Political strife was common. The nobles divided into factions for their own interests and kept each other in check. The Seven Dukes were the same. Apart from the Sword Duke, they were all loyal to the imperial family, but they kept a close eye on each other and were vigilant. In the worst case scenario, there would be armed conflict.

It was inevitable that the dukes would fight. The dukes led millions of people, so incidents and accidents continued. Someone didn’t want to lose the inheritance gained from their ancestors, and someone else became relentless for their own ambition. Irrespective of the position and tendencies of such individuals, there was a common feature among the Seven Dukes.

It was that they had respect for each other. They might be afraid of or hostile to each other, but on the surface, they showed courtesy and goodwill to each other. It was because they didn’t want to lose their honor. This was to let people know that the ‘dukes of the empire’ deserved respect from everyone.

It was a type of image marketing. In other words—

“Don’t look at the Overgeared King with your glaring eyes.”

“...”

It meant this situation wasn’t normal, even if Duke Grenhal’s strength and authority was above that of Duke Diworth and even if their two families were fighting over the commercial rights of Saileta.

‘In front of others...’

It was far from common sense for Grenhal to show such hostility to Diworth in front of an adversary. Diworth lowered his eyes while clenching his fists. He breathed...