at Cappelen's words.
This was something he was all too aware of.
Cappelen calmly pointed out.
"The enemy's hidden strength cannot be gauged, and this is a significant concern and issue that keeps us constantly wary."
"Even disregarding the hidden strength, those Nobles openly supporting the Imperial Concubine outnumber those supporting us, and even without Leferut, they still have the aid of families like Renitra."
"The Renitra Family is the second Knight family in the Empire, and Sarilo himself is a Legendary figure. Their influence within the Imperial Knight Order is only slightly less than that of Lord Rocque and the Bigusler Family, so while Lord Rocque has a loyal following, Sarilo has the support of his own loyal followers as well."
"The current situation among the Nobility is such that about sixty percent support the Imperial Concubine, thirty percent are with us, and the rest are uncommitted. No matter what, we are the weaker party."
"As for the public, because of my presence, my supporters definitely outnumber hers, but they can only provide political support. In the event of war, they would be the ones needing protection."
"Regarding the tens of thousands of Imperial Knights the Empire prides itself on, twenty percent have been swayed by Sarilo, thirty percent obey Lord Rocque, and the remaining half are undecided. Some dare not easily take sides, others do not wish to engage in this power struggle, and some worry about the severe impact internal conflicts may have on the Empire, and thus do not want to support either side."
"In summary, it's hard to say that the situation is particularly in our favor, and we could very well be at a serious disadvantage."
Cappelen looked serious.
"If it weren't for the Emperor being cursed, then all the Poisonous Consort would have to do is whisper a few words into the ear of that incompetent ruler, and the Emperor would undoubtedly choose to support her. As the ruler of a nation, she could command those uncommitted forces, and even command us, to a certain extent we would have to comply."
"Unless we're determined to rebel and to usurp the throne, we can't ignore the Emperor's influence."
This was the current state of affairs.
It was truly difficult to say that the situation was advantageous to us.
"I have lost the Creation Holy Sword."
Cappelen's expression turned bitter.
The Princess had lost the Creation Holy Sword.
The reason was simple.
"Naturally, the Poisonous Consort, who dares to imprison me, wouldn't leave the Creation Holy Sword by my side."
Cappelen felt annoyed, and it could even be said that she felt humiliated.
There was nothing to be done.
The Creation Holy Sword had taken the Empire countless efforts in energy, finances, and manpower to make. Even the bones of an ancestor Hero were utilized for its successful creation, an emblem of the Empire.
It represented not only power, but also an honor and a spiritual pillar.
Losing it had a significant impact on Cappelen's strength.
Even more so, the Royal Family might accuse her of failing to protect it and losing a national treasure, thereby punishing her.
"Due to losing the Creation Holy Sword, it's very likely that not only will I not gain public support, but I will also incur their wrath and be treated as a criminal."
Cappelen said this helplessly.
This was no exaggeration.
Even if Cappelen was the Empire's treasure, those born on this land still revered and worshiped the Heroes who established this nation above all else.
Cappelen's aura was largely built upon being a wielder of the Creation Holy Sword.
Now that the Creation Holy Sword had been lost by Cappelen, the problem couldn't be more significant.
If things went poorly, it was entirely possible for Cappelen to fall from grace and lose public support.
This was a dire situation.
Of course, Shane was speechless.
In his heart was but a single thought.
"The Holy Sword can be lost?"
Isn't that something that would return on its own?