Reincarnated as the third son of the Duke-Chapter 139 - The Price of Succession

139 The Price of Succession

A murmur rippled through the gathering….

"What…?"

"This is my decision alone, not His Majesty’s command. If there are any who wish to volunteer, speak now."

The offer sent shockwaves through the room.

With the Grand Accord shattered, the battlefield would be more dangerous than ever before—yet he was asking one of them to accompany him.

The weight of the decision pressed down on them all.

For a long moment, no one spoke.

Then, cautiously, Julia, Jordi’s mother, hesitantly broke the silence.

"If… if the third son were to go, as before—"

"He cannot," the Grand Duke interrupted. "William has matters to attend to in the North. He will not be coming with me."

"The North…?"

"The matter concerns the House of Duke Grimaldi. Recently, Count Calix has begun acting as though he is the rightful heir to the ducal house, completely disregarding William."

As the Grand Duke laid out the situation, the faces around the table darkened.

The timing was too perfect.

With William forced to leave, the battlefield unbound by the Grand Accord, and now this sudden request for an adjutant…

Some couldn’t help but wonder—was he clearing the way for the third son?

’Is he trying to remove the others for William’s sake? His position is weak, and if the other sons refuse to acknowledge his succession, things could become troublesome.’

’No… Father wouldn’t orchestrate something so underhanded. But if—if he truly intends to make William the next lord—’

Doubt festered in the air.

And then, the first to break was Veronica.

"This is outrageous!"

She slammed her ever-present fan onto the table and shot to her feet.

The Grand Duke remained unfazed, his gaze level as he regarded her.

"What exactly do you mean?"

"Your favoritism! Why is the third always exempt? Are you going to claim that because he has already participated once, it would be unfair for him to go again?"

A cold chuckle escaped the Grand Duke’s lips.

"The duty of every noble lord is to answer the Emperor’s call to arms in times of war. That, alongside the payment of taxes, is the most fundamental obligation of the nobility—one that must never be broken. And yet you speak of it as though it were a punishment."

"The lord of this house is you! Not our children!"

"And yet, one of them will eventually inherit my title. If they fear the battlefield and shrink from their duty, do they truly deserve to succeed me?"

Veronica’s face paled. Her mouth opened and closed, but no words came out.

The Grand Duke’s voice grew sharper.

"Let this be clear—regardless of the Grand Accord, obligations remain obligations. I will not name an heir who cannot even fulfill the most basic of duties."

William listened in silence, nodding slightly to himself.

Among the responsibilities of a titled noble, only two were absolute—taxes and military service.

Using the Grand Accord’s collapse as an excuse to avoid the battlefield was nothing more than childish whining.

Veronica faltered, hesitating for a moment before slowly lowering herself back into her seat.

The Grand Duke let his gaze sweep across the room.

"Now, for the last time—I ask again.

Who will accompany me to the battlefield?"

"I will go."

Unlike before, the voice that cut through the silence held no hesitation.

A moment later, Veronica turned toward its source, her voice rising in something close to a scream.

"Tristan!"

Her son did not so much as flinch. His expression remained calm, his tone steady as he met the Grand Duke’s gaze.

"Father is correct. Taxes and military service—these are the fundamental duties of all lords. If I cannot even uphold these basic responsibilities, I have no right to be a Grand Duke. No, I wouldn’t even deserve the title of a baron."

Veronica opened and closed her mouth, struggling for words. Her hands trembled as they fluttered in the air, unable to find purchase on anything solid.

Tristan spared her only a brief glance before shifting his focus back to the Grand Duke.

"And had no one stepped forward just now, you would have chosen the third son as your successor, wouldn’t you?"

"...!?"

A stunned silence fell over the room.

It wasn’t just Veronica—every wife, every sibling, every member of the family stared at Tristan in disbelief.

Then, as one, their gazes shifted to the Grand Duke.

The man in question did not avoid their scrutiny. With the same composed demeanor, he gave a small nod.

"Yes. That was my intention."

"My—my lord!"

"The Empire is on the brink of chaos," the Grand Duke continued, unshaken by the uproar. "It is weaker than it has ever been. Instigators lie in wait, watching for any opening. Even after His Majesty revealed the Empire’s hidden power, their audacity has not diminished in the slightest."

"Desperate times call for desperate measures."

Tristan spoke the words of an old adage.

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In turbulent times, adherence to tradition and protocol became secondary—decisive action was what mattered most.

"You seek a successor fit to survive the storm ahead."

"In times of peace, I would have had the luxury of observing you all at a slower pace. But in an era of upheaval, a single moment of hesitation can see one swallowed whole by the tide of change."

No matter how gifted a ruler was, potential meant nothing if they were struck down before they could fully realize it.

In an age of chaos, understanding the larger picture and reacting with decisive strength was far more crucial than mere administrative skill.

"The third son has already proven that he possesses those qualities. The rest of you, however, have yet to do so."

"Then… was this the true reason for your offer?"

"You tell me."

Tristan’s breath caught in his throat.

"If you believed for even a moment that you could lose your claim to the title, and yet still chose to remain passive, would there be any need for further deliberation?"

A heavy silence followed. Explore stories on novelbuddy

Then—

"...I see."

Tristan’s lips curled into a small, dry smile.

A test. That was what this had been.

And in that test, all but two had failed.

"Fortunately," the Grand Duke said, "it seems I do not need to make a hasty decision just yet."

His gaze settled on Tristan, his expression one of quiet satisfaction.