Nikolai didn’t let his guard down, even after entering the royal palace.

He chose a guest room where he could keep an eye on the entrance through the window, constantly watching the movements outside. While other nobles lay scattered across the floor, believing the palace was safe, Nikolai trusted his instincts.

As expected—

“The soldiers are approaching!”

The soldiers surrounded the palace and slowly advanced. Nikolai kept a close watch on them.

“What? How dare they!”  
“What about the Royal Guard? What are they doing?”

There were many troops gathering at the palace gates, and Nikolai recognized the two figures leading the force—a man and a woman in officer uniforms.

“...Viktor. It seems Viktor and Anna have come in person!”  
“No, that can’t be!”  
“Move! I need to see for myself!”

The nobles rushed to the window, pushing each other aside.

“We need to hide! ...But where?”  
“Let’s flee through the secret passage!”  
“Viktor was the Supreme Commander! You think he doesn’t know about the secret paths we know?”  
“Then what do we do?”

When they confirmed that Viktor and Anna were entering the palace without any resistance from the Royal Guard, the nobles fell into panic.

“I—I’m leaving!”  
“Wait!”

Some nobles fled immediately, ignoring warnings that the secret passages were useless. This caused the morale of those remaining in the room to plummet further.

“We’re doomed…”  
“We shouldn’t have come to the palace. We should’ve left Zabinsk…”  
“We’re all going to die. We’re all dead!”

After some futile suggestions, they gave up hope and sank to the ground.

Just when it seemed like everyone had resigned themselves to their fate—

“There is… one last option.”

Nikolai, refusing to give up, stood. He desperately wanted to survive.

“An option?”  
“Yes. However…”  
“Just spit it out already!”

After hesitating a few times, Nikolai finally spoke under the nobles’ pressure.

“If we take the king hostage… we might be able to live.”

“What are you saying?”  
“Are you crazy? That’s treason!”  
“Treason?”

It was an undeniable act of treason, and the other nobles initially protested in shock.

“If we get caught, we’re dead anyway! What difference does it make if it’s treason or not?”  
“...”

Seeing the desperate, crazed look in Nikolai’s eyes, the other nobles started to seriously consider his suggestion.

“Now that I think about it, Viktor has always been loyal to the king.”  
“Right. Maybe he still has some lingering loyalty!”

There was no guarantee that taking the king hostage would work. They had no plan for how to take the king or what to do afterward—it was a gamble with no foundation and no clear future.

In a normal state of mind, it was a dangerous idea they would have dismissed outright. But with death so close, the nobles found themselves grasping at straws.  
They were too terrified of Viktor and the 1st Corps to sit idly and wait for death.

Driven by their desperate will to live, they began to convince themselves and steeled their resolve.

“...Let’s do it.”

With Nikolai leading the way, the nobles left the room. As they walked down the hallway, they grabbed ceremonial weapons from the walls and questioned every person they passed about the king’s whereabouts.

“Hey.”  
“Eek!”  
“Where is His Majesty?”  
“Uh… uh…”  
“I asked you, where is the king?”  
“Eek! The audience chamber! Please, don’t kill me…!”

Following the frightened servant’s directions, they headed for the audience chamber.

– Creak.

“...Count Savinkov?”

Inside the lit audience chamber, only the king and Vladimir were present.  
The king, who had just awoken, looked exhausted, but his eyes clearly showed his fear, understanding what was happening.

“You’ve arrived.”

Vladimir stood calmly next to the king, greeting them in his usual composed manner.

“What should we do?”  
“What are you hesitating for? Let’s go.”

The nobles hesitated momentarily, surprised by the unexpected scene, but they gripped their weapons tightly and approached the throne.  
They ignored Vladimir, who was unarmed and no longer posed a threat due to his age, and pointed their weapons at the king.

“Your Majesty, forgive us…”  
“Ugh, ugh…”

Nikolai kept glancing at Vladimir, but he couldn’t read what the count was thinking as he silently watched the nobles.

“What now?”  
“…Let’s wait.”

The nobles surrounded the throne, waiting for the soldiers to arrive.

---

Most coups are decided in a single night.  
Even now, the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Corps are likely rushing toward the palace, so we need to secure the king and establish our legitimacy as quickly as possible.

