I Became The Leader Of A Revolution In A Romance Fantasy

< Chapter 14: The Moon is the Merciless Queen of the Night – 3 >

After the revolution.

The nobility was stripped of wealth and privilege.

However, the greatest loss they suffered was not such material things, nor was it the so-called ‘honor’ which isn’t worth a penny.

It was the future.

Wealth, and privilege.

With all these foundations lost, the future of the nobility, who had been saddled with all the sins of the old era,

seemed to hold nothing but being pointed at and crumbling away in the winds of a desolate age.

Until ‘he’ appeared.

The Count of Monte Cristo.

A mysterious benefactor.

The one who showed mercy so that the nobles of this country, who had lost everything, could at least maintain a minimal dignity.

The one who had the skill to avoid the attention of the revolutionary committee, who drooled, asking, ‘Why are those noble bastards still alive?’

Among the nobles, there were idiots who interpreted his support merely as a means to live and survive… well, about 70% of them.

The rest united to uphold his ‘true intentions.’

To find a way for their survival.

Thus, they formed a political force called the ‘Royalists,’ succeeded in electing congressmen, and finally, they had come this far.

That wicked and dreadful.

The cursed traitor whose very name would rot your tongue upon utterance!

They had finally produced the Royalists’ idol to confront Eugene Hastings.

Long live Her Highness, the Princess!

* * *

A certain place in the suburbs.

An illicit hunting ground officially known to have been confiscated by the revolutionary committee.

The Count of Monte Cristo had not only responded to the invitation but had promised a grand nocturnal gathering.

Nobles wearing masks gathered one by one,

Taking advantage of the darkness of the night.

Even so, they clicked their tongues.

“To own an estate in such dire times.”

“Oh, Count! How far does his capability reach?”

Under normal circumstances, they wouldn’t take such a risk.

They were, after all, criminals of the Republic. They were not free from the most terrifying law, called ‘the wrath of the people,’ more fearsome than any codified law.

But today was a special day.

First, Her Highness the Princess appeared like a comet in the pitch-black situation of the Royalists.
And above all, because ‘he’ had prepared a celebration party.

“Will he really come?”

“With endless wealth and god-like power. Isn’t he truly a king? Such a person would never make an empty promise.”

In the past, when this country was a bit more beautiful.

There was something called ‘high society.’

A time when the colors of the world became more vivid,

Young flower buds bloomed on every branch,

And even the wind turned gentle in the queen of seasons.

With the advent of spring, the young blossoms of noble families also bloomed brilliantly, signaling the start of the ‘marriage wars’ of that era.

The gathered people chattered with hearts swollen as if they had returned to those days.

“I even wore the family heirloom necklace to see him! What kind of person could he be?”

“If he has that much wealth and status, he must not be a young man, right? Perhaps he is a noble, dignified old sage who has achieved much.”

Such speculations arose.

“I’ve never heard of a territory called ‘Monte Cristo,’ but just from the name, it must be a foreign nobility. A country where order still exists in society.”

“Ah, how awful and ridiculous must our country’s condition seem in his eyes?”

“Isn’t that why he hasn’t revealed himself until now? Because the people claiming to lead the country are all busy begging for votes from the common folk, he’s probably disgusted by this sight and feels repulsed.”

“The noble isolation! The life of a great nobleman originally begins in the tranquility of the rural
countryside. Ah…”

Even such speculative admiration mixed with arbitrary longing.

Everyone was busy talking about someone other than the main character of the party, Visenya.

And when they arrived at the lakeside in the middle of the hunting ground, they opened their eyes wide and shouted in excitement at the sight revealed under the moonlight.

“My goodness! Blossoms in this autumn!”

“Heavens, it’s like they moved the royal garden here!”

To recreate flowers that shouldn’t bloom in this season, they had gathered plants from other continents across the sea,

and a night garden on the lakeside, grander than the former beauty of the royal palace trampled by the revolution’s mobs, was displayed.

And that wasn’t all.

“Look at all the food over there! My goodness!”

“A whole roasted pig with that glossy black coating. Is that all crushed pepper and natural honey covering it?”

“That’s seven-star eel! It’s a food that can only be found at least 2,000 kilometers away. How did they manage to get it here?”

“I’ve only seen such an outdoor banquet in legends!”

It was truly a power that transcended time and space.

It wasn’t something that could be achieved with just money or just power.

The nobles shivered with a thrill that surged up their spines.

The power of the Count of Monte Cristo undoubtedly extended across the sea.

If there was one thing clear, it was that ‘Count of Monte Cristo’ was a pseudonym.

