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A few hours later, a crowd gathered at Kingsley Castle’s main gate. It started with about a hundred people, but the commotion attracted more, and now the number had swelled to a few hundred.
At first glance, they looked like they were on the verge of a riot, but they had no weapons. Instead, they raised clenched fists and shouted in anger.
“Let the star bless Her Majesty! Death to the traitors!”
“Long live Empress Elizabeth! Long live Erdal!”
A flag emblazoned with the silhouette of Erdal’s black horse fluttered, and people bravely raised their fists in support. They were calling for the criminal who poisoned Empress Elizabeth to be brought to justice.
The soldiers guarding the main gate were at a loss as to how to deal with the situation. The people’s patriotism and deep loyalty to the empress were driving their anger towards the one who harmed her. If that was the case, was there any real reason to drive the crowd away?
However, the crowd was growing out of control, and a spark could turn the scene into a riot. So, a knight was assigned to report the situation to the crown prince in the throne room.
What went unnoticed was that most of the crowd was originally made up of merchants. Furthermore, all were affiliated with Ist or from companies with ties to Ist. Among them, a tall, slender man held the flag high and shouted.
“Long live Erdal! Come on, everyone! Let’s make our voices heard even within the castle!”
The chubby man beside him, the instigator of the commotion, also spoke up. “That’s enough, Lord Nicol. It won’t do to have you stand out so conspicuously.”
Despite Dudley’s warning, Jude puffed out his chest with pride.
“Oh, don’t worry. I’m a recluse noble. Nobody in the castle will recognize me.”
Dudley shrugged and looked at the other citizens in the crowd. Jude had a point. The Marquis of Rozen was barely known in Erdal, and they were standing quite far back from the castle gate. It should be safe.
“But this is amazing,” Jude laughed. “I can’t believe you organized this in such a short time.”
“Of course. I won’t promise something I cannot deliver. In other words, once we receive an order, we’ll do everything in our power to exceed the customer’s expectations. That’s the essence of Ist.” Dudley paused and glared at Jude. “Besides, we have no choice but to run like a workhorse when you dangle such a tasty carrot before us. Your negotiations were a tad unfair.”
“It was,” Jude agreed with a grin. Having seen that same grin just hours before, Dudley’s expression soured even more.
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“YOU have two choices. Help us, and the gift is yours. Or you can withdraw and let the gift slip away.”
Clovis had just shared his strategy with the group in Ist’s office. Dudley had been reluctant until Jude held up a beautiful piece of white porcelain and started “negotiations.”
Even so, Dudley hadn’t agreed right away. If he followed Clovis’s plan and Riddhe lost the trial, Ist could get into trouble.
But Jude didn’t back down. On the contrary, he pressed even harder.
“Look. If you back out, you won’t be the only one who loses the gift. If war breaks out, I plan to close the research facility in Rozen and destroy all porcelain research done over the generations.”
Dudley gasped in shock.
“What…?! Are you insane?! As the sponsor of the research, you, of all people, should know the true value of porcelain. We can’t destroy it, no matter the reason. In fact, after our countries are devastated by war, we’ll need treasure to rebuild it!”
“But I have no choice. This is my only bargaining chip.”
Jude’s answer was calm as he traced the white finish of the porcelain with a slender finger. Dudley swallowed thickly at the look of sadness on his face. It was clear that the marquis was serious about getting rid of all the porcelain research should the need arise.
“Don’t worry. If you help us, you’ll get the gift, no matter what the outcome is. Of course, if everything goes well, I’ll work to add color to the porcelain. Heh, that’s right. The first series produced by Rozen will be named The Blue Rose. What shall I do after that? Maybe I’ll make a pattern that appeals to Empress Elizabeth. What do you think?”
That was the deciding factor. Dudley accepted the terms and utilized Ist’s network to gather people and start a commotion at the castle.