If the king joins the other corps and declares us traitors, it won’t just be an issue with the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Corps. The 1st Corps itself could collapse.  
Right now, the soldiers are only moving with confidence because they believe the nobles are traitors, and my reputation and Anna’s are only secondary factors.

Even if only half the 1st Corps splits away, we’d still be facing 20,000 soldiers with just 4,000 demoralized men.

On the other hand, if we use the king to brand the nobles as traitors, coupled with the military’s support for me, everything will end smoothly.  
There’s no reason for the other corps not to cooperate once the tide turns in our favor.

“We’ve captured Mikhail Kapayev and other nobles hiding in the Royal Guard barracks!”  
“Good. Continue the search.”  
“Yes, sir!”

So far, everything is proceeding smoothly.  
Following Anna through the palace halls as she issued orders, I worked hard to maintain a calm expression.

With Andre captured, the Royal Guard offered no resistance.  
Whether it was out of fear of being labeled traitors, they cooperated surprisingly well.

Thanks to that, we eliminated the final variable of being delayed by the Royal Guard’s resistance.  
Once the main force of the 1st Corps entered the palace, it was only a matter of time before we took full control.

I stationed troops near the secret exits of the palace as well, reducing the chances of the king escaping to near zero.

“His Majesty is in the audience chamber.”

At the soldier’s report, Anna, the soldiers, and I quickly moved toward the audience chamber.

Once we reached the door—

“It seems the lights are on.”  
“Hmm.”

Light leaked through the cracks in the door, so I checked the minimap for safety.

“There doesn’t seem to be an ambush…”

There were almost no red dots in the palace on the minimap, and the ones in the audience chamber were all gray.  
That meant there wasn’t an ambush waiting for us inside.

However, the arrangement of the dots was a little strange.  
Several gray dots were scattered near the walls, while a cluster of gray dots gathered tightly around the throne.

I had a bad feeling about this.

“We’re going in.”

The soldiers opened the door.

“Viktor!”  
“Ha…”

The moment the door opened, I was greeted by a familiar, shrill voice.

“Don’t come any closer!”

Nikolai and several nobles were pointing their weapons at the king, shouting at us. Behind the trembling king stood Vladimir Savinkov, silently watching.

A hostage situation.  
It wasn’t unexpected, but it was the scenario I’d hoped wouldn’t occur.

“Capture them immediately…!”  
“No, wait.”

I calmed Anna, who looked ready to charge in.

“Step back!”

Nikolai, emboldened by our hesitation, shouted even louder.

For me, the king is better off dead.  
I’ve made my loyalty to him widely known, so as long as he lives, it’ll be difficult to transfer my allegiance to someone else.

However, showing my desire for his death is a different matter.

Although the king was the one who betrayed me first, killing him directly would be too risky.  
Even if most people would overlook it, the emperor, who plans to employ me, might not take kindly to that label following me.

The same applies if I’m even indirectly involved in the king’s death.  
Once rumors spread, it could leave a lingering stain on my reputation.

While I’m confident I can overcome any minor blemish on my record, there’s no reason to take unnecessary risks.

“Do it now!”  
“Step back.”  
“General…”  
“Anna.”  
“...Understood.”

I played along with Nikolai’s demands, pretending to be concerned about the king’s safety.

The 1st Corps had the palace completely surrounded, so we had the luxury of time.

Besides, the weapons those nobles were holding—it was obvious at a glance where they had gotten them.

Ornate blades with overly elaborate decorations, made of gold.  
They were ceremonial weapons that had been hanging on the walls of the palace.

If taking the king hostage had been their goal from the start, they would have prepared proper weapons.  
The fact that they grabbed whatever they could find along the way showed how desperate they had been.

Their clothes were soaked in sweat, and their pants and shoes were covered in dust, supporting this theory.

These must be the nobles who had been hiding in the palace.

This meant that the hostage situation had been improvised. As long as we didn’t make the first mistake, they were bound to show a weak spot.

All I had to do was wait for the right opportunity.

It only mattered that I put in a sincere effort

 to resolve things. If my soldiers or a noble made a sudden move and something went wrong, I could always express my regret later, shedding a tear and saying, “I tried my best…”

While we held this standoff at a distance—

“Viktor.”  
“...Hm?”

Suddenly, Vladimir, who had been standing behind the king, called my name.  
I had assumed he had fled with the other nobles, but he was still here, looking weary but much cleaner than the rest.