“This influence is not at the level of a count of any country!”

“It must be a member of the royal family of some country lamenting our situation!”

“Or could it be a tycoon from the New World Republic?”

Imagination is the most potent drug,

and the brain is the most sensitive erogenous zone.

As they trembled in excitement, lost in their power fantasies that were far from reality, a pair of white, glowing eyes gleamed in the shadows of the garden.

“Eeek?!”

“Oh my!”

When the eyeballs suddenly appeared out of nowhere, people were startled, but they soon realized it was a black man in a black suit, wearing an equally black mask.

He had been standing in the shadows with his eyes closed, so no one had noticed him.

“Sir Jini!”

“Hey, man! What’s the point of wearing a mask if you call out his name?”

The reason this black slave was called “Sir Jini” was solely due to the presence of ‘him’ behind Jini.

After being captured as a prisoner by Eugene five years ago and then released, up until the feudal system of this country was destroyed by Red Dawn,

Jini, who remembered clearly how the country had treated him when he was just a common freedman, only laughed cynically.

(However, due to his extremely dark face, such subtle expressions of emotion were hardly noticeable.)

“Oh, it’s okay! I don’t expect much from nobles! If they get caught, it’s pitchforks for them. It doesn’t matter if you call me by name!”

“?”

“?”

– That friend is quite poor at our language.

– Dark-skinned friends have genetic limitations. Should we describe ‘smart’ as ‘bright’? It’s all related, you see.

Such murmurs briefly passed,

“Nobles! Everyone has arrived!”

Jini spread his arms wide to welcome them.

Now, everyone, eat and drink!

* * *

The Count never appeared in the end.

At first, the nobles were puzzled or disappointed, but gradually, they immersed themselves in the splendor of the banquet.

Each glass of wine was excellent, and the dishes were truly luxurious.

Having lost their estates and wealth, unable to enjoy such extravagance anymore, the nobles relished the feeling of returning to the old days, at least for tonight.

“The steamed fish is all gone? I wanted some…”

“I’ll bring it!”

Perhaps to maintain security, the banquet was managed only by Sir Jini and a robust servant.

However, their movements were so swift that the banquet proceeded without any issues.

And as the banquet was approaching its climax,

A drunken noble shouted in excitement.

Someone had spotted a figure approaching across the hunting grounds.

Immediately, he raised his voice under the moonlight.

“By the grace of the Lord! The first jewel of the crown and the guardian of virtue! Duchess Merenis and also the rightful Royal Princess of this country- Her Highness, Princess Visenya, arrives!”

Under the moonlight.

A woman who looked both like a girl and a maiden revealed herself, shining in white.

Luxurious lemon-colored hair fluttered.

The fiber, weaving celestial light, seamlessly transitioned from a cool and elegant sophistication to a brilliance that tingled the entire body.

Her golden hair was the very beginning of the golden dawn that ancient poets sang about.

“Dawn. The goddess who lifts the veil of night with rosy fingers and casts her golden hair over the waters!”

Marvel at it.

The hair, treated with fragrant oil, adorned her attire, which had not a single other jewel, more splendidly than anything else.

And through the fluttering hair against the star-filled night sky, what was revealed along with her white forehead was the intensity that made all the whirlpools of light spread across the magnificent night sky fade.

Look at that shining universe in her eyes. Dense honey and amber. Those bright yellow eyes held golds of different hues in each eye. And within them, there was a near-demonic light swirling.

“Your Highness…”

Someone murmured as if enchanted. Beauty holds power.

When the burning sunset casts over the navy blue sky that heralds the night’s darkness.

When you step into a garden in full bloom, proving that there are this many colors in the world.

People marvel and even feel a sense of the sublime.

They succumb to the thrill that dominates even the soul.

Thus, the ancient sages said.

Beauty is indeed the ultimate good, the supreme value.

One by one, people knelt before the irresistible magic. On the hill overlooking the garden, her slender figure dressed in a plain white dress without any decoration.

Before her, who did not exude any physical strength or power, everyone bowed down.

“Princess Your Highness!”

And they called out to her.

* * *

At that moment, the same thought floated in all the nobles’ minds. ‘Ah—’ Glancing at the princess’s slightly flushed cheeks, now triumphant as if she got the expected reaction, they sighed.

‘There was no need to wait until the wind was blowing like this to make an appearance.’

Visenya Andrastra.

The lily of the royal family.

The talented economic expert who performed the princess’s miracle. However, in the old kingdom’s social circles, she was known for something slightly different—

‘A person who likes to adorn herself with unnecessary dramatic effects…’

In one word, an attention-seeker.