Prince Arno, having lost his entire support base in an instant due to Daniel Steiner’s actions, was left with no choice but to surrender.

With Arno abandoning the succession struggle, Selvia was able to extend her influence within the capital and the imperial palace without any opposition.

About a month later, Emperor Berthram, who had been observing everything from afar, decided that waiting any longer was meaningless. Using the pretext of selecting an heir, he summoned the empire’s key figures to the palace’s grand hall.

Naturally, Daniel Steiner was among those invited as one of the “empire’s key figures.”

While …