“Why did you pull your soldiers back? You know there’s no need for that, don’t you?”  
“What do you mean?”  
“If you charge in right now and kill them all, pinning them as traitors, the Kingdom of Rus will fall into your hands. Why hesitate?”

“Count Savinkov!”  
Vladimir’s words were unsettling.  
Though his expression was calm, there was a deep heaviness in his gaze, unlike before.

“There are hardly any witnesses. You won’t get a better opportunity than this.”

“Count! What are you saying?!”

Vladimir ignored Nikolai’s outcry, keeping his eyes fixed on me.

I couldn’t quite understand the intent behind his words, but I quickly found the right response.

After closing my eyes for a moment of deep thought, I opened them and glared at him firmly.

“That’s a traitor’s idea. The Kingdom of Rus belongs to His Majesty. Even if I killed everyone and took the throne, I would be nothing but a traitor.”

I answered as ‘Viktor’ would.

This is the same Viktor who surrendered without resistance when the king’s orders sent him into exile—loyal to the very end.  
There’s no reason for me to squander the image I’ve carefully built for the sake of this half-ruined country.

“Is that so?”  
“Yes. If you still care for His Majesty and the kingdom, convince them to put down their weapons. I’ll ensure a clean end.”

“...Ha.”

I don’t know how Vladimir interpreted my words, but—

“Hahaha! Hahahahahaha!”

He suddenly burst into laughter like a madman.

Puzzled by his response, I glanced at the minimap to see that he was now marked as a green dot.

---

I couldn’t help but laugh at myself.

“Hahahahaha!”

Viktor’s answer confirmed it.  
What the kingdom needed wasn’t the nobles—it was him.

The fact that he hesitated before answering sealed it for me.

The hesitation meant he knew full well that he could do exactly what I’d suggested.  
In this audience chamber, the only people present were a few servants, some nobles, and Viktor’s soldiers.

If Viktor had brought his troops this far into the palace, he must have already secured evidence of treason.

He could kill us all right now, adjust the scene slightly, and blame everything on us. It would be easy to convince the other military units once that was done.  
With the king and the highest nobles captured, no one in the kingdom would have the power to oppose Viktor.

And yet, Viktor chose the king.

Even after being betrayed, he stopped short of taking the throne for himself.  
He actively blocked his own path to becoming king.

It didn’t matter whether his actions were sincere or an act.  
His answer made it clear that he had no desire to be king of the Ruth Kingdom.

As long as Viktor wasn’t aiming for the throne, the kingdom couldn’t afford to lose him.

“Haha, hahahahaha!”  
“Count Savinkov…?”

I had always believed I’d done my best for the kingdom and lamented that others’ mistakes had ruined it.

But it was my fault.  
I should have done everything in my power to keep Viktor from leaving.

I was the traitor.

“Why are you laughing, Count?!”

“Haha…”

After laughing for a while, I felt my mind clear.

“You called me a traitor.”

At last, I realized what the best choice for the kingdom was—who should lead this country.

We nobles weren’t fit to rule this kingdom.

“Indeed, I am. The nobles supported me, not the king.”

Now that I’d made my decision, taking action was simple.  
I approached the trembling king on the throne and drew the sword I’d hidden under my coat.

“What are you doing?!”

Before Viktor or the other nobles could react—

“For as long as I can remember…”

– Stab.

“Ugh…”

“I’ve always wanted to be king.”

I drove the sword straight into the heart of the king—the last chain holding Viktor back.

“Ugh…”  
“I’m sorry.”

I whispered a small apology into the king’s ear, low enough that no one else could hear, as he writhed in pain.

Then, I removed the crown from his head and dragged his body off the throne.

“What… what is this…”

Neither Nikolai nor the other nobles reacted at all.  
I placed the crown on my own head and sat on the blood-soaked throne.

Now, the Ruth Kingdom would fall into Viktor’s hands.  
The nobles tied to me would be purged as traitors.

With the military’s support and no nobles to hinder him, Viktor would lead this country down the best path.

…At least, far better than I ever could.

“So this is what it feels like to sit on a king’s throne.”

I only regretted that I wouldn’t live to see the end of it all.

I watched as Viktor’s soldiers subdued the nobles, and troops marched in to arrest the traitors.

“...Good.”

Feeling the warmth of my blood soaking into my back, I quietly closed my eyes.